Special Lesson - CHRISTMAS #2 (Shepherds)

1) Welcome Activity:

• Puppets... sheep and shepherds
• Flannel board... set out all the nativity scene pieces today
• Playdough... white playdough for making sheep. Show the children how to roll balls and connect them to make a head, body, etc.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Sing some Christmas songs today, too.
3) Pray... Thank God for sending Jesus to be our Saviour.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God sends his greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Saviour. John 1:14 “we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows the glory of God show to the shepherds out in the field on the night that Jesus was born.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about The Shepherds. Read pages ---- from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: ----

7) Crafts:

• Lamb heart craft... a simple cut and paste craft using heart shapes to make a lamb's face. Materials needed: scissors and glue. For younger children, cut all the pieces ahead of time. For older children who are competent with scissors, you may want to allow them to cut out the pieces themselves. Template here: http://www.first-school.ws/t/craft/lamb_hearts_b.htm
• Handprint Sheep Craft... trace each child's hand onto black construction paper. Cut out the hands. Turn the hand so that the fingers are pointing downwards and allow the kids to glue cotton on the "palm". The "fingers" will be the legs. Draw a face on the "thumb" - use a googly eye, if you like. Materials needed: black construction paper, cotton balls, scissors, glue, markers, googly eyes.
• Toilet Paper Roll Sheep... this one is a little more complicated, but with a little extra prep work (and a few simplifications) this could be really cute! Good for a group that is mostly 4 and 5 year olds. See instructions here: http://crafts.kaboose.com/cardboard-tube-lamb.html
• Paper Plate Lamb... Have the children cover a paper plate with cotton batting (if you want to use cotton balls, pull them apart first or the plate will be very heavy). Glue on eyes, ears and a mouth cut from constructions paper. See instructions here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/melamb.html

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children.

9) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing the closing together. Then, check to see if all the children have collected their crafts and coloring sheets before they go home. Say goodbye and tell them that you enjoyed learning about God together and were happy to have them today! You were, weren’t you?

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

• see NT Lesson 1 for a selection of Christmas coloring pages