SCIENCE LEADER GUIDE Banquet with Simon (Luke 7:36-50) Lower Elementary Workshop Focus: With God our sins don t stick! Keep these tips in mind as you welcome kids to the workshop and explore the story together. Each week, remember to welcome kids to the rotation. Keep in mind that for some kids it may be the first time they are visiting your workshop! If kids have heard the story several times during previous weeks, read it again! Kids learn through repetition, and every workshop will explore the Bible story in a slightly different way. Remember that the Shepherds are there to support you as they accompany kids each week. Be sure to visit www.sparksundayschool.org to download the Family Page for this story. Make copies of it and ask Shepherds to distribute it during the Wrap Up. Open the Bible (10 minutes) Banquet with Simon Storytelling Welcome to science. I m going to give you a little preview of our activities while we read today s story. Let s open our Bibles to page 354, Banquet With Simon. Spark Story Bibles When you read, Jesus was invited to dinner at Simon s house, say, We ll use this glass jar as the house. Place the jar where everyone can see it. When you read, Drip, drip, drip. The woman bent over Jesus feet and cleaned them with her tears, say, This water will represent the tears. Pour about 1 inch (2 cm) of water into jar. When you read, The woman was kissing his feet and rubbing them with oil, say, This is oil like the woman used. Pour about 1 inch (2 cm) of oil in jar. When you read, Simon s cheeks were red with embarrassment, say, This red food coloring will remind us of Simon s cheeks. Put in one drop of red food coloring. It will slowly descend until it hits the barrier between the oil and water, where it will hang suspended. Tall, thin clear jar (olive jar) Baby or mineral oil Water Red food coloring Skewer SCIENCE Banquet with Simon 111
Finish reading the story. When Simon invited Jesus into his home, he wanted to keep everyone else out. He was trying to create a barrier between people. But when Jesus forgave the woman s sins, he poked a hole through Simon s barrier. Poke the skewer through the colored drop. Activate Faith (25 Minutes) Oil s Well Set Up: Cover work areas with the newspapers. Cut the waxed paper and paper towels into 4-inch (10-cm) squares. At each work area, place the following: Two cups, labeled water and oil with about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the appropriate liquid and a labeled medicine dropper in each Five waxed paper squares Two paper towel squares Activity Instructions In today s story, the woman rubbed Jesus feet with oil. Oil is a wonderful liquid used for many things. What are some ways you know that oil is used? (in cars, to cook with, on babies, to keep my bike from squeaking) Let s see why oil is so wonderful. None Baby or mineral oil Water Small cups Waxed paper Scissors Paper towels Medicine droppers, 1 per kid if possible Newspapers 1. 2. 3. 4. We re going to be using droppers in our experiments. The squishy end is the bulb. The other end is the tip. To use a dropper, first you put the tip in a liquid. Let s practice in the water. While the tip is under water, you squeeze and then let go of the bulb. This squeezes the air out, and lets the liquid come in. Then you can lift the dropper, and squeeze out just one drop at a time. Let them practice filling the dropper and emptying it one drop at a time back into the cup. Use the water dropper to put one drop of water on the back of one hand. Rub it with your finger. How does it feel? (wet) Use the oil dropper to put one drop of oil on the back of one hand. Rub it with your finger. How does it feel? (slippery, oily, slimy) We know that oil and water feel different. Let s compare how they look. Put one drop of oil on a square of waxed paper. Put one drop of water on 112 Workshop Leader Guides
a different square of waxed paper. Compare how they look. What do you notice? (The water makes a bump. The oil is flatter.) 5. 6. 7. Carefully pick up the edges of the square with the oil and tilt it just a little bit so the oil moves. Do the same thing with the water square. Do the two liquids move the same? (The oil leaves a streak. All the water moves together.) What happens if you try to put a drop of oil on top of the drop of water? (It slides off.) What happens if you try to put a drop of water on top of the drop of oil? (The water stays on top as a drop.) Pick up this square, tilt it gently and watch what happens. (The water drop stays on top of the moving oil.) 8. Let s compare how they act. Put one drop of water and one drop of oil side by side on a paper towel. What do you notice? Lift up to the light. What do you notice? (The oil spot looks shinier.) 9. 