Meeting 1. I Thank God For...

Transcription

1 Meeting 1 I Thank God For... God gives us many good things, like families, food, and friends. Put a mark in the box beside the things you want to thank God for today. Draw a picture of those things. Then say a thank-you prayer to God. 1

2 Music Art cardboard canisters (chip cans or other snack cans), white construction paper, balls of various textures (golf balls, marbles, racket balls, ping pong balls, etc.), tongs, bowls, washable tempera paint, smocks (optional: disposable gloves), plastic table covers Cut the construction paper to fit inside the canisters. When preschoolers come to the table, say: God made us able to feel different ways. Sometimes we feel happy, or sad, or scared, or excited. Music can make us feel different ways, too. We re going to do something that will show how some music makes us feel. Help them slide paper into the canisters. Guide each child to use tongs to pick up a ball, dip it in the paint, and drop it into the canister. Tell the child to listen to the music (on the Way to Go! cassette) and shake or roll the ball inside the canister however the music makes her feel. After a few minutes, tell her she can change the paper in her container, the color of paint, and the type of balls she is using. Stuffed Paper Sculptures construction paper, pencils, blunt-nosed scissors, staplers, newspaper, unsharpened pencils (one per child), clay, caps from spray bottles or other small cups, water-based markers Guide preschoolers to think of something made by God that makes them happy. Direct them to draw the outline of it with a pencil on a piece of construction paper. (Large round shapes will work better than long narrow ones.) Then they can cut out the shape, lay it on a second piece of paper, and trace around it with the pencil again. When they cut out the second copy of the shape, they can staple the two pieces together around the edge, leaving an opening for stuffing. Guide them to stuff the item with crumpled newspapers and staple it closed. To make it stand up, the child can insert an unsharpened pencil in the bottom of the object and push the other end of the pencil into a ball of clay in a small container. 2 Puffy Paint cardboard (at least 9 by 12 inches, one per child), 3 5 colors of puffy paint (see Leader s Guide), plastic squeeze bottles or plastic resealable bags (at least one per child, even if you duplicate colors), smocks, plastic table covers Prepare the puffy paint. When preschoolers arrive, ask, What makes you happy? Pause for responses. Guide preschoolers to choose one thing that makes them happy and draw a picture of it on the cardboard. Show them how to squeeze out and draw with the paint mixture. Allow the picture to dry thoroughly. Take time to say a thank-you prayer to God for all that He provides that makes life happier. Parents! Today we have talked about feeling good. We have emphasized the need to thank God for the many wonderful things He has provided for us. The Bible verses which your child heard during the meeting are: Acts 2:28; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 139:13.

3 Meeting 2 What Is Missing? Help! What is missing from this picture? Cut out the squares at the bottom of the page and glue them in the right places. Who are the people in the picture? What is happening? Were these people good to each other? 1

