Where Jesus Walked

For our Stake Primary Day Camp this year, we took the children on a tour of "Where Jesus Walked." 

Logo by Tina Strong

Poster

This is the third time I've done an activity like this. You can see the blog from 2019 for more ideas.

If you've read any of my other blog posts, you know I like to have things very organized. From maps of the building, to do lists, and schedules. It's all pretty much the same from year-to-year so I'll skip that part this time.

We split the children into five groups with about 15 per group.

Each child was given a map of the Holy Land in New Testament times so they could follow along.

Map of the Holy Land

Check-in and sort into groups with hand stamp

Sign post decoration at check-in

The signs on the post and in each of the rooms were made by cutting them out using a laser. They were cardboard but looked like wood.

We started out, all together in the Relief Society Room, by hearing an account from friends who had visited the Holy Land. They brought back clothing and souvenirs and showed pictures of what it looks like today.

Then we split up the groups, sending one to each room. Each group rotated from room to room, so many did not go in chronological order (e.g., start in room 4 and end in room 3.) They had 10-12 minutes in each room.

It was really cool to me that as we planned and setup each room, we used different mediums to show each place. We seemed to hit all five senses without really planning it. We showed lots of pictures of various sizes, displayed props, made scenes, had things to touch and taste, played music, used different lighting and showed videos. No two rooms were alike, keeping it interesting for the children. 

We couldn't have done it without the love and testimonies of our Tour Guides! They made it all come alive.

One of my counselors wrote a script for the Tour Guides to read as they went to each area. I made it into a book for the Tour Guides to read out of. Download the PDF here.

Tour Guide Book - back and front covers

Following is the text from the Tour Guide Book with pictures of the rooms we decorated. Any additional notes are in green italic text.

Room 1 – Primary 

Primary Room Layout

A) Bethlehem (3 mins.)

Welcome to the small village of Bethlehem. We are about 5 miles south of the city of Jerusalem. Here people would have grown crops to eat and raised small herds of animals. Around two thousand years ago, it would have been a small, sleepy, little place. Can someone find Bethlehem on the map? Does anyone know why this little village is famous? 

• Parents – Mary and Joseph
• Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem for a Roman census (define?)
• Mary was pregnant with Jesus when she arrived.
• She gave birth in a stable because the inns were full.
• Jesus was wrapped in cloth and slept in a manger.
• Shepherds were told by angels to come and see Him.
• Wise men came from far away to bring Him gifts.

Stable and manger are from one of the wards. Star from Ikea.

B) Egypt (1 min.) 

When Jesus was still a little baby, the wicked King Herod told his soldiers to kill all the babies near Bethlehem. An angel warned Joseph in a dream and Joseph took Mary and Jesus to a safe place. Does anyone know what this is? (Point to pyramids) Yes, that is a pyramid of Egypt. Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus went there to be safe (show on map). After King Herod died, an angel told Joseph to take Jesus and Mary home. Joseph took them to Nazareth. 

The Donkey is part of the Nativity display at one of the wards. Printed picture from here. Trees made from a pencil wrapped in brown paper and stuck into an egg carton. Pyramid bricks were drawn by a laser and then painted to highlight. 

So next, let’s move to a town called Nazareth. We’re walking, we’re walking…

C) Nazareth (1 min.) 

We are now near the Sea of Galilee, north of the City of Jerusalem. See on the map? This is where Jesus and Mary had their house. Jesus grew up in the city of Nazareth. He learned many things and He grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Here He would have learned His scriptures, played games with His friends, and helped His family with chores. 

The divider was made from fencing we had from Halloween one year and some real & fake plants. It kept the groups from skipping Nazareth and going straight.

My husband likes woodworking so he picked up these old tools to decorate his workshop. They were nice to show what Jesus might have used.

Something amazing happened when Jesus was 12. Let’s walk over to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. 

 

D) Temple/Jerusalem (2 mins.)

Does anyone know this story? Can you tell us what happened? 

• When Jesus was 12, He went with Joseph and Mary in a group of people to a celebration in Jerusalem. They were there for several days.
• When Joseph and Mary left for home, they thought that Jesus was walking back to Nazareth with His friends. But Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem.
• When Joseph and Mary looked for Jesus, they could not find Him. No one in their group had seen Him. So, Joseph and Mary went back to Jerusalem. They looked for Jesus for three days. They were very sad and worried.
• At last, they found Jesus in the temple, talking with some teachers. He was answering their questions. The teachers were surprised at how much Jesus knew.
• Mary told Jesus that she and Joseph had been worried about Him. Jesus replied that He was doing His Father’s work—God’s work. Joseph and Mary did not understand.

