Reply to "ART Workshop Lessons and Ideas for the boy Jesus in the Temple"

Jesus at the Temple

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activity

Create four part concentric circle art with each successive circle representing: Wisdom, Stature, Favor with God, and Favor with Man. (Editor's note: class time can be only 30 minutes. If you are using this lesson you may need to beef-up the activity.)

Scripture

Passage: Luke 2:41-52

Preparation

Read the scripture for this lesson.
Gather the materials.

Supply List

Each child will need: one black paper square, colored paper scraps, scissors, glue, pencils and various plastic cups, lids or containers (to trace the concentric circles - yogurt, salsa, sour cream containers, etc.)
Additional art supplies may be needed by the older children.
Bibles:
- For 4-5 year olds and 6-8 year olds: The Big Picture Interactive Storybook Bible
- For 9-11 year olds: Big Picture Interactive Bible

Lesson Plan

Open

Begin by reading the story of “Jesus at the Temple”

4-5 year olds and 6-8 year olds: Pg. 188 inThe Big Picture Interactive Storybook Bible

9-11 year olds: Big Picture Interactive Bible; Luke 2:41-52

Say: The Bible says that Jesus grew in wisdom... in stature... in favor with God... and in favor with people... four different ways of growing up. Today we are going to make some art to help us think about what this means. Here is an example of what we'll be working on.

Ask: Do you notice how many circles we have?
Say: Four! right! They are each similar but different... Look how they work together to make something beautiful.

(Editor's note: Perhaps add to the explanation by using a stacking-circle child's toy?)

Create four part concentric circle art: Wisdom, Stature, Favor with God, Favor with Man

Little kids can spend their time tracing, cutting and gluing while discussing the story of boy Jesus.

Older children can spend more time on painting or decorating each circle element individually and thinking about what each area of growth means…

Encourage exploration with wondering questions or ideas but remember, children will likely work through their responses in the art… You will not likely receive verbal answers! Don’t be discouraged, continue to offer a dialogue of questions throughout the process.

Ask: What might growing in wisdom look like?
Which way to grow is the most important?
Which is most beautiful? I wonder why?

Resist the urge to do the work for the students (especially the younger ones). Remember, the physical process is often just as important (if not more so) as the final product. Show the children how to use the scissors and glue appropriately, but don’t cut or glue for them!! This is not just a craft time - this is worship art, and the children need to learn not to rush through to an end result!

Model patience and encouragement, create a safe place for the children to create and explore (remember, you may not see the results in one class, but over time we are helping these kiddos to mature and learn who God is and what his community is all about!)

Encourage the students to cut the largest circle first, something around 5″ diameter

Ask: I wonder which of the four ways that Jesus grew was the most important?
Glue the circle onto the black paper. (If the child has time they can make more than one set of circles… maybe one to represent how they will grow and the other to focus on Jesus…. Are they similar? Should they be? Why or why not? When the first circle is cut, decorated and glued do the same for the next but use a smaller plastic cup and smaller pieces of paper.

Glue the medium circles to the large circle.
Talk about contrasting colors/designs. How are these things different?
How are they the same?
What does favor with God mean?
What does it look like?
What about favor with people?

Repeat steps and encourage the kids to use scraps of paper from steps one and two to make smaller and smaller circles. When finished the children can label the circles if they wish with Wisdom, Stature, Favor with God, Favor with people.

Finish up with a sharing and de-briefing time.
Ask: What surprised you about this story?
What was your favorite part?
Is growing up hard work?
Was Jesus like us?
Was he different?
What might these circles remind us of?
Did you see anything new today?