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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.
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 those of
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.
Web site links
For further information, look at the links
section of this site.
http://www.britannica.com/
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/michelangelo/
http://www.ra-horakhty.co.uk/Magic/into_origin_of_man.htm
©
Janet Parkinson
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