Our Program teaches children about Bricks, Using Mud, dirt, bricks, water, washing, teaching about sin, forgiveness, faith,worship, obedience on a CHILD'S Level.   "After He said this, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle; He rubbed the mud on the man's eyes and told him, "Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam." (This name means "Sent.") So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing." (John 9:6-7  In 2004 the Pool of Siloam was discovered. What do Adults say about Dirt and mud? "It is what we are made of. It is what we will return to when we die. Kids like dirt because we liked dirt when we were kids. It is a natural thing. It is the way God made us. If more people played in the dirt more often we would have a better world. We need more dirt roads in our lives. We need to be spending more time praying and looking out for the needs and concerns of other people. We need more love for God and for others." "Because it does so many things! It makes a big cloud in the air when you jump on it dry, it makes a big squishy ploppy splash when it's wet, it feels cool, soft, slimey, slippery,it molds for great imaginary play, it grosses out your enemy when you sling it at them, it supports life(and that's pretty magical if you ask me). I JUST LOVE MUD. and I'm 38!" "I dont know I would say its a kid thing..but I love it too I have no theory about the kids though..they seem to be a magnet especially when you dress them up to go some where. think this may be one of those life mystery things" Yes we also teach children about Washing their Hands    A new study shows that it is more difficult for elementary school teachers to get students to use soap when washing their hands than it is to get them to do their homework. According to the study, when that happens, it causes kids to adopt inconsistent hygiene habits. "I think kids are just kids and they keep it natural and you know what if I can play in dirt then I can eat it and they have that playful sense of humor about things. Children are like sponges they absorb!. Washing of hands has a two fold purpose. Traditions, and traditions of men, and that God can use anything to help us understand and grow in Him. Mark 7:1-23: Washing of Hands The interest of the multitude in the Lord, and their desire to make Him a king, was very disturbing to the Pharisees. They did not at all want that kind of a king, and were very jealous of the Lord who taught with more authority than they, and who cared more that the people were really good and kind and obeyed the Ten Commandments, than that they remembered all the many rules that men had written down and that the Pharisees thought more important than the laws of God. So now the Pharisees of Galilee and those of Judea joined together and came to watch the Lord and try to find some fault in Him and His teaching. And first they saw the disciples eating with unwashed hands. Now this tradition of washing before eating was one of their most important teachings, and their books told just how it should be done, how one hand should be washed with the other fist, and that the hands should then be raised so that the water might run off just at the wrists. This should be done always before eating, and some considered it necessary after eating and even between the courses. And when coming home from the market they must wash all over before eating. Very particular rules were given also for the care of dishes and things used in eating. The scribes and Pharisees asked the Lord why His disciples did not keep these laws, and He answered them by first telling them what one of their prophets had said: "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." The Lord only cares for those outside things of worship that help people to be good and love Him, and these rules of the scribes and Pharisees did not do this, but only helped the people to forget His Commandments. Then the Lord said, "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things that come out of him, those are they that defile the man." When the disciples were alone with Him they asked Him what that meant, and He explained, that it is not the things we eat, clean or unclean, that can do us real harm, but it is evil in our hearts which makes us do wicked things that really does us harm. It matters not so much whether the outside of the cup and platter is clean if the inside which comes next the food is only clean. But the Pharisees were always cleaning the outside which showed most, and letting the inside go. They had many tiresome laws for outside ways and manners, and did not care if their thoughts and feelings were wicked and impure, dishonest and murderous. Here the Lord showed how different His teaching-was from that of the scribes and Pharisees, and how worthless all the outside show of goodness is if there is no love for the Lord and one another in our hearts. About Brick's and how mud changes The Biblical meaning: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. By "eating bread in the sweat of the face," is signified to be averse to what is celestial; to "return to the ground from whence he was taken," is to relapse into the external man, such as he was before regeneration;[born again]  and "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," signifies that he is condemned and infernal but saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Again the word we stress is CHANGE, and with change comes difference.  We all at one time have played in the dirt and the mud Im sure. What better example to show substance and foundation through change. Mud becomes a brick through a change.   Example we use in The Bible School Program:  We place a container of dirt and let the children add water to it to make mud. Then each one of them takes it an rubs it on their hands. Then we ask the children how it feels?  