Creation

Movie Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will view a video featuring the poem “Creation” by James Weldon Johnson. Then they will compare the Biblical version and the poet’s version of the Creation story. They will create their own acrostic poem about Creation.

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Memory Verse:

Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

Teacher preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Learn the memory verse.
• To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• Preview the video. Be familiar with the places where the video should be stopped.
• Write the memory verse on a poster so that it is easily visible to the group during the memory verse activity.

Room set-up:
Students will sit in seats or on the floor facing the video/projection screen during the video. If possible, they should sit around tables during the opening activity and while writing their acrostic poem.

Supply List

• Video: God’s Trombones by James Weldon Johnson. Billy Budd Fills, Inc., 1994. (Available through amazon.com and other sources; your public library may also have it. Also check in this post below, for other additional sources link)
• TV
• Popcorn, lemonade, wet wipes, napkins
• modeling clay
• Bibles
• Memory verse poster
• Globe beach ball
• Optional: flipchart or whiteboard and makers
• Memento (optional): sun, moon or earth/globe stickers
• Shepherd Time: Acrostic poem form for creating poem

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop. Use kid friendly words to give a brief overview of what the children are going to learn and do.

Dig:

Begin by asking: “What does a creator do?” (Allow the children to respond.) “How many of you think of yourselves as creators?”

Tell the children you are going to give each of them a golf-ball sized piece of modeling clay and that you want them to create something using the modeling clay. Allow the children about one minute to make something with their piece of clay. If necessary, tell them to disregard the color of their clay and create whatever they want.

After one minute, ask the children to hold up their creations for everyone to see. Say: “Look at all the different things you were able to come up with in just one minute! How does it feel to create something good?” (Let the children respond.) Say: “The first story in the Bible tells us God created the world in seven days. He made something out of nothing, and it was all very good. Just now when you created something, you started with clay that you did not create. God created the world out of nothing! How do you think he did that?” (Let the kids offer suggestions.)

Tell the children that they are going to see a video that illustrates a poem that James Weldon Johnson wrote about God creating the world. Explain that this is Mr. Johnson’s interpretation of the Bible story in Genesis 1:1-2:3. After viewing the video they will read the Bible passage and compare Mr. Johnson’s version of creation to the account in Genesis.

Wipe hands and pass out popcorn and drinks.

Show the video without stopping. It is approximately nine minutes long. Ask:

• What did you like about the movie?
• What did you dislike?
• Was there anything in it that you thought was strange?
• What did you think about the artwork---the colors, the movement, the images?

Scripture/Bible Story:
Read the scripture: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3. (Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. Make sure they know that ‘Genesis’ means beginning and that it is the very first book in the Bible.) Tell the children to listen while the passage is being read, to hear the reason God decided to create the world.

Application:
Now replay the video, stopping at the following points and asking the children the suggested questions.
STOP after “I’m lonely---I’ll make me a world.”
ASK: Look in the Bible passage we read a few minutes ago to see if you can find where God gives a reason for creating the world. Was it because He was lonely?

STOP after “And the light stood shining on the other [side].”
ASK: What part of creation is the poet describing? Is that the first thing that the Bible passage tells us happened in creation?

STOP after “Spangling the night with the moon and stars.”
ASK: What part of creation is the poet describing? How is the poet’s description of the creation of the sun, moon, and stars different from the Bible’s description of their creation?

STOP after “The cooling waters came down.”
ASK: How is the poet’s description of God forming the land and the seas different from the Bible account of the the same part of creation? (Genesis 1:9-10)

STOP after “And curled itself around His shoulder.”
ASK: Where is a rainbow mentioned in the Bible passage? Do you know when the Bible says God created the rainbow for the first time? (God does not create a rainbow until after The Flood: Genesis 9:13.)

STOP after “I’ll make me a man!”
ASK: Look at the Bible passage and see if you can find where God gives a reason for creating man. Was it because He was lonely? (The children should be clear about the fact that God did not create the world or man because He was lonely. See Background Notes for additional reflection on this topic.)

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):
I wonder why Mr. Johnson, the poet, did not write his poem about creation exactly like the Bible tells us it happened?

I wonder why God created the world? (Allow the children to reflect and encourage them to answer. You are not looking for right or wrong answers, just trying to get the children to think. This reflection should lead into the memory verse, as God created for His own good pleasure.)

Review the memory verse:
Instruct the children to sit or stand in a circle. Have the Bible verse written on a poster and displayed so that it is visible to the whole group. Hold a globe beach ball or other large soft ball and after saying the first word of the verse, gently toss the ball to another person in the circle. That person says the first word and the next word and then tosses the globe to another person. The next person says the first three words of the verse and tosses the globe. Continue until the whole verse (including the citation) has been repeated. Repeat the activity a couple of more times, then remove the Bible verse from the children’s sight to see if they can do the activity without seeing the verse.

At 11:50 a.m. ask the Shepherd to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity (perhaps a sun, moon, or earth/globe sticker).

Shepherd Time:
The children will write an acrostic with the word “created.” Instruct the children to write “In the beginning God” on their paper. Then have them write the letters of the word “created” down the left side of their paper. Instruct them to write a word or a phrase describing something God created that begins with that letter next to the letter. (Ex: C-clouds, R-rain, E-earth, etc.). Then have them write, “And it was good!” as the closing for the poem. If time permits, they may decorate their poetry page.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journal pages quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games or provide picture-book versions of the creation story for them to look at. See the Workshop Leader’s Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

At noon, ask the students to turn in their journal pages and sit quietly for prayer.

