Ideas Please

[epy]

I also have posted a similar post is in chrildren's ministry. I thought that perhaps someone here would have a good idea for some activities demonstrating key concepts of the observance(see below).


I'm trying to get a lesson together(one-hour length) to teach the concept of the Jewish Sabbath to 1st-5th graders. The lesson material I have gives an opening and a closing that, to the best of my knowledge, are Jewish tradition. The only problem is that those only take about 20 mins. There is a cool slide show I found about creation. That brings me to a grand total of 25 mins. The lesson suggests some activities but they are cutesy crafts or pretty meaningful Bible study options. Why is meaningful Bible study a problem? The kids I have aren't very talkative and I don't want to sit there and lecture if I can possibly find activities that demonstrate a point. I'm not afraid of doing something really intricate. For instance I once did a Christian Seder as a lesson. However I don't have the amount of prep time I did for that, so the fewer materials I have to gather, the better. Any ideas? Suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Espada]

How many kids are there? How long will the lesson be?

 

[epy]

I estimate having between 0 and 10 kids. The lesson will be approximately one hour in length, but if no one arrives on time it could be shorter.

 

[Torah]

You might like this Shabbat in your home. Friday night starts Shabbat.

http://www.christianforums.com/t2488662-how-do-you-do-shabbat-at-your-home.html

Check out the links at the bottom of “how to Shabbat”, page.

http://www.aish.com/shabbat/

http://www.aish.com/graphics/shabbos/shabbatColoringPages.pdf

You might look for a Messianic congregation in your area and see if they might send someone to your teaching.

 

[Tishri1]

the Jewish People have soooooo many coooool stories for children about all the festivals...if it were me I would get one on the sabbath and turn it into a skit that the kids could act out as I read it to them...any bookstore will have this book, it's my favorite...http://www.jeffreyallon.com/Illustr...ren_s_Sto/ten_best_jewish_children_s_sto.html

the one on the sabbath is awesome

when Jews want to teach a deep lesson they use storytelling, what better way to teach the Shabbat of God then to use one of their own rich stories to do it

 

[Hadassah]

www.biblicalholidays.com Check that out, I won't post just the link to Shabbat, as there are many other things to glean. She has a book too, that is awesome for kids/children's ministry.

 

[Sephania]

You may want to have an activity which helps them learn about what resting on Shabbat means. You can get orzo which is a pasta used for making risotto, and (don't cook it) place it around the room in little piles and give each child a container ( old washed out margarine tubes would work or better yet and more authentic, give them little clay pots that you have stopped up the hole in with a piece of tape. ) This will represent the Manna, 'small, white, like coriander seed' and should be easy for little fingers to pick up.

Tell them the story in Exodus 16 , and explain that the L-rD tells us we work 6 days and rest on the seventh. He provides enough food for us for that seventh day so we don't have to work for it. :The Sabbath is about Him being the creator G-d and also being the G-d of Salvation, and provision. All these lessons can be taught in teaching on the Sabbath.

One thing though, please don't teach them that the Sabbath is the Jewish Sabbath. There is only one Sabbath, only one day G-d rested, or actually , ceased from all his work of Creation. And that is the seventh day. If you must destinquish it, tell them that it is the Sabbath from the Old Testament. The Sabbath was not given just to Jews, but to Israel, those who came from Egypt with them ( non- Semites) and also their very animals. There is also later on introduced a Sabbath for the land, so it is for all creation to have a rest on the Seventh day, because that is how our creator made this earth and it's inhabitants and even the land to function properly.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[epy]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll start looking through those links.

One thing though, please don't teach them that the Sabbath is the Jewish Sabbath.

What I meant by Jewish Sabbath was the way Jews practice it as opposed to other groups, not that it was uniquely Jewish.

 

[Sephania]

OK,


I did edit my post to say that what I was talking about the orzo, was to represent the manna. Sorry for an confusion.

 

[Hadassah]

What I meant by Jewish Sabbath was the way Jews practice it as opposed to other groups, not that it was uniquely Jewish.

Whilst I understand and appreciate this statement... I would like to think that we would go at the "Biblical way to celebrate and keep the Sabbath" rather than "the way Jews practise it"... because Jews aren't the only ones practising it... nor were they in Scripture...(Caleb, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah the Hittite... Timothy...)

Sure, there are uniquely Hebraic customs; but for kids, I think it is integral to hammer in the passages about keeping and preserving Shabbat first, rather than any particular customs (though I do love them!)... because the kids will otherwise get the idea that this is a "jewish thing" rather than something integral to their faith that they should also be taking care to preserve.

Know what I mean?

 

[epy]

because the kids will otherwise get the idea that this is a "jewish thing" rather than something integral to their faith that they should also be taking care to preserve.

I definately want to get across that Sabbath is not just a Jewish thing. I hope that through this lesson and other studies they will come to understand not only the importance of Sabbath but also its origins long before the church as they know it came to be. Perhaps with an additional understanding of where the pratice came from they will be able to find new meaning in their observance.

I don't know that any of that will actually happen, but it is worth dreaming/praying for.

 

[Hadassah]

Cool.

How'd it go?

 

[epy]

Cool.

How'd it go?

The lesson is not until later in July. Which is a good thing. I still need to get a Havdalah candle...and other supplies...