The Woman at the Well ROTATION STATIONS

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The Woman at the Well ROTATION STATIONS

Art

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Sculptures Bible Verse q Discovering Living Water—All She said to the people, “Come and see!” Children (John 4:28b-29a) q Come to the Water—All Children Anchor Point q Life Story—Younger Children Come and see Jesus! q Marbleize Paper—Older Children q Worship

DID YOU KNOW? Though there are many women mentioned in Scripture, many of them do not have names. The Samaritan woman is known to readers of the Gospel only through her ethnic heritage. Her heritage is significant because Jews and Samaritans did not associate together. The two groups had a long history of disliking each other. This is why the woman is so surprised when Jesus speaks to her. When Jesus comes to a well, he is thirsty for some H2O. When he meets the Samaritan woman, he learns that she is the thirsty one, searching for salvation. In biblical tradition, wells carried overtones of courtship. Abraham finds Rebekah, a bride for Isaac, at a well. Jacob and Rachel meet at a well. Though Jesus and the Samaritan woman are not matched romantically, they are matched spiritually. Jesus shows the woman that he is the source of the living water that she has been seeking. At first, the woman misunderstands Jesus and believes he is talking about literal water. Jesus helps her understand the spiritual meaning of his words by telling her a prophetic truth about her own life. Jesus’ extraordinary knowledge shows the woman that Jesus is a prophet. The woman brings up the theological dispute between Jews and Samaritans, about the location of God’s holy mountain. Jesus assures her that true worship is not about the location as much as it is about “spirit and truth.” The Samaritan woman begins to suspect that Jesus is more than a prophet. Jesus affirms her suspicion, and declares that he is the Messiah. Overjoyed, the woman becomes an immediate preacher of the gospel, sharing the good news and bringing people to meet Jesus. She invites the people to “come and see” the person who would change the world.

BIBLE STORY Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Storybook Bible

SAY: Our Bible story today is about insiders and outsiders. Some people pay a lot of attention to the boundaries that divide them from other people. Jesus was not one of those people. He didn’t care who was on the inside and who was on the outside. As we read the story, listen for how Jesus crosses boundaries. • Invite the children to find John 4:1-42 in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles. • Encourage a few strong readers to read the passage aloud or invite the children to follow along as you read it. If you have younger children, read an abridged section: 4:4-13, 25-30, 39-42.

BIBLE VERSE SCULPTURES Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from our Bible story. We find it in the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s make our bodies into living sculptures that show how the Samaritan woman might have looked when she told people about Jesus. • Read the Bible verse as a group. Then count out loud to three. In three counts, the children have to strike a pose that shows how the woman at the well might have looked while saying, “Come and see Jesus!” Read the verse several times to give children a chance to make different body sculptures.

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

DISCOVERING LIVING WATER—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: watercolor paints, paintbrushes, water, white paper, white crayon Before class: On each piece of white paper using white crayon, write the sentence: You are known and loved.

SAY: Today’s Bible story is about Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman. Jesus was a Jew. Many Jews thought they could not be friends with Samaritans. Jesus thought differently. He talked to the woman at the well, even though she was from a different place. ASK: How do you think Jesus felt as he talked to the Samaritan woman? How do you think the woman felt talking to Jesus? What clues did our Bible story give about how they were feeling?

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Art Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 SAY: When Jesus talked with the woman, she found out that he knew some personal details about her life. He had never met her before, but he knew things about her. What he knew about her did not make him want to avoid her. In fact, it made him want to be her friend. Jesus knows all about us and loves us no matter what. • Give each child a piece of paper with the message in white crayon.

SAY: Using watercolor paints, try to find out what the secret message is on each of your papers. These watercolors remind us of the “living water” that Jesus told his friend about at the well. • Let the children use the watercolors to discover the words written on their paper. • Lay the papers aside to dry.

COME TO THE WATER—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: device to play music, variety of art supplies of your choice Before class: Search YouTube for a video of the song “Come to the Water” by John Foley. Arrange the art supplies in your space so the children will have access to all the materials.

SAY: Jesus shared living water with the Samaritan woman at the well. She had come to the well to get regular water to drink, cook, clean, and water plants. But Jesus offered her living water that would never run out. ASK: What do you think Jesus meant by living water? What is living water? Where do you find living water? SAY: We are going to listen to a song inspired by this Bible story. Some people sing it when they celebrate baptism. Some people sing it to remember that God invites us all to come to the living water. Listen to this song. As you listen, you may create an art project inspired by the song. We will listen to it two or three times. • Give the children time to create their artwork. Listen to the song two or three times through, depending on how much time the children require to work. • After the children are done with their artwork, invite them to share what they made.

ASK: Was there a certain part of the song that inspired you? Why did you choose the materials that you used?

LIFE STORY—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: white construction paper, tape, crayons, pencils Before class: Cut the construction paper in half lengthwise. You will have strips measuring 4½-by-12. • Give each child two long strips of paper.

SAY: The Samaritan woman in our Bible story was surprised that Jesus knew personal details about her. She had just met Jesus for the first time. How could he know about her? As Christians, we try to follow Jesus. We share our lives with Jesus, just as he shared his life with us by becoming human to teach us about God. We are going to make a timeline that shares important things about our life.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Art Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 • Direct the children to fold each of their long strips of paper in half widthwise, twice, then unfold. Each strip should now be divided into four sections. Have the children tape the two strips of paper together end-to-end. Each child should end up with 4½-by-12 strip divided into eight sections. • Invite the children to write or draw important events from their life in each of the eight boxes.

ASK: How do you decide what are the most important events that have happened in your life? What events are you including in your life story timeline? • When the children are finished, invite them to share their life story timeline with the group.

MARBLEIZE PAPER—OLDER CHILDREN Supplies: foam shaving cream, food coloring, heavy white paper, painter’s tape, paper towels, several rectangular baking sheets or pans, rubber spatulas or plastic forks, table covering Before class: Cover the workspace in plastic or newspaper.

SAY: Jesus and the Samaritan woman were not supposed to be friends. People thought Jews and Samaritans could not be friends. Mixing with others outside their culture was not good. Jesus and the Samaritan woman did not care what other people thought. They met and had an important conversation. This art project will remind us that mixing is OK, and many times beautiful things come from it! ASK: When have you mixed something that people thought was bad and it turned out good? with food? with games? with your friends? Does mixing ever surprise you? • Have a conversation about the different ways people draw boundaries to prevent mixing and the ways that people break boundaries and mix together.

ASK: What is the risk of crossing boundaries? What can be gained by crossing boundaries? • Have the children spray foam shaving cream onto a baking sheet/pan. Drop a few drops of food coloring into the shaving cream. Use a spatula or plastic forks to swirl the colors and the cream together. • Lay the white paper down carefully on top of the shaving cream. Do not push it under the shaving cream or get it totally wet. Counting to three is usually enough time. • Lift up the paper, and use a paper towel to wipe off excess shaving cream.

