God Loves

 I was pretty sure I posted this a while back, but can't see any evidence of it. I can't even remember what bible passage we did this for but I simple made folded house shapes and said children could draw their family inside or whoever they though and decorate the house however they wished. I may or may not have shown them my example before, I can't remember. Either way there were defiantly no carbon copies of "the craft" which is always a relief!

This was not a "God Loves" activity but would be lovely to do and is very simple we simple folded the paper and cut out a heart shape, then cut a heart out of that. When we had "enough" hearts they were just stuck to paper with one half, which makes an interesting picture. Would be good for older children if discussing "God shaped hole".

The Lost Stories

As a review of the children doing all the "lost stories" (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son) this is an overview of the activities available in this session (I am going to post in two lots because the Fruits of the Spirit post was too big to repeat)

 "lost game" children have to put their hand in the bag and find the missing shapes from the bag.

Find lost coins in sand!

Farm set and people relating to lost sheep and lost son (pigs)

"Special" boxes, little boxes decorated with gems. To fill with things in side (we later hid love heart sweets inside that were in the centre of a game of pass the parcel)

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

God made sunshine (Psalm 19)

Using the Godly creation cards I told a very short version without wondering questions. Then move the sun / moon down and said "a long, long time after God made everything, people wrote songs called psalms, one of these is about how wonderful God made the sauna and everything."  Then I created the bigger card below with cards/ glow stars/ touch light. I created/ pointed to the corresponding points to the psalm paraphrase below.

We then sang sunshine related songs.

Paper plate prayers, each child was given a paper plate, a biscuit and five stick pretzels. We each created a sun (most looked like the sun rising or falling) and said a a prayer saying saying thank you for the sun and each of us. If did this again i would say five thank you prayers counting the sticks, with children choosing what they are thankful for.

You know that I am not a fan of "production line crafts" but on this occasion I actually decided I would give the children a range of collage materials, paint sticks, and crayons, and they all with significant concentration created their own sunshine. Happily they were all different, most looking like a sunrise or sunset but a couple of flu rays ones like one on left, one with no rays (which I was told "This one is not going to have rays") we even has a sunshine rabbit- which if you look at the next post you will see the link!

Paediatric Chaplaincy Network Resources

The Paediatric Chaplaincy Network is organisation I have only just found out about, some lovely stories on here ideal for Christian families dealing with going to hospital, life limiting illness, sibling death. The interactive resources took me quite a while to load and I preferred the regular videos.

God Sends Snow Play

The introductory play activities for the God sends Snow

Intsa snow and also we had ice cubes with snow creatures (no pictures)

Transferring "snow balls" with tongs, there was also a cup cake tray to transfer into and this was incredibly popular!

Hanging snowflake decorations, onto hooks and the cup tree. I don't have an in use picture of this (this picture is on home shelves not on table ready for use)

Cotton wool balls snow scene, another really popular activity. Again this is a home picture rather than in church but exactly the same resources.