The Lego Movie: ideas for church holiday club, youth group or RE Lessons

Based around the Acts of the Apostles/letters of St. Paul


Session 1: Paul. Like Emmet, follows the rules. Doesn't like those who want change. Something changes his mind. ( Road to Damascus/ Emmet discovering the piece of resistance)Meeting the master builders (Master builders of the church: Peter, Mary etc)
Crafts: Make hobby horses to re enact story of St. Paul, wooden spoon puppets of the disciples. Road to Damascus pathway to make footprints.
Ideas for discussions: Are some people like Emmet at the beginning of the film? ( mindlessly following what everyone else does. Doesn't think he's special)
Outside: Treasure hunt. Things to discover. Hobby horse races.
What things happen that cause people to realise something/ change their mind?
Song: I can wiggle like a worm.

Session 2: Paul's journeys, ship wreck. ( Emmet's adventure and ship wreck) Enact storm and ship wreck with musical instruments.  The church at Corinth. (Working together; everything is cool if we work as a team!/ we are all parts of one body)
Crafts: make boats, letters on scrolls,  Work together to make something (eg. Make the biggest structure you can using marshmallows and spaghetti)

Activity: obstacle courses, parachute games.
Songs: Life is like a big wide ocean.  Everything is awesome!
.

Alternative ideas about working together: the rainbow people http://learn.christianaid.org.uk/Images/caringly_book_tcm16-22709.pdf

Session 3: The church now. Should we keep everything the same? (Final sequence of the film.) 
Building our own church for the future. What would it be like?


Make dens outdoors.

Crafts: children make own "churches" using cardboard boxes. Stick on "bricks" with words or pictures saying what it would be like.

Change something in the church to reflect their ideas, or make something (banner etc).

Ongoing throughout:

Children could make their own lego film clips using stop motion photography.

Make things out of lego.

These are my first thoughts about this. I will be adding to it, so watch this space! If you have any other ideas please add to the comments below.

It will be awesome!

You are welcome to use my ideas. I would be interested to know if you do, and how you found it.

Greenpeace have just produced material questioning Lego's links with Shell. Older children and youth groups may want to explore these issues too, and write letters to Shell or Lego about them. http://youtu.be/qhbliUq0_r4

The Ascension of the Cosmic Christ

In the beginning was the word,

And the word was with God,
Was God, 

The eternal cosmic Christ,

The word,

Wisdom,

First made matter as the word was spoken,

Giving birth to Stars and planets,

The word was with God,

And through the word all things came into being.

In every star, every leaf, every cloud, every molecule, is the word, the Christ, Holy Wisdom from the very beginning.

In all time, in all places, in all life was the word,

And in one time, in one place, in one life,

A carpenter named Jesus.

In feet that felt the dust of our Earth between his toes,

In a voice that could silence storms,

In hands that touched the diseased.

Word, wisdom, light.

But powers not from word, wisdom and light.

But from coercion, force and greed.

Could not stand the word of God,

Shown in the self giving powerful love of a human life,

And they killed Him.

But love is greater than hate,

And death could not silence the word.

Now he ascends beyond the one form of matter,

Into all matter,

Do not try to look beyond the clouds to see where he has gone,

Because, look, he returns to you,

The Cosmic Christ,

In clouds, stars, planets, trees, gamma particles and oxygen molecules,

Beyond the body of a man,

Into the body of all who make their being with God,

As it was in the beginning,
Now embracing and transcending gender, race, culture, species...
In the in inter-woven web of being,
He is with us always,

In the expanding, evolving wonder of our cosmos.

Her breath in the air that surrounds us,

His sweat and tears in every river, every sea and every raindrop.

Her voice in all who cry out in need,

His body in every piece of bread shared with the hungry.

Once again,

Powers not from word, wisdom and light,

But from coercion, force and greed.

Set out to destroy the word.

In a quest for wealth,

Polluting the air and the seas,

Silencing the voice of the needy,

Refusing to share bread.

The eternal Cosmic Christ,

The word, The wisdom of God

Cries out again for new life,

For resurrection,

The Word refuses to be silenced,

Rising to new life,

Wherever flowers bloom through cracks in a wasteland,

Wherever hope can be found in despair,

Once again love is greater than hate,

Where His disciples cry out for justice,

And if Her disciples keep silent,

The stones of the Earth will shout aloud,

Death cannot silence the word.

Look around, and listen,

Don’t look beyond the clouds,

Christ will return.

Standard English

In the new National Curriculum for Primary schools in England and Wales, there is an increased emphasis on the use of standard English, in both speaking and writing. This poem envisages what might happen.

There once was a school in Manchester,

Where folks say,  "We was, " and  "Ya wot?"

But the bloke from Her Maj's inspectorate,

Says, "This really won't do, you lot,

"We were," and "pardon" is how you must say it,

Standard English is how you must speak,

Your children need to be better spoken,

If your targets you are to reach."

So the very next day in assembly,

The head teacher gets everyone in,

And when everyone has gone quiet,

He knew it was time to begin,

"Reet, we've got to all learn to talk proper,(I mean properly)

Like all the posh kids do down South,

Standard English is what they all call it,

So watch what comes out of your mouth.

Don't say, "nowt," say "nothing",

Don't say "swear down," say " it's true."

And only say "dead" if you're actually dead,

Otherwise "very" will do."

But what will this do to our language,

If children must all speak the same?

Summut is wrong,

If we can't sing our song,

And our regional roots we can't claim.

So by all means let's teach them the difference,

For the times they will need formal words.

But when they're at play,

The words that they say,

Should be owt that they like, except swears.