10. On a clean piece of waxed paper, put three drops of water in a row. Put another piece of waxed paper over it. Try to slide the top piece off. On a clean piece of waxed paper, put three drops of oil in a row. Put another square of clean waxed paper over it. Try to slide the top piece off. Oil is a special liquid. It is lighter than water. It can form a coat to keep water out of things. It makes things slippery. Send (5 minutes) Wrap Up Remind the Shepherds to distribute the Family Page for this story if the kids haven t already received it, and come together for Wrap Up. Family Pages The woman in today s story used the water from her tears and oil from a jar to bathe Jesus feet. We tested oil and water. Describe one thing water did. (It made a drop on the oil. It rolled around on the waxed paper.) Describe one thing oil did. (It made the waxed paper slippery. It made the paper towel shiny.) Oil and water act differently, but the woman used both. Just like oil and water are different, God knows that each of us is different. God accepts all our differences and shows everyone grace and love in return. None SCIENCE Banquet with Simon 113
Prayer Time Dear God, today we have seen how people and liquids can be different. We know that each of us acts differently, and needs your help in different ways. We are glad that we don t have to take turns with you. We are glad that you can hear everyone s prayers at the same time. We are glad that you will always treat us all the same, with your gracious love and forgiveness. Thank you, God. Amen. 114 Workshop Leader Guides
SCIENCE LEADER GUIDE Banquet with Simon (Luke 7:36-50) Upper Elementary Workshop Focus: God knows our sins and forgives them! Keep these tips in mind as you welcome kids to the workshop and explore the story together. Each week, remember to welcome kids to the rotation. Keep in mind that for some kids it may be the first time they are visiting your workshop! If kids have heard the story several times during previous weeks, read it again! Kids learn through repetition, and every workshop will explore the Bible story in a slightly different way. Remember that the Shepherds are there to support you as they accompany kids each week. Be sure to visit www.sparksundayschool.org to download the Family Page for this story. Make copies of it and ask Shepherds to distribute it during the Wrap Up. Open the Bible (10 minutes) Banquet with Simon Storytelling Set Up: Fill and cap separate, matching bottles completely, one with water, one with oil. Spark Bibles Spark Bible Stickers Place the bottles on a table or chair where the kids can see but not touch or move them. Activity Instructions Welcome to science. Look at these two liquids. What can you say about them? (They are both clear. They look the same.) As we read today s story, we re going to be passing the bottles around the group. Do not open the bottles, just see how they feel. Mineral or baby oil Water Plastic bottles, clear, 2 SCIENCE Let s open our Bibles to the story of the Banquet with Simon. It is found in Luke, chapter seven, verse 36. It begins on page 1139. Start one bottle at one side of the group, the other bottle in a different place. After the reading is over, ask for comments. What did you notice about the bottles? (not much difference, one felt a bit heavier) Banquet with Simon 115
Jesus encountered two people in today s story. They probably looked pretty similar to most people. But they reacted to Jesus presence very differently. Reactions are what we are going to explore today. Give kids time to place Spark Bible Stickers on an appropriate page in their Bibles. Activate Faith (25 Minutes) Which One s Salt Water? Set Up: Use the masking tape and marker to number five bottles. Fill each bottle completely with a different clear liquid. Be sure to make a key of which liquid is in which bottle. Place the bottles in a central area. Add one to two tablespoons (29-57 ml) of salt to the water and shake until it is all dissolved. Use plastic tablecloths to create at least four work areas. Place five cups, five spoons, paper, a pencil, and some paper towels at each work area. Place different test items (sugar, paper clip, dish soap, waxed paper with a medicine dropper) at each work area. Use the marker to make a Recording Chart on the board like the one on top of page 123 of this guide. Activity Instructions In today s story, the woman washes Jesus feet with her tears. What can you tell me about tears? (They are salty. They feel hot.) If you just saw a drop of a clear liquid on a table, how would you be able to tell if it was a tear or something else? (by tasting it) It s never a good idea to taste something when you don t know what it is. What else could you do? (Wait for it to evaporate, and see if salt is left behind. Try other experiments.) None Masking tape Marker Plastic bottles, clear, 5 Water Salt Pop or soda, clear Mineral or baby oil White vinegar Hydrogen peroxide Tablecloths, plastic, at least 4 Plastic cups, clear, 5 per work area Spoons, 5 Medicine droppers Paper Pencil Paper towels Sugar Paper clips Dish soap Waxed paper Poster board or white board I ve got five different clear liquids in these bottles. Our job is to figure out which one of them is salt water. There are materials at each work area to perform one type of test on each of the five liquids. Before you test, you come to the bottles and pour about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each liquid into a separate clear cup. Number the cups from 1-5, and be sure the you fill the cup with liquid from the bottle with the matching number. Then you take the cups back to your work area. Record all your observations in your work area. When everyone is done, we ll transfer your notes to the group chart. 116 Workshop Leader Guides
