Lesson one - pages 2/3 Children looking into a mirror

Lesson one - pages 2/3 Children looking into a mirror

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that names can have meanings.
To be able to give the meaning of their own name, if it has one.
To understand that there isn't just one name for God.

Background

Names are very powerful. If we know a person's name we have some power over them; they become a person to us. In biblical literature names have that power too, and often a meaning. 'Jesus', for example, means 'Saviour'. In the book of Exodus, Moses asks for God's name and is given a reply that is often translated in Christian Bibles as 'I am that I am'. This is a cryptic response, for if humans knew God's name then they might feel they had power over God.

Bible references

Genesis 2.19-20
Exodus 3.13-14

Ways of using the picture

Look up the meanings of some biblical names, e.g. Sarah, David and Ruth.
Ask the children if they know the meaning of their name. Can they find out how their name was chosen?
In the book of Genesis, Adam names the animals. How do the children choose names for their pets?

Key words

Jesus
Name
Meaning

Activity one - names and meanings

You will need
A book of babies' names and their meanings. (You may also need to research the meanings of some non-English names.)
Pieces of card (folded).
Crayons.
Coloured pens.

Start
Play a name game together. Set up a rhythm - clapping hands twice, slapping knees twice - and then say your own name, point at a child and say his or her name. That child then has to say their own name, point to someone else and say their name (within an agreed time). Continue until everyone has had several goes. Then play the same game, but give everyone a number to use instead of his or her name.

Develop
Ask the children whether they found it easier to play the game using names or numbers. Why? Names help us to remember people. Some names have meanings that might describe what the person is like, or what they might like to be like! Ask if the children know whether their name has a meaning. Look them up in the book. If the child's name does not appear to have a meaning, ask what they would like it to mean. Would any of the children like to have a different name?

End
Help the children to create name cards. On the outside, they should write their name - as decoratively as they like. Inside, write 'My name means...' or 'I would like my name to mean...' if you have been unable to discover its meaning.

Activity two - name poems

You will need
A book of babies' names and their meanings.
Paper.
Coloured pens or crayons.

Start
If you have done Activity One, recap on names and meanings. Otherwise, start by explaining that some names have meanings. Ask if any of the children know what their name means. Look up names in the name book.

Develop
Develop by giving each child a piece of paper. Have them write their name down the left-hand side of the paper in order to write an acrostic poem, with the first word of each line beginning with a letter from the name. The poem should say something about the child and finish with the line 'xxxx is my name'.
For example:
Ready to help
Always cheerful
Jumping when excited
Usually kind to animals
Raju is my name.

End
The children read their poems out to each other. You could vary the activity by having the children write poems about each other rather than themselves.

Activity three - What is God's name?

You will need
A lidded box containing Duplo (or similar).
A figure to represent Moses.
Oone or two toy sheep.
A green cloth.
A small green plant to represent a bush.
Thin strips of red paper to represent flames.
Modelling clay.
Art materials.

Start
Tell the story of Moses and the burning bush, using the items from the box to help you. Use the following outline:
Take out the cloth. As you smooth it out on the table, say that this story happened in biblical times, in a land called Midian.
Place the figure on the cloth. This is Moses. He was a shepherd.
Take out the sheep and move it and Moses across the cloth. One day Moses led the sheep to a mountain called Sinai. When he got there, he saw a bush. (Take it out and place it on the cloth.)
There was something strange about the bush. (Place the red strips of paper on it.) It looked as though it was on fire - but it wasn't burning up.
Then Moses heard a voice. It said 'I am God.'
Moses listened. Then he said, 'When I tell people God has spoken to me, they will ask me what is your name. What shall I say?'
God said, 'Tell them my name is I am.'
Finish the story at this point - resist the temptation to say any more.

Develop
Ask the following questions:
- I wonder what Moses thought when he saw the bush?
- I wonder how he felt when he heard the voice?
- I wonder what you think God's name is?
Allow time for the children to think before they answer.

End
Encourage the children to retell the story using the box and its items. Allow them to use the clay or paints to model or draw their answer to what God's name might be.

Activity checklist

Activity one - names and meanings

A book of babies' names and their meanings. (You may also need to research the meanings of some non-English names.)
Pieces of card (folded).
Crayons.
Coloured pens.

Activity two - name poems

A book of babies' names and their meanings.
Paper.
Coloured pens or crayons.

Activity three - What's is God's name?

A lidded box containing Duplo (or similar).
A figure to represent Moses.
One or two toy sheep.
A green cloth.
A small green plant to represent a bush.
Thin strips of red paper to represent flames.
Modelling clay.
Art materials.

Web site links

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4626/?tqskip=1
Are you searching for the meaning of first names, or looking for the most popular last names, names in the news or pet names? This site has list upon list of top names.

http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
Get your own Chinese name based on your English name and find out your sign in the Chinese zodiac! Simply type in your first and last name, select what kind of characteristics you want to be expressed in the name, select your gender, enter your date of birth and press 'Get a Name!'.

Lesson two - pages 4/5 Children's faces

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that names are given for a reason.
To be able to explain how the Bible says Jesus was given his name.
To understand that names can keep family traditions alive.

Background

Names often run in families and keep alive family traditions. In the Bible a name and the way in which it is chosen holds significant meaning. A messenger from God tells Zachariah to call his child 'John'. His close family and friends would have expected the baby to receive a more traditional name, familiar within the family. Similarly, Jesus' name was announced by an angel before his birth. During his life he was given other names and titles by those who followed him, to describe the man, what he did and what people believed of him.

Bible references

Matthew 1.21-25
Luke 1.11-13
Luke 1.59-63

Ways of using the picture

Some of the children will have younger brothers and sisters. Can they talk about how they were given a name?
Do any of the children have the same name as a mother, father, aunt, uncle or other relative? Why were they given that name?
Do many of the children have a biblical name? Discuss how some names have a long history and how some are new.

Key words

Family
Name
Angel

Activity one - what's my name?

You will need
The picture from this spread in the book.
Mirrors.
Art materials.

Start
Look at the picture together. Ask your group what they think the children in the picture are called. Discuss why they suggested the names that they did.

Develop
Talk about why people are given particular names. (For example, David and Victoria Beckham named their son Brooklyn because that is where they were when they found out Victoria was pregnant.)
Let the discussion lead into why the children in your group were given their particular names. Remember to include second names, as these are often chosen to remember another member of the family. Is the child's given name different to the one by which they are known? Why is this?

End
Give each child a mirror so that they can draw a self-portrait. Under the picture, help them write 'I am called xxxx because...'.

Activity two - family trees

You will need
Pictures of trees.
Relationship words written on cards - mother, father, cousin, brother, sister, gran, uncle and so on.
Materials so that each child can create a large picture of a tree - paper, pencils, crayons, coloured pens, glue.

Start
Look at the picture together. Ask your group what they think the children in the picture are called. Discuss why they suggested the names that they did.

