Lesson five - pages 10/11 Earthquake rescue

Lesson one – pages 2/3 Moulding clay

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that Christians believe that God is responsible for creating and maintaining the world.
To be able to use their hands to explore clay and make something, and then reflect on their efforts.
To understand that the Bible says that God was pleased with creation.

Bible references

Genesis 1.31
Isaiah 64.8

Background

Christians believe that God is responsible for creation and the continuing acts of creativity in the world. The Genesis stories reveal God as creator and being pleased with the world that is made: 'And God saw that it was good' (Genesis 1). There are several creation stories in the Bible, the most familiar being the two accounts, one in Genesis 1 and another in Genesis 2.

Key words

Feel
Explore
Create
Creator
Creation
Creativity
Change/improve/adapt
Feelings
Responses

Activity one – quiet making

You will need
Fresh clay (or playdough if not available) – enough for each child and adult to have a piece to hold in their hand.
Candles – variety of sizes.
Any supporting adults prepared to follow your lead.

Start
Look at the picture in the book. Discuss.
What can you see?
What is happening?
What do we know from looking at the picture?

Develop
Sit quietly in a circle with a table in the centre. (This is best done as a whole class, but could be one group at a time.)
Give each child and adult (including the teacher) a piece of fresh clay.
Teacher – start to work your clay in your hand.
Other adults follow.
Children should start to follow, if they do not, ask them to.
Do not ask the children to make specific objects.
As interest wanes, ask the children to put their clay on the table one at a time.
Arrange the candles on the table and light them. (For health and safety reasons, the children remain seated.)
Ask children to look at the results of their efforts.
Sit quietly for a short time.

End
Tell the children that they are all creators, and congratulate them.
In discussion, notice similarities and differences now in the pieces of clay.
How did that happen? (Hands created.)
Christians believe that God is the Creator of the world
Keep the objects to form a display.

Assessment opportunities
Were children able to recognise their own ability to create with their hands?
Were they able to give reasons for the similarities and differences in the finished objects?

Activity two – creative hands

You will need
A selection of materials for children to create with, such as: clay, paint, dough, Lego or mall construction apparatus.
Writing or drawing equipment,
Paper, sewing material, recycled resources and so on.
Table or display area to arrange finished work on.
A label: 'We used our hands to create; we are creators.'
Optional background music, to create a calm atmosphere.

Start
Look at pictures and recap the first lesson if appropriate.

Develop
Ask the children to look at their own hands, then at your friend's hands. How are they the same? How are they different?
What can we do with our hands?
Today we are going to use our hands to make something by ourselves
Children choose one area of creative activity that appeals to them and make one object.
Play background music. Give support to and encourage the children without directing their work.

End
As a whole class, share some of the finished items.
Who is pleased with their work?
Who is not pleased? Why?
How do you feel when you have made something: cross, happy, tired, sad, pleased, disappointed? Can you say why?
The Bible story says that when God was pleased with the created world; it was good.
You have created something new today.
Celebrate the creation by carefully placing your object on a display table for everyone to enjoy. Place prepared labels on table.

Assessment opportunities
Did children identify their own feelings?
Did they understand that their creation was unique?

Activity three – what about the world?

You will need
Display from activities one and two, or examples of the children's work.
A large piece of paper or whiteboard.
Pieces of paper large enough for each child to draw around their hands on.
Pens or crayons.
Scissors.
Large card hand shapes.

Start
Look at the display or at the children's work.
Remind the children that their own hands have made all these things.
Brainstorm words about what their hands have done. For example: cut, paint, write, mould, push, pull, feel, stroke or touch.
Look at your hands, draw round them and cut them out.
Write words from the brainstorm on them: 'Hands can...'

Develop
Look at the picture in the book and recap activities one and two.
Read the recommended bible verses.
How do you feel when you have made something?
According to the Bible, how do you think God felt about the created world?
If you were making your object again, would you want to change anything? Why and how?

End
Why do you think Christians believe God is still creating in the world?
How might God be doing it?

Assessment opportunities
Can children recall any elements of Christian stories of creation?
Do they know that these stories are found in the Bible?
Can they identify aspects of their own feelings and experiences?
Can they respond to the feelings of others?
Do they realise some questions are hard to answer?

Activity checklist

Activity one – quiet making

Fresh clay (or playdough if not available) – enough for each child and adult to have a piece to hold in their hand.
Candles – variety of sizes.
Any supporting adults prepared to follow your lead.

Activity two – creative hands

A selection of materials for children to create with, such as: clay, paint, playdough, Lego or small construction apparatus.
Writing or drawing equipment.
Paper, sewing material, recycled resources and so on.
Table or display area to arrange finished work on.
A label: 'We used our hands to create; we are creators.'
Optional background music, to create a calm atmosphere.

Activity three – what about the world?

Display from activities one and two, or examples of the children's work.
A large piece of paper or whiteboard.
Pieces of paper large enough for each child to draw around their hands on.
Pens or crayons.
Scissors.
Large card hand shapes.

Lesson two – pages 4/5 Circle of hands

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that the image of God's hands is very important to Christians.
To be able to use and create symbols with their hands to convey information.
To understand that hands have power to create and destroy.

Bible references

Job 10.8-9
Matthew 8.3

Background

Hands have power; they create and destroy. In the picture some hands are hard and calloused; others soft and gentle. The image of God's hands is frequently used in the Bible and in the Christian tradition. It is used in a variety of ways and the phrase 'hand of God' can carry many meanings, e.g. power, care, direction. This picture encourages children to think about hands: what hands can do; what hands can tell us about a person.

Key words

Touch
Emotions
Message
Life
Experiences
Image
God
Create
Destroy

Activity one – hands with messages

You will need
The picture in the book.
Word cards with symbols – happy, sad, angry, hello, goodbye, over there and this way.

Start
Children sit on chairs in a circle (circle time rules to apply).
Play the 'pass the rain' game. One child starts the action by waggling his or her fingers for rain. This action is passed around the circle until it arrives back at the originator. The action is then changed to thunder. A child slaps their knees with hands, then gently touches their neighbour who follows the action and so on around the circle. Children can't begin thunder until they are touched. The originator then brings out the sun by folding arms and smiling at their neighbour. The 'sun' must involve eye contact as it is passed from child to child. Children are told to help each other perform the actions correctly by quietly whispering to a neighbour if he or she needs a little help to get it right.

Develop
In silence, read word cards.
Can the children use their hands to convey their emotions individually? (For example, they might clap, wipe their eyes for tears, make a fist, wave or point.)
In pairs, can children use hands to convey these emotions or instructions, such as patting on back, hugging, play fighting, pushing, waving, shaking hands, pointing or leading.
We have been passing messages and instructions with our hands. Did anyone misunderstand the message? Why?
In groups, have a look at the picture in the book. What messages are these hands conveying?
What do you notice about the hands?

End
Read the Bible references.
The Bible often uses the image of God's hands.
Why might this be?

Assessment opportunities
Can the children express ideas about the concept of God's hands?
Can they send messages with their hands?

Activity two – different hands

You will need
The picture in the book.
'Action' photos or pictures of working hands. For example: cook, secretary, caretaker, teacher, child, baby, old person, manual worker and so on. (These could be pictures or posters with only the hands showing.)
Pre-cut hand shapes in different sizes.
Art materials.

Start
In pairs, look closely at each other's hands.
Compare size, shape, colour of skin, nails and so on. Are hands all the same?
Hold your partner's hands and stroke them. What do they feel like?