Reflection:

Closing prayer:
Thank God for his creation and ask the children to name something they listed in their poem during the prayer. Also, thank God for creative poetry and the creative ability he has given each of us.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas:
For all the children: After reading the scripture, consider having the children list the days of creation and what was created on each day. This will make comparing the poem/video and the scripture easier during the application portion of the lesson. You may list them on a flipchart for easy reference.

Older Children:
Have them leave their Bibles open after reading the scripture so they can look for the answers to the questions during the second viewing of the video.

Younger Children:
For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible (for example, “The book of Genesis is at the very beginning of the Bible. The word ‘genesis’ means‘beginning. and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.

During the Application portion of the lesson, read the portion of scripture aloud that shows or contains the point on which you are trying to get them to focus.

Print copies of the attached acrostic form for Shepherd Time.

Younger children may need help spelling and writing the words of their acrostic poem. The Shepherd may choose to have the group brainstorm the names of items God created and then write them on a flip chart so the children may copy the words.

Resources:

• God's Trombones, Billy Budd Films, Inc. 1994.
• MacQueen, Neil. "A MANUAL for the "VIDEO ~ A-V" WORKSHOP” https://www.rotation.org/topic...-video--a-v-workshop
• Jan at FPC Napa. Posting rotation.org: “Creation/The Fall - games, video, art”
• Janmarshall. Posting rotation.org: “Creation”
• The Academy of American Poets, information on James Weldon Johnson
• God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson. Copyright © 1927 The Viking Press, Inc., renewed 1955 by Grace Nail Johnson. Copyright © 1997-2003 by The Academy of American Poets,

A lesson written by Jamie Senyard from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

Creation

Storytelling and Creative Movement Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will hear/experience the Creation story with mystery containers that hold tactile objects which provide a sensory experience of the story (from the book Crazy Clothesline Characters). Then they will reenact the days of creation using scarves and creative movement to interpret the Scripture kinesthetically. They will explore how God’s good creation is a great gift to us by creating chaos and turning it into an orderly creation!

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Memory Verse:

Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of the session, the students will

• know the order in which things were created and on which day they were created.
• know that all God created is His good gift to us.
• have experimented with a different way of using their whole bodies to give form to a concept or idea.

Teacher preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Learn the memory verse.
• To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
• Prepare Mystery Containers as described in Crazy Clothesline Characters.
• Learn the Mystery Container script and practice opening and handling objects in order.
• Write the memory verse on a piece of posterboard in two colors as indicated in the memory verse activity on page 5-6 of this lesson plan.

Room set-up:
big open space (a carpeted area will allow for the best movement); a large wall mirror is helpful

Supply List:

• “Mystery Containers” script from Crazy Clothesline Characters.
• seven oatmeal boxes and lids spray painted black.
• objects for Mystery Containers:
  1 flashlight
  2 zipper plastic bag filled with air
  3 jar of water, bag of sand or soil, flower (a fresh one with a distinct scent would be good) or leaves (mint leaves would also add the sense of smell), apple (plus a knife to cut apple and more apple to share); also a pan to dump water and sand into
  4 sun, moon, star and planet cutouts
  5 feathers, fish-shaped crackers
  6 miniature plastic animals or sample of animal fur (fake fur in an “animal pattern” is fine), small mirror
  7 piece of blanket-like fabric or small pillow
• colorful, flowing scarves and/or BodySox (tm).
  [Lightweight colorful scarves can be purchased from SPORTIME (800-283-5700, www.sportime.com), at SPORTIME or can be easily made out of chiffon fabric. (The chiffon unravels easily, so you will want to hem it; this is a good job for someone who wants to help out, but who does not want to work directly with the children.)
  BodySox can also be purchased from SPORTIME  (called Body Pods) and other sources.]
• whistle
• Choral Reading memory verse poster (see below)
• Memento (optional, for journal page): animal, plant, or star stickers
• Shepherd time: copies of journal page handout with gift box clip art (they will draw a gift from God inside the box).

Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: We will be exploring the story of how God created all things in several different ways today, first using our senses and then using our bodies.

Dig- Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Instead of reading the Creation story together from the Bible, I will be telling you the story, and then I will read it and you will be creating movement to go with the Scripture. But first, does everyone know where the story of God Creating the world and everything in it is found? [Genesis] And where is the book of Genesis? [At the very beginning of the Bible. Show them using your Bible.]

Tell the story of creation using the objects and the script from “Mystery Containers” (pages 9-10) in Crazy Clothesline Characters. Make sure each child has an opportunity to help take an object out of a container or pour or pass an object, as necessary. If you need a script or notes, hold them in your Bible so that the children will be reminded that the story comes from the Bible, not a teacher’s book.

Application:
Warm-up exercises:

• encourage the students to experiment with the scarves and/or BodySox. Ask them to make “shapes” with their bodies, pretend to be objects, and work with others to see what sorts of “effects” they can achieve. Some movement and imagination starters: can you feel yourself moving like: a butterfly, a bird, a tree with a bird family living in a nest in your branches, a mother holding a [crying/sleeping/smiling] baby. Be the sun, the stars, water, wind, clouds. You may want to write these and other ideas on slips of paper and have students take turns drawing one and experimenting with them. There are no right or wrong ways to do these things; each person’s response will be as different as the person himself/herself. Explain that the only rules are
  *move safely so you and others don’t get hurt and
  *use your face and body to show the object/feeling/experience, not your voice.
• don’t worry about having a specific color scarf or BodySox — it is the movement that will show us the tree, not a green versus purple scarf.
• interpretive movement: talk about what chaos would have been like, and then let the children feel and create the movements and sounds they think embody chaos. Have a whistle handy to stop the activity when it becomes too chaotic!
  
  

Talk about creative movement (see following notes). We will be exploring the Bible passage kinesthetically (with our bodies).