4 Drawing with an Eraser graphite sticks (available at arts and crafts stores), 9-by-12-inch white drawing paper, masking tape, erasers Help the preschoolers tape their drawing paper to the table. Show them how to cover their paper completely with graphite by rubbing the graphite stick across the paper. Hold up an eraser and ask: When do you use an eraser? (Pause.) That s right, you use an eraser to erase mistakes. When we do something we shouldn t like telling a lie or disobeying our parents, we have done something wrong and that is like making a mistake. When we do something wrong, we can t erase it. But when we do something wrong and ask God to forgive us, He will! It s like He erases our mistakes! Give the preschoolers erasers and invite them to draw on their graphite-covered papers. As they work, talk about the Bible story, including how God helped Joseph forgive his brothers. Forgiveness Flowers tempera paint, 6- and 4-ounce drinking cups, liquid dish detergent, straws, white and green construction paper cut in half, scissors, hand lotion, alcohol towelettes, colored stamp pads, craft sticks, gel glue, clay, smocks, newspaper Joseph and His Brothers old rubber kitchen gloves (one pair per 2 3 preschoolers); scissors; waterbased markers; fabric scraps, yarn, buttons, other decorations; gel glue Cut off the fingers of the rubber gloves. Turn the pieces inside out. Give 3 4 fingertips to each child and invite her to create finger puppets of Joseph and his brothers. Children can draw eyes, mouths, and noses, then cut and glue cloth and yarn scraps to create hair, arms, clothing, belts, hats, and other details. As preschoolers work, ask prompting questions to recall the main points and sequence of the Bible story. When they finish, encourage them to role-play different characters from the story. Mix 2 3 cup water, 1 teaspoon detergent, and 2 tablespoons tempera paint in the larger cups, one cup per paint color. Cover the work area with newspapers. Give each preschooler a piece of white construction paper. Insert straws into the cups and blow until bubbles rise above the rims. (CAUTION: Do not allow the preschoolers to blow through the straws. They may accidentally ingest the mixture.) Remove the straws and set them aside. Guide the preschoolers to center and press their papers over the cups so the paint bubbles will leave imprints. Give the children drops of lotion and instruct them to rub the lotion into their thumbs. Guide them to press their thumbs onto the stamp pads and then around their bubble prints, creating petals. They can clean their thumbs with the towelettes. Help the preschoolers cut around their flowers and glue craft sticks to them. Invite them to cut and glue construction paper leaves to their craft stick stems. Next, guide them to place balls of clay in the 4-ounce cups and insert the craft sticks into the clay. They can decorate their cups with construction-paper pieces and glue. Encourage them to give their flowers away when they tell someone they are sorry for something. If time permits, allow the preschoolers to make a second flower to keep. 2 Parents! Your child participated in one or more of these activities during this meeting. You can extend your child s learning by working with him or her on these activities and by talking about the following Bible verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:18.

5 Meeting 3 Choosing the Right Way This family is on their way to church. Look at the other people in the park. Who is doing what is right and good? Who is not? Draw a line along the path where people are obeying God s rules and showing love for each other. If a path leads to people disobeying God s rules, don t go there! When you get to the church, look at what your crayon made. 1

6 Color by the Rules 6 index cards; markers; stapler; red, yellow, and blue tempera paint; 3 plastic containers; 6 plastic spoons; resealable bags; masking tape; newspapers; smocks Draw and color orange, green, and purple squares on three index cards, one square per card. Draw two squares on each of the remaining cards as follows: red and yellow, blue and yellow, blue and red. Staple the cards together in pairs: orange on top of red and yellow, green on top of blue and yellow, purple on top of blue and red. Pour the tempera paint into the containers and set them in the center of the table. Place two spoons in each color. When the preschoolers join you, ask: Is it good to follow rules? (Pause.) Sometimes rules can help us learn to do new things. What colors do you see in the containers? Did you know you can make these colors (show cards) from red, yellow, and blue? You can if you follow some simple rules! If you want to make orange (show card), you mix red and yellow (show card). If you want to make green,... (Continue in the same manner.) Ask each child to select one color she would like to make. Guide her to place three spoonfuls of the two primary colors into her bag. Help her to press as much air as possible out of the bag, seal it, and tape it securely. Invite her to squeeze the bag to mix the contents. If time permits, allow the preschoolers to mix more colors or to use their fingers to draw pictures on the bags. Good Rules Turn-up Game canning jar flats or 3-inch poster board circles, construction paper, cardboard or poster board, water-based markers, glue, envelopes or resealable bags Make two cardboard templates each (about inches big) of the heart, church, and parent patterns on this page. Cut the construction paper into inch circles. Guide the preschoolers to select six paper circles. Help them trace all three patterns onto the circles, tracing each pattern two times. Instruct them to color the figures and then glue the circles onto the canning jar flats. Show them how to play a turn-up game with the pieces (see Leader s Guide). Talk about God s good rules. Allow the preschoolers to take their games home in envelopes or plastic bags. 2 God s Good Rules construction paper, cardboard or poster board, water-based markers, magazine pictures, blunt-nosed scissors, glue sticks, large plastic resealable bags (4 per preschooler), stapler, transparent tape Cut the paper to fit inside the plastic bags. Enlarge the heart, church, and parent patterns on this page and make two cardboard templates of each. Direct the preschoolers to select four pieces of construction paper and guide them to trace each template onto a piece of paper. On the fourth piece of paper, help the children write God s Good Rules for [child s name]. Instruct the preschoolers to select, cut out, and glue magazine pictures onto the appropriate tracings. The pictures should illustrate people following the rules by showing love to others, going to church, obeying their parents, and so forth. Help the preschoolers insert their pages in the plastic bags. Seal the bags, staple them together, and cover the staples with tape. Talk about God s two most important rules: to love Him and to love each other. Encourage the preschoolers to share their books with younger siblings or another preschool department. Parents! Your child participated in one or more of these activities during this meeting. You can extend your child s learning by working with him or her on these activities and by talking about the following Bible verses: Ephesians 6:1; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:18.

