Gift= FATHERHOOD

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Joseph’s two dream accounts are the focus of this craft. The end result is subtle but once you get the speed right you can actually see the angel speaking and flapping in the dream bubble. I will warn you right at the beginning that this craft is ink heavy and you need to have suitable acetate for your printer or photocopier. That said it’s so simple to construct that kids can almost be left unsupervised.

To make these you’ll need 1 cover sheet printout per child, and 1 animation page per pair of children and one acetate printout per pair of children, plus colouring materials, scissors, and sticky tape. Teacher tip : print this sheet on thin card and pre-prepare with a slit in the areas to cut out to help kids get started.

Start with the cover sheet. Cut out the space where the dream will appear and the small rectangle above it. The sheet is a bit dull in black and white so do give it some colour.

Grab your animation sheet and sharing with a friend cut out the animation rectangle with the side tabs still attached. Using glue or sticky tape attach this in place behind the dream bubble.

Now for the acetate. Cut out the large black area complete with pull tap and empty box at the end. This slots in-between the cover sheet and the animation rectangle, then up though the slit at the top of the page.

Test your animation, go slowly and watch the wings flap and mouth move. It’s not easy to catch on camera, but here is a rough approximation of what to expect.

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This is a craft, a puzzle, a game, it’s made for Joseph and Mary but it could be adapted for just about any character on the site. Hide it round the room, use each piece as a reward for a comprehension question, or just put it out as a puzzle to reveal which character we will be looking at today. These are rather fun to play with afterwards for any age! It’s not a new idea, but it’s great for a series of characters where the images the kids made slowly build up a story. Throw in an angel and shepherd and if you wish you could even make a baby Jesus.

To make these you’ll need 7 craft sticks or tongue depressors per puzzle, some liquid glue, a printout of the character you are making, a craft knife and a ruler.

Print and cut out your character, you can find the images on the heroes posts. Measure your craft sticks height and width and print the correct size for your printer. You should be able to do this by through either a print program or by setting the paper size on your printer.

MORE DURABLE METHOD FOR OLDER KIDS. Line up your sticks, cover the back of your printout with liquid glue and attach it onto the sticks. Try and keep the sticks together as you do this. If you think you may have a problem use a couple of pieces of tape to secure the back!

Make it more damage proof by adding a square of sticky back plastic over the design. Alternatively paint liquid glue over the top to seal the paper.

Leave it to dry, if you don’t you will tear the paper when you try and cut the sticks apart. Once dry fold the sticks to give small crease lines.

For a cleaner cut, place the work picture side up. Using the curve of the sticks, to guide you in, slice through the paper (and sticky back plastic) to separate the image.

SAFER METHOD FOR YOUNGER KIDS. Worried about the craft knife? Spit the picture into strips before you stick it down. Draw a line along the side of your picture and then using your craft stick as a spacer continue drawing lines until the image is split.

Put it together, pull it apart, store it in a bag and play again and again. You could even made a double sided one.

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Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to Joseph & Mary (Matthew 1)).

Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : these images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)

English

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Joseph is a wonderfully underplayed character, his actions are only noted twice, both prompted by dreams, both effectively save Jesus’ life. This lesson tries to bring forward his fatherhood as a gift and a blessing and bring him out from the shadow of Mary.
 

Picture Sticks – This is a really simple game that can be adapted for a large space or played on a table, it can be used like a treasure hunt, a puzzle, or a reward for comprehension questions. For instructions follow see this post. link to idea that Joseph was a carpenter, skilled at putting wooden pieces together.
 

OR

Nail it – Hone you carpenter skills by recreating a picture with nails . You need a pile of small nails, a basic line drawing, and a pin-board (could use a thick piece of packing cardboard). Set up the pin boards and pins in a separate place to the drawing so that they can not be viewed at the same time. Kids can work as teams or individually to complete the challenge. Examples of pictures : very young – star, young – house, older group – bicycle, teens – horse.
 