Develop
Play a guessing game using photos or pictures.
Who do these hands belong to?
How do you know?
How are these hands different? How are they the same?
Compare different hands, for example baby/old person/manual worker.
How have these people's jobs or life experiences affected their hands?
In pairs, choose a pair of blank hand shapes.
Think of a person who might have hands that size and shape.
Decorate one to give clues about who the person is, or what they do. You might indicate skin colour, rough or smooth skin, rings, broken nails, veins, hair, dirt or cleanliness.
Write or draw on the other hand what this imaginary person's hands do.

End
Guessing game with children's work.
Who might these hands belong to?
Look at picture in book (again if lesson one was used).
What can you say about these hands now?
Display children's work around a face of appropriate age, gender and so on.
Put on appropriate labels.
'Babies' hands can...'
'Mummies' hands can...'
'Doctors' hands can...'

Assessment opportunities
Can the children offer interpretations of the picture in the book?
Can they give two clues of their own?

Activity three – flower examination

You will need
Extracts of quiet/loud music (optional).
Magnifying glasses.
Some flowers, preferably real (carnations are particularly good) or natural materials: twigs, grasses, foliage and so on.
Flip chart board or overhead projector.
Bible references written out on flip chart or OHP.
Candle.

Start
With the whole class, look at a bunch of flowers or an arrangement of natural materials.
Admire their beauty.
Share the flowers or materials amongst the children, keeping two yourself.
Explore quietly. Use a magnifying glass. Examine smell, touch, shape and form. (Play some quiet music.)

Develop
What have you noticed? (Colour, size, shape, smell, pattern and so on.)
Write words for the children to see.
Can you create things?
Start to quietly destroy one flower.
Loud music - how do the children react?
What have I done? Have the children destroy their flower if they haven't already copied you.
Add destructive words to the chart.
Hands can create but often destroy.
In the Bible the image of God's hands is used in many ways.
Read the two Bible extracts.
Reflect on these questions: Does God destroy? Does God still create?

End
Sit in a circle.
Put the remaining flowers in a vase in the centre of the circle.
Surround it with the debris of destroyed flowers.
Light candle and place near flowers.
Optional - play quiet music.
Ask children to look at the flowers and think how they used their hands destructively and creatively.

Assessment opportunities
Do the children understand the difference between creating and destroying?

Activity checklist

Activity one – hands with messages

The picture in the book.
Word cards with symbols – happy, sad, angry, hello, goodbye, over there and this way.

Activity two – different hands

The picture in the book.
'Action' photos or pictures of working hands. For example: cook, secretary, caretaker, teacher, child, baby, old person, manual worker and so on. (These could be pictures or posters with only the hands showing.)
Pre-cut hand shapes in different sizes.
Art materials.

Activity three – flower examination

Extracts of quiet/loud music (optional).
Magnifying glasses.
Some flowers, preferably real (carnations are particularly good) or natural materials: twigs, grasses, foliage and so on.
Flip chart board or overhead projector.
Bible references written out on flip chart or OHP.
Candle.

Lesson three – pages 6/7 God's hands

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that hands can communicate powerfully, both with touch and without.
To be able to use their hands to gain information, and use their sense of touch creatively.
To understand that Christians believe that God touches lives.

Bible references

Isaiah 48.13
Job 12.7-9

Background

This famous image is from the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome. The fingertip touch is not quite there but the emotive power of touch is certainly present. In this detail, the artist shows God reaching out, to give life and energy to creation and to human beings in particular. Such a touch is like an electric spark; touch gives life, warmth, comfort, love, excitement and energy.

Key words

Love
Care
Concern
Hatred
Unique

Powerful

Creative
Negative
Communicate
Power
Energy
Force

Activity one – hands can feel

You will need
A selection of interesting objects with different textures.
A 'feely' box or bag.
Paper and glue.
Collage materials such as wool, fabrics, sand, rice, stones, crushed shells, straws, variety of papers.
Word cards – love, care, warmth, anger, hatred, cold.

Start
Can the children guess what is in the bag or box just by feeling?
Encourage them to describe what they are touching.
How do you know what the object is? (My hands told me.)
Hands, with their sense of touch, can receive information and also give it.
How might your hands show or convey these feelings: love, care, warmth, anger, hatred, cold? (Hold up individual cards.)
Children explore ways of expressing them in pairs.

Develop
Make a collage picture to express the different emotions through texture, for example, a day at seaside, a playground fight, a family and so on.
Alternatively, choose at least two of the words and choose materials to represent them such as love/hate – smooth/rough – soft/hard – warm/cold

End
Christians believe God gives them life, energy and comfort just as we can show love, care and concern to other people if we use our hands sensitively.
Pictures and objects could be displayed with the picture from In the Making.

Assessment opportunities
Can the children suggest meanings or reasons for their choice of materials?
Can they identify aspects of their own feelings?
Can the children can make links between religious ideas and their own?

Activity two – I'm special

You will need
A4/A5 paper.
Finger paints.
Bel air (a work of art book, optional).
A work of art.
Page for ideas.
Small squares of paper.
Ink pad.
Picture in book.
Magnifying glasses (optional).

Start
Give each child a small square of paper. You might choose to use magnifying glasses as well. Ask the children to: look very closely at their hands; then look very closely at their fingers; then look very closely at their fingertips.
Then take each child's fingerprint.
Why do the police take fingerprints from people they arrest?
The key point here is the uniqueness of fingerprints.

Develop
Our sense of touch is very powerful.
In pairs, the children hold their partner's hand, gently at first, then really hard.
They stroke each other's hands, then bang their hands on the table.
Tell them that their brains are receiving messages through their touch sense.
What messages or feelings are they receiving? (Include negative feelings of hurt and pain.)
Then explain that they are going to paint a picture using only their fingertips (ideas in the reference book, Bel Air, if needed, pages 36ff, in the style of Georges Seurat).
Only you know what your picture will be.
Encourage a quiet atmosphere while the children paint their pictures.

End
Recap key points.
The sense of touch is very powerful, it conveys messages – both good and bad – to ourselves and others.
It can be creative – look at examples of children's work. Can we recognise what the pictures are and what they convey?
We are each unique. In other words, we are special and different.
Christians believe God created the world and made each person unique.
We have a responsibility to use our sense of touch well and creatively.
The fingerprints and pictures could be displayed with the picture from the book – with labels such as: Who are we?, What did we paint? How did we do it?

Assessment opportunities
Can the children respond sensitively to other's feelings and experiences?
Do the children know Christians believe God created the world?

Activity three – powerful hands

You will need
A copy of the British Telecom advert 'Keep in touch'.
Prepared action cards to share, one between two children, with words and/or pictures. For example: you have shut your fingers in the door; stroke a cat; typing on the computer; using a mouse; touching a baby's cheek; playing a recorder or flute; slapping someone's face; pointing to give directions.

Start
Show the picture from the In the Making book, covering up the words.
What can children say about it? Don't give answers.
Show the BT advert.
Repeat the question.
In what ways are the pictures the same?

Develop
In pairs, and communicating without touching each other or talking, each child is to guess what is on their partner's card.
Change the cards round several times as correct guesses are made.
Swap the pairs over as sender and receiver.
Discuss. Did you find it easy or hard to convey your message?

End
With the whole class, look at the picture in the book and at the advert again.
What can children say about them now?
The key ideas to draw out here are: unseen force, energy, power, conveying a message or messages, as in the children's activity.
Christians believe God touches their lives in a special way.
Uncover the words on the page and read them together.
Is this one of the questions in life that we can decide the answer to for ourselves?
Play the mirror game in silence: the teacher performs actions with hands, and the class copies.

Assessment opportunities
Do the children understand that some questions are difficult to answer?
Are the children able to start comparing their responses with others?

