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A Timeline of God's Friends

Activity Objective:
To review some of the people the children have studied that had or have a close relationship with God
Lesson Outcome:
The children will be able to show a brief history of God's relationship with his people from before and after the time of Jesus.
Materials
  • Cord or clothesline
  • 20 pieces of heavy construction paper or light cardboard (about 6" x 9")
  • Colored paper
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Clothespins or paper clips
Directions:
  • Explain that as a group, you will describe God's ongoing relationship with his people by creating a timeline that includes the people (from before and after Jesus) that they have discussed so far this year.
  • Choose from the following list those people that you want included on the timeline: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Ruth, David, Solomon, Saint Peter, Saint Helena, Saint Jerome, Saint Roque Gonzalez, Saint Frances Cabrini, and Saint John Neumann.
  • Give one name to each child in your group and ask them to create a symbol that would represent something significant about that person's relationship with God. (Examples: a broken heart for King David, a bishop's staff for Saint John Neumann)
  • Ask the children to put the person's name and that person's symbol on one of the heavy pieces of construction paper.
  • You (or one of the children) could create a symbol to represent Jesus Christ.
  • Attach the cord or clothesline around your room, high enough so as not to be disturbed by normal movement.
  • Using the clothespins or paper clips, attach the sheet containing the symbol for Jesus to the center of the timeline.
  • Then, using whatever scale you decided on for the length of your cord, determine where to put the other symbols in order to represent the following dates: Abraham (2000 B.C.), Jacob (1700 B.C.), Moses (1300 B.C.), Ruth (1150 B.C.), David (1000 B.C.), Solomon (950 B.C.), Saint Peter (33 A.D.), Saint Helena (300 A.D.), Saint Jerome (350 A.D.), Saint Roque (1600 A.D.), Saint John (1850 A.D.), and Saint Frances (1900 A.D.).
  • If you decide to use Adam and Eve and Noah, simply put them on the timeline some distance before Abraham and Sarah since they are considered to be prehistory.
Learning Styles:
Art/Space Smart
Approximate Time:
15 minutes
Hints:
Make the cord or clothesline long enough to represent the roughly 4,000 years from the time of Abraham until the present day. (Example: A 12-yard piece of cord would create a 4,000-year-timeline by having each inch represent approximately 10 years.)

Many of the dates (especially for the Old Testament figures) are only approximations, however the timeline can still give the children a sense of when these great people lived.

If possible, keep your timeline in your room and continue to add names of other saints as the children learn about them.
Sensitivities:
If there are children in your group with special needs (physical, visual, hearing, language, or behavioral disabilities), adapt the activity accordingly.

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