Jonah: Master’s Mountain Theatre
Puppet Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities
Children will learn the story through the use of stick puppets.
Scripture Reference:
The book of Jonah.
Materials: (to be prepared ahead of time)
Acquire a fan to be the “strong wind” to create the storm at sea. A carpet drying fan works great.
- Use tag board or cardboard, fabric scraps, construction paper, and felt pens to prepare the following stick puppets: a monstrous fish, a large ship, a crew of sailors, Jonah (one figure praying, one standing), a crowd of Ninevites, the King of Nineveh, and a large, hot sun.
- Prepare three backgrounds: (1) At sea, (2) In Nineveh, and (3) under a large vine. You can use poster paints from the resource room to paint these on cardboard, or use simple blue fabric or plastic for the sea, tan houses cut from construction paper and mounted on cardboard for Nineveh, and a green construction paper “vine” or a fake plant vine. Make the backgrounds to fit the puppet stage, so they need not be too large. If you can enlist kids to do this with you in a special “prop preparation workshop”, so much the better!
- Prepare at least 7 copies of the puppet play script for child actors to read from. (Maybe an older group could record their version for grades 1 & 2 who can’t read the script, or teachers could read all the parts for younger non readers.)
Teacher preparation:
- Read the Scriptures prayerfully, asking God to show you what He has to say to you and to those He’s given you to teach.
- Study the Biblical Explanation and Background.
- Prepare the puppets, props and plan your use of time carefully.
Presentation
Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Welcome the children and their guide(s) to the workshop, introduce yourself, and open with prayer. Please try to start and end on time, and focus your attention on the children.
Attendance: Guides take care of this. The children will be wearing nametags, so you can call them by name. Include the guide(s) in class discussion and prayer, and give them opportunities to interact with the children. They will also help with journal time at the end of the lesson.
Post the two Bible memory verses (Psalm 139:7 and I John 1:9); the children will have their own copies. Repeat these two verses with the children before beginning to teach the lesson, and ask the children to be ready to tell how each verse applies to the lesson.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Teach about Jonah and the Great Fish. Briefly summarize the book of Jonah; much of the play dialog is taken directly from the Bible. If it is after the first Sunday, have the children first summarize what they remember of each chapter of Jonah, and then cite specific verses, if necessary.
Puppet Play:
Jonah and the Great Fish
Characters:
God, Jonah, Sailors, Great Fish, Ninevites, King of Nineveh
Play Preparation:
Talk about how it feels to be afraid of doing what you’re told to do, to feel rebellious and run away, to feel afraid in a storm, to feel afraid of drowning, to feel what’s it’s like to be inside an animal that’s eaten you in one gulp, to be obedient after suffering, to visit your enemies, to be angry, to be puzzled, and to worship God.)
Dialogue:
Scene 1: Jonah Runs
GOD: Jonah, I want you to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.
JONAH (praying figure): Did I hear you right? You didn’t say, “Go to Nineveh” did you? I think I heard you say “Tarshish”…
JONAH (standing figure): One ticket to Tarshish please. (Have Jonah board the ship, and the ship move across the stage.)
STORM: (The fan blows the sea into waves, the SHIP rocks up and down, the SAILORS scream in fright, and JONAH lies down to sleep, snoring, inside the ship.)
SAILORS: Pray, pray to your god! How will we be saved? Hey, this guy’s asleep! (poking Jonah) Wake up! Pray to your god to save us!
JONAH (praying figure): Uh oh, I’m in trouble…I’m the cause of the trouble. I pray to God who made the heavens and the earth…
SAILORS: Ohhh!
JONAH (standing): You must throw me overboard, then the storm will stop.
SAILORS (among themselves) We don’t want to throw him overboard… Should we do it? God forgive us! OK, here we go..!
JONAH (standing): (goes overboard) Glub, glub, glub…oh!
Scene Two (inside the great fish)
FISH with praying figure of JONAH inside appears.
JONAH (praying):Lord, I’ve been taught my lesson. I thank you and praise you, and I will obey you.
FISH: Ptuii! (spits Jonah out on the shore)
Scene Three (in Nineveh)
GOD: Jonah, go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.
(A crowd of NINEVITES appears, and Jonah speaks):
JONAH (standing): Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!
NINEVITES: Ohhh! We believe you! We’re sorry, God!
KING OF NINEVEH: Let no one eat or drink. All must repent toward the great God who made heaven and earth. Let everyone cry to God, and give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may forgive us and not punish us.
GOD: I will forgive them; I will not destroy Nineveh.
Scene Four
JONAH (lay down the standing figure under the vine) Ah, this shade feels so good! I’ll just wait here until God destroys Nineveh…only 39 more days. (later)
JONAH (praying, speaking angrily) God, you’re not going to destroy Nineveh? Oh LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? I knew you are a compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love; I can’t stand this!
GOD: Have you any right to be angry?
(VINE wilts and falls away from Jonah. Bring out the sun.)
JONAH (standing, speaking angrily) How can I stand this? The poor vine!
GOD: Jonah, you have been concerned about the vine, but there were at least 120,000 children in Nineveh who can not tell their left hand from their right hand. Shouldn’t I be concerned about that great city?
JONAH (standing, moving off stage) I guess it’s time to go home.
Discussion questions (Master’s Mountain Theatre)
- God gave Jonah a second chance to obey after he saved Jonah’s life by providing the great fish. Why do you think God did this? (ANS: Jonah repented; he decided to obey God. God forgave him because God is compassionate. Memory verse, I John 1:9)
- What two groups of people worshipped God because Jonah repented? (ANS: The sailors, after the storm stopped, and the Ninevites and their King.)
- Why do you think the people and the King of Nineveh repented when Jonah said, “In forty days Nineveh will be overturned!” (ANS: Maybe they knew he’d been swallowed by a huge fish and lived to tell about; maybe he even looked different from his experience inside the fish. Maybe they knew God’s reputation as the “one true God of heaven” and were afraid; they knew Jonah’s words were true.)
Journal:
Why would you believe Jonah’s preaching if you lived in Nineveh?
Closing:
Close with a circle of prayer. Be sure anyone who wants to has a chance to pray.
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