The Nativity Season
Introduction (Ages 7-9)
All great things in life must be prepared for—we human beings can’t just casually “walk up to” significant events without readying ourselves for them. And certainly the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord calls for joyful yet serious preparation.
That is why this unit of study is entitled The Nativity Season. The feast does not stand alone. In preparation for the Feast of the Nativity, the Church offers us a season, a time, to prepare—the Nativity Fast, or Nativity Lent, known to many in the West as Advent. One of the lessons in this five-lesson unit deals with this period of preparation.
God began preparing His people long ago, of course. A second lesson in the unit tells students about the ancestors and genealogy of Jesus Christ. The all-important Biblical connection is made in this lesson, showing students how the Old Testament prepared people over millennia for the coming of the promised Savior. The Theotokos is presented as the one who brought this long process to its intended fruition.
The Nativity season also brings us celebrations of several inspiring saints. First among these is Saint Nicholas, and a third lesson in this unit gives students an understanding of his real place in the Church. They come to see him as a self-denying defender of the faith and protector of the poor, rather than merely a cozy and uncritical dispenser of presents.
Another lesson takes students into the lives of more “winter saints”—among them St. Romanus the Melodist, St. Barbara, and St. Herman. And of course there is a lesson on the various aspects of the Feast iself.
Like all the units now being produced by the DCE, this one is written on five levels, thus offering material for parishioners of all ages. So, for example, in one lesson the younger children talk together on a simple level about giving and receiving gifts. The same lesson, written on another level, invites older students to look at The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry’s great story about self-sacrifice and love. The format of all these lessons is the same as that in the units already available.
Two overall objectives for this unit are:
- Students will be able to describe some of the elements of the Nativity season, including hymns, saints, fasting, and Old Testament preparation.
- Students will be able to define the Feast of the Nativity as God’s long-awaited gift to us of a Savior.
For unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. Authority rests on His shoulders, and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
(Isaiah 9: 6.)
Prepare the Way of the Lord (Ages 7-9)
Overview
It’s Hard To Wait
- Children will become familiar with the stories of the coming of God’s Son to us on earth, as He is born of Mary "as a little child." They will be introduced to the concept of "waiting" and “listening” for something good, and preparing to “meet the Lord.” The birth of Christ is set within the context of human family and God’s family.
Objectives
By the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:- Give examples of things you had to wait to happen (or receive)
- Describe how you felt and whether or not the waiting was difficult or worthwhile
- Compare waiting for special events in your life to the Church waiting for the birth of Jesus during the Nativity Fast
- Anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ as a very important event
- Identify the people and things that are featured in the icon of the Nativity of Our Lord
Materials
- Bowl of treats
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ
- Pre-made Advent Calendars
- Christmas Stickers
Resources
Required Resources
- Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Image)
- Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos (Image)
- Icon of The Presentation (Meeting) of Our Lord (Image)
- My Advent Calendar Template
- Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple (Icon) (Image)
- Icon of Christ and the Children (Image)
- Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (Image)
- Icon of the Conception of the Theotokos (Image)
- Icon of The Crucifixion of the Lord (Image)
- Icon of The Deisis (Image)
- Icon of The Dormition (Image)
- Icon of The Entry Into Jerusalem (Image)
- Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (Image)
Procedure
| 1 |
Opening Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
| 2 |
Discussion Starter |
Begin by asking the following:
|
| 3 |
Discussion |
Talk about the words of the Troparion. Point out that those who worshipped the stars were the Magi who were taught by the star, Jesus Christ. Explain that Jesus Christ is the star we all, like the magi, must follow in our daily lives. Did the Magi have to wait to see the Sun of Righteousness? |
| 4 |
Nativity Icon |
Put out the bowl of treats, explaining how we must wait until the end of class to share them. Discuss how we have to wait for many things: for mealtime, our turn during games, our birthdays, etc. During the Nativity Fast, we are waiting for a special birthday, the birthday of God's Son, Jesus. Show the children the icon of the Nativity. Help the children identify the various figures in the Nativity icon: Mary, Joseph, the animals, the shepherds, the magi, and especially the anticipated baby Jesus. How does it feel to have to wait for something you want to happen? Is it difficult to wait? |
| 5 |
Advent Calendar |
| Talk with younger children about calendars: how they help us to keep track of important days/dates to remember, e.g., birthdays, anniversaries, important events, etc. Ask if their mother or father writes important things on a calendar at home. Are their birthdays marked in a special way on a calendar? Distribute empty calendars that have important dates circled in red (see list provided with calendar). Discuss a different commemoration each week and give each child a sticker to paste in their calendar. |
| 6 |
Additional Activity |
Older children could create an aid, such as a paper chain, to also help families prepare for the Nativity. Begin the paper chain with the first session, creating seven links. On each link, have the child list one thing he or she could do to help others or anticipate the coming of Christ. Encourage them to think of such actions as praying before the Icon of the Nativity, working on a service project, being kind to siblings, etc. Brainstorm a list of actions that they could do to anticipate the coming of Christ. |
| 7 |
Wrap Up |
As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:
|
| 8 |
Closing Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one, |
Showing God's Love (Ages 7-9)
Overview
St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia
- The life of St. Nicholas illustrates how we can help others thereby showing God’s love for all. We also can associate the acts of charity with the real St. Nicholas and help students not to confuse him with the more familiar Santa Claus. Understanding the true nature of St. Nicholas in Myra and Lycia helps us to prepare for to meet the Lord, setting the birth of Christ within the context of God’s family.