7 Meeting 4 If I Were There... Jesus taught many people out on the hillside. Fathers, mothers, grandparents, and children came to hear Jesus speak. What did Jesus say to the people? Pretend that you were there, listening to Jesus. You can draw a picture of yourself in the picture below. What would Jesus say to you? What would you say to Jesus? 1

8 God and Me cardboard or poster board, crayons or water-based markers, construction paper, scissors, glue, cloth scraps, yarn, buttons, wiggle eyes and other miscellaneous items What to do Cut from cardboard a person (one for every child), using the outline from around this activity. On one side of each person print Because God is my Friend, I can talk to God about.... When the preschoolers join you, ask: Is God your Friend? (Pause for responses.) Because God is our Friend, we can talk to Family Prayer Tree small twigs (one for each child plus 2 3 extra), clay, 4-by-4-inch pieces of cardboard, construction paper cut into 2-inch circles, water-based markers, hole punch, paper clips or tape Him. We talk to God by praying. What is one thing you can pray to God about? As each child answers, write his or her response on a cardboard person. Tell the children that they will use their cardboard people to make self-portraits. Explain that a self-portrait is a picture of yourself. Guide the children to use the other materials to complete their self-portraits. As Listen, Friend! large sheets of construction paper, water-based markers or crayons the children work, talk about how God cares for them and how much He loves to hear them pray. Tell them their selfportraits can be reminders of God s love for them. Before the preschoolers move on, invite them to say a prayer to God. If a child is shy, do not force him to pray. Instead, tell him he can whisper or think a prayer while you pray out loud. Guide each of the children to take a piece of paper and fold it in half. Then direct them to draw a line down the middle of the paper, following the fold. Say: We learned in our Bible story that God is our Friend. God cares about us and He listens to us. Do you think it s important for friends to listen to each other? (Pause.) Do you like for your friends to listen to you? (Pause.) Do you think you should listen to your friends? (Pause.) Let s draw some pictures about when friends listen to each other. Guide preschoolers to draw on the left side of their page a time when they listen to a friend. On the right side of the page, they can draw a time when they want a friend to listen to them. As preschoolers work, talk about the fact that God is our Friend and that He enjoys hearing us talk to Him. 2 Encourage each child to select a twig, a cardboard square, and a ball of clay. Instruct the children to place the clay on their squares and stand their twigs in the clay. Next, direct the preschoolers to select one paper circle for each member of their families. Guide them to draw their family members faces on the circles (their own faces, too). Instruct them to draw on the back of their own portraits one thing they can pray to God about. Tell them that when they go home they should ask each family member to draw a prayer on the back of his or her picture. Let the preschoolers take turns punching holes at the top of each circle. Show them how to bend the paper clips to make hooks. (Guide threes to tape their circles to the branches.) Lead preschoolers to hang their family s portraits on their trees, creating a Family Prayer Tree. Parents! Your child participated in one or more of these activities during this meeting. You can extend your child s learning by working with him or her on these activities and by talking about the following Bible verses: Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 136:1; 1 John 4:8.