Creation
Drama Workshop (with ecology applications)
Summary of Lesson Activities:
Go through the 7 days of creation with kids acting out different days, then discuss the ecological applications for each day - our responsibility to Protect God’s creation.
Scripture Reference:
Genesis chapter 1
Lesson Objectives:
- Review the Genesis story of creation.
- Give examples how we can protect and conserve God’s creation.
Leader Preparation:
- Hang a Chinese lantern from the ceiling with a light in it for the sun.
- An earth ball that could rotate around it. (One boy explained day and night using the shadow.)
- Use flashlights to shine on the ceiling like stars.
- Flags for the wind and sky
- Tissue paper that shoots out of a volcano to create land.
- Sea a blue satin sheet held at both ends and made to ripple.
- DRUM: To divide up the 7 days, each day was introduced with a drum beat - 1 thump for day 1, 2 for day 2, etc. (and on the 2nd day Boom, Boom, God created the water....)
Supplies List:
- Chinese Lantern
- Earth ball
- Flashlights
- Flags
- Tissue Paper
- Blue sheet
- Drum
Presentation
Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction
Greet the children and introduce yourself.
Dig- Main Content and Reflection
The play
SCENE I, Day 1: God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness "night."
- Separate your team into 2 groups, young people and older people, for dark and light.
- Turn off the lights.
- The older folks act afraid of the darkness, “it’s cold (shivering) & I’m afraid of the night (wailing)”
- Give some of the youth flashlights, to turn on when the reader says “Let there be light”.
Say God said “Let there be light” - Turn on the flashlights, and finally the overhead lights.
At end of 7 days recap with ecology applications:
-God gave us the sun for light, source of all our energy.
-God expects us to conserve energy.
Young group answers these questions:
- How do you conserve our God given energy?
E.g., Turn off lights & TV when not in use
Save gas, drive less, walk or ride a bike
SCENE II, Day 2: God created the water below and separated it from the space above which he called "sky."
- Have adults shake the ends of a blue sheet for the ocean.
- The kids act like sky with clouds and wind (whistling) running around the ocean waving flags.
At end of 7 days recap with ecology applications:
LEADER says:
-God gave us pure air and water.
-God expects us to preserve good air & water quality?
Ask these questions to audience:
- How do you keep clean water?
E.g., Don’t pollute rivers
Don’t waste water
- How do you keep the air clean?
E.g., Don’t smoke
Less fire & exhaust pollution
Don’t burn plastic - Preserve the Ozone layer (global warming)
SCENE III, Day 3: God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land," and the waters "seas.” Then God created plants with seeds and fruit.
-Have your team separate into 2 groups: young for land, and older for ocean.
- Adults continue shaking blue sheet - ocean.
- Boys crouch, and the word (God said VOLCANO'S ERUPT!) Kids explode with lots of eruption noise throwing out wads of tissue paper.
- Girls crouch then, grow like plants next to the boy volcanos.
At end of 7 days recap with ecology applications:
LEADER says:
-God gave us the land, oceans and the plants.
-God expects us to preserve them.
Ask audience these questions:
- How can we conserve the land?
E.g., Don’t throw empty cans on the land (recycle)
Preserve the rich topsoil for farming
Don’t destroy land or mountains with mining/digging
- How can we conserve the plants?
SCENE IV, Day 4: “God created the sun, moon, and the stars. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years.”
- Place big Chinese lantern with lamp in center.
- Child acts as moon rotating around sun
- Others act as stars running around sun waving flags
At end of 7 days recap with ecology applications:
LEADER ASKS Audience:
God created the sun, moon and stars.
How can be abuse sunlight?
E.g., Avoid Sunburn, don’t stare at sun
Don’t waste energy
How do our lives revolve around the sun and moon?
24 hour Day, Waking & sleeping
30 day month...
SCENE V, Day 5: God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply and fill the waters and the sky with life.
- Child Pantomimes a bird, running around sun.
Guess what kind of bird?. audience guesses.
E.g., eagle, flamingo, woodpecker - Children Pantomimes sea creatures, swimming under sea.
Guess what kind of sea creature?. audience guesses.
E.g., Fish, dolphin, shark, crab.
At end of 7 days recap:
LEADER ASKS Audience:
-God gave us the birds and sea creatures.
-God expects us to preserve them.
What kinds of sea creatures or birds need protection?
Name some protected species?
Whales, dolphins, spotted owl, eagles...
How can we protect them?
SCENE VI, Day 6: God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman (Adam and Eve) in his own image. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate.
- Pantomime 3 different animals, running around sun
also reptiles, and bugs, people...
- Make audience guess what they are.
At end of 7 days recap with ecology applications:
LEADER ASKS Audience:
-God created all the animals, reptiles, and bugs.
-God expects us to care for them.
How can we care for the animals?
What kinds of animals need protection?
What about mosquitos, ticks and bad germs?
-God creates us - man and woman.
How can we care for our own life?
E.g., Brush your teeth
Eat healthy food
How can we preserve human life?
Provide food and shelter for the poor
Stop murder and war
SCENE VII, Day 7: God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy.
- all kids lay down on rug, sleeping.
-End with good night prayer. Who knows one?
LEADER ASKS:
How can we keep Sunday Holy?
-E.g., Go to church and Sunday School
-Eat & say grace together as a family
-Practice Faith 5:
-Share Highs & Lows
-Read bible
-Talk about bible verse
-Pray for your families Highs & Lows
-Bless one another
A lesson written by Wes Todd from: Advent Lutheran Church (originally shared on 9/30/13)
Spokane, Washington
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
