eguidebook MISSION OF THE MONTH: Spread the Good News! K4J VIRTUE: Evangelization DECEMBER We spread the Good News about Jesus to others!

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1 eguidebook DECEMBER AGES PRESCHOOL-1ST GRADE Find your lesson to send home the Spread the Good News Mission Pack! Find your lesson to teach the virtue of EVANGELIZATION in the classroom! Bulletin Board Ideas, Holy Hero of the month, and more! Find the latest information from K4J! MISSION OF THE MONTH: Spread the Good News! K4J VIRTUE: Evangelization We spread the Good News about Jesus to others! All contents copyright Creative Catholics 2012 Nihil Obstat: Rev. Theodore R. Book, S.L.L. 16 July, 2009 Imprimatur: Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory, S.L.D., Archbishop of Atlanta, 17 July, 2009 The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

2 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION ObjectIves: Teach the kids about the December virtue, EVANGELIZATION. Teach the kids how to do the December Spread the Good News Mission of the Month to be lived within the family at home. Help the kids realize that things we do each day can become a means to evangelize when they are done for Jesus. Help the children find simple ways to share the faith with others. Ready... You will need: December pre-k4j Send-It-Home Packs Simple Nativity costumes (optional) Copy of the Spread Good News song pattern for your reference CD player and the December K4J Mission song, Spread the Good News Say... Show the kids their December Mission Poster and point out the angels in the picture. The herald angels spread Good News about Jesus. Gabriel is the herald angel that told Mary she would be the mother of Jesus. (Retell the story.) Angels came to the shepherds to announce Jesus birth. (Retell the story.) We can be like herald angels and tell eveyone about Jesus too. prek4j Virtue: Evangelization We spread the Good News about Jesus! Go pre-k4j! 1. Explain this month s Spread the Good News Mission of the Month. Teach the meaning of evangelization. Show the kids the pre-k4j Christmas cards and explain their Mission of the Month. Each day they work on their cards or share Good News about Jesus, they put a sticker on their poster.

3 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION 2. Have kids dress in costumes to recreate the first Christmas scene. Make sure there are plenty of herald angels. Lead the kids in a procession around the parish/school. At certain intervals the K4J Guide stops and shouts, Good News! and the kids respond, Jesus is Born! Sing familiar Christmas carols with the kids as they walk. (Be sure to visit your parish priest!) At the end of the procession, say a Hail Mary together and thank God for giving you a chance to EVANGELIZE and spread the Good News about Jesus! 3. Now sing the December Mission song, Spread the Good News! Spread the Good News! December Mission Song Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement and turn right) Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement and turn left) We gotta Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement & face forward) About Jesus with others (Point up and then cross arms in front to include everyone in audience) Hark! The herald angels sing (Exaggerate caroling with hands folded as if an angel) Happy Herald make that trumpet sing! (Pretend to blow a trumpet) 4. Ask the kids to give the Parents Perspective letter to their parents. At the end of the month ask them: How did they live their mission well? Parents can also sign their kids up for K4J Family and complete the Mission of the Month online! (

4 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION Ready... You will need: A copy of the song It s Good News for your reference. ObjectIves: Children learn that the Herald Angels brought Good News about Jesus and they too can be Happy Heralds of Good News for others. Children learn that when they say good news about others, everyone draws closer to Jesus, which is one way to begin to evangelize! Say... This month we are going to be like herald angels and tell only good news. We are going say only good things about others. If I tell about someone s mistake, is that good news? If I tell about someone s goal in soccer, is that good news? If I tell about a surprise my mom or dad gave me, is that good news? We will not say mean things to others or tell on them when they make a little mistake. We are going to spread GOOD NEWS, and tell good news ABOUT our friends!

