The World's Waking Up

To provide an opportunity for an Easter celebration

by Gordon and Ronni Lamont

Suitable for Key Stage 1

Aims

To provide an opportunity for an Easter celebration.

Preparation and materials

• This assembly is based around the song 'Easter time' in the KS1 songbook, Come and Praise Beginning. If you do not have the song the assembly can be adapted by simply using the themes in the various sections.
• Note: We have other assemblies suitable for Easter on the site. Please go to our Search Archive and enter the word Easter.

Assembly

1. Ask about the important festival coming up - who knows what it's called? Ask if anyone can think of some of the ways we celebrate (mark or make special) this time. Look for ideas like having a holiday from school, Easter eggs, family meals, etc.
   
   Introduce the song and sing the chorus.
   
   
2. Ask about the season of the year we are in now, and which we think about at Easter time. Talk about spring and ask for suggestions for the signs of spring. Look for ideas like birds' eggs, lambs, brighter weather, spring rain, showers and so on.
   
   Sing the song, adding extra verses that reflect the ideas the children have given you.
   
   
3. Point out that the song says, 'The world's waking up', and say that some animals really do sleep all through the winter. Give some examples, such as tortoises, dormice and even queen wasps. Plants that seem to have been dead through the winter come alive in the spring, putting out leaves and flowers - the whole natural world around us seems to be waking up when spring comes along.
   
   
4. Say that you're going to have your own spring celebration now. Ask everyone, as they sit, to pretend to be asleep. Ask them to be still and quiet. (The bracketed instructions suggest actions for you and the children to do.)
   
   It's winter, everything is cold and still.
   The animals are curled up, sleeping.
   The plants are dull, their flowers gone.
   The earth is asleep.
   
   Then, as the earth turns and day follows day,
   Spring begins to arrive.
   The animals slowly stretch (start to stretch, slowly, sleepily).
   The plants begin to put out new shoots (stretch out further and higher).
   And flowers begin to appear (start to really wake up now - have a good yawn and stretch out your fingers and your toes).
   
   It's spring time - the world is waking up.
   It's Easter time - everything is new.
   
   (When I count to three, join in a great big shout of 'Wake up!')
   
   One, two, three, Wake up!
   
   (And again) One, two, three, Wake up!
   
   Wake up, everybody (last time).
   
   One, two, three, Wake up!

Time for reflection

Spring time, new life time,
Easter time, new life time.
In winter the world is sleeping.
On Good Friday Jesus was dead.

In spring the world wakes up.
On Easter Sunday Jesus was alive.
Spring time, Easter time,
Wake up time.

(Get ready to join in) One, two, three, Wake up!

Song/music

'Easter time' (Come and Praise, 55)