Teaching: How Firm A Foundation

Update:
I mentioned this in my 'Activity: I Lived in Heaven' blog, but I wanted to mention it here also. I am going to work this song a little different then just tell them the line, we sing that line, and then sing it again (maybe a few times) before learning the next line.
Since this song will be different for the children, I am going to start by having them humm and then la la la the melody. After that will will say together all the lines a few times before we sing them. Then I will start into my normal routine. We'll see how it all works. I am going to start teaching it next Sunday (Jan 25th).

How Firm a Foundation:

I wanted to make sure I finished this plenty early before Feb. For a few reasons 1- I wanted to be able to share my idea before hand. 2- I will be out of town for two Sunday’s in Feb 3- I hope to use some of the Sunday’s in Jan to start teaching this song.

My idea consisted of trying to build a foundation. So each of the words are on what I wanted to look like a brick. I am debating making something to be mortar between each layer. With words I could think of something to help the children (especially the little ones that can’t read), I tried to add pictures for those words. Each brick is half a piece of construction paper tall, and most are a construction paper wide.

As we learn the verses, I plan on flipping over the bricks and hiding the words and pictures. I was considering taking away the bricks, however I decided that taking the bricks away would make it an “unfirm foundation”. So that was fixed by only flipping over the bricks.

I plan on using the magnets to hold the bricks to the chalkboard.

I am worried that the few pictures I did use, are too small. Also I really wanted more pictures but I either couldn’t find pictures small enough to fit on the brick, or I couldn’t think of a picture to go with the particular words. I hope all ya’ll can find better pictures to use.

I am also debating having the words go up instead of the traditional down. That way I build the foundation up. I think the children can handle the non traditionalism, but I haven’t ever tried it so I don’t know. Has anyone else ever tried this method?