Elements of God’s World explored through Bible stories

Resource pack for the Children’s Festival, 16 January 2016

Compiled by Jane Tibbs

Early Years, Children and Families Adviser for the Diocese of Bath and Wells

In the Beginning

Exploring the story of Creation

Telling the story

In the Beginning

At first there wasn’t anything at all. Nothing! So God set to work. But he didn’t

use his hands, or a special machine. He spoke, that’s all. He said, “I’d like

some light.” And there was light. Brighter than a summer morning or a

thousand Christmas candles. God spoke again. He said, “Sky. I’d like some sky.

And some water underneath.” And, sure enough, there it was. The bright blue

sky. With the dark blue heavens above it. And the blue green sea below.

“Earth.” That’s what God said next, hard and firm, as if he really meant it. And

the blue green waters parted, and there was dry land underneath. Great patch-

es of it, dirt black and brown. Here and there, all over the world.

“We need some colour,” God whispered, as if he were thinking out loud. And,

quivering with excitement, green growing things crept right up out of the dark

earth, then burst into blossom—red, orange and blue! Pine trees and palm

trees. Rose bushes and blackberry bushes. Tulips and chrysanthemums.

God shouted next.

“Day—shining sun!”

“Night—shining moon!”

“Bright shining stars!”

And there they were, for morning and evening, summer and winter—time and

heat and light!

After that, God called to the sky, as if he were expecting some kind of an

answer. “Come forth, flying things!” he called. And through the clouds they

came. Flying high and flying low. Flying large and flying small. Eagles and in-

sects. Hummingbirds and hawks.

Then God called to the sea. “Come forth, splashing things!” And they came to

him, too, leaping right up through the waves. Sailfish and swordfish. Dolphins

and trout. Great grinning hump-backed whales.

Finally, God called to the earth. “Come forth, walking things, crawling things,

running, hopping, climbing things!”

And sure enough, they came. Up from burrows. Down from trees. Out of the high

grass, and across the open plains.

Now everything was ready. Good and ready. So God spoke again. “Man and

woman,” is what he said, as if he were calling the names of his very best

friends.

And out of the dust came Adam and Eve. To enjoy all that God had made. To

take care of it for him. And to talk with him.

“This is the way things ought to be,” God said at last. “This is good!”

Genesis 1-2

Bob Hartman

The Lion Storyteller Bible

Exploring the Story God created the world

You will need

A paper plate for each child

Paint—blue and paint—brushes

Green tissue paper and glue

Scissors

The words, “God made the world and God made me” written on to paper

You may like to protect your surfaces and children!

Encourage the children to paint a blue circle on their paper plate. Make pink handprints

of each child, or draw round their hands on pink paper and cut them out. Invite the

children to tear land shapes from the green tissue paper and stick them on to the

“world”. Stick the hands on either side of the plate, as though they are holding the

words, “God made the world and God made me” The children might like to add some

more words of their own.

Rhymes and songs

In the beginning

You may like to have a black and white card, sun, moon and stars to illustrate

this rhyme

It was dark—very, very dark,

Even darker than the darkest night -

But God was there.

It was dark—very, very dark,

Even darker than the darkest cave -

But God had a plan.

It was dark—very. Very dark,

Even darker than th darkest black -

But then God spoke!

“Let light shine! Bright, bright light!

Eve brighter than the brightest flame.”

God switched it on.

It was light—really, really light,

Even brighter than the brightest gold.

God said, “that’s good!”

It was light—really, really light,

Even brighter than the brightest white.

God called it, “Day”.

It was light—really, really light,

A ball of fire, a wondrous sight.

God called it, “Sun”.

It was dark, but not so very dark,

A silver ball to give some light.

God called it, “Moon”.

It was dark, but not so very dark,

Twinkling lights shone all around.

God called them, “Stars”.

It was night.

Then it was day.

Moon and stars. Then sun. Hooray!

And God was pleased.

You made the light

Father God you made the light,

Thank you for all you made.

Father God, you made the sky,

Thank you for all you made.

You made the sun, you made the moon,

You made the stars that shine.

Father God, you made them all

Thank you for all you made.

Yes -

Thank you for all you made.

Great and wonderful

Our God, you are great and wonderful

When we look at the world you have mad, we know

Our God, you are great and wonderful

Children and babies as well as grown ups want to tell you

Our God, you are great and wonderful

Children and babies, as well as grown ups want to tell you

Our God, you are great and wonderful

When we look at the sky, and see the moon and stars we can see

Our God, you are great and wonderful

We thank you for the way you care for us and we want to tell you

Our God, you are great and wonderful!

God’s world

To the tune of Lord of the Dance

Long, long ago there was nothing here at all,

Nothing that was big and nothing that was small.

Nothing you could see or taste or touch or smell

But listen and you’ll hear the wind and water swell.

Clap, tap, ring along with me,

God was thinking hard of a world for you and me.

He thought and he thought

Then he spoke out loud,

“There’s going to be light from this dark, dark, cloud.”

Light shone brightly from the darkness all around,

The waters roared and the wind blew round and round.

God called the light, “day”, and the darkness, “night”,

God thought it was good and I think he was right!

Clap, tap, ring along with me...

God looked all day and he watched through the night,

He had some ideas for the darkness and the light.

He told the moon and stars to brighten up the dark

And the sun to shine brightly in the morning with the lark.

Clap, tap, ring along with me...

God’s wonderful world

After each verse, everyone can join in with the words, “That God put in his wonderful

world” and make a big circle in the air with their hands

This is God’s wonderful world Make a big circle with hands

Here is the sun, shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here are the creatures which live in the sea,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here are birds which fly in the sky,

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here is the land with plants and trees,

Here are birds which fly in the sky,

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here are the rain clouds that water the land,

Here is the land with plants and trees,

Here are birds which fly in the sky,

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

Here are animals, big and small,

Here are the rain clouds that water the land,

Here is the land with plants and trees,

Here are birds which fly in the sky,

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

And here are some people God made,

Here are the animals, big and small,

Here are the rain clouds that water the land,

Here is the land with plants and trees,

Here are birds which fly in the sky,

Here is the sky, way up high,

Here is the sea with splashing waves,

Here are the silvery moon and stars,

Here is the sun shining so bright

That God put in his wonderful world.