Activity checklist

Activity one – hands can feel

A selection of interesting objects with different textures.
A 'feely' box or bag.
Paper and glue.
Collage materials such as wool, fabrics, sand, rice, stones, crushed shells, straws, variety of papers.
Word cards – love, care, warmth, anger, hatred, cold.

Activity two – I'm special

A4/A5 paper.
Finger paints.
Bel air (a work of art book, optional).
A work of art.
Page for ideas.
Small squares of paper.
Ink pad.
Picture in book.
Magnifying glasses (optional).

Activity three – powerful hands

A copy of the British Telecom advert 'Keep in touch'.
Prepared action cards to share, one between two children, with words and/or pictures. For example: you have shut your fingers in the door; stroke a cat; typing on the computer; using a mouse; touching a baby's cheek; playing a recorder or flute; slapping someone's face; pointing to give directions.

Lesson four – pages 8/9 Pleading hands

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that bread is a very important symbol for Christians.
To be able to express feelings of desperation, pleading and giving.
To understand interpret some of the emotions expressed in different pictures of hands.

Bible reference

Psalm 145.15-16

Background

Powerful images are shown in the picture — hands stretched out in hunger, desperation and anxiety. The 'staff of life' (bread) is being distributed. Those hands that can be so creative and so loving and so violent are now reaching out for life. The Gospel of John uses the symbol of bread as a means of representing Jesus; 'I am the bread of life' is one of the sayings John uses to express the importance of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. All four Gospels record the story of Jesus' 'Feeding of the Five Thousand' with loaves and fishes. This is the only miracle or sign that appears in all four gospel accounts, showing the significance of the Christian belief that Jesus 'feeds' and gives life.

Key words

Giver (of life)
Giving
Receiving
Desperate
Pleading
Bread
Symbol
Sustain

Activity one – help me

You will need
The book.
Extracts of music (optional).
Percussion instruments (optional).
Space for group to perform mini-drama.

Start
Look at a range of pictures in the book.
How many images of hands can the children identify from these pictures? For example: loving, caring, gentle, old, young. List the answers.
Look closely at pages 8 and 9 of the book.
How is this picture different? (Pleading, desperate, gnarled, hard working, uncared for?)
Why might the people in the picture have hands like this? (Maybe poverty, war, conflict, natural disasters.)
Where are the young people?
Are all the hands reaching out? (Identify the giver.)

Develop
Drama – to be done in groups or as a whole class.
Choose a theme.
Create a short piece of drama which includes the use of hands to convey all the emotions shown in the pictures (receivers and givers). Use music if appropriate, recorded or performed.
Perform the piece to the class or to the school in an assembly.

End
Explore children's responses to the drama.
What feelings did they experience when in role?
Compare the feelings of givers and receivers. How were they different?
The bible says that Jesus used bread as a symbol of what God can give the world – life.
Can any children suggest why? (Link to activity two if required.)
Alternatively, how might hands receive 'bread' from God?
Children show their responses individually with their hands (no right answer).

Assessment opportunities
Can the children respond to the feelings of others?
Can the children identify aspects of their own feelings?
Can the children compare aspects of their own life with others?

Activity two – bread for life

You will need
The book.
A loaf of bread.
Ingredients for making bread or packets of bread dough mix.
Cooking facilities.
The story of the feeding of the five thousand.
Writing materials or ICT access.

Start
Sit in a circle.
Put the bread in the centre on a table.
Show the picture in the book.
What do the children notice?
Why are the hands stretched out like that? (They are desperate, starving.)
We put a loaf of bread on our table and nobody grabbed it.
What is different?
Why is the loaf of bread in the picture so important? (Possibly the difference between life and death.)

Develop
Groups of children make bread.
The key point is that yeast makes bread rise. It is an active, living ingredient.
The bible has a famous story that shows the importance of bread, first as food, and second as a symbol.
Read or retell the story of the feeding of the five thousand from the Bible.
Imagine how that story might be told today: television, newspapers, Internet?
In groups, the children design a newspaper headline and report or a TV report. Include sections about: 'What does this mean for us?', 'Who is Jesus?', 'How did he do it?', 'What about the effect on local bakers?' and so on.

End
(This section could be effective at the end of the day.)
Look at the children's reporting work. Discuss their ideas.
Explain that this story is still very important for Christians. It appears in all four gospels in the bible. Christian belief is that God feeds and gives life (like the yeast) to the world, that all good things come from him.
Bread is an important Christian symbol to remind people of this belief.
Sharing bread is a very important part of Christian practice.
We are not starving, and probably never will be, but bread can still help us remember what we have seen and learned today. It can be a symbol.
Share some of the bread – the children's if possible.
Take some home to share.

Assessment opportunities
Can the children recall the elements of the story?
Can the children explain simply the meaning of the story?
Can the children respond to the feelings of others?

Activity three – what can hands do?

You will need
Paper in a variety of colours, pens, art materials, scissors and glue.
Display board or paper to make a class big book.
Sentence written on board or overhead projector 'We can use our hands to...'
Page in book

Start
Brainstorm ways to complete the sentence, and discuss them. Try to encourage negative and positive uses.
Discuss a range of situations to illustrate the answers.

Develop
Make a display or big class book to illustrate the answers.
For example, cut out large numbers of handprints in different sizes and colours.
The children draw, paint, and write about their responses to the question.
Mount work and surround with handprints, flat and curled.
One page for a theme, for example 'hands can...hurt', 'hands can...care', 'hands can...feed', 'hands can...work'.
Alternatively, display work around a fountain of hands.
The display might be developed for the whole school with school or golden rules or similar around the outside. Or it could be used as an assessment if a unit of work has been completed using In the Making. In other words, what can the children remember – without prompts – from work undertaken?

End
We understand what our hands are capable of, and can do.
Look at the picture in the book.
When we look at people's hands they can tell us a great deal about that person, and their life experiences.
What do you know about these people? Look at their skin, nails, position of fingers, thumbs, shape, size, dirty/clean and so on.
How people use their hands says a great deal about the sort people they are.
What sort of person are you?
Sit quietly and look at your own hands.
Think about how your use your hands.

Assessment opportunities
Can the children express aspects of their own experiences?
Can the children realise that some actions are right and some are wrong?

Activity checklist

Activity one – help me

The book.
Extracts of music (optional).
Percussion instruments (optional).
Space for group to perform mini-drama.

Activity two – bread for life

The book.
A loaf of bread.
Ingredients for making bread or packets of bread dough mix.
Cooking facilities.
The story of the feeding of the five thousand.
Writing materials or ICT access.

Activity three – what can hands do?

Paper in a variety of colours, pens, art materials, scissors and glue.
Display board or paper to make a big class book.
Sentence written on board or overhead projector: 'We can use our hands to...'
Page in book.

Lesson five – pages 10/11 Earthquake rescue

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that hands are strong and that we can all use them to help others.
To be able to identify things that are important to us that we sometimes hold in our hands.
To understand that people and objects are valuable and precious to us.

Bible reference

James 4.1-2

Background

The image of using hands to make and to do flows as a rich seam throughout the Christian tradition. Hands are held out in supplication as hands are held out to grasp and to seek help. For Christians God's grace and love is not earned; it is like the hand held out, ready to be grasped, and the response is to be made by each person. There are two images that help to explain this idea. Just as a mother cat picks up her kittens, so Christians believe God's grace and love can pick each person up and pluck them from danger. Some Christians use the image of a baby monkey clinging on to its mother; so Christians 'cling' to God.

Key words

Rescue
Care
Love
Help
Nurture
Strength
Hold
Grapple
Clutching
Grab
Pull
Heave
Touch
Hands

Activity one – rescue operations

You will need
A variety of newspaper and magazine articles and video clips about rescue operations.
Collage paper and glue stick.
Coloured pens, pencils, crayons or pastels.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson. Talk about the pictures and tell the children that together you will find and read about other rescue operations. Ask them to write a little about the piece that interests them the most and why it interests them. Then they should stick the newspaper cuttings and pieces of writing on the coloured paper, keeping those relating to the same topic near each other.

