Return from Exile
Art Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities:
The students will make brick bookends as they reflect on the “building” that God does in their lives.
Scripture Reference and Key Verse
See above in the first post
Preparation
1. Review Bible Background notes.
2. Pray for the children and for your teaching of the lesson.
Materials List:
- Bibles (found classrooms)
- Pencils, crayons, markers, paper, scissors (found in guide boxes—kept in classrooms)
- Zerubbabel Rebuilds the Temple (Arch book)
- Storybook on Ezra and Nehemiah (described here)
- Set of 8 story cards (described here)
Bible Storybook Ideas: You may read the story from the Bible or a Bible storybook (make sure that the children know this is a true Bible story and not a storybook).
- Through the Bible in Felt—Felt Board and Figures
- See List in Bible Background document
- Red or gray bricks (not ones with holes)—new or “used.” If you use old bricks, make sure that they are clean and dry. You will need one per student.
- Felt pieces (or felt dots like those sold in hardware stores)
- Paper and pencil in case students want to draw out designs first
- Newspaper or plastic tablecloths to protect tables
- Paint shirts
- Acrylic paints
- Paint brushes
- Small bowls (to pour paint colors into)
- Fabric remnants (in sizes large enough to cover a brick)
- Sharp scissors
- Fabric markers
- Glue Guns
- Scrapbook paper
- Paper and paper scraps in various colors
- Scissors
- Permanent markers
- Stickers
- Glue
- Pictures from magazines
- Modge podge or spray sealant
- Paper plates
Advance Preparation Requirements:
- Refer to schedule and decide how you will make adjustments for the different ages.
- Obtain supplies from the SS storage areas the week BEFORE you teach (just in case supplies are missing, etc)
- If you are using a Bible storybook, check to see if it is there.
- Print out the set of 8 story cards and cut them apart
- We don’t want the bookends ruining anyone’s furniture! The bookends are meant to stand upright. You need to put felt on one of the small ends. You can either cut pieces of felt and use a glue gun to attach the felt. Or you can attach the felt circles that you can buy at hardware stores.
- Decide which of the techniques you will use (so you may not need ALL of these supplies)
- Several of the options involve covering the bricks (except for the felt end) with fabric of scrapbook paper—like you would if you were wrapping it as a gift. Pre-cut fabric pieces or scrapbook paper to the right size for the bricks.
- On the day of class, put newspaper or plastic tablecloths on the tables to protect them. Set all of the materials out so they will be ready for the students. Leave one area clear for the Bible study portion of class.
- See the references section for some links to ideas about making brick bookends in case you need more information.
Important Note for Art Station Teachers:
The goal is to engage the creative imagination of the child--not to bring home an attractive and easily recognizable project (that looks like everyone else’s—or exactly like the teacher’s sample). The teacher is there to instruct in the art method, not to make it “look right” or dictate what is created, unless the student is not relating it to the lesson at all (Ex.—making kitty sculpture when studying Jonah). There are times when a “craft” project is OK, but it shouldn’t be the main method in the Art Station.
Presentation
Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction
- Introduce yourself to the students.
- Introduce the day’s story/station and the main learning purpose: For the past two months, we have been learning Bible stories about the time when God’s people were being held captive in a foreign land. They were in exile. The people we learned about were Daniel and Esther. Now we will be learning about the time when God’s people RETURNED from exile. They returned to the land of Israel and to the city of Jerusalem. A lot of this story is about building—rebuilding the temple and the city walls. It is also about the people rebuilding their lives with God. So we are going to think about the “building” that God does in our lives by decorating building bricks.
- Open with a prayer.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Please make sure that the students hear and “get” the Bible story as well as the application of that story to their lives. The Bible story is the MOST important part of the lesson—it is much more important than the activity associated with this station!
Say: Before we start, I want to give you a little background information. This story takes place late in the time of the Old Testament—before Jesus was born. It takes place long after King David. There had been many kings after David. The people became increasingly wicked and most stopped worshipping God. The people of Israel were defeated and the people taken away from their country and into exile. God remembered His people and kept His promise to return them to their country. Our story is told in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Have the older students find the book of Ezra.
Say: The story in the Bible is much too long to read word for word, since it is two entire books. We have some Bible storybooks that will help you to learn the story.
Read the Arch book on Zerubbabel first. Then read the printed out book on Ezra and Nehemiah.
Show the children the set of 8 story cards. Have them put them in the right order.
