Help! Teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade

My husband and I teach 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at our church. I enjoy the work and have found it quite challenging. Though I have taught classes at church for many years this is my first time with this age group and my husband is new to teaching altogether. Does anyone have advice, suggestions, or crafts for older elementary. My internet searches have turned up tons and tons of stuff for preschool ages, but hardly anything for older kids. Please help! I think this is area that may have been overlooked and information needs to be made available.

How about Beading for the older kids...or painting...I will take a look here and see what I have for older kids to do...hugs

How about having the class or classes pick out a particular Bible story they like and have them arrange to do a puppet show for the other children or parents. (Actually it could be a church wide thing and the smaller kids could do stick or hand puppets and put the play on for parents) They could all make marionettes and dress them for each person in the story. Marionettes do not have to be all that complicated really. Here is a website on how to make one. Welcome to Puppets 2000. There are some pictures below of one my daughter made when she was in 5th grade. As you will note we decided not to make hands and feet as it added more strings and bars and got to confusing, In their play the people and animals has imaginairy hands and feet, ha ha. You can also see that we used and old gray velour shirt to use for the body, it worked out well with minimal sewing. Of course all of this involves scenery and backgrounds so it could be a lenghty project.This is not something you could do 1 class.

Could you do Armor of God doll type things. You could use balsa wood or heavy cardoard for the bodies which could be painted , metals (which you could buy at the craft store or layers of foil ) for the shield, sword, helmet and breastplate, fabric or leather strips (or faux leather) for the sandals and belt. You could also try doing the entire thing out of clay (homemade or boughten) and paint them. What a wonderful lesson you could teach in the process, a reminder for the ones who know this and something wonderful for those who haven't learned it yet.

How about a Coat of Many Colors, using broken egg shells. Have everyone save (and wash) egg shells. You could then dye them, smash them up, and glue the different colors of shells to a coat form of some kind (poster board, wood) put a hanger on the back, or depending on the size a magnet.

an easy Thanksgiving craft--a brown lunch bag--have the child trace their hand on the closed bag--then cut out-when opened and tacked on the tip of bag it looks like praying hands. give them strips of paper and ask them to write what they are thankful for. If you give extra strips they can have their family write what they are thankful for and share it Thanksgiving.