Develop
Use the art materials to design and draw a pastel or crayon picture representing their thoughts about the newspaper cutting that interests them the most.

End
In a large class circle, discuss how important it is to rescue others. Why do we do it even when sometimes are own lives may be at risk? Has anyone ever been rescued or been part of a rescue, maybe for a younger or older sibling? What might the people involved have felt about it all?
Maybe remind the children of Jesus' Parable of the Lost Sheep. How did the sheep feel and how did the shepherd feel?

Assessment Opportunities
Can the children think and/or articulate their feelings?

Activity two – meet someone new

You will need
A nurse or carer who is willing to talk openly and specifically about the work they do with their hands in the community.
A digital, video or ordinary camera, or a tape recorder to make a record of the event.
Prepared questions from the children for them to ask.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children. Introduce the nurse/carer and ask the children to think and say what the person does with their hands.

Develop
Take photographs, film, or a tape recording of the guest with the children. Ask them to talk about their work, specifically relating it to their hands and the jobs their hands do every day. Is there anything they have done recently which has been particularly difficult to do?
What part of their work is really important and why?
Take photographs of your guest's hands so the children can study them later and see how special they are. At a later date the children could make sketches of their own hands and compare their hands to the ones in the photographs.

End
In a class circle ask the children if they would like to work with their hands in a similar way to the nurse or carer.
What is really important about the job nurses and carers do, and why?
Ask your guest what their favourite part of their work is, and why.

Assessment opportunities
Can the children discuss and describe the role of a nurse or carer and say how important their hands are to their work?

Activity three – precious things

You will need
Art materials.
Hand-held magnifiers.
A camera.
Precious things brought in by the teacher, children or both.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children. Ask the children why we have brought these objects into school. Listen to their answers and get them to think carefully about each one.
Look at each object, using a magnifier to examine it. What is it made from? Why it is precious to the person who brought it in? Record children's key words on a white/black board for all to see.
Define the word 'precious' – what does it mean? Record on the white/black board all the children's ideas.

Develop
Take photographs of the children with their precious object or record them in another way. Ask them to draw their object and write a little about why it is so important to them.
Why is the teacher's object so precious to the teacher? Can they guess? Are they right?

End
In a large class circle, ask the children what they think is the most precious thing to a parent/grandparent. Are these things still objects now or are they people?
Can the children see that in spite of their material worth, it is people and their safety and welfare that are so important to us all? Ask the children why, during a fire practice, we take only the people outside? Why don't we rescue the coats and books and chairs? Why do we make every effort to save people? When are objects really important?

Assessment opportunities
Can the children discuss and say why some objects are important and precious to us? Can they discuss what is more important than any object and say why?

Activity checklist

Activity one – rescue operations

A variety of newspaper and magazine articles and video clips about rescue operations.
Collage paper and glue stick.
Coloured pens, pencils, crayons or pastels.

Activity two – meet someone new

A nurse or carer who is willing to talk openly and specifically about the work they do with their hands in the community.
A digital, video or ordinary camera, or a tape recorder to make a record of the event.
Prepared questions from the children for them to ask.

Activity three – precious things

Art materials.
Hand-held magnifiers.
A camera.
Precious things brought in by the teacher, children or both.

Lesson six – pages 12/13 Children squabbling

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that hands can be used to do good, or to hurt.
To be able to explore feelings of anger and happiness.
To understand that strong feelings can lead to fighting.

Bible reference

James 4.1-2

Background

The hand of God is not always benign in biblical literature. Just as we use our hands for a variety of purposes so God is depicted as using hands for discipline and correction. (God's hand can be held up in judgement.) Creative hands can invent, make and use weapons of destruction; creative hands can wrestle, hurt and maim. The use of hands separates human beings from other creatures. We have a dexterity not shared by others in the created world.

Key words

Cruel
Hurt
Bully
Punch
Pinch
Kick
Fight
Grab
Steal
Shout
Sorry
Forgive
Forgiveness
Help
Love
Care
Kindness

Activity one – hands that help and hurt

You will need
The children seated on chairs in a circle.
If possible, pictures of people/children fighting - maybe from the newspaper.
Prepared questions asking children why and what makes them they fight with their brothers/sisters/friends, in order to stimulate discussion.
Writing material.
White/black board.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children.
Show the children the pictures. What is happening in these pictures? When and how often are they, the children, in fights either with their family members or with others?
How does the fight make them feel before, during and after the fight?

Develop
Ask the children to draw around their hands. Then decorate them and write a sentence on each paper hand. One hand can have a positive comment about what hands can do and another hand can have a negative comment about what hands can do. (For example: 'Hands can caress/hold/help/smooth' and 'Hands can smack/poke/flick/pinch'.)
The children may like to indicate the positive hand with a happy face or bright colour and the negative hand with a sad face or very dark colour. This would need to be discussed and agreed by the whole class in advance.

End
Towards the end of the lesson the hands could be attached either on some bare tree branches (sprayed silver or gold), or a 2-D painted tree on a large piece of paper.
Alternatively, the hands could be stuck around the room, like a border, at the children's height, so they can read the sentences written by each other. End the lesson by holding hands together whilst standing in a circle and 'passing the squeeze' and/or passing round 'a smile'.
Celebrate the end of the lesson with a clap for everyone for doing so well and thinking so hard.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss ways in which hands can hurt and ways that hands can help?
(It is very important for teachers to be especially aware of any child protection issues that may emerge from this lesson.)

Activity two – family fights

You will need
Prepared prompt cards with a variety of situations that children can act out in small groups. These tell each child the specific role they play within the group.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children. Explain that they are going to act out plays in small groups. Divide them into groups and then discuss which role they might take on within their group. The scenarios can conclude in either a happy way or a sad way. The children choose their own words throughout the play.

Develop
Examples of possible scenarios:
- In the garden there are: a big sister with a nice toy that belongs to her, a little brother who has just grabbed the nice toy and wants to play with it but has broken it in the scuffle, and a Mum.
- In the house there are: a big brother with a special birthday present, a smaller brother who wants the special birthday present, and a Dad.
The children are then asked to go away with their group to practice their play, perhaps to the library or hall with an assistant, or to a corner of the classroom. They have about fifteen minutes.

End
Each group performs its play to the rest of the class. Each group may like to talk about the outcome they invented and why they chose that conclusion.
After each play is acted out, each child may draw a cartoon strip of the play they acted and say what is happening in each section. If they are able to, they may write a text beneath each picture and display their work. Photographs or a video could be taken during the play's performances to show the children later.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss how it feels about being part of a fight or witnessing a fight caused by other people? Can each child discuss what could be done to prevent or stop a fight/disagreement?

Activity three – musical moods

You will need
A recording of Mars (God of War) by Gustav Holst from the Planets Suite, or something similar, to play to the children and encourage them to think about the music's mood.
Tape/CD player.
A piece of happy, pleasant music that will lift their mood and make them smile. (Keep this for the end.)
A selection of percussion musical instruments, drums, shakers, rainsticks.
Prepared coloured paper hand shapes for children to write on.

Start
Start by having the children seated in a circle and then share with them the purpose of the lesson. Talk about the piece of music and tell them briefly its background. After the children have listened to it once or twice, ask the children to say how they feel about the music's mood. Is it happy, sad, frightening or what? Talk about the composer's choice of instruments and how they are played.