God made…

God made lions, God made rates,

God made snakes and God made cats.

God made chicks, God made frogs,

God made birds and God made dogs.

God made fruit, God made flowers,

God made sunshine, God made showers.

God made grass, God made trees,

God made you and God made me!

Prayer ideas

Creating creation

You will need

Newspapers

Paint—yellow, brown, blue, green, white and red

Paintbrushes

Large sheets of background paper

Place newspaper on the floor or surfaces to protect them and give the children

aprons to wear.

Show the children a blank sheet of paper. You may like to give them a piece

each. Explain that in the beginning everything was blank and plain. God decided

to create lots of colourful things to put in the world. First he added light and

darkness. Then God made the sky. Ask the children to paint a daytime sky blue

Next, God added the land and the sea invite the children to paint a brown strip

across the lower part of the paper and fill the rest in with blue or green sea.

Then God created day and night paint a yellow sun and a white moon explain it

was quiet, so God created things that make noise—animals! Let the children

draw lots of animals, birds and fish Then God created two people—Adam and Eve

Let the children create two people! Finally, say that when God had finished, he

had a rest.

While the pictures dry, you could sing a song like, “He’s got the whole world in

his hands”

Invite the children to hold up their pictures and say this prayer

Thank you, God, for making our colourful world.

Thank you for yellow, blue, green and brown,

And thank you, God, for making me!

Amen

WATER

Exploring the story of Noah

Telling the story

A Special promise

God was very sad. Everywhere he looked, he saw people making bad

choices. Hating each other. Hurting each other. Making a mess of his

beautiful world. “I need to start all over again,” God decided. “I need

to make my world clean.” And that’s when he talked to Noah.

Noah was not like the rest. He was a good man, and God knew it. So

God told him to build a boat. A boat big enough to hold:

Noah,

his wife,

his three sons,

their wives,

a pair of every animal in the world,

and food enough to feed all of them for a very long time!

Noah’s family was surprised when he told them what he was going to

do. Noah’s neighbours thought it strange of him to build a boat so far

from the sea. And it wasn’t easy chasing, and catching, and cleaning

up after all those animals. But Noah was a good man. He did what

God told him—even when it was hard.

At last, when they were all tucked safely away in the boat, God shut

the door. And then it started to rain.

It rained for forty days.

It rained for forty nights.

It rained harder than Noah had ever seen it rain before.

It rained so hard that the streams, and the rivers, and even the seas

burst their banks and began to flood. Soon every sandy beach, every

rocky path, every patch of muddy earth had disappeared beneath the

water.

And the boat began to float.

It floated above the houses.

It floated above the trees.

It floated above the hills, and then above the mountains, too.

It floated for days and weeks and months.

And then it stopped, stuck at the top of a tall mountain.

Noah opened a window to look out. The water was going down, but

the world was far from dry.

So he sent out a dove. And when the dove did not come back, Noah

knew that it had found a dry place to build its nest.

“Come out!” God called, finally. “Come out of the boat! The world is

dry. The world is clean. And now you and your family and all the ani-

mals must have children and fill it full of life again!”

“Hooray!” Noah celebrated. And he thanked God for saving him. God

was happy, too. So he painted the world’s first rainbow in the sky —to

celebrate his fresh, clean world. And to promise that he would never

send a flood like that again.

Genesis 6-9

Bob Hartman in the Lion Storyteller Bible

Exploring the Story

Does it float?

You will need

a selection of objects that float (cork, plastic ball etc)

a selection that don’t float

a large bowl of water, preferably on a low table

Let the children feel the objects before trying

to float them on the water.. Ask them to

guess what they think might happen, and

then see if they are right. Take care when

using water

Make an ark

You will need a large grocery box, sticky tape and scissors

Make an ark with the children by sticking the side and top flaps

together, making the sloping sides of the roof. Mark a door on one

side and cut it so that it forms a ramp.

Using any toy animals you have, encourage the children to play with

the animals. Encourage the children to see if they will all fit in the ark.

You could be ambitious and make

one big enough for the children to

play in!

Bubble rainbows

You will need bottles of bubbles

Children love bubbles! Gather a group of

children together and blow bubbles for

them to try to catch. Point out the

rainbow colours inside the bubbles. Let

the children try and blow bubbles

themselves. You may need to protect

your surfaces and the children!

Animal pairs

You will need pictures of animals, preferably two of each

Let the children look at the different animal pictures and see how

many they can recognise. Encourage the children to match up the

pairs.

Animal jigsaws

You will need simple animal jigsaws

Set up a table with different animal jigsaws for the children to

complete. You may even be able to get hold of jigsaws of Noah’s ark.

Some sample animal pictures

Animal masks

You will need

Paper plates

Coloured paper or material

Scissors and glue

Cut eye holes in the paper plates. Have a variety of animals for the

children to choose from—orange and black paper for tigers and

leopards, grey ears and trunks for elephants, yellow and brown paper

for giraffes etc. if possible, have a selection of textures available too.

Make a hole in the sides of the paper plates and thread ribbon or

string through these to tie onto a child’s head.

Make a Noah’s ark

Print the templates onto thin card. Colour in the pictures, cut them out and

fold along the dotted lines. They should stand up. You may want to print two

of each of the animals

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Rhymes and songs

Noah noise

Decide with the children how to produce the noises in the rhyme

Bang, bang, bang

Went the hammer on the wood.

Noah built the ark

Because God said he should.

Roar, gobble, squeak

Went the animals together.

We’ll be safe in here,

No matter what the weather!

