Bible Exploration - Workshop: Cooking Center

Month: January Bible Story: Jonah

Year (B): 1 Scripture: Book of Jonah

Bible Memory Verse: Jonah 4:2(b) "You are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, ready to change your mind and not punish."

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Workshop	Concept	Teacher
1. Temple Center	God forgives us and gives us a second chance
2. Video Center	Need for Forgiveness
3. Cooking Center	Praying for Forgiveness
4. Art Center	Forgiving Others
5. Puppet Center	Accepting Forgiveness

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Learn about praying for forgiveness for yourself and prayer for others.

MATERIALS:

• Memory verse to hand out
• Use the kitchen - gather supplies for pretzels (attached list)

PLAN:

• Welcome children
• Give mentors time to take roll and take up offering
• Go over memory verse
• Discuss briefly the story of Jonah (See attachment)
• Prepare pretzels - make enough to use during the prayers of the people (130) last Sunday of the month. (Bring baggie for the children to each take one home with them.)

ADAPTATIONS:

Children: For younger children you may have already mixed up the pretzels and just let them shape them on the cookie sheet.

Older children:

PRAYER PRETZELS

1. Package of dry yeast

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (not hot)

2. tablespoons sugar

1. teaspoon salt

4. cups of flour

1 beaten egg

salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let rise a few minutes. Add sugar and salt and blend in 4 cups flour. Turn dough out on floured table or breadboard and knead until smooth. refrigerate until you are ready to use at your table.

You will need the following supplies:

Egg pastry brush Paper towels

Egg Beater Salt dusting flour for tabletop

Bowl Timer cooling rack

Sharp knife Wet towel Pot holders

Baggies

Preheat oven to 325⁰ . Lightly grease cookie sheet or toaster oven tray. Cut off 4" piece of dough roll into ropes about six to eight inches, or a length you can easily twist. Twist into shape with loop at top and two arms folded over. Arrange on lightly greased toaster oven tray or cookie sheet allowing space between pretzels for expansion. Brush with beaten egg -- those places you miss will not brown. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 12-15 minutes. Toaster ovens may vary so check after 7-8 minutes.

LESSON PLANS:

• Read the story of Jonah - Be prepared to read passages dealing with prayer and how many times it is mentioned -- also the importance of prayer.
• Ask children to name some of the times we normally pray throughout the day.

• Beginning of the day
• At meals
• Before bed

• Different kinds of prayer

• Thankful (food - family - home - health - earth's resources
• Ask for help in times of difficulty
• Safety (travel etc.)
• Someone's health - friend family member facing surgery or medical problem
• Strength (to get through a tough situation)

• Prayer Posture and Prayer language

• Can pray anytime - God will always hear
• Should take sometime just for prayer to be alone with God - listen to God's answer
• God hears us no matter how we say our payer
• Good example of prayer (Lord's Prayer)

• What kinds of prayers do we use in worship? (Look over the bulletin be prepared to discuss these)

• Tell the story of the Pretzel:
• Pretzel is derived from the Latin word "Pretiola", which means "a small reward." The story is told that an Italian monk some fifteen hundred years ago taught prayers to children. he gave them rewards of small pretzels shaped in the form of arms folded in prayers.

Twisting pretzels has since become an activity of intercessory prayer. (Explain the word intercessory) When you twist a pretzel, say a prayer for someone. During this twisting time, it may be possible to talk about what happens when we pray for others. Francis of Assisi said, "The gift of prayer is no small gift, to whomever it is given." It is a gift implying love, thoughtfulness, and often action on the part of the person who says the prayer.

• Help children made pretzels as they make each one - ask them to think of one person they can pray for
• What would their prayer be for that person?