STATTON OB`ECTTVES STATION SETUP

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STATTON OB'ECTTVES
The children will have an opportunity to
* hear the story of Mary of Bethany anointtng Jesus to show her love
for hlm:
* identi& Mary as the slster of Martha and lzzarusi
* explore ways of offertng worshtp to God.
STATION SETUP
Cut pictures of feet and halr from magazines. Check with a hair salon
for halrstyle magazines. Mount the pictures on purple paper to
reinforce the use of purple as the liturgical color of Ifnt. Frame the
doorway wtth images of halr and feet, or use the pictures around the
room.
,
Be sure that each leader and shepherd has a copy of the Maln ldea,
Objectives, Bible Story, Bible Background, Check Your Facts, About
the Children, and Shepherd Tips (pages 3-6). These photocopies may
have been handed out at the Staff Meeting.
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Resources
pages
3-6
fupplies
piclures
olhair
leetlrom
and/or
magazines
glu€
stick
purple
paper
lacl
hpeorsticky
WANT TO DO MORE?
Supplies
pol
crock
5 wholecinnamon
sticks
Y{cupcloves
pieces
several
ol
peel
orange
2-3cupswaler
optional:dded
potpourfi,
small
00wts
To add a subtle fragranceto the room. combine the ingredients listed
as supplies to make a simple simmering potpourri. Place the
ingredientsin a crock pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer; then reduce
lt to the lowest setting. Be sure to put the crock pot in a safe place
and caution the children not to touch it.
Option: eU""
bowls of dried potpourri around the room to add
"-.ll
addittonal frasrance.
SAFETV CHECK
The church should be a place of security-a place where children
can count on things and peoplebeing reliable.
Shepherdsshould know the whereaboutsof every child in the
shepherd'sgroup, and they should know where to reach a parent in
case of an emergency.
l
Check for allergiesto any materials being used.
Encouragethe children to handle art supplies and tools senslbly.
Resources
Bibles
Supplies
(availab
alabasler
e
lromwwwenasco.
com
anosrcne
caruing
suppliers)
small
basket
gourd
BTBLESTORY
(5-lO mlnutes)
Show the children where the story is found in the Bible. John l2il-8.
Tell the story like this:
lrng ago, in Jesus'day, peoplecarried their food ln baskets
instead of paper and plasttc bags. They used gourds to make
cups and bowls, and they kept oils and perfumes in alabaster
Jars rather than in glass bottles. (Shou the chtldren the aldbdster
aftd the gourd, Pass them dround the circle.)
One ofJesus' friends, named Mary, had an alabasterbottle.
Inside that bottle was precious perfume. It had been made from
nard. a plant tiat grows in the Himalayan mountains of India. a
land very far from Bethany where Mary llved. The Jar of perfume
may have been in Mary's family for many years, savedfor a
special occasion.
One day, not long beforehis death, Jesus came to Bethany to
!'isit Mary, her sister Martha, and theii brother Lazarus. They had
a specialdinner in Jesus' honor. [n those days peoplewashed
their feet when they went to someones home for a meal, and
wealtiy hosts often offered perfumed oil for their feet as well.
Mary knew this was the rieht time to use her family's special oil.
She got out the alabasterJar, broke it open, and poured the
perfume on Jesus' feet. The wonderful smell of the perfume fflled
the whole house. Mary then took down her long hair and u/iped
Jesus' feet with her halr.
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Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, became angry! ."That perfume could
have been sold and the money given to the poor!" he said. But Jesus
told Judas to leave Maiy a_lone."She has done a good thing." Jesus
said. "You will not have me witi you forever; the poor
will be with you always. Jesus also said that
Mary was preparing his body for burial. The
disciples did not understand, but Jesus
knew that he would die soon. When
someone died, the body was anointed with
perfume aIrd spices and wiapped in cloth.
Jesus was thaildul for the kind deed that
Mary did for him.
Loveoneanolher
...
ouldooneanother
inshowing
honor.
(Romans
12:10)
Pf y: .1.".,", today we come to explorea srory
about you. You did so many wonderful things for
people,and Mary found a way to do something
kind lor you. Help us lind ways to show kindness to others.
We know that when we show love to others we are shoMng love
to you. Amen.