Boxes and sheets to make columns for temple. Added figures of modern-day temples to get the connection that Jesus was teaching in the temple like we have today.

When Jesus was a grown-up, He did something that many of you have done. Let’s walk over to this picture (Mural of the Baptism of Jesus)

E) Jordan River (2 mins.) 

Looking at the painting, what is Jesus doing in this river? Where did some of you get baptized? In a river? One day when John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River, …let’s find the Jordan River on the map. While John was baptizing people, Jesus Christ came to him. He asked John to baptize Him. John knew that Jesus had always obeyed God’s commandments and did not need to repent. John thought that Jesus did not need to be baptized. But God had commanded all people to be baptized, so Jesus told John to baptize Him. Jesus set an example for us by obeying God’s commandment to be baptized. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Ghost came to Him. God spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John the Baptist also testified that Jesus was the Son of God.

Our Stake Center is blessed to have this beautiful painting in the Primary Room, where the font also resides. Use what you've got, right?

Room 2 – Nursery 

Sea of Galilee - Introduction (1 minute)

Here we are in Galilee. The name is for this whole area. It’s kind of like saying that we are in Arizona. There are lots of towns and cities in Arizona. Does anyone know some of the names of the places in Arizona?

So, there were lots of different places in Galilee too. Nazareth, Magdala, and Capernaum are just a few of those towns. Jesus spent most of His life and ministry in Galilee. He taught many important lessons and did many miracles here too. He helped heal people who were sick.

Nearby is the Sea of Galilee. It’s like a really, really big lake. People would go out on it to catch fish. 

I used a projector to draw a boat on brown paper. Plastic table cloths, a pallet, some crates and a fishing net complete the look of a ship at a dock. (sorta...)

We are going to talk about two very important miracles that happened out on the water. 

Be careful not to rip or damage the parachute with the following games. 

A) Jesus calms the storm (4 minutes)

Does anyone know this story? Everyone hold on to the edge of the parachute.

Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Slowly move the parachute up and down like a calm sea.

Jesus fell asleep. The wind began to blow very hard, and the waves were filling the boat with water. Move faster like a big storm.

The disciples were afraid that the boat would sink. They woke Jesus and asked Him to help. The Savior commanded the wind to stop blowing and the waves to go down. The wind stopped, and the sea became calm. Slow down and then place the parachute on the floor.

Jesus asked the disciples why they were afraid. He said that they should have more faith. They wondered what kind of man could command even the wind and the sea.

Tell this story with the parachute actions a few times as time permits. 

This activity helped get some wiggles out. They had a lot of fun making a waves and catching the balloons.

B) Jesus walks on the water (4 minutes)

There was another really important miracle that involved a boat, the Sea of Galilee, the apostles, and Jesus. It was actually after the miracle of the loaves and fishes, which we'll learn about in another room. 

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus went up on a mountain to pray. His disciples took a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. When night came, the wind started to blow, and the waves became high.

 

Late that night, Jesus came to join His disciples. He was walking on the water to get to the boat.

The disciples saw Him walking on the water. They were afraid. They thought He was a spirit. Jesus called to them, “It is I; be not afraid.”

Peter wanted to walk on the water too. Jesus told Peter to come to Him. Peter climbed out of the boat. He began to walk on the water toward the Savior. (Have 1 child walk to the center of the parachute.)

Because the wind was blowing hard, Peter became afraid. He began to sink into the water and cried out to Jesus to save him. (Child should pretend they are sinking while the rest of the children slowly raise the parachute.)

The Savior took Peter’s hand. He asked Peter why he did not have more faith. (Everyone call out ‘Have more faith in Jesus’. This will be the signal for the child to stand back up.)

When Jesus and Peter came to the boat, the storm stopped. All the disciples worshipped the Savior. They knew that He was the Son of God. (Everyone can go back to making small ripples and the child will walk off the parachute.)

Boy in the middle knelt down and sank in the water.

