The Garden of Eden

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on 14th November 2015. Have a look and try a few!

Playdoh People

Make some people out of the playdoh

God made people to live in the world

What is the most amazing thing about you?  Thank God for making you.

Breath Prayer

Decorate a fan with a picture of the Garden of Eden or of anything else you want to

God breathed life into people

As you fan yourself, feel the air move over your face and body.  Thank God for giving you life.

 Edible Garden of Eden

Cover a wafer biscuit with green cream cheese.  Stand on it 2 jelly babies for Adam and Eve and a cheese string for a tree

God made the world to be a beautiful place

What do you think is the best thing about the world that God has made?

Colouring pictures

Colour in one of these pictures of the Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden was a beautiful place.

What is the most beautiful place you have been to?

Name the animal

Guess which is the right name for this knitted hippo from the list.  The answer will be revealed at the end.  The person with the right name will win the hippo.

God told people to give names to the animals

What is your favourite animal?

Name the animal quiz

Can you name these different animals from the pictures of their eyes?  Their is a list to help you if you get stuck.

God told people to give names to the animals

What is your favourite animal?

Tie Snakes

Attach eyes to the tie.  Then stuff the tie to make a snake.  Fasten the end to keep the stuffing in.

The snake tricked Eve to do the wrong thing, to eat the fruit that God had said not to take

Do you ever do something, even though you have been told not to do it?

Clay snakes

Make a snake out of clay.  Leave it to dry hard.

The snake tricked Eve to do the wrong thing, to eat the fruit that God had said not to take

Why do you think Eve did what the snake said?

The Tree of Knowledge

DO NOT TOUCH

YOU MUST LEAVE THESE BAGS OF SWEETS ON THE TREE

God  told Adam and Eve not to touch the fruit on the tree of knowledge

Are you feeling tempted to take one? 

Fruit tasting

Can you tell what the different fruit are by tasting them?

Eve ate the fruit from the tree that God had told them not to touch

What fruit do you like to eat?

Fruit printing

Use the fruit to make a stamp.  Put paint on it to stamp it on the paper.

Eve ate the fruit from the tree that God had told them not to touch

Which fruit makes the best stamp?

Adam and Eve

Put leather tunics on the wooden people, add a face and some wool hair. Make a snake out of pipe cleaners around a lolly stick. All 3 can then be put in a ball of clay to keep them in place.

Adam and Eve didn’t wear clothes until they disobeyed God.  Once things had gone wrong they knew they were naked.  God made clothes for them out of animal skins.

If you had to make clothes for yourself, what would you use?

Messed up world

This is a picture of the world.  Put something on it to mess it up

When people disobeyed God they messed up the world

Can you think of a way in which the world is messed up?

Plant Bulbs

Plant a bulb in a pot

Because they had disobeyed him God said that people would have to work hard to be able to live

Take the bulb home with you and keep it until it grows and flowers

Shoebox

If you have brought a shoebox or gifts for Operation Christmas Child you can leave them here

Help to wrap a shoebox to be filled with gifts

Girls hairband

Wrap ribbon around the hairband with a few glue dots to keep it in place. You can also stick sequins on.

The hairband will go in a shoebox.  These are given to children around the world who don’t get any other Christmas presents.

Joseph in Egypt

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on 10th October 2015. Have a look and try a few!

Fat cows and thin cows

Take a tube and attach legs, a head and a tail to make a cow.  You can make a fat cow and a thin cow.

Pharaoh had a strange dream about fat cows and thin cows.  The thin cows ate the fat cows. 

Do you ever dream about cows?  Or do you dream about any other animals?

Corn sheaf

Take some straw and tie it into a sheaf of corn

Pharaoh had a dream about ears of corn.  The thin ones swallowed up the full ones.  God told Joseph what this strange dream meant.

Have you seen corn growing in a field?  Did it have thin ears or fat ones?