Develop
Divide the children into groups of no more than four and encourage them to choose some instruments from the selection. Ask them to compose a piece of sad or angry music and write their composition down, using their own symbols. This will enable them to remember what they have composed and should help them play it more than once. Give them about five or ten minutes to work and then ask each group to perform in turn to the whole class.
Discuss ways that the music may become unhappy/ sad/ fighting music by the choice of instruments and the speed or pitch at which they are played.

End
Get the children sitting back in the circle again. Ask them how they feel about their musical compositions. Then ask them how they feel generally. Did they enjoy making sad and unhappy music?
Then, as a surprise, play the happy piece that you have prepared, but before you play it, ask the children to reflect on their face only how they feel when they hear the next piece. The happy piece should be a complete surprise and a strong contrast with the first piece.
End the lesson by 'passing a smile' around the circle.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child reflect on a moving piece of music and describe how they feel about the piece?

Activity checklist

Activity one – hands that help and hurt

The children seated on chairs in a circle.
If possible, pictures of people/children fighting - maybe from the newspaper.
Prepared questions asking children why and what makes them they fight with their brothers/sisters/friends, in order to stimulate discussion.
Writing material.
White/black board.

Activity two – family fights

Prepared prompt cards with a variety of situations that children can act out in small groups. These tell each child the specific role they play within the group.

Activity three – musical moods

A recording of Mars (God of War) by Gustav Holst from the Planets Suite, or something similar, to play to the children and encourage them to think about the music's mood.
Tape/CD player.
A piece of happy, pleasant music that will lift their mood and make them smile. (Keep this for the end.)
A selection of percussion musical instruments, drums, shakers, rainsticks.
Prepared coloured paper hand shapes for children to write on.

Lesson seven – pages 14/15 Mother and baby

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that babies need lots of care.
To be able to discuss the relationship between Mary and Jesus.
To understand just how special hands are.

Bible references

Psalm 18.1-2
Isaiah 66.12b-13a

Background

One of the most powerful and evocative Christian symbols is of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, holding her precious son. All babies are precious, especially to their mothers who have already carried them for nine months. Hands shield and protect, provide warmth, security and comfort. Pictures of Jesus and Mary frequently convey these and other meanings through the symbol of hands.

Key words

Mummy
Hold
Love
Care
Kiss
Cuddle
Caress
Baby
Hug
Heart
Touch
Smell
Perfume
Aroma
Tender
Secure
Safe
Peace
Calm
Gentle
Protect

Activity one – special guests

You will need
To invite a mother and young baby into the classroom to talk with the children about the things she does to ensure the child is safe and well. Prime her first with the purpose of her visit so she is clear about your objective and your expectation of the class.
Prepared questions can be helpful, however, it may be better to let the children ask spontaneous questions.
Ask the mother to bring in precious things that belong to the baby, like a special blanket, a cuddly toy, a bottle, or crib mobile, and show them to the children.
A box of chocolates for the mother - who will deserve them, after bringing in a young baby into a class full of children and actually remembering the above and not letting you down for this special occasion.
A variety of pens, pencils, crayons and pastels.
Drawing paper for children to use.
Camera or video, if possible.

Start
Have the children seated on the floor and tell them the purpose of the lesson. Ask the mother to sit on a chair in front of the whole class. Introduce the children to the mother and suggest to the children that they remain very quiet so they don't wake, frighten or upset the baby.
Encourage the mother to talk about what she does with her hands to look after the baby. When the mother is speaking about all that she does with her hands, quietly make a list of what she says on a white/black board that is visible to the children. This list will help the children recall later what the mother's hands are used for. Encourage the children to ask the mother their questions and listen carefully to her answers. Take photographs of the mother with the children. Better still, get someone to video the whole visit.

Develop
When the questions and discussions are over, encourage the mother to sit and rest with the baby. Tell the children that they are going to draw a picture of the special visitors and write one or two special sentences that they feel best describe them. For example: 'The mother's hands are special because..., 'The baby is special because...'.

End
Bring the children together again to share their ideas and read out some of their special sentences. Get the children to say thank you to the mother. Say thank you to the mother. One of the youngest children may like to give the box of chocolates to the mother.

Assessment Opportunities
Can each child discuss how special their mother's hands are and identify ways in which a mother may show love/kindness/protection/care by using her hands?

Activity two – Mary's hands

You will need
Pictures or overhead transparencies of Mary with the baby Jesus (they can be traditional or modern in style).
A variety of paper and drawing or painting materials.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children. Clearly display the pictures so everyone can see them. Ask the children to look carefully at the pictures and explain that you are particularly focusing on Mary's hands. Ask them to describe and explain what is happening in each picture. Let them tell you about Mary's hands and what she is doing in each picture. Which is their favourite picture? Why? What was so special about Mary? Why did the artists enjoy painting Mary and Jesus?

Develop
Ask the children to select their favourite picture and, thinking about the artist's particular style, copy the picture – or part of it – in a similar way, using the materials provided.

End
Display the children's work and write by each picture some key words from the list above or ones that came from the discussions about Mary and Jesus and the paintings.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss how special Mary was and the things she may have done as Jesus' mother?

Activity three – baby me

You will need
Before the lesson, ask the children to bring in photographs of themselves as babies, preferably with their mother. (Or pictures from magazines, books or newspapers showing mothers and babies together.)
Large coloured paper or card on which to stick the photographs.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons, and pastels.
Drawing paper.
Hand cream for children to massage each other's hands. Remember to ask parents' permission first.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children. Display all the pictures that have been collected, either from the children's homes or from books/magazines.

Develop
Ask the children to match the baby faces in the photographs to the real people in the class. Ask them to identify ways in which they have changed from when they were babies. Ask them to highlight the use of hands in each photograph, if these are evident.
Talk about how important hands are and use some of the key words from the list above.
Make a list of all the things that hands can do when looking after a baby or small child.

End
Tell the children how special their hands are. Offer them a little hand cream that they could either rub into their own hands or rub into each other's hands.
Ask the children to carefully look at their own or partners' hands and think of words that describe them. Share and record these words.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child talk about a time when they recall being young. Can they say how they might use their hands to help younger siblings/friends/babies?

Activity checklist

Activity one – special guests

To invite a mother and young baby into the classroom to talk with the children about the things she does to ensure the child is safe and well. Prime her first with the purpose of her visit so she is clear about your objective and your expectation of the class.
Prepared questions can be helpful, however, it may be better to let the children ask spontaneous questions.
Ask the mother to bring in precious things that belong to the baby, like a special blanket, a cuddly toy, a bottle, or crib mobile, and show them to the children.
A box of chocolates for the mother - who will deserve them, after bringing in a young baby into a class full of children and actually remembering the above and not letting you down for this special occasion.
A variety of pens, pencils, crayons and pastels.
Drawing paper for children to use.
Camera or video, if possible.

Activity two – Mary's hands

Pictures or overhead transparencies of Mary and baby Jesus (they can be traditional or modern in style).
A variety of paper and drawing or painting materials.

Activity three – baby me

Before the lesson, ask the children to bring in photographs of themselves as babies, preferably with their mother. (Or pictures from magazines, books or newspapers showing mothers and babies together.)
Large coloured paper or card on which to stick the photographs.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons, and pastels.
Drawing paper.
Hand cream for children to massage each other's hands. Remember to ask parents' permission first.

Lesson eight – pages 16/17 The shepherd and his sheep

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that animals need skilled care.
To be able to discuss the work people do with their hands with animals.
To understand that animals need to be treated with care and respect.

