The Prayer Experiment Notebook by Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and Mina Munns
My review: 4 of 5 stars
The friendly font and illustrated pages invite children to try The Prayer Experiment Notebook. These prayer experiments make prayer a more tangible activity, more hands-on. The directions are brief, simple, clear and easy to follow. The experiments allow children to express their creativity while praying, and most items used can be found around the house. While inviting, I believe the average child in the targeted age range (8 – 12) would need encouragement to try these experiments before they were interested in doing them on their own. I also doubt many children would use the notes page unless encouraged by an adult. But with the guidance of a caregiver, these experiments show promise. Once a child fixed on a favorite or two, they might then make it a habit. Prayers that are tangible can help children focus (unless, like one experimenter, they get distracted by the play-dough). I like this novel approach to prayer and highly recommend encouraging children to try it.
About the book:
When you think of praying, do you see yourself closing your eyes and putting your hands together? It’s good, but there are also many, many other ways to pray! Why not try: play dough prayers, Lego prayers, building a prayer den, bubble wrap prayers or making a prayer tree? Written by two adults, but with LOTS of feedback from other young experimenters, this book will get you praying in many fun and different ways. Which will be your favorite experiment?
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