Then we talk about sin, and how Jesus Christ  washes us clean, and then we go around and pour water over their hands to clean them.  You see children are like a sponge they absorb everything, so by this simple activity they will remember that Jesus washes them clean.  This is change.  I have found that we as adults need to come down to their level, that is become as Children, then we can see things through their eyes.       Mud changes and becomes a Brick    Mud becomes a brick if baked in the sun.  We try to show children that sometimes a  persons heart can become hard, and unforgiving, and sometimes people think that their heart does not need cleaned, and they become hardened. ( Hardened heart) Unforgiving.  Someone who hurt you, and you just stay mad at them.   We allow the children to make bricks and let them dry in the sun during the 5 days of our program. Then on the last day we allow them to decorate them and take them home. You would be surprised of the meaning of this brick to the children. We suggest that they give it to their parents for a door stop.   The Process Just like mud changing and becoming a brick, it takes time and placed within a mold. We try to show children that the process of a 'hardened' heart takes time. You dont forgive one person, and then another and another, and hold on to the hurt. Is like the process of making bricks. The process of making the bricks after one has fully soaked and mixed the mixture is to lay ones mold or molds on even ground which is clean of debris. Once the molds have been wetted out with water (some people like to use old engine oil every so often to stop the mud from sticking to the sides of the mold.) proceed with the filling of the mold so as to fill every cavity totally to stop the mud brick from being uneven.   The mold once lifted should produce an even shaped mud brick that should then be let to dry. After a period of several days this being dependent on climate and weather conditions the bricks should be turned on to their edges. Once the process of turning and drying is complete the stacking of your mudbricks should follow. The stacking should also be done with either the mud bricks laid on their edges or flats. When transporting they should always be laid on their edges, this prevents breakage The Materials Mud and Dirt Mud and dirt they are the most humble of all materials that a foundation can be built upon. Soil, soft that we walk upon in our journey in life, but yet goes through a simple change that makes it stand the test of time. It will not burn, and we are reminded in the Bible that we were created from the earth and to that same we all will return.  It is used worldwide and each one of us walks on it in our journey each day of our lives.The brick is a proven building material that is made with the hands. Rocks, stones, wood, are all natural building materials, though they may be worked with the hands they are not made by a person with their hands.The brick is a humble material, taken from the mud and dirt of the earth and formed into a substance that goes through change when baked in the sun. Change and difference is the theme of our entire program, from the Keyboards for Christ Music Program, the Vacation Bible School program and to the Dove Award.  Each program is done in a 'simple' way using common objects and done with the hand and the heart. Mudbricks are part of human history dating back throughout time to the earliest known dwellings. Much can be said in regards to this form of building, and many have discussed the reasons for this type of dwelling and building style.Foremost in the minds of most mudbrick practitioners is the simplistic and basic energy required to achieve this wonderful building material. There is requirements in any substance or building material. Soil is the fundamental requirement of any mud brick, it must be stressed that soil will vary in respect to its availability yet the soil of a mud brick should be made up of two major components, a soil of clay content and a soil of top soil quality. Both these soils when blended together are compatible in the forming of a mudbrick. It is also a wise to have some form of aggregate such as small stones within this mix as well as straw. The process of making a puddled mudbrick can varor from the owner builder point of view. If the latter be the case then one needs firstly a mudbrick mould made from steel or wood. Depending on the individual size of the mudbrick this can and may vary in size. To begin with an area within distance of the future building is of preference. The next step is to establish some type of pit area for the blending of mud and a minimal amount of straw. There are several ways of blending mud and straw and one of the easiest ways to achieve this is by putting on gumboots if you prefer not to do this barefooted. This is very much like making wine .                                   New Ancient Mud Bricks for the Tel Dan City Gate ynet (Hebrew) reported on Monday on renewed restoration effort at the Middle Bronze Age gate (contra article, which refers to it as the Late Bronze Age gate) at Tel Dan. The current stage of restoration, to last 10 days, involves building new mud bricks using ancient techniques. A translation follows: The City Gate - Reconstructing History by Hagai Einav At Tel Dan this morning, experts began the third and central stage in the reconstruction of a gate initially built during the Late Bronze Age, considered to be one of the most important 13 sites in archaeology. Great excitement was felt Monday amongst the representatives of the Israeli Nature and Park Authority and the Israeli Antiquities Authority in the north, as the third and central stage in the restoration of the "City Gate", built approximately 1500 BCE, in the area where the Tel Dan Park resides today in the Upper Galilee and which is considered an important discovery even amongst international experts. The story begins in 1980, when the first signs are discovered of what is considered today to be one of the 13 important archaeological monuments. This is a gate, initially built during the Late Bronze Age, and which served for a long time those who entered the Biblical city found at the site of today's Tel Dan Park. What does a Mud Brick have to do with a HERO? The purpose of this activity is many fold.   