Bible Story Hour

Sunday Afternoon Bible Story Hour

2010-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

1.What is Bible Story Hour?

Sunday Afternoon Bible Story Hour is a year long Bible Story program originally designed by a group of mothers from the Ancaster Canadian Reformed church, with the lessons written by Tessa Malda. The program is designed to familiarize young children (ages 3 to preschool) with characters in the Old Testament, major lessons of the New Testament and a selection of much loved Psalms in a thematic way through stories, songs and crafts. “ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19) Our primary intention is to familiarize the children with people and events in the Bible at an age appropriate level and with the songs that we may sing regularly in church to support the teaching that takes place at home and to prepare them for full-time church attendance. To this end, we felt that many available evangelism programs for preschoolers were not appropriate for our purposes.

2. How does this program encourage family worship?

We believe that families should worship together as much as possible. Our church provides a nursery for infants so that parents are able to attend church services together (with their older children). Many people choose to use the nursery service, and some choose to stay home with their infants. Our program is meant to be an extension of the Nursery, allowing parents of restless preschoolers, who would otherwise have stayed home with them, the opportunity to attend a second service, knowing that their preschooler will be busy, happy, and learning.

3. How does this program benefit children?

All of the preschoolers in our congregation are God's little lambs, and God made them in many different ways: some quiet and calm, some restless and noisy. Preschoolers who cannot sit still in church are not “naughty” children. Parents of busy preschoolers are not “negligent” mothers and fathers who ought to “lay down the law”. Some children are capable of sitting quietly through two services each Sunday – and we do not desire to draw them out of the worship service – but many are not, and we believe that this program also will help children to transition more easily into regular church attendance with their families by teaching them to associate church with a quiet time to learn about God, as opposed to noisy play time in the Nursery.

4.What will you teach?

Our program has three main units: Unit 1: Old Testament, Unit 2: New Testament, Unit 3: Psalms.

Unit 1 is based around the theme “God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior.” using our theme text: Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” We teach lessons on: Creation (available as a single lesson or a mini-unit), Adam and Eve; Noah; Abraham; Isaac; Jacob and Esau; Joseph; Moses; Israel in the Desert; Joshua; Gideon; Samson; Ruth; Samuel; David; Solomon; Elijah; Daniel; Esther; Jonah; and Micah.

Unit 2 is based around the theme “God sends his greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Savior” using our theme text, John 1:14 “we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” We teach lessons on: Jesus is born; Jesus as a child; John the Baptist; The disciples; Miracle in Cana; Jesus the healer; Jesus the Teacher (sermon on the mount, etc); Jesus and the Storms; The Parable of the Sower; Bread and Fish for Everyone; The parable of the good neighbor; The parable of the two sons; Palm Sunday; The Last Supper; Jesus dies for our sins; Christ is Risen; Ascension; Pentecost; The work of the Apostles and John and Revelations.

Unit 3 is based on the theme “Our Joy in the Lord” using our theme text “Sing a Psalm of Joy!” We teach lessons on Psalm 1 - focusing on praising God, who loves his people; Psalm 8 - focusing on praising God, the Creator; Psalm 16 - focusing on praising God for his abundant blessings; Psalm 23 - focusing on praising the Lord, our Great Shepherd; Psalm 42 - focusing on praising the Lord for providing for our needs; Psalm 47 - focusing on praising God, our King; Psalm 50 - focusing on praising God who rules over all creation; Psalm 81 - focusing on singing our JOY to the Lord; Psalm 100 - focusing on praising God in our worship; Psalm 116 - focusing on praising God for hearing our prayers; Psalm 119 - focusing on praising God for being a light to our path; Psalm 121 - focusing on praising God for keeping our feet from danger; Psalm 136 - focusing on praising God for his steadfast love and Psalm 150 - focusing on praising the Lord with instrument.

We also have lessons available for Christmas and Easter that will be taught each year at the appropriate times of the year.

5.Who will teach the lessons?

A group of 5-7 mothers take turns teaching the lessons. This is a small enough group that we have opportunity to build good relationships with the children, and provides us with a similar rotation frequency as the Nursery List.

6.What do your lessons look like?

All of our lessons have a very similar structure. We begin each lessons with a welcoming activity that the children join in as they arrive and for a few minutes after the service starts. The point of this activity is to engage the children’s interest and establish an atmosphere of learning, and not just play. Next, we gather the children around the table or in a circle and sing our welcoming song (and possibly some additional songs appropriate to the lesson, or requests). Then, we pray with the children and talk about our theme and introduce the lesson for today. The center of every lesson is the Bible Story. We follow up the Bible story with an opportunity to ask/answer questions, and we recite the text together. We then reinforce the Bible Story with a simple craft (or two) that the children can take home to encourage them to share the story with their families. If time permits, we may retell the story once more after the craft is completed. We close the lesson by reciting the Lord's Prayer together with the children. Depending on how much time is left, we often close the lesson with a follow up activity.

7.What kinds of activities will you use to support the lesson?

Preschoolers have unique learning needs – they learn by listening, by watching, by talking/singing, but especially by doing. These little lambs need to get their hands and bodies engaged as often as possible to maximize learning. Therefore, we build our lesson around the core of the Bible Story, and support that with as many different hands on activities as we can to make the story more memorable and to bring the Bible Story deeper into the hearts and minds of the children. The craft is an essential part of the lesson because it allows preschoolers to be active in cutting, gluing, coloring, painting, etc. Some examples of welcome activities or follow-up activities:a) songs (including finger plays and songs with actions) b) musical instruments b) play dough c) building blocks d) toy animals e) puppets of animals or non-specific people f) a felt board with pictures of OT and NT characters and scenes and g) coloring pages.

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This program is designed to teach the children of believers who are also being taught by their parents to love God, and to know the history of salvation as revealed in the Bible. The lessons are not designed for evangelism - and so are well suited for use at any Bible Study sessions aimed at "covenant" preschoolers.

The program includes 28 Old Testament lessons, 24 New Testament lessons, 2 Christmas lessons, 1 Easter lesson and 15 lessons on the Psalms. Each lesson is designed simply with minimal supplies and a short preparation time.

This blog is designed to provide access to the lessons for those moms who are running the program, as well as to allow us to share suggestions for what works, craft hints, photos of finished crafts and offer support to one another as we teach God's little ones.

Thanks so much for all the interest in this program!

In Ontario, our program is currently running in:
Ancaster Can Ref church Wednesday morning Women's Bible Study
Provindence Can Ref church Sunday afternoon service
Trinity Can Ref church of Glanbrook Sunday afternoon service
Flamborough Can Ref church Sunday afternoon service
Cornerstone Can Ref church in Hamilton Sunday afternoon service
Jubilee Can Ref church in Ottawa monthly women's Bible Study
Zion United Reformed church Wednesday morning Bible Study
Rehoboth Can Ref church in Burlington/Waterdown Sunday afternoon service

In Canada, our program is running in:
Aldergrove, BC Can Ref church in the Sunday afternoon service
Abbotsford, BC Can Ref church in the Sunday afternoon service
and one church in Manitoba

Around the world, we are helping to teach children in:
the Baptist church of Bournemouth, England
a mission church in Outer Mongolia
the Damansara Utama Methodist church in Malaysia
Emmanuel Lutheran church in Adell, WI
Southview Baptist church in Richfield. MN

and the list is growing all the time!

"Your Word is a lamp for our feet; a light for our path"

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 150

2009-09-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: instruments would be perfect today!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 150, the psalmist is singing praises to the Lord. There are so many ways to praise the Lord: by singing songs, clapping our hands and playing instruments like the trumpet, pipe, timbrel, stringed instruments, flutes and cymbals. Ask the children to list all the instruments they know. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 1 &2), try:
praise… both hands up in the air
spacious… open your arms wide
Instruments (you can act out playing them or really play them!)

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150

8) Crafts:

Any instrument craft… there are tones of ideas on the internet or in craft books and any simple instrument works well here. The only thing that you may want to be careful of is that you do not repeat any craft that has recently been done, as some of the crafts here are also in other lessons.
Shakers… children can choose a handful of colorful beads to put into a clear snack sized container (available cheaply at any dollar store). Use a strip of clear tape to secure lid. Practice playing music for God while singing today’s song!
Tambourines… put several small bells (available cheaply at any dollar store) into between two small paper plate. Secure the edges with a strip of masking tape (or lots of staples). Children can decorate the outside with stickers or you could punch some holes and tie strips of curling ribbon around the edge. My girl decided to use pipe cleaners to make handles for the sides of her tamborine - and that worked well too! Lots of options to be very creative here...

Rice Maraca… Take a toilet paper tube and put 1-3 pieces of packaging tape and put it on one end of the tube. Put a handful of rice in the tube next. (Be generous with the rice because some of it will stick to tape!!!!!) Put 1-3 pieces of tape on the opposite end of the tube. Decorate your rice maraca with markers or any thing else.
Horn… Cover one end of the paper towel roll with waxed paper, secure it with a rubber band. Punch a row of holes along one side of the roll with the tip of a pen. To play, sing a tune into the open end of the horn.

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

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing. 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?

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 136

2009-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... thank God for his steadfast love.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 136, the psalmist is singing about the steadfast love of the Lord. Steadfast means strong and dependable. God promised to love his people no matter what we do. God loved us from the beginning of the world when everything was created. God loved his people when he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. God love us today- remembering our tears and providing us with all good things. Then read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again. Point out the refrain in this psalm and encourage the children to say it with you as you read the psalm through again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
thanks… fingertips on lips, then bring your hand out palm up in front of you (this is the ASL sign for thank-you)
Lord… point upwards to heaven
Love… draw heart on chest, or use arms to “hug”

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “For his steadfast love is sure; it shall evermore endure” Psalm 136

8) Crafts:

His Steadfast Love... You'll need:red construction paper,scissors,markers,heart stickers, string. Directions:Take a red piece of construction paper and cut a big heart out of it. Glue the text in the center. Have the children decorate with heart stickers and markers. Punch holes at the top of heart and tie about a foot of string to each heart so that the children can hang the heart around a doorknob.

His Steadfast love stamp painting… Cut firm sponges into various shape hearts. Give each child a sheet of paper with the words: God loves me! “For his steadfast love is sure; it shall evermore endure” Psalm 136...in the center. Provide several different colors of paint and allow the children to dip the sponges into the paint and stamp the hearts all over the paper. If you like, you could sprinkle glitter or valentines theme confetti over some of the hearts while the paint is wet. When dry, you could glue this onto a sheet of construction paper and add string as well.

Give Away a Heart... cut out for each child: a large heart, two small hands, two small feet, and four long strips (for arms/legs). Show the children how to glue the "heart person" together with arms and hands on the sides and legs and feet on the bottom. Draw on a face and use googly eyes if you like. To make this really special, put some chocolate "hugs and kisses" in a snack sized bag and staple to the heart person. Tell the children to share the hugs and kisses with someone they love!

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

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing song. 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?

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 121

2009-09-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

cut out child sized footprints and use clear tape or clear contact paper to stick them on the floor following a path around the room. Challenge the children to follow the path by stepping on all the footprints. This takes a bit of time to set up, but could stay on the floor for a few weeks of fun!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... ask God to guide our feet down paths of righteousness.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 121, the psalmist is singing about how the Lord guides, protects and leads us. The Lord watches over us so closely, that our foot cannot slip from the path unless God allows. What comfort to know that the Lord is our keeper! Then read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 4), try:
Lord… point towards heaven
Strife (fighting)… punch fists together
going out… hand leads away
coming in… draw hand inwards
deliver…outstretched arm like leading into battle

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “ The Lord is your keeper; He will not let your foot be moved.” Psalm 121: 5a ,3a

8) Craft:

Cut out Footprints.. Trace both feet of each child on one color of construction paper. Cut out and glue on a different color of paper and glue the text on the bottom.
Painted Footprints.. use washable paints to stamp each child’s footprints on a sheet of construction paper. Glue the text at the bottom. Be sure that you have the play dough handy today for the other children so that you can do the painting one child at a time. If the weather does not lend itself to bare feet (ie. too many little girls in tights!) you can use Amanda's idea instead: trace around their feet and then let the kids paint their feet in with paint dabbers.

Father’s Day… if this lesson falls around father’s day, it would be nice to print out the poem in this lesson, and glue it on a sheet of construction paper. Use washable paint to add each child’s footprints on either side of the poem. Here is the poem: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/dad/images/bfootprints.gif
Footsteps Following Jesus... You'll need:Construction paper,scissors,markers,contact paper,tape. Directions:Trace each child's footsteps and have them write their names on their feet and cut them out. (You can use a different color for each child) Cover each footprint with contact paper, and tape them to the wall so it looks like the footsteps are in a walking pattern. Then make a cross and cover it with contact paper. Tape the cross to the wall so it looked like the footprints are walking towards it. Make a banner across the top that reads, "Walking with Jesus"

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 119

2009-09-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 119, the psalmist is singing about God’s laws or commandments. God taught us how to live not to make our lives hard, but to lead us when life is difficult. David sings that when he suffers, he can take comfort and courage by reading God’s words and following his commands. Then, read a portion of the psalm from the Bible. Since we focus on stanza 40, you can just read a related portion or two as you choose. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
lamp/lantern… one hand makes a fist for the lamp, the other hand spreads like rays above for light
feet… point to them
path before me… use your finger to draw a path in front of you
adore… draw a heart on your chest
suffer… let your shoulders sag as if you were tired and make a sad face
recall… remember; tap your finger on your temple
restore… like strengthen; use both arms with clenched fists like a strong man

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” Psalm 119 stanza 40

8) Craft:

Candle Painting… give each child a picture of a candle on a stand. Give them some time to color the picture with crayons (not washable markers). Direct them to color the flame red or orange. Then talk about how light doesn’t stay just in the flame, but spread out all around. Put a squirt of yellow paint right over the flame. Give the children brushes or sponges and let them spread the paint outwards from the flame so that it covers the whole page!
Ps. Washable markers will bleed, so color the picture with crayons.
Candle… you can do a similar sort of thing with glue and yellow tissue paper. Have the children color the picture first. Then use a paintbrush or sponge to “paint” the picture with white glue and cover with a thin sheet of yellow tissue paper for “light” all around. Or just use a circle of yellow tissue paper around the flame and rays and coat with a second layer of slightly watered glue. The color from the tissue paper will bleed so that you get an orange crayon flame, a dark yellow tissue paper circle and a pale yellow circle of dye around that.
Candle Holder... save clean, empty baby food jars (one per child). Have the children decorate the jars and pop in a tea light candle before they take it home. Here are some decorating options: 1) glitter glue... Allow the children to draw squiggles and shapes with the glitter glue directly on the outside of the jar. 2) jewels... use white glue to attach flat backed "jewels" to the jar. 3) stickers... decorate outside of jar with sparkling stars or other simple shapes 4) tissue paper... cut tissue paper into small squares. Paint white glue (thinned with water to help it spread thinly) on the the jar with a paintbrush and attach tissue paper squares. Caution the children to go easy with the glue or it will take days for the jar to dry.

9) Closing prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing. 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?

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 116

2009-09-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 116, the psalmist is singing about the love that he has for the Lord who hears his voice. What a comfort to know that God hears our cries for help in difficult times and that he also hears our songs of praise for his goodness God is always listening to the voice of his beloved people. Then read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
love… draw heart on chest
Lord… point to heaven
Heard… cup hand around ear
Voice… extend fingers from lips
Cry… draw tear on cheek
Supplication… hands together in prayer
Ear… cup hand around ear
Strength… put both arms up like you’re weight lifting
Heart… point or draw on chest
Face… circle your hand around your face

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “He heard my voice” Psalm 116 stanza 1

8) Craft:

Praying Hands… trace each child’s hand on a sheet of construction paper folded in half. Place the thumb closest to the fold. Cut out the two hands leaving the thumbs still attached. When you open this up, you have two hands, when you close them, the hands are folded and ready for prayer. The children can color/sticker to decorate their hands if you like; there are some praying hands stickers in the craft kit. Glue the text inside the hands.
Bedtime Prayers: Have children color the picture of the praying boy/girl as appropriate. Cut in a circle to fit inside a large paper plate and glue on. Cut a circle of lined paper to fit on the back of the circle for the parent to write their child’s bedtime prayer. Punch holes at the top of the paper plate and loop a string through so that the plate can be hang in the child’s bedroom. Here is a template of a girl praying: http://coloring-page.net/pages/bible-14.htmland a girl again: http://coloring-page.net/pages/bible-15.html and a boy praying: http://coloring-page.net/pages/bible-39.html
Say My Prayers Song (sung to the tune of Row. Row Your Boat)
I will say my prayers
Each and every day!
I will always talk to God
And He hears what I say.

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

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing. 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?

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 100

2009-09-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: a bucket of people would be fun for today.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song (go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... thank God that we can go to church to worship.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 100, the psalmist is singing about giving praise and thanks to God for his goodness. When we worship God – at home with our family, at school or Story Hour, or at church, we can say thank you to God because he made us and we belong to him. Thank you God. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 3), try:
Come… make a backwards wave with one hand like “come here”
Raise… two hands lifted upwards
House… use both hands to make a roof like a house or church

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “Come, enter then his gates with praise”
Psalm 100 (stanza 3, line 1)

8) Craft:

Come to church craft… print of the church picture. Cut out the church and cut the doors (and exacto knife might make the job easier) so that they can open and close. Have the children color the church picture and then glue the church onto a sheet of construction paper- a light color is best. Show the children how to "open" the doors, and have each child color a picture of themselves inside the church. For the youngest children, draw a simple person for them to color. Church template: http://www.sundayschoolresources.com/coloringpaget10.htm

"His Faithfulness Endures through ALL generations"... provide the children a collection of magazines and have them look for peoples faces - especially of different ages. Try to find a baby, a child, an adult and a senior. Cut out the faces and glue them on a sheet of construction paper. (Alternatively, print out pictures of those faces and let the children color them, cut them and glue them. Give each child a recipe card with the text ("... his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:5) written on it and two holes punched at the top. Glue the text card to the construction paper. Tie a string through the the holes so that the children can hang the picture up at home.
Finger Rhyme:
Here is the church;
Here is the steeple.
Open the doors;
See all the people!

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

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 81

2009-09-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Musical instruments are perfect today!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 81, the psalmist is singing about our joy in the Lord. The psalm tells us that if we love and obey the Lord, he will bless us richly. We have so many reasons to love God, because He loves us so completely and cares for us each day. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
shout… thrust your arm up with a clenched fist like a general leading his army into battle
heart… use your finger to draw a heart on your chest
preserver…cradle your arms around your body like you keeping it safe

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “Sing a psalm of joy, Shout with holy fervour.”
Psalm 81 (stanza 1, lines 1 & 2)

8) Craft:

Tambourine… each child gets two paper or Styrofoam plates. Let children choose 2-3 bells (bags of different sized bells available at most craft stores) to put between the plates. Secure with wide, clear tape. Allow children to decorate with glitter, stickers, markers, etc. You could also use a hole puncher to make several holes around the outside for streamers.
*Nearly any simple instrument craft would work well here. Check to make sure that it does not duplicate any of the other Psalm’s craft. Tamborine also shown for Psalm 150.