Angel move – A combination of musical statues and ‘stuck in the mud’ this game should be easy to get started. Have the children dance to the music until it stops, when it stops shout out a characteristic the angels have, the angels then can begin dancing again but everyone else remains stuck. Angels can release people from being stuck be whispering hallelujah in their ears. Link to the idea that the angel told Joseph his son would come to save people.
 

Mary, Jo, Angel – Kids each get a partner. They put their backs to each other on the count of three they turn and face each of with a poise. (This is kind of like the rock,paper,scissor game) The poises are Mary – a girl poise hand on hip and head, Joseph – muscle man poise, flexing both arms, Angel – flap arms like wings. This is who wins who, Mary wins Joseph, Joseph wins Angel, Angel wins Mary. Keep playing until one is left standing. A special prize for the winner is great! If there is someone who doesn’t have a partner they get a free pass to the next round of play. ( from Children’s Ministry Vault – original source)
 

Dream messages – A game for the older kids, this involves deciphering a message with the use of yes no questions. Choose two or more dreamers and heave them ‘go to sleep’ (leave the room) while the children are given a one word message to relay, eg Christmas, Joseph, Brown, Wood etc. the dreamers. The dreamers then need to come back into the room and start asking questions. The group can only respond with yes or no answers. The first child to guess gets to choose the next word and the three people to send to sleep. If a child wants a hint they need to forfeit a question and instead kneel down and pray for an angel.
 

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Joseph loved Mary, he pounded another nail into the desk he was making for a Roman official with a smile, picturing her face and the family they would have. He smoothed his hand over the desk top and imagined what he would buy with the Denari it would bring. To the east he could see the plot of ground that would be his future home, the ground swelled and furrowed with foundations.

When you chose the person you would marry, the man would go and build the house, the moment it was finished he would go collect the brides party. He smiled as he thought of the house he would build for Mary, and the family that God may bless them with.

Today, soon, Mary would return. Joseph brushed the wood shavings from his robe, washed his face and walked into town to meet her. 3 months with Zechariah and Elizabeth had been too long.

The cart she rode on came to a stop and he ran to lift her off, but she pushed him away, her face suddenly worried. As Mary climbed down and turned to face Joseph, he understood. Her face seemed rounder, but that wasn’t the only thing, her belly, she was pregnant. The crowd that had gathered to greet her became silent, a few people stooping low to pick up stones with sad faces.

In that time it was forbidden to have a baby before you were married, it was a sin. The punishment was to have stones thrown at you until you died. Mary’s big eyes stared at Joseph, he was the only person who could save her life.

Joseph looked at Mary’s big belly, it held a baby. Babies are made by a man and a woman. But Joseph was not that man, he was not the baby’s father. Confusion and fear filled Joseph, he loved Mary, he couldn’t imagine a world where she died. Slowly he lifted his arm and put it round her shoulder leading her to her parents house. He heard the stones drop from the crowds hands, he heard the whispering start.

Mary tried to speak but Joseph stopped her, they walked in silence until she stood at the doorway to her parents house, then Joseph turned and left. He did not want to hear what Mary had to say.

All day he thought, by evening he had made his decision. He would not put Mary in danger or embarrass her in public. He would wait until he could quietly divorce her. The Law of God would allow this, she would be safe. Having made a decision he lay down to sleep.

In his dream he saw an angel. It called him by name, by the name of his family, called him a son of the great King David. The angel told Joseph that Mary’s baby was not from a man but from the holy spirit of God. The child Mary carried would save the people from their sins. Joseph should not fear to take Mary as his wife.

Joseph went to Mary’s house the next day, he asked Mary to tell her story. As Joseph sat and listened to the familiar voice it told a story he had already heard, a story the angel had shown him in the dream. Even though he didn’t understand he knew God wanted him to marry Mary. He had no house to take her to but he married her anyway.

Soon it would not matter, for soon the census would be called. Soon they would travel to Bethlehem the home of his ancestor king David and Joseph would be asked to be a father to a baby boy who was God.

Today’s hero is Joseph, husband of Mary, because he shows us the gift of Fatherhood
 

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