It can be difficult to hold the attention of children. A kit called the Jesse Box was created so that parents can teach their children stories from the Bible in a fun and engaging way.
The Jesse Box comes equipped with study manuals and activity books. These are used to tell Bible stories to children. Parents and kids can then create and act out plenty of stories from both the Old and New Testaments.
The verse Isaiah 11:1 inspired the name of the product. The quote goes, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots."
The kit currently has the materials for the stories of the Creation, Exodus, the Christmas story, Pentecost, and more.
Sebastian Kraszkiewicz, one of the inventors of the Jesse Box, explains the aim of the toy. He said it seeks "to help pass the faith to the children and to encourage family liturgy."
Paul Barnes, one of the other inventors of the kit, told EWTN News that the kit will be enjoyed by the whole family, not just the children. Families can learn about the Catholic faith while having fun. The kids put together the dioramas while the parents guide the children through the stories using the study guides included.
Barnes explains how it works. He said, "The family gets together, reads some Scripture and then make that story using the components that you find in the story manual for that story. And the basic components are the backgrounds you put in three background scenes, you make the characters and you make the props for that story and as you are doing that, of course, you are talking about the story."
The Jesse Box's creators Gerry Malone, Barnes and Kraszkiewicz brought the project to Rome. They presented the product to Bishop Jean Laffitte who is the secretary for Pontifical Council of the Family.
Bishop Laffitte, according to Malone, found the kit useful. Malone told EWTN News that the Bishop claimed, "the need of initiatives like the Jesse Box box to help our children and families grow discovering the love of God in the Scripture. Because the family faces extraordinary challenges in today's society."
The Jesse Box is distributed by Ignatius Press in America. An Ignatius Press consultant named Julie Johnson told EWTN News that the kit is a special catechism tool.
Johnson stated, "The family is the nucleus of society and it is critical that it is whole in order to restore the culture. Older siblings can guide younger siblings, family members can learn together or learn from one another."
The Jesse Box may be purchased from the distributor's website at Ignatius.com. It retails for $75.85.