Music Time… If you can borrow a percussion instrument collection from a local school or music teacher, today would be an excellent day to introduce some of the instruments and allow the children to experiment with some of the music that we can use to sing our joy to God!

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

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing song. 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?

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 50

2009-09-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

a bucket of plastic animals, animal puppet or animal shapes in play dough

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... acknowledge the greatness of God who rules over all creation; how small are we in comparison with his majesty!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 50, the psalmist is praising God;s majesty over all things. We should approach God in humbleness for he is the Lord of all creation. Then, read the psalm from the Bible (I suggest just verses 1-15 where God speaks to his covenant people). Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 5), try:
do not... wag your finger like no-no
cattle... put your fingers up like horns
beast... form hand like claws
birds.. flap arms like wings

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “For the world is the Lord;s and all that is in it. Psalm 50:12

8) Crafts: Many different animal crafts can work here, depending on crafts your kids have done lately and which part of the psalm you focus on.

every animal of the forest is mine.
the cattle on a thousand hills are mine
I know every bird in the mountains
all the creatures of the field are mine

Here are a few links to sites that have lots of animal crafts to choose from: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/animals/

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/animals.htm

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 47

2009-09-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Puppets today: give one child a "king"puppet and another a "queen" puppet. Assign everyone else to be the subjects. Ask the children: what do you think a king does? What would a king say?
Musical instruments... especially good if you have "clackers" in the shape of clapping hands!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God, the king of all creation.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 47, the psalmist is singing about celebrating the fact that God is our king. A king rules over the nation, takes care of the land, leads the people and sits on a throne. God is our king who takes care of us in so many ways. We can celebrate God our king! Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
clap your hands.. clap
loud.. cup your hands around your mouth like a megaphone
bow… bow
circles all the earth… draw a circle in the air with your finger as if making a circle around everything

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “ God is King alone on his holy throne” Psalm 47 (stanza 3, line 2)

8) Craft:

Shakers… children can choose a handful of colorful beads to put into a clear snack sized container (available cheaply at any dollar store). Use a strip of clear tape to secure lid. Practice playing music for God while singing today’s song!
* any simple instrument craft can work equally well here!

God is king… make crowns for all the children from poster paper. Write “God is my King” around the band and let the children decorate with sparkles, stickers, markers, etc.

If you can find them cheaply, a set of clackers (in the shape of hands) would make an excellent addition to this lesson. Add it to the musical instrument collection! ... check party supply stores?

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

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 42

2009-09-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: play with animals

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... confess our need for God

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 42, the psalmist is singing about how much we need God. Imagine that you are a deer and you are running away from a hunter. You are more and more tired and more and more thirsty. What do you need? A rest and a drink of water from a stream. Well, that is how much we need God! We need him so much that we will die without him, just like a tired, thirsty deer will die if he cannot find a drink of water! Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
about to falter.. let your body sag as if you were very tired
streams of water… use your hand to trace a winding path like a stream of water
O God… point to heaven
Cry… trace the path of tears down your cheek
Temple… with your hands, make a peak, like the roof of the temple

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants fro you, O God.” Psalm 42:1

8) Craft:

Deer Picture… have the children color the deer. Glue on strips on grass cut from construction paper and a wavy strip of blue construction paper to show the stream.

like this one: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myfreecolouringpages.com/animal_coloring_pages/deer.

or this: http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_animals/deer_1.htm

or this: http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_animals/deer_2.htm

That's a Deer... just copy the template, cut the pieces and have the children assemble them. If you cut out the main template piece from heavy cardstock, you could attach a large craft stick to the back and use this as a puppet! see the template here: http://www.first-school.ws/t/craft/reindeerbw.htm

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

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 30

2009-09-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

play dough would be great today. Pile all the playdough in one lump and ask the children to form it into a mountain. Provide small people and animals to climb up the mountain

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for his strength - He alone can make us stand strong

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 30, the psalmist is praising God for his strength. When we feel weak and helpless, or when we are in trouble, then we can look to God for protection. God promises to make us strong like a mountain when we trust in him. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 3), try:
shake...shake your body back and forth
you, Lord... point to heaven
mountain... make a mountain peak with your arms, fingertips together
hid your face... cover your face with your hands

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “You made my mountain stand firm” Psalm 30:7

8) Crafts:

Mountain of Strength... provide each child with a large triangle of paper in grey (mountain), a smaller triangle of white (the snow cap) and several small triangle in green (stack 3 to make a pine tree) and have them arrange the triangles to make a mountain. For the older children, encourage them to draw themselves on the mountain... how small we are compared to God;s great strength! And yet God promised to make us like a mountain, firm and strong!

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 23

2009-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Puppets: a class set of felt lamb finger puppets would be perfect today! Give the children time to pretend to be sheep. Talk about how sheep like to be together in a flock. Give one child a shepherd puppet and ask them how the shepherd takes care of the sheep?
Felt Board: set out pictures of sheep and a shepherd. See above.
Toy animals: set out sheep and a few people. See above.
Dress up: simple sheep masks and a shepherd's hook. See above.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for being our good Shepherd

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 23, the psalmist is singing about how the Lord guides him through his life just like a shepherd guides his sheep. A shepherd loves his sheep, leads them to safety, makes sure they have enough to eat and drink and are protected from danger. The Lord does all those things for us too! He is our loving shepherd. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
- love…use your finger to draw a heart on your chest
lie down… put your hands together at one side on your head and lean your head like you are sleeping
streams... use one or both hands to trace a winding path like a stream
paths of righteousness… use your hand to draw a straight line from the center of your chest outwards and upwards

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. We suggest: “ The Lord is my shepherd” Psalm 23:1

8) Craft:

Sheep… use a picture of a sheep and have the children color the head and legs and glue cotton balls on the body for wool
Handprint Sheep… trace each child’s hand with the fingers spread. Flip the page upside down. Now you have the outline for the sheep. Color the head and legs and glue cotton balls on the body for wool. Use can use a googly eye and a cut out shape for an ear too if you like.
Paper Bag Lamb puppet...Use a white paper lunch bag if you can. Draw a face on the bottom of the paper bag. The mouth will be on the bottom edge where the bag is folded. You can also use felt and cut out eyes, nose, etc. Cut small, floppy ear shapes out of construction paper and glue them to the side of the bottom edge of the paper bag.
Once your face is drawn. You can create your lamb by gluing cotton balls all over your bag! This will give you a wooly, lamb puppet!
* Any other favorite sheep craft works well for this lesson.

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

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 16

2009-09-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for his many blessings that bring such joy to our hearts

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 16, the psalmist is expressing his trust in the Lord, saying You are MY Lord. God;s faithfulness is evident by the many blessings that he pours out upon his children. Brainstorm some blessings that the Lord pours out upon us. Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm (stanza 2), try:
sorrows… use your fingers to draw a frown over your mouth
lips... point to your mouth
forsake you never... hold your arms tightly around your body
cup... curve one hand like your are holding a cup

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “You have filled me with joy” Psalm 16:11

8) Crafts:

Cup of blessing... have the children decorate a paper cup with markers, stickers or glitter or a clear plastic cup with stickers. Have strips of paper handy and ask the children about the blessings that God has given us that fill us with joy. Write down some of these blessings and have them tape the paper to the rim of the cup (or staple if you have a paper cup) so that the blessings are overflowing from the cup. A great way to practice thankfulness!

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 8

2009-09-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Toy animals: set out a bucket of animals today! Ask the children as they play: how does an (animal) show God's glory? Marvel at all the amazing creatures that God has created.
Puppets: set out only animal puppets. See above.
Felt Board: set out only animal pictures. See above.
Playdough: set out rolling pins, cutters and cookie cutters in animal shapes. See above.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... glorify God in your prayer

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 8, the psalmist is singing about the glory of God. The whole creation sings of God’s glory. Even little children sing God’s glory. Isn’t amazing that God created us to sing his glory too? Then read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
glorious/glorify… make a motion like sparks with your fingers to show the shining of God’s glory
creation… fan your arms in a circle about waist level, as if to motion
to everything on earth
skies… fan your arms in circle pointing straight up, as it to motion
every thing above the earth

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. We suggest: “How glorious is thy name in all creation!” Psalm 8 (stanza 1, line 2)

8) Craft:

All creation sings God’s glory (Mobile)…any of the creation crafts work well here. You could make a mobile with a picture of the earth for the center and all birds, animals, sun, moon, starts, etc hanging from that. Tip: I copied and pasted free coloring pages that I found on-line into a document and shrunk each picture down to 25% of the original size in order to put four pictures on a page. This would allow you to print out lots of animal, etc pictures so that the children could choose some to color. Simple cut out the colored pictures after the lesson, mount them on cardstock to make them more durable and hang them with string. If you laminate the pictures, this craft can become part of your more permanent displays.

All creation sings God’s glory (Poster)… use this as the title for a poster. Hand out pictures of animals, birds, reptiles, fish, little children, mountains, sun, moon, stars, etc and let the children choose one or more to color. Cut out all the pictures and make a poster together. See tip above.

All Creation Sings God's Glory (Window Display)... do you have a large display window(s) in your classroom? Use window markers/paints to write the title/text across the top and allow the children (we suggest one or two at a time depending on how large and easily accessible your window is) to draw/paint something that God made on the window. We love the "window writer" bingo dabber style window paints made by the same company that makes the paint dabbers we love - non-messy, non-drippy paint that goes on bright, stays bright for weeks and washes off easily with Windex and paper towels. Looks like these, but says "window writer"....

All creation sings God's glory (Pictures)... provide lots of pictures of different animals. Let the children choose several to color, cut out and glue to their page. Ask the children how God that animal special and write down their answers.

Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 1

2009-09-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: musical instruments are a great starter for all the lessons on Psalms

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
3) Prayer... pray a prayer of joy and thanksgiving

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm1, the psalmist is singing about the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are those who love and serve the Lord. The psalm says that the righteous are like a tree- they stand strong and grow tall. The wicked are those who do not love God – they will blow away like dry leaves in the wind. Then read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again, emphasizing the difference between the righteous and the wicked.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing stanza 2 of today’s psalm with the children . If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
- tree… stand with feet together and arms stretched high
- fruit… pretend to pick fruit from a tree
- flourish = grow.. stand like a tree and reach tall on your tip toes
- winds… blow like wind on your outstretched hand

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. We suggest: “Behold the righteous man is like a tree” Psalm 1 stanza 2

8) Craft:

Tree Craft (Glue) - draw the truck and branches of a tree on a sheet of paper for each child. Cut out many different green leaves and red apples and let the children glue leaves and fruit onto the tree. The older children may like the color grass at the bottom of the picture.

Tree Craft (Tissue Paper) – another variation is the used balls of crumbled tissue paper. Green for leaves and red for apples.

Tree Craft (Paint Dabbers)... if you have purchased paint dabbers, set out the green and let the children "dab" on the leaves. Paint trays with green paint and leaf shapes cut from sponges and secured with a clothes pin will also work excellently!

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

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm (psalm 1:2) together and then sing the closing song. 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?

Learning and Loving it!

2009-06-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

A group of our little treasures making frogs one Sunday afternoon as we learned about Moses and the 10 plagues. Our group ranges from 6 children on a quiet day, to 10-12 on a busy day.

Look out for hopping frogs!

Glueing...

Coloring....

and enjoying our time together!

How can I get a Story Hour program started at MY church?

2009-05-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have been asked this question several times now. Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. Here is the general "path" to follow:

Get an idea of the interest level in your church. How many parents are interested in this kind of a program? How many children do we have in this age group?
Talk to your ward elder/minister to gain their support. Let them know what the needs are in the congregation and how those needs can be met. Check what kind of formal permission needs to be obtained before starting.
The two most important requirements are: a program and a space.
Choose a Story Hour program that suits your needs. Consider who will be attending, who will be teaching, what kind of time period you have to work with, what you can afford to spend on buying a program; what kind of space you'll have available; what kind of budget you have for supplies, etc
Find a space in the church for your program. Is there a room or a part of a room availble for you to use? Are there tables and chair for little people? Is there somewhere to store craft supplies? Is there somewhere for you to display completed crafts?
Once you have permission, a program and a space, you are nearly ready to begin! Collect a few parents who are willing to lead the lessons and arrange a meeting. Review the program and talk about how each lesson will run so that you maintain some consistancy from week to week. Talk about how supplies are going to be collected and where they are going to be stored.
Notify the church community about your program so that parents of preschool children know that the program is going to start, where it will take place, who is teaching and what is being taught.
Get rolling! Be patient... many of us have found that it took about a year to get everything up and running smoothly with regular attendance, sufficient resources and good support. And don't be discourage along the way - a story hour program is such a blessing to the little ones who attend (and to their families!)

Special Lesson - CHRISTMAS #3 (The Wise Men)

2009-05-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

playdough... make yellow playdough for today and set out star shapes for the children to cut

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Sing: Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star

TWINKLE, TWINKLE Christmas STAR
HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE; UP ABOVE THE MANGER SO HIGH
LIKE A DIAMOND IN THE SKY ; GUIDING THE WISEMEN ON THEIR WAY
TO WHERE BABY JESUS LAY.

3) Prayer...Praise God for his great glory!

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 recognized by the wise men of the East who came to bring gifts to the newborn king.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the Wise Men from the East. Read pages 261-264 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

7) Craft:

Glitter Star: Cutout 1 circle, 5 triangles for each child from shiny gold paper (. Have the children glue them together in star shape on black or dark blue construction paper. You can decorate with other star stickers or glitter if you like.
Star Wand… cut out two gold stars for each child. Assemble each wand one at a time with the children as the rest do a coloring sheet. Use masking tape to attach several stands of curling ribbon to the back side of one star. Use a stapler to attach a non-bending straw to the back of the other star. Staple the two stars together to form a wand. If you like, the children can decorate the star with star stickers, too.
Once you have made your stars, use them to sing:

Twinkle, twinkle Christmas star
How I wonder what you are
Seen by wise men in the east
Point the way to lasting peace
Twinkle, twinkle Christmas star
How I wonder what you are

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

9) Going Home: 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 New Testament Lesson 1 for many different Christmas coloring pages

Special Lesson - CHRISTMAS #2 (Shepherds)

2009-05-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

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

Special Lesson - CHRISTMAS #1 (Announcements)

2009-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

collect small cardboard boxes, stuff each box with tissue paper and a piece of paper with the word "Jesus" on it in fancy letters. Wrap the boxes in wrapping paper - one for each child. Ask the children... what do you think is in the box? What would be the best present ever? Let them come up with lots of ideas. Then have them unwrap the gift. What is inside? Jesus - the best gift ever!
alternatively, you can wrap one small box in larger packages and let the children unwrap the layers over and over until you get to the name "Jesus".

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Christmas Bells (To the tune of "Jingle Bells".)
Christmas bells, Christmas Bells, Ring them all the day.
God the Father sent His son on that first Christmas Day.
Oh, Christmas bells, Christmas bells, ring them all the day.
God the Father sent His son on that first Christmas day.

3) Prayer... Thank God for the greatest gift ever, Jesus Christ, our Saviour!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story about the announcement of the birth of the Saviour of the world.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about The Birth of the Savior. Read about A Message for Mary, from the Read and Learn Bible (pages 246-249).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

7) Craft:

The Best Gift Ever.. Give each child a piece of construction paper with a large square drawn in the middle with the word “Jesus” in the square. On the top of each page write “The best gift ever” and glue the text on the bottom. Give the children a selection of bits of wrapping paper and small stick on ribbons and have them “wrap” and decorate the box so that others can lift the paper and see the best gift ever. Materials Required: - wrapping paper scraps - small stick on bows- ribbon scraps -scissors
- glue - construction paper. A very simple craft that the children are always so pleased with!

Christmas Music: Today is a great day to sing some Christmas songs. Children love to accompany themselves with instruments. If you have bells, shakers or other instruments at home that the children could play, this would be a great time to bring them in. Steer away from secular holiday songs and focus the children on songs that celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Unit 2: Lesson 24 JOHN and REVELATIONS

2009-05-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...pray "your kingdom come"

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 in caring for his church. While the apostle John was fleeing from harm, God revealed to him visions of the future to comfort, encourage and teach God’s people.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about John and Revelations. Read pages 484-491 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “ I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! Revelations 1:18

7) Craft:

Paper Plate Angel: follow the attached directions to turn a paper plate into a beautiful angel. Supplies needed: a paper plate, pencil, scissors, tape or stapler,
crayons, paint, and/or markers for decoration.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Angelplate.shtml
Seven Golden Lamp stands… use coloring page of the seven golden lamp stands. The children can color yellow/orange/red with crayons or markers. Or: sponge paint with yellow. Or: color and decorate with gold glitter.
This is my Father's World
This is my Father's World, and to my listening ears,
All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's World, I rest me in the thought,
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, His hands the wonders wrought.

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

9) Going Home: 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:

There are a LOT of coloring pages here based on Revelations: http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum_n.htm
Not all of them are appropriate to use for preschoolers, so look through them and choose carefully.

Unit 2: Lesson 23 MISSIONARY JOURNEYS

2009-05-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
3) Prayer... pray for all faithful missionaries working around the world today. Mention in specific those who are local or whom you support.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God sends his greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Savior. 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 in using sinful men to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

5) Bible Story:
Today’s Story is about Paul's missionary journeys. Read pages 476-483 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “So the churches were strengthened in faith and grew daily in numbers” Acts 16:5

7) Craft:

Plastic Lid Boat... Supplies: A wide plastic lid ( like the lid from a margarine tub)A drinking strawConstruction paper, Kids scissors, A hole punch, Crayons/markers or stickers, A small ball of plasticine (note: playdough will work, but will go soggy in water!) 1. Cut a triangle from a piece of construction paper; this will be your sail. Decorate the sail with crayons, markers , and/or stickers 2. Punch three holes along one side of the triangle ( the tallest side) 3. Weave a staw ( the boats mast) through the holes. 4. Put a small ball of plasticine on the inside of the lid. Push the end of the drinking straw into the plasticine. You now have a cute little toy sailboat that can float in the water.
Styrofoam Cup Boat... you can make the same type of boat with a styrofoam cup instead. Before the lesson, cut the cups down to about 1/2 their height. Otherwise, do everything the same as above.
When your boats are complete, use them to sing this song!