1. 2. 3. Let s get into small groups. Each group select a work area. Look at your materials and decide how you should use them. Remember, you need to perform the same test on all five liquids. Allow the kids the opportunity to decide how to use the materials available. Offer these questions if they need some guidance: a. What happens if you drop a paper clip in salt water? b. Do you think sugar will dissolve in salt water? c. Does liquid soap make bubbles in salt water? d. What does one drop of salt water look like? 4. 5. The kids will likely notice some liquids have odors or bubbles. Remind them to record these observations as well. After all the groups have completed their tests, bring them together to share results. First group tell us what you did and what happened. Continue in the same manner with all the groups. 6. Did anyone have any other observations? (Liquid 3 smells like vinegar. Liquid 5 has bubbles like soda pop.) 7. Based on all our tests and observations, which liquid do you believe is salt water? Listen to their answers and reasoning before you reveal the answer. Note: Hydrogen peroxide will test most closely like water. What do you think the other liquids were? (soda, oil, I don t know) Send (5 minutes) Wrap Up Remind the Shepherds to distribute the Family Page for this story if the kids haven t already received it, and come together for Wrap Up. Looks can be deceiving. What does that mean? (It means that you can t always tell if something is good or bad or what you think it is just by looking at it.) How does that saying apply to today s experiences? (Simon looked good because he invited Jesus to dinner. But he wasn t a very good host. The liquids all looked the same, but we found out they were all different.) Family Pages None SCIENCE Do you think God is ever deceived by looks? (No. You can t fool God.) Simon and the woman in today s story probably looked like most other people around them. But how they reacted to Jesus showed that they were very different indeed. Banquet with Simon 117
Prayer Time Dear God, as humans, we can control our reactions to many things that happen to us. Like Jesus, we meet many types of people. Some of them are rude. Some are very kind. We thank you for your guiding spirit and grace, as we work to be more like your Son, and react with love and forgiveness to all. Amen. 118 Workshop Leader Guides
SCIENCE LEADER GUIDE Banquet with Simon (Luke 7:36-50) All Kids Workshop Focus: God dissolves our sins! Keep these tips in mind as you welcome kids to the workshop and explore the story together. Each week, remember to welcome kids to the rotation. Keep in mind that for some kids it may be the first time they are visiting your workshop! If kids have heard the story several times during previous weeks, read it again! Kids learn through repetition, and every workshop will explore the Bible story in a slightly different way. Remember that the Shepherds are there to support you as they accompany kids each week. Be sure to visit www.sparksundayschool.org to download the Family Page for this story. Make copies of it and ask Shepherds to distribute it during the Wrap Up. Open the Bible (10 minutes) Banquet with Simon Storytelling Welcome to Science. Most of the things and events mentioned in Bible stories are things and events that could still happen today. As we read today s story, we ll be stopping to make the connection from then to now. Everyone open your Bible to the story of the Banquet with Simon. It s in the book of Luke, chapter 7, page 1139 in the Spark Bibles and page 354 in the Spark Story Bibles. Read the story from the Spark Bible, inviting young kids to follow along in the Spark Story Bible. At 7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, ask, Have you ever asked anyone to eat with you? (Yes.) So that s the same. Let s continue. At 7:37... brought an alabaster jar of ointment, say, A jar of ointment. Today we d call it a bottle of lotion. Show lotion. So that s similar too. Let s continue. Spark Story Bibles Spark Bibles Spark Bible Stickers Carton of Epsom salts Bottle of lotion SCIENCE At 7:38... bathe his feet with her tears, say, So she is soaking his feet in salt water. Look at this carton of Epsom salt. Read carton. Soak sore feet in a bath of warm water and some Epsom salt. Banquet with Simon 119
