Newscast: It's a Boy!

To help the children use their imaginations to create a newscast about the first Christmas

The children will identify how the innkeepers and shepherds might have felt at the first Christmas.

• Plastic microphone (or one made from a foil-covered toilet-paper tube and ball of foil)
• Simple shepherd costumes or headresses
• Finding God CD 1, Track 1, "Jesus Is Born"

• After using the CD for "Jesus is Born" and discussing the events surrounding Jesus' birth, ask the children how they would have felt to be present in the stable when Jesus was born.
• Ask how they think the innkeepers felt when they had to tell Mary and Joseph that they had no room.
• Ask the children how they think the innkeeper who led Mary and Joseph to their stable felt.
• Ask how they think the shepherds felt. How did the shepherd who had to stay behind while the others went to find Jesus feel?
• Introduce the activity by saying you are a reporter for the Bethlehem News Channel 25. You heard that a special baby has been born. You would like to interview some of the eyewitnesses.
• Ask for volunteers to be the innkeepers and shepherds and someone who saw Mary and Joseph traveling along the road into Bethlehem.
• Have the children put on any costumes.
• Interview each of the characters using simple questions that involve all of their senses. For example: What did you see? What did you hear? What did it feel like? What did it smell like?

Body Smart, People Smart, Word Smart

Guide the children to use descriptive words so that the interview seems more realistic.

Depending on how quickly the interviews go, you may want to repeat the activity giving other children the same parts.

If there are children in your group with special needs (physical, visual, hearing, language, or behavioral disabilities), adapt the activity accordingly.