Splish, splash, splosh

Went the waves against the ark.

Noah and his family

Waited in the dark.

Crash, creak, grown

Went the ark against the ground.

They landed on a mountain

God had kept them safe and sound.

God said to Noah

To the tune of “Incy Wincy Spider”

God said to Noah,

“Build a great big boat!”

Down came the rain

And set the boat afloat.

Out came the sunshine

And dried up all the rain

And God said to Noah,

“You’ll be safe again.”

Old Man Noah

To the tune of “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”

Old man Noah built an ark,

Made it out of wood and bark.

Brought the animals two by two,

Elephants and kangaroos.

Old man Noah built an ark,

Made it out of wood and bark.

A Man named Noah

To the tune of “Old MacDonald had a farm”

Encourage the children to choose different animals and their sounds for each

verse

A man named Noah built an ark,

‘cause God told him to.

And on this ark he had two ducks,

‘cause God told him to.

With a quack, quack here,

a quack, quack there,

here a quack, there a quack,

everywhere a quack, quack.

Noah built a great big ark,

‘cause God told him to.

Two Itsy Bitsy Spiders

To the tune of “Itsy bitsy spider”

Two itsy bitsy spiders use fingers to make a pretend spider

Climbed into Noah’s boat cup hands to make a boat

Down came the rain bring hands down from above head,

wiggling fingers

And set the boat afloat wave hands to indicate water

Up came the sun hold hands in a circle above head

And dried up all the rain bring hands up, wiggling fingers

And two itsy bitsy spiders use fingers to make a pretend spider

Climbed down the boat again cup hands to make a boat

Add other verses, for example

Two roly, poly puppies use hands to make puppy ears

Climbed into Noah’s boat cup hands to make a boat

Down came the rain bring hands down from above head,

wiggling fingers

And set the boat afloat wave hands to indicate water

Up came the sun hold hands in a circle above head

And dried up all the rain bring hands up, wiggling fingers

And two roly, poly puppies use hands to make puppy ears

Climbed down the boat again cup hands to make a boat

Two teeny weeny inch worms wiggle index fingers

Two fuzzy wuzzy rabbits use fingers to make rabbit ears

See a rainbow

To the tune of “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”

See a rainbow in the sky,

See the colours passing by.

Red and yellow, green and blue

Show us God loves me and you.

See a rainbow in the sky,

See the colours passing by.

See the rainbow

To the tune of “Frere Jacques”

See the rainbow, see the rainbow,

Way up high, way up high,

Telling of God’s promise, telling of God’s promise,

In the sky, in the sky.

The animals on Noah’s ark

To the tune of “here we go round the mulberry bush”

This is the way the rabbits hopped, hop like a rabbit

Rabbits hopped, rabbits hopped.

This is the way the rabbits hopped

To get on Noah’s ark.

Add other verses, for example

This is the way the lizards creeped creep on tiptoes

This is the way the eagles flew flap arms like wings

This is the way the elephants stomped stomp, swing arms like trunk

This is the way the horses pranced step high

Prayer ideas

Rainbow prayers

You will need

Newspapers

Sticky tape and scissors

Crepe or tissue paper in the seven rainbow colours

Roll newspaper into a thin tube and secure with sticky tape. Wind crepe paper in

one of the colours round the newspaper tube to cover it. Attach streamers of the

same colour to the end of the tube—you will need at least one in each colour

Say a simple seven word prayer, such as

Thank you, God, for looking after us

Get the children to stand in a line, holding their streamer shakers in the order of

the colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and

say the prayer together, waving a different coloured streamer for each word.

Then you can shake them all together.

Rainbows

You will need

tissue paper in all the colours of the rainbow, cut into squares

Black, dark blue or white backing paper

Glue

A picture of a rainbow

Show the children the picture of a rainbow. Explain that God showed Noah

the rainbow so that whenever Noah saw it, he could remember that God

had promised never to flood the earth again. Ask if they know the colours

of the rainbow. Show them the tissue paper as a hint!

Invite the children to make their own rainbows. Give them a piece of black

paper with a basic shape drawn on it. Show them how to scrunch up the

paper and stick it on, in the right colour order. You might like to add cotton

wool as clouds. Remind the children that when they look at their rainbow,

they can remember that God always keeps his promises.

A Rainbow Prayer

Colour the rainbow and pray for the people as you colour

You could make a large

rainbow for the whole

group to colour

Noah’s Ark

You will need

A large bowl of water

A selection of boats

Towels

Aprons—optional

Remind the children of the story of Noah’s Ark. Let the children put the

boats into the water. Ask the children to dry their hands and sit quietly.

Perhaps they could each hold a boat.

Pray together

Father God,

Thank you for boats and keeping Noah safe in his special ark.

Amen

You could always be ambitious and make paper origami boats for the

children to float!

Instructions are available on

http://origami.island-three.net/boat.html

FIRE

Exploring the stories of Moses and the Burning Bush

and Pentecost

Telling the story

The Burning Bush

The sun was burning hot. Moses’ skin was burned dark brown. And suddenly he saw it—

a bright red burning bush! Its branches crackled orange and red, and Moses could or

help but watch—for the bush did not urn up!

“Take off your shoes,” came a voice from the bush. “This is a very special place.”

“Who are you?” asked Moses. “And why are you talking to me? I am just a poor

shepherd.” “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—the God of Israel,” the voice

replied. “And you are more than a shepherd. You are Moses, the man I have chosen to

lead my people out of Egypt.”

“I can’t do that,” Moses trembled. “I left Egypt years ago, and I’m an old man now.”

“You can do it. You must do it,” God answered, “for my people are slaves in Egypt and

have prayed to be set free. I have heard their prayers, and you are the man I have

chosen.” “But what if they don’t believe you sent me?” Moses asked.

“Take the walking stick that’s in your hand,” God said, “and throw it on the ground.”