I won t interrupt any more, but you can, if you think of some connections. Invite older kids to document the connections in the Spark Bibles using a Reminds Me Of sticker. Activate Faith (25 minutes) Salt Science Set Up: Create small work areas by spreading plastic tablecloths over tables or on the floor. Cut the thread into 6-inch (15 cm) pieces. Place a bucket, towel, pitcher of water, four pieces of thread, five clear cups, one bottle and lid, and several spoons at each work area. Place about 2 tablespoons each (30 ml) of sugar, pepper, sand, and each of the salts in separate, labeled ziplock bags. Place one of each bag at each work area. Make a Salt Science chart like the one on the bottom of page 123 of this guide using the white board or poster board. Activity Instructions In today s story, the woman washed Jesus feet with her tears. If you have ever tasted a tear, you know it s salty. Salt is a mineral found in the ground and in sea water. In ancient times, salt was so valuable that people used it as money. We re going to do some salt science to see how and why salt is so valuable. 1. Get in small groups of 2 4 and sit at a work area. None Plastic tablecloths Clear plastic cups Clear plastic bottles with lids Salt, 3 or more types Sugar Pepper Sand Spoons Thread Scissors Ice cubes Dish soap Pitchers Water Towels Buckets Zippered sandwich bags Marker Poster board or white board 2. 3. 4. 5. When you put certain things in water, they become smaller and smaller as they dissolve and become mixed together. They are still there, you just can t see them. We ll test all the materials in the bags and record our results on this chart. Show Salt Science recording chart. Pick one material to test first. Fill a cup about half full with water. Fill a spoon about half full, put it in the water, and stir. If the material disappears, we ll write Yes in the dissolves row. If you can still see it, we ll write No. Using the same cup of water, try the other materials. Make sure we record your results on the chart. After all the groups are done, have them empty their cups in a bucket. 120 Workshop Leader Guides
6. 7. 8. 9. So salt can dissolve in water. This makes it useful for cooking and for making a salt bath for sore feet. Put out four clean cups. We are going to test the ability of the materials to glue a string to ice. Put an ice cube in each cup. Place a thread across the top of each ice cube. Use a spoon to sprinkle a bit of a different material on top of each thread. Wait about one minute. Pick up the end of the strings. Which ice cubes are attached to the string? (those covered in salt) Based on your results from both experiments, what do you think happened? (The salt dissolved the ice. The pepper, sand and sugar didn t do anything.) 10. An ice cube is solid water. When salt mixes with water, it releases heat and lowers the freezing temperature. That heat made the ice melt. That is why we use salt on snowy or icy roads and sidewalks. But the water was cold enough to freeze the string onto the ice cube. 11. 12. Fill your bottle about half full with water. Put a spoonful of one material in the bottle. After I add one drop of dish soap, put the lid on and shake. Then we ll compare the bubbles in all the bottles. Hard water has a lot of minerals like iron in it. These minerals make it difficult for soap to get sudsy. Sometimes people add special salts to their water to make it softer, and easier to get sudsy. Send (5 minutes) Wrap Up Remind the Shepherds to distribute the Family Page for this story if the kids haven t already received it, and come together for Wrap Up. Family Pages When the woman washed Jesus feet with her tears, she probably wasn t trying to ease his aching feet with a salt bath. She was overcome with emotion while trying to show him respect. However, our experiments today showed that the salt in her tears is valuable in more ways than we might have first thought. What was even more valuable in today s story? Jesus forgiveness. Knowing that all we have to do is ask for God s forgiveness of our sins is more valuable than anything we can find on earth. None SCIENCE Banquet with Simon 121
Prayer Time Dear God, thank you for the wonders we discover in everyday items like salt. Help us to explore the many wonders hidden within the stories of the Bible, so that we can better appreciate our marvelous world. Let our studies remind us of your presence and your constant love and forgiveness. Do not let us take you for granted. Thank you, God. Amen. 122 Workshop Leader Guides
Recording Chart Test Liquid 1 Liquid 2 Liquid 3 Liquid 4 Liquid 5 Sugar Paper Clip Soap Waxed Paper Other Observations Salt Science Dissolves? Glues string to ice? Softens water? Sugar Sand Pepper Salt 1 Salt 2 Salt 3 Banquet with Simon 123