Paul Was Sailing Upon the Sea (To the tune of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore")
Paul was sailing upon the sea, Hallelujah; Paul was sailing upon the sea, Hallelujah
The wind and the rain blew the boat, Hallelujah; The wind and the rain blew the boat, Hallelujah
Paul and his friends jumped in the sea, Hallelujah; Paul and his friends jumped in the sea, Hallelujah
Paul and his friends swam to shore, Hallelujah; Paul and his friends swam to shore, Hallelujah
God saved them from the storm, Hallelujah; God saved them from the storm, Hallelujah
God is watching over us, Hallelujah; God is watching over us, Hallelujah

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

9) Going Home: 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:
Paul is shipwrecked: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5a128.htm
Shipwrecked: http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/pdf/New/Curr269.pdf
There are several coloring pages from the life of Paul here: http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum_n.htm

Unit 2: Lesson 22 SAUL/PAUL

2009-05-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... pray that our eyes too may be opened and we may have hearts filled with faith

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God sends his greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Savior. 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 in using sinful men to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the conversion of Paul - "A New Apostle". Read pages 466-475from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “...you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit..” Acts 9:17b

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

9) Going Home: 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:

There are quite a few coloring pages from Paul's life here:

http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum_n.htm

Unit 2: Lesson 21 The APOSTLES

2009-05-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:
2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God sends his greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Savior. 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 in using sinful men to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the work of the Apostles. Read pages 466-483 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). This section covers the work of the Apostles in a very general way. You may break the reading up before and after the craft if you want to read all of the stories.

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

7) Craft:

Apostles (to the tune of "Jesus Loves Me")Jesus called them one by one, Peter, Andrew, James and John,Next came Philip, Thomas too, Matthew and Bartholomew.James the one they called the less, Simon, also Thaddeus,The twelfth apostle Judas made, Jesus was by him betrayed.Yes, Jesus called them, Yes, Jesus called them,Yes, Jesus called them, The Bible tells me so.
Optional Additional Verses: Matthias then took Judas' placeTo preach to men of every race.Paul three preaching trips did makeAnd went to Rome for Jesus' sake.

Unit 2: Lesson 20 PENTACOST

2009-05-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a nice song to sing today: Wind and Fire (to the tune of Frere Jacque)
Tongues of fire; tongues of fire;
Mighty wind; mighty wind:
The Holy Ghost is coming; the Holy Ghost is coming;
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
3) Prayer... thank the Holy Spirit for living in our hearts

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 through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Pentacost, when God sent his Holy Spirit to his people to be their comforter and guide. Read pages 452-465 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people.’” Acts 2:17a

7) Crafts:

Flame Headbands… use a large poster board to cut strips to make head bands. Measure for each child’s head and staple closed. Cut out red/orange or yellow flames to glue to the front of the headbands.
Dove… the dove often symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Before the class, cut out wing, tails and heads for each child. Have the children color the beak and glue the pieces onto a toilet paper roll to make a dove. If your rolls are not white, you can have the children glue on a square of white paper first or you can paint the rolls white at home before the lesson. See template for shapes:

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/animals/bdove.gif

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's Prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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:
Several useful pages here: http://www.coloring.ws/pentecost.htm
12 disciples at pentacost: http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/ColoringPage12Disciples.html

Unit 2: Lesson 19 ASCENSION

2009-05-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... give glory to God who is in heaven.

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 as Jesus rose up into heaven to sit at his Father’s right hand.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the ascension of Jesus into heaven after he rose from the dead. Read pages 447-451 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Acts 1: 9

7) Craft:

A cloud hid him from their sight… Use the picture of Jesus ascending and have the children color the picture. Cut out a large cloud shape from construction paper and attach it with a brad and have the children glue some cotton on the cloud . That way you can really move the cloud to "hide" Jesus from their sight.
Cloud "hiding" Jesus

the cloud in the sky

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

9) Going Home: . 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:
Jesus ascending while disciples watch: http://www.bible-printables.com/Coloring-Pages/Easter/10-easter-019.htm

Unit 2: Lesson 18 CHRIST HAS RISEN

2009-05-19T16:40:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for his amazing work of salvation!

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 through the resurrection of his son. Jesus died. But that was not the end of the story. After three days, God raised him from the dead!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the Resurrection of Christ. Read pages 435-446 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24: 6a

7) Craft:

EASTER SPICES Cut a cross from sandpaper. Punch a hole in the top of the cross and string a length of ribbon through it to make a hanger. Explain that when the women went to the tomb they took sweet smelling spices to put on Jesus' body. Remind the children that when the women got to the tomb they discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. Color the crosses and then decorate them with glitter glue and then help them sprinkle spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, etc. on the wet glue.
Jesus Is Alive Cross!
You'll need:card stock,decorating tools (crayons,paints,markers...)
Directions:On a piece of card stock make a cross to cover most of the page. Using another piece of cardstock, make a smaller cross that can fit into the larger cross. On the smaller cross write the scripture "JESUS IS ALIVE! Luke 24:23". Tape the large cross on a piece of card stock. Have the children decorate the paper...doesn't matter if they get the paint, crayon or marker on the cross. After the children are done decorating, take the cross off of the card stock. Glue the smaller cross in the middle of the space left on the cardstock when you removed the large cross.Other ideas: ,- you can cut around the cross,- put a magnet on the back to hang it on the refridgerator,- hole punch a hole on the top, tread string through the hole and hang on a door knob (or wherever),After the paint dries, tell the children that the paint on the cross represents our sin (our bad choices), but when Christ died on the cross, he died so that our sins could be forgiven. At this point, peel the cross off the page to reveal the white card stock ( the undecorated under the cross) and say...Now we are as white as snow. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus died to take away our sins.
"He Lives!" Easter Wreath
You'll need:paper plate,construction paper,stapler,glue,markers,hole punch,yarn
Directions:Ahead of time: Cut out the center of the paper plate. The outside of ring of the plate will be used as the wreath base. Have the child cut several spring flowers out of construction paper (Easter lillies, tulips). If the children are young - you can cut several flowers out ahead of time. Make several leaves to add to the wreath. Now glue the flowers and leaves all around the wreath base. Cut a 2"x5" banner out of yellow construction paper and write "He Lives!" on it with marker. Glue this to the bottom of the wreath. Punch a hole at the top of the wreath, and add a loop of yarn for the hanger.
Easter Lilies: These lilies are made from a child's handprint (on paper) stapled to a straw. You can make an entire bouquet of flowers for a great gift or Spring decoration.
Supplies needed: Construction paper, Pencil, Scissors Green pipe cleaners (or straws), Tape or glue, Stapler. Trace a child's hand on construction paper. Cut the tracing out.
Curl each of the fingers around a pencil. Using the palm of the handprint, form a cone (with the fingers curling outwards). Glue or tape the cone together. Staple the flower to a pipe cleaner or a drinking straw. Draw some leaves on green construction paper, then cut them out. Staple or tape the leaves to the straw. Make a few of these flowers for a beautiful bouquet.
Stained Glass Window: Cut out cross shapes in the inside of a piece of construction paper, leaving the outside edge intact. Provide the children with lots of strips of colored tissue paper. Use a big paint brush to apply white glue around the outside edges of the cross and show the children how to lay the strips across in order to fill in the entire space. Allow to dry, trim the edges of tissue paper that extend beyond the construction paper and hang on the window in your classroom to display them.

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

9) Going Home: Round the children up again and sing the closing song together. 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:

Unit 2: Lesson 17 JESUS DIES FOR OUR SINS

2009-05-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for sending his Son to die on the cross to pay our debt.

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 in the death of his Son. God loves us so much that he gave up his only begotten son so that we might live forever more. Glory be to God!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jesus dying for our sins. Read pages 430-434 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ’Father into your hands I commit my spirit.’” Luke 22:46a

7) Craft:

Sun-catcher Cross
You'll need:construction paper,tissue paper (multiple colors),glue,scissors,paintbrush and paper cup (optional)
Directions:Even very small children are able to do much of this craft themselves. Cut a cross shape out of the center of the construction paper. Don't cut through any of the paper surrounding the cross shape. spread glue on one side of the paper (or dilute glue with water and allow kids to paint it on). Cut long, narrow strips of tissue paper in various colors and have kids place across the cross-shaped opening. Overlapping and changing direction of the tissue paper adds to the beauty and individuality of the cross. When done, trim tissue from edges of paper or you may glue another piece of paper with an identical cross shaped opening on the back, sandwiching the tissue paper between two pieces of paper, and revealing the colored tissue paper. These are lovely hung in a window.
Contact Paper Cross… Cut two same sized squares of clear contact paper (available in rolls at most dollar stores) for each child. Peel the backing off one sheet and allow the child to “decorate” it by sprinkling on various colors of glitter or small confetti. Peel the backing off the other sheet of contact paper and lay it overtop of the decorated side. Cut out the shape of a cross if you like. Punch a hole in the top and add a loop of string so it can be hung on a window.

Unit 2: Lesson 16 LORD's SUPPER

2009-05-19T16:14:00.002-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

if you have play dishes and food in your room these are perfect for today (if not, see if you can bring some in for the day...) Let the children set the table with all their favorite things to eat!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... Thank God for the Lord's Supper which reminds us of Jesus' great gift to us.

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 when Jesus instructs his people to remember his great sacrifice through the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Remind the children of their own experiences witnessing the Lord’s Supper in church.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the Last Supper where Christ institutes the Lord’s Supper with his disciples with instructions to do this in remembrance. Read pages 420- 429 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19b
7) Craft:

Sponge Painting… provide the children with red/purple paint for the wine and brown/white for the bread and let them paint with sponges (clip clothespins on one side to keep little fingers out of the paint. Before the painting, you may want to have them color the cup with markers or metallic colored crayons.
Bread Book… provide each child with six “slices” of bread. Color the picture on each and put them in order. Staple twice on one side to make a book about the Lord’s Supper. (sorry, this template is no longer on line... I'm working to make my own version for you to copy!)
Bread and Wine... use simple templates or draw your own glass and loaf of bread. Use torn paper in various shades of brown to fill in the loaf of bread, and crumbled tissue paper in red/purple to fill in the wine glass. Glue the text to the bottom - a simple craft that the children really enjoy doing!

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:

The last supper: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/e2.htm

The last supper: http://www.sermons4kids.com/last-supper-colorpg.htm
slice of bread template for making your own book about the Lord's Supper: http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/hme/k_5/shapebook/pdf/breadwol.pdf
or mini loaves: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/p.asp?b=m&p=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/easter/images/bloaves.gif
Jesus is the bread of Life: http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/jesus/breadoflife.gif

Unit 2: Lesson 15 PALM SUNDAY

2009-05-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

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…. (details)

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Palm Sunday. Read pages 406-412 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21: 9b

7) Craft:

Palm Leaf # 1: Cut of the general palm leaf shape before the lesson. During the lesson, have the children cut the "fringes" of the leaves like the would cut out a snowflake. Unfold the construction paper to see your finished palm leaf. Make enough palm leaves that each child can have two. Cut out enough palm leaves for all the children. Tape a green pipe cleaner as a stem.

http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/mpalm.htm

Palm Leaf # 2: Print out the template of choice. (you need the leaf template and can optionally print one of the message templates as well) Spread a thin layer of glue all over the leaf template. It's very important to get full coverage so you may want to use a paint brush or Q-tip to spread the glue. Put scraps of green paper all over to completely cover the leaf. Let dry. While the leaf is drying, cut out and color the optional message template or use glitter glue to fill in the letters if you preferCut out the leaf (you should be able to still see enough of the lines of the leaf to do the cutting)Glue the leaf to a background piece of black construction paper. Glue or tape the message template to the bottom of the black construction paper.

http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/mpalmcollage.htm

Donkey Crafts – please see lesson plan on Good Neighbor (Unit 2 -11)
Palm Sunday Song (sung to the tune of Frere Jacque)... sing this song with the children and let them wave their palm branches!

Here comes Jesus, Here comes Jesus
Let's Praise Him, Let's Praise Him
Wave our branches and sing
Hosanna to the king
Let's praise Jesus, Let's Praise Jesus

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:
Jesus on the donkey: http://www.sermons4kids.com/palm-sunday-colorpg.htm

Unit 2: Lesson 14 THE TWO SONS

2009-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: animals would be fun today - pigs and a barn if you have them!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child. Try this song today:

The Prodigal Son (Tune: Little Rabbit in the Woods)

Once a father had two sons
Then one left home to have some fun
The son wasted all he had
Then things got real sad
Feed me! Feed me!The pigs all said.
The young son thought,
This is really bad.
I'll go home say sorry
And dad's servant I'll be.
Oh, the father was so sad
Missed his young son oh so bad
Saw his son a far off
And he ran out the door
Welcome! Welcome! the father said
Come back home and I'll be your dad.
Come my son, come on in
Please don't leave again.
The oldest brother had stayed home
Did what he should and he was bummed
The father killed a fatted cow
Why did he do this now?
I stayed! I stayed! the old son said.
A feast for me you've never had!
My son was lost but now he's found
So let's let love abound.

3) Prayer... pray for forgiving hearts

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 in forgiveness. Just like the father in the parable, God forgives us when we recognize our sin and repent in faith.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the parable of the two sons. Read pages 380-381 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15: 24a

7) Craft:

Paper Bag Pig: see http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/puppets/paperbag/

If you have time, paint the paper bag pink before the lesson. Cut out the ears and snout before the lesson and have the kids assemble the puppets. Make sure you allow time for the children to "pretend" with them, too.

Lots of Shapes Pigs: This pig is a simple craft for little ones. The kids can color the piece, or you could print them on pink paper and have the kids assemble them. http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mepig.html
Paper Plate Pigs: See http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Paper-Plate-Pig.html for directions and photos. You need: a large paper plate. a small paper plate, pink construction paper, large googly eyes and pink pipe cleaners. I recommend painting the plates before the lesson and cutting out all the pieces, then having the kids assemble the pigs during the lesson.

Unit 2: Lesson 13 GOOD NEIGHBOUR

2009-05-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Good Neighbour/Bad Neighbour... make a collection of large cards showing things we can do to be a good neighbour (for example: sharing toys, helping parent with dishes ) and things that make us a bad neighbour (for example: one child pushing another, or breaking a toy) Coloring pages available on-line should be able to provide you with lots of options - print, color, mount on construction paper and laminate so that the cards are durable. Put the pile of cards on the table and ask the children if they can sort them into two piles: good neighbour and bad neighbour. Use the opportunity to talk about the pictures: what makes each one good/bad? What could/should be done instead?

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer.... ask God to help us to love our neighbour as much as we love ourselves.

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…. (details)
5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about The Good Neighbour. Read pages 360-366 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Luke 10:27b
7) Craft:

Donkey Craft: Print out the template of choice -- there is a choice of brown, grey or uncolored. (from http://www.dltk-kids.com/) Colour (where appropriate) and cut out the template pieces.
Glue the donkey together in the following order: feet onto the bottom of the large (grey) oval (one front and one back on the top of the body one front and one back on the bottom of the body) (You can use brads to attach the legs if you want them to move.) head onto the front of the body; tail onto the back of the body; mane onto the body/head; forward ear onto the head: hair onto the head hair onto the head; back ear onto the head. Just FYI: most 5 year olds can assemble this with very little assistance if you have a sample on the table, but 3&4's need quite a bit of assistance. If you have a big group, make sure you have all the pieces cut out ahead of time (and bagged in sets) and that you have an extra set of hands for this craft.

Paper Bag Donkey: Print out template (from http://www.dltk-kids.com/)
Grey Donkey: Cover the paper bag with grey construction paper (just glue it on and trim) or paint the paper bag grey and let dry. Brown Donkey: just use the brown paper bag. Glue the small circle with the tongue underneath the flippy tab so you can see part of the circle sticking out from under the nose.
Glue the nose onto the head. It should overlap the body a bit. Glue the eyes onto the head above the nose. If you like, you can use wiggly eyes instead of the paper the paper template pieces.Glue the ears onto the head Glue the hair tuft onto the head. Materials: template, something to colour with, scissors, glue. See the FYI for above donkey craft. :-)

Who is my Neighbour? Print out template (http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/mneighbour.htm)
Colour house. Have children choose pictures of who their neighbour is and glue in one of the windows and then draw a picture of themselves in the other window.
Helping Hands Craft: Using acrylic paint, stamp each child’s handprints onto a piece of construction paper.Write “[child’s name] has helping hands” on the paper. Be sure to protect child’s clothes from paint with an old shirt.

Unit 2: Lesson 12 BREAD AND FISH

2009-05-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... thank God for our daily food and drink.

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 through the miracle of feeding the crowds with bread and fish. God can take care of us so completely, even when we think it is impossible!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jesus feeding the crowds with bread and fish. Read pages 340-345 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Taking the 5 loaves and 2 fish and looking up to heaven,
Jesus gave thanks…” Mark 6:41a

7) Craft:

The Fish that Fed Five Thousand
You'll need:Colored Paper Plates,Poster Board,Colored Construction Paper,Crayons,Scissors,Glue
Directions:Before the lesson, cut out a selection of heads, fins, and tails from construction paper. During the lesson, have the children glue the head, fins, and tail to the back of the paper plate. Have the children draw an eye and mouth on the fish. Fish can be decorated with foam shapes or simple shape stickers if you like.
CD Fish: You need: 1 old CD per child (you can pick these up cheap from recycle shops)
Template of fins and tail, google eyes, glitter. Cut out tail and fins from constuction paper before the lesson. During the lesson, allow the children to use clear tape to stick the tail and fins onto disks. Glue on eyes or draw on with permanent marker. Children add glitter. Suspend from the ceiling for beautiful shimmering rainbow fish!
Rainbow Fish: You need: heavy construction paper, tissue paper in several colors, glue, scissors Before class: cut out a fish shape from the inside of each piece of construction paper. Cut the tissue paper into 1-2 inch wide strips as long as the construction paper.
In class: have the children put glue all around the fish shapes (having the children "paint" on white glue with a paint brush is the best here as glue stick glue dries too quickly. Lay strips of tissue paper over the fish cut-out until the entire space is filled. Trim the ends of the tissue paper so that none extend past the edges of the construction paper. Turn the paper over and see your colorful fish! Put the text along the bottom of the page.

Great activity idea here: http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities-nt/1-nt-feeding5000-1instru.htm

Opening and Closing Songs

2009-05-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

What are the "opening" or "learning our names" song and "closing" song?

Why do we need to sing them every lessons?

Singing a familiar song each lessons helps get the children's attention and focus on the beginning of the lesson or signal the end of the lesson. Children love repetition, especially at this age! Little ones love to hear their names in a song and this helps them to get to know one another's names, too.

*********************************************************

Opening Song/ Learning our names song:

(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”)

Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

***********************************************************

Closing Song:
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)

We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.

Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

Unit 2: Lesson 11 PARABLE OF THE SOWER

2009-05-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... ask God to sow his word in our hearts and make it grow.

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. Today’s story is a “parable”… that’s a heavenly story with an earthly message – a message for you and me!