Moses did as God told him—and the stick turned into a wriggling snake! “Now pick it

up,” God commanded. Moses wrapped a shaking hand around the snake’s scale

middle—and it turned back into a stick!

“Show them that!” God laughed. “Then they’ll believe you.” “But I’m so shy,” Moses

continued. “I’m no good at talking to people.” “Don’t worry about that,” God assured

him. “Your brother Aaron loves to talk. You can take him with you. Now go! My people

need your help!”

So Moses went. He put on his shoes, He picked up his walking stick. And he went—off

to set God’s people free.

Exodus 3-4

Exploring the Story

Flame cakes

You will need

A small cake for each chid—easily available in supermarkets

Orange, red and yellow icing in piping bags

Encourage the children to pipe “flames” of icing onto the top of their cake to represent

the burning bush

Burning Bush Maze

Can you find your way through the burning bush? It’s okay to go across colours

Burning Bush Tree

You will need

Blue card for the background

Brown, orange, red and yellow paper

Scraps of green paper

Pencil, pen, scissors and glue

Draw round the child’s hands on orange, red and yellow paper and cut out to make

the flames

Cut out a tree trunk from brown paper and leaves from green paper. You could draw

around a hand and extend this for the trunk if you like

Cut out a piece of brown paper to make the ground. Write on this, “God spoke to

Moses through a burning bush”

Assemble the pieces to make a burning bush as in the picture

You might like to stick a loop of ribbon on the back to hang it up

Burning Bush Card

You will need

A template of both tree parts for each child

Colouring pens or crayons

Orange, red and yellow tissue paper if preferred

Pencil, pen, scissors and glue

Split pins

Enlarge the templates and print on thin card for each child. Cut out and colour the

bush in brown and green. Write, “I am God” on the top of the bush.

Cut out the flame shapes from the bush.

Cut out and colour the flame wheel in orange, red and yellow. You could stick tissue

paper on it if you prefer.

Push a paper fastener (split pin) through the centre of the bush and flame wheel;

open the arms of the split pin and press flat.

Turn the wheel and watch the flames flicker in the bush.

Sandals

You will need

a piece of card or craft foam board

Pencil, scissors

Glitter and glue

Draw around the child’s feet to make the sandal sole and cut them out.

Draw a line about 2cm wide in the inside of the sole shape around the heel. Carefully

cut along the line to make the strap.

Fold the strap forward and stick glitter on to it.

Glue the strap into place between the big and second toe to make a pair of flip flops.

You may prefer to staple this down.

You might like to ask the children to write their names on their sandals

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Rhymes and songs

Moses

To the tune of Sing a song of sixpence

Moses in the desert,

With his sheep and goats,

Saw a bush on fire,

Listened when God spoke,

“Listen to me, Moses,

To Egypt you must go

And tell the king of Egypt

He must let my people go!”

God’s man, Moses

Back in Egypt God’s people were sad

But God had a plan Spread hands as if opening a book

They needed someone to get them out -

And God knew just the man! Thumbs up

Moses was looking after the sheep

But God had a different plan.

Moses thought he’d stay a shepherd -

But God knew he was the man!

Suddenly a bsh caught fire,

“All part of God’s plan),

Moses heard the voice of God -

God said, “you’re the man!”

Moses said, “I can’t do that!”

God said, “Yes, you can!

You can—because I’ll help you.”

And Moses said—”I’m your man!”

Repeat the same actions in every verse

Prayer ideas God is near

You will need a large candle and something to place it on; matches

Please take care if lighting the candle

Moses knew that God was with him.

Think about times when you have felt God being near to you, or times when you wanted

God to be near.

Light a candle and watch the flame. Spend some time in silence and pray that everyone

will know that God is with them during the coming week.

Battery operated candles are now available if you don’t want to light the candle

Holy Ground

Decorate a corner of you space—or just use a chair—with lengths of red, orange and

yellow fabric. Put a sign up saying, “Holy Ground”

Ask everyone to take off their shoes and stand quietly by your “Holy Ground” space. Think

for a moment about God’s holiness. Encourage the children to sit or stand in your holy

ground.

Ask the children if they remember why God told Moses to take off his sandals? Because,

God said, "You are standing on holy ground." It was holy ground because God was there

and wherever God is is surely "holy ground."

Is God here today? Jesus said, "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with

them." We are gathered here today in his name, so he is here with us. Surely we are

standing on holy ground.

Father,

we are gathered in your name.

Just as you spoke to Moses long ago, speak to our hearts today.

In Jesus' name we pray

Amen.

Telling the story

The Holy Spirit comes to help

Jesus’ friends were in Jerusalem. They were waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit to

come. Suddenly, there was a sound like a rushing wind. Then something like a small

flame of fire settled on each one. They knew the Holy Spirit had filled them. They began

to speak in languages they’d never heard before!

Jerusalem was filled with visitors from all over the world. They were astonished by what

they heard. Jesus’ friends were speaking and they could understand every word!

“How can this be?” said many. “This is very odd! They are speaking to me I my own

language about the love of God!”

“They are out of their minds,” said others. “They must be drunk on wine!”

But Peter was bold and told them about all that Jesus had done. “We can all be forgiven

for the things we do wrong. God sent Jesus to save us. God loves everyone!”

Thousands of people believed in Jesus and were baptised that day!

They met to worship God, to share their belongings and to pray. They asked the Holy

Spirit to help them live God’s way.

Exploring the Story

Flame badges

Use a flame template to make badges as reminders of the Holy Spirit’s promise to be

with us for ever. Use red, orange or yellow card or colour the flame. You could make a

large and small flame and stick one on top of the other.

Flame headbands

Cut a strip of paper 2cm deep and 56cm long

Cut out a flame about 10cm high and decorate it before gluing to the centre of the

headband

Fasten the ends together with sticky tape, adjusting the length to fit the child’s head

Rhymes and songs

Sing the following, line by line, with the children repeating each line in turn – it may take

a couple of goes to get the words! Sing it to the tune of London’s burning (you can

choose different languages)

Good morning, good morning

Guten Morgen, Guten Morgen,

Bonjour, Bonjour,

Buenos Dias, Buenos Dias.

