Jesus was human; he had friends. Jesus was human; he felt sadness. Jesus was God; he knew that he was going to raise Lazarus to show his own power. Jesus is God; he can help us through our sad times. Jesus is God; He died to save us from our sins.
PREPARATION
Review Bible Background.
Materials List
Aerosol insulating foam (small can) Disposable gloves Band or table saw with blades Band-Aids Clamps Drill press Flat pans or towels Glue for PVC pipe Hammers, small kitchen type Light box Paper Paper towels, heavyweight Pencils Scissors Tape, masking and transparent Tweezers, 1 per child
Materials for Kaleidoscopes 8 ¼ inches of 1 ½ inch thin wall PVC pipe [for each kaleidoscope] 2 caps to fit the pipe (slip on not screw on) [for each kaleidoscope] Sheet plastic (the weight used for window replacement), enough to cut out three 2” lenses for each kaleidoscope Mirror, enough to make 3 strips 1 3/8 “ x 8” for each kaleidoscope Stained glass, clear not opaque, in a variety of primary colors -- red, yellow, blue, and secondary colors green, purple, orange
Advance Preparation Requirements
Use a drill press and a 2 inch “Hole-Saw” (and a ¼ inch Hole-Saw Mandrel) to make 3 lenses for each scope.
You must cut off the pilot drill or there will be a hole in the middle of the lens.
Clamp the sheet of plastic to the table of the drill press.
Remove each lens after cutting it.
Use the 1 ¾ inch Hole-Saw blade on the mandrel to cut a hole in one cap.
Using a regular drill put a 3/4” hole in the second cap.
Use a table or band saw with a fine toothed blade to cut the pipe to 8” lengths and to cut a ring of pipe 3/16th” to 1/4th” wide to use as a spacer.
Use a glass cutter if stained glass is your thing, or ask someone in the congregation, or pay the person at the stained glass shop to cut mirror strips 1 3/8” by 8”, 3 strips for each scope.
Partial Construction For All Ages
Hold the mirror pieces together in a triangle by wrapping an 8” piece of paper around the length of the triangle of glass, tape the paper not the mirror.
Prepare all of the mirrors and put them in the pipes - this is a messy project so you only want to do it once. After you have placed all the mirrors in the PVC pipe use aresol insulating foam to fill the 3 spaces between the mirror and the pipe. The foam comes with a nozzle, put the nozzle half way into each space and do a small squirt. allow time for it to grow and add more if necessary. Use scotch tape to hold a lense at each end. Put the tape over the insulation. Do not cover the mirrors with tape and you can leave the tape on. The directions say to wear gloves, do it - It took several days to get it all off my fingers. It is also very sticky so spread newspapers.
ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
Put the third lens in the cap with the 1 ¾ “ hole and push it clear down.
Put the spacer ring in the cap to hold the disk in place, push it down. The width of this ring allows the chips of glass to move freely between two lenses but doesn’t allow them to overlap.
PRESENTATION
Open -- Introduction
Have all of the materials out of sight.
Welcome the children to the science workshop.
Tell the story of Lazarus’s death to younger children. Distribute Bibles to older students and have them take turns reading it.
Ask the children questions such as:
How did the people in the story feel?
Was it “reasonable” for Mary and Martha to expect Jesus to come the minute he heard that Lazarus was sick?
How did the disciples feel when Jesus did not go to see Mary, Martha, and Lazarus right away?
Jesus had a reason for not going immediately - what was it? (So he could raise Lazarus as a reminder of his power over death. John 11:25 “ I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus wanted to be sure they understood that when he died on the cross they must not give up because he was going to rise from the dead.)
Do we need something we can see to help us remember important things?
Tell them that people can be God’s hands on earth and help us. Who?
Dig – Main Content
Tell the students that we will be making something to remind us that God has the power to help us make things better when it seems like everything has been ruined. We are not talking about having tuna fish sandwiches for four days in a row. We are talking about moving away from your friends, or your grandma dying. We have an awesome God.
Our project uses light, material that light shines through, and something to reflect the light. What is something that light can shine through? (stained glass) What reflects light? (mirror)
Ask if anyone knows what a kaleidoscope is? Have one completed; pass it around the class so they can see the finished project.
Tell them that an adult, ____________, has helped them by using power tools to cut the pieces for the case of the kaleidoscope.
Tell them that an adult, __________ has helped them by cutting the pieces of mirror and putting them in the tube so they will not break.
Pass out the PVC Pipe, caps, spacer ring, and one plastic lens. For now DON’T remove the tape. We will take it off just before the pieces are glued together.
Show them how the pieces go together: older children will put the lens and spacer ring in the cap with the large hole and put it on the end of the pipe. Younger children will place the assembled cap on the pipe. Place the cap with the small hole on the other end.
Ask what is missing? (colored glass)
Have the children put the assembled scope out of the way. You may want to label them By writing each person’s name on a piece of masking tape and attaching it to the scope.
Give each child 2 heavy paper towels.
Explain that they will each have a piece of stained glass to break -- VERY CAREFULLY. The glass will be put between the paper towels. Explain that they will be working together to create something beautiful, they will be sharing colors of glass. Have them break the glass into pieces about 3/8 inch. Anything narrower 1/8th inch wide or smaller might turn sideways and jam things up. Bigger pieces will dominate - which they may want.
Have an adult move the useable glass chips to the light box with tweezers and dispose of the pieces that are too small.
Have the children remove the cap with the large hole from their scope. They will pick pieces of colored glass off the light box using the tweezers. Chips should cover ½ to 2/3 of the lens and be in a single layer.
Have the cap on the table and place the pipe into the cap. They should hold the scope to the light to see if the colors and sizes are what they want. When they are satisfied with the colors have an adult help them remove the tape holding the lens on the end of the pipe near the cap with the smaller hole and apply a small amount of PVC glue in two places on the inside of the cap. It works best to have the pipe upright with the lens on the pipe, put the cap down onto the pipe.
On the end with the stained glass chips be sure that all of the chips are flat on the lens with no overlaps. Take the tape off the pipe and place that lens on top of the stained glass. Put a small amount of glue in two places on the outside of the pipe. Put the pipe into the cap. Let the scope lie on the table for a few minutes so the glue can set.
Reflect – Closure
Ask the children to discuss questions such as:
Did something beautiful come out of the broken glass?
Did you make the colors and the light? (God did)
Did you make your kaleidoscope by yourself? (shared glass, adults helped)
Close with a prayer such as:
Heavenly Father, thank you for knowing that sometimes our world seems to break. Thank you for being powerful enough to help us pick up the pieces and go on, and for sending people to help us. You are an Awesome God. Amen
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS
Adaptations – Younger Children
See Advance Preparation Requirements.
Adaptations – Older Children
See Advance Preparation Requirements.
CONTRIBUTOR: Carmen Peter
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ken Wezeman,
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