I have the privilege of doing Assemblies every two weeks with Hawkesdown House School in Kensington. Here are some rules of thumb:
1. Make it interactive. On an Assembly on the topic of Lent, I had five children come up to the front and hold sweets in their hands - which they were NOT allowed to eat - while I told the story of Jesus in the wilderness. The children then talked about whether they were tempted to eat their sweets, how they resisted temptation, and so on. The fact that "everyone was watching" was listed as one thing that helped them resist. This could be an interesting jumping-off point for a longer discussion about sin. Unfortunately, Hawkesdown assemblies are only 10 minutes and include children as young as 3, so I could only briefly touch on the point ("interesting - I wonder how Jesus managed in the desert when there was NOBODY watching!") before finishing up.
For my Pentecost assembly tomorrow, I'm going to ask them how to say "God loves you" in different languages - there's a large international contingent at that school, plus language education from an early age, so I should get a fair number of responses (I'm going to bring a crib sheet, though, just in case). We're going to practice saying "God loves you" in each language, all together, before everyone chooses their favourite and we say it together in ALL the languages to finish.
2. Give it a visual focus. A puppet, a picture (as big as you can make it - at least A3 size),a storytelling doll (they're available for several different stories, not just Easter), a feltboard for Beulah Land storytelling, an icon, a banner - there are many ways to do this. But a visual focus engages children as well as expanding their vocabulary of Christian imagery.
3. Include time for quiet reflection. I personally find this scary. I'm more comfortable with having my time with children be active and dynamic - the kids talking, singing, laughing, busily making stuff. I find it hard to step back and say "now we're going to do nothing" and trust that it will be meaningful. But it will be. Introduce it slowly - start by encouraging them to sit comfortably (maybe with their hands on their knees, palms facing up, in a meditation pose) and close their eyes, to clear their minds and focus on listening to God. Give this time a clear beginning and ending - lighting and extinguishing a candle, perhaps, or hitting a triangle to start and finish the prayer time. At first, try for 30 seconds of quiet, then work your way up to a minute or two. You can close with a communal prayer, such as the Lord's Prayer. I use "keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye. Hide us under the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 17:8).
4. Don't be afraid of a formula. You don't need to re-invent the wheel every time. As long as you do it well, there's nothing wrong with "story, discussion/activity, quiet reflection" as a consistent structure to your assembly. Kids are a lot more comfortable with routine than adults are, and as long as the content is engaging, they won't get bored.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
More ideas for Under-5's.
1. The Lost Sheep. For the parable of the lost sheep, I hid ten cardboard cutout pictures of sheep around our nursery room. (I left a list of where they were hidden for the nursery teacher, as I figured it would defeat the purpose of the parable if they couldn't find all the sheep!!) Children heard the parable, wondered about it, and were then sent to find the lost sheep. When they found one, the whole class stopped and cheered for the sheep that had been found. Once all the sheep were found, if some children hadn't yet had the chance to find one, the teacher brought everyone back to the carpet and re-hid the sheep. When I checked with the teacher after church, she said, "they LOVED this game. We played it FOUR TIMES." And all the sheep were safely gathered in!
2. Our sessions follow the basic model of Godly Play, but I'm somewhat hampered by the fact that we share our nursery space with a secular nursery, who uses the room from Monday to Friday. So the room is full of secular toys and books, and we can't fill it with Godly Play materials that stay in the same place from week to week. So what I did instead, for more than a year, was give each week a theme, based around the story they were working with that week. There were some structured activities available for the children who wanted them, and free play, linked to that week's theme. For example, the week they were doing Noah's Ark, there would be a water table with toy boats - the week they were doing the parable of the sower, there would be seeds and dirt. But I'm starting to think that this approach is flawed in some ways. When I've been leading the youngest class, they tend not to engage with the sacred objects as much as I hope they would.
I think this is partly because too many of the sacred objects are new and different each week. Too many of them are structured; Rebecca Nye warns of lessons in which the creativity of the leader gets in the way of the creativity of the child, and I think some of my ideas for activities fell into that trap. And I think this is partly because the brightly coloured plastic toys, and the books with familiar characters such as Peter Rabbit, Maisie, Peppa Pig, and so on, distract the child from taking the risk of engaging with something as odd and unfamiliar as a chalice and paten, or an icon, or a baby doll in a baptism dress.