Bible references

Psalm 23.1
John 10.11

Background

The shepherd cares for the sheep. This shepherd carries a lamb, and he also carries binoculars to look out for his flock. In the Bible the caring role of the shepherd is a major symbol of God's love; Psalm 23 begins, 'The Lord is my Shepherd.' The shepherd is committed to his sheep - they provide him with a livelihood. They are important to him, known to him and he protects them. In John's Gospe., Jesus says of himself, 'I am the good shepherd', and he used the shepherd and his sheep to illustrate his stories.

Key words

Kind
Caring
Support
Love
Strength
Help
Rescue
Hands
Work
Toil
Struggle
Weather
Harsh
Determined
Courage
Hope
Belief

Activity one – working with animals

You will need
To invite a shepherd, animal farm worker, vet, vet's assistant or animal rescue worker into school to talk to the children about their work, specifically their work with their hands.
A camera to record the lesson.
Prepared questions for the children to ask.
Ask the person if it is possible for them to bring some apparatus or equipment to show the children.
Drawing paper.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons or pastels.

Start
Have the children seated on the floor and tell them the purpose of the lesson.
Ask the visitor to sit in front of the class. Introduce the children to the visitor.
Encourage the visitor to talk about their work and all that they do with their hands. While the visitor is speaking, record what he or she says on a white/black board that is visible to the children. This list will help the children recall later what the visitor's hands are used for. Encourage the children to ask the visitor their questions and listen to the answers carefully. Take photographs or a video of the visitor with the children.

Develop
When the questions and discussions are over, encourage the visitor to walk about the room speaking with smaller groups of children. Tell the children that they are going to draw a picture of the visitor and write one or two sentences that they feel best describe the visitor's special talents and the special things they do with their hands. For example: 'This person's hand's are special because...'

End
Bring the children together again to share their ideas and read out their special sentences. Get the children to say thank you

Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss what special thing the visitor did so well and how he/she used their hands in their work?

Activity two – the lost sheep

You will need
If possible, a shepherd to bring a lamb into school to show the children. If not, books and pictures about shepherds and their work.
Ask if you may have some wool for art work.
Camera or video.
A suitable version of the Story of the Lost Sheep to read to the children
Wool - enough to make 100 small sheep.
Card.
Glue to secure the wool.
Scissors.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children and introduce the shepherd and the lamb. Talk with the shepherd about his or her work with lambs and how they use their hands when looking after the sheep and lambs. Take photographs of the shepherd and the lamb with the children.

Develop
Read the children the Story of the Lost sheep. Talk about the parable with the children. Ask the children to make as many small sheep as they possibly can because you'll need one hundred! When these are made, either display them on a large display board or place the sheep around the room in a sheep number line. Ask the children to write the numbers to go with each sheep.

End
Discuss the importance of the story and ask the shepherd: would he or she go and search for one sheep? (They usually say they would!) Before the shepherd leaves, take photographs of his or her hands. Talk to the children about lanolin from the sheep's coat and see how soft the shepherd's hands are because of the lanolin. Say thank you and goodbye to the shepherd.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child say what is special about the work of a shepherd? Can they discuss a special part or the part they most enjoyed of the Story of the Lost Sheep?

Activity three – play and learn

You will need
To organise a pet shop or vet's surgery in the role-play area of the classroom using children's toy animals from home.

Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children and discuss how important it is to look after and care for animals using our hands. Ask a group of children to organise a vet's surgery or pet shop in the role-play area.

Develop
Encourage the children to take on different roles in the pet shop or vet's surgery. Encourage them to make a list of all the things that must be considered when looking after animals. Make a list of their needs, both physical and psychological, to ensure that the animals are well cared for. Share all the ideas with the rest of the class.

End
Bring the children together and discuss their thoughts about keeping animals.
Depending on the school's policy, you could organise a real animal to visit for the day or a visit to the local zoo/animal welfare sanctuary/vet/animal farm/pet shop.

Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss how to treat animals kindly and sensitively, especially when using our hands?

Activity checklist

Activity one – working with animals

To invite a shepherd, animal farm worker, vet, vet's assistant or animal rescue worker into school to talk to the children about their work, specifically their work with their hands.
A camera to record the lesson.
Prepared questions for the children to ask.
Ask the person if it is possible for them to bring some apparatus or equipment to show the children.
Drawing paper.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons or pastels.

Activity two – the lost sheep

If possible, a shepherd to bring a lamb into school to show the children. If not, books and pictures about shepherds and their work.
Ask if you may have some wool for art work.
Camera or video.
A suitable version of the Story of the Lost Sheep to read to the children.
Wool - enough to make 100 small sheep.
Card.
Glue to secure the wool.
Scissors.

Activity three – play and learn

To organise a pet shop or vet's surgery in the role-play area of the classroom using children's toy animals from home.

Lesson nine – pages 18/19 Jesus calms the storm

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that power is communicated in different ways; and that Christians believe they need something from outside themselves to make them strong.
To be able to talk about tools and machines.
To understand that our hands are powerful tools, and that we use these 'tools' in different ways.

Bible reference

Matthew 8.23-7

Background

The artist, Alfred Thomas, is from the Indian subcontinent. In his picture Jesus' robe flows out into the wind, showing Jesus is master of all, including having power over nature. Jesus' hands express his power; one hand is stretched out in a traditional Indian manner of granting a boon (a wish) for the storm to be still. His other hand is a teaching hand, teaching his disciples how God is in him and with him; they should have faith in God and God's saving power.

Key words

Power
Strength
Gesture
Love
Care
Anger
Command
Eucharist
Baptism
Marriage
Confirmation and so on (see activity one, development section)

Activity one – saying it with hands

You will need
A range of newspapers, including some church ones like the Church Times and the Methodist Recorder. (You will be cutting out pictures of hands.)
Materials to display your cuttings.

Start
Talk about people using their hands in public. In particular, talk about powerful gestures. How do we feel if someone gives a friendly wave? Or raises an admonishing finger? Think about football referees, police, teachers, clergy and politicians. (Be prepared for children talking about offensive gestures too.)

Develop
Make a collection of pictures of hands from newspapers. What sorts of things do they seem to indicate? (Love, care, anger...)
Try to get as wide a range of papers as possible, especially such papers as the Church Times and Methodist Recorder and possibly sporting papers too. Use books to see how hands are used in church services.
Invite a member of the clergy to talk about how hands are (and for older children - have been) used in the various forms of church worship: Eucharist; Baptism; Marriage; Ordination; Confirmation and so on.

End
Make a display of the material you have collected and try to group the hands according to broad headings such as instructing, caring, blessing and so on.

Activity two – using tools

You will need
A collection of simple tools.
Construction materials to make simple tools.
Pictures of people using tools and machines.

Start
Discuss physical strength and things that make us stronger or faster. Extend this by asking if this ability to extend strength or speed makes us better people. Try to encourage the children to think about why these things might be seen as making us better – or worse – as people.

Develop
Collect examples of tools that improve our strength, such as levers, pulleys, screwdrivers and so on. The children can make examples of these things by using construction materials.
Develop the collection by gathering examples of where these simple devices are used, such as in vehicles, cranes, cars, bicycles, drills, corkscrews, food mixers, door handles and so on.
Make a collection of both examples and pictures of the examples chosen.

End
Ask the children to devise a machine which will make lives better for people. Don't hamper their imagination too much or tell them that it has already been invented. Suggest such things as shoe cleaning machines, potato pulleys, or devices to help disabled people. Do however try and avoid the ubiquitous 'computer' solution whereby children simply say that something is connected to a computer that then does the work. Besides being unrealistic it misses the point: the need for us to intervene practically sometimes to assist people. This activity is really to do with moral issues about using strength, not practical inventiveness.

Activity three – being strong inside

You will need
A collection of nutrition labels from foods.
Art materials.

