Psalm 23: a Shepherd's Psalm Art Workshop Written by Jaymie Derden, State Street UMC, Bristol, VA
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Psalm 23: A Shepherd's Psalm Art Workshop Written by Jaymie Derden, State Street UMC, Bristol, VA. Adapted for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Olympia, WA, by Beth Tobin 2017. Summary of Lesson Activities: Children will use the technique of "wet felting" to create felted illustrations of the psalm. K-1 graders will use cookie cutters to make their wet-felted sheep. Scripture References: Psalm 23 (Using the NIV Adventure Bible) The Picture Bible: "The Chosen One" pages 278-280 (for younger students) Memory Verse: Psalm 23 (Encourage the children to learn as much as possible of this psalm) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; For you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Note: This is not the translation found in our Bibles, rather it is NRSV with a bit of New King James – a version more familiar to most people. Theme: • God loves us and cares for us like a shepherd cares for his sheep. Page !1 of !12 Rotation Objectives: • Children will define psalm: a song or poem in the Bible. • Children will locate Psalm 23 in the Old Testament of the Bible. • Children will explain the meaning of the Psalm in their own words. • Children will define Psalms as a book of poetry (older grades). • Children will identify David as the author of many of the Psalms. • Children will describe some of the responsibilities of a shepherd. • Children will describe how God is like a shepherd to us and how we are like sheep. • Children will recognize that God is with us even through scary or sad times. • Children will identify Jesus as the Good Shepherd. • Children will memorize Psalm 23. Bible Notes in the NIV Adventure Bible: • Words to Treasure: page 618 • Life in Bible Times: What God is Like, page 618 • Let’s Live It: God is My Shepherd, page 619 Resources for Workshops: • The Lord is my Shepherd, Illustrated by Anne Wilson, Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, 2003 • The Lord is my Shepherd: Psalm 23 for Children, Christopher L. Webber, Morehouse Publishing, 2004 • The Lord is my Shepherd, Little Shepherd Books, Scholastic, 2006. • A poster of Psalm 23 for each room. Rotation Music CDs 1 “Books of the Old Testament,” Books of the Bible, Custom CD, Troy and Genie Nilsson. 2 “Books of the New Testament,” Books of the Bible, Custom CD, Troy and Genie Nilsson. 3 Psalm 23 - Jeff Majors, Sacred Major 7th, Music One, 2007. 4 He Will Carry Me – Mark Schultz, He Will Carry Me, Word Entertainment, 2003. 5 "I'll Lead you Home," Michael W. Smith, 1995. 6 "Do not Fear," Seeds of Courage, Seeds Family Worship, 2007. 7 "I am the Good Shepherd," Verse 2 Verse, Top Kidz, Page !2 of !12 8 "The Lord is My Shepherd," Hidden in my Heart, 2009. 9 "Draw Me Close To You," the Katinas, Lifestyle: A Worship Experience, 2002. Resources for the Workshop • A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, 1970. • Poster of Psalm 23 for each room. Important note for Art workshop leaders: In the Art workshop, the Bible story is reinforced through creative and hands-on art activities. The children may make something that they can take home to help remind them of the monthly theme or they may work together as a team to make something for the church to display. During this rotation at State Street UMC, children practiced signing the psalm each week before class began. This was presented in worship service at the end of the rotation. Leader Preparation and Room Set-Up: • Review background information, teaching tips and lesson materials. • Gather necessary supplies • Cover the tables with the old tablecloths • Print out a copy of the 23rd Psalm for each child • Review the Music CD. • Plan to play the music as the children arrive, work on their art projects and during journal time. Supplies List: Supplies for plastic baggie wet felting (grades 2-4, 5-6) • Wool roving in a variety of colors (white, black, grey for sheep; green, blue, yellow for grass, water, sky and sun; pink, purple or red for flowers). Wool roving can be purchased online or from knitting and fiber arts suppliers. We purchased from Stony Mountain Fibers, http://www.angelfire.com/va2/fibers/ • Piece of craft felt • Quart-size ziploc bags - one per child • Hot and cold water • Plastic water bottles - one per child • Liquid dish washing soap Page !3 of !12 • Bath towels - one for each pair of children • Cutting board • A copy of the 23rd Psalm for each child • Paper towels Supplies for cookie cutter wet felting (grades K-1): • Wool roving in a variety of colors (see source above) • Sheep cookie cutters - one per child • Plastic container large enough to hold the cookie cutter and several inches deep - one per child • Plastic water bottles - one per child • Hot, warm and cold water • Thick hand towels/bath towels - one per pair of children • Liquid Soap • Embroidery floss (optional) • Large needle (optional) • Scissors (optional) • Paper towels Presentation Opening-Welcome and Introduction Welcome all children and introduce yourself. Make sure each child is wearing a nametag. Briefly describe and overview of the day's activities. Opening Prayer Please open each session with prayer. Dear Lord, We thank you for this day and for all the people who guide and protect us. Teach us as we read your word and allow it to guide us also. Amen. Important Teacher Notes: Each workshop includes the Bible story. One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy! If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the Page !4 of !12 classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story. Remember that as the Rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story. When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion. You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well. Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you. One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth. Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session. Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks! Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity. Dig-Main Content and Reflection: Introduce the Story - All Grades What is a shepherd? (A person, who takes care of a lot of sheep, guides or leads the sheep, and keeps them safe. He has enough food and clean water for the sheep, keeps the sheep from being scared and makes sure they don’t get lost. Throughout the lives of the sheep, the shepherd walks with them as they travel from one place to the next. The sheep are never asked to guide themselves or find their ways alone.) Who was King David? (He was chosen by God to be Israel’s king long before Jesus was sent to be the King) If David lived long before Jesus, where would we find the stories about him in the Bible? (the Old Testament) Does anyone know what job David held before becoming king? (He was a shepherd. That meant he understood how to lead and protect those that he was in charge of. Additionally, during the time he spent with the sheep, he became very close to God. He had a lot of time to think about life and all the gifts that God had Page !5 of !12 given him. He learned patience and kindness and was able to see how God worked in his life.) As David learned more about God, he realized that God is our shepherd. He is the one who should guide us. He is the one we should depend on every day of our lives for safety, for answers and for all that we need. David had such a wonderful relationship with God that he wrote about it. He wrote songs for people to sing. In the Old Testament, they were called psalms. David wrote many psalms during his life. His most famous is probably Psalm 23. Additional Information for older grades: Sheep can easily follow another sheep if they don’t have a shepherd. The sheep cannot determine if the other sheep are leading them into danger or to a place that doesn’t have any food or water. They must follow a shepherd and trust him if they are to be safe. Additionally, sheep would happily follow the same paths over and over again even if it meant they ate all their food and/or if it became a dangerous place. If the sheep follow a shepherd, he will ensure that they change their path if it is not the best one for them.