So I'm putting away a lot of the secular toys from now on, and I'm investing in a half dozen or so wicker baskets that can take the place of focal shelves in a Godly Play room. These wicker baskets will have playsets or collections of liturgical objects in them. They will be in the same place in the room, week in and week out, so the children will know where to find them. They will not necessarily have a thematic connection to the week's story, though sometimes there will be an extra basket linked to the story of the day or the season of the year. There will be a child-sized altar, with a coloured cloth, a standing cross, an icon of the Virgin and Child (just like we have on a side table in the main church), and a candle which we light during our meditation time. I will invest in some large cushions for the book corner. And I will stop planning so many structured activities.
And we'll see what happens.
2. Our sessions follow the basic model of Godly Play, but I'm somewhat hampered by the fact that we share our nursery space with a secular nursery, who uses the room from Monday to Friday. So the room is full of secular toys and books, and we can't fill it with Godly Play materials that stay in the same place from week to week. So what I did instead, for more than a year, was give each week a theme, based around the story they were working with that week. There were some structured activities available for the children who wanted them, and free play, linked to that week's theme. For example, the week they were doing Noah's Ark, there would be a water table with toy boats - the week they were doing the parable of the sower, there would be seeds and dirt. But I'm starting to think that this approach is flawed in some ways. When I've been leading the youngest class, they tend not to engage with the sacred objects as much as I hope they would.
I think this is partly because too many of the sacred objects are new and different each week. Too many of them are structured; Rebecca Nye warns of lessons in which the creativity of the leader gets in the way of the creativity of the child, and I think some of my ideas for activities fell into that trap. And I think this is partly because the brightly coloured plastic toys, and the books with familiar characters such as Peter Rabbit, Maisie, Peppa Pig, and so on, distract the child from taking the risk of engaging with something as odd and unfamiliar as a chalice and paten, or an icon, or a baby doll in a baptism dress.
So I'm putting away a lot of the secular toys from now on, and I'm investing in a half dozen or so wicker baskets that can take the place of focal shelves in a Godly Play room. These wicker baskets will have playsets or collections of liturgical objects in them. They will be in the same place in the room, week in and week out, so the children will know where to find them. They will not necessarily have a thematic connection to the week's story, though sometimes there will be an extra basket linked to the story of the day or the season of the year. There will be a child-sized altar, with a coloured cloth, a standing cross, an icon of the Virgin and Child (just like we have on a side table in the main church), and a candle which we light during our meditation time. I will invest in some large cushions for the book corner. And I will stop planning so many structured activities.
And we'll see what happens.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Ideas for Under-5's
We have a large under-5's population at St. George's, and I've been searching for ways to engage them, from art to games to singing to many other activities.
I've found, in general, the more PHYSICAL an activity is, the better they engage with it. Here are some of the things that have worked well:
1. "Pin the Animal on the Ark" game for the story of Noah - I printed out a painting of Noah and the Ark, laminated it, printed out several pictures of animals, laminated them, and stuck blue-tack on the back. Bring in a sleeping mask, blindfold the kids one by one, and have them stick their animal onto the painting. If they manage to get the animal anywhere on the ark, the animal is safe. If not, they can take it off and try again until they manage to save the animal.
2. Also for the story of Noah, "Two by Two" is a fun game for 4- and 5-year-olds. It's basically Concentration, with animal cards - you print out a series of pictures of animals (two of each), stick them on cards, and turn them face down on a table. Children turn over two, and if they match, those animals "go two by two onto the ark" - i.e., get put to the side on a picture of the ark. If not, the child turns the cards back over and tries again, continuing until all pairs are found.
3. "Moses in the River." Cake decorating shops often have little plastic cradles and little plastic babies, about 2 or 3 inches long. Glue the baby into the cradle and make a fishing rod out of a dowel, string, and a cuphook. Alternatively, you can stick a magnet on top of each cradle and a magnet to the end of the fishing rod. Fill a plastic tub with water and set your Moses dolls floating. Children take turns to "pull Moses out of the river."
