Paul Heals... craft

We looked at the healings of Paul, as a craft response for the 6-11 year olds we made pipe cleaner dolls that moved to remind us that the people in the story were able to move/ jump for joy.

Guidelines for making: http://alljoinin.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/making-dolls-aka-bible-dolls.html

Playdough Angels

Playdough angels. They may not all quite resemble angels but it was a mixture of ages, and allowed to create from the resources available.

• skin colour play dough (obviously), there were two shades
• plastic gems
• white feathers
• pipe cleaners (metallic)
• eyes
• pom poms
• match sticks

The story we were doing was Joseph is told by an angel that Mary is having God's son, but it would work for any angel story. This was our most popular angel activity with the littlest ones.

Jesus Friend to All

We were doing the story on the Ten Lepers, with a focus on how Jesus was friends with all (a holiday club message we were revisiting) and even though they had leprosy He helped them and didn't shy away. We photocopied our hands to tell the story (one way we told it) drawing straight mouths on each of the hands turning to happy when healed. Moving on to write our own thank you's around the hands.

The photo above is something we thought of whilst photocopying, noticing our hands were all different and little details were being captured led us to talk about how Jesus was all of our friend's even if we are different. So we made posters of group of hands, which turned out lovely!!!

I think we will use the hand photocopying idea again!!

Fishing Boat (for all those fishing stories)

I think this building set is amazing and have used it for so many boat and fishing story related activities. But never seem to get any creative shots well not I do so thought I would post.

I am unable to get a new set of this (although would LOVE to) in the UK, but it is called Crainum Mega Fort!

The Fruits of the Spirit

The session was for a range of primary ages and supported by teenagers, the notes on here are the notes discussed prior to the session to support in ways to support the children exploring, and leading to further exploration of the verse.

The examples I used to explain the characteristics/ memorise the fruits of the spirit

Play Fruit and Vegetables

Play with modelling the fruits of the spirit, saying things like “It would be kind to give some fruit to … that was a good thing to do.”

“Oh be gentle with the peaches!”

Fruit (fruit and nut and knickerbocker Glory) and Gentleness Games (jenga)

Play games modelling:

Patience

Kindness

Gentleness

Self Control

Notice andPraise when children do too e.g.

“Oh you arebeing gentle”

Garden Area

Small World Garden

What is being grown? Playalongside

Handa's Surprise Story

Simple storyabout a girls kindness to her friend…

Tell storyusing fruit and cards, be dramatic ohhh what willhappen next?

Emphasise Handa’s kindness

Painting Tree

A “dead”tree!

Doesn’t look so good

Lets make itbeautiful!

Who makestrees beautiful in the garden?

Do you thinkours will look as good?

What could grow on our tree?

Didn't get a fantastic picture but here it is painted!! Children LOVED this activity!

Compost - Messy Play

I wonder what we could grow in here?

I wonder how things would grow?

Have you ever grown any fruit or vegetables?

Making fruit stress balls (Out of Balloons filled with flour)

Talk abouthow you could squeeze these if you were a bit cross, what else could we do?

Sometimesit’s difficult to control being mad!!!

(You defiantly need a funnel/ drink bottle end and a pencil to push the flour down and plenty of patience)

Banana Muffins

Bananas are good for you!!

What other fruits do you know?

Praise and notice kindness, patience, etc.

Marzipan Fruits

What is your favourite fruit?

Why do you like that fruit?

Praise examples of the fruits of the spirit e.g. patience, gentleness.

Encourage making the fruit for someone else, kindness!!

Fruit Kebabs

All fruits mentioned to memorise and explain the verse available to make fruit of the spirit kebabs.

Support children to remember what each fruit corresponds to in the verse.

Children can either make the kebabs in order of the verse, or choose any fruits to go onto the kebabs. The one below  is a "Love Peace Kebab"

Play Resources God made sunshine (Psalm 19)

 Carpet: CDs, glow stars, kaleidoscope mirror, battery operated fairy lights, bath touch lights, a picture of a sunshine and lolly pop sticks

 Children were free to make anything, sunshines were talked about. Probably the most popular activity was turning the lights on and off! Useful for bringing in we are making the light shine, I wonder how God makes the sun shine.

 Sunshine game, 6 coloured stars (like in the rhyme) stuck on to a CD, the same coloured stars onto a wooden cube, and pegs. Children roll the dice, and match the same colour pegs.

 Children roll the dice, and match the same colour pegs.

 Yellow Playdough, with collage match sticks and textured rolling pins to make sunshines (if children desired)

We had lots of porcupines and birthday cakes!

And a sunshine!

"Sunshine" construction (i was given this idea by a four year old) Notice the rabbits in the mix, hence the sunshine rabbit in the previous post.

And a stars table

 Posting glow in the dark stars into big and small corresponding containers (would have been lovely to do with a black light)

 Stars stacking pots

Winter collage

Ok just posted this on the wrong blog, but going to leave it here as several things this week are planned to go to church on you guessed it sunday, as we are doing a "cold" theme all will be revealed soon... (This activity won't probably go but it could?)We've got a bit of a winter weather theme going on in the playroom at the moment, how long that will last or how long it takes to evolve is a different matter! But it seemed appropriate with the weather just starting to get cold- maybe it will snow soon? Here is an art area for children to make moveable collages in picture frames and mirror.
The collage items are loosely wintery in nature, the blue picture frames containing some wintery inspiration. The black button has "can you make patterns on the frames?" recorded onto it."
The red button says "These pieces are really tiny, if you drop them pick them up" The colour paddles just add another dimension to view.

I added a children's camera to the display so pictures could be taken of their creations here are the first of two such pictures.

I also added a nice little kaleidoscope next to the mirror frame (again for inspiration and comparison)

My Favourite Station

The light and dark station proved a very popular station, whether it was because it was in a separate room or because of the resources in there, either way they added up to a great environment. That some of the children insisted on going back to play with after the session ended.

The resources to create "art" with were available on the table the OHP was on these included: string, pipe cleaners, lollypop sticks, colour paddles, cocktail stirrers, colour blocks, magnifying glasses, clear acetates and white board markers.

A basic start

Independently created - sunshine design.

Which then turned into "Jesus" in the centre of beams of radiating beams. Jesus was actually one of the wooden Godly play people of God, which I was holding onto a basket of and politely asked for one to create this. But unfortunately Jesus was praying upside down!

So after finding a right way up praying "Jesus" He was joined by the people of the world interspersed between the beams of light.

Who would have imagined that an old OHP, some cocktail stirrers and some wooden people would have created such a theological image.