Barns

You need three pieces of card – two sides and a roof.  One of the sides should have a door in.  Fold them along the dotted lines.  Then stick them together to make a barn.

Joseph told Pharaoh to store up grain during the years of plenty ready to use in the years of famine

Can you think of other things that we store up to use in the future?

 

Gold chains

Cut the gold ribbon into pieces.  Tie one piece into a circle.  Loop the next piece through the circle and tie it.  Keep going ‘til it is long enough to put round your neck

Pharaoh made Joseph the governor over the whole of Egypt.  He gave him a special ring, a linen robe and a gold chain around his neck

What clothes do people wear now so that they look important?

Headdress

Cut blue and yellow strips to the right size and stick them on to the silver headdress in stripes.  Stick on a diamond.  Thread a piece of elastic through the holes so that it can go round your head.

Joseph was second in importance in Egypt only to Pharaoh

Do you have any hats?  What do you use them for?

Grain collage

Stick on different grains to fill in the picture

During the famine people came from all around to buy corn from Joseph.  Joseph’s brothers came too.

Where do you go to buy food?

Bread

Knead the bread dough and shape it into a roll.  Put it into a plastic bag and take it home to cook it.  Make sure you take some cooking instructions with you.

The brothers took corn back to their father to make flour and bake bread from it

What sort of bread do you like best?

 

Where have you come from?

Can you find on the map where you came to Messy Church from today?  Mark it on with a felt tip.  If it is not on these maps write it on a post it note and put it round the edge of the map.

Joseph’s brothers went on a long journey to find food

Have a look at where other people have come from.  Have other people come from somewhere near to you?  Who has come the furthest?

Journey

You can make a footprint without taking your socks off.  Make a fist with your hand. Use a finger from your other hand to coat the outside edge of your fist (the side with your pinky) with paint.  Then press it against the paper.  Add a big toe and 4 smaller toes with your finger tips.

Joseph’s brothers travelled from Hebron to Egypt which is about 400 km or 250 miles

What is the longest journey you have been on?  How did you travel – by foot or some other way?

Harvest gifts

If you have brought some food for harvest please leave it in this shopping trolley.  It will be given by the Stapleford Foodbank to people who need food

Egypt provided food to other people around them who did not have any

How can we help other people who have less than we do?

Clay cup

Mould a cup out of clay

Joseph’s brothers were invited to have a meal with him, but they still didn’t know who he was

What do you think they would have eaten and drunk at this special meal?

Friendship bands

Thread the ribbon through the ring pulls to make a wrist band.  You have to be careful how you do this so that the ring pulls stay firmly together

Or make a bracelet by plaiting the threads

Joseph’s brothers treated him badly when he was young.  But when he told his brothers who he was they became friends.  He hugged and kissed them.

Is there anyone you have been upset with who you need to make friends with again?

Jigsaws

Draw a picture on the jigsaw.  It could be of your family, or anything you like.  It can be a pattern but use plenty of colours

Joseph’s father, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces all moved to Egypt.  There were 70 of them.

If you take the jigsaw apart can you put it back together again?  Joseph’s family had been taken apart but it came back together again.

Tea Light

Draw stick people holding hands around the tealight holder

Joseph’s family were very happy to be friends again after being apart for a long time

Are there any people you have not seen for a while that you would like to meet?

Big painting

Paint this picture showing friends enjoying being together

Joseph and his family were very happy to be back together again

What do you enjoy doing with your friends?

Thanking God

At harvest time we thank God for the food he gives us

Draw a picture of something you want to thank God for on a leaf, or write a prayer to thank god for the good things he gives us

Attach the leaf to the tree.  You can do as many as you would like.  Can you cover the tree with thanks?

Joseph thanked God for turning the bad that had happened to him into good

Joseph and his brothers

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on  13th September 2015. Have a look and try a few!

Family Tree

Hold 6 pipe cleaners in a bunch and wrap the outside one half way up.  Push them into plasticine.  Fan out the branches and twist on a pencil.  Write the names of your family on the leaves and thread them on the branches

Joseph had a big family.  He had 11 brothers, and some sisters too.

