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10th January 2021View past Sundays

This term we are learning about how God created us and how we have amazing bodies that can do so many things. This week we will be learning about our sense of taste.

Verse ‘I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Psalm 139v14

Book God knows all about me by Claire Page and God loves little me by Rebecca Elliott (see links here). Tamsin, one of our Nest team, and two very special helpers have also recorded a brilliant video of one of this term’s books using Makaton signs (see the video here).

Songs Deep, deep, deep - Jesus loves me - Great big God - Guess what, God loves you - Jump around (see the videos here) - God made my head, shoulders, knees and toes (lyrics below, sing the first line however you’d like to and then into the normal tune).

Activity 1 Do some taste testing with your child, asking do you like this and what does it taste like? For example: crisps (salty), grapes (sweet/juicy), lemon wedge (sour), crackers (plain/bland) etc. Talk about how God made our sense of taste, that we are all different and that’s wonderful.

Activity 2 Make fruity kebab skewers/fruit salads/fruity animals (see example here). As you do this activity remind your child that God made us able to taste.

NEW SERIES 

Today we are starting a new series - Handling Big Emotions! 

This series explores our natural emotional responses and how we can handle them better  

This week we are starting with anger. Enjoy the video to explore the story of Cain and Abel and to see a messy demonstraton. 

WORSHIP: We will keep the same songs each week during this series, but please head to the songs and stories section for more. 

- Lift You Up 

- Deep Cries Out 

ACTIVITIES: 

Discussion - During discussion maybe have some blocks, duplo, lego or items to build with whilst discussing. You could make towers and see what happens when the towers get too big. 

- Could you sit together as a family and have a chat about what makes you angry, listen to each other and share your thoughts and ideas.

- Perhaps you could come up with a list of strategies together for what to do when you get angry so you don’t explode like the bottle.

- Pray together as a family for God to help each person recognise when they are feeling angry, and to use some of the strategies.

Art Project - We will be collecting in all your artwork at the end of the month to display. (Art can be done using any material, paper or canvas - we will scan in your artwork and return the originals to you to keep) 

- Can you draw an image to represent anger?

- Can you create an artistic impression of the story of Cain and Abel?

- Can you let your feelings come out to produce a masterpeice? 

There are no craft packs for this series, and each family will want to tailor the activities to suit their needs. 

Could you learn the Memory verse. “Don’t go to bed angry!” Ephesians 4:26

Message from Lucy Munton

The activities today are very discussion based, and we are launching an art project too - but let me share some of the ideas I was going to try (all being well) in our home. Do share your ideas too on The Oak Parents Facebook page, so we can all steal from each other.

Crafts to do with an anger theme that we might try -

- Create a stress sock, made from an old sock, rice and bobble. Decorate it and have it to squeeze and play with when your child is feeling angry.

- Scribble and shout - Have some paper and let children scribble and shout the thing they are cross about. Release the anger ( to God) and then rip up the paper and put it in the bin.

- Take an old pillowcase and decorate it. Put it on a pillow and this can be placed anywhere your child chooses to go and have a chat with God into the pillowcase when they are feeling any of the Big Emotions during this series.

This week we are hearing about a character from the Old Testament of the Bible, Esther (So great she had a book of the bible named after her!). And discussing the qualities of courage, hope and trust.

Please print out this script, or have it available on your phone to read out. No rehearsal necessary! 

Please also bring a pencil/pen, a sheet of paper, and a bible to our zoom call 7 - 8.30pm on Sunday.

Read: Esther 2:5 – 2:23 and Esther 3:13 - 4:17.

Watch: A film of Esther’s story          

Talk: Courage – search for quotes from famous people of what courage is, and discuss which you think best reflects Esther’s courage, and yours.

Make: Baking challenge – to make Haman’s pockets

Haman is the villain of this story (Esther 3:1-15). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat and are eaten at the Jewish celebration of Purim, because Esther, a teenage Jewish girl trusted in God and her cousin Mordecai and saved her people from certain death.

The recipe is here

Please note it suggests leaving the pastry in the fridge overnight before baking.

God bless your week!

Rachel and the Oak Youth team