Start
Discuss again what makes us strong. Think about what makes us strong from within, especially food
Make a list of foods that strengthen us. According to the ability of the children you might like to make distinctions between, say, protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods. Older children could look at nutrition information labels.

Develop
Make illustrated lists of things that give us strength in the way we feel. These might be such things as teddies that make us feel safe, favourite books that make us feel refreshed, or favourite people who make us laugh. All of these things are ways of strengthening us. Point out that we need them in just the same way that we need food, warmth and shelter.
Discuss what it might be like to live without these things.

End
Finish with a discussion of the way Christians believe that God's strength is in them. Point out that Christians believe that their faith and belonging to the Church are ways in which they receive strength and support from God. Talk about practical examples of receiving strength, such as through prayer and worshipping together.
This activity could be linked with the first activity in this section, where we consider the ways in which hands are used.

Links
With older children, you may like to investigate the use of hands in symbols and emblems. You could start with Kitchener's pointing finger or Churchill's 'V' sign.
Science links are obvious here. The work could be extended into mechanics and diet.
You may wish to consider bringing in a representative from a charity such as Samaritans Purse, who send shoeboxes of gifts to children in war-torn areas.

Activity checklist

Activity one – saying it with hands

A range of newspapers, including some church ones like the Church Times and the Methodist Recorder. (You will be cutting out pictures of hands.)
Materials to display your cuttings.

Activity two – using tools

A collection of simple tools.
Construction materials to make simple tools.
Pictures of people using tools and machines.

Activity three – being strong inside

A collection of nutrition labels from foods.
Art materials.

Lesson ten – pages 20/21 Adoration of the Magi

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that there are people who rely on their hands to communicate; and that the ability to communicate is a precious gift.
To be able to make simple signs with their hands.
To understand that communication is not just verbal, and that hand signs and gestures can make us feel different things.

Bible reference

Numbers 6.24-6

Background

Christian imagery and iconography often shows the infant Jesus as being anything but like a tiny baby. The small baby Jesus is often depicted sitting up, on his mother's lap, blessing those who kneel before him. In this detail one of the Magi (Wise Men) kneels before Jesus, who blesses him. The artist depicts the Wise Man recognizing Jesus as King and Lord even though he is only a baby. What is significant in this story is that the Wise Men are not Jewish. This demonstrates the Christian belief that Jesus is Lord of all, regardless of race, creed or culture.

Key words

Blind
Sign language
Symbol

Activity one – signs and symbols

You will need
Camera.
A sign language alphabet.
If possible, a signing expert to come in and talk to the class.
Pictures of types of sign communication, such as semaphore or morse.

Start
Discuss some common signs which we make with our hands: warning signs, hello signs and so on. Have the children model them and take photographs of the signs that they make.

Develop
Discuss how difficult it would be to communicate a name through a sign. Show the children how to spell their own names by using the signing alphabet. Encourage the children to create signs for their names. They can think about flags, car marques, monograms and so on. If you have been able to invite in a signing specialist then they may be able to discuss 'nicknames' used by deaf people for those in their community (which includes hearing people who work with them, such as signing specialists!).

End
Extend even further by investigating other forms of sign communication: semaphore, codes, road signs and so on. Close by sharing coded messages.
Older children could extend this by distinguishing between alphanumeric communication where the elements combine and symbolic communication where each element can stand alone. Where do these distinctions blur?

Activity two – I'm special

You will need
Screen or curtain.
Writing materials.
Camera.
Art materials.
Coloured inks

Start
Discuss our hands as symbols of ourselves. Think about such things as size of hands, thickness of fingers, colour of skin and so on. You can play a game by having three children sitting behind a screen through which they can push their hands. Everyone else has to guess which hands belong to whom.

Develop
Point out the uniqueness of hands, especially fingerprints. Take this further by discussing other distinctive features about ourselves. Take care to point out that these things are part of our 'specialness' and are thus a very important part of our community, a community of special people.
Some of these features – such as eye colour or hair colour – could be made into a table. Measurements of height will only tabulate if children can understand ranges and distribution to some extent. Other features cannot be tabulated or graphed, such as fingerprints (though even then there are general patterns such as 'whorl'...).

End
Create a 'rogues gallery' book with photographs of the children, fingerprints and distinguishing marks and so on, as discussed and tabulated above. Make this a celebratory book, not a pseudo-police document! Use coloured inks for finger and thumbprints, colour photos, portraits and so on. Don't forget to include the teacher.

Activity three – creativity display

You will need
Camera – ordinary, digital or video.
Media for making – construction kits, plasticine, clay and so on.
Paper hand shapes.
Writing materials.
Display table.

Start
Talk about our hands making things, and the things that we like to make. Can the children guess what their friends might choose to make because they know them well?

Develop
Make things with hands and make a photo record of the things as they are being made. In particular, take close-up photographs of the hands at work. Provide as many media as you can from construction kits through pipe cleaners to plasticine and clay for the children to choose from. The greater the variety of materials, used the richer will be the final descriptions.
Older children could make video snippets of different children's hands. Alternatively, if you have a digital camera there is even scope for older children to modify the photos using picture editing software to produce a very 'arty' display.

End
Look through the photographs and talk about what the hands are doing – pinching, pushing, stretching, pulling, turning, twisting and so on. Encourage the children to write about the work of the hands as fully as possible, using as many descriptive terms as they can.
Gather up the objects that have been made and place paper hand shapes and the photographs around them. Add the descriptions of the hands at work. This will form a striking display.

Links
Invite a visitor in to show the children sign language. This is better than a teacher doing it, as it makes a link between the school and the world outside. The local authority or possibly the diocese should be able to help.
There are great possibilities for literacy links in this section. The sign language activity is great for alphabetic work and codes are great to help spelling.

Activity checklist

Activity one – signs and symbols

Camera.
A sign language alphabet.
If possible, a signing expert to come in and talk to the class.
Pictures of types of sign communication, such as semaphore or morse.

Activity two – I'm special

Screen or curtain.
Writing materials.
Camera.
Art materials.
Coloured inks.

Activity three – creativity display

Camera – ordinary, digital or video.
Media for making – construction kits, plasticine, clay and so on.
Paper hand shapes.
Writing materials.
Display table.

Lesson eleven – pages 22/23 The infancy of Jesus

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Learning objectives

To know that a great deal of communication is mediated by our hands.
To be able to put gestures into a story.
To understand that the context of a hand movement is important, such as in baptism, or a referee sending off a player.
To understand that in order to write stories that fully relate to the reader or listener, we must include gestures and movements for the characters.

Bible reference

Luke 2.29-32

Background

For Christians the infancy of Jesus is remembered in the context of the whole story of his life, death and resurrection. In the account of the visit of the Magi in St Matthew's Gospel, one brings the gift of myrrh, an ointment used to anoint the dead. So in this picture, the cross, the symbol of death and resurrection, contains events from the biblical story of Jesus' birth. Christians recognize the power of God's love in the events of the Nativity (particularly in the story of Jesus being taken to the temple and meeting Simeon) and make a link directly with Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

Key words

Blessing
Baptism
Potter
Conversion
Cross
Story

Activity one – Bible stories

You will need
A modern translation of the Bible.
Art and collage materials.
Writing materials.

Start
Over a few days, read a set of Bible stories that involve hands:
- Jeremiah at the house of the potter - Jeremiah 18.1-6
- Jesus blessing the children - Matthew 19.13-15
- Jesus blessing the children - Mark 8.22-26
- Saul's conversion (the hands of Ananias) - Acts 9.1-18

Develop
Create pieces of artwork to represent the work of hands in the stories. There is little limit to the possibilities here from simple drawings and paintings to complex appliqué work. It will add a personal touch if the hands used are modelled on hands of children in the class. In any case, this is how most real artists would work, by using models. It is, therefore, good practice for art and an excellent exercise in patience for those who are modelling.

