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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...'.
Activity two - Mary's hands
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Web site links
For further information, look at the links
section of this site.
http://www.britannica.com
http://kidshealth.org/
©
Trudie Bateman
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