Leven Valley School

Following the assembly at Our Lady's I this morning I went straight down to Leven Valley school and did the same thing again.

Our Lady's

This morning I went to Our Lady's school to do the assembly about friendship.  After singing So Many Ways I asked two friends out and they shared a bar of chocolate.  I then asked them if they enjoyed it and if they would help each other to clean the toilets they both agreed.  The point was that we need to stick with our friends through the good and bad times.  I then read a short version of the Ruth story and explained that both Ruth and Naomi stuck with each other through good and bad times.  I then got them all to stand up and shake hands with someone who was a good friend and say to them thank you.  We finished with Shine as it says that we should shine from the inside out so the world we see that Jesus is in us.  I then closed with a prayer.

Penny Bridge School

This morning Sarah and I went over to see the children at Penny Bridge School and to take their assembly.  We decided to do the friendship assembly that we have been doing this month in our other schools.  So to start off the assembly we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord then we called out two friends and to one I gave them some chocolate while the other sat and chatted to Sarah.  Then they shared the chocolate which was a good thing to do then I reminded the girl with the chocolate that she had to clean the toilets after the assembly and as I pull out the various cleaning materials the children laughed while the girl took everything I was saying on board.  The catch came when I asked her friend the one who she had shared the chocolate with if she would like to help too - I got a big YES from her.  Sarah explained that good friends stick with each other through good as well as bad times she then told the Ruth and Naomi story and afterwards recapped what good true friends do for each other.  We then got the children to stand up and shake the hand of a friend and say thank you to them for being a friend.  To close we sang Shine then Sarah said a prayer.

Broughton School

This morning Sarah and I were also at Broughton School for their assembly.  We decided to do the assembly on the theme of friends and friendship.  So after singing So Many Ways I retold the story from Mark 2:1-12 of Jesus healing the man that was lowered through the roof to Jesus' feet.  I used my square to cross prop to tell the story moving it as I told the story into different shapes.  After the story Sarah explained that without the friends of the paralysed man helping him he would never have seen Jesus and therefore never have been healed.  They needed to do a lot in order to help him even get to Jesus.  She encouraged the children to be just like the four friends.  Then she asked them all to stand up and on the count of three they were to move around and shake the hand of a person who was a good friend to them and say thank you for being my friend.  Then we sang Shine and Sarah closed the assembly with a prayer.

St Peters

This morning Sarah and I went over to St Peters for the assembly.  We had decided to continue the theme we started last time about friendship with another example from the bible.  So after singing So Many Ways I told the story of Jesus healing the paralysed man who was lowered through the roof by four friends.  To tell the story I used my square to cross prop and moved it around as I told the story.  Sarah then added to the story by saying how hard it must have been for the men to carry their friend first through the town, then up the stairs, cut a hole through the roof and then to lower him down to the feet of Jesus.  Sarah linked this action to shining out for Jesus which introduced our next song Shine.  Following the song Sarah closed with a prayer and then the Lord's Prayer.

Crosthwaite School

This afternoon we travelled over to Crosthwaite School for the assembly.  The assembly started by the vicar teaching the children a prayer which he encouraged the children to sign as they were led by a year 6 pupil.  We started the assembly then by singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord.  Following the song we called out two girls who are best friends while I instructed one of them Sarah talked with the other then they shared a bar of chocolate together.  As they enjoyed the chocolate I spoke to the girl I had given instructions to saying that she had agreed to help clean the toilet when she had finished the chocolate and I invited her friend to join in as well.  There was a certain amount of hesitation but she said yes in the end.  Sarah then explained that when we have friends we should be willing to share the good bits along with the bad bits of our lives.  She then went on to tell the story of Ruth and Naomi.  Then we got the children to stand up and shake the hand of someone they thought of as a best friend saying thank you for being my friend.  I then rounded off the exercise and reinforcing what Sarah had said which led into us singing Shine.  Sarah then closed the assembly with a prayer.