It is to represent change, and a hero makes changes in life. The second is that it is to show children that God is the Only Power from which a real Hero seeks their power. For God made us, from the dust of the earth, the dirt.  Thirdly it give the teacher a chance to talk just a little about creation.  During these 5 days of this program the children will work with dirt,water,sand,rocks,grass,sunlight. A HERO is made..... just like creation Day 1 - the universe, earth matter, light, day and night Day 2 - sky Day 3 - separation of the seas and land, plants Day 4 - sun, moon, stars Day 5 - sea creatures, birds Day 6 - land creatures, man and woman (Adam and Eve Day 7 - God rested (no more creating)  Finished mudbrick Sunshiny weather 5 days  if not you will have to bake them in a oven for the children. Oven bake at 300 degrees for 4-5 hours. What you will need: Sifted dirt, Try to get the deeper dirt if you can not off the top Sand (if Needed) Water Grass they pick or straw Small forms or molds for each child to use Mixture: Mud(Sifted dirt) Water Grass or Straw Heat (sun or oven) Sand For the church to keep and display One large mold made with 2x4’s Have the men of the church if possible make a large mold and have each of the children place their hand print in the mold a day  latter as the brick starts to form in a more hardened shape. You can take a popsicle stick and make the letters Hero Class and then the year. Just like a person places their hand print in a cement sidewalk. This can be placed outside your church or even somewhere inside. Then the children of our church will be able to how they change over the years. Have the children make up the mix and place it in the giant mold. This also shows of Unity that they are a class of heroes, it teaches like I am the church you are the church WE are the church together. Children’s Mud Brick                                         1. In a large container, such as an old plastic dishpan, have the children stir together dirt, (Sift dirt first…you can have them go an collect the dirt, make sure it is free of stones and other objects, you should use a strainer like the ones for pasta you can purchase one at a dollar store. water, and handfuls of grass to make a thick, clay-like mixture. Show them how to form the mixture into small rectangular “bricks.” Next help them find a sunny spot to place the bricks where they can be left to dry for several days. I have also found that you can find some sandstones and have the men of the church break them into small ones to form molds. The children then can simply just place the mixture inside and the stones will mold to the mud as the brick forms and hardens. Be creative. (Note we like to use smaller forms because the smaller the bricks, the faster they will dry.) When the bricks have dried and hardened, on the last day of the program we take them inside and write the word LOVE on them. Below is from a family that has been in the mud brick making business for many years. Margie Jirgens writes me with the following, so I was'nt off to much. Hi Dan, We are in the Philippines at the moment doing some voluntary work with AusAID involving road construction and using mudbricks for low cost housing construction. It is all very interesting living in a mud hut in the wet tropics! Anyhow, following are some notes on how to make mudbricks and some ideas for additives. I hope this is helpful. Regards, Margie Jirgens  Make it Mudbricks manufacture and deliver superior quality puddled mud bricks across Australia. Make it Mudbricks is an Australian owned family business. Peter Jirgens, the owner, is a civil engineer with 30 years experience. He has used his knowledge, skill and expertise gained through stabilising road pavements to design a strong, resilient mud brick. He has been actively involved in the construction of mud brick buildings for a number of years lives at Nowra on the NSW South Coast with his wife Margie and their three children. http://www.makeitmudbricks.com.au/ It is pretty easy to make a mud brick. All you need to do is get some soil -not the top soil which is usually a darkish brown, but dig down a bit until you get to the sub -  1.soil which is generally lighter in colour. Get some of this, and remove any bits of rock or any sticks.  2.Then mix it with some water to make a pretty stiff mix - similar in consistency to a biscuit mix - not actually runny, but all the soil should be quite wet. Mix it for 10 minutes (in a wheelbarrow) or so until it is all even, then 3.Shovel in into a mould - it could be an ice-cream container with the bottom cut out, or a mould you have made up out of wood, 4.Then put it in the sun to dry. 5. When it has dried, remove the mould and tilt the brick up and let it fully dry. If the brick cracks when it is drying, you can either slow down the drying by drying it in the shade, or add some chopped up straw and this reduces the cracking as well. If it continues to crack, then it has too much clay and you can add some sand. Basically this is it. There are other additives you can try to make the brick stronger and more water repellent including cow manure, cheese whey, gypsum, lime and urea.