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?