WORSHIP Supplies: Leader Guide—p. 6, device for playing quiet music Before class: Make copies of the “Family Letter” (p. 6). • Gather the children together in your worship space. • Invite the children to share their responses to the following questions: 1. What’s something you want to thank God for this week? 2. What’s something you want to ask God to help you with this week? SAY: Today, we learned about an important person Jesus met. The Samaritan woman was one of the first preachers. She learned from Jesus. Then she shared his teachings to her with the community. She also brought other people to Jesus. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Art Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 ASK: What does our Bible verse say? Where do you meet people who invite you to know Jesus? SAY: Jesus told the Samaritan woman about the living water of God’s love. We will never be thirsty again if we have this living water that comes from following Jesus. Even though Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with one another, Jesus knew that God loves all people. Jesus shared God’s love with all people. ASK: Have you ever told someone about Jesus? about God? What did you say? What was it like to share about God? How did the person react? What did it feel like in your heart when you shared? SAY: The Samaritan woman invited people in her community to come and meet Jesus. She was amazed by what she learned from him. She was so excited that she wanted to share. When we are following Jesus, we often want to share and demonstrate what we have learned about how to love others. We want to be like the Samaritan woman, telling everyone about God’s love. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

SAY: Share in your groups about a time when you felt God’s love. • Allow the children time to share. Play music (perhaps “Come to the Water”) in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, help us to remember that our hope is in you. No matter who we are or where we are from, we know you love us. Be with us as we do our best to welcome everyone with the same love that Jesus had for his friends. In the name of friendship. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to be welcoming and inviting this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Today, we explored the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through art experiences. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

EXPLORE ART Through the years, many artists have imagined what it looked like when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Search the Internet to find some illustrations of this scene.

Discuss the pictures you find.

• How do the artists portray Jesus?

• How is the woman portrayed?

• What do the expressions on Jesus’ and the woman’s face say?

• Are the disciples pictured? What emotions are they conveying?

• What does the land look like around Jesus?

• Which pieces of art are your favorites? What do you like about these pictures?

Invite your family to illustrate this story together. How will you portray the living water Jesus talked about?

Cooking

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Motions Bible Verse q Juice Snow Cones—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Living Water Lemonade—All Children q Gelatin Wells—Younger Children Anchor Point q Gathering Fruit for Eternal Life— Come and see Jesus! Older Children q Worship

BIBLE STORY Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles or Bible map with Judea, Galilee and Samaria labeled

SAY: Our Bible story tells about when Jesus, who was Jewish, met a Samaritan woman. Samaritans and Jews did not like to be around one another. Sometimes they fought and were mean to one another. Jews and Samaritans had been upset with one another for a very long time. • Show the children the Bible map, or have the children turn to Map 6 in the back of their Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

ASK: Can you find Judea on the map? Where is Samaria in relation to Judea? SAY: Even though Jesus and the woman were from different places, they talked to each other. The woman was very interested in learning about God, and she listened carefully to Jesus. As I read this story, listen to what Jesus shares about God with the woman. Whenever you hear Jesus sharing about God, put your hands by your ears to show how the woman was listening deeply to Jesus’ words. • Tell the children the following story, encouraging them to cup their ears with their hands when they hear Jesus tell the woman about God. Once when Jesus was traveling, he had to walk through Samaria. Jesus was tired from his journey. It was noon and the sun was hot, so he sat down at a well. His disciples went into a nearby city to buy food. While Jesus was sitting at the well, a woman from Samaria came to the well to draw some water. Jesus said, “Give me some water to drink.” The Samaritan woman was surprised and said, “Why are you asking for help from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jews and Samaritans did not get along, and the woman thought Jesus should know that! Jesus said, “If you recognized me, YOU would ask ME for water, and I would give you living water.” The woman said to Jesus, “You don’t have a bucket to draw water, and the well is very deep. Where do you think you can get this living water? Do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?” Jesus answered the woman, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become like a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman was amazed and said, “Sir, I see you are a prophet. We Samaritans worship on this mountain, but your people say that we should worship in Jerusalem.” Jesus responded, “Soon, it won’t matter so much where you worship. True worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach us everything.” Jesus said, “I am the Messiah.” The woman put down her water jar and ran into the city. She said, “Come and see Jesus!” The people followed her from the city and went to see Jesus. The disciples returned with food from the city. Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” The disciples were confused. Jesus said, “I am fed by doing God’s work.”

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Cooking Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 Many Samaritans who lived in the city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s preaching. The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them, and he stayed for two days. Soon, even more people believed in Jesus, and they said to the woman, “We don’t believe just because of what you told us. We have heard for ourselves and know that Jesus is the savior of the world.”

BIBLE VERSE MOTIONS Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s say the Bible verse together a few more times, adding some motions to help us remember it. • Teach the children motions for come and see. Come: Make a beckoning motion like you’re inviting someone to come with you. See: Hold one hand above your eyes like you are looking at something far away. • Say the verse together with these motions a few times.

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

JUICE SNOW CONES—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: ice cube trays, juice (orange, grape, or fruit punch), blender, cups, spoons, table covering Before class: The night before class, pour the juice into ice cube trays. Let them freeze overnight. Cover the work area if desired.

SAY: Jesus told the woman at the well about “living water.” The woman was amazed because Jesus said that if she had living water, she would never be thirsty again. ASK: Have you ever been really thirsty? What quenches your thirst? SAY: When Jesus talked with the woman at the well, it was noon, and may have been hot. Jesus was thirsty, so he wanted a drink. Today we are going to make snow cones, which can quench our thirst when it’s hot outside. • Have the children wash their hands. • Give each child a cup and a spoon. • If you have multiple flavors of juice, let the children pick which juice cubes to put in the blender. Use four or five cubes at a time in the blender. Blend the cubes until they are a bit “fluffy” or “snowy.” • Have the children spoon the snow cone mix into their cups. • As the children enjoy their snow cones, discuss what kinds of things quench their spiritual thirst.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Cooking Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 LIVING WATER LEMONADE—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: lemonade powder mix, measuring cups, water, pitchers, cups, tall stirring spoons Before class: Prepare a clean work space.

SAY: When Jesus was sharing the good news with the woman at the well, he talked about living water. This is not water that you could find in a well, a river, or falling from the sky as rain. The water you find in those places is important for life because the human body needs water. The water Jesus talked about is important for our spirits, because it quenches our spiritual thirst. ASK: When you’re hot and tired, like Jesus was when he rested at the well, what do you do? What makes your body feel better? When your spirit is worn out, what makes your spirit feel better? SAY: Let’s make some living water lemonade together. This is made from normal water from our kitchen sink, but has a special ingredient (lemonade mix) that makes it different. • Prepare the lemonade according to the directions on the mix. Let each child assist with measuring the lemonade mix and stirring the powder into the water. • If desired, make lemonade from lemons instead of powder. To extend this lesson, talk about how drawing water from a well was hard work and so is using a juicer!

GELATIN WELLS—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: graham crackers, blue gelatin mix, nut butter or frosting, plastic knives and spoons, plates Before class: Prepare the gelatin mix according to the package directions.

ASK: Where did our Bible story take place? (at a well) What do people do at wells? (draw water) Do we have wells today? (yes) Why are wells important? (In places where surface water is scarce, wells allow people to access groundwater.) SAY: Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at a well. He is thirsty and asks her for a drink. They have an important conversation about living water and what it means to have your spiritual thirst quenched. Today we are going to make edible wells to remind us of the story. • Have the children wash their hands. • Give each child a plate. On the plate, have each child assemble a circular wall by gluing graham crackers together with nut butter or frosting. • Once the well wall is assembled, scoop some blue gelatin water into the middle of the well. • While the children are enjoying their snack, discuss what it was like to build a well. What was easy about this task? What were the harder parts? What might the challenges be if you built a well in the ground? TIPS • Be mindful of food allergies. If children are allergic to nuts, use sunflower butter. If children have dye allergies, use a gelatin mix that does not include artificial dyes. • You might want to check out books from your local library on modern day wells, to read as the children enjoy their snack.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Cooking Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 GATHERING FRUIT FOR ETERNAL LIFE —OLDER CHILDREN Supplies: fruit (bananas, grapes, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, pineapple, and so forth), big salad bowl, small cups, spoons, table knives, lemon juice, cutting boards

SAY: When Jesus’ disciples came back from the city to find Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman, they were surprised. Jews did not usually talk to Samaritans. They were even more surprised when Jesus said that he didn’t need the food they bought in the city, because he already had food—food for eternal life! Jesus told them that they needed to harvest fruit for eternal life. ASK: What do you think Jesus meant when he said “eternal life”? What do you think is the fruit of eternal life? • Invite the children to wash their hands. Have some children wash the fruit, others use table knives to cut the fruit into small pieces, and others stir the fruit salad with spoons. • After assembling the fruit salad, sprinkle it with lemon juice and serve it in small cups. TIP • Be mindful of food allergies and do not include fruits to which children are allergic.

