Your Basket: There are no items in your basket
Your Basket: There are no items in your basket
Emmanuel... assemblies for Christmas
A musical and dramatic retelling of the Christmas story
Mark Baxter
Introduction
The aims for this unit of work are that children should be able to:
For assessment, the focus is on:
Preparation
You will find the stories and illustrations in the following books from Barnabas useful and in particular the first on this list:
Celebrations Make and Do by Gillian Chapman (p16-17) the story of Holy Week with a craft idea to decorate and make special colourful eggs.
Love is full of surprises
Love is full of surprises by Jenny Hyson (p 46ff) The battle between love and hate. This is suitable for young children and suggests some very simple and helpful visual aids to tell the story.
Easy ways to Bible Fun for the Very Young by Vicki Howie (p61ff) 'Jump for joy in the garden'. This includes an action-based retelling of the Easter story for young children.
Special times with God by Anne Faulkner (p19ff.) This explores the symbols and ceremonies of Holy Week with activities and ideas for talking about the Easter story.
The Easter Alphabet
The Easter Alphabet by Anne Faulkner – Easter stories explored through characters and events linked to the letters of the alphabet, including pictures that build up into a large stained-glass window frieze of the Easter story.
Syllabus Builders by Diane Walker (p70-88) – includes R.E. Lesson plans for Reception/Foundation and Key Stage 1 on the story of Easter.
Let's find out about Jesus by Stephanie Jeffs and Jenny Tulip (p48) the story of Palm Sunday in a simple rhythmical retelling with a bold colourful picture.
Easter Make and Do by Gillian Chapman – Eleven Craft ideas to bring the story of Easter to life
Bible Make and Do Book 4 by Gillian Chapman (p28-29) the first Easter with a craft idea to make a cross on a stained glass effect card.
Bible Make and Do Book 2 by Gillian Chapman (p30-31) Jesus is alive; instructions to make a simple miniature Easter garden.
Development
Here is a sequence of possible activities.
Step 1: What do we mean by ‘new life’?
Walk around the school grounds and identify examples of new life such as buds opening, bulbs growing, shoots appearing etc… Create a display – grow cress and bulbs in the classroom.
Children can then make careful drawings (using pastels to draw spring flowers in detail) and add to the display.
Discuss with the children what is happening at this time of year – ‘new life’ in the countryside.
Children could produce a spring ‘new life’ dance – i.e. children curl and stretch safely and with control, producing simple movements to show signs of new life (e.g. buds opening, shoots coming out of the ground, daffodil flowers opening etc…)
Step 2: Why is an egg an important symbol of new life?
Look at an egg and discuss the life cycle of a chicken. Talk about eggs hatching and new life, baby chicks. This may be an opportunity to visit a local farm and look at chickens/eggs and chicks. Or watch a video of eggs hatching. What is their reaction? How do they feel? Why do they think the egg is used as a symbol of new life?
Activities
i Make a hatching chick using card and a split pin.
ii Express ideas of new life emerging from an egg by creating a sequence of movements to music.
Step 3: Why are Easter eggs given?
nb: even before Christian times, gifts of eggs were exchanged at springtime. The Greeks, Chinese and Persians all gave one another eggs to celebrate new life in nature
Show a boxed Easter egg – compare this to a normal egg. Ask questions about it. What is it? What is it for? Who uses them and why? When are they given? Why? What does it help people think about?
Show the different variety of eggs that are given.
Make papier-mâché eggs and decorate with patterns/ symbols of a springtime celebration of new life.
Step 4: Why do Christian give eggs as a symbol of the Easter story?
nb: for Christians the egg became a picture of Jesus rising to new life from his dark tomb.
Read a short version of the Easter story (see the suggested Barnabas books above). Link the children to ideas about new life and Christian beliefs. Explain therefore the significance of Christians giving Easter eggs.
Painted eggs that have been blown and painted wooden eggs are a popular gift at Easter in Eastern Europe in particular. There are a variety of styles and colours used that are symbolic of the meaning of Easter for Christians. For more details about these refer to web sites that carry pictures and further information on painted Easter eggs. There is also a helpful story and details about these colours and symbols in The Complete Guide to Godly Play Volume 4 p74ff, which can be purchased from BRF on this website.