Explain that the words mean the same in English, German, French and Spanish –

different sounds but the same idea of greeting. Now sing it as a round. Everyone knows

what the words mean, and the variety of languages makes them sound more beautiful

and interesting than if they were only sung in English. The song provides a good

introduction to the reading of Acts 2:1-11. Explain that verses 9-11 are meant to tell us

that every country in the world was represented. Perhaps the apostles, preaching,

sounded a bit like the round the children have just sung – different languages but

everyone understood.

The Holy Spirit

God sent the Holy Spirit sway and wave arms

In the roaring wind make whooshing noises

God sent the Holy Spirit sway and wave arms

In dancing orange flames make flame shapes with hands

God sent the Holy Spirit sway and wave arms

In talking and in voices touch mouths

We feel the wind,

We see the flames

And we can use our voices.

Good morning!

Bonjour

Guten Morgen

Buenos Dias

Here is the Church

Here is the church and here is the steeple

Criss cross fingers and fold inwards; lift two index fingers up

Open the door and here are the people

Open thumbs out; turn hands up and waggle fingers

Here is the minister going upstairs

Walk two fingers up the fingers on the other hand, like a ladder

And here he is a-saying his prayers

Hands together, eyes closed.

Here are the people singing and praying

Waggle fingers; open mouth extra wide, hands together

Thinking and watching and listening and saying

Point to head, eyes, ears, mouth in turn

All shapes and sizes and ages together -

Point round the room to everyone

A church made of people who care for each other!

Spread out hands and arms in a big circle

Jesus promised

Jesus promised, Jesus promised,

To send a helper, to send a helper.

Thank you, Jesus, thank you Jesus.

For your promise, for your promise.

Jesus promised, Jesus promised,

That he loves us, that he loves us.

Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus,

For your promise, for your promise.

To the tune of London’s Burning

Holy Spirit Day

Jesus promised a helper would come,

Helper would come, helper would come.

Jesus promised a helper would come,

On Holy Spirit Day.

The sound of a wind came filling the room,

Filling the room, filling the room.

The sound of a wind came filling the room,

On Holy Spirit Day.

A special fire touched on all their heads,

All their heads, all their heads.

A special fire touched on all their heads,

On Holy Spirit Day.

They ran out to talk of Jesus’ love,

Jesus’ love, Jesus’ love.

They ran out to talk of Jesus’ love,

On Holy Spirit Day.

The Holy Spirit has come to stay,

Come to stay, come to stay.

The Holy Spirit has come to stay,

On Holy Spirit Day.

To the tune of Here we go round the mulberry bush

Prayer ideas

I will be with you always

Teach the following simple line to the group to say as a response to each line.

I will be with you always, and the Holy Spirit will give you words to say.

Thank you that God’s power is available for all who trust in you,

I will be…

Whatever we face this coming week, God says

I will be…

Wherever we go in the coming days, God says

I will be…

Whoever we meet at home or in school, God says

I will be…

However alone and afraid we feel, God says

I will be…

Amen

Firestarters Flame collage

You will need

A large flame shape made of paper or card

Paper—flame colours and a flame template

Glue sticks

Scissors

Pens and crayons

The flame symbolises the coming of the Holy Spirit at

Pentecost, and the movement of the Holy Spirit now.

Think about the good things about life – friends, family,

countryside, flowers, etc Draw some of the good things

you have thought of on a flame shape and cut them out.

Stick them on to the flame on the floor Make some small flames and stick them to the

large one Spend some time quietly thanking God for the good things about your life

Spirit of God

Spirit of God

moving across the waters

creating order out of chaos

form out of void

light from darkness

life from dust

Spirit of God, create new life in us

Spirit of God

descending on your Word

delegating power

instilling strength

filling with love

ensuring life after death

Spirit of God, grant eternal life to us

Spirit of God

coming like a mighty wind

consuming with tongues of fire

even a gentle breeze

stirring leaves to dance

makes a tree pulsate with life

even a tiny spark

kindling flames to dance

makes a fire leap into life

Spirit of God, enable us to dance

Images of the Spirit

You came like a dove

wings softly beating

resting on Jesus

Help us to be gentle

in our dealings with each other,

may we choose the path of peace.

You came like a strong wind

breathing energy and power

into the believers

Help us to respond to your power

as we work in our homes and employment,

in our churches and communities.

You came like tongues of fire

consuming doubts and fears

breaking down the barriers of language

Help us to keep the fire of our faith burning

fanning the flames until we dance,

with the certainty of your presence within us

Simple Prayer Stations for Pentecost

Here are some simple prayer stations based around symbols of the Spirit—oil, water, fire

and wind—to set up for a Pentecost service with all ages. You might just have one or two

instead of all four.

The '“ngredients'“ are included with each activity. It can help to have music playing during

the prayer time—perhaps a CD so that your music group get to pray, too.

Oil

You'll need: A bowl of perfumed oil, such as aromatherapy massage oil. (Choose one

unlikely to cause allergic reaction—check with the shop.)

Sit or stand and close your eyes. Wait for the scent to reach you. It is invisible but we

sense its presence with us. Thank God that he is always with us through his invisible

Spirit, even though we can't see him with our eyes.

Choose to invite God's Holy Spirit into your life today and, as a sign of your invitation,

smooth a little of the oil on to your wrist.

Water

You'll need: a sand tray or tray of dry compost or stones to represent a barren desert, a

bucket of water surrounded by lush greenery like pot plants, and plenty of small

waterproof bowls or pots.

The Holy Spirit brings life to dead places, just as water brings life to a barren desert.

