Purpose

To create a fun, interactive toy that helps children retell the story of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish.

Setup

1. Cut out a profile shape of a whale (or big fish) from the blue paper for each child. The whale should be about 3-4 inches long.
2. Cut each whale in half horizontally, straight through the middle of the mouth! So you have a “top half” of the whale and a “bottom half.”
3. Cut out tiny little stick-figure Jonahs from the white paper.

Instructions

1. Decorate: Let the children use markers to draw an eye, fins, and water spouts on the top half of their whale, and a belly on the bottom half. They can also color their tiny Jonah!
2. The Clothespin: Have the children take a wooden clothespin and lay it flat on the table.
3. Assemble the Whale:
   • Glue the top half of the whale to the top prong of the clothespin.
   • Glue the bottom half of the whale to the bottom prong of the clothespin.
   • Make sure they line up perfectly when the clothespin is closed!
4. Add Jonah: Open the clothespin. Glue the tiny paper Jonah to the back of the bottom prong, so that when the clothespin is closed, Jonah is completely hidden.
5. Play: Show the children how to pinch the back of the clothespin. The whale’s mouth will open wide, revealing Jonah trapped inside!

Discussion While Crafting

• “Why did the great fish swallow Jonah?” (Because Jonah ran away from God and got thrown into the stormy sea).
• “Was the fish a punishment, or was it a rescue?” (Both! It stopped Jonah from running, but it also saved him from drowning).
• “What did Jonah do while he was in the fish’s belly?” (He finally prayed!).