21st June 2020
This week we are focusing particularly on the Father’s gentleness in his response to the prodigal son, and thinking about the power of gentle words.
Click below for some colouring pages.
“A gentle answer calms down anger, but mean words stir it up.”
The story of The Son Who Runs Away is found in Luke 15:11-32, and is read here from the Jesus Storybook Bible.
Here are some ideas to help you explore gentleness together at home.
Each draw a face on an egg (okay, that’s the only ‘crafty’ part of this craft - the rest is an object lesson!) - this is now your best friend for the day. Seal it inside a secure ziplock bag. For the rest of the day keep this egg in your pocket, handbag, etc. and try to be gentle with it. At the end of the day get the bags out and see how you got on! Remember that we are not perfect, and even if we want to be gentle we might forget. Ask Jesus each day to hep you grow in gentleness.
(Any eggs that made it through the day at room temperature are perfectly safe to put back in the fridge.)
Cut out a picture of a person from a newspaper or magazine, or draw one on paper.
Get your child to scrunch up the paper into a tight ball and then ask them to smooth the paper out. Explain that the creases wont come out of the paper, just as mean words can’t be taken back. This is why it’s so important to be gentle in the way we treat others - our actions can damage them.
To extend this idea ask your child to look through the newspaper or magazine and see if they can find examples of gentle words that are calming the situation down, and mean words that are stirring it up.
Use paper plates to make funny faces! Make sure you’ve got a happy/gentle one and an angry/mean one. Use the mirror if you’re not sure what those faces look like!
Write the memory verse in two parts:
On a happy face write “A gentle answer calms down anger…” and on an angry face write “…but mean words stir it up.”
Inspired by play inspired mum.
Let’s think about our memory verse a bit more…
“A gentle answer calms down anger but mean words stir it up.”
Can you think of a time when a friend or brother or sister has been angry or grumpy with you? How does it make you feel when someone is angry with you? When someone is angry or unkind with you is it easy to be gentle back? I don’t think it is; it is hard to remember that people are precious when they are angry, and when they’re angry it can make us angry too! We have to be very strong to be gentle back to them but it can really change things and help them not to be so angry or grumpy. Here’s a scenario for you to act out:
Jaidyn: Would you like to play on your scooter with me?
Reilly: No I wouldn’t, that’s a rubbish idea.
Jaidyn: It’s not a rubbish idea!! I’m not going to be friends with you anymore! I’m going to find someone else to play with.
Reilly: I DON’T LIKE PLAYING WITH YOU ANYWAY!
Now act out the scene again with a difference:
Jaidyn: Would you like to play on your scooter with me?
Reilly: No, I wouldn’t, that’s a rubbish idea.
Jaidyn: Okay, no problem, is there something you’d rather do?
Reilly: Actually, maybe we will play on our scooters but I’d like to play with the Lego afterwards.
What was more gentle about Jaidyn’s response this time? What effect did it have on Reilly?
Sometimes the person might not change their mind and will still want you to do their thing instead. Does being gentle mean that you should always do what the angry or grumpy person wants to do? We can be gentle but not a pushover; being gentle doesn’t mean we are weak. Have a chat about that as a family and make up some more situations to act out.
Mix 2 parts of cornflour to 1 part water (and food colouring if you fancy) to make a batch of Oobleck (you can thank Dr Seuss for the name).
This stuff is so much fun! When you pour Oobleck it will flow like any other liquid. But when you apply force by hitting or squeezing, it will seem solid. You can roll it into a ball in your hand, then stop and it will flow out.
Have another look at this week’s memory verse and see if you can work out why we have chosen Oobleck for the activity:
“A gentle answer calms down anger but mean words stir it up.”
If you want to keep your batch of Oobleck for another day then freeze in an airtight bag. Otherwise you can dispose of it in your food-waste or mix it straight into soil.
