Posts moved by Exchange Volunteer to consolidate topic:
Puppet Idea
Member Linnea Posted
We used a bluegrass song called "Zaccheus" recorded by Michael Stanley and had the puppets "sing" the song. You use 4 puppets (we have the big mouth puppets with crazy hair--it was so perfect.) One puppet is the lead. The other puppets can dance to the music and come in on the 4 part harmony chorus. The kids wanted to do it over and over. We taped them so they could watch themselves. I bought the song for 99 cents off the music match website.
Moderator: couldn't find the song 'Linnea' mentions above, but did find this song on YouTube "Zacchaeus" by Jim Lauderdale · Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys from the album Lost In The Lonesome Pines. Same song-maybe?
Newsroom Drama/Video
Posted by Neil MacQueen
Create a "Man on the Street" news show. Have kids come up with comments from people in the crowd. Interview Zaccheus up in the tree. Go to the dinner with Jesus. VIDEOTAPE IT LIKE A NEWS PROGRAM.
Another option:
Have EACH student get the opportunity to climb the sycamore tree and be videotaped about what's going through their (Z's) mind up there. Have one Zac. headress which you pass around to students as they take on the role.
Storytelling Idea
JoOehrlein (Guest) posted
Pass out "money" to all the kids and give Zaccheus a tax bill of what the area owes to Rome. Show how he takes more than is needed and how he gets richer as the others get poorer. You could have a banker/guards following him around to carry all his money he collects and to keep a running total. When he gets "home", show how he sends some to Rome and keeps the rest to spend on things (food, servants, etc.) while the people he took money from don't have any money.
Stop and discuss the following questions:
- What do the people think of Zaccheus in the beginning?
- Is there anyone (or any group) today that people dislike as much as the Jewish people disliked the tax collectors?
- Would you rather have been Zaccheus or the people he took money from? Why?
- What do you think Zaccheus thought about the people he took money from?
Fast forward to after the meeting with Jesus and show him going back to the people he took money from and repaying them.
Now discuss the following:
- What do you think the people thought when Zaccheus repaid them? Were they excited to get the money? Still resentful that it was taken to begin with? Distrustful because it might be a trick?
- What do we think today when someone experiences a sudden turnaround or conversion? Do we believe them?
- Do you think Zaccheus's turnaround influenced the people around him? Or did they just think he was crazy? Think about this from the perspective of both the people he collected from and the government officials he reported to.
- After his turnaround, who would you rather be, Zaccheus or the people he gave money to? Why?
- Do you think Zaccheus missed the money he gave back? What kind of changes would that make in his life?
- What are things in our lives that we need to turnaround? What are things that might cause problems for us as we try to "be better".
Storytelling Idea
Barb G posted
Zacchaeus was our story last month, and we focused on repentance and a changed heart.
An interview with someone playing the part of Zacchaeus allows the children to hear the story from Zacchaeus's perspective (and how special he felt to be noticed by Jesus).
