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Reply to "ART Workshop Lessons and Ideas for Palm Sunday"

Palm Sunday
Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:
Students will create a display of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem using wire or foil sculptures.

Scripture Reference:
Matthew 21:1-11, Zechariah 9:9

Supplies and Preparation:

  • Decide whether you will be making wire or foil sculptures. See the discussion and "how to" at Rotation.org: https://www.rotation.org/topic/art-method---sculptures-using-various-materials-pvc-pipe-tin-foil-wire-etc
  • If using foil, get a roll of "heavy" aluminum foil.
  • If using wire, purchase several different types and colors of wire (for younger kids, use chenille stems). Wire should stiff enough to hold its shape but flexible enough for kids to bend it; 18-24 gauge wire works well.
  • Cut many 12-inch pieces of wire in advance. Using pre-cut shorter pieces of wire is a safety measure; kids using long pieces of wire could accidentally whip one around and poke someone in the face or eye.
  • Bibles for older children
  • "Little Colt’s Palm Sunday" (book) by Michelle M. Adams for younger children
  • Palm Sunday Foil Sculpture18 – 24 gauge wire, cut into 12-inch pieces (see note above)
  • Beads (optional)
  • Chenille stems (for younger kids)
  • Small wire cutters (1 pair for every 2-3 kids)
  • Read Rotation.org's "Wire and Foil Sculpture" topic!


Lesson Plan

Opening
Welcome the children and explain what they'll be doing today and what you hope they will learn.

Say: Today we’re going to read and talk about Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Jesus’ death.  We are going to create wire sculptures of characters to place on a stage (a diorama) depicting key moments in the Palm Sunday story and think about how we cheer for Jesus, receive him as our king, and tell others about his coming.

Bible Study

Introduce/review the lesson: This month we are learning about one of the first events of Holy Week, which is the week before Jesus died on the cross and then rose from his tomb. Does anybody know what that first event was?  Hint: It's called "Palm Sunday!"

It is the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to claim the title of "KING."  Jesus and his disciples had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover, and on the Sunday before the Feast, Jesus told his disciples to go get a donkey so that he could ride into the city.

Let's read the story and learn what happened when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem.

  • Younger Children read the book "Little Colt’s Palm Sunday" by Michelle M. Adams.
  • Older Children read Matthew 21:1-11 from their Bibles

After you've read the story:

  • Say: Palms were a symbol of grace and victory in Bible times. By waving the palms and placing them on the ground before Jesus, the people were welcoming him as a king.
  • Ask: What do people wave today to celebrate or as a symbol of peace??
  • Say and Ask: The donkey was a sign of peace and humility, What do those words mean?
  • Say and Ask: A horse was what warrior rode. Why didn't Jesus ride a horse into Jerusalem? What did this say about the kind of KING he was going to be?
  • Ask: What animals or type of transportation would Jesus use today to symbolize the same thing to us?
  • Say and Ask: Some people in the crowd wanted a KING that would defeat the Roman army and throw them out of Jerusalem. How do you think they reacted to the scene of Jesus riding a donkey?
  • How does Jesus "win" battles with evil?


The Art Project: Wire Sculptures

Depending on the size of class, time, and age of your students, you may decide to have each student create a wire sculpture of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, or just a wire sculpture of themselves joining in the parade. Ahead of time, have some extra wire "crowd" people made up and ready to add to your re-enactment.

You may also decide to create the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem ahead of time from some cardboard. This is the gate where Jesus rode in to claim his kingship (this is where all king's of Israel traditionally processed to entire the Temple area.

  • Before class begins, prepare quantities of 18-24-inch lengths of different types and colors of wire (see note in preparation section above). Using pliers, bend over the last half inch on each end of every wire so they won't poke.
  • Distribute several strands of wire per student and one pair wire cutters per every 2-3 kids. Students may wish to swap different color wires back and forth.
  • For younger kids (preK) you may switch to pipe cleaners/chenille stems.
  • Demonstrate how to twist wire into a simple body, shaping the head and legs first. Once you have the basic wire body, you can add more wire and wire of different colors to "outfit" your wire person.
  • Create as many different people in the crowd (including Jesus on his donkey), and then assemble them in your "diorama" to retell the story.

wire-sculpture-twisting

Reflections to discuss while making the wire sculptures:

  • How would you pose your sculpture to represent peace? humility? anger? "Hosanna!"
  • How would you pose some people in that crowd that day who didn't want the kind of kingdom and king that Jesus was bringing?
  • What do some people hope Jesus will do when he becomes king?
  • Where would you have been in the crowd that day? How would you have cheered Jesus? Would you have been afraid to do so? Would you risk being arrested?
  • How do you make Jesus the king of YOUR life?
  • What is the number one thing in your life that Jesus Your King is going to ask you to change or do?




Optional Wire Sculpture Diorama Assembly Suggestion

(Added by Wormy - the resident editor at Rotation.org)

A "diorama" is just another fancy word for a miniature recreation of a scene from a story. In the following example, you'll prepare parts of the "Jerusalem" city gate diorama in advance. Cardboard and packing tape are your friends! Smile

Assign parts of the scene and scenery of Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem to various students. Have them make that person/scene/prop out of wire. Older children can not only make a bendy-person, they can add wire around the bendy-person's head and torso to add bulk and fill out their character. Have everyone create a wire palm.

If you're making a group diorama of the scene, prepare some cardboard boxes to be the Walls of Jerusalem with a gate. These can be pre-glued on a sheet of cardboard where you'll also be fixing all your wire sculptures. Make an area on the walls for a soldier. Add some wire trees and bushes. Sand can be glued on the cardboard to show the road.

Here's a creative solution to how to get the wire characters and props to stand up on your diorama base: make sure each prop/person has a long "foot" which you can stick through a hole in the cardboard base and bend, then tape to the bottom of the cardboard.

Add "Hosannas" to the diorama, either by drawing them on the cardboard, or by drawing them on some paper pennants which are attached to wire "poles" you've attached to the cardboard building near the gate. You might also glue some confetti along the road, along with some pieces of cloth (the people's coats) and green wire (palms) laying on it.

Remember to discuss how various characters should be POSED, and WHY. In particular, consider how to pose the "doubters" and authorities afraid of Jesus.

Tip:
The younger children will have less impressive dioramas compared to the older students, but you can 'balance' that by adding some cool wire sculptures of your own to fill out their story. In fact, make some ahead of time to pull out of a box as needed. Some small children may be frustrated with how their character turns out, but will be proud to "pose" your wire character and make it their own.

Closing:
Close with a prayer using language from your discussion about cheering and following our king.




This lesson was originally submitted by member Bravo5 from The Church of the Beatitudes in Phoenix, AZ. It has since been updated and improved by our editing team!



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Last edited by CreativeCarol
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