Creative talent
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Whole School (Pri) - Church Schools
Aims
To increase awareness that we all have creative ability and should enjoy using it.
Preparation and materials
- Gather information about the Commonwealth Games from its website, at: www.glasgow2014.com
- Watch the video ‘The creative talent behind the medal ceremonies’ – at: www.glasgow2014.com/video/creative-talent-behind-medal-ceremonies – and have the means to show it during the assembly.
Assembly
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The Bible tells us that we are made in God’s image and likeness. God is a creative God who made human beings with many gifts and talents.
Ask the children, ‘How many creative talents can we think of?’
Make a list of the children’s suggestions. Art, music and sport will probably be the first on the list, but encourage the children to consider that even within art or crafts or music there are many different talents.
Ensure that they also identify creative talents such as hospitality – the ability to make people feel welcome and at home – organizational skills, public speaking. -
Remind the children that the twentieth – written ‘XX’ – Commonwealth Games are taking place in Glasgow from 23 July to 3 August.
Identify sport as a creative talent that will be widely appreciated. How many of the ten core sports and seven selected sports can the children list?
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Preparations for the Games have been going on for a number of years. Ask the children, ‘What creative talents have been needed for such an event?’ Their answers might again include organizational talents, hospitality, planning routes, building work, advertising, teamwork.
Note that no one talent is more important than any of the others in the delivery of a successful and memorable Games.
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Ask the children to now watch the video, ‘The creative talent behind the medal ceremonies’.
Afterwards, repeat the words from the Games’ website: ‘The ceremonies will demonstrate the very best of creative home-grown talent’.
As the video noted, the medals are made by hand in a 15-part process. Each one takes three days to make. ‘We like to think that we are making something that has blood, sweat and tears, like athletes have when they train’, said the medal designer. Whatever these designers do, they do the very best work they can. -
Ask the children to imagine if the clothes designer had said, ‘I want to do the hosting’ or if the woodturner had said, ‘I want to do the advertising’ or the silversmith, ‘I want to design the dress fabric.’
Point out how we tend to do that. We look at other peoples’ gifts and talents and personalities and wish we were them. We should instead find our own! Everyone is made to be creative. Everyone has a talent.
The Bible puts it something like this, that people are like parts of a body and each part is equally important. Paraphrase 1 Corinthians 12.12–26 along the lines of,‘What if the thumb said to the leg, “Because I’m not a leg I don’t belong to the body” or “Because I’m not an eye I’m no use here.” What if the head said to the feet, “I don’t need you”?’
The Commonwealth Games would never happen if the thousands of talented people involved took that attitude!
Time for reflection
So, what are your creative talents? Be grateful for them, celebrate them more and realize that they are unique to you.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the way big events such as the Commonwealth Games come together.
Thank you for creative talent and teamwork.
We ask you to bless these friendly games, to bless all those who have worked to make them a success, all those taking part in the sports and all the excited spectators.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Our Father, who art in heaven’ (Come and Praise, 51)