If time permits: Say, “Practice moving your whole body to interpret ideas and things using all three levels: low (kneeling, crouching, crawling), middle (standing, walking), and high (arms up, jumping). Try moving fast and slow, smoothly and jerkily, straight and roundabout to achieve different effects. Keep moving; don’t be a statue. And remember, no noise.” Have the class divide into pairs and use their imaginations to move their bodies to interpret objects and concepts from the reading. Experiment with as many as time permits (add more if you have time). Encourage the pairs to use two bodies/scarves to create things. Remind them that this is movement, not statues, so for example, a tree would not be standing still with the arms in the air — move to create the impression of a tree:
★ light
★ dark
★ sky
★ clouds
★ water
★ land
★ plants
★ sun
★ moon
★ stars
★ water animals
★ birds
★ land animals
★ insects
★ people
★ resting

Read through the Creative Movement script and allow the students to experiment with movements that express the thoughts and feelings and images in the passage. Read slowly and thoughtfully and with meaning. Stop frequently to allow students to further explore and try different ways to express the passage. If you have a large class (more than eight people), you may want to divide into two groups and let them take turns interpreting the passages. Those in the group not moving can make suggestions to those who are. Allow individual students to decide if they want to enhance their movements with scarves or BodySox (if available). See the script and the attached notes for additional hints and guidelines.

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):

• List what was created in day order.
• What are some different ways you enjoy the plants God created? Why are plants important? [food, beauty, shade, shelter, good taste, important vitamins, ...]
• I wonder if God knew you would enjoy plants when He created them?
  If time permits:
• What are some different ways you enjoy the animals God created? Why are animals important? [food, beauty, entertainment, friends and companions, servants, clothing, ...]
• I wonder if God knew you would enjoy animals when He created them?
• Is it easy to create things? Is it easy to create things good?

Review the memory verse. CHORAL READING:
Write the memory verse on a piece of posterboard in two colors as indicated below.
Divide the class into two groups and call one group the “red” group and one group the “blue” group. Have them read the appropriate color line on the memory verse poster; purple lines are to be read in unison (both groups together). After a few times have the groups switch and read the other color. Then read it one time in unison. (If time permits in later weeks of the rotation, ask for a volunteer to say the verse by himself/herself.)
You are worthy, [red]
O Lord our God, [blue]
to receive glory [red]
and honor [blue]
and power. [red]
For you created everything, [purple]
and it is for your pleasure [blue]
that they exist [red]
and were created. [blue]
Revelation 4:11 [purple]

At 11:50 a.m. ask the Shepherd to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker to paste on their journal page as a reminder of the story. (Animal, plant, or star stickers would be appropriate for this lesson.)

Shepherd Time: (adapted from Questions for “Mystery Containers” in Crazy Clothesline Characters)
Think about the best gift you have ever received.
How do you feel when you receive a very special gift?
How is God’s creation like a special gift?
On today’s journal page, draw a picture or describe something that God created that you feel is a special gift. [If children need additional suggestions, suggest they draw a favorite animal or plant or person or something else that God created that they really enjoy or love.]

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Writing about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s scripture or memory verse, list highlights of the day’s activities, or rephrase the memory verse. The journal pages will be saved and given to the children at the end of the school year. Visitors may take their page home with them.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journals quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games or picture books of the creation story. See the Workshop Leader’s Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

At noon, ask the students to turn in their journal pages and sit quietly for prayer.

Closing:

Closing prayer:
(circle prayer; in turn each child says one thing God created for which he/she is thankful)
Dear Father, thank you for the amazing world that you created and gave to us. We thank you for ___________. Please help us remember to always be thankful for your good gifts. Amen.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas:
Older children:
* If some of the participants seem reluctant, let them take turns being readers and coaches during the reading of the scripture or the warm-ups. Assign teams of two or three to come up with a group movement to show

Younger Children:
* Remind the children of some specific animals/plants/objects created on a particular day as you read the scripture and they bring it to life.
* Focus on learning only the second half of the memory verse: “For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11b (NLT) If you find in later weeks of the rotation that most everyone knows the second part of the verse well, then focus on the entire verse.

Resources

Exiner, Johanna and Phyllis Lloyd. Teaching Creative Movement. Boston: Plays, Inc., 1974.

Griss, Susan. “Creative Movement: A Language for Learning.” Educational Leadership, 51: 5 (February 1994), pages 78-81.

Mader, Carol. Crazy Clothesline Characters: Plus 39 More Creative Ways to Tell Bible Stories. Loveland, Colorado: Group Publishing, 2000. (See review here.)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Creation: Creative Movement Script
adapted from Genesis 1:1-2:3, New Living Translation

From the first chapter of the book of Genesis
In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.
The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness

The Spirit of God was hovering over its surface.

Then God said, “Let there be light,”
and there was light!

And God saw that it was good.
Then God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

Together these made up one day.

And God said, “Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water.”
And so it was.
God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below.
And God called the space “sky.”

This happened on the second day.

And God said,
“Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear.”
And so it was.

God named the dry ground “land” and the water “seas.”
And God saw that it was good.

Then God said,
“Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant.

And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit.

The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.”

And so it was.
The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees,
and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind.

And God saw that it was good.
This all happened on the third day.

And God said,
“Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night.
They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years.
Let their light shine down upon the earth.”

And so it was.
For God made two great lights,
the sun
and the moon,
to shine down upon the earth.
The greater one, the sun, presides during the day.
The lesser one, the moon, presides through the night.

He also made the stars.

God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.

And God saw that it was good.
This all happened on the fourth day.

And God said,
“Let the waters swarm with fish and other life.

Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”

So God created great sea creatures
and every sort of fish
and every kind of bird.
And God saw that it was good.