WORSHIP Supplies: Leader Guide—p. 7, device for playing quiet music Before class: Make copies of the “Family Letter” (p. 7). • Gather the children together in your worship space. • Invite the children to share their responses to the following questions: 1. What’s something you want to thank God for this week? 2. What’s something you want to ask God to help you with this week?

SAY: Jesus shared living water with the woman at the well. Then he talked about harvesting for eternal life. He said he had spiritual food. ASK: What do you think Jesus meant by living water and spiritual food? What do real water and real food help humans do? Why are food and water important? What could spiritual food and living water help us do? SAY: Jesus was a human, and got thirsty and was hungry just like everyone else. Just like you and me. But Jesus also was very special to God. Jesus knew that God could give us love that helps our hearts grow, kind of like how water and food help our bodies grow. ASK: Have you ever felt your heart grow or expand with love? When did you feel this? What kinds of words and actions help your heart will grow? SAY: The woman at the well felt her heart growing when she met Jesus and learned about the living water. She was so excited that she went and told everyone in her community. She was one of the first preachers because she brought people to meet Jesus. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

ASK: Who in your life has helped your heart grow by bringing you to meet Jesus? How do you help others’ hearts grow? deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Cooking Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 5 • Allow the children time to share. Play music in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, we know that you are always with us in our hearts. Thank you for teaching us how to love people. We praise you for giving us living water and spiritual food so that our hearts and minds and spirits will expand. Amen. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Today we explored the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through cooking experiences. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

NOTICE WATER Jesus shared the good news of living water with the woman at the well, who in turn shared it with her community of Samaritans. This week, consider the amazing qualities of water. Water is in everything we eat and in our bodies. Pay attention to how water shows up in everyday life. Whenever you use water this week, remember that Jesus gives us living water that bubbles up into eternal life.

Games

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Word-at-a-Time Bible Verse Bible Verse q Telephone—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Fill the Bucket Relay—All Children q Musical Chairs—Younger Children Anchor Point q What Do You Know?—Older Children Come and see Jesus! q Worship

BIBLE STORY Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles or Bible map with Judea, Galilee and Samaria labeled

SAY: Our Bible story tells about when Jesus, who was Jewish, met a Samaritan woman. Samaritans and Jews did not like to be around one another. Sometimes they fought and were mean to one another. Jews and Samaritans had been upset at each other for a very long time. • Show the children the Bible map, or have the children turn to Map 6 in the back of their Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

ASK: Can you find Judea on the map? Where is Samaria in relation to Judea? SAY: Even though Jesus and the woman were from different places, they talked to each other. The woman was very interested in learning about God, and she listened carefully to Jesus. Jesus told the woman about a special kind of water: living water. Whenever you hear the word water in the story, pretend you are flowing water and say “whoosh!” • Tell the children the following story, encouraging them to move their hands like a flowing river and say “whoosh” when they hear the word water. Once when Jesus was traveling, he had to walk through Samaria. Jesus was tired from his journey. It was noon and the sun was hot, so he sat down at a well. His disciples went into a nearby city to buy food. While Jesus was sitting at the well, a woman from Samaria came to the well to draw some water. Jesus said, “Give me some water to drink.” The Samaritan woman was surprised and said, “Why are you asking for help from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jews and Samaritans did not get along, and the woman thought Jesus should know that! Jesus said, “If you recognized me, YOU would ask ME for water, and I would give you living water.” The woman said to Jesus, “You don’t have a bucket to draw water, and the well is very deep. Where do you think you can get this living water? Do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?” Jesus answered the woman, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will like a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman was amazed and said, “Sir, I see you are a prophet. We Samaritans worship on this mountain, but your people say that we should worship in Jerusalem.” Jesus responded, “Soon, it won’t matter so much where you worship. True worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach us everything.” Jesus said, “I am the Messiah.” The woman put down her water jar and ran into the city. She said, “Come and see Jesus!” The people followed her from the city and went to see Jesus. The disciples returned with food from the city. Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” The disciples were confused. Jesus said, “I am fed by doing God’s work.”

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Games Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 Many Samaritans who lived in the city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s preaching. The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them, and he stayed for two days. Soon, even more people believed in Jesus, and they said to the woman, “We don’t believe just because of what you told us. We have heard for ourselves and know that Jesus is the savior of the world.”

WORD-AT-A-TIME BIBLE VERSE Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s say the Bible verse together a few more times, each of us saying one word at a time. • Repeat the Bible verse several times, each person in the circle saying one word at a time. See how fast you can get the verse around the circle!

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

TELEPHONE—ALL CHILDREN SAY: After the Samaritan woman at the well met Jesus, she ran into her town and told everyone about him. She told people that Jesus might be the Messiah, so they should come and meet him. ASK: What else do you think the woman at the well told the people in her city? What questions do you think the people asked her? SAY: When the woman shared the good news about Jesus, she was spreading the message by word-of-mouth. That’s how most people heard the good news in Jesus’ day—by talking directly to someone who knew him. Stories about Jesus’ life weren’t written down until later. ASK: Did the people believe the woman? (yes) Did they follow her advice, and go to see and hear Jesus for themselves? (yes) SAY: Let’s play a game of telephone to imagine how the good news spread throughout this town. • Invite the children to sit in a circle. • Choose one child to start. Have that child whisper the Bible verse to the child next to him or her. Invite the children to whisper the message person-to-person around the circle. • Ask the last child to share what message she or he received. Have the first child share the original message to compare. • Repeat the game with other messages, such as “Whoever drinks living water will never be thirsty again,” “Come and see Jesus!” or messages the children make up about what they remember from the Bible story.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Games Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 FILL THE BUCKET RELAY—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: two buckets, building blocks (optional), small plastic cups Before class: Fill one bucket with water. Use building blocks to make a short, circular wall around the bucket so that it resembles a well.

SAY: The woman Jesus met had come to the well to draw water. Drawing water from wells could be hard work! Imagine having to draw all the water you use each day from a well. ASK: How many gallons of water do you think you would need? SAY: The average American uses between 80-100 gallons of water per day! That’s because of modern technology, like washing machines, dishwashers, and toilets. People in Jesus’ time used less water, but it was still a difficult task to gather all the water they needed. We’re going to have a relay to imagine what it might have been like to have to work so hard to get your water. • Give each child a plastic cup. Place the empty bucket at the opposite end of the space from the full bucket in the “well.” • Have the children take turns running to the full bucket, leaning over the well wall to fill their cups, then walking carefully back to the empty bucket and pouring the water into it. • Challenge the children to see how quickly they can transfer all the water from one bucket to another. Encourage them to avoid spilling water, because a person would not want to waste such a precious resource. TIPS • Play this game outside if the weather is suitable. • As an aside, explain that children in some countries have a daily responsibility to collect water for the entire family from a well or community fountain. For some, the round trip can take hours.

MUSICAL CHAIRS—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: construction paper, tape, device for playing music • Give each child a circle of construction paper and a piece of tape. • Have the children stand in a circle and tape their construction paper to the floor in front of them.

SAY: In the Bible story, Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman. That was unusual, because Jewish men did not normally talk to Samaritan women. Jews and Samaritans fought with one another because each group believed they were the true Israelites. Each group thought the other group didn’t belong. • Invite the children to play a game of musical chairs. When the music plays, the children must walk around the circle of construction paper sheets. When the music stops, they must try to stand on the nearest piece of construction paper in order to remain in the group. • Each round, take away one circle, so that one child will be left out. Children who don’t have a circle to stand on must sit in the middle of the circle. • Play until only one child is left.