5) Bible Story:Today’s Story is about the parable of the sower. Read pages 319 - 327 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears, for they hear.”
Matthew 13:16

7) Craft:

Sowing the Seed… trace each child’s hand on colored construction paper and cut out the hands (older children may cut their own with some assistance). Don’t forget to write each child’s name on their hand. Set out small bowls of several different kinds of seeds (like oats, peas, beans, etc) and let the children glue some seeds in the palm of their hand with white glue. These are the seeds that the sower scatters in the field. The seeds mean the Bible – the word of the Lord. Print the text on each hand.
Four Kinds of Listeners… draw lines to divide a sheet of construction paper into four squares. In each space, have the children color, cut and paste from the coloring sheet one of the four kinds of listeners: 1) “some that fall along the path are quickly snatched away” 2) “some that fall on rocky soil won’t last the whole day through” 3) “some that fall among the thorns grow weak from fear and woe” 4) “some that fall into good soil will live a life for Christ”. Give them a smiley face sticker or star sticker to put on the kind of listener that we should be!

http://www.coloring.ws/parables.htm

Planting a Seed… fill a Styrofoam cup with potting soil for each child. Have them plant a bean seed in the soil. Cut out a square of colored paper for them to write their name and decorate. Write the text on each paper. Tape each child’s paper on the outside of their cups. Water the bean seed and watch it grow!
Sow the Word (sung to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat)
Sow sow sow the Word,
Precious seeds of Faith;
Some that fall along the path
Are quickly snatched away.
Sow sow sow the Word,
Precious seeds of Truth;
Some that fall on rocky soil
Won’t last the whole day through.
Sow sow sow the Word.,
Precious seeds of Hope;
Some that fall among the thorns
Grow week from fear and woe.
Sow sow sow the Word,
Precious seeds of Life;
Some that fall into good soil,
Will live a life for Christ.

Unit 2: Lesson 10 JESUS WALKS ON WATER

2009-05-19T08:54:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

toys: boats, people and fish (or other sea creatures) would be perfect for today
water play: if you have space, you could set out some dish pans of warm water, add some dish soap and let the kids play with the water and bubbles. Spoons, cups and pastic fish toys are nice to add to the water. Plastic aprons are a neccessity!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

A great song for today:

Jesus Walks on the Water (Tune: Ten Little Indians)

All the apostles were in a sailboat

Out on the deep blue sea.

The waves rose high and tossed the sailboat

Out on the deep blue sea.

Along came Jesus walking on the water

Out on the deep blue sea.

The apostles thought that Jesus was a ghost

And they cried out in fear.

Be of good cheer, it is I, don't be afraid

Jesus spoke to them

Peter started walking on the water

Then he started to sink.

Jesus helped Peter get back in the boat

Why did you lose faith?

3) Prayer... praise God that he controls all of the weather: sunshine, rain, wind and storms. Thank God for the weather today.

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 by Jesus commanding the wind and the rain. God made all things and nothing is outside of God’s control – even the wind and the seas obey him!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jesus walking on Water. Read pages 346-350 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Who is this Jesus, that he commands even wind and water, and they obey him?” Luke 8:25b

7) Craft:

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

Jesus walks on water: http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/nw-walkwater.gif

Unit 2: Lesson 9 JESUS AND THE STORM

2009-05-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

toys: boats, people and fish (or other sea creatures) would be perfect for today
water play: if you have space, you could set out some dish pans of warm water, add some dish soap and let the kids play with the water and bubbles. Spoons, cups and pastic fish toys are nice to add to the water. Plastic aprons are a neccessity!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God that he controls all of the weather: sunshine, rain, wind and storms. Thank God for the weather today.

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 by Jesus commanding the wind and the rain. God made all things and nothing is outside of God’s control – even the wind and the seas obey him!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about a Storm. Read pages 303-305 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Who is this Jesus, that he commands even wind and water, and they obey him?” Luke 8:25b

7) Craft:

Stormy Waters: You'll need:2 liter filled 2/3 with water,salt,blue food color,teaspoon,marker,dishwashing liquid Directions:Give each child a 2 liter filled with water 2/3 full. Have children add teaspoon of salt, one drop of dishwashing liquid, and several drops of blue food color. Have children put lids on the 2 liters and shake the containers by placing it in both hands and moving it in a circle to make a stirring motion. The mixture will form a funnel. Have child write their name on container to take home with them.
Ocean in a Bottle: What you will need: rubbing alcohol, mineral spirits, food coloring,
water bottle. Fill half of the bottle with rubbing alcohol. Put two to three drops of food coloring into the bottle and shake. Fill remainder of the bottle with mineral spirits.
Put top on - Do not Shake. Hold bottle horizontally until clear, then raise and lower ends to create waves.
Wave Maker: Ingredients: Clear Plastic Soda or Water Bottle, Food Coloring (blue),Vegetable Oil, Tap Water, Glitter or Metallic Confetti or small Trinkets (optional) Directions: Fill bottle half way full with water and add a few drops of food coloring. Confetti of glitter can be added next if desired, a few pinches at a time. Using a small funnel, fill the bottle the rest of the way to the cap with vegetable oil. Add a dab of glue around the threads on the bottle top, screw the cap on tightly to seal. Colored plastic tape can be wrapped around the cap for extra sealing protection and decoration. Tilt and rock slowly from side to side to create action in your wave maker!

Coloring: get the 3 pictures (1 - the storm, 2- jesus speaks, 3- the calm) , and reduce the 3 pictures by 50% and cut them out. Give each child all three pictures. Have them color all 3 and glue them in order on a long sheet of construction paper. Here are some pictures you could use: http://baptist-church.suite101.com/article.cfm/jesus_calms_the_storm

Painting: print out on the the pictures of Jesus calming the storm and give the children blue paint (maybe several shades?) Let them paint over the pictures to show wind and rain and water everywhere. Fingerpaints will work work, or watered down tempera paints or watercolors - anything that is thin enough for you to still see the picture through.

Unit 2: Lesson 8 JESUS TEACHES US TO PRAY

2009-05-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a cute song about prayer: (sung to the tune of "Jesus Loves Me")

Jesus taught us how to pray
to God our Father every day
Morning, noon and night-time too
We can pray and so can you!
Yes, we can pray; yes, we can pray; yes, we can pray;
to God throughout the day.

3) Prayer.... Thank God the he always listens to our prayers.

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 through the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught his people many things during his ministry.. also about how to pray to God.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the teachings of Jesus. Read page 297 (the Lord’s prayer) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

7) Craft:

The Lord’s Prayer Mini-book: copy and cut the pages for the Lord’s prayer mini-book…enough for each child. Have them color and assemble. Staple along the left side. You may make a full sized version to read with the class, too!

http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/prayer/index.htm

(Note - this version uses "thee" and "thou". If you photocopy, rather than print, you could use the pictures from this mini-book and type out an updated version of the prayer)

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/images/ib-book-prayer.gif

Praying hands… make copies of the praying hands template and cut out before class. Put tape onto the back of the cut out hands and tape in the center of a sheet of white paper. With a large paint brush, have the child paint the whole paper. When dry, remove the hands template to reveal the white praying hands underneath.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/christian-easter/praying-hands.html

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: . 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:
Lots of great coloring pages about prayer: http://www.teachustopray.com/
Boy praying: http://www.sermons4kids.com/god_hears_prayers_colorpg.htm
Girl needing to pray: http://www.sermons4kids.com/when_i_am_sorry_colorpg.htm

Unit 2: Lesson 7 JESUS THE TEACHER

2009-05-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a nice song for today, too:

The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down!

The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down!

The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand went SPLAT!

So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ,
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ,
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
and the Blessings will come down.

The blessings will come down as your prayers go up,
The blessings will come down as your prayers go up,
The blessings will come down as your prayers go up,
So build your house on the Lord!

3) Prayer... thank God for the Bible, that we may read it and know God.

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 through the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught his people many things during his ministry.. about how to love God and how to love one another.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the teachings of Jesus. Read pages 290-296 (the sermon on the mount), and/or 328-331 (the kingdom of heaven) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “And because of his words, many more became believers.” John 4:41

7) Craft:

The Sermon on the Mount: Light for the World... see lamp crafts under “Sing A Psalm of Joy” Psalm 119:40 lesson
Knock and the Door will be opened for you… cut out door hangers from heavy construction paper (large rectangle with a circle large enough to fit over a standard door knob). Print out the text and picture for each child. Have the children color the picture, decorate with stickers and glue text on construction paper. You can also use a large paper plate with a string or ribbon for a hanger. Keep your eyes open for wooden or foam door hangers at Dollar $tores or craft stores to make a more durable version of this craft.
The Kingdom of Heaven – Mustard Seed Necklace (Matthew 17:20)
Supplies needed: Large size wiggly eye, small piece of construction paper,mustard seed (found in grocery stores)thin cord or ribbon, glue gun, scissors
Have an adult remove the back of a plastic wiggly eye so that you can use the clear plastic front. (I just opened the "eye" carefully and removed the "pupil", then used the back of the eye instead of paper) Trace around the eye on the construction paper and cut the tiny circle out. Put glue around the edge of the circle. Carefully set the mustard seed in the middle of the circle. Glue on the clear plastic from the wiggle eye over the circle. Let the glue dry. Cut a 2 foot length of gold cord. Glue the two ends of the cord to the back of the circle to make a hanger.

We tried this craft at home and discovered that it cannot be done by 4 year olds (and certainly not 10 of them at a time!) but when complete, it was an excellent teaching tool. If you can spare the time, make a collection of these necklaces before the lesson. Then, hand the necklaces out and explain about the mustard seed growing from a tiny seed into a huge bush.

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

9) Going Home: 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:
The people listening to Jesus: http://www.childrenstory.info/biblestoryforchild/cb235.html
Jesus preaching: http://www.sermons4kids.com/sermon_on_mount_colorpg.htm
The parable of the treasure in the field: http://www.silk.net/RelEd/PDF/Curr195_2.pdf

Unit 2: Lesson 6 JESUS THE HEALER

2009-05-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... pray for the sick in your congregation today

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 through the miracles of healing. Jesus showed again and again, the God the creator, is Lord of all, when he healed the sick, make the lame to walk, the blind to see and gave the dead new life!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jesus the Healer. There are many stories in the bible that you can choose from for this topic, or you may read several. Your choice of text, coloring page and craft, will clearly be affected which story you focus on. The suggested craft is pretty generic and should work for most stories. Read pages 288-289, 298-302, 306-310, or 311-316 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Jesus said, ‘I will go and heal him.’” Matthew 8:7

7) Craft:

Band-Aids… Give each child a boy or girl picture to color. Allow them 2-3 band-aids of various sizes to show the places that were hurt that the Lord healed. Decorative band-aids are available cheaply at most dollar stores.

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

Jesus heals the blind: http://www.sermons4kids.com/jesus-heals-deaf-man-colorpg.htm

Jesus heals the lame: http://www.christiananswers.net/kids/clrpg013.html

Jesus heals a woman: http://www.kidscolorings.net/coloringpages/category/bible/jesus-heals-a-woman.html

Unit 2: Lesson 5 MIRACLE IN CANA

2009-05-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...

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 through Jesus’ first miracle. Miracles are amazing acts of God – things that ordinarily never happen. Jesus used miracles to show the people the glory of God.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about A Miracle in Cana based on John 2:1-11. Read pages 284-287 (R 289-292) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”
John 2:11b

7) Craft:

Water to Wine Painting… draw a large jug or glass with black marker on a white paper. Draw a line in the glass/jug about ¾ of the way full. Ask the children: what does it look like this jug is full of? Water? Show them a jug of real water. What does it look like? Add red/grape juice powder. Explain that we need to add something to turn water into juice. Jesus turned water into wine with just a word. Have them brush/sponge paint the inside of the jug red/purple to show the wine.

Water Bottles… show the children the bottle full of water. How do we turn water into juice? Add Kool-aid singles to each child’s water bottle. Explain that we need to add something to turn water into juice. Jesus turned water into wine with just a word.

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

Unit 2: Lesson 4 THE DISCIPLES

2009-05-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer....

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 in speading the good news of the gospel. Jesus called 12 men to be witnesses to all the works and miracle he did. He taught them about the way of salvation!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the Calling of the Disciples, the "Twelve Men". Read pages 280-283 (R285-288) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

7) Craft:

I will make you Fishers of Men, if you Follow Me
You'll need:Colored Poster Board,One Egg Carton for each Child,Fish Crackers,Gummy Worms,Stapler,Crayons,Glue,Scissors
Directions:Give each child an egg carton. Glue a piece of colorful poster board to the top of the egg carton and print the title and text on it to make it more colorful. Fill the carton with the fish crackers. You can also try a piece of yarn to the end of a popsicle stick and tie a gummy worm to the other end to make a “fishing pole”. So fun for the children to play with now, while they sing the song, and when they get home!

Fishing- copy the boat picture (one for each child) and cut along the waves with an exacto knife before the class. Glue the whole sheet of paper onto a sheet of paper with a bead of glue along the outside edge. Then, give to the children to color. Cut out little fish from fancy/colorful heavy-stock paper and punch a hole at one end of each fish. Tie a string on each fish and make a loop on the other end. Give each child a popsicle stick for a fishing rod. They can “catch” the fish from the water by looping them around the popsicle stick and pulling them from behind the waves!

I caught a Fish! Print out a large picture of a fish and allow the children to color them (or if you have time, paint with bright colors). Cut out the fish. Punch a hole in one end and tie a string on it (you may want to reinforce with a piece of masking tape at the back first) and tie the other end of string to a disposable chopstick for a fishing rod.
The 12 Disciples – to the tune of "Jesus Loves Me"

Jesus called them one by one, Peter, Andrew, James and John,

Next, came Philip, Thomas too, Matthew and Bartholomew.

Chorus-Yes, Jesus called them,Yes, Jesus called them,

Yes, Jesus called them,He called them one by one.

James the one they called the less, Simon, also Thaddeus,

Twelfth apostle Judas made, Jesus was by him betrayed.

(Repeat Chorus. )
Matthias then took Judas' place, To preach to men of every race,

Paul three preaching trips did make, And went to Rome for Jesus' sake.

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

Unit 2: Lesson 3 JOHN THE BAPTIST

2009-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... pray that the Lord would prepare our hearts to recieve his word.

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 in preparing the way for his Son. God sent John to preach repentance and to baptize. Before Jesus began his earthly ministry, he too was baptized by John.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about "Jesus and John the Baptist" . Read pages 273-278 (R278-284) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I…He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Matthew 3: 11

7) Craft:

Dove Craft… Have children glue white (or colored) feathers to the large picture of the dove. Bulk packages of feathers are available cheaply at dollar stores and craft stores. Children enjoy this craft, though it is very simple, because it is so tactile. You could color the beak yellow or orange and glue on a googly eye to provide a bit more challenge for older children. Here is a nice dove: http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/d/dove.htm
See Lesson #17 (Ascension) for other dove crafts.
Tactile picture… choose one of the pictures of John baptizing Jesus and use your imagination to provide the children with tactile things to glue on the picture. Example: small feathers on dove, scrap of fake fur for John’s coat, squares or waves of blue cellophane for water, yarn for hair and cotton balls for clouds. You may want to trim the picture and glue it to a sheet of construction paper when you are done to provide some stability.

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/jesus/baptism.gif

Unit 2: Lesson 2 JESUS AS A CHILD

2009-05-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Activity: Pretend to be a seed. What does a seed need to grow into a flower?
Add sunshine, water and good soil. Pretend to grow up nice and strong. Now let’s talk about you and me… what do we need to grow strong in the Lord? Add moms and dads, lots of love and hugs, reading the bible, praying to God, singing songs to God, going to church, and the Holy Spirit in our hearts. What else can you think of?
Flannel board... set out as many pictures of children as you can find. Ask the children: what do children need to grow?
Toys... set out figures of children. Same thing
Puppets... set out puppets of children. Same thing.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... ask God to help the little children grow in the Lord - taller and wiser!

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 revealed to Simeon and Anna when they see the baby Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. Also, we see how Jesus amazed the teachers at the temple when he was still a young boy.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is "Jesus is Blessed" and "Young Jesus in the Temple". Read pages 258-260 (R263-265) and 268-272 (R273-277) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52

7) Craft:

Muffin Flower Craft… have children decorate two muffin cup liners with crayons or markers. Cut one to make petals. Glue the flowers at the ends of the stems in the flower pot (solid first, then “petals” on top) and put a colorful sticker in the center of the flower. Children can make as many or as few as they like.

Paint Flower Craft… see template with pot and stems with centers. Give children sponges cut into the shape of petals and held with a clothes pin. Provide bright flower colors for dipping paint. Allow children to sponge-paint the petals onto the flowers in the pot.

Cut out Flower Craft… see template with pot and stems only. Provide children with flower petals and leaves cut out of colorful paper and allow them to glue the parts together to make three beautiful flowers.

Grow a Plant… this idea can be combined with another craft as it does not take much time. Write each child’s name on a ziplock bag with a permanent marker. Wet two paper towels and fold them so that they fit in the bag. Kids love to help do this with a spray bottle on a plastic tray. Tuck 2-4 bean seeds in the paper towels. Put the towels and seeds in the plastic bag and seal almost all the way. Use masking tape to hang on a sunny window. You will see the plant begin to grow inside the bag and then out the opening. If you can get permission, hang these growing plants on a sunny window at church and plant them in Styrofoam cups after they are well spouted. If sending home, make sure to include instructions for the parents.

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

Unit 2: Lesson 1 JESUS IS BORN

2009-05-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Bethlehem Lullaby (To the tune of Brahms Lullaby.)

Long ago, there was born in the city of David,
A sweet, holy babe, who was Jesus our King,
Angels sang at his birth, "Peace on earth, peace on earth"
Angels sang at his birth, "Peace on earth, peace on earth."

3) Prayer... Thank God for sending his Son 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 through the birth of his son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the birth of Jesus. Read page 251-253 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” Luke 1:32a

7) Craft:

Toilet Paper Angel… cut out wings and heads before class. If using brown toilet paper rolls, cut out squares of white paper to cover or paint with white craft paint before the lesson. Have the children glue on the paper, wings and head. Twist a white/yellow pipe cleaner to make a halo. Children can decorate by gluing on glitter, sparkle stickers or feathers.

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/bangel.gif

Shapes Angel Craft: before class, cut out a large triangle for the body, and a circle for the head. Use white paper doilies for the wings Have the children assemble the pieces to form an angel and glue onto a sheet of construction paper. Add google eyes and draw on a mouth. Write on the bottom of the sheet: “The angel said…” and then glue on the text.

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/mshapesangel.htm

Clay Pot Angel
You'll need:miniature clay pot,large wooden bead,paint,wide ribbon,yarn or doll hair
Directions:Turn pot upside down and glue wooden bead on top for angel's head. Paint a face on the head. Tie ribbon into large bow. Glue on back of pot for wings. Glue yarn or doll hair (can be purchased from craft stores) on top of head. Decorate with whatever you like, buttons down the front, ric-rac around the bottom of pot, paint, sequins, whatever! Let the kids be creative and have fun!