How many people can you think of in your family?

Family Photo

Have your photo taken with your family and friends.  You can put the photo in the frame that you make.

Joseph had a big family.  He had 11 brothers, and some sisters too.  Only one brother was younger than him.

Are all your family here today?

Photo frame

Decorate the frame with coloured tissue paper.  Put in the photo you had taken.

Joseph had a big family.  He had 11 brothers, and some sisters too. 

Is your family big or small?

Thumbprint family

Make thumb prints onto your paper and then draw arms, legs and faces to make them into people.  They can be your family or Joseph and his 11 brothers.

Joseph had a big family.  He had 11 brothers, and some sisters too.  Only one brother was younger than him.

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

Multicoloured spinners

Colour in two circle with as many colours as you can.  Stick them to each side of a cork circle.  Thread the string through and make it spin

Joseph was given a special coat which was long and decorated

Can you make it spin so much that you can’t see the pattern anymore?  What colours can you see?

Multicoloured coat

Put coloured ribbon onto the cloth to make a multi coloured coat

Joseph’s dad loved Joseph so he gave him a long, decorated coat

Do you have a favourite coat?  What is it like?

Multicoloured coat

Decorate the gingerbread man with coloured sweets to give him a multi coloured coat

Joseph’s dad loved Joseph so he gave him a long, decorated coat

What do you think Joseph’s coat looked like?

Prayer coat

Choose a colour of paper you like.  Draw a picture of your family on it or write some names or a thankyou prayer. 

Joseph’s dad loved Joseph so he gave him a long, decorated coat

As you stick paper on the coat, thank God for the things that are special about your family.

Dream painting

Blow into the paint mixture with a straw til it is full of bubbles.  Then place your paper onto the top to make a bubble pattern. Write some of your dreams in the bubbles.

Joseph had some very clear dreams that he remembered.  He told his brothers about them.

Do you remember your dreams?

Moon and stars mobile

Stick stars onto the card spiral.  Colour in Joseph and tie him to a piece of wool.  Then thread the wool through the card so that Joseph is in the middle of the stars.

Joseph had a dream in which the sun, moon and stars bowed down to him

What do you think his family thought when he told them about the dream?

Wheatsheaf bookmark

Sew 8 or 9 stitches of yellow thread onto the felt to make a sheaf of wheat.

Joseph had a dream .  He and his brothers were tying up sheaves of wheat in a field when Joseph’s sheaf got up and stood up straight.  His brother’s sheaves formed a circle round his and bowed down to it.

Do you like this dream?  Why do you think that?

Snakes and ladders

Play a game of snakes and ladders.  Read what is in each card as you go up the ladders and down the snakes.  The blue cards are about Joseph’s life.  The green ones are questions about your life.

Joseph had ups and downs in his life.  It was up when his father gave him a special coat and down when his brothers sold him as a slave.

Have any of the ups or downs happened to you?

Down the well

Make a well out of clay and use lolly sticks to make a roof.  Make a clay Joseph in the bottom of the well.

Joseph’s brothers tore his long robe off him and threw him into a dry well.  They were angry with him.

What do you do when you are angry?

False beards

Stick fur onto the card to make a false beard

A group of Ishmaelites came by on camels on their way to Egypt.  His brothers sold Joseph to them.

How different do you look with your false beard?  Can your family recognise you?

Ruth

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on  11th July 2015. Have a look and try a few!

Badges

Write your name on one of the badges and wear it today for Messy Church

Naomi wanted to change her name to Marah because she was very sad when her husband died.  In Hebrew, Naomi means pleasant and Marah means bitter

Look in the book and see if you can find the meaning of your name

Handprint

This sheet says I believe in God.  If you are happy to say you believe in God put your handprint on the sheet.

Ruth had grown up in another country with a different religion but she wanted to stay with Naomi and she wanted Naomi’s God to be her God

What difference does it make to believe in God?

