How The Bible as a Library™ began
The Bible as a Library™ idea came about during the 2020 and 2021 Covid pandemic.
When churches and Christian schools closed, Lisa Watters and her husband realised they were just buildings. This led them to question, “What is the church?” They quickly realised the better question was, “Who is the church?”
The answer turned out to be simple. The church is people.
With this understanding, they then addressed the real question: “How can people grow in knowledge and faith when the building is closed?”
In 2021, during the sixth Melbourne Covid lockdown and while Lisa was leading an online 'Mothers of Preschoolers' (MOPS) group, she read Danika Cooley’s book, 'Help Your Kids Learn & Love the BIBLE.' As a group they were looking for ways to support their children’s spiritual growth, and she found this book an invaluable resource.
At the time, for Lisa, the most important 'takeaway' from reading the book was in chapter six where Danika explained how to teach children different Bible genres by making paper roll books.
Lisa and her husband took it onboard to teach their children the Bible through Danika's approach. They did this together, one night a week over a four month period, eventually making all 66 books. Initially, they followed Danika’s suggestions, however they began to rework their approach as their children began to ask questions of their own.
After those months of lockdown ended, Lisa left the books on the shelf, but often reflected on their potential.
A couple of years later, as she taught in the children’s ministry at her church, she wished the children she was teaching could access the books sitting on the shelf. So, after a while, she began using the paper roll books as teaching aids.
The first time she did this she placed the first six books in a magnetic holder and introduced the group to Joshua. She showed them the book of Joshua and shared that, even before Joshua had a book of his own, he was mentioned in Exodus 33:11 and Numbers 27.
Joshua, was no longer just a book, but an historical figure, whose life weaves in and out of the Old and New Testament pages. Those little paper roll books gave tangible structure to many stories and teachings offered to us in the Bible.
From there her idea of using The Bible as a Library™ as a teaching aid was born.
Who created The Bible as a Library™?
Lisa Watters is a married mum of three children and a former primary school teacher with a B.A. in Social Science from the University of La Trobe and a Post Grad. Bachelor of Teaching from the University of Melbourne
Lisa has a passion to teach the Bible to children and created the The Bible as a Library™ curriculum and its' associated resources as well as the Bible Book Blocks™ labels as teaching aids for others that share her passion.
Lisa has homeschooled in the past, and also volunteers in her local church’s children’s ministry.
Lisa, her husband and three children reside in Victoria, Australia.
What is The Bible as a Library™?
Designed curriculum
The Bible as a Library™ provides a curriculum and resources to help children, of different ages, learn about the Bible. By discovering one book at a time through visual, historical, and spiritual connections, they will develop a stronger faith, connect their identity and purpose, and understand their place in God’s story.
The Bible as a Library™ curriculum is presented at four levels of development, making it ideal for teaching one topic to different age groups. It’s perfect for homeschooling, family small groups, or Sunday school.
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Preschool – ages 3-4 years old
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Beginners – ages 5-7 years old
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Intermediate – ages 8-9 years old
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Advanced – ages 10-12 years old
Downloadable resources
The Bible as a Library™ supports and empowers leaders and parents, even those without formal education, to teach children about the Bible by providing lessons, practical tools and resources, while also being adaptable to individual needs.
We provide a variety of resources including:
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A3 and A4 coloured instructional poster
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A4 black & white library poster (colour-in page)
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Bible Book Blocks™ labels
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Play dough template mats
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FREE video support for The Bible as a Library™ members
The Bible as a Library™ offers children a multi-sensory approach to making historical and spiritual connections.
Video guides
Each lesson in the curriculum includes a short video: 'Explore with Lisa', to guide you throughout your journey. These brief videos offer practical tools, tips, and techniques to help you teach children with confidence.
Each module can be taught independently although we recommended it is used as a comprehensive approach.