SAY: Jesus taught us that there is room for everyone in God’s kingdom—no one is an outsider. God loves all people and wants to share living water with everyone. That’s good news!

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Games Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 WHAT DO YOU KNOW? —OLDER CHILDREN SAY: When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he knew things about her even though they had just met. The woman was surprised and confused because Jesus knew about her life! In this game, we are going to guess facts about one another’s lives. • Sit in a circle. Invite each child to think of two true statements and one untrue statement about him or herself. • One at a time, have the children share their statements. The rest of the group must guess which statement is untrue.

ASK: Was it easy or difficult to tell when a friend was sharing an untrue statement? Why? What clues did you use to figure out which statement was untrue? SAY: Jesus wasn’t using clues to guess facts about the woman at the well. He knew about her life because he was God’s son. Jesus knows about our lives, too. He knows us and loves us, just like the woman at the well.

SAY: The Samaritan woman was very brave when she met Jesus at the well. Samaritans and Jews did not get along, so she was confused when Jesus started talking to her. Jews saw the Samaritans as outsiders who did not belong. The Samaritans saw the Jews the same way. ASK: How have you been an outsider? How did you feel? How have you been an insider? How did you feel? What are the differences between being an insider and an outsider? SAY: Jesus told the woman at the well about the living water of God’s love. She would not ever be thirsty for love again. The woman was so excited that she ran into the city to share the good news with her community. ASK: What kinds of good news have you shared with people you love? What good news have you shared with strangers? How do people show that they listen and understand you? How did the Samaritans show that they listened and understood the woman’s good news? SAY: The Samaritan woman at the well was one of the first preachers. She met Jesus and brought people to meet him. She wanted everyone to know that there are no insiders and outsiders in God’s love. Everyone belongs. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three. Invite each child to share one way she or he can help others know they are loved. • Allow children time to share. Play music in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Games Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 5 SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, we praise you for creating us to be loving. Teach us how to welcome everyone we meet. Help us learn how to love one another even when it’s hard. Remind us how to follow Jesus and be a friend to all the insiders and all the outsiders. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to share the good news of inclusion this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Today we explored the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through games. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

PLAY GET-TO-KNOW-YOU GAMES When Jesus met the woman at the well, he knew amazing things about her life, even though they had never met. The woman knew Jesus was a prophet because of what he knew about her. Play these guessing games at home to see how much you know about one another.

• Share three true statements about yourself and one untrue statement. Have your family guess which statement is not true.

• Tell one story about yourself and then one story from a friend’s life. Have your family guess which one is about you and which one is about another person.

• Describe a person in your family by telling three clues about them. Have another family member guess who you are talking about.

Missions

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Invitation Bible Verse q Map-Making—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Sharing Living Water—All Children q Ruth and the Green Book—Younger Anchor Point Children Come and see Jesus! q Serving Across Difference—Older Children q Worship

BIBLE STORY Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles SAY: Our Bible story today is about insiders and outsiders. Some people pay a lot of attention to the boundaries that divide them from other people. Jesus was not one of those people. He didn’t care who was on the inside and who was on the outside. As we read the story today, listen for how Jesus crosses boundaries. • Have the children turn to Map 6 in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles and find Samaria and Judea. Explain that people from Samaria and people from Judea disagreed about many things, and did not usually talk to one another. • Invite the children to find John 4:1-42 in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles. • Encourage a few strong readers to read the passage aloud, or invite the children to follow along as you read it. If you have younger children, read an abridged section: 4:4-13, 25-30, 39-42.

BIBLE VERSE INVITATION Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from our story. We find it in the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. She wanted everyone to know about God’s love. Let’s say the Bible verse again, this time inviting one another to “come and see Jesus.” • Choose a child to start. The first child invites the person to his or her left by name to come and see Jesus. The children continue around the circle, inviting one another by name. Experiment with how fast the group can invite everyone to “come and see Jesus.”

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

MAP-MAKING—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles, large pieces of white paper or whiteboard, markers

SAY: Our Bible story today is about two people who were different. One of them was Jesus, a Jewish man. The other was a Samaritan woman. Sometimes when people are different, they think they can’t be friends with one another. ASK: What are the differences that prevent people from being friends today? What are some differences between you and your friends?

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Missions Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 SAY: Sometimes ethnic differences divide people. When one person is from Judea and one person is from Samaria, how could they get along? They are so different. They have different families, ideas, and rituals. They eat different foods and shop at different markets. Let’s draw a map together of the area where our story takes place. • Split the children into groups of two or three. Give each group a large piece of white paper and a Deep Blue Kids Bible (or a map of ancient Israel with Judea and Samaria labeled). • Have the group draw a large-scale version of Map 6 from their Deep Blue Kids Bible on the white paper. Direct them to label the map with things they know about the woman in the region of Samaria and the things they know about Jesus in the region of Galilee.

ASK: What else do we know about places on this map? Do you recognize any of the other places? Do you remember Bible stories that took place there? • Invite the children to share their maps with the group.

ASK: What are the similarities between maps? What are the differences? What do we learn from each other’s maps?

SHARING LIVING WATER—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: shoe boxes, construction paper, markers, tape, glue, decorations, table covering Before class: Protect the work area with table coverings.

SAY: Jesus shares the good news about God’s love by telling the woman at the well about living water. The woman was confused at first. How could there be water that would make her never be thirsty again? Jesus knew that following him and spreading the good news could satisfy people who thirst for justice. When we thirst for justice, we long for everyone to have what they need to survive. ASK: Was there a time when you were thirsty for water? What helped? How can we help people so they will not be thirsty for water? SAY: There are people in our communities who are sometimes physically thirsty. Water can be expensive. Sometimes people cannot afford to have clean water in their homes or buy clean water from the stores. Today we are going to decorate donation boxes to place around our church so we can raise money to provide clean water to people. • Give the children time to decorate donation boxes. Make a map of where the boxes can sit in your church building or around your community. Draft a sign that explains why clean water is important. TIP • You can provide free, clean water to people by assisting people with local water bills, providing bottled water to a food bank or homeless shelter, or donating to larger causes like relief work in Flint, Michigan. Talk with your pastoral staff about the best way for your church to use the funds that are donated.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Missions Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 RUTH AND THE GREEN BOOK—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Before class: Get a copy of the book from your local library, or find a video on YouTube of someone reading the book aloud.

ASK: Why do you think the disciples were surprised to find Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well? What were they worried about? How do you think Jesus felt about his conversation with the woman? How did the woman feel about her conversation with Jesus? SAY: Sometimes people don’t want to talk to each other because they are different. In the United States, some white people didn’t want to associate with black people. The white people thought they were better and more important than the black people. White people didn’t want to share water fountains, swimming pools, or neighborhoods with black people. When black people traveled, sometimes white people did not want to serve them or help them. ASK: What does Jesus teach us about sharing water with people who are different from us? How did Jesus share living water with the Samaritan woman? • Read the story Ruth and the Green Book. • Discuss the events in the book.

ASK: Do we see similar situations in our lives today? How did Jesus treat the Samaritan woman? How did the people at the rest stops treat Ruth’s family? How could you follow Jesus’ example if you saw someone treated unfairly?

SERVING ACROSS DIFFERENCE—OLDER CHILDREN Before class: Choose one or two organizations that serve people in a different social context from your church. (For example, an organization serving rural communities if your church is urban, or an organization serving people who speak Spanish if your church is predominantly English-speaking. Be creative!) Gather information about the organization(s) you’ve selected.

