Preparing for the Visit: Classroom Activities
1. A Visualisation
Purpose
This activity helps the children to reflect on the term ‘special’ and prepares them for understanding why the church is special for Christians.
Organisation
The children need to be sitting calmly and quietly before the visualisation can begin. Encourage the children to relax and rest their hands on their knees. Then ask them to close their eyes as they are going to imagine things in their minds. Play some relaxing music in the background to set the scene.
Visualisation Text (to last approx 3-5 minutes)
We are going to imagine that we are going on a journey –
a journey
to a very, very special place.
It is your favourite place –
somewhere you love to go to, or love to
be in, or maybe hope to go to one day.
It is your perfect, special, favourite,
place.
Imagine you are about to journey to your special place.
Imagine what you need to take with you…
Who is going with you? Or maybe you are going by yourself….
How do you feel as you prepare for your journey… excited?…worried? … happy?
Now you are starting on your journey.
How are you travelling? Are you walking?… or going by car, boat, train
or plane?
How do you feel as you travel? What can you see?…hear?… smell?
After a while you reach your special place.
What does it feel like now you are there?
What can you see?…hear?…smell?…touch? Are there special
things to taste?
What is the most important or special thing you can see in your place?
What colours..shapes…patterns are there?
Imagine the whole place in your mind.
Slowly we are going to leave your special place and return to the classroom. Take one last look at your special place, and then slowly open your eyes and return to the classroom.
Follow Up
- Children could discus their special place in pairs, groups or as
a class.
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Children could draw their special place and / or write about it.
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The teacher could draw out the feelings they had at different stages and
these could be represented using facial expressions or movements.