5 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION CT D Go K4J! a.m Each morning, say the pre-k4j Morning Prayer and pre-k4j Pledge. After Morning Prayer, sing It s Good News! and remind the kids that their mission is to be heralds of good news. Everything they say should be kind and cause others to want to tell the Good News! It s Good News (sung to Jingle Bells ) It s Good News! It s Good News! I ve got Good News for you (kids cup their hands and shout) I will be a herald when (kids point to themselves) I give good news to you! (kids point to themselves and then to each other) P.M Throughout the day, if you notice the kids becoming irritable with each other or tattling, just ask them, Do I hear GOOD NEWS? Whenever you catch the kids being good, sing It s Good News to them and tell them the good news about what you have noticed P.M After your closing prayer, thank the kids for all the good news that happened through the day. Each time we tell good news, we are helping each other know Jesus! Say, WE ARE and the kids respond...k4j! (KIDS FOR JESUS)

6 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION Captains Campaign Good News Minute Public Announcements Long ago in England, they used the 12 Days of Christmas song to share hidden teachings about the faith with others. K4J kids can do the same. In this month of evangelization, Captains motivate and reward the younger kids for coming up with their own ideas about how to spread the Good News about Jesus to others. Encourage Captains to take a popular Christmas tune and write new lyrics about the Faith for others to hear. Once a week, host a Good News Minute in the lunchroom, at recess, or over the PA. Allow the classrooms to perform their masterpieces and tell good news about others. You can also use these Good News Minutes to invite the kids to come to the Bless the Baby Jesus and to bring others to the event this month. Have the Captains keep a tally of points, in a prominent place, earned for songs, good news stories about others in the school and of course, a point for every person that is brought to the Bless the Baby Jesus event through each class (Evangelization!). At the end of the Bless the Baby Jesus event, tally all the points and reward the classrooms that have gotten the most! BulletIn Board Cover the board with dark paper to represent the night sky. Fill the board with stars. At the top of the board write, It s Good News! At the bottom of the board write, I can be a herald, too. Make a copy of the Herald Angel pattern on brightly colored paper for each child, and write their names on them. Place them in the sky. Enlarge and post the Nativity pattern in the bottom center of the board. K4J SurprIse! Clear your desks, kids. It is time for a K4J Surprise! Sometime in the middle of the month, the teacher, a parent or K4J Captain gives the kids a boost of motivation with a K4J Surprise. Angel Energy Recipe If the kids are going to be like a herald angel, they need angel energy food. Try this one with them. They will love it. Put the following three items in bowls. Give the kids a small bowl and spoon. Have them assemble a dish with angel food cake on the bottom, top with pudding and sprinkles. Angel Food Cake cut in pieces Instant Pudding Sprinkles Good News Game (a Bingo-type game) Use the Truth Pictures pattern to play a game. Just copy the pattern and then cross out three different pictures on each card. These are FREE. Now call out the names of the different pictures and tell a little about them. If there is not an X on the picture, they can put a sticker, Christmas candy or some other marker on the picture. When someone has placed markers on the number of pictures you have chosen as the winning number, that person shouts, GOOD NEWS!

7 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION CT D Nativity Ornament Use the Nativity pattern to make simple ornaments. Color the ornament and frame it with a house shape, using craft sticks. Write, GOOD NEWS! on the bottom of the frame and if possible, add the child s picture. Now attach a string on top to hang. Add a little Evangelization to the center Make extra copies of the pre-k4j Christmas cards (from the Send-It-Home packs) for kids to decorate. Display a Nativity scene for the kids to manipulate and play with. Add Nativity costumes & stuffed animals to the dress up center so kids can present their own live Nativity. Post a picture of the Nativity at the art center and remind the kids that all the Christmas projects you are doing with them this year can be used to help them tell someone the Good News about Jesus. ScrIpture Scholars We believe and so we speak. 2 Cor 4:13b Remind the kids that they when they tell good news, they bring the Good News of Jesus to others. Play the December Mission song, Spread the Good News as they play the following game. Have the kids sit in a circle. Pass around one picture at a time from the Truth pictures pattern. When the music stops, announce, We believe and so we speak! (Try to get them to say it with you by the end of the game.) Have the child with the picture stand up and tell what is shown on the picture. Holy hero The greatest Herald of all time was St. John the Baptist. The first time he and Jesus met, they were not even born yet! But at the moment John heard Mary greeting his mother, Elizabeth, he leapt in Elizabeth s womb. He was announcing that Jesus was near. St. John spent years in the desert eating locusts and wild honey and learning the truths of God from the Holy Spirit, his constant Friend and Guide. John was being prepared in a special way for his important mission. St. John came out of the desert and began to teach the people. He announced that Jesus had come into the world, and would soon be with them to share the love of the Father in Heaven. St. John helped the people prepare to receive Jesus by being sorry for their sins. He helped them become ready to know and love Jesus, and serve him by sharing the truth about God with others! Finally the time came and Jesus came to John and asked that he baptize him. John did not feel worthy but Jesus wanted to make water holy so that we could be baptized too. Then John said, He must increase and I must decrease. People stopped following John and started following Jesus. St. John the Baptist s mission was complete!

