Jesus has "the Right Stuffing"

• What is the boy Jesus "made of" ?
• What are the ingredients that make him want to celebrate, worship, learn and teach?
• Based on what we know about him, how he treated others, and what he did for us, what might his personality be like?

Students will make a "CALZONE" (essentially a stuffed pizza turnover) using a wide variety of ingredients provided on a table.  

A tasty calzone is composed of three cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella) mixed together with an egg, then additional ingredients can be added, the thin dough folded like a turnover and baked for 13-15 minutes. It can be brushed with garlic butter and dipped in sauce.

After the study, the teacher places all the ingredients in front of the kids.  BUT....sneaky, sneaky! In order to get each ingredient for their calzone, they must come up with a unique reflection about Jesus that starts with the FIRST LETTER of that ingredient or reflects something about Jesus or something from the story, or something the kids want to say about the story. (You choose how hard you want them to work for the ingredients).

Examples:

C, Cheese is for Celebrating the Passover, which is what Jesus was doing at the Temple.

or C, Cheese  is for Caring about God's Word by spending time with his teachers.

M is for Mozarella, because Jesus' mom Mary missed him when he stayed behind.

S, Sauce is for Search. His parents searched for him and when they found him, Jesus responded, see I'm in my father's house.

B, "B" is for the Bread Dough --the Boy who at ate bread at that Passover, and became our Bread of Life.

Other Ingredients provided that the kids can use IF they come up with a reflection for that ingredient. You do not have to make the "first letter" rule. You can tell them that they can have the ingredient if they can say how "Jesus is like (that ingredient." Or they can come up with a statement about Jesus that uses the ingredient's first letter or how that ingredient is "like" Jesus (spicy!)   Feel free to give them hints, but don't give in too easily. Place all the ingredients in front of them, offer suggestions, and then have them write down on a sheet of paper their "reflections for ingredients."

Brainstorming ingredients and example reflections-connections to the story:

• Spinach = Because Jesus was unafraid to Show his faith as a young boy. Or because Jesus' example makes us strong.
• Bread dough  (pre-made thin pizza dough to make the pizza calzone or "turnover.")
• Pepperoni, "P" because Jesus had two wonderful parents who dedicated him to God.
• Olive oil  O is for only Son of God.
• Oregano    Oregano is a spice. Jesus is not bland. "O" is for "O hey, where's Jesus?"
• Garlic Butter (brush on calzone before baking)   G is for generous, good, God's House.
• Garlic Salt is for G-od's S-on, or for "Great Student" or....
• Ricotta (this item is required of all calzones)  Jesus what we need for our faith.
• Parmesan (to mix with the ricotta and egg)  P is for parents, People in Temple, Priests.
• Egg (to mix into the ricotta and spoon onto the calzone pizza dough.
• Pre-cooked sausage crumbles.

The teacher might also related the process, mixing, baking to things Jesus taught us in this story:

Fold the Calzone dough = like hands in prayer to remind us that Jesus wanted to worship in the Temple.

• Bake the Calzone = Perhaps the Holy Spirit makes our faith come alive and feel like fire.
• Eat the Calzone = like we do in the Lord's Supper. Even share our calzones with each other, because we each bring something unique.

A Calzone takes about 10 minutes to make and 15 minutes to bake.  The thinner the faster, the wider the more you have to share.

Work in teams of TWO. If a child doesn't like a certain ingredient, they can keep it off their half of the calzone.

Who's hungry!