Advent III: All Creation Waits

The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings for Children

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.

Cut out 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 3: Red Fox Carol

Station 4: Northern Cardinal Molly

Additional Creature: Chickadee

Scissors, markers, tape

Chopsticks

Large Cardboard platform

String

Cardboard tubes

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).

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