0ptiOn fOr 0lder Children:showthechildren
howto nndJohn
l2:l-8 tn t}le Bible. Readthe story out loud. As the unit progresses,
have the children tell the story back to you. Then read lt out loud again
to seeif they left out an)rthingor mlsunderstoodany pan of the slory.
Note
Resources
and
websites
y
areconstanl
changing.
Che*
wwwpowenpress.com
lorupdales
thatmay
helpyouinplanning.
ACTIVTTY OPTIOIUS
(45-50 minutes)
Choosefrom the suggestedacti\,'iuesas your time and the children.s
interests allow.
ForAllAges
Decoroted Perfune
Bottles
Prepare
Cover tables wlth newspapers.Water down glue to a paintable
consistency,approximatelytwo parts glue to one part .water.
WiththeChildren
Invlte children to select several colors of tissue paper and a small botde.
ForYounger
Children
The children can tear each piece of paper into small pieces. Have them
paint a coat of glue over a section of the botfle and press the ttssue paper
pleces into tie glue. Continue rvorldng un l the entire botde ls covered.
Have rhe children paint a llnal coal of glue over the entjre bortle. If
desired, sprinkle glitter over tl.e surface while the {lue is wet.
M.ry of B.thDy
arobt.
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Supplies
newspapers
g!e
water
smallconlainers
lor
g !e
watered.down
smallglass
botlles
withcaps
orcorks
(available
lrom
www.ebotlles.com
or
craflstores,
oruse
recycled
botlles)
paper
tissue
in
severalc0brs
oldpaintbrushes,
oneforeachchild
glitter
oplional:
optionaL
lavender
scented
babyoil
(lound
inlhebaby
caresection
ol
grocery
ano0ru9
slorcs)
Adaotation
for OlderChildren
Talklip
Have the children cover the entte surface of the bottle as descriibed
for younger children, but usingjust one color of tissue paper. Irt the
children cut out shapes from other colors of tissue and decoupage
these shapesto create patterns on top of tie base color
Nard,
anoinlment
made
lromanaromatic
herb,
waskeplin
alabaslerjars.
Alabaslef
isa soit,
bealtilulslone
that
resembles
marble.
option: no.r. u small amount of baby oil into each child's botfle. Be
sure to seal the bottles tightly. Baby oil is very soothing for dry
skin, Help the children think of someone to whom they can glve
their bottles of oil: a mother, grandmother,or someonewho is
homebound.
ForAllAges
Potpourri Art
Supplies
newsptnl0r
markeboard
marker
papern oeep,
neavy
richcolors
pencils
grue
polpourrl
whole
cloves
gr0un0
sprces
smallbowls
lof
potpourri
and
spices
Have the children brainstorm short phrases that express the meaning of
the story of Mary anointing Jesus. To get them started, suggest "serve
God." Other phrasescould be "show love,""be ktnd hearted,"and
"sacrifice."Recordthe phrases on newsprint or a markerboard where
they can be easlly seen by the children.
Cive each chtld a piece of hea\,ypaper and a pencil. Have each child
chooseone of the phrases or words to u,'rlte.Encouragethem to write
in large letters, filling the paper. Block letters will work best.
Irt the children create a fragfant collageby coveringone letter at a
time with glue and then decoratingeach letter with spices,cloves,and
piecesof potpourri.
Aski now does what you added to each letter add to the meaning?
How does vour art work smell? What does the scent add?
Supplies
I avofing
extraclsl
vanilla,
orange,
peppermint,
emon
liquid
water
color
paints
(available
fromDiscounl
SchoolSuppy,
800627-2829
or
www.discountschool
suppry.com)
paper
watercolor
palettes
ormuiiin
lins
paintbrushes
cups
rcrwaler
paint
shirls
ForAllAges
Scented Artwork
Prepare
Mix a few drops of extract into each watercolor paint.
t/ith the Children
Invite the children to paint a simple picture concentratingon just one
aspect of the story. The picture might be the oil pouring from the jar,
Mary's hair, Jesus' feet, or someone'sface.
Askl what emotion would Mary show? Jesus? Judas?
When the pictures are completed, ask each child to share his or her
work and talk a bit about it.
As the children work, ask them how the scented paints affect them.
Do they like the scents? Do the scents remind them of an]'thing?