Marble chute

How many different ways can you connect the tubes to make a marble chute.

Ruth and Naomi travelled from Moab, where Ruth grew up, to Bethlehem where Naomi came from

What do you think it is like to move home from one country to another?  What would you like?  What would you find difficult?

Welcome sign

Paint Welcome onto the board

When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was excited and welcomed them

How can you welcome people into your house or school?

Grind Barley

Grind barley with the pestle and mortar to make flour

Ruth collected wheat and barley for Naomi to make flour with for bread

What foods can you think of that can be made out of flour?

Lucky dip

Put your hand into the straw and see what you can find.  You can just take one thing.

Ruth had to pick up the corn that had been left  by the harvest workers.  She had to find grain amongst the straw.

Have you picked anything that you can eat, maybe fruit or vegetables in your garden at home?

Bread

Make a bread roll.  Put it in a bag to take it home.  Take some instructions on how to cook it.

Naomi and Ruth had to make bread from the corn they picked.  It would have been a lot of work.

Do you enjoy cooking?  What do you like to make?

Scarecrow

Draw a face on a wooden spoon.  Put a brown bag over it and stuff it with straw.  Then decorate it to look like a scarecrow.

When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem the barley harvest was just beginning.  The fields were full of barley.

Have you seen fields of barley growing?  How long do you think it would take them to harvest a field by hand?

Cereal bracelets

Thread the Froot Loops onto a strawberry lace.
Tie the ends to make a bracelet.

Boaz let Ruth share the harvest workers meal of roasted grain and she even had some over to take home with her

Can you think of a time when you had more food than you could eat?

Cereal picture

Put glue all over the heart shape and then stick cereal onto it

The man who owned the fields Ruth worked in was a relative of Ruth’s.  He was responsible for taking care of Ruth and her mother in law Naomi.  He made sure they had enough grain to live on.

Which people are responsible for taking care of you?  How do they do it?

Rag blanket

Use a needle to push a piece of cloth through a hole and back again the other side

Boaz went to slip on a pile of barley.  Ruth lay down under a blanket at Boaz feet to show that she would like him to be her husband

Do you think a pile of barley made a good place to sleep?  What things help you to sleep?

Wedding ring

Paint the glass bead and thread it onto the ring band

Boaz, the man who owned the field, married Ruth

See if anyone at your table is wearing a wedding ring.  What does it look like?

Hearts

Choose colours of thread that you like and embroider the heart

Today’s story is full of people caring for each other.  Ruth showed Naomi how much she loved her when she moved back to Israel.  Ruth was from another country called Moab.

Boaz cared for Ruth.  And in it all God showed he cared for them too

What ways can you show people how much you love them?

Sock baby

Take a sock and fill it with stuffing beyond the heel.  Poke your finger to the side, fill it with a little ball of stuffing and put a rubber band over it to make an arm.  Then do the same on the other side.  Put a rubber band round the neck fill the head and then another rubber band above it.  Turn the top down to make a hat.  Wrap it in cloth.

Boaz and Ruth had a baby boy and they called him Obed.  When Obed grew up he had a son called Jesse  and when Jesse grew up he had a son called David.  David became the King of Israel.

What is it like to have a baby in your family?

Cardboard home

Ruth and Naomi’s family had died and they had moved country.  They had very little to live on.

Most of us have nice warm, clean homes.
Many children around the world don’t.   Some children have no homes, or are forced to move about from place to place.  
Sit in the box.  How would it feel to live in a box like this?
If you want to, write or draw your thoughts or prayers on the box.

Canvas bag

Do you often struggle to take all your crafts home?  You can make your own messy church bag.
Trace the logo through your bag.
Paint in the red splat.
You might want to also write @St. Helen’s or add your name.

THIS CRAFT WILL BE ON OFFER FOR A FEW MONTHS SO DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T GET TO DO IT TODAY.