Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Scented Play Dough
Materials: homemade play dough (flour, salt, cream of tartar, oil, water, extract/essential oil), ziplock bags
Before the session make scented play dough: Mix 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, and 1 tablespoon cream of tartar. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 or 2 teaspoons of a scented extract or essential oil. You could choose lemon, peppermint, lavender, or another pleasant scent. Add 3/4 cup hot water and stir mixture over medium heat until a ball of dough forms. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. Make enough dough for each child to have a large enough ball to form shapes. Store in ziplock bags. Guide the kids to use their balls of dough to form vases, bowls, or other containers. Tell them that a fragrant substance is important in today’s Bible story. Tell kids to place their sculptures or balls of dough in ziplock bags to take home.
Live It Out
Game – “Foot” Ball
Materials: tennis balls or large paper wads, masking tape, permanent marker, plastic hoops
Write each word of the verse on a strip of masking tape. Tape a word to each ball. Lay two hoops (side by side) at one end of the game area. Place all the “word balls” in one of the hoops. Gather the kids at the end of the game area opposite from the hoops. On your signal, one kid runs down to the hoops and sits on the floor near them. The child finds the first word of the Bible verse and uses his feet to pick up and move the first word from one hoop to the other one. After he moves the word, he stands and runs back to the group. The next child runs to the hoops, finds and moves the second word with her feet, and then runs back to the group. Continue until all words have been moved from one hoop to the next. Say the verse together and talk about how Mary showed love to Jesus.
Tips: (1) Children may want to remove their shoes and move the balls with sock feet. (2) If you have a large group and all the words are moved before all kids have a turn, continue the game by moving the words in order back to the first hoop.
Craft – Perfume Bottle Reminder
Materials: cardboard tubes (3-4 inches in length), craft paper or other lightweight paper, scissors, markers, clear tape, scented essential oil or extract with eyedropper, other art supplies (optional)
Distribute the cardboard tubes, one per child. Tell kids to cut a piece of craft paper that will fit around the cardboard tube and extend about 2 inches beyond one end. Tell the kids to print the Life Point on their cut piece of paper. Then they can wrap the paper around the tube (with words facing out) and tape the paper around the tube. Tape one edge to the tube, with one end of the paper flush with one end of the tube; wrap the paper around the tube and tape the other edge down to the tube. Wrap one or two lengths of tape over the flush edge of the paper and tube to secure it to that end. Guide kids to twist the paper extending beyond the other end of the tube. Twist gently to make a closure (like one end of a Christmas cracker). After the perfume “bottle” is complete, tell kids to drop a few drops of oil or extract on the inside of the tube (using the open end). Talk about the Bible story and the significance of Mary’s gift. If you choose, provide ribbons, stickers, and other art supplies to decorate the “bottles.”
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Emojis
Materials: yellow paper circles, paper scraps, markers, glue sticks, scissors
Show the materials and suggest kids use the materials to create various emojis. They can create emojis to represent different emotions. After kids have completed their work, ask each one to show her emoji and talk about the emotion represented. Tell kids that in the Bible story today people will show different emotions.
Live It Out
Game – Cube Stack
Materials: wide craft sticks (one per kid), 6 numbered cubes, timer
Group the kids into two teams. Hand the 6 cubes to a team member on Team 1. Set the timer for 30 seconds. Guide the player to hold a craft stick in his mouth and stack the cubes on the stick, one on the other. He can try to stack and hold the cubes until the timer sounds. When the timer sounds, tell him to take whatever cubes are on his stick and roll them. Add up the numbers. Ask the team a review question. If they answer correctly, the team is awarded the number of points he rolled. Repeat with Team 2. Alternate teams until all questions have been answered. Total the points for each team. Talk about the Life Point and how people can choose to show love for God through their actions.
Craft – Choice Coin
Materials: heavyweight paper, scissors, thin markers or colored pens and pencils
Guide kids to cut out circles from the heavyweight paper. They can print the Life Point on one side of the circle and the Bible Verse on the other side of the coin. Encourage them to add other designs as they choose. Talk about making choices to show love to God. Tell kids to use their “coins” as reminders when they think about their actions and choose ones that show love to God. Tell kids they can carry the coins in their pockets or backpacks.
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