Then God blessed them, saying,
“Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans.
Let the birds increase and fill the earth.”

This all happened on the fifth day.

And God said,
“Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal —
livestock,
small animals,
wildlife.”

And so it was.
God made all sorts of wild animals
livestock,
and small animals,
each able to reproduce more of its own kind.

And God saw that it was good.

Then God said,
“Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves.
They will be masters over all life —
the fish in the sea,
the birds in the sky,
and all the livestock,
wild animals,
and small animals.”

So God created people
in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and told them,
“Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.
Be masters over all the fish
and birds
and all the animals.”

And God said,
“Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth
and all the fruit trees for your food.

And I have given all the grasses and other green plants
to the animals and birds for their food.”

And so it was.

Then God looked over all He had made,
and saw that it was excellent in every way.

This all happened on the sixth day.

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.

On the seventh day,
having finished his task,
God rested from all his work.

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy,
because it was the day when her rested from his work of creation.

NOTES FOR LEADING CREATIVE MOVEMENT:

• Read each section of the script several times slowly and thoughtfully, section by section, line by line, with expression. During the first reading of each section, allow the listeners to think about and experiment with movements. After they have a feeling for and understanding of that section, move on to the next. Finally, read the entire script from beginning to end, allowing selected students to “perform” their movements for the rest of the group.
• The script is written so that each line is a movement/image/thought. Discourage attempts to interpret every word.
• Some sections are more appropriately dramatized by several students working as a team, others call for solos.
• If there are two leaders, take turns reading sections to provide a clear demarcation from one idea/concept/movement to the next.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Some thoughts on using creative movement for use with creation:

Resources:
Exiner, Johanna and Phyllis Lloyd. Teaching Creative Movement. Boston: Plays, Inc., 1974.
Griss, Susan. “Creative Movement: A Language for Learning.” Educational Leadership, 51: 5 (February 1994), pages 78-81.

Creative movement is a way of moving our bodies to show feelings. The goal is not a polished performance, but an visual expression of our understanding of God’s word. There are no right or wrong movements. We were created as individuals, each of us different, and we create as individuals.

“For teachers who may feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the idea of using movement and creative improvisation as a teaching tool, remember that you do not have to do the movement yourselves. The children will supply all the physicality needed for a successful lesson. Your job is to supply the direction, the guided imagery, the permission to be physical, and an encouraging gleam in your eye. The idea is not to have the children imitate your movements, but to discover their own physical language.” (Griss.)

Outcomes of kinesthetic learning include “increased comprehension. Interpreting a concept through physical means ... helps children - especially those at the elementary age level -- to grasp, internalize, and maintain abstract information.” (Griss)

Creative movement is
★ improvisational.
★ not permanent.
★ spontaneous.
★ experiencing.
★ experimenting.

“Creative Movement ... is oriented towards diversification rather than uniformity.” (Exiner, page 64)

Some notes to help you “direct” the creative movement activity:

• There is “safety” in numbers, but there may be more creativity shown when children are not watching to see if they are doing the same thing as everyone else. Consider the personality of the class when deciding whether to do exercises individually, in small groups, or as a large group.
• After experimenting with subject and movement, students “will take the step of selecting movements which they feel express most sensitively and clearly what they wish to ‘say,’ and of organizing them into a coherent and distinctive pattern.” (Exiner, page 3)
• “Students should be given complete freedom as to how they interpret a given topic. Guidance from the teacher should be directed towards making them clarify their own movements with regard to the way they use their bodies and apply basic movement principles. As students are not taught any specific steps, there is no need to be concerned about overtaxing physical and intellectual abilities.” (Exiner, page 46)
• “Creative Movement is often associated with practices such as ‘being a tree,’ which invariably result in students remaining on one spot and waving their arms from side to side. This interpretation could at best be described as an attempt at mime, but certainly not as an experience in Creative Movement.” Use movement analysis: break the content into components (trunk, branches, leaves) and explore the space, force, time, and fluidity of each component. For example, explore the concepts of leaves blowing in the winds, branches reaching for the sun and rain, the tree as the seasons progress. Then, interpret the object “using a wide range of Body Activities to express the movement qualities it contains. . . Movement analysis is instrumental in freeing Movement from being imitative and therefore allows for a much more imaginative and original interpretation of any theme.” (Exiner, page 44)
• “Any topic should be seen as a question for which the answer has to be found in Movement. The students’ imagination [sic] may need supporting comments from the teacher, which may be expressed in terms such as: “ is there perhaps another way of ‘saying’ what you mean?”. “Does this (particular movement) ‘feel right’ to you?”, “Should you use more Space?”, “Less speed?”, etc. On the other hand, too many remarks may be restrictive to some students, for they may not have had sufficient time to explore one idea before another is suggested to them. In the main, however, students learn to disregard some of these comments and only use the ones that appear relevant to the movement task they are working on.” (Exiner, page 35)
• “Dance studies on themes [from the world around] are best encouraged by the comment ‘can you feel yourself moving like (the model you observe)?’ rather than ‘imagine yourself being . . .’. Dancing, by being more symbolic, is a very different process from miming, which primarily aims at imitating. This does not rule out the fact that much can be learned from copying, for it requires close observation, leading to a greater understanding of the movements of a given subject. It also teaches one to be more precise as one is expected to adhere to the movement patterns of the model. Copying, used with discretion, can be a valuable addition to creative practices.” (Exiner, page 38)
• Ways to move creatively to interpret an object or topic:
  *use a single body shape or activity to interpret the topic.
  *explore other ways to express the object; for example, move like it.
  *experiment with sequences; for example, move like the object and then end with the ‘shape’ of the object.
• “We consider facial expression to be a part of Movement experience, yet we feel that it should not be as dominant as it is in mime.” (Exiner, page 41)
• Creative movement may be used to explore the world within (thoughts and emotions), as well as objects in the world around us. These will be very personal interpretations, as we all experience anger, sadness, etc. differently. In addition, “movement can also create emotions. Rocking will evoke a feeling of tranquility or reflection, lashing out a feeling of aggression; narrow movements may lead to tension, wide movements to a feeling of freedom and release.” (Exiner, page 40)
• Combine a feeling with an activity to help the students explore the world within: “‘sitting sadly’, ‘stamping angrily’ or ‘jumping excitedly.’ This can be followed up with short sequences, e.g., a ‘sad walk ending in a sad sinking,’ ‘a happy whirling -- running and jumping -- ending with a gesture of welcome.’” (Exiner, page 41)