Develop
Develop by explaining that people sometimes talk about family trees, because the different members of a family are related or joined together. Create Jesus' family tree with the children, sticking pictures with captions on to a picture of a tree. You will need to include:
Mary is Jesus' mother.
Joseph is Jesus' stepfather. (Christians believe that Jesus' father is God.)
John is Jesus' cousin.
James is Jesus' half-brother.

End
Help the children create their own family trees, drawing pictures of their family members with captions.

Activity three - name survey

You will need
Clipboards.
Paper.
Pens.
A way of displaying the gathered data.

Start
Start by telling the story of how Jesus was named. Use the following outline:
Mary was a young girl living in Nazareth.
She was engaged to a man called Joseph.
An angel visited her to tell her she was going to be the mother of God's son.
The angel told her to call the baby Jesus.
Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem.
While they were there, the baby was born.
They called him Jesus, just as the angel had said.

Develop
Discuss the ways names are chosen - sometimes to keep family tradition alive, sometimes because of fashion, sometimes because of their meaning.
Together create a simple questionnaire that can be used in the class to discover why children were given their names. Allow the children to work in pairs for this.

End
Create a pictorial graph of the data the children gathered, with the caption 'How we got our names'.

Activity checklist

Activity one - what's my name?

The picture from this spread in the book.
Mirrors.
Art materials.

Activity two - family trees

Pictures of trees.
Relationship words written on cards - mother, father, cousin, brother, sister, gran, uncle and so on.
Materials so that each child can create a large picture of a tree - paper, pencils, crayons, coloured pens, glue.

Activity three - name survey

Clipboards.
Paper.
Pens.
A way of displaying the gathered data.

Web site links

http://www.babynames.com
Although this site is mainly aimed at finding the right name for a baby, it does include a helpful section on biblical names. Each name is provided with a meaning, its origin, alternatives and appropriate nicknames.

Also try http://www.cool-baby-names.com/search-categories-bibilical.htm

Alternatively, try out the links for In Creation, lesson 1

Lesson three - pages 6/7 The Annunciation

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know the story of the Annunciation.
To be able to reflect on angels being messengers.
To understand that Mary was a very special person, chosen by God.

Background

The story of the Annunciation is a moving one: a young girl becoming pregnant, being told by an angel what she is to call her son. The story is often used by Christians to indicate the enormous faith, trust, strength and obedience of Mary; they try to follow her example. The reason why Mary has such an elevated status among many Christian groups is because of her readiness to accept the awesome responsibility of being the mother of Jesus.

Bible reference

Luke 1.31-2

Ways of using the picture

Look together at the way the artist has drawn Mary in this picture. Look closely at her face. What might Mary be thinking?
In this picture, the angel is shown to be God's messenger. Explore with the children how we send and receive messages.
How do the children feel when they receive good news? If they received an exciting message, who would be the first person they would want to tell?

Key words

Mary
Angel
Messenger
Good news
Baby
Jesus

Activity one - act it out

You will need
Chair.
Head-dress for Mary.
Wings for angel.

Start
How does good news make them feel?
How would a message from God make them feel?
Let's see what happened to Mary.

Develop
Use a children's Bible such as The Children's Bible Story Book by Jennifer Rees Larcombe. The teacher or a good reader narrates, with one child being Mary and another child being the angel. The rest of the class can make a square shape representing Mary's home around the two acting out the story in the centre.
Read the story and act it out.

End
Gather the children together.
How did Mary feel?
How did the angel feel?
What sort of a person do you think Mary was? (She must have been special to hear God speaking to her.)

Assessment opportunities
Give them a quiz on the story.
Look to see how the children have responded in their thoughts and reflections.

Activity two - send a message

You will need
A computer.
E-mail address of another school, and/or this one:
hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk
Optional - tape-recorder or dictaphone

Start
Explain that the word 'angel' means 'messenger'.
A very quick way of sending a message today is by e-mail.

Develop
Send an e-mail to another school.
Tell them about your class, your favourite books and the work you are doing at the moment.
Send an e- mail to Hamish Bruce at Church House Publishing (hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk).

End
How long will it take for a reply?
How will you feel when you get a message back?
Did you expect that answer?

Assessment opportunities
Get the children to give examples of good and bad news they have received and how they felt. Reflect on the answers they give. (Use a tape recorder or dictaphone to play them back later.)

Activity three - what is an angel?

You will need
Old Christmas cards showing different portrayals of angels.
Art materials.
Optional - writing or modelling materials.

Start
Look through a variety of Christmas cards that depict angels.
What is the same/different? For example, some carry flowers or musical instruments.

Develop
Look at the picture on pages 6-7 of the book. How do the children respond? Is this how they imagine angels to be? If not, what should angels look like?
Have them discuss or paint their own versions of the story of Mary and the angel. Maybe they could write a collaborative poem about angels. Perhaps they could put these together in a zigzag book. Alternatively, make a model angel.

End
Gather together to share thoughts. Have any of our ideas about angels changed?
What three new things have they learnt about angels as a result of their work?
You could divide the class into three and get the three groups to share their thoughts and ideas with the rest of the class at the end of the lesson.

Activity checklist

Activity one - act it out

Chair.
Head-dress for Mary.
Wings for angel.

Activity two - send a message

A computer.
e-mail address of another school, and/or this one:
hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk
Optional - tape-recorder or dictaphone.

Activity three - what is an angel?

Old Christmas cards showing different portrayals of angels.
Art materials.
Optional - writing or modelling materials.

Web site links

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/F/fra_angelico.html
Find out more about the artist Fra Angelico from this web site and download the painting that appears in the book In Words at:
http://www.christusrex.org/www2/art/beato.htm

Further versions of the Annunciation by Fra Angelico can be viewed at:
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/F/fra_angelico/angelico_convent3.jpg.html
and
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/F/fra_angelico/angelico_ador-annunc.jpg.html

Lesson four - pages 8/9 Reading the Bible

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that the Bible is the most important book for Christians. Also that it is in two parts.
To be able to name the two parts of the Bible - Old Testament and New Testament - and to name some of the characters and stories found in the Bible.
To understand how Christians use the Bible.

Background

The Bible is often described as a library. It is a collection of stories, events and writings that explore the relationship between God and human beings. It is the authoritative literary source for all Christians. Written mostly in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament), the Bible has been translated into virtually every language and there are many different English translations. It is not easy to translate because the various meanings of a word in Greek or Hebrew may be impossible to capture in English. Jesus would almost certainly have spent most of his time speaking Aramaic (not Hebrew or Greek) and the Bible is unlikely to contain any (or many) words Jesus used.

Bible references

Luke 2.41-52

Ways of using the picture

Do the children have books that are special? Explain that for Christians the Bible is their most important book and they read it regularly.
Make a collection of different Bibles. Try to find Bibles of different shapes and sizes and in different languages.
Visit a local church or chapel to discover where the Bible is kept.