4. Killing Monsters. This idea came from my mother, Christian educator Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. With a large picture of Goliath on the wall (you can easily draw it yourself - it doesn't need to be a great work of art) have children throw Silly Putty, or small pebbles, or, if you're outside, water balloons, at the picture of Goliath.
5. "The New Family." I used this for the Ruth story, as the central images of that story are family and wheat - symbolic of life and sustenance. The children brought in pictures of their family and I provided picture frames (which I made out of paper - if you have the time, the kids can make them out of craft sticks, or, if you're feeling energetic, you can make nice ones out of cardboard, stick magnets on the back, and have the kids paint them first). I also provided pasta, oatmeal, and rice, to go with the grain/wheat imagery of the story. At the bottom of the frame were the words "where you go, I will go - your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Children decorated the frames with the pasta, oatmeal and rice, and put in their pictures of their family. (Note: Ruth provides a good jumping-off point for a discussion about different kinds of families! "Ruth lived with her mother-in-law and her husband. Sarah in our class lives with her mummy and her grandmother. Billy in our class lives with his mommies. Joey in our class lives with his mummy and daddy and sister and dog." And so on.)
6. Crowning the Queen. For the story of Esther. One child is given a crown to wear and one to hold. That child is Ahasueras. When the music starts, the child begins walking around the outside of the circle. When the music stops, the child puts the crown on whoever they're standing behind, and that person is Esther. Everyone shouts "Long live the King and Queen!", then you pick another King and do it all over again. You COULD have "Esther" suddenly become "Ahasueras" and pick a new "Esther," a la Duck Duck Goose, but that might be a bit confusing.
I've found, in general, the more PHYSICAL an activity is, the better they engage with it. Here are some of the things that have worked well:
1. "Pin the Animal on the Ark" game for the story of Noah - I printed out a painting of Noah and the Ark, laminated it, printed out several pictures of animals, laminated them, and stuck blue-tack on the back. Bring in a sleeping mask, blindfold the kids one by one, and have them stick their animal onto the painting. If they manage to get the animal anywhere on the ark, the animal is safe. If not, they can take it off and try again until they manage to save the animal.
2. Also for the story of Noah, "Two by Two" is a fun game for 4- and 5-year-olds. It's basically Concentration, with animal cards - you print out a series of pictures of animals (two of each), stick them on cards, and turn them face down on a table. Children turn over two, and if they match, those animals "go two by two onto the ark" - i.e., get put to the side on a picture of the ark. If not, the child turns the cards back over and tries again, continuing until all pairs are found.
3. "Moses in the River." Cake decorating shops often have little plastic cradles and little plastic babies, about 2 or 3 inches long. Glue the baby into the cradle and make a fishing rod out of a dowel, string, and a cuphook. Alternatively, you can stick a magnet on top of each cradle and a magnet to the end of the fishing rod. Fill a plastic tub with water and set your Moses dolls floating. Children take turns to "pull Moses out of the river."
4. Killing Monsters. This idea came from my mother, Christian educator Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. With a large picture of Goliath on the wall (you can easily draw it yourself - it doesn't need to be a great work of art) have children throw Silly Putty, or small pebbles, or, if you're outside, water balloons, at the picture of Goliath.
5. "The New Family." I used this for the Ruth story, as the central images of that story are family and wheat - symbolic of life and sustenance. The children brought in pictures of their family and I provided picture frames (which I made out of paper - if you have the time, the kids can make them out of craft sticks, or, if you're feeling energetic, you can make nice ones out of cardboard, stick magnets on the back, and have the kids paint them first). I also provided pasta, oatmeal, and rice, to go with the grain/wheat imagery of the story. At the bottom of the frame were the words "where you go, I will go - your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Children decorated the frames with the pasta, oatmeal and rice, and put in their pictures of their family. (Note: Ruth provides a good jumping-off point for a discussion about different kinds of families! "Ruth lived with her mother-in-law and her husband. Sarah in our class lives with her mummy and her grandmother. Billy in our class lives with his mommies. Joey in our class lives with his mummy and daddy and sister and dog." And so on.)