Exiner divides movements into these five body activities:

• locomotion: various ways to move across the floor
• turning: change the way the body faces
• elevation
• falls
• gesture

Laban and Carpenter describe eight working actions for voice and movement:
* punching (strong, direct, quick)
* pressing (strong, direct, sustained)
* slashing (strong, flexible, quick)
* wringing (strong, flexible, sustained)
* dabbing (light, direct, quick)
* gliding (light, direct, sustained)
* flicking (light, flexible, quick)
* floating (light, flexible, sustained)
These types of movements should occur high, low and in-between. Encourage the students to try mixing them together to add variety to their movements.

A lesson written by Amy Crane from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

Creation

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will hear/experience the Creation story by being creators. They will look at the work of Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and will experiment with painting while lying on their backs and by painting frescoes. They will consider what it means to be created in God’s image and how they can use their creativity to bring glory to God.

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Memory Verse:

Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

Lesson Objectives:
The students will

• think about the process of creating: imagination is a gift from God.
• explore what it means to be created in the image of God.
• know that we can use our creativity to bring glory to God.

Teacher preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
• Learn the memory verse.
• To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• Learn a bit about Michelangelo, the fresco process and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling paintings. (See some of the resources recommended below or check the Internet or your public library for information.)
• Make a plaster plaque so you will know how to handle the plaster and how the process works. Paint a picture and have fun experimenting with the technique. However, do not show the children your sample, as it some will attempt to copy it rather than creating their own artwork. (Assistant should also practice making the plaques.)

Room set-up:
Tables covered with newspaper for fresco painting.
Shorter (preschool-sized) table with a large piece of paper taped to the bottom of it for “ceiling” painting. Lots of newspaper covering the floor under the table.

Supply List:

• whiteboard or flipchart with markers
• books with Sistine Chapel creation paintings or posters (the Gabriella Di Cagno book, Masters of Art: Michelangelo, has excellent drawings of the scaffolding as well as a picture of the ceiling that isn’t too graphic. Posters are available at various sites online.
• large sheet of paper for mural
• masking tape
• tempera paints in spill-proof jars and brushes
• painting smocks or old long-sleeved men’s shirts, goggles, bandanas to cover hair
• lots of newspaper to cover the floor
• paper towels and wet wipes for clean-up
• assistant(s) to help with “ceiling” painting and plaque preparation
• watercolor paints and paintbrushes, cups of water and paper towels
• plaster, container to mix it in, stirrer, water, craft stick to smooth the plaster surface
• mold (deep paper plate - we used Chinet luncheon sized plates) for each child
• paper clips
• watercolor paper
• step stool or ladder (for hanging “ceiling” painting on the ceiling)
• Memento (optional): stickers of paintbrushes or artist's supplies
• Shepherd Time: handout with memory verse

Presentation

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today you will hear and experience the Creation story by being creators. First we will look at the work of the Renaissance artist Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Then you each will have the opportunity to experiment with some of Michelangelo’s techniques: painting while lying on your backs and painting frescoes in fresh plaster.

Dig:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Read the scripture: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3. (Encourage the children to use their Bibles to look up the passage. Talk about how ‘Genesis’ means beginnings and it is the first book in the Bible.)

Application:
[Assistant should be mixing plaster and preparing plaques while the Workshop Leader is introducing Michelangelo and his work. Pour plaster into the plates or mold. Insert paper at the edge clips for hanging. After the plaster has set up briefly (it should be damp but not wet), gently remove the mold and turn it over. Work carefully so that the plaque does not break; move it as little as possible. NOTE: We found the plaques were too fragile and difficult to work with if removed from the mold. Instead, leave the plaster in the plate and smooth it with a craft stick and paint it there. The children can carry the plaques home in the plates and un-mold them once they are cool and dry. We also found that making the plaster a bit “wet” helps so that you have enough time to pour and smooth it. Process adapted from Discovering Great Artists.]

Say, “Before we look at and talk about the art, I want to remind you that people were not created with clothes on. Nudity is sometimes needed in art and can be beautiful. God created man and woman in His image, and the human body is beautiful and can do marvelous things and there is nothing unlovely or evil or silly about our bodies. I will not tolerate snickering, laughing, or jokes. Anyone who does so will show that they really don=t understand the Creation story and the artwork. If it becomes a problem, I will ask that person to leave the workshop. Understand?”

Talk about Michelangelo and his work. (Part III, Lesson 5 in Art in Story provides a good summary.) Show posters or pictures from books as appropriate. Make sure you talk about

• how the Pope asked (demanded) Michelangelo to do this job.
• that the ceiling previously was blue with stars painted on it (and the walls were done by someone else).
• that Michelangelo primarily saw himself as a sculptor (point out the sculptural quality of the figures in the ceiling).
• that the ceiling painting contains nine scenes from Genesis (Creation through the flood) surrounded by seven Biblical prophets, five pagan sibyls (prophetesses from other religions who, according to legend, foretold the birth of Christ) and ancestors of Christ. Point out that the ceiling was painted with architectural columns and things to unify and enclose the paintings.
• the ceiling was finished in 1512, which was 20 years after Columbus’ first voyage to America.