Key words

Christian
Bible
Jesus
Old Testament
New Testament

Activity one - what is the Bible all about?

You will need
The picture on page 8/9 in the In Words book.
A selection of different Bibles (a variety of sizes, shapes, pictures, ages, translations, ages, covers and so on).
A selection of Bible storybooks.
Blackboard or flipchart.

Start
In order for children to understand why the Bible is so important to Christians, they need to know what it is all about!
Give the children the opportunity to look at and handle the Bibles on display.
Ask them to be detectives who have to find out what the Bible is all about. For this activity the children could work in groups and help one another. Ensure that each group has at least one picture Bible.
After an appropriate length of time ask the children to offer feedback about what they have discovered. Make a record of this on a board or flip chart.

Develop
It says on page 9 that you can find stories about the life of Jesus in the Bible.
But who was Jesus?
Explain to the children that Christians believe he is the Son of God who came to earth to save us. To Christians, he is a very important person. The Bible is very important to Christians because it tells them about Jesus.

End
Choose three or four stories about Jesus and have a story time.
Through discussion, draw out from the stories the messages that Jesus was teaching.

Activity two - how do Christians use the Bible?

You will need
Drawing materials.
Writing materials.

Start
It is important for the children to understand how the Bible is used by Christians. Explain that it is not meant to be kept on the shelf. It is to be read and then put into action.

Develop
Invite a Christian to come into school with their Bible and explain to the children how they use it. Remember to prepare both the visitor and the children. Your visitor needs to know the context of the visit, what you hope the children will learn from the visit and a general picture of the ability of the children. The children need to have thought of questions they would like to ask. What do they want to find out?

End
Ask the children to record in words and/or pictures what they have learnt about how a Christian uses their Bible.

Activity three - the Bible is a library

You will need
As many Bible storybooks as you can find with Old and New Testament stories.
66 thin pieces of card, the width of a bookmark. 39 in one colour with the books of the Old Testament written on them, and 27 in a different colour with the names of the New Testament books on them.

Start
Explain to the children that the Bible is split into two parts:
- the Old Testament, which is full of stories about God's people before Jesus was born; and
- the New Testament, which is full of stories about Jesus and the first Christians.
Each Testament is made up of many books.

Develop
Either lay the strips of card out across the floor and ask the children to count them as you do, or stick them along a wall, asking the children to count.
Show the children all the books you have collected. Now involve the children in sorting them into Old and New Testament. This could be done as a whole class.
If possible, display the books next to the cards.
Depending on which stories you have managed to collect, you may want just to add pictures from other stories to your sorting task. For example: Noah's Ark, Moses, Joseph, Jonah, Daniel, and Paul's journeys.
Return to your original display of Bibles and ask the children to search through them and find the books and stories you have just sorted, and where the Old Testament ends and the New Testament begins.

End
Create a large collage display. Cover a display board in backing paper shaped like an open book with the spine down the centre. On the left-hand side put up pictures of stories found in the Old Testament and on the right-hand side put up pictures of stories from the New Testament.

Assessment opportunities
The main assessment opportunities will come through discussion with the children.
It would also be possible to assess the children through giving them an activity that involves sorting the Bible storybooks.
The children could be asked to name or draw stories that come from each Testament.

Activity checklist

Activity one - what is the Bible all about?

The picture on page 8/9 in the In Words book.
A selection of different Bibles (a variety of sizes, shapes, pictures, ages, translations, ages, covers and so on).
A selection of Bible storybooks.
Blackboard or flipchart.

Activity two - how do Christians use the Bible?

Drawing materials.
Writing materials.

Activity three - the Bible is a library

As many Bible storybooks as you can find with Old and New Testament stories.
66 thin pieces of card, each the width of a bookmark. 39 in one colour with the books of the Old Testament written on them, and 27 in a different colour with the names of the New Testament books on them.

Web site links

http://www.faithwebbin.net/kidz/frames/pageone.html
This web site contains a large selection of Bible stories and activities in the section 'Inside the Ant's Nest'. Try out the 'Crafts & More' and 'Resources' sections for bible crafts, colouring pages, printable puzzles, lesson sheets and further ideas.

http://www.antelope-ebooks.com/RELIGIOUS/coverccc.html
There are numerous sites offering Bible-based resources. This one, from Antelope Publishing, includes 'e-stories', Bible stories, activities and games.

Lesson five - pages 10/11 Names of Jesus

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that the Bible uses different names for Jesus.
To be able to say what some of the names for Jesus are.
To understand that the names for Jesus tell us different things about him.

Background

Jesus is given different names in the New Testament: Emmanuel (God with us), Master, Lord, Rabbi (teacher), Son of Man, Son of God, Christ, Messiah and so on. They all describe ways in which Jesus' followers saw him and tried to understand him and his teaching. All of us have different roles and could be given different names: brother, sister, father, mother, teacher. Jesus' names, Christians believe, indicate his power and authority as coming from God and therefore the names inform his followers today about the purpose and significance of his life, death and resurrection.

Bible reference

Mark 8. 27-9

Ways of using the picture

Use the children's names to explore whether they are descriptive of a job, event or story.
Choose a well-known person and think of ways of describing them.
People have titles, e.g. Mrs, Ms, Revd, Dr. Why do they have titles? Why are people given names of that sort?
Look at the picture, and the different names for Jesus on each branch. Discuss what the names are saying about Jesus. Some of them are easy to understand; others are more difficult and relate to Christian beliefs about Jesus.

Key words

Christ
Messiah
Relationship
Describe

Activity one - name tree

You will need
A two- or three-dimensional tree. (A large, bare branch secured in a pot would be a good idea).
Labels to be stuck or hung on the tree. (Each label should have a name to describe Jesus on it - the picture in the book and the background material above will give you ideas.)
Art or collage materials.

Start
Place the labels on the table. Have the children read them out. Tell the children that all these names describe one person - can they guess who?

Develop
Pick up each label, reading out what it says and asking, 'I wonder why people used that name for Jesus?' Give the children time to express their ideas. Hang or stick the label on the tree.

End
Invite each child to think of the name that they would use to describe Jesus. (It might - or might not - be one of the labels.) Let them use the art or collage materials to illustrate what it means to them.

Activity two - dreamy music

You will need
A large sheet of paper for each child plus one extra.
Pens, coloured crayons and glue.
A photograph of each child. (If this isn't possible, have each child draw a self-portrait.)

Start
Play a game together. Ask each child 'Who are you?' They will probably answer by giving their name. In the second round, ask the question again, but this time the children have to think of a new way of describing who they are. You might need to give some suggestions 'I am Becky's brother', 'I am a member of this class', 'I am someone who likes drawing'. Continue until they grasp the idea that everyone can be described in a variety of ways.