6. Crowning the Queen. For the story of Esther. One child is given a crown to wear and one to hold. That child is Ahasueras. When the music starts, the child begins walking around the outside of the circle. When the music stops, the child puts the crown on whoever they're standing behind, and that person is Esther. Everyone shouts "Long live the King and Queen!", then you pick another King and do it all over again. You COULD have "Esther" suddenly become "Ahasueras" and pick a new "Esther," a la Duck Duck Goose, but that might be a bit confusing.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
People, Look East!
We had a wonderful Christmas Pageant on Sunday, with our largest congregation in a long time - 163, including the cast.
I'd particularly like to thank Father Michael, Father Robert, Andrew Wells and the choir, Liz Webster (for use of her sewing machine), Alison and Ben Watson (for sandwiches at rehearsals), Emma Chorley, Megan Bonetti, and all the parents, as well as Gretchen Wolff Pritchard and Malcolm Houston for behind-the-scenes support.
We received dozens of positive comments about the pageant, and I felt it was a very rich and moving experience, with real spiritual power.
The cast was as follows:
Eve: Sydney Broxson
Adam: Richard Emanuel
Mary: Cordelia James
Joseph: Hector Worsley
Ox: Stan Pikovsky
Donkeys: Tom Lloyd, Thomas Chorley
Angel of the Lord: Margaret Houston
Jesus: Joseph Boundy
Angels: Tilly James, Boo O'Neill, Margot Worsley, Serena Janssens, Henry Thornton
Shepherds: Ted O'Neill (lead shepherd), Monty Brown, Ridley Brown, Hillary Brown, May Lyster, Flora Lyster, Becky Barrow, Robert Chorley, Benjamin Broxson, Emma Chorley, Alice Lloyd.
Sheep: Matilda Worsley, Naomi Boundy, Edward Chorley, George Lyster
Readers: Cordelia James, Stan Pikovsky, Margot Worsley, Benjamin Broxson, Sydney Broxson
Soloists: Tom Lloyd, Stan Pikovsky, Ted O'Neill, Matilda Worsley, Tilly James, Serena Janssens
Organist: Andrew Wells
Celebrant: The Rev. Robert Thompson
Deacon: The Rev. Michael Fuller
We have a few photos of the pageant to share with you - unfortunately, the camera's batteries were dying during the service, so there are only a very few, and the zoom function, which takes lots of power, wasn't able to be used.
"Go, tell it on the mountain / That Jesus Christ is born!"
Swapping over the real baby for the doll, once the baby had had enough.
"This have I done for my true love!"
The cast in place, ready to begin. That's Adam and Eve behind the altar.
I'd particularly like to thank Father Michael, Father Robert, Andrew Wells and the choir, Liz Webster (for use of her sewing machine), Alison and Ben Watson (for sandwiches at rehearsals), Emma Chorley, Megan Bonetti, and all the parents, as well as Gretchen Wolff Pritchard and Malcolm Houston for behind-the-scenes support.
We received dozens of positive comments about the pageant, and I felt it was a very rich and moving experience, with real spiritual power.
The cast was as follows:
Eve: Sydney Broxson
Adam: Richard Emanuel
Mary: Cordelia James
Joseph: Hector Worsley
Ox: Stan Pikovsky
Donkeys: Tom Lloyd, Thomas Chorley
Angel of the Lord: Margaret Houston
Jesus: Joseph Boundy
Angels: Tilly James, Boo O'Neill, Margot Worsley, Serena Janssens, Henry Thornton
Shepherds: Ted O'Neill (lead shepherd), Monty Brown, Ridley Brown, Hillary Brown, May Lyster, Flora Lyster, Becky Barrow, Robert Chorley, Benjamin Broxson, Emma Chorley, Alice Lloyd.
Sheep: Matilda Worsley, Naomi Boundy, Edward Chorley, George Lyster
Readers: Cordelia James, Stan Pikovsky, Margot Worsley, Benjamin Broxson, Sydney Broxson
Soloists: Tom Lloyd, Stan Pikovsky, Ted O'Neill, Matilda Worsley, Tilly James, Serena Janssens
Organist: Andrew Wells
Celebrant: The Rev. Robert Thompson
Deacon: The Rev. Michael Fuller
We have a few photos of the pageant to share with you - unfortunately, the camera's batteries were dying during the service, so there are only a very few, and the zoom function, which takes lots of power, wasn't able to be used.
