Any teaching ideas based on the three wise men?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Hi. we are doing a whole school xmas art and RE day based on xmas. My y5/6 class is doing the Wise Men. I had thought of looking at an extract of the TS Elliot poem, wrapping up boxes as gifts and thinking of spiritually appropriate messages to attach to them. Any other ideas? I thought some writing, some 'big' art, and some low-level cutting colouring ideas to do while they are waiting for me, since there are 32 of them and one of me.
I thought I would play 'We 3 kings' in the background - any other music a bit less cliched?

There's a beautiful picture book called The Fourth King which has a message about the importance of kindness to others. It's a retelling of the journey of the more famous three kings...

I've heard of that - must look at it!

Would it be interesting to talk about the fact that in Spain the three kings bring the presents for children - a bit like Father Christmas, and in general present exchanges take place on 3 kings (6th Jan)?

Have you looked at the differences between Matthew and Luke as Gospel writers, and which bits of the story appear in which gospel, and why they might have selected so carefully? Kings/Wisemen are only in one of them.

Origin and symbolism of the gifts?
Babushka?

Google 'spirited arts' - it's a project run by NATRE across all key stages and has some awesome ideas / stuff. I do a spirited arts project every spring term with my year 8's so my stuff won't go down but they'll have resources etc to use when doing the art etc.

Meant to add - they'll have stuff about spirituality and symbolism and how pupils can talk about that / assess their work etc

So a religious and art theme? What about a map of their pilgrimage - yellow paper with dunes, and a beautiful star, and then wise messages written out and tracing the way they rode? Each kid could write a spiritual gift or wish for the baby, and you could stick them in a winding trail? The star could be made of lots of tiny stars to represent all of the world that jesus came to save?

I knew I just had to wait for you lot to get home/on the internet! I was just in a total blank place (probably due to the 1000 other things to worry about at the moment, such as floods).
Takver, yes, I have lived in Spain and had thought of showing some scenes from Madrid, the big processions. We also have two children from Ecuador, who probably do the same.
Pottering, NATRE have some fantastic stuff; I don't know why I didn't think of that.
Notactually, I love that idea and will bagsy the long display board next to the hall first thing on Monday morning!
Nebulous, do you have a theory/know of a theory why different aspects were chosen?

Hi LaBelleDame:

Found this about the meaning of gold, frankincesne & myrrh: - not sure of origin of this you tube video - but looks generally sound.

Found this on the Wellcome Trust (UK medicinal research trust) website - very useful information on properties of frankincense, gold and myrrh.

libraryblog.wellcome.ac.uk/libraryblog/2010/12/gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/

HTH

Different aspects? Do you mean the symbolism of the three gifts, or the contrast between the Gospels?
Because there are reasons.

Jesus came as a king
And a God
And a sacrifice.
Gold for a king, frankincense to burn in the temple to worship, myrrh was used to anoint the dead.
Matthew wrote his gospel to show that Jesus reached out to non-Jews and strangers, that he was significant at a world level. So non-Jewish kings and Herod.
Luke wrote his to show that Jesus came for the poor and the outcast and the second class citizens. Like shepherds and lepers. I seem to remember that most of the positive stories involving women in the New Testament are in Luke.

here

scroll down to The Story of Babushka for a Russian Christmas tale about the 3 kings.

la Befana in Italy is similar to the Babushka story, isn't it?

I did an unexpectedly fantastic thing with year 5 a few years ago when I had to fill some time in (catholic school) - split the account of the 3 wise men in the Gospel up into about 8 sections and got the children to turn their section into a playscript. They enjoyed writing it and performing it so much we ended up turning it into an assembly for parents. To get all 60 children in the year group in we had an ever rotating cast so there were signs for them to wear round their necks so the audience kept track of who was which character. The children set key scenes in local pubs... Also had to tell the girl playing the high priest that she could stagger round the stage a bit with her drink but couldn't fall over drunk as people might get upset (wonder where she got the idea a drunk priest???!!!! I remember the boys who got the slaughter of the innocents bit particularly enjoyed dismembering their sisters dolls they'd liberated.

Mmm ... not sure I had been thinking as far as the slaughter of the innocents, but I can see y6 loving it!

Interesting about the difference between the gospels; didn't know that.

Also interesting about the properties of gold, frankincence and myhrr.