Rotation.org Writing Team

Pentecost: Wind, Fire, and Faith!

Art Workshop

Summary of Activities

Each student will create a painting of Pentecost by painting with their breath  through a straw to reflect and remember that God "paints" (creates) with his breath (literally, the Holy Spirit). God breathed life into the disciples on Pentecost to create the Church, and breathes into us.

Scripture for the Lessons

Acts 2:1-8, 12-18, 36-47 ~ the story of Pentecost
(Teachers should read the entire story Acts 1:1-2:41)

Key/Memory Verse
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -- Acts 1:8 (NRSV)

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives, and lots of great "ways to explain this story" to your kids.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• View the video demonstration of blow paint technique on youtube.
• Assemble the paints, various sizes of straws, and heavy art paper for the canvas.
  You can use any variety of art paint. Thin them to the consistency of milk.
• Test paper for experimenting with techniques.
• Pencils to sketch with.
• Smocks, table coverings, and clean up supplies.
• Music to play in the background.
• A large fan for the Bible reading (and for hastening the drying of the canvases).
• Collect pictures of Pentecost to show and inspire your students. Some attached to this lesson at rotation.org.
• Find and mark a Bible storybook that tells the story of Pentecost.

Lesson Plan

Open:  A Demonstration about the Spirit

Say: I want you to take a small piece of paper and write these words on it: "My Life,"  "Care," "Love," "Forgive," and "Serve." Put a small fold in the paper so that it doesn't lay flat. Now take your straw and try to move your piece of paper. The straw and air you blow through it represents God's life-giving, empowering Holy Spirit.

Say: Now put your hand in front of the air coming out of your straw. Your hand represents the things we do to try and block God's Spirit from being part of our lives.  

Ask: What are some of the things people do to try and "block" God from their life?  (deny he exists, sinful thoughts and actions, make excuses for not wanting to worship, pray, learn, what else?)

Say: This is why we come to church, to learn how to catch God's Holy Spirit a little better, and open ourselves up to God's Spirit, rather than block it. And when we do that, "caring, loving, forgiving, and serving" (and all the other good things God wants to create in it us), can be more than just words on a piece of paper.

(Note: In this Lesson Set's "Bible Skills and Games" Workshop at rotation.org, students play several "blowing/guiding" games.)

Dig:  Read the Story of Pentecost from a Bible Storybook

One of the reasons we're having you use a storybook is that it should have a picture of the first Pentecost.  

Say:  In today's lesson, you will be using your straw to create a painting of the story of Pentecost. You will be blowing paint across a canvas.

Begin reading the story of Pentecost from your favorite age-appropriate Bible storybook. When you get to verse 2, the rush of the mighty wind, turn on the fan so that it blows on your students! (A great memory sensory "hook" for this story.)

After reading the story, while the fan is still roaring away, note that the word "wind" in the language of the Old Testament (Hebrew) is the same word for "spirit."  The "spirit" gives life, literally it means, "breath."  God's spirit breaths life into us and brought to life the first church of believers after the resurrection of Jesus. And we believe that same spirit blows through our church, and through each of our lives!  

Creative Reading Tip: When I did this lesson with my kids, I spoke the storybook words loudly and straight into the fan. It creates a fun "fan voice" effect, which is another memorable sensory hook.  We then took turns reading different select verses from the story into the fan. It was a "blast."

Paint!

Pass out the paint supplies and tell the students what you hope they will create:  a painting of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and in Your Life.    Share some ideas about what they could include.  Perhaps show them your own painting that you have made ahead of time. Show them some pictures of other people's Pentecost Paintings (Examples abound in Google Images. A few have been attached to this lesson.)

Start with a practice canvas and show them some techniques, then give each student their "final" canvas when they are ready.  Turn on some music and don't forget to circulate, offering advice, demonstrating more techniques, asking questions, and making points.