Room 3 – Young Women 

Bethsaida - Introduction – (3 minutes)

Welcome to beautiful Bethsaida. We are standing on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. (Show on map.) This town was home to many fishermen. This town was where Peter, Andrew, and Philip were born. For their jobs, Peter and Andrew were fishermen. They would go out on the Sea of Galilee and catch fish. Later, they become the apostles with Jesus.

Jesus came to Bethsaida many times. Sometimes He liked to come here to have some quiet time with His disciples. He also did many miracles here. 

We can imagine a small village here; over there we can pretend that we see a large body of water. 

Beyond the village there are desert hills or low mountains. They probably look a lot like the hills that are around Phoenix. 

While we are here, we are going to learn more about one of the miracles of Jesus. Does anyone know what a miracle is? (Things that helped prove that Jesus is a very special person). 

A) Jesus Feeds 5,000 People (5 minutes)

We are going to talk about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Does anyone know this story? Can you all help us go over the main points of what happened?

Key things to point out: 

• He went to a place near the Sea of Galilee (Bethsaida) to be alone. Many people knew where He was. More than 5,000 people followed Him there hoping that He would teach them.
• Jesus taught them many things. It was time to eat, but most of the people did not have any food. His disciples wanted Jesus to send the people to the nearest villages to buy food.
• Jesus told the disciples to see if anyone had brought food. They found a boy who had five loaves of bread and two small fish.
• Jesus told all the people to sit down. He blessed the bread and the fish and broke the food into pieces.
• The disciples gave the food to the people. There was more than enough for everyone.

What was the miracle? Is 5,000 a lot of people? Could five small loaves of bread and two small fish be enough food for that many people? So, Jesus somehow made that small amount of food be enough for everyone. 

Let’s pretend that we were there. We’ll pass around the baskets. You can each take a piece of bread and eat it. The fish is for looking at only and you can pretend to eat it. 

Two baskets – 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish. 

We had a real fish (triple bagged) that was passed around in one of the baskets. The kids poked at it and generally said "Eww!" Then a basket of bread went around and they could each eat a small piece. I am so bummed I didn't get a picture of the children touching the fish.

B) The Bread of Life (2 minutes)

The next day many people tried to find Jesus. Jesus knew that they wanted Him to feed them again.

Jesus taught them that bread could keep them alive for only a short time. He said that there was another kind of bread they should look for—the Bread of Life. He told them that He was the Bread of Life.

Jesus taught the people that He would sacrifice His life for them. He said that if they would follow and believe in Him, they would gain everlasting life. 

 

Room 4 – Stage 

Introduction – (1 minutes)

The next two places we are visiting are very important. Please try and be very reverent. Both of these places are just outside of the city of Jerusalem. Jesus had something very important to do here as part of His Atonement for all mankind. These were jobs that only He could have accomplished. They were very hard jobs but He did them anyway, because He loves all of us. 

A) Garden of Gethsemane (3-4 minutes) 

We are now in a garden in Gethsemane. There were probably many olive trees here. It was in a place called the Mount of Olives. Does anyone know the story about what happened here? 

• Jesus and the Apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas did not go with them. He went to tell the Jewish leaders where Jesus was.
• The Savior asked Peter, James, and John to go with Him into the garden. He asked them to wait while He went to pray.
• Jesus knew He needed to suffer for the sins of all people. He did not want to suffer, but He chose to obey Heavenly Father.
• Peter, James, and John fell asleep while Jesus prayed. Jesus came and found them sleeping. He asked them to stay awake.
• He went to pray again. Peter, James, and John wanted to stay awake, but they were very tired. They fell asleep again. Jesus again found them sleeping. He went and prayed a third time.
• As Jesus prayed, He began to tremble because of the pain. An angel came to strengthen Him. He suffered so much that he sweat drops of blood. He was suffering for all of our sins so that we can be forgiven if we repent.
• Jesus woke Peter, James, and John. He told them that He would be betrayed and killed. Jesus said that wicked people were coming to take Him away.
• The leaders of the Jews sent men with swords and sticks to the Garden of Gethsemane.
• The men led Jesus away. They mocked and hit Him. Then they took Jesus to the high priest, Caiaphas.

