Jonah, The Backward Prophet

Hi Godly Play Teachers!
Welcome to Jonah, The Backward Prophet, the Godly Play story scheduled for this Sunday, November 18. You can find the script in the orange Volume 2, The Complete Guide to Godly Play book on p.107-113.

Like last week's story of Elijah, this story also fits within the larger story of the Exile and the Return. I'm sure that the children will find it a favorite story that shows how God constantly reaches out to people-and even to his prophet- no matter if they seem to do everything the wrong way. God is always calling us to God, trying to save us from ourselves and from sin that hurts us. 

As in our last story of Elijah, it is important that we focus on God's saving nature rather than focusing on God as the One who sends storms. With the hurricanes and tsunamis and earthquakes in the news, hurting people all over the world, we certainly don't want children to get the idea that God is the author and sender of such pain and suffering. (As in the story of Elijah, God was not in the wind, God was not in the earthquake- God was in the still small voice...)

We'll plan to use the wondering questions the book provides, plus one more question about how Jonah and Elijah were alike and different.  I'll have those ready for you in your Sunday school rooms.

Idea Sparkers for our Make a Gift for God Time:
1. Recreate the story in some way.
    a. Could your children make parts of the story? Someone make a boat, another a whale, another the plant, the waves, another Jonah. Put them all together and take a photo, please!

    b. Each child could make a depiction of Jonah in the whale, like the one shown here. I'd just recommend that you encourage each child to invent his/her own way of making this, rather than having them all done the same way. The children will think of all sorts of creative ways to do it. You could even take them into the resource room and show them lots of options. They could make the whale out of a milk jug, as shown here. (Scroll down) Or out of paper plates, as shown here. Or out of a paper bag as shown here. 

    c. Celebrate the story with a snack. Like:
        1. Goldfish crackers (I'll have some if you want them)
        2. Make a snack boat. Put blue frosting on a graham cracker to represent the sea. Cut an apple into wedges for a boat to stick on the sea. Make a cheese sail and attach to the boat with a toothpick. Have any ideas for Jonah? Not sure about that.
       3. Blue jello with gummy fish.

   d. Make whales with individual egg carton sections.

2. Watch the Veggie Tale video about Jonah and the Big Fish. The media center has it. It's long, but you could watch parts of it. Just call Rod and reserve it, with a tv and dvd player.
 
3. Watch the video of the child telling the Jonah story below. (Here)


4. Let the children retell the Jonah story with the Godly Play materials and video them. (My camera can take video if you want to use it.) 

5. I'll have several Jonah books from the media center in the Children's Activity Room. Feel free to take them to your classroom. Just return them please, when you're done. 

I hope these ideas help!
Love, Becky