Objectives
By the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:- Compare and Contrast the acts of getting vs. giving
- Retell the generous acts of St. Nicholas
- List ways we can imitate St. Nicholas and his acts of charity
- Sing the Troparian of St. Nicholas
- Demonstrate an understanding good works by participating in a charitable project
Materials
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ (use all throughout this unit)
- Line Icon of St. Nicholas to go on the front of the construction paper card (from The Icon Book)
- Life of St. Nicholas
- Construction paper
- Crayons, markers, pens
- Letter about charitable project
- Copies of the Troparian of St. Nicholas
- Prewrapped gift that the entire class can share (stickers, pencils, etc)
Resources
Required Resources
- Biography - Santa Claus (2005) (Image)
- Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Image)
- Saint Nicholas of Myra (HTML)
- St. Nicholas - Nearly Everybody's Saint! (HTML)
- St. Nicholas Banners (HTML)
- Story of St. Nicholas (HTML)
- Troparion of St. Nicholas (HTML)
- My Advent Calendar Template
Procedure
| 1 |
Opening Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
| 2 |
Discussion Starter |
Begin by asking the following:
|
| 3 |
Troparion of St. Nicholas |
Distribute the Resource Handout Troparion of St. Nicholas to the class. Recite / Sing the Troparion (Tone 4 ) several times and sicuss with the class it's general meaning. |
| 4 |
Cards for Shut-ins |
Decorate the cards with bright colors to attract attention, or use holiday stickers for decoration. Have the students write a note to the shut in for whom they are making the card. Consider having the shut-in become a “prayer partner” during the Nativity Fast, with the child communicating regularly with the shut-in through cards. |
| 5 |
Shoes |
| Some cultures leave shoes out so that St. Nicholas can fill them with treats. This could be done outside the classroom door during class for a wonderful surprise. This could be done on the exact day of St. Nicholas’s commemoration, the eve of December 6th. Consider holding a festival for children close to this feast day, when the children could leave shoes out at the beginning of the session on a Saturday morning. During the festival, the children could make banners of St. Nicholas to be used for the Festal Liturgy in a procession of children before the Little Entrance. If the bishop is coming for a visit soon, the children could learn to sing the greeting hymn for the bishop (see Orthodox Hymns for Children). |
| 6 |
Wrap Up |
| As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:
|
| 7 |
Closing Prayer |
| In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one, And the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable one. Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him. The wise men journey with the star, Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child! |
| 8 |
The Life of St. Nicholas |
Read one of the following attached Resource Stories with the class:
Pause often to emphasize his good deeds, kindness and generosity. Also pause often to ask students to make “text-to-self” or “text-to-world” connections for times in their life when they helped someone or did acts of kindness and generosity. |
The Winter Saints (Ages 7-9)
Overview
Saints Are Special People Who Are Friends of God.
- Knowing about these winter saints helps students to fully know and prepare for Christ’s birth.
