Respond to the Word

For children

Finger paint harvest

Enlarge the ear of wheat template and photocopy and cut out two copies on thin card for each child. They should use yellow finger paints to make thumbprints to colour in the first one. The second ear is left blank. Both heads are then attached to yellow straws and set to one side for the prayer activity (see Active prayers ).

Join the company

For this activity you will need to decide on your preferred method for making a pipe cleaner figure. (Instructions may be found on www.familyfun.go.com .) You will need up to four pipe cleaners per child and a selection of different coloured tissue paper, scraps of material and lengths of wool.

Give each child pipe cleaners and show them how to make a figure. (Younger children could be given a ready-made figure.) Then suggest that they dress their figure in modern clothes. When the figures are dressed, place them alongside the figures in Bible dress around the cross in the sand tray. Make the point that the disciples were some of the first people who were drawn to Jesus, but today he is still drawing people from all over the world into a right relationship with God.

Grain — ground — grow

Remind children of Jesus’ words in John 12.24 as follows:

Before the grain of wheat is planted it is a single grain on its own. (On the command ‘grain’ children walk around the room separately.)

It falls into the earth and dies. (On the command ‘ground’ they drop to the floor.)

But then it grows and multiplies. (On the command ‘grow’, they get into groups and hold hands.)

Repeat the exercise as a game, telling the children the size of group they must multiply into, for example ‘grow into threes’, ‘grow into fours’. Each time when the groups have formed, those who aren’t part of a group are out.

Stardust mission

On 7 February 1999, Nasa launched the spaceship Stardust with a mission to capture comet dust and bring it to earth. You will find up-to-date information of the mission on the children’s section of the Nasa website. Visit the website and use the information you find there to compile a short multiple choice quiz suitable for the ability level of your group. (There is a ready-made multiple choice quiz on comets and the stardust mission in the ‘Tails of Wonder’ section of the site.)

Talk with the children about the mission and do the quiz (on-line if possible). Chat about how humans will benefit from the success of this mission. (We will know a lot more about comets). Compare with how we benefit from the success of Jesus’ mission.

For young people

Love tracks

Give each young person a quiz sheet on which to name the song, group/artist and state what it says about love. Use a love compilation album and play 10 different song introductions. Each correct answer would be worth a point.

Hear hear

Ask the young people to work in threes and name each other A, B and C. Ask A and C to sit back to back. A is invited to draw a picture, B has to give verbal instructions to C and C has to try to produce the same picture using only the instructions given. Discuss the importance of clear messages and of active listening rather than just hearing.

Reality ring tones

Give each young person a different action, words or phrases such as ‘save the world’ ‘love and care’, ‘life is tough’ and ask them to make up a ring tone, that would convey that feeling to others. You may wish to have some percussion and homemade instruments ready for use. A tape recorder to record the final tones and explanations could be available for each group to use.