SAY: People who live in different areas often have different needs. As Jesus traveled from Judea to Samaria to Galilee, visiting both cities and small villages, he learned about people’s needs. The food people eat, the clothes people wear, and the type of houses they need all depend on where they live. ASK: How do you think people’s needs are different depending on where they live? How would someone who lives in a city have different needs from someone who lives in the country? Where do you live? How are your needs different from the needs of others because of where they live? • Facilitate a conversation with the children about different community’s needs, and how your church community can address those needs.

ASK: What resources does our church have that it can share? • Give the children the materials you’ve gathered about organizations serving different communities. Invite the children to share their ideas about how your church might support these organizations and/or the communities they serve. TIP • If the children have a lot of energy around a particular organization or justice issue, explore concrete ideas for how the children could support that organization or issue. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Missions Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 WORSHIP Supplies: Leader Guide—p. 6, device for playing quiet music Before class: Make copies of the “Family Letter” (p. 6). • Gather the children together in your worship space. • Invite the children to share their responses to the following questions: 1. What’s something you want to thank God for this week? 2. What’s something you want to ask God to help you with this week?

SAY: Samaritans and Jews did not usually get along. Even though Jesus was Jewish, and even though the woman was a Samaritan, Jesus wanted to talk to her and be her friend. Jesus crossed a boundary to tell her about God’s love. ASK: When have you crossed a boundary to share God’s love with someone? When has someone crossed a boundary to share God’s love with you? SAY: The Samaritan woman was so amazed by Jesus and excited by the good news he shared with her that she went and told all of her community. She became one of the first preachers, sharing about Jesus with people around her. Sometimes when we learn something new and exciting we want to share it. ASK: What have you learned that you have been excited to share with someone? How do people react when you are excited about sharing good news? SAY: Jesus taught us in this story that God’s love is always big enough to cross boundaries. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from. God loves you and you can love one another. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

SAY: Tell your group about a time when you felt God’s love. • Allow the children time to share. Play music in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, remind us that you love all people. Help us follow Jesus’ way of love, sharing the good news everywhere we go. Be with us as we invite people into our community and as we learn to take care of one another. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to invite people to belong in our community this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Today, we explored the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well through missions activities. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

EXPLORE LOCAL HISTORY Jesus meets the woman at the well in the land called Samaria. The well was known to belong to the Israelites’ ancestor, Jacob. Sometimes, there are historical markers placed where important events happened or where someone important lived. Find some historical markers near your home, and talk about them as a family.

• What event does the marker describe?

• Who was involved in this event?

• Are there people alive now who remember this event or person?

• Do people commemorate this event or person?

• What can you learn about how people lived in the past from this marker?

Science

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Sounds Bible Verse q Water Ways—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Dyeing Water—All Children q Sowing and Reaping—Younger Anchor Point Children Come and see Jesus! q Water in Three States—Older Children

BIBLE STORY Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles or Bible map with Judea, Galilee and Samaria labeled

SAY: Our Bible story tells about when Jesus, who was Jewish, met a Samaritan woman. Samaritans and Jews did not like to be around one another. Sometimes they fought and were mean to each other. Jews and Samaritans had been upset with one another for a very long time. • Show the children the Bible map, or have the children turn to Map 6 in the back of their Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

ASK: Can you find Judea on the map? Where is Samaria in relation to Judea? SAY: Even though Jesus and the woman were from different places, they talked to each other. As I read this story, listen for how Jesus shares about God with the woman. • Tell the children the following story: Once when Jesus was traveling, he had to walk through Samaria. Jesus was tired from his journey. It was noon and the sun was hot, so he sat down at a well. His disciples went into a nearby city to buy food. While Jesus was sitting at the well, a woman from Samaria came to the well to draw some water. Jesus said, “Give me some water to drink.” The Samaritan woman was surprised and said, “Why are you asking for help from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jews and Samaritans did not get along, and the woman thought Jesus should know that! Jesus said, “If you recognized me, YOU would ask ME for water, and I would give you living water.” The woman said to Jesus, “You don’t have a bucket to draw water, and the well is very deep. Where do you think you can get this living water? Do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?” Jesus answered the woman, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become like a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman was amazed and said, “Sir, I see you are a prophet. We Samaritans worship on this mountain, but your people say that we should worship in Jerusalem.” Jesus responded, “Soon, it won’t matter so much where you worship. True worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach us everything.” Jesus said, “I am the Messiah.” The woman put down her water jar and ran into the city. She said, “Come and see Jesus!” The people followed her from the city and went to see Jesus. The disciples returned with food from the city. Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” The disciples were confused. Jesus said, “I am fed by doing God’s work.” Many Samaritans who lived in the city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s preaching. The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them, and he stayed for two days. Soon, even more people believed in Jesus, and they said to the woman, “We don’t believe just because of what you told us. We have heard for ourselves and know that Jesus is the savior of the world.”

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Science Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 BIBLE VERSE SOUNDS Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from our Bible story. We find it in the Gospel of John. The wordgospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s say the Bible verse together a few more times and experiment with our volume. First, let’s say it very quietly. • Say the verse very softly. As you repeat the verse, use your hands to indicate how much you want the children to increase or decrease the volume. Say the verse several times at different volumes.

ASK: How you would tell people to come and meet Jesus? Would you say it quietly? loudly? happily? excitedly?

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

WATER WAYS—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: water in a pitcher, bowls, rocks, sand, soil, strainers with differently-sized holes, cheesecloth Before class: Gather the soil, rocks, sand in separate bowls.

SAY: When Jesus met the woman at the well, he told her about living water. She was confused because she had come to draw water from a well, but Jesus was talking about a very different kind of water. ASK: What do you think Jesus meant by living water? How does water help us live? SAY: About sixty percent of our bodies are made up of water. We cannot live without water. Water has some pretty amazing properties. Water picks up nutrients and minerals from whatever is around it. When the woman came to draw water at the well, she was using a bucket to get water out of a deep hole in the ground. In different locations, water can look and taste different because of what is around it in the ground. • Show the children the different strainers you have available.

ASK: Which strainer do you think will catch the soil and sand best? How do the sizes of holes in the strainers change what materials they will catch the best? • Test the children’s predictions. Pour the water into the bowl with the rocks, then use a strainer to catch the rocks as you pour the contents of the bowl into a second bowl.

ASK: How does the water look now that it’s been in contact with the rocks? • Repeat the process with the soil and sand. Use different strainers or cheesecloth to catch as much as possible of the finely-grained sand and soil. • Discuss how the water looked after being in contact with each of the different materials.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Science Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 ASK: Which strainers worked best for catching the different materials? TIPS • Use a few different types of soil or sand and compare how the water looks after coming into contact with each. • Use cheesecloth to strain the sand.

DYEING WATER—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: three clear plastic or glass cups, water, seltzer tablets, food coloring, salt, paper, and crayons, table coverings Before class: Cover the workspace with a tablecloth or plastic. Pour water into each cup.

SAY: Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well about living water. Water is one of the most important things on our planet. None of us can live without water. Sometimes water changes the land, when rivers and streams and lakes cut through rock and soil. Sometimes humans change water by adding minerals to it or taking out chemicals that might be in the water. Today, we are going to change water with some experiments. • Give each child a piece of paper and crayons. • Have the children draw three vertical lines on their paper from top to bottom. Then draw one horizontal line across their paper. Now they have six boxes.

ASK: What do you think will happen when I add salt to the water? What will change? • Tell the children to write their predictions in the top left box. • Add some salt (maybe a couple tablespoons) to the first cup of water. • Have the children record their observations in the bottom left box.

ASK: What do you think will happen when I add a tablet of seltzer to the water? What does seltzer do? How will the water change? • Tell the children to write their predictions in the top middle box. • Add one tablet of seltzer to the second cup of water. • Have the children record their observations in the bottom middle box.