Compare the size of the Sistine Chapel painting to something the children can relate to. It is approximately 43 by 118 feet and is 70 feet above the floor; the scaffolding was 66 feet high. In comparison, our big Sunday School room is 20 by 40 feet, the sanctuary is 50 by 60 feet and the ceiling is 30 feet at its highest point. Michelangelo worked long hours for four years, and painted the ceiling all by himself! (It was common to have apprentices fill in big areas and background, but he was too much of a perfectionist and fired his helpers shortly after beginning.)

Talk about the fresco process. Paint is applied to wet plaster (so only sections can be done at a time) and once it is painted, it becomes part of the wall, so the work could not be rethought and corrected. (Paint was sometimes applied after the fresco dried, but it deteriorated quite rapidly.)

Michelangelo had to lie on his back -- or some say he stood with his head tilted way back and his hands above his head -- to paint the ceiling. Either way, it was back-breaking work for four years. We are going to let each of you try painting while lying on your back for a few moments. Please listen carefully so you know what to do when it's your turn:
A large piece of paper has been taped to the bottom of this table [preschool-height table]. My assistant will help a few of you at a time get covered in painting clothes and goggles so you don’t wear any paint home. Then you can slide under the table and spend a few minutes painting. We will all be working on the same mural. Paint something that God created. The assistant will help you dip your paintbrushes. Don’t spend much time on it, because we want everyone to have a chance to experience a bit of what Michelangelo did for four years.
Do you think our finished product will be as fine and perfect as his? [show the ceiling painting again] Probably not, but we all paint with different styles. Just do the best you can, upside-down. [The assistant should change the newspaper under the table after each child so that one child does not lie down in another child's “drips.”]

While you are waiting for your turn to “ceiling” paint, you can work on a fresco. Paint in this damp plaster using watercolors; don’t use too much water or press too hard. Again, paint something God created, or a scene of things God created. Michelangelo did people so well, let’s paint something else. It is believed Michelangelo added animals and plants after the plaster dried as part of the retouching and they are no longer on the painting. Maybe your fresco can show some of them. When it is your turn to paint on the ceiling, do that, and then you can return to your fresco. You have until 10:45 to paint. Please put your name on the edge of your paper plate before you start painting.

While the children are working, talk about

• their favorite animals and plants.
• some amazing things that God created (have they ever seen an itsy-bitsy newborn kitten or watched a tadpole grow into a frog?).
• other ways to be creative (writing poetry, dancing, playing music, inventing new ways to do things, singing, making up jokes, acting in plays, ...).
• powerful things God created: waterfalls, tornadoes, thunder.
• what artists do when they make mistakes. [throw it out, adjust what they were doing, cover it up]

Make sure you give the children a five minute warning so they can finish what they are working on. Children who finish their frescos quickly can either have another turn on the “ceiling” or paint on watercolor paper.

Depending on how wet the “ceiling” painting is, hang it on the classroom ceiling for all to enjoy (with masking tape) or tell the children you will hang it on another ceiling for next week. They will need to wait until the frescos dry to take them home next week, so make sure their names are on them.

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):

• What did God create? (Belonging to God: a First Catechism (PCUSA) question #7: God created all that is, seen and unseen.)
• What does it mean that we are made in God=s image? (Belonging to God: a First Catechism (PCUSA) question #9: It means we are made to reflect God=s goodness, wisdom, and love.)
• I wonder what it feels like to create? What did we create today? Is our imagination part of being created in God=s image?

Review the memory verse. The memory verse activity will be part of Shepherd Time.

At 11:50 a.m. ask the Shepherd to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity. Some sort of paintbrush or artist supply stickers would be especially appropriate.

Shepherd Time:
[If the tables are covered with drying fresco plaques, you may want to have the children sit on the floor or another area for journaling.]

What do you think about Michelangelo’s feat in painting the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by himself? Should he have asked for help? Is it good to dedicate every waking minute to a task? Why do you think he gave so much of himself to this project? [the Pope told him to, glory for himself, glory for God...]

Give each child a sheet with the memory verse pre-printed on it. Read the memory verse together. Tell them: Write about or draw something you did for the glory of God, or something you could do for the glory of God. Or draw a picture praising God and giving Him the glory.

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Writing about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s activities or memory verse, list highlights of the day=s activities, or rephrase the memory verse. The journal pages will be saved and given to the children at the end of the school year. Make sure they write their names and the date on their pages. Visitors may take their pages home with them.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journals quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Workshop Leader’s Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

At noon, ask the students to turn in their journal pages and sit quietly for prayer.

Reflection:

Closing prayer:
Dear God, thank You for giving each of us the gift of imagination and creativity. Thank You for the stories and word pictures we find in the Bible. Help us to hold Your words close in our hearts and to understand how they call us to serve and glorify You. Amen.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
If the plaques are cool and dry, they can go home, otherwise remind the children they can get them next week. Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
Depending on the space, the size of your class, and the amount of time, you may want to do only the ceiling painting or only the fresco painting. If you have lots of space and short tables, everyone can do ceiling painting at the same time.

You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas:

Younger Children:

• For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible (for example, “The book of Genesis is at the very beginning of the Bible. The word ‘genesis’ means beginning and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.
• For the ‘ceiling’ painting, the assistant should dip the paintbrushes in the color desired and hand the paintbrush (with the excess paint scraped off) to the child under the table.
• Focus on learning only the second half of the memory verse: “For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11b If you find in later weeks of the rotation that most everyone knows the second part of the verse well, then focus on the entire verse.

