For those of you who are looking ahead and planning for Ascension day then this is for you- but even if you're not, this is a great activity to help children think about giving their prayers to God!
You will need: A plastic bottle or glass jar, water,
vegetable oil, food colouring, Alka seltzer tablets
Fill a
bottle or jar halfway full with water and mix in some food colouring.
Now fill
the rest of the bottle with oil, leaving a small space at the top.
The oil will
separate from the water into a separate layer.
Drop an Alka Seltzer tablet (or try a quarter or half at a time if they are large tablets) into
the bottle and watch as bubbles of coloured water start to ascend into the oil
layer in the style of a mini lava lamp!
Talk: Watch the bubbles rising and think about the sight of Jesus ascending and what that might have meant for the disciples. What might they have been thinking/ feeling? What does it feel like to wait for something, as the disciples had been told to go and wait for the Holy Spirit to come?
Pray: Think about situations where you or people you know are waiting for something to happen.
As you drop the tablet into the liquid and see the bubbles ascending, pray that God will take the worries and stresses of waiting away and that they will feel God's presence with them as they wait.