ASK: What do you think will happen when I add the food coloring to the water? What does food coloring do? How will the water change? • Tell the children to write their predictions in the top right box. • Add two or three drops of food coloring to the third cup of water. • Have the children record their observations in the bottom right box. TIP If there are many children, split the children up into groups of two or three. In these small groups, children can choose what to add to the water to change it.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Science Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 SOWING AND REAPING—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: plastic cups or recycled paper cups, garden soil, vegetable seeds (lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, or whatever is in season would be good), water Before class: Poke three or four holes in the bottom of the cups using a pin or scissors. • Give each child a cup.

ASK: What does the word harvest mean? Where did this word show up in our Bible story today? SAY: Jesus told his disciples that some people sow and others harvest. Sowing is when you plant seeds. Harvesting is when you pick the fruit or vegetables that have grown from the seeds. Sometimes people have harvest festivals when all of the food has grown and they are ready to eat it. Today, we are going to plant seeds in each of our cups so that in a few months we can harvest some good food. • Scoop garden soil into the cup until the cup is almost full. TIPS • Don’t pack the soil down. Leave it light and fluffy so the seeds will have some space to grow. • Let the children pick what seeds they will plant. Poke a hole in the soil with your pinky finger, only going down to the knuckle. Then put the seed into the soil. Cover it loosely with soil. • Let the children sprinkle a bit of water on the soil, but don’t make a flood! When watering, the water in the cups should not flow out of the bottom of the cups but should be absorbed by the soil. • When the children are finished planting the seeds, allow them to take the cups home to grow the plants at home. If you wish, you can have them leave the cups so you can watch the seeds grow week after week. Be ready to have someone water them, though!

SAY: Jesus paid attention to how things grew and when they were ready for harvest. He wanted the disciples to pay attention to this, too. Over the next few weeks, watch your plants to see how the seeds sprout and grow.

WATER IN THREE STATES—OLDER CHILDREN Supplies: water, ice cube tray, pitcher, electric kettle, paper, crayons or pencils, plastic or paper plates Before class: Prepare one tray of ice cubes. Prepare some hot water in the electric kettle. Prepare a workspace with plastic or newspaper covering the tables.

ASK: What does water do? What makes water special? Does anyone know the chemical formula for water? (H2O) What makes water on Earth different than water on other planets? SAY: Jesus talked about living water in our Bible story today. Water is very important to making life happen on Earth. On some other planets in our solar system, water exists in the form of ice. On other planets it exists in the form of gas, like water vapor. On our planet, Earth, water exists as ice, vapor, and liquid. These three forms of water are called states of matter. Because water has three states of matter on Earth, life flourishes here. • Facilitate a conversation about why each of the states of matter are important. For example, liquid water is important because animals drink it. Water as vapor is important because plants soak it up. Ice is important because it helps regulate the temperature of our planet and stores water. • After your conversation, encourage the children to explore the three states of matter of water. Watch how ice cubes transition from a solid state of matter to a liquid state. • Open the electric kettle so the children can see the steam, the water vapor, come off the boiling liquid water inside. This is the transition from liquid to gas. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Science Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 5 TIPS • Be very careful not to let the children get too close to the steam from the electric kettle. • Check out some library books about states of matter for the children to explore.

SAY: In our Bible story this week, Jesus and the Samaritan woman have a very important conversation. Jesus talks about some topics that are really confusing. The Samaritan woman may have been confused, but she asked questions and listened intently. This is the kind of exploring that scientists do. They ask questions to figure out a problem. ASK: What kinds of questions did the Samaritan woman ask Jesus? How do you think she felt while talking to him? How do you think Jesus felt when he was telling her about living water? SAY: When the disciples returned to the well and found Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman, they were surprised. Sometimes Jews and Samaritans didn’t want to talk to one another other. Then here Jesus was, having a conversation with someone who was different from him! And he was telling her about the living water of God’s love! ASK: Have you ever been surprised by a conversation you heard between other people? Why were you surprised? What kinds of conversations do you have with people who are different from you? Have you ever shared about God’s love the way Jesus did? SAY: When the Samaritan woman at the well learned about God’s love from Jesus, she was so excited that she left the well and went into the city to tell other people. She wanted everyone, no matter who they were, to meet Jesus. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

SAY: Share about a time in your life when you met someone new and were excited about them. • Allow the children time to share. Play background music to help them push through awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, we praise you that you gave us minds to think about you. We are grateful that you sent Jesus to show us how to be friends with all people. Be with us this week as we live in our community and share your love with the world. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to welcome all people this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Cover art: Illustrations of the Deep Blue Kids are by Tim Moen, character designer; Jesse Griffin, 3D artist; Julio Medina, 3D artist; Eric M. Mikula, facial rigging; Christopher Slavik, layout artist. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Science Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 6 Family Letter

Today, we explored the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through science experiments. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

EXPLORE DIFFERENT FORMS OF WATER Water is important for our lives. We learned about how water exists in three states of matter on our planet. This week, pay attention when you see different forms of water in your daily lives.

Discuss as a family where water shows up this week.

• Where is water in the weather this week? Does it rain or snow? Is it humid outside? Is it icy?

• Do people use water to cook in your house? Do you boil food? Do you steam vegetables? Do you use ice to preserve food?

• Do you use water to take a bath or to shower? Does your mirror fog up with steam?

Invite each family member to record their observations of where they see different forms of water this week.

Spiritual Practices

Cooking Games

Art

Missions

Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Wave Bible Verse q Living Water Prayer—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Water Drinking Meditation—All Children Anchor Point q Water Circle Meditation—Younger Come and see Jesus! Children q Building a Well—Older Children q Worship

a prophet. The woman brings up the theological dispute between Jews and Samaritans, about the location of God’s holy mountain. Jesus assures her that true worship is not about the location as much as it is about “spirit and truth.” The Samaritan woman begins to suspect that Jesus is more than a prophet. Jesus affirms her suspicion, and declares that he is the Messiah. Overjoyed, the woman becomes an immediate preacher of the gospel, sharing the good news and bringing people to meet Jesus. She invites the people to “come and see” the person who would change the world. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 1 JUMP IN!

BIBLE STORY—THE WOMAN AT THE WELL Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles or Bible map with Judea, Galilee and Samaria labeled

SAY: Our Bible story tells about when Jesus, who was Jewish, met a Samaritan woman. Samaritans and Jews did not like to be around one another. Sometimes they fought and were mean to one another. Jews and Samaritans had been upset at each other for a very long time. • Show the children the Bible map, or have the children turn to Map 6 in the back of their Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

ASK: Can you find Judea on the map? Where is Samaria in relation to Judea? SAY: Even though Jesus and the woman were from different places, they talked to each other. The woman was very interested in learning about God, and she listened carefully to Jesus. As you listen, imagine the story from the Samaritan woman’s point of view. Imagine how she might have felt at each point in the story. • Invite the children to close their eyes if they wish. Tell the children the following story. Once when Jesus was traveling, he had to walk through Samaria. Jesus was tired from his journey. It was noon and the sun was hot, so he sat down at a well. His disciples went into a nearby city to buy food. While Jesus was sitting at the well, a woman from Samaria came to the well to draw some water. Jesus said, “Give me some water to drink.” The Samaritan woman was surprised and said, “Why are you asking for help from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jews and Samaritans did not get along, and the woman thought Jesus should know that! Jesus said, “If you recognized me, YOU would ask ME for water, and I would give you living water.” The woman said to Jesus, “You don’t have a bucket to draw water, and the well is very deep. Where do you think you can get this living water? Do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?” Jesus answered the woman, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become like a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman was amazed and said, “Sir, I see you are a prophet. We Samaritans worship on this mountain, but your people say that we should worship in Jerusalem.” Jesus responded, “Soon, it won’t matter so much where you worship. True worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. God is siprit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach us everything.” Jesus said, “I am the Messiah.” The woman put down her water jar and ran into the city. She said, “Come and see Jesus!” The people followed her from the city and went to see Jesus. The disciples returned with food from the city. Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” The disciples were confused. Jesus said, “I am fed by doing God’s work.”