Develop
Help each child draw a 'spider's web' of who they are. Stick a picture of the child in the centre of a large sheet of paper. Underneath write the words 'I am...'. Draw lines out to illustrations of some of the phrases they used during the starting game.

End
Create a similar spider's web with Jesus in the centre. Some of the relationships talked about on pages 4 and 5 of In Words could be used, as well as the phrases on page 10. Discuss which descriptions are most useful in helping the children think about Jesus.

Activity three - picture collection

You will need
A selection of pictures of Jesus - these could be postcards, pictures from illustrated Bibles or religious books and so on. (The pack 'Images of Christ' has a good selection, as does Margaret Cooling's book Jesus through Art).
Art or collage materials

Start
Ask the children to close their eyes and think of Jesus. What picture comes into their mind? Spend some time talking about their image of Jesus.

Develop
Spread the selection of pictures in front of the children. Use the following questions to help the children think about the various portrayals of Jesus:

I wonder which of these is your favourite picture?
I wonder which picture tells us most about Jesus?
I wonder what the artist was trying to say about Jesus in the picture?
I wonder what you would want to put in a picture of Jesus?

End
Allow the children to use the art materials to express their picture of Jesus.

Activity checklist

Activity one - name tree

A two- or three-dimensional tree. (A large, bare branch secured in a pot would be a good idea).
Labels to be stuck or hung on the tree. (Each label should have a name to describe Jesus on it - the picture in the book and the background material above will give you ideas.)
Art or collage materials.

Activity two - dreamy music

A large sheet of paper for each child plus one extra.
Pens, coloured crayons and glue.
A photograph of each child. (If this isn't possible, have each child draw a self-portrait.)

Activity three - picture collection

A selection of pictures of Jesus - these could be postcards, pictures from illustrated Bibles or religious books and so on. (The pack 'Images of Christ' has a good selection, as does Margaret Cooling's book Jesus through Art).
Art or collage materials.

Web site links

http://www.jesusanswers.com
Word puzzles and a specially designed children's area make this an enjoyable site for Key Stage 1 pupils. There is also a list of the names of Jesus, their significance and the bible references at:
http://www.jesusanswers.com/bible/names.htm

Lesson six - pages 12/13 Jesus cures a man born blind

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that Christians believe that Jesus had the power to heal people.
To be able to retell the story of the blind man.
To understand the concept of blindness and develop empathy with the blind man.

Background

Christians believe Jesus had the power to heal. This was not simply a physical healing: it was healing the rift between God and an individual. Jesus says to the blind man, 'Your faith has saved you'. The blind person is reconciled to God by seeing the truth of Jesus' teaching and by having faith in him. Jesus' action of healing was like an acted parable or story, a real visual aid. He was teaching the person he healed and those who watched.

Bible reference

Luke 18.35-43

Ways of using the picture

Explore with the children how we see with our eyes but also how we say 'I see' when we mean 'I understand'.
Discuss individuals known to the children who are powerful. This could include characters in books or cartoons. How do these people use their power to do good and evil?
Find out about some of the other times when Jesus healed people.

Key words

Jesus
Healing
Blind

Activity one - the story

You will need
The picture from In Words on pages 12-13.
Art materials to make a 'Big book'.

Start
Tell the children the story of Jesus healing the blind man. Then show them the picture in the book.

Develop
Make a 'Big Book' of stories about Jesus healing people.

End
Ask the children to read these stories aloud. Discuss why they are important for us to remember and what they tell us about Jesus.

Activity two - how did the blind man feel?

You will need
Black/white board or flipchart
Drawing materials.

Start
Divide the children into small groups and ask them to act out the story of Jesus healing the blind man.
You may need to recap the story. Group size and the amount of guidance you give will depend on the age and experiences of the children.
Ensure that you have plenty of time and space.
Ideally, when ready, you should all watch each other and give each group praise and encouragement.

Develop
After the children have performed their plays ask them to continue pretending to be whoever they were in the story. Go round to each group and interview the children asking them how they feel. Make a record of their answers on a board or flip chart.

End
Focus on the feelings of the blind man. How did he feel before he was healed and after? Discuss this carefully.
The children could then draw pictures of the blind man before and after he met Jesus. Give them the opportunity to put speech and thought bubbles on their pictures.

Activity three - blindfolds and 'feely' bags

You will need
A selection of 'feely' bags.
A selection of spare bags and things to go in them.
Blindfolds.
Writing materials

Start
Prepare a selection of 'feely' bags and play guessing games with the children. Allow them to make 'feely' bags for each other.

Develop
Discuss with them how important the sense of touch is to blind people. If possible show them some Braille to emphasize how blind people use their fingers to read.
Put the children in pairs and play trust games, such as one child being blindfolded while the other leads them through an obstacle course.

End
Go back to the story of the blind man and the picture in the book.
Ask the children what they think he would be most excited to be able to see? What would they miss if they could not see? Who would they trust to help them if they were blind?
Develop the questions above further and turn the answers into poetry. The style of poetry would depend on the children's previous experience. It may be more appropriate for them to write in groups or with an adult as the scribe.

Activity checklist

Activity one - the story

The picture from In Words on pages 12-13.
Art materials to make a 'Big book'.

Activity two - how did the blind man feel?

Black/white board or flipchart.
Drawing materials.

Activity three - blindfolds and 'feely' bags

A selection of 'feely' bags.
A selection of spare bags and things to go in them.
Blindfolds.
Writing materials

Web site links

http://search.britannica.com/search?ref=A01001&query=Braille&exact
The Encyclopaedia Britannica provides an informative web page on Braille, and biographical material on Louis Braille, Helen Keller and Valentin Hauy (the French professor of calligraphy known as the 'father and apostle of the blind').
Also try the web site of the Royal National Institute for the Blind and find out more about Louis Braille at:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/wesupply/fctsheet/braille.htm

Lesson seven - pages 14/15 Lost and Found

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that Jesus talked about losing ... and finding things.
To be able to explore ideas and feelings about contrasts in life, such as lost and found, light and darkness.
To understand that Christians believe that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, looking after the sheep, and brings the lost sheep back to the fold. Everyone is special and important to God. This is a picture of a God who cares.

Background

The symbol of lost and found is a potent one in literature and stories across the world. Everyone recognizes the joy of finding something lost and many know the frustration and occasional futility of the search. Christians believe that the lost and found metaphor demonstrates the power of God's love and grace. A person may do the most dreadful things but in Christian language, God is always ready to forgive the truly repentant and will go on looking for 'the lost' and waiting for them to return.

Bible reference

Luke 15.3-10

Ways of using the picture

How long do the children look for lost things? How do they feel when they find something long lost?
Read the poem carefully and explore the ideas and feelings about being lost and being found and the images of darkness and light.
Read some of the other parables of Jesus and ask the children what they think the stories are trying to say. Try not to lead their answers, and encourage an open discussion. Do the stories reflect the children's own experiences?