What part of your life or which place or situation or relationship is dry and dead like the

desert? Ask God to make his Spirit flood into that place like a spring of fresh water. Fill a

small bowl with water and place it in the desert as a sign of your prayer. (Alternatively, you

could pour out the water in the desert, especially if it's a compost desert, so that by the

time everyone has prayed, it's ready for planting. Perhaps it could be the start of a prayer

garden or church flowerbed?)

Fire

You'll need: some flame shapes cut out from red / orange card or tissue paper and a set

of photos of familiar local places - schools, pubs, shops, your church building, the

playground, the gym etc—and worldwide ones of different countries.

The Holy Spirit brings fire, energy and passion to places and people who were humdrum

and dull or loveless and afraid. Pray for people and places around you, by placing a flame

on the place or places you would like God's Spirit to set alight with his love and courage.

Wind

You'll need: a bowl of bubble mixture and several bubble wands. Ideally, situate this near

a warm air source like a heating vent to give the bubbles more buoyancy. (You could do

this activity with helium balloons, but make sure you can get them down afterwards…)

God's Spirit can lift a situation or relationship and take it to a new level, filled with life and

hope. Hold such a situation before God now and breathe out your concern for the people

involved by blowing into a bubble-wand and watching the bubble take on a life of its own.

LIGHT

Exploring the story Jesus told in the Beatitudes about

Salt and Light and not hiding your light under a bushel

Telling the story

Be a light in the darkness

Without light in our world there would be no life. In some parts of the world, like

Antarctica, the sun does not shine for six months of the year, when there is complete

darkness. Here, when it grows dark each day, we go to bed and sleep until the rising

sun makes it light again. This reading reminds us f the importance of light in our lives.

One day Jesus said, “No one lights a lamp and then covers it up, because then they

could not see in the darkness. They put the lamp up high so that its rays shine out! You

are like lamps, with the brightness of God’s love and goodness shining out from you.

When you are good you will bring light into the world around you, and others will see you

and thank God for sharing his goodness.”

Matthew 5:14-16

Exploring the Story

You will need

A filled salt cellar

A bin

A torch, switched on and hidden under a bowl or basket

Jesus and his disciples went up a mountain. Jesus said to them, “You are like salt.”

Give each child a few grains of salt from the salt cellar and invite them to taste it.

Give each child some more salt and ask them to keep it for a moment

If salt loses its taste, it is useless and we throw it away

Pass around a bin and throw in the salt

Jesus also said, “You are like the light of the world.” When a light is lit up at night,

everyone can see it. Nobody turns on a light and then hides it under a basket.

Lift the bowl or basket to reveal the torch

Instead, they put the light somewhere that will light up the whole room.

Pass the torch from child to child

When you do something good, you are like that light, shining into the world.

Jesus said, “I have not come to change God’s rules for living. I have come to show

you what they mean. You must follow God’s laws.”

Making Candles

You can make candles out of a “Pringles” tub, kitchen roll tube or other suitable container.

Cover tube with white paper or a textured material such as felt

Make a flame out of yellow, orange or gold card and attach it to a cocktail stick which has had the

sharp points removed

Pierce a hole in the lid of the “Pringles” tub with a needle-like tool, and then stick the cocktail stick,

onto which the flame is fastened, through the hole

Choose from the captions below or make one of your own up

Jesus is the Light of the world

Jesus is the Light

Christ our Light

Light in the Darkness

This can become a container for prayers – for example

Jesus, you are the Light of the World. Shine in my life so that I may see you in all I do. Amen.

The Baptism service says, “Shine as a light in the world to the Glory of God the Father.” Please Lord,

keep me shining. Amen.

Lanterns

Use a rectangle of brightly coloured paper.

Fold in half widthways and

make cuts as shown. Unfold

carefully and bend into a

circle, pressing the two ends

together towards the centre.

Stick at the top and bottom.

Take some paper the same

width but not quite so deep and

make a roll to fit inside the

lantern like a tube.

This looks very effective if you use gold paper or kitchen foil or

cellophane.

Glass lantern

You will need

a clean glass jar for each child

Glass paints

A night light for each jar

String to tie around the top as a holder

Encourage the children to decorate the jars with the glass paints and tie a piece of string around the

top as a handle. Put a night light in the bottom of the jar.

Take care if you light the night lights!

Magic pictures

You will need

A sheet of white paper for each child

White wax crayon or candle

Yellow and red water paint and brushes

Give each child a sheet of paper on which you have drawn a candle with a white wax crayon or candle.

The children will think there is nothing on their sheet of paper. Ask them to dip a paint brush into

premixed yellow or red water paint. Tell them that as they paint they will find something hidden. After

the candle appears, explain that you drew the pictures with a plain white candle or wax crayon. Explain

that candles are made of wax and paint runs off wax. The pictures remind us all that Jesus does not

want us to keep our light hidden; he wants us to shine for him.

Talk together about how we can shine, by helping others in little ways.

Candle cakes

You will need

A cup cake for each child (available in Supermarkets)

A birthday cake candle for each child

Icing

Cake decorations and sprinkles

You may want to protect your surfaces and use aprons! Remind children to wash their

hands

Spread icing on the top of the cup cake and stick a birthday cake candle in the middle.

Decorate with cake sprinkles and decorations if required.

Candle Words

You will need

A sheet of paper for each child

Felt tip pens or crayons or paints

A good writing pen

Draw on the paper in light pencil a rectangle to represent the shape of

the candle. Encourage the children to write an appropriate verse within

the rectangle shape. Add a candle flame at the top and some flowers or

greenery at the bottom.

Candle Cards

You will need

A candle card template for each child

Assorted wrapping paper

Yellow and white paper strips

Yellow candle flames

A length of ribbon for each child

Scissors and glue

Give each child a candle card and encourage them to stick on a piece of wrapping paper to make an

attractive candle shape.. Stick on a yellow candle flame and stick on a ribbon bow. Add a strip of

paper saying, “Don’t hide your light!” or something similar. A greeting could be written inside.

Don

’t hi

de y

our l

ight

!

