Scripture: Genesis 1:1- 2:25
·
God
created the universe and all that is in it.
·
God
created the world good.
·
God
wants us to care for God’s creation.
Memory Verse:
"Oh,
give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures
forever."
Psalm136:1 (CEV)
Objectives:
1.
Using
music and movement children will act out the seven days of creation.
2.
The
class will understand that God made and loves all of creation.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1.
Greet
the children and introduce yourself.
2.
Explain
to the class that they will be acting out the seven days of creation using
music and movement.
Scripture/Bible Story:
1. Read Genesis 1 and 2 or have older children take turns reading the passages out loud.
2. Review
the days and what happened on those days. Write these on a poster or white
board for class to see.
Day 1: day and night
Day 2: sky
Day 3: land, ocean, and plants
Day 4: sun, moon, and stars
Day 5: fish, birds
Day 6: animals and humans
Day 7: God rested
3. Emphasize that God was a creator who loves and cares for his creation. We are like God in the way that we can love and care for one another and the earth.
4. As
a teacher you may choose to address how we understand this scripture in light
of our current scientific understanding of creation. The Israelites also had an
interest in understanding how creation happened. They understood that the world
had different “parts” earth, water, light, dark, animals, plants, etc. They had an understanding of the order of
creation into seasons, days, and groups (animals and plants each with a
different role) but they didn’t understand everything about creation and we
still don’t know everything about creation today.
Application:
· Warm-up
exercises are very important to help children lose the self-consciousness of
their bodies. Gather the children in a circle. Instruct the children in the
signal to get their attention. You say, “Eyes on me!: they freeze and respond
“Eyes on you!” Practice this signal at least twice. Begin with some general
warm-ups:
· Start walking in a circle, wave your left arm, right arm, hop, slide, walk fast, slower, walk in slow motion, run in slow motion, ski, sway like the wind (gentle breeze, heavy wind), etc.
· Do
some story specific actions together. Spread out and get some space. Make
motions for: tall as the sky, crouch low and grow like a flower, sway like a
tree, sparkle light a star, be the sun/moon as it rises and sets.
· Tell
the children you will name some animals and they must start to act like the
animal: elephant, bird, little fish, whale, sheep, lion, hawk, etc.
· Comment
on specific actions that the children are making. Encourage positive behavior
and creativity.
Tell the children that they are going to create a presentation of Creation. It will be set to music. Without words, we will act out each day using props and our bodies. Divide the children into 2 or 3 groups. Assign days to each group with the associated props. Tell the children that they are going to use the props to depict their “day”. We will practice and then video tape the presentation.
· Suggestions
for props:
· Day
1: day and night - black and white streamers
· Day
2: sky - blue towels, blue balloons
· Day
3: land, ocean (blue bed sheet), & plants (silk flowers, flower pinwheels),
large leaves such as an oak leaf or palm frond
· Day
4: sun, moon & stars - yellow poster board for Sun, white poster board for
moon, penlight flashlights or galaxy wands for stars
· Day
5: fish & birds – feather masks and cut out posterboard fish on dowels
· Day
6: animals & humans - stuffed animals or animal fabrics as cloaks
· Day
7: rest - just let children rest, lounge.
· An
optional ending is to have the children say at the very end. “And God said
it was VERY good”.
· Older
Children: Tell the children the space within which they can move so you
don’t get kids running all over. (use masking tape to outline each group’s
space. This makes sure the video camera can see all the children.) Give each
group a few minutes to practice what they will do with the props. Then read the
scripture as the children use their action for each “day”. Point to the first group (day 1), when they
are done, point to the next group (day 2) and so on. Reading as you go. Let
them practice on the spot so they can concentrate on their movement
· Younger children: let each group act out their “day” while the other children watch, then go on to the next group. You will need to give them more help to figure out what to do with the props. Some extra adult help would be good.
· We’ll
now put the story to music. Don’t read. The acting and music will serve as the
words. (We thought Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite – Finale” would be
appropriate). Point to each group as its turn comes up. Let the action go for a
few seconds. You will need to figure out just how much time to give each day
depending on the music.
· Move
toward the stage. Line the children up according to their groups. They will
rotate through the “days” of the story. They need to be ready to move on stage
and then off and quickly get ready for their next “day”. You will cue them on
and off stage. With 2 groups, everybody presents 3 days. Then everybody comes
on stage for the final day of rest. Day 7, they can enter slowly, yawning,
stretching, sit down, lay down, etc.
· Now
they are ready to perform for the video camera. Perform again, this time
rolling the tape. Optional: Cover the lens with a black piece of paper between “days” to allow the
actors to change and give the effect of night. Keep the music playing.
· Younger children: let them perform on the spot. It will be less confusing than trying to move on and off stage. Just point to each group as their turn comes up. Let the camera move to each group.
· Finally,
sit everybody down and watch the video. Enjoy!
Reflection Time:
Ask the shepherds to pass out the journals and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity.
Prompts for journal writing: God created the universe and all that is in it. God wants us to care
for God’s creation. Draw/write how we can care for God’s creation. (How do we
care for other people, plants, the earth?)
Prayer: Lead a prayer. Suggestions
include giving praise for God’s wonderful creation and thanking God for caring
for us. You can give thanks to God and go around the circle having each child
add some thing that he/she is thankful that God made.
Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy up. Put away carpet squares and props.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3. Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located. The bin with supplies is located in on the stage.
Supply List
· Props as desired, see suggestions in application section. Wands, flashlights, feather masks, flower pinwheels can be purchased through www.orientaltrading.com
· Video camera, tripod
· TV/VCR
· CD with music
· CD player
References
· Notes from curriculum writer’s workshop March 5, 2002 written by Susan Mazzara
· Best of the Millennium – top 40 Classical Hits – Universal Music and Video Distribution Inc.)