Resources:

De Vecchi, Pierluigi, editor. The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992. (A spectacular art book with big clear plates of the paintings; check to see if your public library has this or another art book rather than purchasing this expensive book.)

Di Cagno, Gabriella. Masters of Art: Michelangelo. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1996.

Fischetto, Laura. Michael the Angel. New York: Doubleday, 1993. (This picturebook biography focuses on Michelangelo’s work as a sculptor, but would be a good choice for Shepherd Time.)

Kohl, MaryAnne F. and Kim Solga. Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters. Bellingham, Washington: Bright Ring Publishing, Inc., 1997. (Source of both painting activities.)

Saccardi, Marianne. Art in Story: Teaching Art History to Elementary School Children. North Haven, Connecticut: Linnet Professional Publications, 1997.

Stanley, Diane. Michelangelo. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000. (An excellent juvenile biography that will give you an overview of Michelangelo’s life and work.)

A website with information on Michelangelo and his work (there are many more):
http://vatican.com/tour/sistine_chapel_3D/web (Sistine Chapel tour)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

NOTES FOR THE TEACHER:

This is what needs to be done: Please arrive by 8:30 to help set up before the 9:00 service. Wrap newsprint around the middle of the short table at the front of the room. The children will lay on their backs on the floor and paint on the paper that is on the underside of the table. Last week I wrapped it around and taped the ends together on the top of the table so it was secure. There are containers of red, blue, yellow, and orange paint on the third shelf of the cabinet and the brushes are sitting on the shelf in front of the containers. There are also safety glasses and painting shirts on the bottom shelf for the children to wear when they are participating in this activity. You also need to spread some paper on the floor under the table for the children to lay on. The roll of paper is in the corner to the right of the cabinet.

Cover the other two tables with newspaper. There is some on the bottom shelf of the cabinet. Set out the watercolor paints on the tables with brushes for each jar of water. These paints and brushes are on the second shelf of the cabinet. On the fourth shelf of the cabinet are all the supplies for mixing plaster of paris.

Before class starts you will need to fill the pink square bucket about half full of water. There is a deep sink in the janitor’s closet at the end of the hall closet to the sanctuary. When it is time to mix plaster you will put two ziplock bags of dry plaster in one of the round ice cream buckets. You will find a round lid from a dry lemonade mix in one of the ice cream buckets. Use this to measure water. Add three lids full of water to the dry plaster. Use the wood paint sticks to stir until smooth. When it is smooth, pour the plaster into the pink plates. This is enough plaster for 3-4 plates. It takes about 5 minutes for the plaster to set so the children will have a good surface to paint on. When you are through mixing plaster, let the residual plaster dry on the bucket.

To clean up, crack the dry plaster off the sides of the bucket and throw the plaster in the garbage. If you rinse the wet plaster down the drain, it will stop up the plumbing.

When Judy starts her lesson, with the children looking up the Bible passage, it is time to start mixing plaster of paris.

If the children finish early, there are water colors and paper for them to paint on. You can take 4-6 of the water colors and pop them out of the palette. Put one color in a small white cup and add 1 Tablespoon of water. This will give brighter colors when they paint on the paper. All of these supplies are on the third shelf of the cabinet.

When the lesson is over, put everything back in the cabinet, except the plaster paintings and water colors. Leave them to dry on one of the tables. We are going to have an "art show" when the rotation is over in the gathering area on a Sunday morning.


PS Insert floral s hook for hanging. (Look at the ones from last week to see how to insert them.)

A lesson written by Amy Crane from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

Creation

Games Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The purpose of this workshop is to awaken the students to the realization that God’s creation is both for our good and to bring God glory. The children will also discover how God’s gift to us of a good creation brings the responsibility to manage and take care of that creation.

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Memory Verse:

Revelation 4:11

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the session, the students will

• know the order in which things were created and on which day they were created.
• learn that we are responsible for the care and management of creation.
• be able to determine things created by man and things created by God.

Teacher preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Learn the memory verse.
• To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located. Make sure game pieces are separated and place in order so that you can get supplies quickly between each game.
• Prepare game cards and board.
• A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE THE ROTATION BEGINS: send a note home to parents telling them that girls should wear shorts or pants on the date they are in the games workshop (they will be playing a Twister-like game).

Room set-up:
You will need a large clear space with lots of room to play and move. Additional set-up notes included in each game description.

Supply list:

• One die for each team or group
  For younger children you may want to use larger spongy dice
• One picture card for each day of creation hung on wall (6 cards in all – see the summary list of days at the end of this plan)

Game 2: Twister ™-type game:

• 2 Creation-Twist game mats (each painted on a bed sheet with 4 columns of 8 large dots. Each column is made up of dots with a picture of one thing from a day of creation. For example, a column of pine trees, a column of cats, a column of suns and a column of goldfish.)
  FIELD TEST NOTES: I squeezed 7 columns of pictures (with 8-10 of each) onto the sheet by offsetting the rows. I found stencils for most of the objects. Day 1: I swirled black and light paint in the circle. Day 2: I painted the circle blue and then splotched white paint for clouds. Day 3: stenciled flowers. Day 4: stenciled sun and moon. Day 5: stenciled fish and bird. Day 6: stenciled land animals. Day 7: stenciled church windows (sort of a Gothic shape -- I found the sheet of stencils with a religious theme at WalMart).
• 2 sets of 16 Creation-Twist game cards: 3x 5 cards containing the same pictures as on the columns of the Creation-Twist mat adding the following labels LH (left hand), RH (right hand), LF (left foot), RF (right foot).
• two baskets

Game 3: Created or Man-made?

