I stopped in the History Room at church this morning as a new display was being set up by our wonderful mother-daughter pair of historians. As they arranged this fabulous collection of arks, they took the time to explain to me how in the 19th century, especially in the South, a carved set of Noah and Biblical animals was considered the most appropriate toy for children to play with on a Sunday afternoon. Sunday, of course was the day of rest from the routines of the week, and family members were expected to spend their time quietly meditating on spiritual matters. Noah and his ark was the perfect compromise between play and religion.
Great collage, and interesting narrative! I read the story (the Jan Brett version) to my students the other day and one of them could even tell me the significance of the rainbow! :)