We again are blessed to have this beautiful scene hanging on the back wall of the stage. We moved some stairs to look like garden walls, added a "rock," trees, lots of fake greenery and a picture of Jesus in Gethsemane. We pointed one stage light at the mural and added a light behind the rock to make it glow. We also were playing the instrumental version of "Gethsemane" on loop. Many commented that this was the best part and had trouble speaking afterward.

B) Move back from the garden display (but before the Golgotha display) and discuss the following:

Now after Jesus was taken prisoner, He was taken before the Jewish leaders and then later a local Roman leader named Pontius Pilate. Who can tell us what happened in those meetings? 

 

• The Jewish leaders asked Jesus questions. They said that He had broken the law by saying that He was the Son of God. Jesus told them that He was the Son of God. They said Jesus was guilty and should die.
• The Jewish leaders did not have the authority to kill Jesus. They took Him to Pontius Pilate, who could sentence Jesus to die. The Jewish leaders told Pilate that Jesus had taught the people to disobey the Roman law.
• Pilate did not think Jesus had done anything wrong. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. The crowd wanted Jesus to be crucified.
• Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go. But the priests and the people kept shouting that they wanted Jesus to be crucified.
• Pilate washed his hands. He said that he was not responsible for Jesus’s death. The people said that they would be responsible for His death. Pilate told his soldiers to crucify Jesus.
• Jesus Was Crucified 
• Many people followed the soldiers as they took Jesus to a hill near Jerusalem. They made Him carry His own cross. They nailed His hands and feet to the cross and lifted it up. They also crucified two other men, who were thieves.
• Jesus prayed. He asked Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who crucified Him. They did not know that He was the Savior.
• Mary, the mother of Jesus, was standing by the cross. The Apostle John was there too. Jesus told John to take care of His mother. John took Jesus’s mother to his home.
• Darkness covered the land. The Savior suffered on the cross for many hours. Finally, His spirit left His body and He died.

C) Golgotha (1-2 minutes) 

Next, we are going to walk past Golgotha, it is also called Calvary. This is the place where Jesus died. I want everyone to stay quiet from now until we walk into the classroom. I want everyone to think about how Jesus did these hard jobs as part of His Atonement. Think about how He treated the soldiers who were mean and hurt Him. Think about how He treated His mother. 

Walk the group to the Golgotha display. Turn on the light. Pause until you think the group is starting to get restless and then move to the classroom. Turn off the light. Remind the group to stay quiet for this part of the tour. 

Off to the side of the stage, we hung a shower curtain from the volleyball poles. Behind that we had someone turn on a flashlight, projecting the shadow onto the sheet. The kids whispered, "Wow."

D) In the classroom (1-2 minutes)

What were some of the things you were thinking about as we visited Gethsemane and Golgotha? Has anyone learned the song ‘Gethsemane’? Do you remember anything from the song that relates to what we just saw or talked about? 

In the classroom next to the stage. We hung a few pictures of Jesus and brought in the table and lamp from the foyer. We wanted soft lighting after coming out of the darkness on the stage.

 

Room 5 – Multi-Purpose 

A) Tomb (1 minute) 

After Jesus died, one of Jesus’s disciples took the Savior’s body off the cross. He wrapped it in a cloth and placed it in a tomb like this one. It is a place where people are buried in an area that is like a cemetery. Has anyone been to a cemetery? A big rock was rolled in front of the tomb to seal the door.  

Notice how the rock has been rolled away? Let’s watch a video that tells the story about what happened. After the video I’m going to ask if Jesus is still in the tomb. 

 

Watch New Testament Stories Video Chapter 54: Jesus is Risen (2:37 min.) 

I used video editing software and took pieces of Chapter 53 and added them to Chapter 54.

Okay, now for some questions about what happened here. (1-2 minutes) 

• Why is the rock not in front of the tomb?
• Is the body of Jesus still in the tomb? 
• What does ‘resurrected’ mean? 
• Who saw that the tomb was empty?
• Who was the first person to see the resurrected Jesus?
• What did Jesus tell His apostles to do to know that He wasn’t a ghost or dead? 
• Why is this so important, and happy news, for all of us?

We used a twin-size bed tent, covered with sheets and elevated on some tables. The stone is made with paper around hula hoops.

While Jesus visited His friends in Jerusalem, we also know that we when to visit others. Let’s walk over to a place talked about in the Book of Mormon. 

I brough my Christus statue to put between the areas.