Key words

Jesus
Lost
Found
Light
Darkness
Shadows

Activity one - know the story

You will need
A lidded gold box, containing:
- Large piece of green felt for grass.
- Piece of blue felt for water.
- Pieces of purple or black felt for ragged rocks.
- A shepherd figure and sheep from a Nativity set.
- Strips of brown felt to build up a sheepfold.
- The script of the parable of the Good Shepherd from The Parable Cycle by Revd Jerome Berryman, available from Chelmsford Diocesan Resource centre.
Art materials.

Start
Gather the children round in a circle.
Open the parable box and discover the story together.

Develop
Using the script, unfold the story and ask questions, such as: Do all the sheep have names? Have you ever been lost?
Give the children space to reflect.

End
The children can follow up the story in their own way, e.g. using the figures again to act out the story, painting, modelling, etc.

Assessment opportunities
Note the children's spoken answers to the questions. Note how they responded to the story through the creative arts.
Get the children to recount the sequence of events in the parable of the Good Shepherd.

Activity two - hunt the thimble

You will need
A thimble that has been hidden in the classroom, courtyard or defined area of school grounds if weather is suitable.
Percussion instruments.
Paper and writing materials, or computer.

Start
Talk about being lost and found, for example in a supermarket.
Talk about the contrast between light and dark, such as fear at night, and needing a light on.
Look at the poem and the change the boy feels when he pushes back the curtains and lets the light in.

Develop
Teacher first hides the thimble. Children seek. The child who finds it hides the thimble the next time.
You might find it helpful to give a time limit. Keep the game short, perhaps three turns. How long do they look?
Remind the children of other games in different faith traditions. For example, at the Jewish Passover the matzah is hidden, and the youngest child in the room has to find it.
Choose a way of responding. The children might like to divide into groups to do different activities.
Write a lost or found poem, or a class acrostic poem.
Compose a piece of music called 'Lost'.
Mime or act what it feels to be lost or found. Strike chime bars to change the mood.

End
Discuss feelings on finding the thimble.
Perform the music.
Act out the drama.
Read out the poem.

Assessment opportunities
Can the children name any secular stories about being lost?
Get the children to name any other stories from the Bible they know about being lost, such as the lost coin or the lost son, also from Luke 15.

Activity three - it's amazing

You will need
The front cover of In Words.
Art materials.
Building bricks.
Seeds to sow.
Writing materials.

Start
Look at the front cover of In Words. Can you see the symbol in the bottom left-hand corner? What is it? It's a maze.

Develop
Get the children to recount stories of when they have been in a maze maybe at Hampton Court, Saffron Walden or elsewhere.
How did they find their way to the centre?
How did they find their way back again?
Did they have help from adults?
Do they know a handy tip when visiting mazes? (Maybe one such as, keeping the hedge on one side going in and the other going out)
The children can then design their own maze.
Maybe they could then build their maze. It would be great fun to use bricks on the school field or suitable outdoor area.
Or they could even grow their own maze, to revisit when the plants have grown up.
Or they could write their own amazing stories about being lost - and found - in a maze.

End
Share pictures and stories and mazes.
Do they have any comments?

Assessment opportunities
Encourage the children to draw their own reflections from their pictures or stories that express their feelings and show how they coped with different situations.

Activity checklist

Activity one - know the story

A lidded gold box, containing:
Large piece of green felt for grass.
Piece of blue felt for water.
Pieces of purple or black felt for ragged rocks.
A shepherd figure and sheep from a Nativity set.
Strips of brown felt to build up a sheepfold.
The script of the parable of the Good Shepherd from The Parable Cycle by Revd Jerome Berryman available from Chelmsford Diocesan Resource centre.
Art materials.

Activity two - hunt the thimble

A thimble that has been hidden in the classroom, courtyard or defined area of school grounds if weather is suitable.
Percussion instruments.
Paper and writing materials, or computer.

Activity three - it's amazing

The front cover of In Words.
Art materials.
Building bricks.
Seeds to sow.
Writing materials.

Web site links

http://www.freethechildren.org/voices/main.html
Children are given the opportunity to voice their emotions and feelings through art and poetry.

Other interesting poetry web sites for children include http://www.earth2kids.org/kidspoem/index.html and http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/ambleweb/uk/limerick.htm (fun limericks written jointly by Ambleside CE Primary School and Edlestone School)

Lesson eight - pages 16/17 The Crucifixion

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that Jesus was crucified, and that Christians believe he died and came back to life.
To be able to understand that Jesus was put to death because many people didn't like what he said.
To understand that Christians believe Jesus died to save mankind from death so that when we die we will have eternal life.

Background

Jesus is often portrayed as a gentle, thoughtful person. He was, however, put to death by his enemies because he was, in their eyes, a troublemaker. Jesus challenged the religious authorities and traditional religious values of the day. This was not new; the prophets of Israel had been doing much the same for hundreds of years. Jesus appeared to make claims that some of his contemporaries believed to be blasphemous, for example, claiming he was God. Jesus became unpopular with high-ranking authorities and paid for this with his life.

Bible reference

Luke 23.44-7

Ways of using the picture

Explore how feelings of fear and hatred can make people do terrible things.
Dealing with Jesus' death and the events of the crucifixion is not pleasant and it is important to acknowledge this. Explain to the children that crucifixion was the horrific form of punishment used for criminals in Jesus' time.
Explore together the artist's depiction of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Look at the way the colours, light and shadows, shapes and lines in the picture are used to describe the event.

Key words

Jesus
Crucified
Resurrection
Life
Death
Heaven

Activity one - what did Jesus say?

You will need
Art materials.

Start
Discuss with the children what happens when they say something that other people don't like.
What do they do when someone says something they don't like?
Discuss what are good things to say and what are bad things to say.

Develop
What did Jesus say?
Ask the children to tell you their ideas of what Jesus talked about when he was teaching and speaking to the crowds, prompt them with reminders from the stories you have told them in previous lessons.
Discuss with the children what Jesus said.
Jesus said, for example, that we must love God, and that God is our Father who loves us. He said that we must love our neighbours and our enemies. We must forgive, share, care, help, and so on. We must pray.
Jesus said the 'I am...' sayings.
Jesus said, 'Follow me.'
Jesus said, 'Those who believe in me shall not die but have eternal life.'
Did Jesus say anything bad? What do the children think?

End
Explain that the rulers and the leaders in the temples and synagogues didn't like Jesus. They didn't like the way that people were listening to him and not to them. They thought he was breaking holy laws.
Ask the children to illustrate some of the things that Jesus said. These pictures could be made into posters.

Activity two - death and resurrection

You will need
The picture in the book In Words.
Two cross-shaped pieces of card for each child.
Paints, felt pens or coloured pencils.