If this is the second or later week of the rotation, you could try showing the pictures in the books and having the students tell you the story.
Questions:
Ask a few questions about the Bible story. You can ask
- Factual questions (Who, What, When, Where, etc)
- Why questions (Why did they do this, why did this happen, etc)
- What do you think or feel about what happened?
- Application questions—some examples (How were their lives different because….. and how would your life be different; Was……..different or harder in Bible times than it would be now; what would this look like today; how could you……….)
Activities:
There were all sorts of building going on in this story. Zerubbabel helped rebuild the altar and the temple. Nehemiah helped rebuild the walls of the city. Ezra helped the people rebuild their spiritual lives by his teaching. Let’s talk a little bit about this. It will help you think how you want to decorate your brick bookends.
Ask:
- Our faith lives are built on Jesus and what He has done for us. What has Jesus done for us? How could you show that on your brick?
- God wants to “build us up” in our faith. One of the first things that God did for us happened at our baptism when we became children of God. What other things does God do to help build us up in our faith?
- What does God want to build us up to be and do?
Say: You are each going to make one brick bookend. I want you to think about how you are going to show at least one of these ideas on your brick. Perhaps you will paint or draw a picture about it. Or find some stickers or magazine pictures. Or maybe you will put a pretty design on your brick and then write some words on it.
Tell them the different ways that they can use to decorate their bricks. They will have to pick just one way. Some of these methods require a glue gun—only adults should operate the glue gun!
- They can paint their brick. They should stand the brick upright (with the felt side down). The bricks may absorb a good bit of paint so they might have to put several layers on.
- They can cover their brick with fabric. Use the glue gun to put some glue on the brick. Start wrapping the brick. Use more glue to secure the fabric (just like you would use tape if you were wrapping a package. Don’t put fabric on the felt side. They may need to use scissors to trim the fabric. After the fabric is on, they can decorate the fabric: drawing with fabric or permanent markers; cutting shapes from other pieces of fabric or felt and gluing these on.
- They can cover their brick with paper. Use the glue gun to put some glue on the brick. Start wrapping the brick. Use more glue to secure the paper (just like you would use tape if you were wrapping a package. Don’t put paper on the felt side. Then they can decorate their paper: put on stickers; draw with permanent markers; glue on pictures from magazines; glue on shapes that they have cut from other pieces of colored paper. They should then cover with the modge podge or spray on adhesive (adults should do any spraying).
Have the children think about their design for a few minutes—they can draw out their design if they like. Then they can start decorating their bricks. These bricks are going to take some time to dry, so they will have to leave them until next week. Place each brick on a paper plate labeled with their name.
Reflect/Closure:
Go around the classroom and have each student talk about their brick and how the design relates to the idea of building faith.
Close in prayer.
Age Adaptations
Younger students: They may need more help with the materials.
PreK-Kindergarten Adaptations
(Since these students have the need for simpler activities—and have shorter attention spans—we offer these more detailed adaptations. In most cases, the main part of the lesson will be shorter. The extra time at the end could be filled with various activity stations, such as play dough, puzzles, coloring, rice/grain table, etc). Supplies for these activities are kept on the shelves in Room 301—you will need to take them with you to whichever room your station is assigned.
1. Additional Materials List
Plastic pencil box filled with song cards
2. Changes to Activities
You might want to pick just one technique for everyone in the class to use. Some possible adaptations:
- For painting: You might want to prepaint the bricks in some neutral solid colors. Cut some shapes out of sponges (heart, cross, person silhouette, etc). The students can take moistened sponges, dip them in paint, and then press the sponge onto the bricks.
- For fabric or paper: think about precutting some shapes or pictures for them to place on their bricks.
3. Activity Station Ideas (if time permits)
4. Changes to Closing
Pick out 1 or 2 songs from the song box to sing with the class
Resources/Bibliography
- 23 Lovely DIY Bookends to Adorn Your Shelves. http://www.buzzfeed.com/pippa/bookends-diys#9buodv
- How to Make Bookends out of Bricks. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bookends-out-of-Bricks
- Pinspiration Monday: Brick by Brick. http://www.dreamgreendiy.com/2...0/24/brick-by-brick/
- Wezeman, Phyllis Vos. “Ezra”. Bible Basics: Lessons for Life (Book 3). Educational Ministries, Inc. 2001.
A lesson written by Cathy Walz
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