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 Many Samaritans who lived in the city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s preaching. The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them, and he stayed for two days. Soon, even more people believed in Jesus, and they said to the woman, “We don’t believe just because of what you told us. We have heard for ourselves and know that Jesus is the savior of the world.”

BIBLE VERSE WAVE Supplies: poster board, marker Before class: Write the Bible verse in large print on a poster board and hang it in your space. • Form a circle with the children near the Bible verse poster. Read the verse as a group.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s say the Bible verse together a few more times, and let’s add a wave like we are the living water Jesus talked about. • Choose a person to start the wave and a direction for it to move. If necessary, demonstrate how a wave works. (Each person says one word of the verse, while lifting his or her arms up overhead and back down again. The “wave” travels around the circle in the direction chosen.) • Say the Bible verse together, choosing different children to start the verse, different directions for the wave, and different motions according to the children’s creative energy.

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

LIVING WATER PRAYER—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: small bowls of water, two or three towels • Invite the children to gather in a circle. Place bowls of water around the circle so that a bowl is within reach of every child.

SAY: When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her about living water. She had come to the well hoping to get water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. ASK: What is different about the living water that Jesus tells her about? What is special about the living water? How do you access the living water? SAY: As I pray this prayer, dip your hands in the water every time you hear a word that reminds you of water. PRAY: Holy God, we are thirsty for the living water that comes from you. Wash us in this cleansing water so we will feel your love surrounding us. Quench our thirst for love, kindness and generosity. Your grace overflows in our lives. Help us trust you to keep us safe through the storms of life. We love you. Thank you for loving us. Amen. • Dip your hands in the water nearest you as you pray. You may want to recite this prayer two or three times. TIP • You may also find a poem or a psalm to read, or write your own prayer using water imagery. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 WATER DRINKING MEDITATION—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: cups of water for each child Before class: Write John 4:13-14 on a poster board. (Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.)

ASK: How often do you drink water? Why do we drink water? What does water help our bodies do? How does water help our planet? SAY: I will a verse from our story several times. In this verse, Jesus tells us about living water. Each time I pause, take a sip of water. As you listen and sip your water, imagine what it feels like to be thirsty for living water. Listen for any words or images that stick out in your mind. Find a comfortable way to sit and close your eyes if you want to. • Read the Bible verse three times, pausing as indicated. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, (pause) but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. (pause) The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life. (pause)

After the meditation, ASK: How did you feel during our meditation? Did any words or images stick out to you? What did you think about? How does your body feel after the meditation?

WALKING CIRCLE MEDITATION—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: dry-erase board and marker set Before class: Find a clear space for the children to walk. Write the following questions on the dry- erase board: 1. Where did you experience God this past week? 2. How does God care for you? 3. What good news about Jesus do you want to share with people around you?

SAY: Jesus and his disciples walked everywhere they went. In this story, Jesus and his disciples left Judea and went to a place called Samaria. While they walked, they met lots of people, like the woman at the well. Jesus and the woman had an important conversation and the woman was surprised by what Jesus shared with her. The conversation made the woman want to share the good news about Jesus with everyone she knew! We’re going to walk and talk like the disciples did, sharing about God with our friends. • Divide the children into two even groups. Have one group form a circle facing outward, and the other group form a larger circle facing inward, so that each child is facing a partner. • Direct the children from the inner circle to answer the first question with their partner for about thirty seconds. Then invite the children from the outer circle to share their response to the same question for about thirty seconds. • Have the children in the inner circle walk three spaces to their left and stop in front of another partner. Have the children repeat the process with question two. • Direct the children in the outer circle to walk four spaces to their left and stop in front of another partner. Repeat the process with question three. • Invite children who wish to share their responses with the whole group to do so.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 BUILDING A WELL—OLDER CHILDREN Supplies: blocks, medium bowl, paper, crayons Before class: Clear a space where the “well” can stay for a few weeks. • Invite children to sit in a circle in your worship space.

SAY: Wells are special places in the Bible. They are places where people find water and are refreshed. Wells are places where God helps people come together. ASK: What other Bible stories take place at a well or near water? (Abraham’s servant finds a woman to marry Isaac at a well, Jacob and Rachel meet at a well, Jacob dreams about wrestling an angel by a river, and so forth) SAY: When Jesus meets the woman at the well, he tells her that he can give her living water. Jesus meant that following God is fulfilling and refreshing, just like drinking water. If we keep following God, we will never be thirsty for love or justice. God teaches us the best way to live. Let’s make a well right here in our worship space. It won’t have water to drink in it, but, like the one in our story, it can be a place where we are refreshed by the Spirit of God. • Give each child paper and crayons. Have them each think of and write down one way in which they feel spiritually refreshed and one way they can offer spiritual refreshment to others. • Place the bowl in the middle of the circle. Invite each child to place a block in a circle around the bowl and share one way she or he feels spiritually refreshed. • Invite each child to place a second block around the bowl and share how he or she can offer spiritual refreshment to others. • If children are struggling with the concept of spiritual refreshment, offer these prompts: What makes you feel alive? When you are tired or sad, what helps your spirit feel fresh and alive again? What makes your heart happy? How can we help other people feel alive and happy?

SAY: The Samaritan woman was one of the first preachers in the New Testament. She met Jesus and learned about God’s love. Then she ran to her community to share the good news with them. ASK: Have you ever shared about God’s love with someone you know? How did you share? Through words? Through actions? How did that person respond? SAY: Usually Jews and Samaritans did not like each other, so it surprised the disciples when they found Jesus talking to a Samaritan. Jesus did not worry about the ways people divide themselves. He wanted to share God’s love with everyone.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 5 ASK: How have you been surprised by people sharing about God’s love? How have you surprised someone by sharing about God’s love? What do you do when you are around people who are different from you? • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

SAY: Tell a story about a time when you were excited about something you learned and you wanted to share it. • Allow children time to share. Play music in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, we are grateful that your presence is always with us. No matter where we are, no matter who we are with, you are with us. You are with all people. Help us follow Jesus by sharing your love with the whole world. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to invite people to learn about love this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Cover art: Illustrations of the Deep Blue Kids are by Tim Moen, character designer; Jesse Griffin, 3D artist; Julio Medina, 3D artist; Eric M. Mikula, facial rigging; Christopher Slavik, layout artist. deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Spiritual Practices Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 6 Family Letter

Today we explored the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through spiritual practices. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

REFLECT ON LIVING WATER When Jesus shared the good news about living water with the woman at the well, he was talking about the living water of God’s love that refreshes everyone who believes in him. This story asks us to pause and consider when we feel parched and thirsty in our spirits, and what refreshes us. Reflect as a family on how your thirst for God’s love is quenched by:

• People around you

• Your faith community

• Friends

• Animals

• Nature

Storytelling /Drama

Cooking Games

Art

Missions Storytelling /Drama

Science Spiritual Practices

The Woman at the Well The Woman at the Well

Bible Story My Plan John 4:1-42 q Bible Story q Bible Verse Invitation Bible Verse q Searching for Clues—All Children She said to the people, “Come and see!” q (John 4:28b-29a) Finish the Story—All Children q Meeting at the Well—Younger Anchor Point Children Come and see Jesus! q Freeze Frame Disciple Talk —Older Children q Worship

BIBLE STORY—THE WOMAN AT THE WELL Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles SAY: Our Bible story is about insiders and outsiders. Some people pay a lot of attention to the boundaries that divide them from other people. Jesus was not one of those people. As we read the story today, listen for how Jesus crosses boundaries. • Have the children turn to Map 6 in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles and find Samaria and Judea. Explain that people from Samaria and people from Judea disagreed about many things, and did not usually talk to one another. • Invite the children to find John 4:1-42 in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles. • Encourage a few strong readers to read the passage aloud, or invite the children to follow along as you read it. If you have younger children, read an abridged section: 4:4-13, 25-30, 39-42.