Start
Look at the picture in the book.
What do the children think the artist is trying to tell us?
Why is half of the picture dark and the other half bright and colourful?
Read to the children the stories of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Develop
Look again at the picture in the book. Do the children think that the picture reflects the Easter story well?
Which part of the picture reminds us of Good Friday?
Which part of the picture is showing us that the artist believes that Jesus is alive (the Resurrection)?
Discuss with the children why death is dark and Resurrection colourful.
The Resurrection of Christ is what Christians celebrate at Easter.

End
Give the children two cross-shaped pieces of card each. Ask them to colour one in dark 'death' colours and the other in bright joyful 'Resurrection' colours.
Display the crosses, putting the dark ones together with the words 'On Good Friday, Jesus died on the Cross'. Then put the colourful ones together with the words 'Christians believe that Jesus came back to life on Easter Sunday'.

Assessment opportunities
Ask the children to draw what they think are the important things that happened in the Easter story.

Activity three - why did Jesus die?

You will need
Writing materials.
Art materials.

Start
This is a difficult question for young children but they can be told that Christians believe that:
Jesus died so that people can be friends with God.
Jesus died so that, when people ask, God will forgive them for all the bad things they do.
Christians believe that we must try our best to live our lives the way that Jesus taught us.
They believe that we will all die, but if we believe and trust in God and Jesus, then when we die we will go to heaven.

Develop
What do the children think heaven is like?
Jesus now lives in heaven; what is it like in heaven?
Nobody really knows but we can imagine.

End
Ask the children to write poems starting 'Heaven is ...'. They could think about colours, size, noises, smells, scenery, food, and so on. Give them the freedom to imagine.
Or the children could paint pictures of heaven with short explanations of what they have painted.

Activity checklist

Activity one - what did Jesus say?

Art materials.

Activity two - death and resurrection

The picture in the book In Words.
Two cross-shaped pieces of card for each child.
Paints, felt pens or coloured pencils.

Activity three - why did Jesus die?

Writing materials.
Art materials.

Web site links

http://www.geocities.com/~dolorosa/index2.html
This site includes an interactive retelling of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. The user takes the part of a bystander to the Passion story. Each scene ends by offering the user a selection of links.

http://198.62.75.1/www1/jsc/TVCmain.html
This pictorial tour of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem includes photos of the Stations of the Cross, marking the passage of Jesus from his trial, to his crucifixion, to his eventual burial and resurrection.

Lesson nine - pages 18/19 The woman in the garden

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead.
To be able to develop empathy with the women and the disciples who first heard the news that Jesus was risen.
To understand the Easter story well enough to briefly retell it.

Background

Christians believe that what sets Jesus apart from his Jewish heritage is that he rose from the dead. The Resurrection is the central and distinctive focus in the Christian story. Christians believe that in some mysterious but real way Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by many of his followers before going to heaven. The Bible records Jesus as being buried in a tomb, but, on the third day after the burial, some of his followers visited the tomb and he was revealed to them.

Bible reference

John 20.10-16

Ways of using the picture

Talk about things that cause the children to be surprised.
Look carefully at the woman's face in the picture. What do the children think she is feeling?
Discuss with the children how they recognize people (by their appearance, voice, facial features).

Key words

Easter
Jesus
Angel
Mary
Tomb
Alive
Resurrection
Disciple

Activity one - what happened on Easter Sunday morning?

You will need
Paper cut into zig-zag books.
Pictures of the Easter Story for sequencing.
Clips from films about the life of Jesus such as The Miracle Maker or Jesus, the Man of the Millennium.
Collage materials.

Start
Tell the children the story of Easter and discuss it with them so they are clear about the events.
Ensure that the children know that this story is found in the New Testament and for Christians it is the most important story ever told.

Develop
Show the children short clips of the Resurrection scenes from films about the life of Jesus.
Ask the children to put pictures or events from the Easter Story into sequence and make it into a zig-zag book.

End
The children could make a large collage for display in the hall that shows everyone what the celebration of Easter is all about.
'We celebrate Easter because Christians believe that on Easter Sunday Jesus rose from death back to life.'

Activity two - the surprise of the disciples

You will need
Writing materials.
Bibles, or Bible storybooks of the Easter story.

Start
Discuss who the lady is in the picture.
What has she seen? At what moment in the story is this? What is she thinking? What is she about to say? What is she feeling? Why?
Write speech and thought bubbles for Mary.

Develop
Ask the children to draw a picture of Mary and surround it with words that describe how they think she was feeling on Easter Sunday before and after seeing Jesus.
Who else visited the empty tomb and was surprised?
Be a Bible Detective and find out.

End
Ask the children to write about a time when they have been really amazed or ask the children to imagine that they are one of the disciples. They have been to visit Jesus' tomb. Ask them to describe how they feel.

Activity three - faces

You will need
Drawing materials.
Materials to make puppets - either simple paper bag ones, or more complicated ones.

Start
Ask the children to complete this sentences: 'If I had seen Jesus on Easter Sunday morning I would have felt ... because ... My face would have changed from ... to ....'

Develop
Ask the children to 'make' faces and draw faces to show what their faces would have looked like before and after seeing Jesus.
Tell the story and ask the children to change their faces to show the expressions that would have been on the faces of the characters in the story. As you tell the story, emphasize the feelings of the characters to make it easier for the children to decide how they would have looked.

End
Make two-sided puppets. These puppets could be very simple paper bag puppets or they could be a design technology project involving felt, papier mâché, gloves, socks and so on. The children could decide to make their puppet either Mary or a disciple. On one side of the puppet make the face sad and on the other side surprised, happy and so on.

Assessment opportunities
Ask the children to retell the story of Easter Sunday morning using their puppet.

Activity checklist

Activity one - what happened on Easter Sunday morning?

Paper cut into zig-zag books.
Pictures of the Easter story for sequencing.
Clips from films about the life of Jesus such as The Miracle Maker or Jesus, the Man of the Millennium.
Collage materials.

Activity two - the surprise of the disciples

Writing materials.
Bibles, or Bible storybooks of the Easter story.

Activity three - faces

Drawing materials.
Materials to make puppets - either simple paper bag ones, or more complicated ones.

Web site links

http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/correggi/p-corregg4.htm
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/angelico/p-angeli13.htm
These sites offer two more traditional alternatives to the famous resurrection scene. These two versions of 'Noli me Tangere' are by Correggio and Fra Angelico.

Lesson ten - pages 20/21 The Road to Emmaus

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know the story of the road to Emmaus. This is one of the times that the Bible says that Jesus appeared to his disciples and friends after he had risen from the dead.
To be able to reflect on how we recognize our family and friends.
To understand that in the Holy Communion service (also called the Mass, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist), Christians believe they meet with Jesus in a very special way.

Background

Some Christians speak of a 'conversion experience' when Jesus has, they believe, spoken personally to them. Other Christians find this personal relationship in the Mass (also known as the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper) when they 'find' and 'experience' the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine. Christians recognize the risen Christ in different ways. In this picture Jesus is shown walking along with his companions on the Emmaus Road. The story tells how they talk about the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus' fellow travellers, however, fail to recognize him until, when they stop to eat together, Jesus breaks the bread. This brings to mind the Last Supper and recognition comes from this experience.

