Lesson seven - pages 14/15 Hot air balloons

Aim for the book

To engage children in a discussion relating the Christian understanding of God to everyday life.

Learning objectives

• To know the difference between high and low.
• To be able to understand differences between the sky and the ground.
• To understand Christians believe that God is everywhere, in the highest and lowest places.

Bible references

Psalm 19.1
Psalm 121.1 Psalm 148.1

Background

Awe and wonder have become over-familiar words, and yet there is something about the sky which can take our breath away. The experience of height and space creates that sense of awe which, for Christians, leads to feelings of being closer to God. This kind of experience is often used by Christian writers and thinkers.

Children may not have travelled in a hot-air balloon but they may well have experienced looking down from a great height e.g. on a fairground ride or from a tall building, or even riding on the top of a bus.

Ways of using the picture

• Talk about experiences of looking down from a height. Does the world look different, sound different?
• What are your feelings when you are high up above other people and places?
• Look at the picture. How do you think it feels to be by yourself in a high place?
• Discuss with the children why Christians often build shrines and churches in high places.

Key words

• Sky
• Rise
• Fall
• Earth
• View
• Everywhere
• Above
• Below

• You will need

Pictures and other resources to show high places
Art materials

• Start

Use the picture of the hot-air balloons and brainstorm 'high' words - rise, sky clouds, mountains and so on.

• Develop

Make a collage of hot-air balloons, adding the 'high' words above the balloons.

• End

Reflect on high places. Who likes them, or would like to see them? Who's afraid of heights?

Activity two - where might God be?

• You will need

Art materials

• Start

Talk about where Christians believe God lives.

• Develop

Draw or paint a picture of where you think Christians believe God lives.

• End

Discuss the ideas from the children's pictures.

Activity three - high and low

• You will need

The list of 'high' words from the first activity.
A list of 'low' words (ground, earth, garden, grass, playground etc.)

• Start

Recap on the 'high' words. Develop the idea of looking up - at buildings, people, the sky and so on.
Look at the list of 'low' words - things that we could see by looking down.

• Develop

Discuss again where you think Christians might find God. Why?

• End

Talk about why Christians believe God is everywhere, high and looking down, low and looking up. Wherever Christians go, they can know God is with them.

 

Activity checklist

Activity one - high places

Pictures and other resources to show high places
Art materials

Activity two - where might God be?

Art materials

Activity three - high and low

The list of high words from the first activity
A list of low words (ground, earth, garden, grass, playground etc.)

Web site links

For further information, look at the links section of this site.

http://www.britannicchallenge.co.uk/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/

http://www.geocities.com/PicketFence/4191/index.html

© Pauline Davis, 2001

Top of the page