Pentecost: Wind, Fire, Faith!

Drama Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students will create a really fun inflatable "heart and flame" prop to use in a Pentecost drama script. The prop will go home with them as a vivid reminder of the story and its meaning, and also serve as a point of discussion and sharing when they demonstrate their inflatable prop for family and friends.

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 Bible Background and scripture.
• Print the attached "Dramatic Reading".
• Gather the materials for the inflatable prop so that each student can make one. Assemble one ahead of time so you are able to demonstrate to the kids how to make theirs:
  • 1/4" Tubing (24" per student. Very inexpensive. Available at home improvement stores).
  • plastic bags (1 per student, sandwich bags**).
  • clear packing tape to seal the bag around the tube and tape the tube to the cap.
  • red and yellow paper to make flames and hearts (pre-cut hearts for each student), scissors, and glue sticks.
  • ball caps (1 per student available inexpensively in bulk from online stories, such as, Oriental Trading (See note about "ball caps" below in the lesson.)
  • Spare t-shirts for those wearing dresses to put on, so they are able to place the heart-bag underneath.
  • pencils
  • Video camera (smartphone) because you'll definitely want a record of this!

**Choose the style of sandwich "baggie" that does NOT have a slider or "ziploc."  Alternately, a small bag from the supermarket produce aisle works if you cut it down to about 6" (that's what's used in the video).

About the inflatable prop:

Students create their prop for both the demonstration and dramatic reading parts of the lesson. Each student will tape a sandwich bag to the end of a tube  -- which inflates when they blow in the tube. (They'll giggle, and that's good! We want them to always remember this story.) They will then tape the bag-tube to the back of a ballcap. In the first part of the dramatic reading, they will place their ballcap with the inflatable bag underneath their shirt (or a borrowed t-shirt if they're wearing a dress) to use it as a beating heart. (Tape a red heart on top of the shirt where the bag is located so that the inflating of the bag makes the heart "beat.") Then very quickly in the drama, they will move the hat to their heads to get ready for the "flame" part of the story.

♥ Making the inflatable heart and flame bag is quite simple. In short, tape a small bag to the end of the tube and then tape a cut-out flame to it. Use packing tape for a sturdy attachment to the ballcap. See the photos and video for how it looks and works. Tip: only insert the tube about 1/2" into the bag. To deflate, suck the air out or gently press the bag.

Left: Bag taped to tube with flame attached.    Right: Rear view of tube taped to back of hat.

Tubing with bag and flame.

Lesson Plan

Overview

After creating the inflatable heart/flame prop, you'll lead them through both a demonstration-discussion, and then the short dramatic reading of the Pentecost story (which serves as your scripture for the lesson as well). The reading is attached to this lesson at rotation.org.

Open

Welcome your students and explain what they are going to be doing and learning today.

Show them your inflatable bag and tube. Place it under your shirt and tape a heart over your shirt and blow into it so that your "heart" appears to beat. Then put flames on the bag and attach the tubing to the back of your ball cap and show them how the flames "appear" above your head when you blow into the tube.

Students create their inflatable bag props

Now give them tubing, bags, and tape and walk them through constructing their own inflatable bag prop.

Once everyone has constructed their inflatable bag and attached it to a ballcap. (Hand-out t-shirts to those who will not be able to slip the bag underneath their dress.) GIVE each of them a red heart you have cut-out in advance and have them tape it to their shirt over their real heart. Now have them position their inflatable bag (attached to the ballcap) under their shirt and practice making their heart "beat." (This will be fun.)   Note: you need to have the ballcap attached to the bag even when you use it as a heart, because during the drama script, they need to quickly switch from heart to flame.

Demonstration & Discussion

The Holy Spirit Inspires Us....Fires Us Up!

Walk your students through this short demonstration and discussion to help them understand the meaning of the symbols of heart, flame as they relate to the Spirit. Adjust the wording for the age of your students and feel free to expand on this basic presentation. After this discussion, you will move on to the Dramatic Reading.

(Heart)
Say:   Put your bag under your heart and make it beat by blowing into your tube. (After everyone has had a chance to try it ask them to not blow into the bag again until you ask them to.)