Bible reference

Luke 23.30-32

Ways of using the picture

Explore with the children the familiar actions and habits they recognize in their family and friends.
Discuss why people do not always believe what others tell them.
Engage the children in a discussion about special occasions when they eat together with their family and their friends.

Key words

Jesus
Back to life
Friends
Know
Road
Broke bread
Blessing

Activity one - guess who?

You will need
Blindfold
Cloth bag
Objects to go in bag, such as toy, book, scrunchy, hairband, pencil case.

Start
Explain that in the bag there are things that are special and belong to someone in this class. The children have to guess which person it is.

Develop
Child is blindfolded and dips hand into bag. Pulls out object. Feels it. Tries to identify it. Can ask questions of the class, such as: is it blue? They can say yes or no. Blindfolded child guesses person. Try and find out the person by asking questions, such as: does this belong to someone with long black hair, freckles and so on. Maybe they can feel the person's face. (This needs to be done with care.) Can they hear their voice saying 'Hello?' Once they have identified their fellow class member, he or she can be blindfolded and have a turn.

End
Was it hard or easy to recognize the person from the object, their voice, their face ...?

Assessment opportunities
How did the blindfolded child choose the right questions and eliminate others to help identify their classmate?
Was it done in a certain order or at random?
An alternative version to this is to draw the back view of someone, and get the children to guess who it is.

Activity two - can you keep a secret?

You will need
Art materials.

Start
Have you ever told someone a secret and then found out they hadn't kept it, but told someone else?
How did you feel?

Develop
Get children to share the experience of someone telling a friend a secret. Later that week they find someone else in the class knows what is special to them.
Do they feel trusted and a special friend if a secret has been shared with them? Have they kept it? Did they find it hard to keep?
Perhaps they can write down their thoughts and reflections and illustrate them. Collect them together in a zig-zag book.

End
Look at the finished book together. What are their thoughts now?

Assessment opportunities
Discuss that sometimes they are not believed. How does this feel?
People don't always believe it when others tell on them, Can the children give reasons for this?
Reflect on the children's thoughts and feelings as they are expressed in word and picture. What does this show about them and their development?
Can they show maturity in their actions by keeping a secret?

Activity three - sharing supper

You will need
Card and marker pen.
Home corner area for drama with cooker, tea service, table, cutlery, tablecloth and so on.

Start
Do you have a favourite time when you eat together with your family and friends? Maybe a birthday, Christmas or Sunday lunch.
Do you wear special clothes and have a special place to sit?

Develop
Children share experiences verbally. Write down different ones on cards, such as: 'My sixth birthday'.
Divide the class into groups of about six. Each group chooses one of the cards, and acts out the scene. For example they might be a family celebrating Grandma's birthday. Each child plays a character.

End
Each group takes it in turn to act out their drama using the home corner materials.
Then discuss with the children:

Where were they in the stories?
What part could they identify with?
What was the best part of the story?
What was the most important part of the story - and were the two the same?
If anything was left out of the story would it make any difference?

Activity checklist

Activity one - guess who?

Blindfold
Cloth bag
Objects to go in bag, such as toy, book, scrunchy, hairband, pencil case.

Activity two - can you keep a secret?

Art materials.

Activity three - sharing supper

Card and marker pen.
Home corner area for drama with cooker, tea service, table, cutlery, tablecloth and so on.

Web site links

A short background to Easter can be found at:
http://www.worldbook.com/fun/tty/html/easter.htm
For some fun activities for children, try printing puzzles and pages in colour, sending a card, playing games and much more at Squigly's Easter Fun and Primary Games: Easter.

Alternative versions of the Road to Emmaus, by Diego Velazquez and Jacobo da Pontormo, can be viewed at:
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/velazque/p-velazq31.htm
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/pontormo/p-pontormo4.htm

Lesson eleven - pages 22/23 Bread and wine

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that special occasions can be celebrated in different ways.
To be able to say what is eaten and drunk at Holy Communion.
To understand that Christians have a special meal to remember Jesus.

Background

Christians around the world partake in the sharing of bread and wine as a central act of their worship. Practice varies between different Christian groups and different names are used, for example the Eucharist (meaning 'thanksgiving'), the Mass, Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper. It is, however, the celebration practised by virtually every Christian group when they give thanks for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. John's Gospel uses the following words to describe Jesus: 'I am the Vine; I am the Bread of Life.' These, and the emphasis on 'I am', capture the meaning of God's response to Moses when he makes a request for God's name and is told 'I am that i am'. (Exodus 3.14)

Bible reference

1 Corinthians 11.23-6

Ways of using the picture

Explore with the children how they remember special times and events.
Engage the children in discussion about food, its importance and preparation. What foods do they eat on special occasions? How do they prepare for very special days like birthdays?
Explain to the children that when Christians eat bread and drink wine together they remember the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Key words

Holy Communion
Bread
Wine
Thanksgiving
Remembering

Activity one - Holy Communion

You will need
A lidded box containing:

Small cloth (perhaps a white serviette).
Wine glass.
Plate.
Pitta bread.
Bottle of red grape juice.
Plastic beaker for each child.

Start
Ask if anyone can guess what might be inside the box. After a few suggestions, open the lid and take out the cloth. Smooth it out as you place it on the table. Take out the plate and place it on the cloth, and then do the same with the glass. Again ask for ideas about what this might mean.

Develop
Develop by simply retelling the story of the Last Supper (the first Holy Communion). Place the bread on the plate and pour some grape juice into the glass as you do so. Make the following points:
The night before he died, Jesus shared a special meal with his friends.
During the meal, he shared some bread and wine with them.
He told his friends to continue doing this as a way of remembering him.
Christians still share bread and wine together to remember Jesus.

End
Give each child a piece of bread and a beaker of juice. Have the children draw pictures of the bread and wine and display with the caption: 'Christians remember Jesus with bread and wine'. (These could be done as 'stained glass windows' using tissue paper or cellophane.)
(If your school has links with a local church, ask one of the clergy to come and lead this activity for you. He or she could bring the plate and cup used for Holy Communion, and might even bring any special robes worn during the service.)

Activity two - writing 'thank you' prayers

You will need
Pictures of different foods or meals.
Writing materials.

Start
Look at the pictures together. Talk about the children's favourite foods. Do some foods or meals remind them of special occasions?

Develop
Develop the idea by explaining that Holy Communion is a special meal that helps Christians remember Jesus. When they eat a small piece of bread and drink a sip of wine together, they give thanks to God for Jesus' life.

End
Help the children to write thank you prayers for food and meals. Use a structure that includes the child's memories as well as their favourite food or meal, such as:
Thank you, God, for favourite food. It reminds me of a memory of a special time or person. Thank you for giving me good things to eat. Amen.
Create a book of the prayers, illustrated by the children.

