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.

David and Jonathan

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

Friendship Pen

Glue and wrap different coloured wool around the pen.  The different colours can represent you and your friends.

Jonathan was the King’s son.  He met David when David came to work for his dad.

How did you meet your friends?

Pencil Topper

Cut lines in some funky foam to make hair.  Peel off the double sided tape and wrap around pencil.  Glue on eyes, draw a mouth, nose, eyebrows etc

Or you can design a pencil topper of your own

Jonathan gave David some things that were precious to him, to show what good friends they were

Choose a friend you would like to give your pencil topper to






Hearts

Take two halves of hearts, cover with glue and stick on tissue.

For each one, thread lace through the hole to form a knot then tie to form a necklace

Cover with a film of watered down glue so that it will look shiny when dry

David and Jonathan were very good friends

Keep one half and give the other half to someone special

Lego Bracelet

Fold a piece of elastic in half.  Thread the double elastic through one hole and down the next of a lego brick.  Pull elastic tight while fitting second brick (without holes) on top.  The two bricks fit together like friends do.  Tie the elastic ends together

David and Jonathan promised that they would be friends for ever

Who is the friend you have had the longest?

Sword

Wrap silver paper around the sword

Jonathan gave David some things that were precious to him.  He gave him his robe, his armour, his sword, his bow and his belt

What would you give to your friends?

Pinky promises

Draw round your hands and cut them out.  Then join the pinkies together with a split pin as if they are making a pinky promise

David promised to love Jonathan and Jonathan promised that he would always support him

Think of some things you could promise to do

Paint a stone

Paint a stone with a pattern on it

David hid behind a big stone so that no-one would see him

Do you like playing hide and seek?  What are good places to hide?

Arrow prayers

Decorate your pot. 

Then cut out some arrows (or use some that are already cut out).  Write or draw on them some things to pray for.

Take it home and each day draw out one of the arrows and talk to God about whatever is on it

Jonathan shot three arrows to give a message to David

Do you find it easy or hard to pray?





Food arrows

Cut out of the cheese a head and a tail for your arrow.

Put some icing on either end of a twiglet and stick the cheese to it.

Jonathan fired three arrows to give David a message

Bow and arrows

Take a lolly stick from the water and gently bend it.

Attach an elastic band to it in the grooves.

Make an arrow out of your cotton bud.

See if you can fire your arrow (not at any faces!)

Jonathan fired three arrows to give David a secret message.  What he shouted showed David what the message was.

How would you pass a secret message to a friend?

Facepaint tears

Have tears painted on your face

David had to leave because Jonathan’s dad was very angry with him.  They both cried when he left.

Do you ever get upset when someone leaves?

Friendship crown

Cut a band of paper to the size of your head.  Stick on the star in the middle of it.  Then decorate the rest of the paper. 

Tape the two ends of the paper together so it fits around your head

Jonathan couldn’t be with David any more so he wanted God to be with David in his place

What is it like to have God as your friend?

Clay cave

Make a cave out of clay.

After David had run away he lived in a cave so he wouldn’t be found

What would it be like to live in a cave?  What would you enjoy and what would you miss?

Canvas bag

Do you 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.