Ideas that children can do before the programme starts. Suitable for children's work, where children gradually drop in.
Today God comes to Abraham and Abraham receives Him full of hospitality - a freshly baked loaf of bread, delicious veal, butter, milk, a place in the shade, washed feet. There is no end to it!
What do you need:
- nice pillows / cushions - A basin with warm water - towels - wipes to clean their hands with - tasty snacks and special drinks
What do you do:
Do: When the children come in, one of the leaders is ready to wash their feet.
Then they can sit on a cushion and another leader comes to clean their hands with warm towels. After this they get some nice snacks and special drinks.
It is already a big party and the children who come in later complain that they are so late!
Using this secular YouTube film you can talk with the children about the Bible story of Joseph reconciling with his brothers in Egypt
A ladybird dreams of being a bee and collecting pollen. But when he does meet a bee, it takes his toy away and stamps on it. Then the bee flies away. As he flies away he loses all his pollen and flies into a plant. The ladybird comes to help him, and they end up becoming good friends. The ladybird rides on the back of the bee, and together they collect lots of pollen. This works so well that all the other bees end up collecting pollen with a ladybird on their backs.
So what makes this film suitable for a discussion on the story of Joseph reconciling his brothers?
Just like the ladybird, Joseph had a dream. He dreamt that everyone would bow down to him one day. His brothers were like the bee – to start with they ignored him and treated him very badly. It seemed that there was no chance that his dream would come true.
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Step 1 – This is what I really want to achieve… (5 minutes)
What do you need: - a soft foam ball - basket or rubbish bin
What do you do: One of the leaders holds the basket or bin high above his or her head. The children can then take it in turns to try and throw the ball into the basket while answering the following question – “This is what I really want to achieve…”
Tell the children – it’s good to have dreams, and to try to achieve things – for example winning at football or learning to swim, or playing a lovely piece of music. Sometimes we have to work really hard to reach our goals, and keep on trying until we succeed.
Step 2: Watch the video ‘Buggy’ together (5 minutes)
Step 3: Joseph’s four keys
What do you need: - four large envelopes, each with a picture of a key on them - four sheets of paper with the following words: 1 - ‘giving’ 2 - ‘don’t take revenge’ 3 - ‘show love’ 4 - ‘see God’
What do you do:
Tell the children: "This ladybird is a bit like Joseph. Just like the ladybird, Joseph had a dream. He dreamt that everyone would bow down to him one day. His brothers were like the bee – to start with they ignored him and treated him very badly. It seemed that there was no chance that his dream would come true – was there?"
Joseph discovered four keys to life that really helped him not to become bitter, but to touch his brothers’ hearts. Keys that eventually turned the situation completely around, and resulted in his whole family being reunited.
Let’s look at the four keys:
Show the children the four envelopes – open them one by one and talk with the children about the ‘key’ inside:
‘Generous’ – Joseph has a generous attitude towards his brothers – he gives them clothes, money, wagons, fertile land in Egypt, food. * - Question for the children: how hard or easy do you find it to be generous to others?
‘Don’t take revenge’ – Joseph could have made life very difficult for his brothers because of his position of power. But he doesn’t take revenge. * - Question for the children: have you ever taken revenge on someone?
‘Show love’ – Joseph chooses to love his brothers, not hate them. * - Question for the children: How do you show love in your life?
‘See God’ – Joseph chooses to see God’s hand in all that has happened to him, and to be thankful for what God has done. * - Question for the children: How was Joseph able to see God’s hand in his life, even during the hard times?
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