Joseph: God is with us in the ups and downs craft and prayer activity

The next part of the Joseph story we are going to look at is what happens after he is taken to Egypt- in Potiphar's house and in prison

It's not terribly constructive to go into the precise details of how Joseph lands up in jail (especially with 3 year olds!) so we will be using the retelling in the Lion Storyteller Bible, stopping just as Joseph is taken to see the king (that will be covered in the following session!). What we really want to emphasise is that Joseph experiences good times and bad times (ups and downs) but God is always looking after him and never leaves him. This retelling is especially good to help with this.

To help this idea to stick in the children's heads we are going to make an 'ups and downs' craft.

You will need:
Foam sheets, beads, pipe cleaners.

Front

Back

To make:

Push one end of the pipe cleaner through the foam sheet and bend over at the back to secure.
put a bead onto the pipe cleaner.
Bend the pipe cleaner to make some 'ups and downs' and then push the other end through the foam sheet and bend over to secure at the back
Do this several times on your sheet
use your hands to guide the beads up and down the pipe cleaner bends

Reflection/ prayer activity

As you guide the beads along the bends, think of the ups and owns in Joseph's life and how God always helped him
Think about the good times (ups) and bad times (downs) in your life and ask God to be with you and help you. Say thank you to Him for the good times
Think about people who are going through bad times in their lives and ask God to help them.

Comments

Button Prayers

If you are looking for an active, kinaesthetic, way of praying in a small group or even with the whole congregation, then this might be for you! You will need: A collection of buttons of different shapes, sizes and colours- at least one button for each person praying. Give everyone a button. Feel the hardness of the button and think about people who are going through hard times. Ask God to help them. Buttons are used to fasten clothes together. Ask God to bring together people who have fallen out and moved apart from each other. Pray that He will bring peace. Look at your button and see how many holes it has. Think of that number of things you would like to say thank you to God for and say Thank you prayers. Look at the colour of the button and say thank you to God for something that is that colour Find someone who has the same colour button as you. You might want to make a small group of people with the...

Trusting God: The Amazing Water Glass Trick!

I used this idea in an assembly yesterday, focussing on people we trust and what it means to trust God. This would work really well if you are exploring miracle stories or stories about trust. Suitable verses to use with it might be: Joshua 1:9: Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Psalm 56: 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. John 14: 1 Jesus said, “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me I have to admit that this trick is not an original idea. I found the trick in this book: Simple Science Object Talks by Heno Head Jnr and would definitely recommend getting cold of a copy if you can! You will need: A glass of water (about half- 2/3 filled) and an index card. This is what you do: place the index card over the top of the glass, making sure that the whole of the rim is covered by it, and press...

The Power of Prayer: Skittles Experiment!

This experiment with skittles is colourful, easy and makes a great statement about what we are asking God to do when we pray. In essence, prayers are a way of joining with God and asking him to have an effect on the world and situations around us. We pray because we believe that our prayers, through God's power, will make a difference to the world. In this activity, colour is released from the sweets into the surrounding water, creating a colourful picture, symbolic of how the prayers we raise to God are a way of us joining with Him to release the kingdom here on earth and have an impact. You will need: A bag of skittles, a plate, hot water (not hot enough to scald, but hot enough to make the colour run!) Arrange the skittles in the plate Pour some hot water onto the plate to cover its surface. Pour it carefully so that the skittles stay in place. Wait and the skittles will gradually release their colour Try an alternative... Cover the s...

Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

Search This Blog