• 2 sets of flash cards with magazine pictures of objects created by God and man-made objects.

Memory Verse Game:

• Bible verse strips (copy of the memory verse for each child)
• scissors
• pencils

Presentation

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop. Use kid friendly words to give a brief overview of what the children are going to learn and do.

Dig:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Read the scripture: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3. (Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses.)

Game 1: Creation Dice

• Clear enough space for children to sit in a circle. Divide children into teams (for younger children you may want to stay with the whole group).
• Whatever number a child rolls, he/she will name something that God made on that day. For example: If a team rolls a 1 they could say God created light. If they roll a 6 they could say dogs. Children should try to remember what was created that day, but if they needed a clue they could refer to the creation cards you hung earlier. (Encourage them to answer as a team.)
• Challenge students by turning over the creation cards.
• Encourage older students to name things that have not been listed yet if possible (not possible on days 1 and 2; day 4 they would need to list planets by name).
• Older students may want to pantomime something created on that day to make the game more challenging and fun. The other students would try to guess what they are.
  
  Creation Dice talking points:
• Which of God's creations brings you the most joy?
• What does it mean to say that God created everything good?

Game 2: Creation-Twist

• Set up the mats on the floor far enough apart so each game can be played without overlapping the other.
• Place one set of game cards in each basket.
• Divide the children into two small groups (maximum of 8 on each mat). Ask children to sit around the mat for their group.
• Tell children the Workshop Leader or the Shepherd will pull a card and read it. They are to put that body part on the correct dot on the mat. For example: “right hand - tree” Each child playing should put his/her right hand on any tree in that column.
• Caution students to be careful when moving from one dot to the other. Remind them we would not want anyone to get hit while they were making a move.
• Students should try to not sit or fall down on the mat at any time nor may they move a body part to another dot unless instructed to do so by you when pulling a card. If they do, they are out until the next round.
• Continue playing until the last child has fallen.
  
  Creation-Twist Talking points:
• What can you as young children do to meet your responsibilities to care for God’s creation?
• What can you do this week to be sure you show that you will care for God's creation?

Game 3: Created or Man-made?

• Clear a space for students to get in a circle. You may want older students to get into teams.
• Shuffle pictures. Have children sort the cards into 2 categories: objects made by God and man-made objects. Older students may want to race to see who can sort them the quickest.
  
  Created or Man-made Talking points:
• Who created all things in the world?
• Where do we find the story of creation?
• What does “Genesis” mean?

Memory Verse Game:

• Have children cut memory verse strips into separate words. Number the back of each word. Have students lay out words in numerical order. See if they can say each word before turning the word over. If this proves too difficult, have children put the words in order first and then check the numbers to see if they are in correct order.
  
  
• If time permits, allow the children to vote on which game they want to play again.

At 11:50 a.m. ask the shepherds to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity.

Shepherd Time:
Journal topic: List ways you will help take care of things God created this week. Younger children may need to draw pictures or use inventive spelling. Some may ask you to write it down as they recite their ideas orally.

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Writing about faith helps clarify lessons. Children may draw pictures, list highlights of the day’s activities, rephrase the memory verse, or respond to the question. The journal pages will be saved and given to the children at the end of the school year. Visitors should take their pages home.


You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journals quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Workshop Leader’s Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

At noon, ask the students to close their journals and sit quietly for prayer.

Reflection:

Closing prayer:
Assist children in praying for the creations with which God has blessed our communities, families and church. Tell them their journal writing may be a source of topics that they may want to include in their prayers. Ask any of those who would like to share to do so. However, assure those who wish to pray silently that God hears all prayers.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas are included in the descriptions of each game. In addition:
Younger Children:
For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible (for example, “The book of Genesis is at the very beginning of the Bible. The word ‘genesis’ means beginning. and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.
Have the children do the memory verse game in groups rather than as individuals.

Resources

EllenK. Posting at rotation.org Idea and Lesson Exchange: “Creation from St. Elmo's:” Creation Twister.

Jan FPC Napa. Posting at rotation.org Idea and Lesson Exchange: “Creation/The Fall - games, video, art:” Creation Dice.

Creation Order

BEGINNING
GOD
chaos

DAY ONE
light (separated from darkness)

DAY TWO
sky (separates waters)

DAY THREE
land
seas

plants

DAY FOUR
sun
moon
stars

DAY FIVE
water animals
birds

DAY SIX
land animals
people

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

A lesson written by Cathy Greenwood from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

Wonderful set... as expected!

I couldn't find God's Trombones anywhere and have since learned it is out of print.

Neil updates:  The studio which produced the Story of Creation claymation (part of God's Trombones) has posted it to YouTube!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcHxNZIvfh4.

It is narrated by James Earl Jones (whom kids will recognize as Mufasa from The Lion King) reciting "The Creation" poem -- from James Weldon Johnson. The poem was part of his acclaimed 1927 collection of "negro poem sermons" titled "God's Trombones." The poem and visuals are a "version" of Genesis 1 that are both visually powerful and poetically vivid and personal.

Johnson' s Creation Story poem was turned into an Oscar-nominated  "claymation" by Will Vinton, the guy who invented the term "claymation" and did all the California Raisin commercials, among many others. The film features the clay-painting technique of claymation artist Joan Gratz and also included the claymation of Martin the Cobbler and the Prodigal Son. Lucky for us, Keep in mind that it isn't just a video with great visuals and a poem --it shows an art technique!

See it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcHxNZIvfh4

Then God reached out and took the light in his hands,
And God rolled the light around in his hands
Until he made the sun;
And he set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said: That's good!