Vicarage Park School

This morning I went over to Vicarage Park School, Kendal to take the assembly.  The theme I was given was compassion.  So after singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord I showed the PIXAR animated clip 'Birds on a Wire'  which has several birds all chatting on a telephone wire, when a bigger bird wants to join in.  The bigger bird is very different to the others and they therefore make fun of him and laugh at him.  Then when he comes to join them they complain to each other and force him to get off by pecking at his feet.  He does eventually fall off but in so doing he catapults the other birds upwards.  Then as the clip ends the big bird is on the floor and all the other birds drop down besides him but they have lost all their feathers and now need to shelter under the big bird for warmth.  After the clip I showed some still images from the movie and talked about the reaction of the birds to the bigger bird saying that they were not showing him kindness, love or compassion.  I said that we can sometimes be like that with other people who we perhaps see as being different.  I then displayed the bible verse 'Love one another as I have loved you' and explained that Jesus wants us to be compassionate and loving, caring and kind to everyone we meet.  To close we sang Wonderful Lord and in the middle I said a short prayer.

Flookburgh Primary School

This morning Sarah and I went over to Flookburgh School for an assembly.  It was great to see all the children dressed in super hero fancy dress as they raised money for Children in Need. We introduced the children to Be Happy this morning and then went on to do our assembly about friends.  So as always we called out two people who are best friends and to one I gave a bar of chocolate to share with his friend.  So they did however I then turned to the friend and announced that the friend with the chocolate had agreed to clean the toilets later on in the morning and asked if they as their best friend would like to help.  I showed the children the cleaning materials, a cloth for the toilet bowl, a toilet brush and some cleaning spray.  The friend having had the chocolate shared with them said yes they would help.  Sarah then read the story of Ruth and Naomi's friendship and how they stayed together through good and bad times.  Following the story Sarah talked a bit more about friendships and how we should look out for each other.  I then invited the school to stand up and for each child to find a friend and shake their hand saying 'thank you for being my friend'  To round the assembly off we then sang another new song (for the school) Wonderful Lord and in the middle Sarah said a prayer.

Low Furness School

This morning Sarah and I were asked to do a special assembly for the children at Low Furness School.  As the theme for this half term is on friendship we decided to do an assembly along those lines.  So after singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord I told the story of Jesus healing the paralysed  man, and focused on the fact that four of his friends needed to carry him to see Jesus and even then as the house was so full they took him up on to the roof broke through the roof and lowered him down to the feet of Jesus - Jesus saw how much faith the friends had and healed the man.  To tell the story I used my square to cross prop which can be moved into different shapes to reflect different parts of the story.  Sarah then summed up what the friends had done for the man saying how strong the friendship was between them and encouraged the children to be good friends like they had been.  Then to close we sang Shine and Sarah said a prayer.  Before and then after the assembly we played I Love You and the younger children started to sing and sign the words it was great to see.

Croftlands Infants School

This afternoon I have been to Croftlands Infants School to do the assembly on friendship.  So after singing Be Happy I invited  two friends out (with a little help from the teacher) and they sat at the front.  I did prompt one of them as to what the idea was I was going to do and they sat and shared some chocolate then I told the other one her friend had agreed to help clean the toilets and would she like to help.  She too agreed to the toilet cleaning, I showed the school all the things I had brought that would help, a cloth, toilet brush, cleaning spray and bucket - all the items brought a big laugh from the children.  I then retold the Naomi and Ruth story and explained during the story how they were great friends and that they had been through good times and bad times together a bit like the chocolate and the toilet cleaning.  I encouraged the children to stick with their friends through the good and the bad.  We then sang Shine and I closed the assembly with a prayer.