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ForYoungerChildren
Supplies
lovely Feet
barypor,/der
Sitli Feetare not usually thought of as very pretty parts of the bodyl
They have to work hard all day. In Jesus' day feet had to work
especia.ltyhard. There were no cars or bicycles. People walked
eve4rwhere they went. when they entered someone's home. they
were offered a bowl of water and a towel so they could wash their
grimy feet. When Jesus came to eat with Mary, Mar-tha, and
I-azaius, Mary did a ktnd thing for him. She washed his feet with
perfumed oil.
Like Mary, we aie gotng to be ldnd to each other's feet today. We
are not golng to wash each other's feet. but we are going to
decoratetheml
Have the children removetheir socks and shoes,Next, have the
children powder their feet.
Working in palrs, have the chlldren use washablemarkers to decorate
the tops of each other's feet.
linelipwashable
markers
bastn
soap
'daler
towels
Optional:camefa
Tip
Talk
Howdidit leeltohave
your
beaulify
someone
feet?Howdoyouthink
Jesus
feltwhenlt4ary
putperlume
onhisfeet
anddried
lh€mwilh
herhair?
When they have nnished, gather the children ln a circle to let everyone
seethe beautiful feet.
Providewater, soap, and towels for any children who may want to
wash the decoratlonsfrom their own feet.
Upt'lOhl Take photos of everyones decoratedfeett
fupplies
ForOlderChildren
dawngpaper
poncils
colored
linelipmarkers
pencils
Outside the lines
Passout paper, coloredpencils, and markers. Have each child draw a
foot or a pair of feet, The image needs to ftll the paper. The acti\,'ity ndll
work best if children draw from an overhead perspecuve looking down
at the foot. You may rvant to allow them to take off their shoes. so that
they can draw thelr own feet.
Next. have each child
. fold his or her paper in halfand creaseit well:
. fold the paper in half agatn, and creasewell again;
. fold one more tlme:
. open the paper and smooth il out.
Invite the children to begtn coloring the design. Whenever they get to
a fold line, they must change colors,The results will be $'ild and
colorfull
Urt
of E ti.ry
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TalkTip
mayhavetold
People
youtocolor
inside
the
people
lines.
Bulsome
donollikelocolor
inside
thelinss!
ln
whalways
didMary
'color
outside
the
lines'when
she
washed
anddried
Jesus'ieel?
ForOlderChildren
Resources
Henri
rri Mertisse-Inspired
Gut.Poper Art
Henril\,,latisse's
Jazz
(avaihble
icarus
al
wwwallposters.C0m
0rwwwrespree.com, S y: a" tfr" French artlst Henri Matisse (1869-1954)grew older, he
orina books)
had to use a wheelchalr.He found it difficult to paint, so he
turned to cut-paper ait. He never expectedto becomefamous for
these images:he Just wanted to contrnueto createt
18x 11artpaper
in
ava elyofcolors
Show the children Jazz Icarus. With just three basic shapes-a ligure,
paper
lor
colored
some star bursts. and a circle-Matlsse createdan lmpresslon of
cutling
movementand enerAr. Point out that the shapes aie not realistic.
scissors
glue
Invite each child to choosethree colors of paper. Uslng these three
colors, have them cut out shapesthat remind them of the story of
Mary of Bethany. Challengethem to try using just three shapes,
Supplies
Talk
Tip
They should not draw the shapesbefore cutting. lf they are anxlous
about this, take them back to Matlsse'slma€esand show them how
abstract they are.
Instead
ofgiving
up
when
hecould
n0
painl,
longer
[,4atisse
tooka isktotry
somelhing
newPeople
mighlhavelaughed
al
hiscut-paper
art,bul
inslead
theyloved
il!
HowdidMarylakea
risk?Whaldid
shegain
fromlaking
lhisrisk?
Avoid gfidng too much direction: allow children the creati!'ity to
imaginewhat shapes they see in the story, Somemay imagine the
perfumejar; others may think of feet or hair.
llOte: yoll may want to use another story as an exampleto get their
thinking started. For example,the story ofJesus' birth might inspire
stars, a shepherd'scrook. and angel wings. Encouragethe children to
create simDleshaDes.
*f*$*,Eg**s-*;*"*
going Lo 6"" r
today, I am
other as
to love each
how
us
fhow
'
?rayer:
llrth
Close
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Supplies
scenled
markets
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