End
Create short notes to go with the artwork that explain where the ideas came from, which part of the story is being represented and why the hands are particularly important at this point. For instance, the hands of the potter in the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament are both skilled in themselves and representative of the power and will of God to shape the world. The notes need only be simple e.g. 'Christians believe that the potter's hands shape the clay, just as God's hands shape the world'. Display the work with the notes.

Activity two – make a cross

You will need
The picture from the book, or a real picture cross.
Art materials.
MDF to make crosses (optional).

Start
Use the relevant pages of the book, or better, find a story cross like the one shown and discuss the cross with the children. Talk about the cross as a symbol of the Christian understanding of what Christ did and about how the pictures on the cross bring out the ways in which Jesus worked.

Develop
Make your own crosses. These can be very simple paper versions, or you could cut wooden (or MDF) crosses and stick pictures to them in the manner of the Salvadorian Cross in the book. Painting directly onto the cross does not leave much margin of error. Use spray varnish to finish the whole thing off, this will give both an attractive and durable finish. If you want to make this an activity with a more artistic element you could discuss the stereotyped figures and the bright, primary colours that are typical of this kind of art. Choose stories that have some kind of theme, such as miracles, Christmas scenes, parables, the disciples and so on.

End
Display the crosses in school and use them, if appropriate, in school worship, or in church worship where the stories depicted on the cross form the material of the worship. This is a good opportunity to develop links with a local church.

Activity three – hand puppets

You will need
Light source and wall for hand shadows.
Materials to make hand puppets.

Start
Discuss how our hands can tell stories, from simple nursery games ('This little pig went to market...') to puppet plays and even abstract hand ballet. You may like to play with hand shadow tricks, making rabbits, crocodiles and so on. Make this either a guessing game, or a challenge. Who can make the best dog-shadow?

Develop
Make hand puppets to illustrate a story. Don't try to use the 'hand' stories from the previous sections, because puppets' hands are notoriously difficult to control – remember Thunderbirds? You could, perhaps, use parables or miracle stories. Hand puppets can vary from simple faces drawn across the thumb end of a clenched hand to elaborate glove puppets with papier-mâché heads. A good halfway house is the sock puppet with button eyes and coloured felt tongue. Encourage the children to consider the caricature elements of their chosen story and then apply these to the puppets.

End
Perform the puppet shows to the rest of the class, or the school. Try and set this up as a special occasion by, for example, inviting parents or videoing the plays. You might like to set up the performance as part of an act of collective worship.

Links
It is worth pursuing the 'hands-in-art' theme and looking at the way that artists have used hands over the years. Don't just look at religious paintings, and try to find sculptures for the children to see (not pictures of sculptures) - hands really come into their own in sculpture.
Local Christian communities could become very involved at his point, especially in the making of crosses. You might want to present the finished items to the churches in the area. If you have older children they could visit the churches and perhaps make crosses to order to illustrate a particular series of stories.

Activity checklist

Activity one – Bible stories

A modern translation of the Bible.
Art and collage materials.
Writing materials.

Activity two – make a cross

The picture from the book, or a real picture cross.
Art materials.
MDF to make crosses (optional).

Activity three – hand puppets

Light source and wall for hand shadows.
Materials to make hand puppets.

Lesson twelve – pages 8/9 The hands of Jesus

Aim for the book

To give children the opportunity to explore what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans, by studying hands.

Bible references

1 Corinthians 13.4-7
John 3.16

Background

This image draws together the themes explored in this book. The arms of Jesus are spread wide in cruciform shape yet the hands are open and embracing; there is vulnerability here as well as power. This style of representing Jesus, with arms outstretched, has traditionally been used in cultures around the world to represent God's love for the world as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; for God, the Creator, there is life in death.

Learning objectives

To know that pictures of Jesus often have significant hand gestures in them and that the Church often refers to itself as 'The Body of Christ'.
To understand that the gestures in the pictures are an important part of an artist's intention.
To understand that our hands are sometimes insufficient in themselves and need help of some kind.

Key words

Tool
Work
Help
Eyes
Ears
Glasses
Body
Perfect
Church
Community

Activity one – tools for the job

You will need
A selection of different 'tools' from a variety of jobs and areas of life.
Art materials

Start
Think about things that help our hands - tools of various kinds, see how many different things the children can come up with. Encourage the children to think as broadly as possible, through music, craft, eating, agriculture and so on.

Develop
Sort the selection of tools and, if possible, find further examples of each. For instance, tools for eating. How many different types of fork can you come up with?
Musical tools: violin bows, plectrums, trumpet mutes...
Sporting tools: tennis rackets, bats...
'Work' tools: screwdrivers, scissors...and so on.

End
Display the various tools in their groups together, with illustrations done by the children of how these things are used. This display could form the basis of an act of worship.

Activity two – perfect people

You will need
A collection of images, from as many different walks of life as possible, of parts of the body.
Collage materials.

Start
Think about other parts of the body than hands, and discuss the power and effectiveness of other body parts. Why do we talk about bright eyes and strong voices?

Develop
Collect images of the work of other body parts such as feet, mouth, eyes. Choose these from as many different walks of life as possible.
Discuss what a 'perfect person' might be like
Make up a composite of a 'perfect person' from bits of magazine images you have collected.
How do we decide what are perfect eyes, hands, feet etc?
Assemble the various body parts into a collage of the 'perfect person'.

End
How do we make ourselves into 'perfect people'?
Think of physical issues such as wearing glasses or hearing aids.
Extend the subject by asking if being perfect is only about what we look like? Do we need more than good looks or fast legs or long sight?
Take care to list the attributes of a perfect person that the children come up with.
This can be extended for older children by considering what happens when we fail to be perfect; how do we make it better?

Activity three – communities as bodies

You will need
The series of Encounter Christianity books

Start
Talk about how we repair bodies with medicines, plasters and so on. Then suggest that our communities are rather like bodies, with lots of different parts working together. What are the important parts of a community? How do these parts function? How do we repair them when they go wrong?

Develop
What are the 'parts' of a school community? Try to identify the parts of the school community in some detail: governing body, ancillary staff, parents, volunteers, secretary, head, deputy and so on. Are all the parts people or do such things as the buildings, the pond or the guinea pigs have a role to play too? Think about what the roles of these parts are. To what extent do the children regard themselves as being part of the body?

End
The Bible describes the church as the 'Body of Christ'. This is a difficult idea, but if the children already have some idea of communities as bodies, it becomes an easier concept to discuss. Use the many pictures of Jesus in the series of books to draw out the different things that Jesus does with hands, such as healing, blessing, and calming the storm. Which of the functions represented by the various images of hands do the children think that they could fulfil best? Could their hands be the healing hands of Jesus? The calming hands of Jesus? The sharing hands of Jesus?
How does the church in its work carry out all of these functions? (Charity work, missionary activity, local care schemes, prayer groups, study groups and so on.)
If you can take your children to a church, these things are usually best indicated on the notice-board – an object often missed out when we visit a church in the scurry round to find pulpits, altars and such like. (Don't forget the parish magazine either.)

Links
Don't miss out on the opportunity to visit a church. (Try and visit more than one denomination.)
There are lots of opportunity here to discuss issues of disability. You might consider inviting blind or deaf people into school to discuss their own lifestyles with the children.

Activity checklist

Activity one – tools for the job

A selection of different 'tools' from a variety of jobs and areas of life.
Art materials.

Activity two – perfect people

A collection of images, from as many different walks of life as possible, of parts of the body.
Collage materials.

Activity three – communities as bodies

The series of Encounter Christianity books