Children's Message in Worship
Introduction: Waiting. Darkness is not an end. It’s a door! The hopeful waiting of Advent for a new beginning at Christmas. Jesus: “Look at the birds of the sky” Closing Prayer: Invite children and congregation to close their eyes, breathe, and find their place. A soundscape emerges, and the congregation is led through the Chickadee. We’ll make motions and sounds that help us connect. We end in stillness. “Chickadees” are woken up to head to Sunday School.
Sunday School: Storytelling: Sharing Selections from All Creation Waits
All Creation Waits Rotation. Children will rotate through X4 “creature” stations led by adults in the Fellowship Hall. Once children arrive to a table and sit down, the adults:
Ask kids to look closely at the illustration, seeing if they can interpret something interesting occurring within the scene or to the creature. 1 min Adults read their creature’s entry from the devotional. Adults can make the storytelling as participatory as they would like. 5 mins Invite kids to do the following with their illustration.While children work, adults reinforce the material by asking wondering questions (provided) and keeping table conversation relevant. 9 mins. Color + decorate the creature. Adhere chopsticks to the rear of the creature with tape. Bring completed creatures to a cardboard platform, and mount. Rotate to new station. Repeat When kids are done, they can make a chickadee, or make trees out of cardboard at a separate, independent station. Materials:
Paper copies of each creature (x10 for each) Station 1: Common Loon Christy Station 2: Whitetail Deer Davorka Station 4: Northern Cardinal Molly Additional Creature: Chickadee Closing Song: In the Bleak Midwinter
Seating: Children sit in a BIG circle on carpet squares Christy, Molly, Davorka, Carol help the kids find their seat and sit in the circle while Anthony gets situated. Have a photo of Christina Rosetti ready to go
Learn a Song: In the Bleak Midwinter verse 1. with hand motions Anthony
* 1 In the bleak midwinter (hug oneself) * 2 Frosty wind made moan (hand like wind) * 3 Earth stood hard as iron (hold a heavy ball) * 4 Water like a stone (collapse both hands into prayerhands) * 5 Snow had fallen (hands and fingers from head to chest) * 6 Snow on snow on snow (”) * 7 In the bleak midwinter (hug oneself) * 8 Long, long ago (hand above eyes as if looking into the distance).