Under His Construction

• Oct. 24, 2007 - Our Reformation Day Study and Celebration

So sorry for all those waiting for me to continue on with my  'Case of Mistaken Identity' - I promise that part three will be posted soon, but with Reformation Day (Oct. 31) just around the corner I thought I would share with you all what we are doing.  The kids and I discussed what our focus should be on this year and we decided that from this year on we would pick a different country's reformation to study each year. So we picked Germany this year. This week we are spending some time each day studying various aspects of the German Reformation in preparation for the big celebration we will have on the 31st. So here is the breakdown of t=what we are studying: Monday we looked at the individuality of Germany by listening to German music (oompa) and reading several books about Germany. For all of you old book lovers, I have one of Arnold Guyot's geography books from the series he wrote for children. This book was no doubt used in a pioneer school back in the 19th century! It is a wonderful book gently written for kids. My kids love it! We definitely pull this out everytime we study a little geography! We finished this class by making our own German flags. I would have liked to have made Lebkuchen (German cookies) with the kids but we didn't have all of the ingredients. )  : Tuesday was the day I set the stage for the kids by sharing with them all of the things going on in history at this time. I found Diana Waring's 4th tape in her first set from her series 'What in the World's Going on Here?' to be a perfect overview of this time! What in incredible series these tapes are! I made a note to myself to in a future study make a family tree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella'a family - Wow! What a history! Just another little side note for those interested - many nursery rhymes were actually political as the writers sought to expose corruption going on in the throne at that time. Think Henry the VIII and Catherine of Aragon and Anne Bolyn in 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. Hmmm? Very interesting. Wednesday (today) will be devoted to the artists of this time, but more specifically those associated with Martin Luther, namely Lucas Cranach and Albrecht Durer. We will be looking at the importance of a picture and the words it can speak. Remeber that this was a time when the Bible was not readily available to everyone. Many artist sought to depict the stories of the Bible through their art. For some this may have been the only exposure they had to these stories from God's Word. I found some great books at the library that show the art from the Bible through time, although some of it is pornographic, most of it is excellent! We will be seeking to recreate our own versions of Durer's 'Praying Hands'! Thursday will be again about setting the stage, but this time we will be looking at the stage set for the reformation before Martin Luther. Our church has a great video curriculum put out by CHI called 'Reformation Overview' and it will work perfectly for looking at individuals like Wycliffe and Hus. We will also be looking at the signifigance of the printing press, God's tool for the rapid spread of the Gospel! Friday will be strictly devoted to Martin Luther as we take a look at the key events in his life. These will be the framework for the games and activities that will be incorporated into our celebration. So here is the itinerary for our celebration: Food - We will be having a 'Papal Bull Roast' (Roast Beef) and a 'Diet of Worms Cake'  for dessert! Along with this we will be enjoying some traditional German faire as well. All will be eaten Medieval banquet style of course! Decorations/Costumes - Our living room will be transformed into a Medieval castle and our clothing will reflect the style of that day as well. I also will have a recording of the Gregorian Chants playing softly in the background. Games and Activities - We will be having a 'Mighty Fortress' building contest where the kids will have the time it takes to sing the famous Reformation Battle Song (A Mighty Fortress is our God) written by Martin Luther to build the best Lego castle they can.  Other games will include 'Hide the Heretic' (think Hide and Seek), 'Pin the Theses on the Door', 'The Great Thunderstorm' race, and a 'Throw the Indulgence in the Trash' relay!  The kid will also be able to visit the 'Studio of Lucas Cranach' to try their hand at painting each other's portrait. And last but not least we will be holding a 'Bible Relic Museum' contest where the kids will bring in whatever their little imaginations could come up with to depict some sort of Bible relic - example - the stone that slew Goliath, a fly from the Plagues of Egypt, the fruit that Adam and Eve bit into, ect. Just a warning though - viewing these will not remit any sins - only Jesus can do that! Hee hee! Well that is it - hope you all are inspired to do your own Reformation Celebration this year as well - remember it does not have to be as elaborate as this - a simple telling of the story of one of the reformers or of the event itself and a few activities would be memorable as well! Enjoy!

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