Advent Club 2014 Week 2

Diese Woche hörten wir Teile der Weihnachtsgeschichte, die nicht immer erzählt werden, aber trotzdem wichtig sind. "Das Geheimnis der Weihnacht" verwendet Bilder von Giotto aus dem 14.Jahrhundert, die in der Scrovegni-Kapelle in Italien zu sehen sind. This week we heard parts of the Christmas story that don't always get told, but that are still important. "The Mystery of Christmas" uses the frescoes of the 14th century artist, Giotto, that can be seen in the Scrovegni Chapel in Italy.

1. Die Verkündigung / The Annunciation
2. Maria Besuch bei Elisabeth und die Geburt Johannes des Täufers / Mary's Visits Elizabeth
3. Die Geburt Christi / Christ's Birth
4. Die Darstellung Jesu im Tempel / Presentation in the Temple
5. Der Besuch der 3 Könige / The Visit of the Magi
6. Kindermord in Bethlehem (ein sehr trauriger Teil der Geschichte!) / The Massacre in Bethlehem (a very sad part of the story!)
7. Der Fluch der heiligen Familie nach Ägypten / The Flight to Egypt

Ich geniesse immer das Ergründungsgespräch mit den Kindern, wo sie erzählen, was ihre lieblings Teil der Geschichte ist; was ihnen am wichtigsten ist; oder was man weglassen könnte, aber trotzdem alles haben, was wir brauchen. My favorite part is after the story, where we wonder together about the story. The children have a chance to tell what their favorite part of the story is, or what the most important part is, or even what could be left out of the story. 

In der Kreativphase arbeiteten wir an den Projekten von letzter Woche. In the Response Time, we worked more on the projects from last week.

Hier ein gut gelungener Linoschnittdruck:
Here is a finished linocut print:

In Vorbereitung auf unseren Besuch im Seniorenheim, haben wir eine neue Station angeboten. Hier gestalten die Kinder einen Weihnachtsbaum. Beim Seniorenheim wird ein Spiel daraus gemacht, wo die Augen eines Kindes verbunden werden, und das Kind wird von einem Senioren an den Baum geführt. Das Kind muss versuchen den Weihnachtsstern auf den richtigen Platz zu kriegen. In preparation for our visit to the senior center next week, we started making a Christmas tree that will be used for "Pin the tail on the donkey" type of game. We'll cover a child's eyes and have a senior lead the child to the tree, where he or she will have to try to place the star in the right place. 

Und wir übten Weihnachtslieder, die wir mit den Senioren singen können. Da Musik nicht meine Stärke ist, kam mein Mann mit Guitarre um uns zu unterstützen. And we practiced Christmas songs to sing with the seniors. (The good-looking guy with the guitar is my husband.: ) )

Die 3.Woche kommt bald! Week 3 coming soon!

Four Candles Burning

Happy Fourth Advent! This week at church, we heard the Godly Play story, "The Mystery of Christmas". This story is based on a series of frescos by Giotto and contains parts of the Christmas story that are not as frequently told, but nonetheless important. The story was written for older children, so I left out some parts for the younger children in our group. 

The panels are normally found in a wooden, golden parable box.  Since I only had a backpack today to transport my materials in, I wrapped them in gold paper with a bow. The children immediately made the connection with the parables before I began speaking.  

"This is the most mysterious parable of all: that God became a human being, that He entered our world as a baby . . . "

I didn't tell this story last year, because I couldn't find a copy of Madeleine L'Engel's The Glorious Impossible that the Godly Play German books recommend purchasing for the storytelling. This year, however, I discovered that all of the paintings were on-line here and here. So I downloaded them, mounted them on canvas, and varnished them with Modge Podge.

Middle: The Birth of Jesus; Counter-clockwise from top left: The Annunciation,
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth, Presentation in the Temple, The Visit of the Magi,
The Murder of the Innocents in Bethlehem, and The Flight to Egypt

I think this will now be one of my favorite Godly Play stories. Not only does it fill in some blanks for children about the events surrounding Jesus' birth, it also introduces them to some amazing art. The 8-year-old in the group was riveted, but it did get a little long for the younger children.  There is no "Wondering" phase at the end, and I was going to try it anyway, but the smaller children were too tired by that point to try. 

For the creative phase, the children could either draw or make more beeswax ornaments. (I've certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of this craft this Advent season! Thanks again, Naturkinder!)

Then, came a special Advent feast thanks to a good friend who prepared it for us and let us use her apartment for the children's service!

On Fourth Advent, we also spend time remembering the wise men who followed the star from the east to find the Christ Child.  We also spend some more time thinking about Mary on this Sunday as well, because without her, there would be no baby.

The Godly Play board for the Fourth Advent Sunday.

Our old East German-made cabinet is running out of room!

 Hope you are finding peace in the midst of the sometimes crazy last week of Advent! Blessings and joy to you all!