Ask & Say: Who makes your heart beat? (God!) God gives us life. The Bible says that God "breathes" his Holy Spirit into us to bring us to life. God "inspires" us. (Breathe into your heart bag a few more times to demonstrate the idea behind "inspire.")   In fact, the word for "spirit" in Hebrew means, "breath" or "wind." We're thinking a big thought here. What we're saying is that when you have God "inspiring" your life, filling your heart, then we are truly alive in him. That's why in church we talk about "being alive" with the Spirit, alive in Christ. Letting Christ fill your heart.  This breath, this spirit gives us life and makes our faith feel alive.

(Flame)
Say: There's another great image in the Bible that describes the presence of the Holy Spirit when it fills our heart. It's the image of a "flame" or "fire." In the story we are studying today, when the Holy Spirit rushed down on the disciples with the sound of a mighty wind, they said "something like a flame" appeared over each disciple's head.  In another story you probably know, when the disciples met the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Emmaus, they said their hearts burned within them.  God's presence often feels like a flame, a burning light.

Say:   Now place your baseball cap on you head and blow into your tube and observe as flames suddenly "appear" above everyone heads.   (After everyone has had a chance to try it and look around ask them to not blow into the bag again until you ask them to.)

Ask: Have you ever heard someone describe a player on a team who's scoring a lot of points saying, "he's on fire!"  or, "she's burning up the court!"    Or how about that song by Alicia Keys, "This girl is on fire!"    What does it mean to say someone is "on fire" ??

Say: In today's Bible story, the disciples were without Jesus for the first time. He had gone back into heaven and they were undoubtedly scared, and unsure of what to do. Jesus had promised them that he would send the Holy Spirit. And when it arrived with the sound of a mighty wind, it set the Disciples on FIRE!  ...."something like flames" appeared over their heads, and they went out into the crowd and started to teach other people about Jesus. They got "fired up" with the Spirit to spread the news.

Do & Say:  Try this: kink your tubing and try blowing into your bag. Truth is, we can do things to keep God from filling us, from inspiring us, from letting God's Spirit catch our faith on fire.  What are some things that people do to try and PUT OUT THE FLAME of FAITH inside themselves? Inside others?

Say: Coming to church, studying stories like the one today, praying, serving others, those are ways we INVITE God's Spirit to come into our heart and set our faith ABLAZE!

Drama!  ...the Story of Pentecost

Rather than present a full-blown "drama," the dramatic reading (attached) is designed to reinforce the story and further the reflection you began in the demonstration.   Have children sit in a circle and place their bags under their shirts, then hand out scripts.  You will need a few pencils (see script for full details).

~Print the dramatic reading pdf attached to this lesson~

Closing

Gather around in a circle, inviting each student to wear their hat with the flame and tube attached. Make this point:    Does the bag inflate by itself? (no)  In the story of Pentecost, who is it that sets the Disciple's faith on fire?  (God!)  

Let's pray, each of us in turn repeating what I'm about to say:  "God I invite you to enter my heart and set my faith on fire. Amen."

Younger student adaptations

• If short on time, prepare the bag and tubing ahead of time.
• Let them draw the flames and hearts and cut them out themselves.
• Simplify the demonstration and vocabulary.
• Have readers for the dramatic reading.
  
  

Note about the "Ball Caps" used to hold the flame prop...

Packs of plain white ball caps or "painter caps" are very inexpensive from online stores, such as, Oriental Trading Co. To get more use out of your purchase, you could re-use these caps in a follow up artistic lesson --designing the hats with Pentecost flames and "cryptic" messages, such as, "P.B.T.H.S." (powered by the Holy Spirit). Why "crytpic"?  Because it invites friends and family to ask, "what does that mean?" and thus, provides an opportunity to share your faith in a less "scary" way for kids.  

Alternately, you could use bandannas or headbands if they fit your budget. Or, check with your local PAINT STORE to see if they have free painter's caps they will give you. The paint logo can be covered with the student's "cryptic" message.

You could also combine the Art Workshop "blow paint" technique with the creation of the ball caps, to be used the following week in this Drama workshop before they go home.

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team, based on an idea from Neil MacQueen
Copyright 2016, Rotation.org Inc.