FAITH QUEST
CREATION
CREATION
STATION
Scripture: Genesis 1:1 -2:25
Key
Scripture Verse: Genesis 1 In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth. (Contemporary English Version)
Memory Verse:
“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his steadfast love endures forever.”
Psalm
136:1 (CEV)
Concepts:
·God created the universe and all that is in it.
·God wants us to care for God’s creation.
Objectives:
1. Students will learn that Genesis is a story
written to help people understand whom God is, how God relates to the created
order and how people are to relate to God in this created order.
2.
Students will think about how communities of faith are partners with God as
they participate in a continuing creation process using the skills and
abilities that God provides to us.
3. Children will enjoy their own creation process, making something
from “nothing.” Each child will depict a portion of the Genesis creation story
in a clay plague.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1. Welcome the children and introduce
yourself.
2.
Start the “lesson time” with prayer. Ask for volunteers, but plan on praying
yourself. A short prayer thanking God for being a part of our lives would be
appropriate. Ask God to help us to be aware of his presence so that we may do
good things as Jesus has taught us.
Bible Story:
1. Discuss
the background of today’s story. Have the children use their Bibles to locate
the story in Genesis 1:1-2:4. The word Genesis comes from a Greek word meaning
beginning. This is a book that tells
about the beginnings of the universe, night and day, the land, life and
especially humans. Whether one person
or a group of people wrote it, this was the writer's way of understanding and
helping others to understand all the wonderful things that God created. When it was written, people didn't travel
far and they had no idea of how truly magnificent God's creation was. They had no idea that God's creation allowed
for differing geographic areas and climates and totally different plants and
animals to suit each sector.
2. God’s
creation was very orderly; a balance of sun and stars, earth and sky, land and
water and plants and animals. When God
created everything he made it possible for things to continue happening - for
plants to create seeds so more can grow, for animals to have babies and
multiply and for people to have talents so that they can make things and create
also. God is the artist who created all
the beauty that surrounds us and many possibilities for change. When we pay attention to his wishes and use
his love of us, we too can create good things.
3. Take a
minute to talk to the children about the creation they are going to be doing in
this workshop. Tell them that they can choose a portion of the Genesis creation
story to depict in a clay plaque. Just
as everything was formless in the beginning and needed God to create all these
things, clay is a formless lump and needs the shaping of our hands. By properly sculpting clay, we too can
create something good.
Application:
1. Create!
It would be a good idea to have children put on smocks. Pass out materials. Every child will receive
a lump of clay about the size of a small orange, a craft stick (Popsicle
stick), and a 5”x 7” piece of cardboard.
It is easiest to remove the clay from the bag and cut it into pieces
with a strand of picture wire.
2. Have the children flatten and push the clay
over the cardboard until the top surface is mostly covered about ½ “ deep. It can be irregular or rectangular, but
should stay a little in from the edges.
3. Using the
wooden sticks and their fingers, they can incise and sculpt texture, lines and
shapes to depict one or more parts of the creation story. There are many possibilities - a landscape,
a specific animal, a design of sun and stars, man, etc. Using the end, they can press their initials
in one corner.
4. Clean up!
Involve all kids in this so that you will have time to share together in the
closing. You may want to have a prearranged signal or sound for clean up and
tell them at beginning of art project what that will be - perhaps giving them a
5 minute warning and then the final clean up notice to allow those who need a
bit more warning that they need to complete whatever they are working on.
5. Collect
any unused scraps of clay and return to plastic bag. Sticks may be thrown away.
Have a bucket of water for children to rinse their hands in before using
a washbowl. Dump water outside, as clay
is bad for drains. Damp wipe tables.
6. Turn out lights and lock the classroom door
when leaving.
Reflection Time:
Shepherds will pass out the Journals and pencils/markers. The children should spend a few minutes reflecting upon the morning's lesson - We remember what blessings God has provided in his creation and we celebrate this by caring for his creation and creating our own good things. The children can also reflect on how they can use their creative skills to help make the world a better place.
Closing:
1. Encourage
the children to think about how out of absolutely nothing, God created the
world and all its variety. Remind them
to think of all the places that are very different from where they live. Have
them share ideas about some of the things God created that are special to
them. Ask them how people can care for
God’s creation.
2. Say the
Key Memory Verse together (see above). You may want to have this verse printed
on a banner and hung in the room, write it on the white board in the room, or
have it on slips of paper that each child can take home.
3. Pray! Ask the children if they have any
prayer requests. Thank God for giving us this marvelous world to be a part of.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1.
Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Workshop.
2.
Prepare an opening prayer in case nobody volunteers to pray.
3. Check the art room to see what supplies
exist. Make a sample so you will
understand the process and pitfalls.
5. Prepare all the materials you will need for
the creation process. Cut corrugated cardboard
boxes into enough 5” x7” pieces to have one for each child. Have the materials ready to go. There will
be limited time for the creation process, so do everything you can to conserve
time.
6. Decide how you want to close the lesson.
Prepare a prayer or use one of the group suggestions.
Materials:
AMACO
Mexican Pottery Clay - Air Dry (available in 5 or 25 lb. cartons)
Wooden
Popsicle sticks
5"
x7" Cardboard sheets
One
18" strand of picture wire
Bucket
of water, sponge