Prayer and Worship (@ Christmas)

These were from a session last year that was around christmas time, but we had planned to do a session on prayer and worship but decided that it was appropriate to make the connection between the two.

These were the available exploration/ play resources

Nativity set with book, initially presented with no baby. To pose the question, ahh we need a baby at christmas and aid discussion about Jesus. And this worked very well, pointed out missing baby by three year old.

Sung/ musical/ dance worship, the cards are Mary's song presented with a visual image for each sentence.

People who came to worship Jesus when he was born. Play dough making the people  who came to visit Jesus (apparently there were a lot of snails who visited Jesus who knew)

Prayer is communication: Walkie talkies, a two way baby monitor (other half in another room, had to be found) mobile phone. And a basket of resources to make cup and string phones.

We need to look out for how God is speaking to us and it's no always words: No talking signs - children acted out the cards for friends to guess

Worship God/ Human creation: cards with images of people e.g. concert, church, football match children sorted into which they thought were worshiping God. This led to some interesting discussions about us not knowing what was going on inside people heads e.g. the concert the people may look like they are worshiping the band they may be singing christian songs to God, the church they looked like they were singing to God but they may not care. A really useful activity.

We hear from God through his word, Bible story books.

Sometimes we go in our room and quietly talk to God, a tent to do so on our own.

Free craft, with range of resources.

Parable of the Rich Farmer

We used Mick Inkpen's Parable of the Rich Farmer/ fool for the story, obviously we usually use props but this is such a lovely version and actually worked well on a large projector screen Via powerpoint. Although I did feel much like a teacher and even commented on this and said come on gather in so I don't feel so teachery to which a group of the older children and adults parroted "Good morning Miss.. good morning everyone" Oh how I laughed.

Building Barns

There were several response activities to explore the idea of building barns for the crops.

The AMAZING box barn!

The brilliant marshmallow and spaghetti barn for the greedy kids to store marshmallow's. No joke we did have to discuss sharing, when one group stored up too many marshmallows. One could question they didn't listen to the story, on other hand it was a real life teaching opportunity which was brilliant.

A favourite game in junior church "make and break challenge" where you race to copy the card building with blocks using tongs.

Jenga building

Duplo building, particularly suitable for little ones.

Building farm building with the Haba farm, and ikea farm across the field.

Planting

Digging around in paper shredding to find pesky bugs (came in one of the boxes for the box barn building seemed a shame to waste)

Digging in the desert

Pretend planting (vegetable label cards, pots, shovels etc.)

Painted tree from fits of the spirit with some invaders. 

 

Story tent

Creative Opportunities

Clay bugs and plants.

Boxes for decorating and storing more important things than riches (we had hearts to represent love and stimulate discussion)

Hama hearts (unused, I loved these as a child maybe not displayed nice enough or too much else)

Icing bugs

Fruit/ veg printing

There were some profound elements to todays session responses including the mention that maybe this barn was built so pointy to point to God. Concluded by this picture below, some decided that the "death" picture actually had a cross to remind us of Jesus and point to God. WOW! Can't argue with that, adults have a lot to learn from kids and Jesus told us that why don't we listen.

Easter Story/ John 12:24

Relating to the theme of Junior Church Series of "Grow Zone" this verse was used as the basis of the Easter Story Session. Unfortunately (or maybe not) we did not cover the Easter Story in the session before Easter but a couple of the children were requesting it so we decided to axe the planned session and replace it with this session instead.

The resources availble for exploration 

The Easter Story, death and resurrection (I promise there are three crosses, and that's a cave a stone, some gave clothes and godly play people)

Tomb cakes

The children were not told the reason why we were making the cakes but as they were made a chocolate was put inside each one.

When we had finished telling the Easter Story we has snack, and reminded the children that we had put something inside the cake lets see if its still there, unlike the tomb the chocolate is still there!!! Of course this could be done with something that would melt away instead, this was however very successful and proved a great talking point about Jesus not being in the tomb.

Planting sunflower seeds (as we would use this to aid the analogy later)

Some of the planted seeds!!

Flower construction, a popular first choice activity for the littles. 

During the story session we would use the sunflower lifecycle to introduce the verse and the easter story. These cards were free downloads for the wonderful Communication 4 All. During the session the cards/ book was moved to the camp tee pee.

Soil play: before and after (well actually after several sweep ups) we have actually had this out for several session with not huge interest but this session it was utilised SOOOOOO much! It goes to show how sometimes we should offer multiple opportunities to engage in something.

Matching Plants to seeds!

Shame I haven't got a nicer photo of this (I should have snapped a shot when it was completed)

Craft Zone. We usually offer the craft resources on a high table and is usually accessed by the same grouping of children. This session a much larger group of children accessed this. As usual the resources were there for the taking without definitive prescribed creations but some possibilities.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of all the creations we ended up with, and there were a fair few including lovely hand print lilies.

    

The stick crosses were thought of during the course of the session and we went out to find sticks in the garden.

The Story

For the story session we went through the whole life cycle of the sunflower, and then asked the children why we may be thinking about the story of a sunflower when we were thinking about the Easter Story. Answers included, because it happens in spring, it's about life, it's like when you become a Christian you have a seed planted in you that then grows, and this exact verse. Which we then said and then in "conversation style" told the story using the below props with godly play style anticipation/ awe! 

My best bit of the session was after I had carefully wrapped Jesus in grave clothes placed him in the tomb sealed it, guarded it and waited three days. I asked then asked the children to turn away so I could do something to the story because it's the only way I could do the amazing thing that happens next in the story. When they had looked back I walked the Mary figures to the tomb who looked inside and.... One of the children exclaimed loudly with a gasp "HE's gone, where's He gone?" I began to explain and opened mouth kept repeating "He wash't there he was alive?" How perfect!!!