Light me!

You will need

Large sheets of paper

Pencils

Bright paints

Glitter

Washing powder and a UV light—optional

Draw a figure outline on the paper and paint it as brightly as possible. Throw on handfuls of

glitter to stick to the wet paint. This is a figure full of light and life and colour.

If you’re feeling ambitious, use lining paper and let the children draw around each other to

make full size figures.

If you want to add another dimension, mix some washing powder (the sort that promises to

make your whites whiter than white) with water to make a paint consistency and paint

around the outline with this. In a dark room, use the UV light to make it glow.

Can you find the names of the objects in this word puzzle?

p s m o o n

h c t a m r

t b a f l e

m o i a l t

k r r d e n

e p n c m a

l a m p h l

c r s u n t

Rhymes and songs

Ten Little Lights

Ten little lights, shining oh so bright.

Ten little lights, brightening up the night.

But if one little light, should be lost from sight,

There’s be nine little lights, shining oh so bright.

Nine little lights, shining oh so bright.

Nine little lights, brightening up the night.

But if one little light, should be lost from sight,

There’s e eight little lights, shining oh so bright ……

Continue until…

One little light, shining oh so bright.

One little light, brightening up the night.

But if that little light, should be lost from sight,

There’d be no little lights to shine out oh so bright.

To the tune of Ten Green Bottles

If you don’t have much time, you could start singing at Five little lights

Shine bright, dazzle, dazzle,

Shine bright, dazzle, dazzle,

The light of Jesus is shining bright;

Shine bright, dazzle, dazzle,

Shine bright, dazzle, dazzle,

The light of Jesus is shining bright.

His light of love;

His life of light;

Shines clear and bright in the darkest night.

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.

Longing for truth, we turn to you.

Make us your own, your holy people,

light for the world to see.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.

Shine through the darkness.

Christ, be our light!

Shine in your church gathered today.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.

Longing for hope, many despair.

Your word alone has power to save us.

Make us your living voice.

Christ, be our light…

Longing for food, many are hungry.

Longing for water, many still thirst.

Make us your bread, broken for others,

shared until all are fed.

Christ, be our light…

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.

Longing for warmth, many are cold.

Make us your building, sheltering others,

walls made of living stone.

Christ, be our light…

Many the gifts, many the people,

many the hearts that yearn to belong.

Let us be servants to one another,

making your kingdom come.

Christ, be our light…

Jesus bids us shine

with a pure, clear light,

Like a little candle

Burning in the night.

In this world of darkness,

So let us shine,

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,

First of all for him;

Well he sees and knows it,

If your light grows dim.

He looks down from heaven

To see us shine,

You in your small corner

And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,

Then, for all around;

Many kinds of darkness

In the world are found,

Sin, and want and sorrow,

So we must shine,

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

Prayer Ideas

Flame collage You will need

A large flame shape made of thick paper or card

Paper, scissors and glue stick

Pens and crayons

Think about he good things in life—friends, family, countryside, flowers etc. Draw some of th e good

things you have thought of and cut them out. Stick them on to the flame. Make a small flame and stick

it to the large flame. Spend some time quietly thanking God for the

good things about your life.

Candle Prayers You will need

A large, lit candle—be careful with a lit candle

Candle prayer cards

Pencils

Candle words

Words and phrases on individual sheets: sadness, darkness,

abuse, sorrow, pain, suffering, light, love, care, hope, family,

forgiveness, relief, happiness, healing, recovery, safety

The light of Christ came into the world to shine in all dark places and sad situations. Ask Jesus to shine

his light in the world

Look at the flame of the large candle shining and bringing light

Candle Prayer Card template

Prayer candles

You will need a candle and card circle for everyone.

Invite the congregation to write or draw on their circle things they want to pray for. You might need

to suggest events or someone who is ill etc. Invite them to write something they want to ask God

about for themselves. Then insert the candle in its card circle holder. The candles can be lit and a

general prayer said.

Suggest that these prayer candles might be used regularly during prayer time at home.

Or you could cut the card circle into a snowflake design!

Salty Prayer

You will need

Salt

black paper

Practise the response

Lord, help us to be like salt

We are the salt of the earth

Put the black paper where everyone can see it.

Just a little salt makes some things taste better

Sprinkle a little salt on the paper

Lord, help us to be like salt

We are the salt of the earth

Just a little salt can soak up things that have made a mess

Sprinkle a little salt

Lord, help us to be like salt

We are the salt of the earth

Just a little salt can help a cut to get better

Sprinkle a little salt

Lord, help us to be like salt

We are the salt of the earth

Amen

Help us Lord, to be salt in the world,

bringing out the best in people

by our love and respect for them.

And help us to be a light in the world,

shining with your truth and goodness.

Amen

EARTH

Exploring the story of Jesus healing a blind man

Telling the story

I can see!

“I have a question,” said one of Jesus’ friends. “There’s a man here who’s been bind

since he was born. Did that happen because his parents did something bad?” “No,”

said Jesus. “God doesn’t punish people by making their children blind. But I’ll tell you

what—God can use this man’s blindness to show us how powerful he is.”

And with that, Jesus walked over to the man. He knelt down. He spat on the ground. He

made a little mud out of the dirt and spit. And he rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes. It

was very messy! “Now go and wash your face,” Jesus said to the man. “And you will be

blind no more.”

The man washed his face, just as Jesus said. And when he shook the water from his

hair and opened his eyes—he could see!

“We have a question,” said the people who gathered around him. “Aren’t you the blind

man who usually goes begging for food?” “I am,” said the man-who-used-to-be-blind.

“Then how can you see?” “I met a man named Jesus, who rubbed mud in my eyes!” The

crowd was amazed. They were ready to cheer.

And then someone else spoke up. “Excuse me. I have a question, too.” This someone

was a religious teacher who didn’t much like Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was too

popular and didn’t always agree with what the other teachers said.

