Prayer Web

The last meeting of my elementary prayer class is the Wednesday and Halloween is just around the corner so...I thought I'd combine the events the kiddos will surely be thinking about and our topic (prayer) into one fun activity!

Here's how it works:

Ask each child to turn their plate upside down and use the pen to mark the hours of a clock around the edge.  After they marked their plates show them how to use the scissors to cut slits into the edge of the plate (up to the curve at the end of the lip).  Children then weave yarn in a haphazard manner across their plates.  An adult helps glue the plastic spider wherever the child wants it. 

When the web is complete and the spider has found her way home, children write one thing they are praying for on each of several slips of paper (extras go in the zipper bag to be used at home).  When everyone is finished writing their prayers, go around the room and take turns sharing 1-2 prayers out loud.  Once the item has been prayed for, it goes into the web.

Thanks to my friend Courtney B. for serving as my test artist for this project!

Supplies (per child):

1 sturdy paper plate

2 yards black yarn

1 plastic spider

Scissors

10 strips of orange paper (approximately 3/4 inch by 4 inches)

Pen

Snack size Ziploc bag

Per class:

Glue gun

Glue sticks

Pappa God's Pizza

The idea for this "pizza" was adapted from an issue of Children's Ministry Magazine.  I am sorry that I did not keep track of which one, I didn't expect to be asked for information. 

I was asked to teach a 5 week class about prayer to a broadly mixed group of elementary school children.  Each week we talked about a different aspect of prayer and made a different piece of the pizza. 

Week 1 We talked about different names for God in the Bible.  Each child wrote names for God on a cake base using a Sharpee marker.

Week 2 We talked about Jesus' death and resurrection and the fact that God is faithful to forgive our sins.

Week 3 We talked about people and things we are thankful for.  We noted that all good things come from God.

Week 4 We talked about times when we ask God to do things for others. 

Week 5 We talked about things we would like God to help us with or to do for us.

On the last night the children took the box and all of the pieces home with these instructions:
Parent Notes:
Names of God Crust; The crust represents the foundation of who God is.  Let your child choose one name of God to praise each day.

I'm Sorry Sauce; Children are encouraged to name (silently or out-loud) those things for which they are sorry.  This is when they ask God's forgiveness for sins of action and inaction.

Thank You Cheese; For each person or thing that your child wishes to thank God for, he or she will put a piece of "cheese" on the pizza.

Asking Toppings; Things that you would like to ask God to intervene for.  There are 2 kinds of toppings, one for those thing you are asking for others and one for those things you are asking for yourself.

We also had pizza themed games and we made 3 other "tools" for prayer.  If anyone would like the lesson plans and parent letters drop me an email at SBMaloney at aol.com


The supplies I used are:
Unused Pizza Box (purchased from a local pizza shop for about 15 cents each)
Cardboard cake base (pizza crust)
Red felt (sauce)
Yellow yarn and white yarn (cheese)
Dark red card stock (on topping)
Brown card stock (a second topping)
1.25" scalloped circle punch (one topping)
1.25" circle punch (the second topping)
Scissors (for felt)
Sharpee Marker (to write names of God on crust and child's name on box)