B) In the Americas (5 minutes)

When Jesus was being crucified, people on the other side of the world knew that something important was happening. 

Video from Book of Mormon Stories Chapter 42: Sign of Christ’s Crucifixion & Chapter 43: Jesus Christ Appears to the Nephites (3.25)

I used video editing software to combine pieces of Chapter 42 and Chapter 43.

After Jesus was resurrected, He went to visit some of the people in the Americas. The Book of Mormon tells us a little about this visit. 

 

Does anyone know what some of the things Jesus did while He was visiting the Nephites?

• He taught them to pray.
• He healed their sick.
• He blessed their children. 
• He taught them the gospel.
• He called and blessed His disciples to lead the church there. 

I love knowing that Jesus died for our sins but also that He is now resurrected. He then visited many of His people, in different parts of the world.

I used the projector to make the Aztec Pyramid. A friend brought some art, tapestry and a basket from Mexico. It helped set the scene.

This is the End of the Tour Guide Book.

Lunch

For lunch we quickly took down the tomb and opened the folding doors for all the children to come into the Multi-Purpose Room for lunch. We had Costco Pizza, apple slices, cookies and bottled water. We asked those with food restrictions to bring their own lunch but I don't think there were any. We cut the pizza slices in half and let the kids come back for seconds.

Amazing women cutting pizzas.

Can you believe that that is only half of the day??? It was a long day but that is why they call it DAY camp! And the kids made it worth it.

Bazaar

We set up canopies in the cultural hall to do activities that correspond to the Children and Youth areas of growth. Service Projects (spiritual), Mother's Day gift (social), Jewish Folk dancing (physical), and Dreidel (intellectual). The groups spent 15-20 minutes at each station. We gave the stations names and made signs.

City of Jerusalem cardboard cutout on stage.

Canopies with sheets hung with binder clips and magnets.

Brother's Keeper (Service Project - Spiritual)

We looked up some projects the kids could do on JustServe. Before the event, we advertised on the Stake Facebook page with this PDF, what projects we were going to work on and invited anyone in the stake to participate. They could do them during General Conference, the National Day of Service, or at mid-week Primary Activities. We had a few wards turn them in. YAY!

The projects were:

• Decorate lunch bags for after school snacks for hungry children.
• Make cards for senior residents at a retirement home.
• Make cards for deployed service members to be included in care packages.
• Decorate USPS boxes for deployed service member care packages.

Gifts of Cana (Mother's Day Project - Social)

We had our Day Camp the day before Mother's Day so we wanted to make sure to include something the kids could take home to the special lady in their lives.

These signs were on each table

Final product - Example

The quote says: "There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman." - M. Russell Ballard

Supplies:

• Picture Frames
• In Favor With God - Print
• Envelopes
• 4x6" Index cards in pastel colors
• Stickers
• Glue sticks

I was honored to receive one of these from one of the girls who had a sister there. Their mom got one and so did I. I almost cried.

Horah Dance (Jewish Dancing - Physical)

In the overflow, my talented counselor, played music and taught the children a simple dance. They absolutely loved it!

Gimel Dreidel (Dreidel Game - Intellectual)

We gave the children a bag with a dreidel, beans and an instruction card. They broke into smaller groups and played a few rounds.

Mid-East Market (Snack & Quiz)

Since we had five groups, we needed five booths. This one doesn't correspond to a Children & Youth Area of Learning, but it could go with Intellect. 

First, we gave the children a snack cup with foods that Jesus might have eaten. Included were: Pita chip, cheese, olive, date, and lentils. We also had dried figs and naan for them to try. The kids said the naan was their favorite.

Then, we had the kids move over to the TV where we played a PowerPoint quiz game about all of the things they learned. They were so smart and knew all the answers. Download the PDF here.

Closing

After the Bazaar, everyone went back to the Relief Society room where our Stake President spoke about Jesus, our Savior. I was really impressed with all of the answers when he asked what are some of the names of Jesus. They knew so many!

We had a little more time so we had the children share their favorite part of the day, something they learned or something that touched them. It was great to see how many brought their friends and shared that they were trying to "Love, Share and Invite." I think it was easier to invite friends because we had the Day Camp before school let out for the summer.

I hope this will inspire you to have your own activity focused on the Savior. If you have any questions or would like a copy of a source file, please let me know. I'd love to share.