Learning Intentions

• To become familiar with the foundational narrative of Shabbat
• To reflect on the necessity of rest as a basic human need

Introduction

Begin by asking pupils if they know what is the first story in the first book of what Jewish people call the Torah, but Christians call the Old Testament. It is the story of how G-d created the world in six days.

Show them the ‘dynamation’ of the Genesis creation story at www.kids4truth.com/eng_creation.htm

(Please note: while this ‘dynamation’ is an excellent resource, there are materials on this site with which many Christians would probably not agree.)

Main Activity

Concentrate on what occurred on the seventh day. Why did an all powerful G-d need to rest? Why is rest important for all people?

Following discussion, groups of children could:

• write about how they like to rest
• write an imaginative piece about G-d's day of rest
• collect some data about the class's preferred methods of relaxation
• create some restful music
• collect some restful images from magazines

Plenary

Conclude with a short and simple relaxation exercise; count breaths, listen to some restful music, do a visualization.

Shabbat: In the beginning

The Shabbat Queen

The Friday Night Meal

Shabbat: A Day of No Work

Shabbat: A Day for Study

Saying Goodbye to Shabbat