Painting Tips:

• Have kids practice techniques, and see how the paint moves with different sizes of straws and quantities of paint.
• Show them how to drip the paint onto the canvas and then blow it around so as not to mix colors from different cups.
• Have them experiment with different directions and techniques, such as, swirling to convey action, shapes to convey meaning. Use brushes and fingers to create as well.
• Consider adding keywords with a brush using a darker paint before adding blow paints. Or, use a wax crayon to draw on the canvas, which the paint will not adhere to.
• Practice on a separate sheet before adding a major new element/idea to their painting.
• Encourage students to lightly trace on their canvas if they want.
• Bend two corners of your canvas to make it easy to turn.
• Leave a 1" border around your painting. This will give you a clean area to hold as you turn your page and can be cut off.
• Avoid getting paint underneath canvas.

Things to include in your painting:

• Yourself
• The disciples
• The Spirit
• Actions:  Giving, Lifting Up, Embracing, Exciting, Praising, Loving, Speaking, Moving
• Words, if desired, such as, "I will pour out my spirit," and "Dreams and Visions."

A Few Teaching Points You Can Make During the Art Project

Rather than just painting a bunch of Pentecost flames, I want you to think about placing yourself in your Pentecost painting, and not just set yourself on fire .  Instead, you might think of blow-painting the good things God surrounds you with (like...) or the things God wants to grow in your life (like...).  

--How would you represent the Spirit of God in your painting?  It is coming down from heaven? Is it surrounding you?  Does it embrace, protect, or lift you?  Is it trying to move you? ("Flames" are one way to represent the Spirit. So is a dove and water.)

--If the air you blow represents God's Holy Spirit, and the paper represents your "life," what does the paint represent?  Its different colors?  (What could red represent in your life? Green? Blue? Perhaps they are gifts from God, or attitudes. Perhaps red is "love" and green is "caring about the world.")

--Maybe our church is one of the sources of "paint" in your life. Maybe you didn't know that there are other colors out there and were only painting with blue. Maybe you didn't realize there was forgiveness, salvation, grace. But the church, and spiritual people in your life add paint to your life which God's Spirit can use to teach you something beautiful.

Used with permission from seedstuff.blogspot

--How would you blow paint and what color would you choose to symbolize things that God wants for you, such as, "prayer," "Jesus," "scripture."

--Does everyone have the same colors or the same amount? If God blows on the same color in two different lives, does it turn out the same way? (demonstrably not!) The life God "paints" with you will be different than the life God paints with the person sitting next to you, but they both come from the same God.

--Try painting with your hand in front of your straw. How well does that work!  Trying to block or ignore God's Holy Spirit isn't a good thing.

--If you make a mistake, let it dry a bit, and then let your Holy Spirit straw blow some white paint over it. The prophet Isaiah tells us that "though our sins are like scarlet red, God can make them as white as snow." (Is 1:18)

--Do you notice how each of the paints looks like it is moving and going somewhere after the Spirit has moved it?

Closing

As the end of class approaches, encourage students to begin drying their projects under the fan. (You will need to fasten them down so they don't blow away.)  Then one by one, have each student present and interpret their drawing. Be sure their name is on it somewhere, and invite them to help you post them on a wall outside the classroom (if that's what you want to do with them). Add a sign titled, "Pentecost: Wind, Fire and Faith!"

Adaptations

For younger children, simplify your language. They can also use cut out symbols, such as the dove or a flame (so that the scene is recognizable).

For groups with more time or older students, create a second larger Pentecost canvas for each student to add themselves to. They can also add a representation of your church coming to life with the Spirit.

For an interesting alternate way to create "flame-spirit" art, use a salad spinner per this website's fun tutorial.

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
from a lesson idea by member Peggy Franciosa
Copyright 2016, Rotation.org Inc.

Photo credit: Peace Pres, Bradenton Fl

Additional copyrighted images attached under the "Fair Use" rule
"for commentary purposes" only.