When I Am Baptized: What Makes a Rainbow Activity for Older Children

What Makes a Rainbow?

Tell the children, “As I sing this song, look at these statements and figure out which ones of these statements are not true, and which ones are true.  Hold up your hand if you have an idea, but don’t say anything.”

(These are posted at the front of the room.)

There is no pink in the colors of a rainbow.

 

The waves of sunlight have to bend through a raindrop to separate out into the colors of a rainbow.

 

Even though we can’t still feel or see the rain, the atmosphere can still be filled with raindrops so the sun can shine through them and bend its light into a rainbow.

 

God gave the sign of a rainbow to Noah to help Noah remember his covenants with God.

 

Green is the top color of a rainbow.

 

A rainbow is a sign that when we obey all of God’s commandments, Enoch’s city of Zion will come again on the earth.

 

There has to be both rain and sun to make a rainbow.

 

Sing the song all the way through and receive the children’s answers.

Tell the children to listen this time as you sing the song all the way through as they figure out the answer to this question.  Again, have them hold up their hands but not say anything if they have an idea.

(Display this at the front of the room.)

How is the flood of Noah like you being baptized?

Sing the song all the way through. Receive the children’s answers.

Have the children sing with you as they do the following pattern.  State “Here’s the pattern.”  (Show the pattern.)  “Sing the song with me as you do this pattern.”

Here’s the pattern-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGvdk7blhg0

Tap on your thigh.  Hit the top of your palm on the underside of the other hand. Tap your thigh again. Switch sides and legs.

 

Even though the older children will easily be able to sing the words to this song, the meaning of this message is profound.  The intent of this activity is to engage them into deeper thought while hearing the song at least twice, then singing the song while their body is doing something else, sending the words of the song to a deeper level of memory.  And the challenge is fun for the children!

15 Responses

      • Sharla Dance

        Dear Brenda, Nope! One of them is false (green is not the top color of the rainbow). Thanks for asking!

    • Sharla Dance

      Just to be clear… all of the statements are true EXCEPT the one that says green is the top color of the rainbow (it’s red on top). Thanks for asking!

      • Carly

        Okay, this might be show my ignorance, but is the statement about Enoch’s city of Zion true? I thought the rainbow was a sign from God that He would never flood the earth again.

        • Carly

          Oops. “This might show my ignorance” not “this might be show…” I guess I’m showing it in multiple ways here.

        • Sharla Dance

          Dear Carly, I did quite a bit of research about rainbows, and then what rainbows meant in a covenant way. I was surprised to learn about the city of Enoch also, but it is true. Thanks for asking!

        • Carol

          Thank you, Sharla for helping me connect the music and its meaning in so many ways. I was curious about this and loved what I read in JST for Genesis 9:21-25 (it is in the appendix). I remember having a religion professor at BYU teach that a rainbow shows a two-way promise of the covenant because we look up to God and he in turn looks down towards us. This is just as the rainbow reaches up to heaven and back down to earth. I wanted to share this with my primary children but wanted to know that I was teaching something true. Sure enough this is in the JST also. Maybe this will help someone else.

  1. Amber

    Dear Sharla,

    Thank you for all of your work! When I clicked on the link to the video it says I’m not approved to watch it. I am not the best with technology, so please help me if I’m missing something!

    • Sharla Dance

      Dear Amber, I just embedded the video differently so that perhaps it will fix the problem. Hopefully you can see it. Let me know. Take care, Sharla

  2. Kassandra Hansen

    Sharla, thank you so much for these great ideas! Can you tell me if you switch up the pattern (patsch, tap, patsch, switch) for the chorus with the Make a Rainbow activity for older kids? Thanks!

    • Sharla Dance

      Because the song is so short, I did not switch up the pattern at the chorus, but you certainly could. Thanks for asking.

  3. Lynn Slocum

    Sharla, do we sing the second verse for the question of “How is the flood of Noah like you being baptized?” or is this with the 1st verse only? Thanks.

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