Introduction:
Begin by reading the story of Palm Sunday to the children.Pay particular attention to the fact that Jesus knew why he had to go to
Jerusalem (that he was going to die and that it was according to God’s plan
for him).Also pay
attention to the special carpet laid down before Jesus and the donkey as they
entered the city.
Discussion:
when do we use special carpets?Eg
for Royalty, actors at the Oscars, special hotel guests.Why did the people create a carpet not only of palm
leaves but also of their own clothes?Tell children how in previous centuries gentlemen supposedly removed
their cloaks and spread them across muddy patches on the ground rather than let
a woman (and especially a queen) walk through the mud.
Make:
a diorama (3D
model in a box) of the entry into Jerusalem.
Materials:
Large
box (or a designated area on a table, covered in paper or etc)
Thin
cardboard tubes, empty toilet roll tubes etc
Green
paper (for palm leaves)
String
Photocopies
of black line masters
Coloured
pencils etc
Glue
Cellotape
Plasticine
Building blocks etc if desired
Method:
(delegate these various jobs to children according to their abilities)
Draw
the path for the donkey to take.
Colour
and cut out the figure of Jesus on the donkey.Give Jesus some reins made from string.Tape a cardboard tube or stick to the back and use plasticine to
position Jesus on the road.
Make
palm trees by cutting leaves to the approximate shape of the black line
template and attaching to cardboard tubes.Position completed trees along the roadside.
Colour
and cut out figures of people, tape a tube or stick to the back and use
plasticine to position them along the road.
Cut
out lots of palm leaves (as for the trees, above) and glue them on the road
in front of Jesus.Children
might also like to cut out jackets etc out of coloured paper to add to the
leaves.
Building
blocks can be used to build an archway, showing the entry gate into
Jerusalem.
Make
a banner to go at the back of the diorama that says, “Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord” or “Hosanna”.
When the diorama is complete, ask the
children to imagine the sounds they might have heard had they been there that
day.These could
include: the donkey braying, the sound of the donkey’s hooves on the ground,
people shouting “Hosanna”, or “Praise Him”, or “Welcome Jesus!” etc.Ask the children to recreate these sounds as they look
at the diorama.
Extra
activities:
Make
finger puppets to act out the role of the crowd welcoming Jesus.
Act
the story with one student being Jesus (leading the donkey) and the others
shouting praises etc
Caveat:No copyright violation is believed to have been made in the publication of
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(aprice4824 (at) aol.com. (please substitute "at"
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Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be
the life and light of your Church: open our hearts to the riches of your
grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and
peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This site is dedicated to Hilary Doreen Davies who departed this life 26
November 2003 aged 71 after 23 years of chronic illness with strokes, cancer and
arthritis. St Hilary's Church is our tribute to a brave lady who was
mother to Sarah, Catherine, the late Rachel, the late John and wife to the late
Owen Williams Davies.
