Bible Stories for City Kids
Contextualized Curriculum Illustrations
Contextualized Curriculum Illustrations
A friend and I have separately run summer street camps for children in inner city neighborhoods of Philadelphia. When doing a work like this, one can't help but notice that there are many Bible study materials out there tailored for more well-to-do suburban kids, but nothing at all for inner city kids. So in 2008, we decided to write our own material, the first curriculum based on the book of Genesis; my job was to illustrate it. What came out of it were 20 illustrations to go with the 20 lessons for "In the Beginning."
I have sought to make illustrations that speak in and into the situations of our young people. Often, the images that inner city children see in mass media either do not address them or end up exploiting them. This is unfortunately true of Christian media as well.
I have used Sharpie markers and Crayola crayons; I grabbed my toddler son's crayons for the sake of expediency at the time, but in hindsight I'm glad I used a medium that is accessible to children.
Other curricula followed in the subsequent years--in 2009, we put together "Proverbs"; in 2010, "The Tale of the Two Kingdoms" based on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; and in 2011, "The Parables of Jesus." Here are some samples from those efforts.
I have sought to make illustrations that speak in and into the situations of our young people. Often, the images that inner city children see in mass media either do not address them or end up exploiting them. This is unfortunately true of Christian media as well.
I have used Sharpie markers and Crayola crayons; I grabbed my toddler son's crayons for the sake of expediency at the time, but in hindsight I'm glad I used a medium that is accessible to children.
Other curricula followed in the subsequent years--in 2009, we put together "Proverbs"; in 2010, "The Tale of the Two Kingdoms" based on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; and in 2011, "The Parables of Jesus." Here are some samples from those efforts.
"Shalom" | from "In the Beginning" | 2008 | Philadelphia, USA
"The Fall" | from "In the Beginning" | 2008 | Philadelphia, USA
"Angels on the Stairway" | from "In the Beginning" | 2008 | Philadelphia, USA
"The Stubborn Fool" | from "Proverbs" | 2009 | Philadelphia, USA
"Words" | from "Proverbs" | 2009 | Philadelphia, USA
"Money" | from "Proverbs" | 2009 | Philadelphia, USA
"Happy are the Poor" | from "The Tale of the Two Kingdoms" | 2010 | Philadelphia, USA
"Happy are the Pure in Heart" | from "The Tale of the Two Kingdoms" | 2010 | Philadelphia, USA
"You are the Light of the World" | from "The Tale of the Two Kingdoms" | 2010 | Philadelphia, USA
"The Parable of the Lost Sheep" | from "The Parables of Jesus" | 2011 | Philadelphia, USA