Activity three - special times display

You will need
A selection of ways to remember people and events - postcards, birthday cards, Easter eggs, Christmas cards, photographs, calendars and so on.
Ribbon.
Card for captions.
Display board.
A simple church year calendar.

Start
Talk about birthdays. Ask the children about the different ways in which their birthdays are remembered. Show the cards. You might like to talk about what the words and pictures say. Show some of the other items and ask the children what special occasions they remind us of. Create captions for the items.

Develop
Show and explain the church year calendar. Christians use time and colour to help remember special events:

Advent is the time for getting ready for Jesus' birthday. Its colour is purple.
Christmas is when Christians celebrate Jesus' birthday. Its colour is white or gold.
Lent is the time for getting ready for Easter. Its colour is purple.
Easter is when Christians remember that Jesus died and rose again. Its colour is white or gold.
Pentecost is when Christians celebrate God sending his Holy Spirit. Its colour is red.
In between the special times, the colour is green to remind Christians that they need to keep growing closer to God.

End
Create a display using the cards and other items entitled 'We remember special times'. Use captions created by the children, and use the ribbon to link these with the items. Create a second display entitled 'Christians remember special times'. Enlarge the church year calendar and add captions linked to it with ribbons.

Activity checklist

Activity one - Holy Communion

A lidded box containing:
Small cloth (perhaps a white serviette).
Wine glass.
Plate.
Pitta bread.
Bottle of red grape juice.
Plastic beaker for each child.

Activity two - writing 'thank you' prayers

Pictures of different foods or meals.
Writing materials.

Activity three - special times display

A selection of ways to remember people and events - postcards, birthday cards, Easter eggs, Christmas cards, photographs, calendars and so on.
Ribbon.
Card for captions.
Display board.
A simple church year calendar.

Web site links

There are several sites with delicious bready recipes for the children to try out.

Try out Botham Bakery's Guide to Bread and find out how bread is made, learn about its history or try out some yeasty recipes.

Alternative sites include http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/bread/ and http://www.breaking-bread.com/

Lesson twelve - pages 24/25 Jesus standing at the door

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that Jesus is the central figure in Holman Hunt's 'The light of the world'. Also to know that Christians believe Jesus is God's son and that he is always there for everyone.
To be able to imagine who or what is behind the door.
To understand that sometimes we have to wait expectantly for things to happen.

Background

Christians believe that Jesus is God's son and that he is always there for everyone. When Holman Hunt painted this picture he wanted to demonstrate the world's inability to recognize this. Hence the painting is full of symbols to emphasize this viewpoint: the closed door represents the closed mind; the bat flying around in darkness is a symbol of ignorance. So the figure with the lamp, Jesus, stands outside knocking at the door. Notice that the door has no handle; it can only be opened from the inside. Metaphorically, Jesus can only be part of a person's life if they are prepared to open the door and let him in.

Bible references

Luke 11.9-10
Revelation 3.20

Ways of using the picture

Imagine who or what is behind the door.
Discuss what the children think is going through Jesus' mind as he stands there. What awaits him?
Explore how the children feel when they wait expectantly for things that are about to happen.

Key words

Jesus
Knocking
Door
Light
Lantern
Overgrown

Activity one - a work of art

You will need
If it's possible, and you are near enough, take the children to see one of the three original Holman Hunt paintings. There's nothing like the real thing for a wow factor! (Two of the originals are at Keble College, Oxford and St Paul's Cathedral.)
Otherwise, obtain good quality postcards or OHP acetates to show them.
Drawing materials.
Writing materials.

Start
What do you notice about this Victorian painting? What can you see?

Develop
What is Jesus thinking? Who or what is behind the door?
On their own or in small groups the children can write down words and draw pictures to help them.

End
Collect their responses to the art work. Who would like to share their thoughts?

Activity two - behind the door

You will need
Card model of a door which opens but at the moment is closed.

Start
Show the children the closed door.
Ask what they like to keep hidden. Think about that for a moment.

Develop
What can everyone see about you? The children might describe physical features such as brown hair, scuffed knees, or hairstyle.
Then they can go on to describe other characteristics such as being good at maths, a fast runner and so on.
Then encourage them to go further and describe other qualities such as: being a good friend, helpful, kind and so on.
In a circle time activity, one member of the class might be in the centre and other children may contribute (positive) qualities such as: Mark is good at reading aloud, Hannah is a brilliant artist.
Talk about waiting for Christmas, holidays or a birthday. You wait expectantly for an exciting time. At Christmas, Christians get ready to celebrate the birthday of Christ. How about waiting for a baby? Have any of the children had to wait for a baby brother or sister?
When they are expecting a birthday card from someone what is the waiting like?
Are they disappointed when it arrives late or doesn't come?
Do they count the days before going on holiday? On a school visit? Do they look for it on the map, find out how to get there and learn something about it before they go?

End
Emphasize that we are all special, unique and different. We all have different qualities and abilities. Isn't it a good thing we are all so different?

Assessment opportunities
Can you get the children to explain why things don't always happen immediately? For example, if snow has been forecast, they might look for it and wait for it. Finally it comes. Explore the wonder/relief/delight or joy they might feel.

Activity three - open the door

You will need
Card.
Art materials.
Scissors.
Paper fastener for door handle.

Start
Now we are going to make a house with a door that opens. Close your eyes and think what the colour of the front door to your house is going to be. What shape will it be? Maybe a rectangle, or with an arch at the top?
Think about what you might draw on the other side. It might be a picture of yourself, or it might be your favourite book or pet.

Develop
Children make their houses with a door.
If it's a country cottage maybe there will be roses round the door.
Perhaps it's an elegant town house.
I wonder who would like to live in a castle? If they let the drawbridge down, what would be there?

End
Have a row of houses displayed in the class all with different doors.
In turn knock on each door to see what is behind. You can look if the owner says, 'Come in!'

Assessment opportunities
How did the children select their materials?
Can they talk about their choice of person or object behind the door?

Activity checklist

Activity one - a work of art

If it's possible, and you are near enough, take the children to see one of the three original Holman Hunt paintings. There's nothing like the real thing for a wow factor! (Two of the originals are at Keble College, Oxford and St Paul's Cathedral.)
Otherwise, obtain good quality postcards or OHP acetates to show them.
Drawing materials.
Writing materials.

Activity two - behind the door

Card model of a door which opens but at the moment is closed.

Activity three - open the door

Card.
Art materials.
Scissors.
Paper fastener for door handle.

Web site links

http://www.britannica.com/search?query=Holman%20Hunt&ct=
The Encyclopedia Britannica has an excellent page of links relating to Holman Hunt, the artist whose painting is featured on this lesson's double page spread. The painting can also be viewed at http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/hunt/p-hunt5.htm