SAY: Our Bible verse is from our Bible story. We find it in the Gospel of John. The word gospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news about Jesus’ life and all the people he met. This verse is what the Samaritan woman says when she tells everyone about Jesus. Let’s say the Bible verse together a few more times, changing the tone of our voices each time we say it. • Have the children name different emotions the Samaritan woman might have been feeling while she told people about Jesus. Then lead the children in saying the Bible verse while expressing those different emotions.

DIVE DEEPER Choose from the following activities as your time and the children’s interests allow.

SEARCHING FOR CLUES—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bibles, clues about what people do in church (praying hands image, hymnal, church bulletin, familiar items used in worship, chalice, coffee mug, pictures from mission trips, and so forth) Before class: Gather the supplies. Hide the materials around your classroom.

SAY: In our Bible story, Jesus met a Samaritan woman and told her about living water. The woman was curious about what Jesus told her. She wanted to know more and to understand. She asked questions and looked for clues to help her figure out who Jesus was, and what the living water might be.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Storytelling/Drama Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 2 ASK: What questions did the woman ask Jesus? What clues helped her figure out who Jesus really was? SAY: The Samaritan woman is a good example for us. She wanted to learn more about faith, and she asked questions and looked for clues to find answers. Today, we are going to search for clues in our classroom and then create a story from the clues. First, I want you to find three items that give clues about what we do here at church. • Allow the children a few minutes to find three items. When they have collected the items (individually or in groups), have them share how the three items are used in church. • Invite the children to repeat the process, searching for three different clues. TIP • You may be as creative as you wish with the materials you hide around your classroom. If you have a fairly full classroom, you may not need to work hard to assemble materials—just see what the children find and how they interpret their “clues”!

FINISH THE STORY—ALL CHILDREN Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bible Before class: Mark the Bible story passage in several Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

SAY: When the woman at the well met Jesus, she felt all sorts of emotions! ASK: What emotions did the woman feel? How would you feel if you met Jesus at a well? • Have the children look over the story again in their Deep Blue Kids Bibles.

ASK: Did you notice that there are not a lot of details about what the woman tells the people when she runs into the city? SAY: Let’s make up different versions of what the woman might have said that would make the people in the city want to meet Jesus. • If appropriate, split the children into three groups. Give the groups a few minutes to decide how to act out what happens after the woman runs into the city. They may refer to theDeep Blue Kids Bible if necessary. • Invite the children to share the finished stories they created with the whole group.

MEETING AT THE WELL—YOUNGER CHILDREN Supplies: note cards, pencils Before class: Write the names of famous people (real or fiction) on several note cards. Include people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Write the names of places (real or fiction) on an equal number of note cards. Stack the people note cards in one pile and the places note cards in another.

ASK: Who did Jesus meet in our story today? Why was this meeting important? What was important to the woman about meeting Jesus? What was important to Jesus about meeting the Samaritan woman? SAY: We’re going to pretend we are meeting new people, just like Jesus met someone new when he met the woman at the well.

deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Storytelling/Drama Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 3 • Have the children form pairs. Invite each pair of children to pick one person card and one place card and act out the encounter. Give the children a few minutes to form scenes if necessary.

ASK: What is easy about meeting new people? What is hard? What was hard about this game? What was easy?

FREEZE FRAME DISCIPLE TALK—OLDER CHILDREN Supplies: Deep Blue Kids Bible

SAY: The disciples went into the city to find some food for Jesus. While they were gone, Jesus sat down by a well and asked the Samaritan woman there for a drink of water. They wound up having a very important conversation that changed the woman’s life! She became a follower of Jesus and told everyone about him! ASK: When the disciples came back to the well and saw Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman, how did they feel? What did they think? • Refer to the Bible story if needed.

SAY: There are many boundaries that people put in place in society. Some of those boundaries have to do with being a boy or a girl. ASK: What kinds of things do people say only boys can do? What kinds of things do people say only girls can do? Do you think those ideas are true? SAY: In Jesus’ time, men and women did not usually talk to one another in public. But Jesus did not follow that boundary. The disciples were confused, but they didn’t ask Jesus why he decided to talk to the Samaritan woman. We are going to imagine what might have happened if the disciples had asked Jesus. • Have the children volunteer to play the various parts—Jesus and two or three disciples. Assist the children in improvising a conversation starting with “Jesus, why were you talking to that woman?” • Every few lines, call “Freeze!” Choose two or three other children to take the place of one of the actors, and continue the scene. Children may decide which role they would like to play. • After all the children have had a chance to play a part, gather in a circle.

ASK: Why do you think Jesus decided to talk to the woman? Why do you think the disciples didn’t ask Jesus about the conversation? Do you think Jesus would have answered the disciples’ questions if they had asked? When have you felt surprised by someone’s actions? What did you do or say?

WORSHIP Supplies: Leader Guide—p. 6, device for playing quiet music Before class: Make copies of the “Family Letter” (p. 6). • Gather the children together in your worship space. • Invite the children to share their responses to the following questions: 1. What’s something you want to thank God for this week? 2. What’s something you want to ask God to help you with this week? deepbluekids.com The Woman at the Well: Storytelling/Drama Station Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2018 Cokesbury. 4 SAY: The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well became one of the first preachers. Preachers are people who meet Jesus and hear the good news, then share it with their community. The woman must have been a good storyteller, because when she shared about Jesus, everyone wanted to meet him. ASK: What do you think the woman told the people in her community? What would have made them want to meet Jesus? SAY: The Samaritan woman and Jesus weren’t supposed to be friends. Samaritans and Jews did not usually like each other or talk to each other. However, the power of Jesus’ living water changed that. The Samaritan woman learned about God’s love because Jesus didn’t care about divisions. Jesus wanted all people to know that God loves them. ASK: Have you ever heard a story from someone different than you that changed your perspective? How did hearing a story challenge your ideas about that person? How did you think of them afterwards? SAY: There are always many sides to any story. I wonder what the woman at the well thought about Jesus when she first met him. And I wonder what she thought about him after they had a conversation. • Encourage the children to form groups of two or three.

ASK: How can you learn about people who are different from you through sharing stories? • Allow the children time to share. Play music in the background to help them push through any awkward silences.

SAY: As we close in prayer, say a silent prayer for the person or people in your group. PRAY: Living God, hear our prayers. We praise you for the gift of storytelling, which is how we know about you and your Son Jesus. Thank you for sharing the good news about living water with us. Help us welcome all people and love everyone as we listen to their stories. Amen. SAY: Let’s remember to seek out new people and new stories this week. • Offer blessings as the children leave. Send a family letter home with each child.

Today, we explored the Gospel story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well through drama and storytelling. Here’s a way to follow up on this lesson at home as a family.

SHARE STORIES Sometimes, Christians are uncomfortable when they tell the story about Jesus meeting the woman at the well. Jesus wasn’t supposed to talk to Samaritans—they were different from Jews. But Jesus crossed boundaries all the time. He wanted to show everyone that God loves them. He wanted to share the living water with everyone.

Use these prompts to have a conversation with your family and friends.

• Tell a story about a time you met someone new.

• Tell a story about a time when you were surprised.

• Tell a story about what it means to share the living water of God’s love with others.

Invite your family and friends to share a story from their own lives with you.