Chruch Walk

This morning Sarah and I went to Church Walk Primary School for the assembly.  After singing Be Happy Sarah asked two girls to come out that are very good friends.  I needed to explain to one girl what was going to happen while I did this Sarah talked with the other girl about friendship.  I then gave the girl with me a chocolate bar and sent her to sit with her friend and the shared the bar between them.  Meanwhile I went and got a bucket with cleaning things in it and a toilet brush and explained that the girl that was with me had agreed to help to clean the toilets after they had finished the chocolate bar so I asked her friend if she would like to join her and help - NO came the answer.  So Sarah explained that she was happy to share the good things like the chocolate but not the bad things like cleaning the toilet.  Sarah then told the story of Naomi and Ruth and how they went through good happy times and bad not so happy times yet they always stayed together.  I then asked the children to stand and shake hands with someone who is their friend and to say thank you for being my friend.  Following this we sang God can do anything and Sarah closed with a prayer.

St Peters School

This morning Sarah and I went over to St Peters Ireleth for the assembly.  After singing Be Happy Sarah asked two girls to come out who were best friends.  I had a little chat with one of them to prep them for the assembly then I gave her a chocolate bar, meanwhile the other girl was stood with Sarah and I told her that her best friend had some chocolate that she wanted to share with her and this they did - one piece for you and one for me, two for you two for me etc as they divided up the chocolate.  I made a comment about how good it was for them to share the chocolate but I then said to the second girl that the first girl had agreed to clean the dirty girls toilet after them assembly and I brought out a bucket with cleaning things in it including a toilet brush.  I asked her would she be willing to share the job with her friend like they had shared the chocolate.  The children in the room were taken back so what when I talked about the toilet and cleaning it but the girl agreed to help her friend out.  I did say that I was only joking and that they didn't really need to do the cleaning.  Sarah then told the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Old Testament and afterwards explained how they were good friends that stuck together through the good times (like eating chocolate) and the bad times (like cleaning the toilet).  Next I asked the children to stand up and to go and shake the hand of a friend and say thank you for being my friend.  Once the children had finished that we sang God Can Do Anything and Sarah finished off the assembly with a prayer.

Low Furness School

This morning I went to Low Furness School on my own to take the assembly.  The theme was friendship.  So after singing Be Happy I then asked if two friends could come out and join me - I particularly wanted two boys as it fitted better with the theme.  So after having a quick chat with one of them I gave him a chocolate bar to eat then I said to the other one go and share it together - which they did and they seemed to enjoy it too.  Then I said that the first boy had agreed to clean the dirty boys toilet after assembly and I presented him with a bucket, cloth, cleaning stuff and toilet brush all the time he is knocking with agreement about the cleaning (that was the reason for the little chat) so I then asked if the second boy would like to help him - he answered yes he would.  The point was simple we should stick with our friends through the good times - eating the chocolate as well as the bad times - cleaning the toilet.  They went to sit down (I didn't make them do the cleaning)  I then told the story of Ruth and afterwards explained the friendship that Ruth and Naomi shared and about how strong it was.  The children then had to do a practical thing and stand up and look around them for one of their best friends go over, shake their hand and say thank you for being my friend.  at the end they all sat back down again, I said a short prayer and we finished by singing God Can Do Anything.

Pennington School

This morning Sarah and I went to Pennington School to do an assembly.  We didn't start with a song as we wanted to end with So Many Ways to Praise the Lord after we had done our story and talk.  Sarah retold the story of Jesus clearing the temple from Matthew 21:12-16.  It was a dramatized version of the events which added to the theme of the assembly which was Respect.  Each time the word respect was mentioned the children had to put up their thumb and bow it down.  After the story Sarah asked the children who in the story had shown respect - Jesus and the children had and who hadn't shown respect - the priests, I read the actually passage from the bible then talked about respect in the bible by showing the children the ten commandments.  I didn't read them all but I pointed out that 4 of the commandments are to do with respecting God and the other 6 respecting each other.  I then explained a few of the commandments to the children as to what they mean to us today.  After this Sarah linked back to the story and reminded the children that in the story the children danced and sang in the temple area and praised Jesus/God so this went with the song So Many Ways.  after the song I close the assembly with a prayer.