Swapping over the real baby for the doll, once the baby had had enough.
"This have I done for my true love!"
The cast in place, ready to begin. That's Adam and Eve behind the altar.
Friday, 26 November 2010
What children need.
Sorry this blog has been dead lately – I’ve been in Christmas Pageant Admin Hell, otherwise known as “sorting out the cast list and making sure everyone has a costume.”
Anyway, I’ve been to a few seminars over the last few weeks and read a few letters from the Diocese, and it’s gotten me thinking, which has led to the following list:
What do children need to grow in faith?
Feel free to add your own ideas. This list is in no particular order.
1. To feel that they belong, are known, and are welcomed.
2. Storytelling that is active and engaging.
3. Repetition. Both in story and song and in traditions. When a child can enter into a festival again and again, year after year, and come to know it in all its layers through the repetition of hallowed traditions, that is a powerful tool for learning about the faith and for experiencing God’s presence.
4. Challenging texts that they may not understand completely, but which they know and can come to understand.
5. Christianity proclaimed joyfully and unblushingly as good news – but with its historic (and current) sins and prejudices acknowledged when the children become old enough to know about them and demand accountability.
6. Creativity in responding to stories.
7. A chance to be recognised in the church community not just as recipients of ministry but as leaders who can minister to others.
8. A sense of ownership of the church space – to be allowed to move around it, discover it, touch it, and be present in it, often outside of Sunday mornings. I once said you never feel you really belong to a church until you find yourself setting up chairs for something – then you know you’ve arrived and become part of the community. For children, that sense of ownership can be found in rehearsals in the church space, special events like Messy Church on a weekend when the church is theirs and theirs alone, participating in a choir concert in the church, and so on.
9. Deliberate silliness, when liturgically appropriate. Skits on Shrove Tuesday, patronal festival picnics, getting the vicar to dress up in something silly at a Twelfth Night Party, and so on. Not used to trivialise solemn joy, but to elevate the silly seasons.
10. Allegories. With a few caveats – the allegories must not beat them over the head with their meaning, and they must stand on their own as stories, not just as alternative vehicles for the Christian story. A few examples (mostly stolen from my mother) – The Red Balloon, The Selfish Giant, The Flower of Life, Pilgrim’s Progress, the Narnia chronicles.
11. Time off, within the church community, to foster friendships with other children. This ties in with number one. Breaks in Christmas pageant rehearsals are important – they give children a chance to bond with one another and create real friendships at church. This builds community.
12. To be taken seriously.
13. To be listened to.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Storytelling
This cartoon, I think almost accidentally, gets exactly to the heart of how to make faith a living thing for children - stimulate their imaginations. I've been reading Gerard Jones' Killing Monsters: why children need fantasy, superheroes, and make-believe violence, and the author stresses over and over that children use stories to work through issues of power and aggression and to have mastery over these concepts. By identifying with Superman, a powerless child feels powerful and confident - by working through feelings of anger, rage, or hatred in make-believe, a child learns that they control these feelings, rather than are controlled by them.
The story of Moses is the story of the weak and powerless triumphing over both more powerful people and the powerful forces of nature. Moses is enslaved and afraid when God first speaks to him - "how on Earth is Pharaoh going to listen to ME?" If we are doing our job, children will identify with him. They will feel his fear in the face of Pharaoh. They will fear his hope against hope when Pharaoh gives in. They will feel his panic at the shore of the Red Sea - all these people in your charge, and Pharaoh's Army behind you! All these lives for you to save! It is at this moment that Moses, with God's help, tears off his Clark Kent persona and becomes Superman - if we are doing our job, this moment is as thrilling as any in a comic book or a TV show, any in a fairy tale or Disney movie. The third-act reveal, the deus ex machina, is a cliche for a reason - it works. Just when everything seems lost, a hidden power is unleashed and the hero is triumphant.
Let your kids enjoy the chase scenes, the special effects, the more Hollywood-esque aspects of the Bible. That's what makes it thrilling. That's what makes kids identify with it. That's what makes it meaningful to them.
In this cartoon, the pastor looks unimpressed. He should be jumping for joy - he's gotten through to that kid, and that kid has claimed the stories of the faith as his own. That's a victory! It's what we're here for!
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