Hand-y Angel
You'll need:1 white and 1 yellow sheet of construction paper,crayons,scissors,glue and any color yarn Directions:Make an angel pattern to trace on white constrution paper. Have children trace each hand on yellow construction paper. Cut all of these out. Draw face on angel. Glue hands to back for angel wings. place yarn on back to allow angel to be hung up.

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

10) Optional Coloring Pages

the angels announce: http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_bible/angelshepherds_luke2.htm

the journey to Bethlehem: http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_bible/tripbeth_luke2.htm

worshipping the new-born King: http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_bible/1stxmas_luke2.htm

Here is a 25 page coloring book that the children can use to "count down" till Christmas day. This is useful if your lesson falls late in the calendar year. http://www.dltk-bible.com/advent/index.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 28 MICAH

2009-05-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... pray for peace in our country too. Pray that our government will obey the Lord and rule the country according to God's commands.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Micah to warn the kings to obey God so that the people might enjoy peace. Micah brings a message of hope; about the coming of the Greatest King and Shepherd, Jesus.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Micah. Read pages 233-237 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord... for... He shall be great to the ends of the earth." Micah 5:4

7) Craft:

He Shall be Great! Print out this picture for the children. Have the color the picture. Provide them with construction paper hearts cut out of red/pink paper to glue around the world to show how God loves us. Cut out small crowns from yellow or metalic paper and have the children show you who is the Greatest King... put the crown on Jesus. If you can find stickers with people on them, have the children stick the people on the Earth to show that God is over us all. A simple craft, but an effective reinforcement of the lesson.

http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/jesus/nw-john3.16.gif

"God is My King"... cut a strip of poster paper for each child. Have the children glue on the phrase "God is my KING" or write it on each strip ahead of time with black markers. Have the children decorate the strips with stickers, etc. Fit the strip around each child's head and secure with staples.
"There will be peace" : Print out the doves from the template below and cut them out before the lesson - count on at least 2 per child. Have the children glue them on to a piece of construction paper and decorate them with craft feathers. Put the title "There will be peace" at the top of the page and the text at the bottom. Talk what peace is; how a dove/bird represents peace and who is the KING who brings peace. This sounds like heavy stuff for 3-5 year olds, but bring it down to their level... talk about arguing and fighting with brothers and sisters and how Jesus died to cover all those sins!

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/advent/14.gif

Walking Humbly with God... cut out large shoe shapes from heavy cardstock. Punch 8 holes lined up in the center. Give each child a string (you can knot a bead or two at the ends) to lace through the shoes. Tie up the shoe string and give the children lots of options to decorate their shoes (foam shapes, stickers, markers and crayons, glitter glue, etc) At one end of the shoes, print or glue on the text: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

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

9) Going Home: 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:

This is the coloring page of the first craft. If you do another craft, you may want to provide this one with today's text on it, simply as a coloring page to keep the little hands busy as you are fitting all the crowns!
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/jesus/nw-john3.16.gif

Unit 1: Lesson 27 JONAH

2009-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: raid your toy box at home and bring in sea creatures today!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... Praise God who hears prayers and answers them.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Jonah. Jonah was happy to obey the Lord as long as he was bringing good messages to God’s people. What happens when God asks Jonah to bring a message to his enemies?

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jonah. Read pages 228-232 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). This version leaves out chapter 4, which is important to understanding the whole story. If you are comfortable with this, please add this last chapter in your own words.

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me.” Jonah 2:2a

7) Craft:

Jonah And The Whale: You'll need:Blue construction paper,black construction paper,photo copies of small man,markers,glue Directions:Fold blue construction paper in half. Unfold and glue photo copy of small man inside. Let children decorate it. Fold paper and have children cut out a place in top half of construction paper so that you can see picture of Jonah though it. Glue folded paper together. Cut a fish shape out of black construction paper. Cut a opening in belly of fish so Jonah shows through it! You now have Jonah in the belly of a whale! Let the children decorate as desired.
Jonah and the Whale... this craft calls for a bit fancier supplies, but it looks great: http://www.kidssundayschool.com/Gradeschool/Crafts/1craft04.php
Paper Bag Whale… If you like, paint blue enough bags for all the children before the class and let dry. For each child, cut: 2 whale fins, one rectangle of blue construction paper with fringes at the top (for spout). Stuff about 2/3 of the paper bag with crumpled newspaper. Use an elastic band to secure the end for the tail. Have the children glue the fins on the bottom. Use two googly eyes and a black marker mouth to make the face. Roll up the fringed paper for a spout and poke a hole in the top of the bag to insert the spout. Curl the edges of the fringed paper down.
* If you like you can give the children a cut out shape of a man to put in the whale before stuffing it!

See detailed instuctions and illustrations here:http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbagwhale.htm

10) Optional Coloring Pages:

http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/jonah2.gif

http://www.tstl.net/Children/Coloring/Jonah-Swallowed.gif

Unit 1: Lesson 26 ESTHER

2009-05-12T12:10:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer... Thank God for sending his son, Jesus to be OUR savior!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Esther. Some people hated the Israelites, the Lord’s chosen people, but God used Queen Esther to save his people.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Esther Read pages 224-226 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). It’s hard to tell the whole story of Esther in three pages without loosing some of the message. Feel free to add to/explain the story where there are gaps.

6) Text: Today’s Text is: Esther said to the king, “For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” Esther 8:6

7) Craft:

Crown Craft #1… print out the picture of Queen Esther (see link below). Have the children color her with markers or crayons. Provide stickers or shiny confetti to decorate her crown. (oops, it's crooked! Sorry!)

Crown Craft #2… make a paper plate crown by cutting the inside of the plate four times across and bending the triangles up to form the peaks of the crown. The crown can be decorated with stickers, foam shapes or froot loops for jewels. Your smaller children may want a string tied under their chin to hold the crown on more easily. :-)
You need: paper plates, craft knife or sharp scissors, stickers, foam shapes, glue, froot loops, yarn
Queen Esther /King Xerxes puppets… Before class, cut white fabric in squares large enough to form a head for the puppet. Have the child put a few cotton balls or stuffing in the center of the fabric. Close the edges of the fabric around the cotton and secure to the end of the pencil with an elastic. Use markers to draw a face on the puppet. Cut two crown shapes from yellow construction paper (or metallic paper if you have access to that) for each puppet. For each child, cut a series of lengths of curling ribbon for hair and knot the lengths together at one end. Put the knotted end of the ribbon between the two crowns. Grab a pinch of fabric at the top of the puppet’s head and staple through the 2 crowns, the end of the curling ribbon and the fabric. You should see only the two crowns on the top of the head with the “hair” hanging down the back. Allow the children to decorate their puppet with markers, fabric scraps, ribbon and lace if they like.
You need: square of white fabric, cotton balls or stuffing, pencils, elastics, yellow/brow/black curling ribbon, yellow (or metallic) construction paper, markers, fabric scraps, ribbon or lace to decorate
* This craft is a bit complicated, but you could prepare the heads with crowns before the class and have the children draw faces and decorate and “curl” the hair in class if you like.

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

9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages

There are a number of nice pictures here:

http://www.coloring.ws/esther.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 25 SADRACH, MESHACH and ABEDNEGO

2009-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer... Praise God, the King of kings and LORD of lords.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Daniel's three friends. They lived during the time of exile.. when the people of Israel had been taken away from the Promised Land because of their sinfulness. God works through these men to show that God is the almighty, the King of kings.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Read pages 212-216 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Today's Text: “Blessed be the LORD… for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way” Daniel 3: 28a &29b

7) Craft:

The Fiery Furnace…Before the lesson, photocopy template pieces for all the children (you may want to attach our text to the bottom of the main template right away). Cut and paste to assemble the scene. You can have the children make flames in several ways: 1) glue on torn stripped of red, orange and yellow construction paper 2) paint (you could do this with brushes or chunks of sponge in clothes pins) 3) glue on crumpled balls of red, orange and yellow tissue paper

Template pieces and detailed instructions here:

http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/mpapersma.htm

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”
10) Optional Coloring Pages
Quite a few different options here:
http://www.coloring.ws/sma.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 24 DANIEL

2009-05-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer...Thank God that he delivers us from sin and death, just like he delivered Daniel from the lion's den.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Daniel. Daniel lived during the time of exile.. when the people of Israel had been taken away from the Promised Land because of their sinfulness. God works through Daniel and his friends to show the power and majesty of God to both the Israelites and their rulers.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Daniel. Read pages 204-211, 217-223 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Blessed be the LORD… for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way” Daniel 3: 28a &29b (This text is also used for Lesson 17(b).)

7) Craft:

Daniel in the Lion’s Den… there are many variations of the “lion” craft available. The idea is that the children all make a lion and you make a puppet of Daniel (picture colored, backed with heavy paper and on a popsicle stick) so that you can help them visualize what it must have been like to be Daniel surrounded by all those hungry lions. And God delivered him!
Here are several lion variations:
Macaroni Lion: Provide each child with a basic lion face template. Have them color the lion’s face with crayons or markers and make the lion’s mane with glued on macaroni noodles (dyed brown if you like… noodles are easily dyed with a solution of rubbing alcohol and food coloring but need time to dry so you would have to do this ahead of time.) This picture will be heavy so is best mounted on a sheet of construction paper on which you could glue the text, too.

I like this lion template because the basic shapes are very simple. You could even draw these shapes directly onto the construction paper yourself. If you want to keep it simple, ignore all the other facial details.
http://www.first-school.ws/t/lionfacebw.htm

Yarn Lion: Same idea, except have the children glue on snips of brown/black/yellow yarn for the mane.
Paper Curl Lion: Same idea, except have the children glue on paper curls for the mane make of thin strips of brown construction paper curled with scissors

Lion Puppet.. using the same template (print it small enough that you have two per page and cut out before the lesson), give each child one lion face to color. Print and cut out the lion's body and let the kids color that too. Glue the face onto the bottom flap of a paper bag. Glue the body onto the front.

Lion's body: http://www.first-school.ws/t/baglion2.htm

Paper Plate Lion…use a paper plate for the lions head. Plates can be colored or painted yellow/orange. Provide children with triangles for ears/nose/mouth, circles for eyes so that they can make a face. You can make the mane by gluing on yarn or paper curls to the outside of the plate. If you have two sizes of plates, you could use the small plate for the head and the large plate for the body (staple securely together) and provide rectangles for legs and a long strip for a tail.

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

This one is good in that it shows Daniel, the lions and the king: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5u.htm

Daniel and a lion: http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/files/BibleABC/BibleColoringDVerse.pdf

http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_bible/daniel_lions_nt.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 23 ELIJAH and the Prophets of Baal

2009-05-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God for his power over all things.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a regular man who made mistakes, who was afraid sometimes, yet when it really mattered he trusted God. Elijah did amazing things with God's help and God did amazing things for Elijah and always took care of him

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Elijah. Read pages 180-185 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "Answer me, O Lord... so that these people will know that you ... are God. " 1 Kings18:37

7) Craft:

Pop-Up Altars: Have children decorate the outside of a paper cup (foam will work, but it's more difficult to color. Experiment at home to find out what coloring tools work best with the cups you have) to look like stones. You can also cut circles of grey/brown paper and have the children glue the stones on the cups. Poke a craft stick through the bottom of each cup. Have the children glue strips of yellow/red/orange tissue paper to the end of the craft stick that is inside the cup. Show the children how to pull the tissue paper flames so that they are inside the cup, and then push the stick up to make the flames appear. If you have time, retell the story using the felt board and have the children demonstrate the altar bursting into flame with their pop-up altars while you are telling the story.
Tissue Paper Flames... print out a picture of Elijah and the altar for each child. Allow them some time to color the picture with crayons first. Then, pass out paint in red/yellow/orange and have the children cover the altar with flames. If you don't have paint, provide strips of tissue paper and diluted white glue and allow the children to paint the glue on the picture and add lots of tissue paper.

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: Sing the closing song together with the children. 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

Elijah and the altar: http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/classmat/mountcarmel.htm

http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/pdf/Old/Curr099.pdf

Unit 1: Lesson 22 ELIJAH

2009-05-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a nice little song (with music) about Elijah that you could sing today:
http://www.thedowsschoolroom.com/biblesongselijah.shtml
See other song selections under "craft" section. These are nice to sing AFTER you have made the craft in order to clarify the connection between the raven and Elijah.

3) Prayer... thank God for providing for us, especially in our times of trouble

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a regular man who made mistakes, who was afraid sometimes, yet when it really mattered he trusted God. Elijah did amazing things with God's help and God did amazing things for Elijah and always took care of him.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Elijah. Read pages 176-179 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “I have ordered the ravens to feed you.” 1 Kings 17:4

7) Craft:

Handprint Ravens: Print out and photocopy template (prior to lesson) see: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mhandprintcrow.htm. Have the children color the template pieces. Cut out the template pieces. Trace the child's hands on another piece of paper and cut out (two handprints) -- black construction paper works well. Glue the raven together: glue the head (circle) to the body (upside down teardrop shape); glue the face onto the head; glue the tuft of feathers to the top of the head; glue the tail to the back of the body; glue the feet onto the bottom of the body; glue the handprint wings on the back of the body; glue the flower on a wing or beside the neck. To save some time, you should have the body and the head cut out of black construction paper prior to the lesson.
Materials needed: template, black construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue
Picture of Raven with Food: Photocopy picture of raven and hand. Have children color the picture. Glue cheerios or popcorn or some sort of food into the raven’s mouth and the hand. Materials: template, crayons, cheerios or popcorn I like this picture here: http://www.daniellesplace.com/Images15/elijahbirdactivitysheet.gif
Raven puppet: see http://www.experiencemission.org/uploads/Lesson_8_Elijah.pdf
Raven "clothes pins": see http://www.calvarychapelutahvalley.com/images/stories/library/childrensministry/OldTestament/07Prophets/01Prophets_God%20Provides4Elijah.pdf
Here is another song to sing: "God will Take Care of You"
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,God will take care of you;Beneath His wings of love abide,God will take care of you.
Refrain:God will take care of you,Through every day, o’er all the way;He will take care of you,God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail,God will take care of you;When dangers fierce your path assail,God will take care of you. Refrain
All you may need He will provide,God will take care of you;Nothing you ask will be denied,God will take care of you. Refrain
No matter what may be the test,God will take care of you;Lean, weary one, upon His breast,God will take care of you. Refrain
or you can sing this one: "Elijah was a Prophet of God"
(Tune: Zacchaeus was a Wee Little Man)
Elijah was a prophet of God; a prophet of God was he.
He told King Ahab it would not rain, no, no more rain he’d see.
And then he ran to hide away, with the birds and bees.
And God said, “Ravens, you take care of him.
For I have something for him to do, for I have something for him to do.”

Unit 1: Lesson 21 SOLOMON

2009-05-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... pray for wisdom to do what is right in God's eyes.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Solomon. God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and Solomon asked for wisdom. God made him wiser than anyone who had ever lived and used Solomon’s wisdom to bless the people of Israel.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Solomon. Read pages 168-173 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: Solomon prayed to God, “Give thy servant therefore an
understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.” I Kings 3:9a

7) Craft:

Wisdom scroll… Before the lesson, print out a selection of Solomon’s proverbs on a sheet of paper. Copy for each child. Trim the pages so that they are just slightly shorter than the length of a new pencil. At craft time, have the children wrinkle their pages gentle and dip them in a strong tea solution to make them look old. Set them out to dry (you may use a hair dryer to speed the process. When dry, tape each end securely around a new unsharpened pencil and have the children roll the two ends around the pencils until they meet in the middle. Now they have their own ancient scroll of wisdom!
Walking in God's Ways... use washable poster paint to paint each child's foot on a large paper plate or a sheet of heavier poster paper. Print along the top: Let us walk in the ways of the Lord. If you use a paper plate, you can loop a string around the top so that it can be hung!

Unit 1: Lesson 20 DAVID THE KING

2009-05-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Sing one of King David's psalms today. Try Psalm 23 as that is familiar to many little ones.

3) Prayer... Praise God who is a loving shepherd, who cares his people.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through David. David was just a young shepherd boy, but God saw his heart and called him to be king of Israel and do many great things.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about David. Read pages 161-167 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

7) Craft:

Crown Craft… cut crowns from poster board and staple to fit each child’s head. Decorate with stickers, confetti, markers or foam shapes for “jewles”.
Basic crown w/ "jewels"

feeling like royalty!

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

http://www.sundayschoolprintables.com/coloring/kingdavid2.php

http://www.sermons4kids.com/david_playing_harp_colorpg.htm

http://www.sermons4kids.com/david_anointed_cc_colorpg.htm

http://www.sermons4kids.com/david_anointed_wph_colorpg.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 19 DAVID and GOLIATH

2009-05-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here are a few song options for today:

"Only a Boy Named David"
Only a boy named David - Only a little sling - Only a boy named David - But he could pray and sing - Only a boy named David - Only a rippling brook - Only a boy named David - But five little stones he took.
And one little stone went in the sling - And the sling went round and round - And one little stone went in the sling - And the sling went round and round - And round and round - And round and round - And round and round and round - And one little stone went up in the air - And the giant came tumbling down.

Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv-Kof3wNKM&feature=related
Big and Small (Tune: Deep and wide)
Big and small - Big and small- Goliath was big and David small
Big and small- Big and small- Goliath was big and David small
Trust in God- Trust in God- He'll take care of you so trust in God
Trust in God- Trust in God- He'll take care of you so trust in God

David and the Giant(Tune: Pop Goes the Weasel)
There once was a giant who wanted to fight
God's chosen people
All were scared and wanted to hide,
Then out came David.
David was a small shepherd,
But he trusted God
He took a sling and five little stones
Down fell the giant.

3) Prayer... pray for strength to do mighty things for God.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through David. David was just a young shepherd boy, but God saw his heart and called him to be king of Israel and do many great things.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about David. Read pages 152-160 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
“…the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” 1 Samuel 16:13

7) Craft:

David the Shepherd Craft: Print out or photocopy the template so that you have enough for all the children. Have the children color the pieces as appropriate and cut them out. Glue the large rectangular piece around the toilet paper tube. Glue the rectangle (belt) around the middle of the tube. Glue the head onto the top of the tube and the arms on the sides. Fold the tabs of the feet and glue them under the tube to make a 3 D effect. Glue the sheep into the shepherd's arms or onto the front of the tube near his feet. To save time you could have precut the large and small rectangle out of construction paper. See picture below. Ideally, you would use a paper towel roll to make a "Goliath" but I am having trouble finding a template that would work for that. Any suggestions?
Materials needed: Template, toilet paper rolls, glue, scissors, something to color with.