“Jesus healed you? And he did it today?” the teacher asked. “That’s right,” said the

man. “Well today is the day of rest—the special day God himself set aside. The day on

which no one is allowed to work. But healing is work, surely! So how can this Jesus be

on God’s side if he breaks God’s law?” “I don’t know,” said the man, “but I can see!”

“Because a bad man made you well!” accused the teacher.

“Wait,” asked someone else. “How could a bad man do a good thing like that?” “That’s

what I want to know,” said another. And they asked the man-who-used-to-be-blind all

kinds of questions.

“Were you really blind?”

“Were you pretending?”

“Who is this Jesus anyway?”

It was too much for the man-who-used-to-be-blind. “Listen!” he shouted. “I don’t know

the answers to all your questions, but I do know this. Once I was blind, and now I can

see. Who but someone sent by God, could do a thing like that?”

A little later, as the man was sitting by himself, Jesus came to see him. “I know it’s been

a hard day,” said Jesus, “but I have a question, too. Do you believe that God sent me?”

“I do,” said the man. “I really do!”

Jesus smiled. “Then no more questions.”

John 9

Bob Hartman

The Lion Storyteller Bible

Blindfolds

You will need a blindfold

Give the children turns to wear a blindfold, then encourage them to use their other

senses.

Touch who is the person beside them? What are the objects in a bag?

Hearing who is the person singing a nursery rhyme?

Taste what fruit are you tasting?

Smell what is the flower or vegetable you are smelling?

Explain that often, for people who cannot see, their other senses become more

developed.

Blind Man Bible Game

You will need a blindfold and some objects, such as a cross, heart, book, candle etc

Give the children turns to wear a blindfold and try and recognise the objects just by

touching them

Jesus healed the Blind Man

Jesus healed the blind man,

He made his eyes to see.

The man had faith in Jesus,

So can you and me!

Exploring the Story Jesus heals a blind man

You will need

2 paper plates for each child

Split pin paper fasteners

Plate sized semi-circles of dark paper to fit into the centre of the plates

Wool for hair

Strong glue

Make a small hole for the fasteners in the centre of each plate. Draw eye shapes on

half of the plates and cut round holes inside them. Draw small straight lines for the

mouths.

Give each child a plate with eye holes and let them glue “hair” around the edge. Glue

the dark semi-circle onto the second plate.

Fasten the two plates together with a split pin, with the faces on top. Make sure the

pates are turned so that the eyeholes are blank.

Tell the story, and when you get the part where Jesus healed the blind man, turn the

bottom plate until the “eyes” show through the holes.

A Blind Man sees Jesus

You will need

Sheets of white paper

A white candle or wax crayon

Watery paint and brushes

You may like to protect your children and surfaces!

Before your session, draw an outline of Jesus on a sheet of paper with the white candle or

wax crayon. It should be difficult to see.

After telling the story of Jesus healing the blind man, ask the children what was the first

thing he saw. Paint over the wax picture to gradually reveal the picture of Jesus. How excit-

ed the man must have been to see! And one of the first people he saw was Jesus.

The children could draw their own picture of Jesus and paint over it to reveal Jesus.

Add or subtract letters to complete the words and find out what Jesus did

a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

e a e a s t i t

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

J-2 h+5 a=3 w-7 d-3 d+1 x-1 l-4

m a n d p i t n

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, __ __ __

Q+4 h-4 p+3 t+0 i+3 n-9 h-7 c+1

u t t o h e m a

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

R-2 f-+3 k+3 v-2 g+7 g+12

y s t e n e s t

The Braille alphabet

Some people who are blind can read by touching a series of raised dots on

a piece of paper. There are different dots for each letter of the alphabet.

It is called the Braille alphabet.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ !

!

Rhymes and songs

A man by the roadside

To the tune Round and round the village

A man sits at the roadside,

A man sits at the roadside,

A man sits at the roadside,

He’s blind, he cannot see.

He shouts out loud to Jesus,

He shouts out loud to Jesus,

He shouts out loud to Jesus,

“Please Jesus! Make me see!”

Jesus stops and heals him,

Jesus stops and heals him,

Jesus stops and heals him,

And Jesus makes him see.

He skips along with Jesus,

He laughs and sings for Jesus,

He dances thanks to Jesus,

For Jesus made him see!

Prayer Ideas

Glasses You will need

A template of the glasses printed onto thin card for each child

Cellophane paper, scissors and strong glue

Glasses, sunglasses, binoculars, magnifying glass

Ask the children what we see with. Ask what some people wear to help them see better.

If they don’t guess, show them a pair of glasses. Explain that glasses make things look

bigger or clearer. Say that there are other things, too, that we can se to help us to see.

Show the children the items you have brought in and allow them time to look at them.

Explain that you are going to make some pretend glasses. Invite the children to decorate

their frames and glue on the cellophane. Let them try on their glasses. Invite the

children to wear their glasses a s you pray:

Father God, thank you for our eyes

And that we can see.

Please help people who can’t see very well, or who are blind.

Amen

You will need to enlarge the glasses template

Meeting Jesus

When Jesus met the blind man, Jesus helped him see.

Thank you, Jesus, that we can see.

Ask the children what they can see, and encourage each of them to say, “Thank you

Jesus, that I can see…”

When Jesus met the deaf man, Jesus helped him hear.

Thank you, Jesus, that we can hear.

Ask the children what they can hear, and encourage each of them to say, “Thank you

Jesus, that I can hear…”

When Jesus met the lame man, Jesus helped him walk and jump.

Thank you, Jesus, that we can walk and jump.

Let the children walk and jump

When Jesus met the girl, Jesus helped her live to run and play and shout.

Thank you, Jesus, that we can run and play and shout!

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Blind and seeing

Loving Jesus,

The man was blind cover eyes with hands

You put mud on his eyes rub fingertips over eyes

You sent him to wash mime splashing eyes

He could see take hands away, open eyes wide

Hallelujah!

Amen