Objectives
By the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:- Recognize the varied meanings of the word "hero"
- Show how saints should be our heroes, through the way that they lived their lives
- Tell the story of St. Romanus The Melodist, "Sweet Singer"
- Identify St. Barbara as another winter saint
- Retell the major events of the life of St. Herman of Alaska
Materials
- Resource Handout: The Life of St. Romanus
- Resource Download: Kontakion, Nativity of Christ
- Resource Handout: St. Herman Handouts
- Resource Handout: St. Barbara Handouts
- Icon of St. Romanus
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ
Resources
Required Resources
- Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ (PDF)
- St Herman Handouts (PDF)
- St. Barbara Handouts (PDF)
- Kontakion, Nativity of Christ (MP3)
- St Herman Resources (Link)
- Icon of St. Romanus (Image)
- Icon of St. Romanus the Melodist (Image)
- Icon of St. Romanus (Image)
- Icon of St. Romanus (HTML)
- Icon of St. Romanus the Melodist (Image)
- The Life of St. Romanus (HTML)
Procedure
| 1 |
Opening Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
| 2 |
Activity |
Distribute copies of the Resource Handout Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ and begin by playing a recording of the Christmas Kontakion. After listening to the recording, have the class find the prooimion or prologue, the stanzas or ikoi (strophes), and the refrain in the handout. Also have them check to see how many stanzas are in this kontakion. Note: Attached to this lesson is an MP3 file which you can download and burn to a CD for use in class. |
| 3 |
Discussion Starter |
After playing the kontakion ask the following:
As you discuss this hymn, define “kontakion”. Also, remind the students that “transcendent” means surpassing others, supreme, or above the material universe. “Unapproachable” does not mean that Jesus is frightening or not accessible; rather, stress that in this context “unapproachable” means we should approach Him with awe and due respect. |
| 4 |
The Life of St. Romanos |
Read the Resource Handout The life of St. Romanos with the class. Discuss the meaning of the story of how he began to sing in church and compose hymns for the services. |
| 5 |
The Lives of St. Barbara & St. Herman |
| Read both Resource Handouts for St. Barbara and St. Herman attached to this lesson. After reading both with the class, discuss how are they important models or heroes of the church? |
| 6 |
Activity |
| Teach the kontakion as it is sung today in your parish. Have one person read the ikos – the first stanza, and then have the class sing the refrain from the last line. |
| 7 |
Extra Activity |
If the students wish to rewrite the long kontakion of Romanos as a play to be presented to the parish, you can extend the study unit further by one or two weeks. Note: The speakers in the dialogue are named in the margins of the kontakion. If they do not present their own paraphrase in a play type narration, have them begin it by singing the kontakion and ikos and adding refrains for everyone to sing where appropriate. It would not be necessary to include every stanza in the production if they find some that are too difficult. |
| 8 |
Wrap Up |
As students are preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:
|
| 9 |
Closing Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one, |
The Ancestors of Christ (Ages 7-9)
Overview
We Are All God's Family
- We are members of God's family.
Objectives
By the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:- Name and describe your family members
- Demonstrate an understanding that our parents, grandparents, etc. are our ancestors (those who have come before us)
- Develop an understanding of ourselves as members of Gods Family
- Identify the ancestors of Jesus (his earthly parents and grandparents)
Materials
- Icons (or line drawings) of Joachim and Anna and of Joseph and Mary
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ
- Copies of line drawings of a tree with “Family of God” at the top – on card stock
- Magazine pictures of families
- Materials for a collage (magazines, paper, glue, glitter, etc.)
- Polaroid or digital camera with enough film to take a picture of every child
- Round poster board piece about 3” in diameter with a hole punched in the top
- Yarn to make the round piece into a medallion
Resources
Optional Resources
Procedure
| 1 |
Opening Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
| 2 |
Discussion Starter |
Begin by asking the following:
|
| 3 |
This is Your Family |
| Identify different members of your family. Add their names to the branches of the trees (with assistance). Find pictures that could represent the children’s mother, father, brothers, sisters, etc. Stress, “This is your family.” |
| 4 |
Jesus’ Family |
| Just as you have a family, Jesus’ family was very important to Him, also. We remember Jesus’ family in our church services. Just as we made the trees with our families, Jesus also had grandmas and grandpas. Add to the family tree small drawings of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Joachim and Anna. Explain that we read the names of all of Jesus’ grandpas and grandmas and great-grandpas, etc. in church today (the Sunday before the Nativity Feast). |
| 5 |
Child of God |
| Add the words “Child of God” onto a round medallion. Have the children add a Polaroid picture of themselves on the reverse side. Decorate in any manner, and add to the Family Tree drawing, by punching a hole in the tree drawing and adding the medallion with yarn. Or, the child can wear the medallion home. |
| 6 |
Extra Activity: Reading Time |
| Read the two pages of the Old Testament prophecies about the family of Jesus from Christ in the Old Testament: Prophecy Illustrated (“Song of David” and “Root of Jesse”). Show the children the beautiful pictures. Remind them that these verses are about Jesus’ ancestors. |
| 7 |
Wrap Up |
As students are cleaning up and preparing for closing prayer, ask the following:
|
| 8 |
Closing Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today the virgin gives birth to the transcendent one, |
God Is With Us (Ages 7-9)
Overview
The Birth of Jesus Christ
- God became man and dwelt among us - the incarnation of God in Christ Jesus.
Objectives
By the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:- Tell the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ, using the icon of the feast
- Identify the main characters present at the birth of Jesus
- Present as a class a tableau of the story of the Nativity as seen in the verse, "What shall we offer..."
- Learn the Nativity response: Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Materials
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ for each child – laminated as a gift
- Line drawing of the Nativity of Christ icon for the children to color
- Strips of felt with the images of the angels, etc. on them for the matching game to the verse “What shall we offer…”
- Poster of the verse "What shall we offer…"
Resources
Required Resources
- The Nativity of Christ (PDF)
- Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Image)
- What shall we offer You, O Christ (HTML)
- Graphic Organizer of a T-Chart (PDF)
- Prepare O Bethlehem (Image)
Procedure
| 1 |
Opening Prayer |
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