Here is a template for a sheperd boy:

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/babel.gif

David's Shepherd's Bag and Stones!
You'll need:brown lunch bag,small stones or white rocks,crayons or markers,black permanent marker
Directions:On each brown bag write "Stay Close To God!" Add today’s text. Give each child a bag and have them draw a picture of David and Goliath and decorate as desired or glue on a coloring page of David and Goliath. Give each child 5 stones to represent the five stones that David had for his sling shot. Have them write the letters D A V I D on each stone with a permanent marker to make the five stones spell DAVID. Put the stones in each bag. The brown bag represents David's shepherd's bag.
Activity Idea: If your room is big enough, mark on the wall a spot 9' high. Then mark a spot about 5' high. Have the students stand up against the marks to see how tall they are against David and Goliath.

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

9) Going Home: 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?

(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages

http://www.coloring.ws/david.htm
http://www.sermons4kids.com/david_goliath_wph_colorpg.htm
http://www.sermons4kids.com/david_goliath_colorpg.pdf

Unit 1: Lesson 18 SAMUEL

2009-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer... ask God to show us how he wants US to serve him.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Samuel. His mother had no children and prayed for a son. When God gave her Samuel, she gave Samuel back into God’s service and God used Samuel to bring his word to the Israelites.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Samuel. Read pages 142-148 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: And Hannah prayed and said, “There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides thee; there is no rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2

7) Craft:

Promise Pocket… Before the lesson, draw a shirt template on a sheet of paper and put today’s text underneath. Draw a pocket shape. At craft time, allow the children to color and decorate their shirts and glue on the pockets. In the pocket, put slips of paper that say: “Hannah promised to return her son to the Lord to serve God as long as he lives.” “God promises us…” (ask the children for ideas!) and “I can keep my promises, too!”

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/379063/2/istockphoto_379063-t-shirt-template.jpg

God calls Samuel... Each child gets one sheet of construction paper for the base, one square of a different color for the blanket and a small square for a pillow. Glue pillow on base. Glue bottom edge only of blanket. This craft is really nice if you make it with fabric scraps, too. Make Samuel puppet by coloring picture of Samuel, gluing to heavy paper and attaching to popsicle stick. Children can then replay the calling of Samuel by popping him out of bed when the Lord calls his name.

Here is a simple picture of a boy in his pajamas that could work for the puppet:
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.momsnetwork.com/kids/coloring/boypajama.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.momsnetwork.com/kids/coloring/boypajama.shtml&usg=__pA4SwmoHIDqrE5gu7HYCCD2RycE=&h=683&w=353&sz=12&hl=en&start=76&um=1&tbnid=BpFv3Yufw0sgmM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcoloring%2Bpage%2Bboy%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBR_enCA307CA307%26sa%3DN%26start%3D72%26um%3D1

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”
10) Optional Coloring Sheets
http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5z.htm
http://www.coloring.ws/hannah.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 17 RUTH

2009-05-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3)Prayer... Thank God today for family and friends who love us.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Ruth. Ruth was from a county called Moab, not God’s chosen people, Israel. But God blessed her faithfulness by working through her to bring new life!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Ruth. Read pages 139-141 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). This story is told a bit too quickly for my liking! If you are comfortable with this, please feel free to flesh the story out a bit on your own.
6) Text: Today’s Text is: “ Where you go I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” Ruth 1:16b
7) Craft:

Gathering the Wheat: if you happen to teach this lesson in just the right time of year (like I did) you can do this craft. Print out the picture of Ruth with an arm full of wheat (see www.coloring.ws/ruth.htm .) Have the children color Ruth and then use masking tape to attach several pieces of wheat in her arms. I had some very interesting chats with my group about why Ruth would be doing thing and how this would be useful for feeding herself and Naomi. We talked about how the farm workers cut and gathered wheat and acted this out, too. A simple craft, but lots of learning. Can easily be combined with the friendship bracelet/necklace craft.

Ruth… make of copy of the template pieces for each children. Cut out all the pieces ahead of time and put each set of pieces in a small zip bag so that you have the right number of complete sets.Allow them to color the pieces. Wrap a toilet paper roll with the rectangle to make Ruth’s dress. Glue on the head, arms, feet, belt and basket of wheat. Copying the template onto heavier paper or gluing regular paper onto construction paper will give the craft a bit more durability.
You need: template, crayons/markers, scissors, glue, toilet paper rolls
The template can be found here: http://www.dltk-bible.com/mruth.html
My 7 year old did this one entirely independantly. Our 3-5 year olds in Story Hour would need the pieces cut out first, and will need some assistance with assembly.

Friendship bracelets/necklaces… talk about the love between Ruth and Naomi. Ruth stayed with Naomi, even though that meant leaving her home! Now, make two simple necklaces: one for you and one to share with a friend. Necklace/bracelet suggestions: use curling ribbon for easy threading- just cut one end on an angle. Large plastic beads, large foam bead and “froot loops” all make easy bracelets for this age group.

(photo: 1st is the curling ribbon showing a bead tied on the end and the threading end cut on an angle. Foam bead are easy for 3-5 year olds to string and don't roll off the table. Bonus, eh? 2nd is a completed curling ribbon bracelet. This will turn out nicely regardless of whether the child strings on only a few bead, or as many as he/she can. 3rd is a similar bracelet, strung on a pipe cleaner. This is even easier than ribbon for the younger ones.)

Another variation is to do the full necklace. I printed today's text on cardstock and cut it into "tags" and punched a hole at the top to connect the craft to the lesson again.

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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
There are a few different options here:
http://www.coloring.ws/ruth.htm
http://www.biblecoloringpages.org/showcover/Old_Testament/Ruth_And_Boaz

Unit 1: Lesson 16 SAMSON

2009-05-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

Here is a good song for today "My God is so Big"

My God is so big, So strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap clap]
My God is so big, So strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap clap]
The mountains are His, The valleys are His, The stars are His handiwork too.
My God is so big, So strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap clap]

Here is a musical refresher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pL7msQYNLk

3) Prayer... ask God to work the Holy Spirit in our hearts to make us willing and ready to serve.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Samson. Samson was a Nazarite… that means that he was not allowed to cut his hair, drink any wine or eat anything unclean. But this did not make his strong – his strength came from God!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Samson. Read pages 134-138 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “O God, please strengthen me...” Judges 16:28

7) Craft:

“So Strong” Weights:
You'll need:Four Paper Bowls for each Child,One Cardboard Paper Towel Tube for each child,Stickers,Markers,Crayons,Scissors,Glue
Directions:Cut a hole in the center of two of the bowls for each child.Give each child four bowls and let them decorate them. Help the children poke the cardboard tube through the holes in the bowls. Spread glue around the rim of the other two bowls and attach them to the bowls on the cardboard tube.
We are Strong in the Lord Poster:
In the center of a sheet of poster paper, print “We are strong in the Lord”. Have each child dip their hand in washable paint and stamp their handprint on the poster. Write each child’s name near their handprint. Children like to take something home with theme, too, so at the same time, have them stamp their hand print on a separate sheet of paper with the title on it to bring home. Hang the poster in the classroom.
Strength of Samson
You'll need:Large sheets of black yellow or brown construction paper,scissors,stapler,marker
Directions:Distribute construction paper and scissors. Help the children cut a fringe by making several slits in the paper from one long edge to the other, stopping one inch from the end each time. Place around child's head to measure length. Staple to fit child's head. Cut all fringes that hang over child's face. The children now have hair like Samson.

8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”
10) Optional Coloring Pages:
http://www.free-coloring-pages.com/pages/bible-41.html

Unit 1: Lesson 15 GIDEON

2009-05-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... Praise God for his strength and almighty power. What a GREAT God we have!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Gideon. Gideon was a farmer, not a soldier, and he had many doubts about what God was telling him to do. But God uses the small and the weak to do mighty things for his people!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Gideon. Read pages 130-133 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
“The Lord turned to Gideon and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’” Judges 6:14

7) Craft:

Trumpet craft: You can make trumpets with some yellow poster paper and a cardboard toilet paper tube. Cut out your horn shape on the paper. Each child will need two horn shapes. Then glue the shapes around the paper tube (use lots of white glue, not glue sticks.) This gives the horn a nice round shape where students can place their mouths.

All the pieces: The finished "trumpet"

I used construction paper here, but I would recommend poster paper so that the children can really play with these. My daughter wanted some buttons to press when she played her horn, so I hot-glue gunned some colorful buttons on the top. Lots of play value in this one!

300 trumpets and 300 broken jars... cut out a picture of a trumpet and a jar and glue them side by side on a page. Make a copy for each child. Give the children scraps of construction paper cut in jagged shapes/ triangles and have them glue them onto the jar to show how the jar was broken. Give them shiny gold/silver confetti shapes to glue on to the trumpet to show the shiny trumpet or use glitter glue. (photos: blank templates; finished craft - it's hard to tell on the photo, but my girl covered the trumpet with sparkle glitter.)

Here is a jar template: http://www.mssscrafts.com/crafts/takeonejar/largejar.htm

Here is a trumpet template: http://www.edupics.com/en-coloring-pictures-pages-photo-trumpet-i5957.html

Gideon Door Hanger… choose your favorite coloring picture from the story of Gideon and have the children color it. Cut and glue onto a paper plate. Around the edges of the plate, write in black marker “God uses the small and weak to do mighty things!” Use a hole punch to put two holes about 3-4 inches apart near the top of the plate. Tie a string in both holes so that the hanger can be looped over a door knob. Glue the text on the bottom of each plate. The children can decorate the plate with stickers if you wish.
You need: color pictures, markers/crayons, scissors, glue, paper plates, hole punch, string, stickers

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

9) Going Home: Sing the closing song with the children. 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:

http://www.bible-stories-library.com/media-files/gideon_midianites_color.pdf

http://www.bible-stories-library.com/media-files/gideon_angel_color.pdf

Glanbrook - Coloring Pages File Box

2009-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Alice had a great idea on Sunday! We are going to add a file box in our Story Hour area with a labeled file folder for each Bible story.

How is this helpful?

Before your lesson, check the file to see if there are any leftover coloring sheets or cut-out craft pieces in your lesson's file. That can save you some time!

After your lesson, file away any extra coloring sheets that you may have printed/photocopied for your lesson. Also, if you prepared more crafts than you needed (I usually prepare for 12 children, although our average is 8), tuck the extra craft materials into a zip-lock baggie or clip them together with a paper clip and add them to the file for next time.

As we go through the lessons, we should be able to collect a file of extra materials so that you can grab a few extra if you have a large crowd that day, and you can pull out an extra coloring page if you have a busy, coloring-friendly group.

* Not in Glanbrook? What do you do with left-over craft materials and coloring sheets?

Unit 1: Lesson 14 JOSHUA

2009-05-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song (go around the circle or table and introduce each child) and our Story Hour Theme song.
Learning our names song:
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Opening Prayer... ask God to give us the strength and courage to face the challenges He sets before us, too.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Joshua. God tells Joshua time and time again to “Be strong and courageous” because God was going to use him to bring his people Israel into the promised land!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Joshua. Read pages 116-125 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “Be strong and courageous” Joshua 1:7a

7) Craft:

Trumpet: You can blow this horn just like Joshua did at the walls of Jericho. http://www.makingfriends.com/biblecrafts/shofar.htm for a picture. Decorate a large piece of brown kraft paper with stamped or painted designs (the kids can colour using markers, crayons etc too). Apply glue to the back of the brown paper after decorating, and then wrap it while still wet round the party horn. Trim excess, bend the open end up a little as shown in photo above. Let dry.You need: New Year's/birthday Party Horn (dollar store,Brown Craft Paper, White Glue, Rubber Stamps and Ink Pads or Paint and Brushes, Glitter ,Scissors
* also see trumpet ideas for Gideon (Lesson 1-10)
You can use the trumpet crafts to march around a table and sing any/all of these songs.
*Here We Go Round the Jericho Wall* (Tune: Mulberry Bush) Here we go round the Jericho wall Jericho wall, Jericho wall Here we go round the Jericho wall Early in the morning 2. This is the way we blow our horns 3. This is the way we quietly walk 4. This is the way we shout really loud 5. This is the way the walls fall down
March ,March Around Jericho* (Tune: Row, Row, Row your Boat) March, march quietly Around Jericho Once a day for six straight days Only trumpets blow. March, march seven times On the seventh day When long trumpets blow, let yourself go And shout the walls away.
Jericho's Wall Came Falling Down(to the Tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down") Joshua got a plan from God, plan from God, plan from God. Joshua got a plan from God, Hallelujah! Israel marched around the wall, 'round the wall, 'round the wall. Israel marched around the wall, Hallelujah! Seven priests blew seven horns, seven horns, seven horns. Seven priests blew seven horns, Hallelujah! All of Israel gave a shout, gave a shout, gave a shout. All of Israel gave a shout, Hallelujah! Jericho's walls came falling down, falling down, falling down. Jericho's walls came falling down, Hallelujah! Rahab saved her family, family, family. Rahab saved her family, Hallelujah!

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

9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages
http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5p.htm
http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_bible/jericho_nt.htm
http://www.bible-stories-library.com/media-files/walls_jericho_color.pdf

Unit 1: Lesson 13 ISRAEL IN THE DESERT (Worship)

2009-05-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity: building with blocks would be perfect today. If you can find some squares of fabric in blue, purple and red to add to the mix as "curtains", that would be even better, although goat hair, ram skins dyed red and the hide of sea cows may be a bit hard to come by!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... Ask God to give us hearts willing to worship him.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God worked through Israel while they were in the desert. God gave Moses instructions for how to build a holy place - a tabernacle - where they could worship him rightly.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about the Israelites building the tabernacle. Read pages 112-115 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Exodus 40:34b

7) Craft:

God provides a place for worship…talk about the tabernacle that the Lord told the people to build. What did it look like? What did the people do there? Show the children pictures of some of the items from the tabernacle. Relate that to our worship today. Where do we go? What do we do there? What things do we see in our church service? Have the children color the picture of the church. Draw a picture of “me” worshipping God.

http://www.sundayschoolresources.com/images/cpt4church.gif

The tabernacle... Print out a picture of the tabernacle and remove all the items inside so that you only have the outside walls. Add the text to the bottom. Then, find and shrink pictures of as many of the items from inside the tabernacle as you can. Have the kids color the pictures and cut and paste them inside the walls of the tablernacle - talk about what each item is and what is taught the Israelites about God.

the ark of the covenant
the table of showbread
the golden lampstand
the altar of incense
the altar of burnt offering
the washing basin
the priestly garments
the tent of meeting
the holy of holies

A fun song to sing as you are working on your craft:

This is the Way We Go to Church
(sung with the same tune as “this is the way we brush our teeth”)
This is the way we go to church, go to church, go to church
This is the way we go to church every Sunday morning.
This is the way we praise Him, praise Him, praise Him
This is the way we praise Him every Sunday morning.
This is the way we bow and pray, bow and pray, bow and pray
This is the way we bow and pray every Sunday morning.

.... you can add modify this song and use it to sing about the Israelites and the things they did in the temple, too. (For example, This is the way the priests light the candle...)

Trust in the Shelter of your Wings... here is a nice craft idea that is a little more abstract. If you have good illustrations of the tablenacle and spend time looking at them with the children, you could do this craft as a follow up. Doing only this craft will leave the little ones walking away from the lesson thinking that the tabernacle is a kind of bird!!

http://www.newchurchvineyard.org/religion/the-tabernacle/activities/Project_Make-Two-Wings.pdf ... based on Psalm 61:4 "I will abide in your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of your wings.

A Model of the Tabernacle... there are several different sites that include instructions for making a simple model of the tabernacle. This would be a very useful learning tool and could be used over and over again. If you are able to make these items, you could set them out for the children to explore and talk about and play with instead of doing a craft. Just have some coloring sheets available for those who like to color and to send home with anyone else. This one is simple and inexpensive: http://www.squidoo.com/tabernacle

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

9) Going Home: 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
the tabernacle: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5a149.htm

the ark of the covenant: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5a56.htm

the high priest: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5a57.htm

the holy of holies: http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/5a109.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 12 ISRAEL IN THE DESERT (10 Commandments)

2009-05-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

To teach the children the 10 Commandments with Song, check out this site:
http://gardenofpraise.com/tencom.htm for lyrics and music

3) Prayer: Thank God for his commandments that show us how to live obedient and thankful lives.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God worked through Israel while they were in the desert. God brought the people out of Egypt with great and mighty wonders and parted the Red Sea for them to pass through. Now, God gives them 10 commandments to teach the people how they are to live. Are they obedient to God's commands?

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about God giving the Israelites the Ten Commandments, "God's Laws" . Read pages 106-111 (R pg 113-117) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "And God spoke all these words..." Exodus 20:1

7) Craft:

Ten Commandments… cut two tablet shapes for each child from grey construction paper. Print out a simplified version of the 10 commandments sized to fit on the tablets. Have the children cut and paste the commandments on the stone tablets. I like this one b/c it's from the NIV, but you may type out your own to fit if you like.
http://www.teacherhelp.org/pdf/Ten%20CommandmentsNIV.pdf
10 Commandments Activity... do this fingerplay with the children!

God is one and there is no other........... (point one finger up.)He is the lord, there is not another.........(raise hand up.)
An idol makes God number 2 ............. (Hold up one finger on eachhand.)And second place for God won't do ......(Cross fingers.)
Three fingers keep our words in check ....(Hold up three fingers.)Speak God's name with respect ............ (Cover and uncover mouth withthree fingers.)
Four fingers stand for arms and feet ...... (Hold up four fingers.)Remember the Sabbath day to keep ........... (Walk four fingers on yourarm.)
God gives us parents when we're small ....(Turn palm down toward floor.)Honor them while you grow tall .............(Raise it higher.)
Five fingers for a body ................ (Hold up five fingerson one hand.)One finger for a sword ................ (and one finger on the otherhand.)Do not kill another ......................(One finger stabs into theother five.)Is the commandment of the lord.
God made a husband and a wife .... (Hold up two fingers on one hand,five on the other.)To stay together all through life ......(Lay down two fingers, facingup, five represent blanketcovering them.)
Ten take away two is eight ........... (Hold up ten fingers. Then put two fingers down.)Stealing is a sin God hates.
You aren't 10, you're number 9 ..... (Hold up ten fingers; then put onefinger down.)Speak the truth; you'll do jut fine.
Ten fingers pulling in, in, in ............ (Turn palms up, pulling in.) To want, want, want can be a sin.

Ten Commandments Group Craft... print out the calendar for this year to hang on your Story Hour bulletin board at church. Have each child color one or two pictures and post the calendar in the Story Hour room.

http://www.dltk-cards.com/calendar/commandments/index.htm

This is the fourth commandment printed with the whole year calendar on it. You can print one commandment for each month if you want to assemble a class calendar or you can give each child a year at a glance page with one commandment on it.

