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A Stormy Problem

How do we get through problems?

by Alexandra Palmer

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To consider how the weather can be used as a metaphor for how we feel and the problems that we face.

Preparation and materials

  • You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (A Stormy Problem) and the means to display them.
  • Optional: you may also wish to use the extension activity (A Stormy Problem - Extension Activity) that accompanies this assembly.
  • Have available the YouTube video ‘Peter walks on water’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 2.20 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/oVy9HGr3Qig

Assembly

  1. Show Slide 1.

    Ask the children, ‘What problems do these storms cause?’

    Pause to allow time for the children to discuss their ideas and then listen to a range of responses.

    - The dangerous winds of the hurricane (upper-left image) cause trees and property to be damaged.
    - In a thunderstorm (upper-right image), lightning damages trees and can cause fires if the wood is dry.
    - A sandstorm (lower-left image) makes it very hard to see. Sand gets in people’s eyes and mouths, making it difficult to breathe too.
    - In a snowstorm (lower-right image), icy roads make it difficult to drive or walk.

  2. Ask the children, ‘Does anyone know what a metaphor is?’

    The answer is that a metaphor is a word or phrase that is used to describe something as if it were something else.

    Show Slide 2.

    Explain that we could use a storm as a metaphor for how we feel sometimes.

    Ask the children how they would describe feeling in a storm.

    Pause to allow time for the children to discuss their ideas and then listen to a range of responses.

    Explain that feeling like we are in a storm can be a creative way to explain our emotions when we feel like things are going wrong or we don’t know what to do.

    If we expand the storm metaphor to weather, we can consider how the weather changes like our emotions change. One day, we might feel sad, like the rain dripping down a window. However, the following day, our circumstances may have changed and we might feel happy, like glorious sunshine
    .

  3. Tell the children that you are going to show them a video about a storm that happens in the Bible. One of Jesus’ miracles happens when the disciples are feeling scared on the water because they think that their boat is going to sink during the storm.

    Show the YouTube video ‘Peter walks on water’ (2.20 minutes long).


  4. Ask the following questions about the video. You may wish to ask the children to discuss their answers with a partner or in a small group.

    - Why do you think Jesus sent the disciples across the lake? (Possible answer: so that Jesus could be by himself, go into the hills and pray.)
    - Why were the disciples terrified when they saw Jesus walking on water? (Possible answer: they thought that Jesus was a ghost.)
    - Why did Peter get out of the boat? (Possible answers: because he trusted Jesus, or to test whether it really was Jesus walking on water.)
    - Why did Peter start to sink? (Possible answers: because he felt the strong wind and waves, and became terrified, or because he took his eyes off Jesus.)
    - How did Jesus save Peter? (Answer: by catching hold of him and helping him back into the boat.)


  5. Explain that most stories involve some sort of problem that can be described as a storm.

    Ask the children whether they can think of any examples.

    Listen to a range of responses.

    Show Slide 3.

    Explain that most stories have a problem (a storm), but every storm (problem) has a purpose. In the story that we just heard, the problem was an actual storm, but the purpose was to teach the disciples to have faith and courage
    .

  6. Show Slide 4.

    There can be positive problems as well as negative ones. For example, a positive problem could involve trying to decide between two ideas for a birthday party or two places to go and play. Whatever we decide, the result is positive.

    Sometimes, problems can have both positive and negative outcomes. Take Covid, a negative problem that made lots of people ill, kept us away from school and limited our freedom. In years to come, historians will write about what we had to do, what happened in our schools and how we had to stay at home.

    But there were some positive outcomes from the Covid pandemic too. Due to how Covid was treated, doctors and scientists were able to find new ways to deliver vaccines and treat other illnesses like cancer. Another positive outcome is that many people came to appreciate the importance of talking about mental health
    .

  7. Mental health is just as important as physical health. When we talk about our mental health, we’re explaining how we are feeling in our head. There are many words that we might use to describe how we feel.

    Optional: you may wish to ask children for examples before you show the slide.

    Show Slide 5.

    Read out the words on the slide: happy, excited, grateful, angry, relaxed, content, tired, stressed, unsure, bored, anxious and sad
    .

  8. Show Slide 6.

    Ask the children, ‘What should we do if we experience a stormy problem?’

    Pause to allow time for the children to discuss their ideas and then listen to a range of responses
    .

  9. Show Slide 7.

    Sometimes, in a storm, the first thing that we need to do is to keep going. If the disciples had stopped rowing, the boat would have capsized in the waves. So, if we can, it’s better not to sink into our problems because this may make our mental health worse.

  10. Show Slide 8.

    When things were looking really bad, Jesus’ advice to the disciples was to take courage. Having a positive mindset during a problem can make it easier to solve. Negative thoughts such as ‘I can’t do this’, ‘This is stupid’ and ‘I’m going to give up’ strongly influence the actions that we will take.

  11. Show Slide 9.

    In the Bible story, Peter stepped out of the boat so that he could walk to Jesus. When we have a stormy problem, even though it may seem scary, we need to find ways to have courage and take a step out, even though we may not want to.

    Ask the children, ‘What does taking a step into our problem mean?’

    Pause to allow time for the children to discuss their ideas and then listen to a range of responses
    .

  12. Show Slide 10.

    Stepping into our problem can mean asking for help. Sometimes, when we’re having negative thoughts like ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’m not good enough’, it can be really hard to ask for help. However, asking for help is probably the most important step to take when solving a stormy problem.

  13. Show Slide 11.

    Sometimes, our problems can be resolved quickly, but at other times, it might take a bit longer. The main thing to do when sorting out a problem is to stay calm because that will make it easier. It can be quite hard to do this, especially if we’re upset with someone. Sometimes, counting to ten in our head before we speak can help us to stay calm in a sudden storm.

Time for reflection

Show Slide 12.

Ask the children to look at the top picture on the slide and think back to the start of the video. Explain that just before the storm, Jesus had carried out an amazing miracle where he had fed 5,000 people with a handful of loaves and fishes. Following the storm, when the disciples were on the other side of the lake, they saw Jesus carry out further miracles by healing the sick.

The storm was sandwiched between two miracles, but the disciples didn’t know that. They just needed to get to the other side of their problem.

When we experience problems in life, we don’t know what’s on the other side, but we need to get through the storm to discover what’s there. There could be something really amazing waiting for us. When we’ve resolved our problem, we will have the knowledge and wisdom to know how to handle our next problem, which will help to develop our mental health.

Remind the children about the systems that are in place for them to talk to people about any problems that they might be facing.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the story of the disciples in the storm, and the lessons that we can learn from it.
Please help us to talk about our mental health.
When we face problems, please help us to know that we can ask someone to help us.
Please help us in life’s storms.
Please give us people to help us on our way.
Amen.

Song/music

‘My lighthouse’ by Rend Collective, available at: https://youtu.be/lFBZJGSgyVQ (3.43 minutes long)

Extension activities

  1. Give each child a copy of the sheet that accompanies this assembly (A Stormy Problem - Extension Activity). Ask them to focus on the process of dealing with a problem by designing their own emoji for each step.
Publication date: August 2023   (Vol.25 No.8)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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