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

Unit 1: Lesson 11 ISRAEL IN THE DESERT (General)

2009-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together” )
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Opening Prayer... ask God today to give us obedient hearts and to help us fight the temptation to grumble and complain

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God worked through Israel while they were in the desert. God brought the people out of Egypt with great and mighty wonders and parted the Red Sea for them to pass through. Now, God prepares the people to enter into the promised land. Are they happy and obedient to God? Let’s find out!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Israel in the Desert. Read pages 102-105 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “And God spoke all these words, ‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Exodus 20:2

7) Craft:

God Guides His People… Give each child one small paper plate. Have the children decorate the one side with cotton balls (this is the cloud by day) and the other side with strips of yellow/orange/red tissue paper flames (this is the pillar of fire by night). When the plate is decorated, give each child a clothes pin to clip on the bottom of the plate for a handle. Take some time to go on a pretend "march" through the desert. Act out marching, then stopping at night to eat and drink, then waking up in the morning to find manna, then marching again. As you march, use the sign and flip it from pillar of cloud to pillar of flame.
God Provides for his People… make a quail puppet from a paper bag. Cut small yellow triangle for a beak, a small black cirle (or buttons) for eyes and lots of brown feather shapes. Allow the children to glue and decorate the feathers as they wish. Have them glue the eyes and beak on the front flaps so that you can use it as a puppet. Today’s text can be glued near the bottom of the bag.

See this site for a picture:
http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/birdcrafts.html
8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”
10) Optional Coloring Pages...
Gathering manna:
http://www.sermons4kids.com/manna-from-heaven-colorpg.htm
Quail:
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/quail.gif

Unit 1: Lesson 10 MOSES (and the 10 plagues)

2009-04-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

Animals...set out some of the animals involved with the plagues: plastic animals, and finger puppets all work here.
Felt board... set out all the pieces involved in the Bible stories of Moses and allow the children to use the pieces to retell the story in their own words and explore what might happen next.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a simple song to reinforce the story today: sung to the tune of "This Old Man"

First God sent, Plague number one,Turned the Nile into blood.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number two, Jumping frogs all over you.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!
Then God sent, Plague number three, Swarms of gnats from head to knee.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number four, Filthy flies need we say more?All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number five, All the livestock up and died.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent,Plague number six,Boils and sores to make you sickAll the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low.They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number seven, Hail and lighting down from heaven.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number eight, Locust came and they sure ate.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number nine, Total darkness all the time.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowThey told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number ten, Pharaoh's son died so he gave in.All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty lowFinally Pharaoh let them go

For credits and to listen to this song, click here: http://www.kidssundayschool.com/Gradeschool/Songs/1song01.php

3) Prayer... Praise God for his power over all creation and every nation!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Moses. God shows that he is more powerful than any earthly king, and more wise than any earthly wise man.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Moses and the 10 plagues. Read pages 86-95 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

You can use the Pharaoh, Moses, Aaron and plagues (frog and flies) pieces to help tell the story today.

6) Text: Today’s Text is: These things will happen "so that you may know there is no one like the Lord, our God." Exodus 8:10b

7) Craft:

The Ten Plagues (poster)… Before the lesson, take a large sheet of paper for each child and draw lines to divide into 10 even spaces. Write the names of each plague with their numbers in the spaces. Allow the children to draw/color the water into blood, hailstones and darkness. Provide small pictures for the other plagues and assist the children to glue them in the right space and color them. I used the same pictures as for the mini-book. My daughter liked having the book much better and it would be much easier to carry home from church. :-) This would make a good group craft to color together and display on the bulletin board, and you would have time to make a frog to take home! Paint the frogs, do the group poster, and then complete the frogs.
Reminder: 1) water into blood 2) frogs 3) gnats 4) flies 5) death of all the Egyptians animals 6) sores 7) hailstones 8) locusts 9) darkness 10) death of Egyptian first born.
The Ten Plagues (mini-book)... use the link below to find pictures for all 10 plagues. I copied and pasted all of the pictures into a document and reduced them all so that I had 2 pictures on every page, then added the titles underneath. Email me and I can send you the document to save you some work! Cut before the lesson (I used a paper cutter to make quick work of it, cutting each page 5"x7"). During the lesson, have the children find the correct pictures and put them in order. Give them a blank sheet of paper to fold in half for the cover (again, I just cut 5X7 rectangles from construction paper). Staple the pages together and have each child write a big number "10" on the front, then glue/write the text on the front cover.. Some children may want to color the pictures right away and some will enjoy reading it to you, instead.You can do this and one frog craft together.

There are pictures of all 10 plagues here: http://coloringbookfun.com/moses/index.htm

The plague of frogs (Paper Plate). There are several ways to make really cute frogs and kids like frogs. They may not understand why this is a plague. After you have made the frogs, have the kids use them to imagine frogs in their beds, in their food, everywhere!
Frog (Paper Plate) Paint a small paper plate green. (Note: I found green paper plates at the local Dollar$ Store) Cut out arms and legs from green paper, and a tongue from red. paper. Cut out eyes from white paper and draw black circles in the center. Have the children glue on the eyes and staple the arms and legs and tongue in place. The frogs are cute just like this, but our kids wanted spots so we glued foam shapes all over them, too. If you have time, you may want to have the kids paint their plates green early on in the session and complete the craft later on.

( I cut all the legs with the same pattern, and then tucked the front legs under the plate a bit further to make them a little shorter. This cut down my "prep" time!)

The completed frog!

The Plague of Frogs (Rocks) Collect enough small to medium sized rocks for all the children and paint them green before class. Cut out arms, legs and tongue from construction paper. Attach to green rock with hot glue gun if necessary. Add googly eyes. Set on paper plate with child’s name and text. Again, painting could be done by children if you divide the craft into two work sections.

Experiment with the glue you have available first to see how well the arms, legs and eyes attach as there is nothing so disappointing as a limb-less frog. :-( White glue worked, but my daughter wanted to play with the frog right away. We tried it again with a glue gun and found the results much more satisfying. On the down side, you need to do the gluing yourself.

Frog (Paper Bag Puppet) Cut out smaller arms and longer legs from green construction paper. Cut out eye shapes and bend at the bottom to make a "tab" for gluing. Cut out a long strip of red/pink for the tongue and slightly curl the end. Glue all the pieces to the paper bag and decorate the frog with green crayons/markers or poster paints. My son used the green paint dabber to add spots instead and was very happy with how "froggy" this looked. Just FYI... most 5 year olds will be able to assemble this with little assistance if you have a sample available, but 3&4 year olds will need some help. Make sure that you have all the pieces cut out (and bagged in sets) and have an extra pair of hands around for this craft.

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

9) Going Home: .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 Page

Here is one option showing Moses and some of the 10 plagues:
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/exodus8to10.gif

Unit 1: Lesson 9 MOSES (and the burning bush)

2009-04-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer...

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Moses. God saved Moses from the anger of the Pharaoh when he was a small baby. Even though Moses thought he could NOT lead God’s people to the promised land, God uses Moses’s weaknesses to show God’s strength!

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Moses, focussing on his calling. Read pages 80-85 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Exodus 3:14b

7) Craft:

The Burning Bush (fingerpaint)... Print out a picture of Moses and the burning bush. Have the kids color Moses with crayons (not markers). Then, give every two children a small lid with some fingerpaint- a bit of red and a bit of yellow. Show them the bush in the picture and have them paint the red and yellow on the bush to make fire.

Here is a good picture to use. They summarize Exodus 3:14 " I am that I am", which sounds a bit awkward. I would just glue our text over top of that.
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/exodus3.14.gif

The Burning Bush (tissue paper)... Print out a picture of Moses and the burning bush. Have the kids color Moses with crayons (not markers). Then, give each child a variety of thin strips of tissue paper in red and yellow (and orange if you like, although wherever the red and yellow overlap, if will appear orange) and have them glue them on the burning bush. This is best done with white glue in cups with a q-tip as a bit of moisture will allow the colors in the tissue paper to bleed a little. (photo coming soon)

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

9) Going Home: 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?

(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages:
Lots of nice picture relating to Moses's life can be found here:
http://coloringbookfun.com/moses/index.htm

Unit 1: Lesson 8 MOSES (as a baby)

2009-04-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”

Thank you God for (name)

For (name), for (name)

Thank you God for (name)

We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer... Thank the Lord today for using our weaknesses for his glory.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Moses. God saved Moses from the anger of the Pharaoh when he was a small baby. Even though Moses thought he could NOT lead God’s people to the promised land, God uses Moses’s weaknesses to show God’s strength!.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Moses. Read pages 77-79 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). I have divided the story of Moses into several sections. You may choose one section to focus on each year, or you can do all the sections.

6) Text: Today’s Text is: "She named him Moses, saying, 'I drew him out of the water.'" Exodus 2:10b

7) Craft:

The Baby Moses #1….Cut a square of brown paper for each child. Fold gently lengthwise and staple the ends. Press basket down to make a nice “bottom”. Also, prepare a "baby Moses" for each child. String a large round pink/white/wooden bead onto a pink pipe cleaner so that it is about ½ way. Twist several times to make the neck. With each end of pipe cleaner, form one arm and one leg. Twist two ends together. You may draw a face with a permanent marker if you wish. We have tried to do this with the children, but it's a bit too time consumeing. At craft time, have the children glue a piece of blue tissue paper on a small paper plate to make the "river". Attach the basket to the river with a brad. Give each child a "baby" a cotton ball for a pillow and a scrap of fabric for a blanket and let them tuck the baby into the basket and float it in the river. This craft does require some extra preparation, but the results are well worth it!

The Baby Moses #2: Print out the template pieces and cut them all out ahead of time. Then, have the childen assemble the picture like a puzzle and glue them on to a sheet of blue construction paper. The picture can then be colored, if you like.

Moses template: http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/mpapermoses.htm

The Baby Moses #3: Print out the baby Moses template and cut out one for each child. Cut two "baskets" out of brown constuction paper and use a hole punch to make holes along the edge. Have the children lace the two sides of the baskets together with brown yarn, looping the end of the string around to make a handle. Color the baby and put him in the basket.

Template can be found here: http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/Bible%20Themes%20-%20Moses.html

* turns out this lacing is a bit difficult for 3 and 4 year olds. To make it easier, reduce the number of holes. You could also cut the yarn and stiffen one end with white glue ahead of time to make it a bit easier to poke through!

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

9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together, just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional coloring pages:
Here is a good one to use today:
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/babymoses.gif
Lots of good coloring pages about Moses's life can be found here:
http://coloringbookfun.com/moses/index.htm
More baby Moses:
http://www.coloringpages.net/pages/bible-24.html
http://www.coloringpages.net/pages/bible-37.html

Paint/Glue Dabbers

2009-04-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

How do you paint on Sunday?! Easy, use these:

I LOVE these paint dabbers from Crafty Dab. The colors are bright; they dry very quickly; they are super washable; they are sooo neat and clean that you can paint at church in your sunday clothes with NO mess. Gotta love them!

They are available at Michael's (among other places...)

You can check them out here:
http://www.daboink.com/craftydab/about_us.php

...and have a tub of baby wipes handy for a quick clean up!

They also make glue dabbers. I have tried them out with my children and find them to be as wonderful at the paint dabbers. Neat, clean and easy to apply. However, this glue is good only for paper to paper. If you are gluing on something heavier (like yarn or googly eyes) or attaching things that need to take some wear (like paper around a toilet roll to make a "puppet" toy), stick with trusty white glue. If the lid is left off by accident, you can simply rinse the dabber under warm water and ta-da - back in business! Who could ask for anything more?

Playdough... in church! Really?

2009-04-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sure - even with carpet!

Commercial playdough is loaded with strong dyes that can stain carpet and clothing. Replaceing the playdough every few months really adds up and a few tiny pieces on the floor are visible from a mile away and stick like glue.

I like home-made playdough because:

it doesn't stain
it's super washable off fancy sunday outfits
it sweeps or vacuums up easily
it's non-toxic and edible (although it tastes yucky)

Here is my favorite recipe:

Measure 2 c boiling water and pour in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 c salt until it's dissolved. Add 2 pkgs Kool-Aid* drink powder, 3 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tbsp alum. Stir until combined. Then, adding 1/2 c flour at a time, add 2-3 cup flour to the hot water. Stir until the mixture forms a smooth ball of dough. You will need to get your hands in there at the end. Kneed the warm dough to smooth out any remaining lumps. Store in a sealed container. Refridgeration is NOT neccessary. Playdough will last 2-5 months depending upon how heavily it's used.

* it's got to be Kool-Aid! Cheap drink powders make crumbly playdough that dries out too easily.

Playdough Rules: keep it simple. Here are the rules that work for me. Repeat them to the children each time you bring out the playdough. Remember kids,

1) playdough stays ON the table 2) playdough is NOT a snack!

Welcome Activities

2009-04-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

What you chose to do as a "Welcome" activity depends on how many children you have, and how much space you have. I suggest that you have a welcome activity(s) prepared so that the children have something to do as they come into the room. This gets your Bible Story Hour off the a good start by providing a calm, structured beginning. "Begin how you to mean to go on," the experts say.

Here are some ideas for a welcome activity:

coloring... have crayons/markers and paper ready on the table. Here is a good place to use an extra coloring sheet that relates to the Bible story!
playdough... a few lumps of playdough and some playdough "tools" get the kids to the table and busy. Just keep the tools to a minimum (think 1/child) or clean up becomes a big deal.
dress up box... think simple and generic here - some long multi-colored scarfs, skirts, a fishing vest and straw hats, king and queen crowns and capes, etc.
books... have a selection of good quality, age appropriate books on hand. Allow the children to sit and look at them, or have your assistant read aloud. We are working on a collection of Christian books for our Children's Room.
toys... this can work really well, but think "quiet play" and plan for about 1-2/child. You don't want the kids to be running around whooping it up so that you start your lesson with hyper children and a big mess. A small bucket full of animals can keep a group of 3-5 year olds occupied until you are ready to begin the lesson. In our Room, we have a bucket of animals, a collection of multicultural people, a bin of wooden blocks and a bin of wooden puzzles and other simple games.
puppets... small children learn with their ears, eyes, noses and especially with their HANDS! Puppets are an excellent way to make the stories real and memorable for little people. A collection of animals is great - think sheep, cow, camel, donkey, frog, bird, etc. Make people puppets that are not tied down to just one bible character (for example, make a boy, young man and an old man, rather than Samuel, Jonathan and Noah). Don't forget to include a king, queen and soldiers!
felt board... cover a tack board with inexpensive felt. Laminate pictures (even coloring book pictures, carefully colored work well) and add some adhesive velcro to the back. Set out the pictures that connect with the day's story and allow the children to play with them on the felt board.
musical instruments... a collection of simple, durable instruments goes a long way. Think baby food jars "shakers" with rice or bean, strings of bells, sandpaper blocks, tamborines, and "clappers".

If you have the room for more than one activity, set up a table with some books or coloring and a bucket of toys for play. You can use these same activities at the end of the lesson if you finish early and want to avoid "run around and scream" time. Parents love to pick up their children from a busy room filled with the murmer of happy children.

A small CD player with a CD of children's songs/hymns playing in the background sets a similar happy atmosphere.

Unit 1: Lesson 7 JOSEPH

2009-04-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”)
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer... Thank God that he is in control of everything. Thank him for guiding our way.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit, that God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows that theme. Joseph’s brothers were doing wrong to Joseph by selling him into slavery, but God had a plan to save all the Israelite from the famine using Joseph in Egypt.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Joseph based on Genesis 37-45. Read pages 65-76 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: Genesis 45:8 “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

7) Craft:

Joseph’s Many Colored Coat… cut out the shape of a coat from construction paper. Give the children crayons/markers and colored paper scraps, scissors and glue and encourage them to decorate Joseph’s coat in many colors. They may glue the finished coat onto a sheet of white paper with the text on the bottom or you can simple write the text on the back of the coat. Materials Required: construction paper, bag of colored scraps. white paper, crayons, markers, glue. Alternatively, provide them with a coloring page of Joseph and have them decorate this coat with all the colored scraps.

Joseph's Coat (painting)... if you have invested in paint dabbers (see tip on "Noah"), then this would be a great time to bring them out. Let the children fill in the coat with lots of dabs of paint in many different colors. Kids can easily get carried away with paint dabbers, so emphasize that the paint is supposed to go ONLY on his coat!

Joseph’s Dreams… draw a line down the center of a piece of construction paper to divide the paper into two. Cut out the shapes: a person for Joseph, sheaves of wheat, the sun, moons and stars. Allow the children to choose and glue the shapes to show Joseph’s two dreams. You may want to prepare a sample for them to copy. If you can find them, use start stickers instead of paper cut outs. Older children may want to draw Joseph rather than glue on the paper person. Materials Required: construction paper, Joseph cut out shapes, star stickers, sun and moon cut out shapes, glue, crayons, markers (photos coming soon)

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

9) Going Home: 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?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

Unit 1: Lesson 6 JACOB AND ESAU

2009-04-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

If you are the musical type, you may want to learn this song and teach it to the children! Click here to listen. The full lyrics and score are available at http://www.gardenofpraise.com/
http://gardenofpraise.com/audiofiles/jacosong-1.wma
Here is a neat song to help us learn the names of Jacob's sons:

Sons of Jacob (to the tune of "Ten Little Indians")
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Issachar, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali,
Gad and Asher, Joseph, Benjamin
- These are the sons of Jacob.

3) Prayer: Ask God to use our weaknesses to show how strong HE is!

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through two brothers, Jacob and Esau. God uses the brother’s strengths as well as their weaknesses to show God’s power and might.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Jacob and Esau. Read pages 50-62 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: The Lord said to Rebekah, “and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; The one shall be stronger than the other, The elder shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:23

7) Craft:
Birthright Sold for a bowl of Soup- Clay Craft. Prepare “air dry” clay ahead of time, if you wish, or use plasticine. Make enough so that each child can make a small pot. Bring a small round cup and a rolling pin to cut out standard size bases for all the pots. You may wish to prepare a sample a few days ahead of time. At craft time, help the children roll a flat section and cut out bases for each child. Divide remaining dough into even lumps for each child and demonstrate how to roll a “snake” in your hands. Coil the length of clay around the base of the pot to make an old fashioned soup pot. Clay will dry after it has gone home. Send home “pots” in a Styrofoam bowl/plate with today’s text attached to it. If you like, you could even give the children some red lentils to put in their pots! We have tried this with a variety of different "clays" and find that plasticine (even the inexpensive kind that you can buy at a dollar store) is the easiest for kids to work with and provides the most satisfying results.

Same and Different….cut out the shape of a man (2 for each child and have them glue one one side of a piece of construction paper. Have the children decorate the shapes with crayons, markers and scraps of fabric to show how the two brothers are same and different. Provide scraps of fake fur if possible! Write “Esau” and “Jacob” on the two sides of each child’s sheet. If you have time, also write down a few words to describe each brother using the child’s ideas.

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

9) Going Home: 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?
Closing song:
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)

We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.

Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages (available for free at http://www.dltk-bible.com/)

Unit 1: Lesson 5 ISAAC

2009-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

(sing to the tune of “The More we get together”
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Prayer:

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Isaac. God took care of his people by making sure that Isaac had a wife who believed in the Lord, so that they could have children who served the Lord, too. Isaac’s son, Jacob would have 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Isaac and Rebekah. Read pages 39-49 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic). If you are comfortable, you can tell the story about how Abraham was tested and God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. This story is not in the Read and Learn Bible so you will need to tell it on your own.

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “This is from the Lord… here is Rebekah. Let her become Isaac’s wife.” Genesis 24:50-51

7) Craft:

Camel Sand Craft… color a picture of a camel (or camel and rider) to look like desert sand: use brown crayons, peeled and along their sides to rub the picture. Put sand paper underneath (medium grit is probably easiest to rub) or allow the children to experiment with various grits in smaller squares. If using the picture with the rider, you may add stickers or “jewels” to the camel blanket.

camel (no rider)

I added a water jar to the finished picture. Notice the different textures on the close-up view.

* If you chose to tell the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, then we suggest Genesis 22:12b “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Egg Carton Lamb Craft... Fold a small piece of black construction paper and cut out an ear shapes (basically just a U). The fact that you folded first will give you two matching ears. Cut out one of the cups from the Styrofoam egg carton. Glue two or three cotton balls onto the cup. Glue on the black ears. You can also cut out small black eyes or use googly eyes and a triangle nose, but for really young kids, these pieces will be too fussy for them to work with. Materials needed: glue, scissors, cotton balls, black construction paper, Styrofoam egg carton
Paper Lamb Craft... Print out the template - the one at www.first-school.ws/t/cplamb.htm is the one I used for the sample. Put dabs of glue on the lamb and add cotton balls. Pull the cotton apart first or the finished lamb will be very heavy. I suggest cutting this out and gluing it on to a sheet of construction paper so that it is a little more sturdy. If your group has a lot of little ones who are not too handy with scissors yet, you can have them work on a coloring sheet or play with playdough while you do the cutting and gluing. Materials needed: lamb template, paper, cotton balls, glue
* variations of this craft are done for Christmas and Psalm 23 as well, so check which have been done lately.

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

9)Going Home: At 11:15 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?

(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”

10) Optional Coloring Pages...

Unit 1: Lesson 4 ABRAHAM

2009-04-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a cute little song to reinforce the idea of stars in the sky: (sing like Twinkle Twinkle)

Twinkle twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the night.
Twinkle twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are.
Twinkle twinkle little star How I wonder what you are
God has put you in the sky And sometimes I wonder why
But it’s good t shine up there You remind me of God's Care.

3) Prayer... Ask God to work the Holy Spirit in our hearts to give us the faith to move mountains.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Today we are going to hear a story about Abraham. Abraham and his wife Sarah had no children, but God promised to make their descendants as many as the stars in the sky. How would God do this? Abraham had to trust in God.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is "Abraham" . Read pages 33-38 (R 37-42) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: Genesis 15:5 "...Look towards the heaven, and number the starts, if you are able to number them... So shall your descendants be."

7) Crafts:

Number the stars... Here is a simple craft that small children love to do. Give each child a sheet of black or dark blue constructions paper for the "sky." Provide lots of star stickers and allow the kids to put as many stars in the sky as they like. Then, challenge the children to count the stars! Or you can use the coloring page below, and do the same idea... lots and lots of stars. Most dollar stores sell packs of about 500 star stickers in gold, silver, red and blue. Worth every penny. If you have a star punch, you could punch out stars from colored paper, for some variety.

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

9) Going Home: 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:
check out www.coloring.ws/abraham.htm for some free coloring pages

Unit 1: Lesson 3 NOAH

2009-04-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome Activity:
Today is all about animals - two by two. You can bring out plastic toy animals, animals on a felt board, animal puzzles, playdough with animal shaped cutters or whatever other animal activity you have on hand.

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the Welcome Song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

Here is a fun song to sing about Noah's ark: (tune is Old MacDonald)
Good old Noah built an ark,Like God told him toAnd on that ark he took two ______,Like God told him to,With a _______ here and a _______ there,Good old Noah built an ark,Like God told him to.
Do as many verses as you'd like (either let the children pick the animals or use a flip chart or flash cards) and then at the end instead of singing "Good old Noah built an ark, Like God told him to" sing: “And if you do what God says to do, He will bless you, too.”

3) Prayer... Pray for the washing away of sins today. Thank God for his mercy to his people.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God works through Noah. The people God had made had forgotten him already and were not doing God’s will. God used Noah and his family to save the animals and to fill the world with people again after the flood.

5) Bible Story:Today’s Story is "The Flood and the Rainbow," about Noah from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is: “And He set the rainbow in the sky” Gen 9:13a

7) Crafts:

Noah’s Ark Picture #1... Photocopy template of Ark and cut out (do this beforehand). Glue Ark on construction paper. Have children colour Ark with crayons, glue on tissue paper for water, glue on cotton balls for clouds, glue on animal crackers and draw a rainbow.
Glue print out of text on top of page.
Materials:Photocopies of Ark, cotton balls, Construction Paper, crayons,Tissue Paper, animal crackers, Glue, scissors. If you have children with allergies, you can use stickers of animals instead of the animal crackers. I used the ark template found at www dot dlkt-bible dot com.

Noah's Ark Picture #2... Copy the ark template from http://www.dltk-bible.com/ into a document and shrink and copy it so that you have four on a page. Print onto heavy brown paper, like cardstock. Cut out the arks ahead of time. Cut out two strips of blue wave for each child. During the lesson, have the children glue on the two strips of wave, then glue on clouds in the sky. Then, attach an ark in the water with a brad. Kids love to make the ark "sail" in the water. Put a tiny bit of washable blue paint on a small lid (one for every two kids) and give each child a q-tip. Demonstrate dipping the q-tip in the paint and dotting it on the picture to make drops of rain, then let the kids go to it!

Noah’s Ark Door Hanger... Make copies of the template of Ark with animals and cut out (do this beforehand). Glue on construction paper and trim around the picture. Punch holes with hole punch in the designated spots. Have children colour the ark, then have children sew with yarn around the Ark and tie up at the top, leaving enough slack so that it can be hung on a doorknob. If there is time, several colours of yarn can be used so that it looks like a rainbow.
Materials: Photocopies of Ark, crayons, Construction Paper, yarn, Glue, scissors. (photo coming soon)
Handprint Rainbow Craft (group craft)
Trace each child’s hand on a different colour piece of paper. Cut out and glue the hands onto one large piece of paper in the shape of a rainbow Materials: Construction Paper (variety of colours), scissors, Large piece of white paper, glue. This is a great second craft that can be used to decorate a bulletin board!

Noah's Ark Activity.... Make a circle with all the children. Pick two to be the first "animals" in the Ark. They get in the middle of the circle. Choose an animal with a sound (like a pig) or allow the two in the middle to pick an animal. They pretend to be that animal and act like them or make sounds like the animals or both.
The other children circle around singing: Chorus: Old Noah in the Ark, Old Noah in the Ark, High-Ho! the Dairy-O, Old Noah in the Ark! Verse One: Two (pigs) were in the Ark (oink, oink), Two (pigs) were in the Ark (oink, oink), High-Ho! the Dairy-O, Two (pigs) were in the Ark!

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

9) Going Home: At the end of the lesson, 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 Sheets
you can check out www.coloring.ws/noah.htm for some free coloring pages

Unit 1: Lesson 2 ADAM AND EVE

2009-04-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome

2) Songs Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child, as you sing.

Here is a song about today's story, set to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell"

God made the universe God made the universe He saw that it was good, Amen God made the universe
Then God created man Then God created man He made Adam in His likeness Yes God created man
God made the woman Eve God made the woman Eve He took a rib from Adam’s side God made the woman Eve
God placed them in Eden God placed them in Eden He said all this is yours for good God placed them in Eden
But please don’t touch the tree But please don’t touch the tree Just please don’t eat that fruit you see Oh, please don’t touch that tree
A serpent slithered in A serpent slithered in He talked to Eve about the fruit A serpent slithered in
Eve ate forbidden fruit Eve ate forbidden fruit She shared the fruit with her husband They ate forbidden fruit
God was very sadGod was very sadHe told them they would have to leaveOh, God was very sad.
And that’s how things went wrong And that’s how things went wrong Oh that is why life became so hard Yes, that’s how things went wrong.

3) Prayer... Praise God for the wonderful way he made us today. Ask for forgiveness for the hardness of our hearts. Thank God for sending a Saviour to make our hearts new again.

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God works through Adam and Eve. God created a perfect world and Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. God’s justice required punishment and they could not save themselves. Adam and Eve needed a SAVIOR! All year, the children will learn about how God uses the men and women of the Bible to prepare the world for Jesus our Savior.

5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is "God's Garden," about Adam and Eve. Read pages 9-19 (R 14-22) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Genesis 2:17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

7) Crafts:

Eve and the Snake... Print out the picture and have the children color the tree, Eve and the snake. Cut a slit in the tree along the marked line. Cut out the snake and show the children how to pop it out of the tree so that it can talk to Eve. (sorry, I'll try to find the link for these templates!)

Here are the two pieces. You may need to cut out the snake for the younger children (this can be done ahead of time, too)

Adam and Eve Story Book... print out the pages of the book, cut them and assemble them ahead of time. Have the children color the pictures. Read the story together. This is an excellent "back-up" craft to have on hand for kids who work quickly, or for the older ones to do while the little ones are busy. Kids love to have a book to take home and read with their families, too.

One can be found at www.dltk-teach/minibooks/eden/index Here is another: www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/files/minibooks/minibookAdamEve (available in black and white or color)

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

9) Going home: 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:
check out www.coloring.ws/adamandeve.htm for some free coloring pages

Unit 1: Lesson 1 CREATION Mini-Unit

2009-04-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Several people have commented that one lesson for such a special event like creation feels far too rushed, and they would like to see the lesson broken into several segments. I will keep the "general" lesson on creation, and here are some additional ideas for teaching Creation as a mini-unit of 5 lessons.

- - - - - - - - a work in progress - photos coming soon - - - - - - - - - - -

During the creation "mini-unit" you could...

build the mobile from the general lesson, adding object(s) to represent each day of creation as you learn about them. Hang the mobile in your story corner and it can become a story telling tool for you throughout the unit.
make a bulletin board display with the title "God's Wonderful World" and adding object(s) each lesson throughout the unit
make a window display with the same title, and using window markers or paints to add object(s) each day. Go ahead and use lots of involvement from the little ones, too! :-)

Creation - Day 1 and 2 (Light and Darkness, Waters and Sky)

1) Welcome Activity...
          - if you are able to dim the room, do so and then give the children flashlights to explore the room with their lights... ask them what they can see in the darkness, and what they can see in the light? Can we live in a world that is dark all the time?

2) Songs... Sing the welcome song with the children.   For additional songs. see general lesson on creation.

3) Prayer... pray with the children to begin the lesson. Remember to thank God for the beautiful world that He has made.

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God created a perfect world and placed his people in it. God had a plan for his people before the world was even make.

5) Bible Story: Read "The First Seven Days" from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

I suggest reading the same story for all 5 lessons. As they become familiar with the story, encourage them to "fill in the blanks" as you tell it.
Another idea is to find objects to represent each part of creation, put them in a box, and pass the box around so that each child has an opportunity to choose the representative object(s) for each day as you tell the story.

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Genesis 1:3
The text for the general lesson is:
“ And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31
and you could use this for each separate lesson too, as preschoolers love repetition. :-)

7) Crafts:

Darkness and Light.... fold a sheet of black construction paper so that there is an inner pleat (in thirds, and then the outside thirds in half again... see photos), and glue a piece of white paper into the inside space. On the outside, print "And God said:" and in the inner space print " 'Let there be light,' and there was light. Genesis 1:3 " Show the children how to open the black paper up to reveal the inside, and then have them color the inside with yellow markers, crayons or paints to show the light.
Waters and Sky... give each child a sheet of light blue paper with the title "God separated the waters from the sky." Give each child some "waves" cut out of various kinds of blue paper, and some cotton balls for clouds. Show them how the waters need to be glued on the bottom of the paper and the clouds need to be glued near the top.

8) Closing Prayer... Gather the children up around the table or in your circle. If you have time, this is a good opportunity to read the story one more time. Then, close by say the Lord's Prayer together.

9) Going Home: Sing the closing song 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 general lesson on Creation for additional ideas.

Creation - Day 3 (Land, Seas, Plants)
1) Welcome Activity

set out the playdough today with all kinds of plant, flower and tree shapes. Ask the children how many different kinds of flowers there are and challenge them to make as many different plants as they can think of!
take a walk outdoors... see if you can identify all the plants and trees that grow around us!

2) Songs... Sing the welcome song with the children.   For additional songs, see general lesson on creation.

3) Prayer... pray with the children to begin the lesson. Remember to thank God for the beautiful world that He has made.

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God created a perfect world and placed his people in it. God had a plan for his people before the world was even make.

5) Bible Story: Read "The First Seven Days" from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).   See notes under Creation-Day 1&2.

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
           "Then God said, 'Let the land produce... plants and trees..." Genesis 1:11
or you could use the general text:
    “ And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

7) Crafts:

Plants We Can Eat Collage... collect grocery store flyers, looking for ones that offer lots of pictures of fruits and veggies. Try to have enough for at least 1 per child. Look through a flyer together and ask the children which of the items in the flyer is a plant that God provides for us to eat? Give each child a large piece of white paper and have them cut out plants we can eat and glue them to the paper. Use the text and the title "God provides plants for us to Eat".
Flowers... there are so many different ways to make flowers, and flowers are such a testament to God's attention to detail and God's way of providing us with a truly beautiful world! Choose any flower craft you like for today. Here are a few examples:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/

Leaf Rubbing... if you happen to be teaching this lesson in the fall, collect leaves of various sizes from different trees (or take the children outside on a leaf hunt!). Show the children how we can copy the leaf by covering it with paper and rubbing it with a crayon. Encourage the children to cover their paper with colored leaves, and then let them take some real leaves home too. Use the text as a title.

8) Closing Prayer... Gather the children up around the table or in your circle. If you have time, this is a good opportunity to read the story one more time. Then, close by say the Lord's Prayer together.

9) Going Home: Sing the closing song 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 general creation lesson

Creation - Day 4 (Sun, Moon and Stars)

1) Welcome Activity...

if you have access to a model kit of the planets, bring that in for today. Show the children the marvelous variety that God created in the universe.

2) Songs... Sing the welcome song with the children. For additional songs, see general lesson on creation.

3) Prayer... pray with the children to begin the lesson. Remember to thank God for the beautiful world that He has made.

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God created a perfect world and placed his people in it. God had a plan for his people before the world was even make.

5) Bible Story: Read "The First Seven Days" from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

“ And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

7) Craft:

Space Necklace... cut out stars, moons (full/crescent) and planets from heavy cardstock or craft foam and have the children string them on yarn or lacing, separating each shapes with beads (or pasta noodles) so that you can see the shapes. Make the necklaces long enough that the kids can easily loop them off and on by themselves.
Space Sponge Painting... provide each child with a large piece of black construction paper for the night sky. Set out finger paints in yellow, white, red and blue. Cut out sponges for form stars, circles (for moon/planets) and crescents (for the moon) and place the sponges in the corresponding color paints. You may want to attach a clothespin to the top of the sponges to keep little fingers out of the paint. Encourage the children to fill the night sky with the moon, stars and planets.

8) Closing Prayer... Gather the children up around the table or in your circle. If you have time, this is a good opportunity to read the story one more time. Then, close by say the Lord's Prayer together.

9) Going Home: Sing the closing song 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 general lesson on creation

Creation - Day 5 (Fish and Birds)

1) Welcome Activity

Felt board.... cut out a wavy shape from blue felt to mark the middle of the felt board so that there is a sky and a sea. Provide the children with felt animals, birds and fish and let them explore. Where do the birds go? Where do the fish go?

2) Songs... Sing the welcome song with the children. For additional songs, see general lesson on creation.

3) Prayer... pray with the children to begin the lesson. Remember to thank God for the beautiful world that He has made. Thank God for the marvelous way our bodies are created!

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God created a perfect world and placed his people in it. God had a plan for his people before the world was even make.

5) Bible Story: Read "The First Seven Days" , pages 3-8 (R 8-13) from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:

“ And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

7) Craft:

Paper Plate Fish... cut out a wedge shape from a paper plate to form a mouth; staple/glue a crescent shape cut from heavy paper to the other end for a tail; you can add triangular fins, too, if you like. Have the children paint, color or decorate their fish. Glue on a googly eye.

Rainbow Fish.... cut out a simple fish shape from a sheet of construction paper saving the intact outside of the paper and discarding the inside fish shape. Flip the paper over and give the children lots of long strips of colored tissue paper. "Paint" the outside edge of the fish with white glue and place the strips of tissue paper over the fish shape so that the tissue paper glues to each side. Repeat with as many strips of tissue paper as you need to completely cover up the shape. Let dry and trim off any tissue paper that is visible when you turn the paper right side up again. Your fish shape will be filled with a rainbow of colors. These look wonderful hung in a window!
Feather Bird... cut out a generic shaped bird from heavy cardstock in a variety of colors. Before the lesson, make enough "feet" from twists of orange pipe cleaner so that there are two feet for each bird. Allow the children to choose a bird, decorate it with feathers, glue on a googly eye and tape pipecleaner feet at the bottom.
Sticker Picture... give each child a sheet of light blue construction paper with a wave pattern drawn on the bottom half. Provide the children with lots of bird and fish stickers and have them decorate the top half of the page (the sky) with birds and the bottom half of the page (the ocean) with the fish.

8) Closing Prayer... Gather the children up around the table or in your circle. If you have time, this is a good opportunity to read the story one more time. Then, close by say the Lord's Prayer together.

9) Going Home: Sing the closing song 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 general lesson on creation

Creation - Day 6 and 7 (Animals, Man and God rested)

1) Welcome Activity

multicultural people... if you have invested in a set of multi-cultural dolls, today is a perfect time to bring them out. Talk about how they are the same and how they are different.
Toy animals... a bucket of plastic animals is a great intro to today's lesson, too.

2) Songs... Sing the welcome song with the children. For additional songs, see general lesson on creation.

3) Prayer... pray with the children to begin the lesson. Remember to thank God for the beautiful world that He has made. Thank God for the marvelous way our bodies are created!

4) Theme: Talk to the children about the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story today that shows how God created a perfect world and placed his people in it. God had a plan for his people before the world was even make.

5) Bible Story: Read "The First Seven Days" from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).

6) Text: Today’s Text is:
“ And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

7) Craft:

God made Me pictures... see general lesson
God made Me puppets... see general lesson
Animal sticker picture
Toilet Paper Roll Animals... this is best for an older group