8 DECEMBER SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS MISSION Dear K4J Educators, December I recently met a woman who told me her conversion story. She had left the Catholic Church some years earlier but often felt that she should return, so when she moved to a new city she joined a parish. Unfortunately she didn t know many people, and still felt like an outsider. One day she walked into a Catholic bookstore and noticed a flyer about a K 4 J Guide training day. The invitation intrigued her, and she took the flyer. She went to the training and within a year, as she puts it, my whole life had changed. She is now a vital leader in her parish and is giving herself completely to the Church through her family and K 4 J. She has a deep understanding of those who are searching for truth, and I am sure she will help many come to know the faith. This is just one example of the fruit of our work in K 4 J. Together we have become a vehicle that God is using to bring others back to the Catholic Church. This is the reason God is blessing our efforts each day. He wants us to join him in the work of evangelization. This is not just a job for a few, but for everyone. Evangelization is a hard word to use in today s society. For some it brings to mind a negative perception of forcing others to believe. The true definition of evangelization is to announce God s Word to others. This is not only a duty; it is a pleasure. People all over the world are actively seeking God. We can evangelize by speaking with others, but the most effective way we evangelize is by loving others. We need to ask God for the grace to love all of his people. If we pray, Jesus will make every smile, every handshake, every act of kindness, work, play, and even the moments when we must assert our authority as parents and K 4 J Guides, encounters with him. We are his eyes, hands, and voice -- a living testimony of the love of God. In order to work well with the Holy Spirit in the work of evangelization, we need to spend time in front of the Eucharist. During these weeks of Advent, I hope you will join us in a K 4 J resolution. Please take the time to visit Jesus in the Eucharist and ask that he will use our work in K 4 J any way he chooses in order to bring about the greatest good for the Church. In Christ, Kathleen Conklin Owner of K4J

9 K4J Unity Prayer Jesus, thank you for calling me to your work in Catholic education. Thank you for calling others to work with me. Unite us in your will, Lord. Let our prayers storm heaven with one voice. Let our efforts be filled with your grace. Let our school work as one. Unite us in charity, Lord. Help me look beyond my feelings and love those who criticize. Help me forgive the moment I am hurt. Help my words reflect your thoughts. Unite us in our mission to serve these children, Lord. Give us a love for souls. Give us a zeal for souls. Give us the gifts that attract souls to you. Unite us in helping children hear your call, Lord. Call the children of our school to a greater love for you. I want to help them hear that call. Call more young people to the priesthood and religious life. I want to help them hear that call. Call our kids to live the mission you ve planned for each one. I want to help them hear that call. And when things get tough and I want to pretend you didn t call me, call me again. You are the reason my life is worth living. Mary, Mother of the Church, Pray for us! Amen.

10 Nativity pattern

11 Pre-K4J Pledge I have a friend named Jesus. I love him every day. I do my special mission so all will know his name. My eyes look for ways to help. I listen and obey. My hands take care of others. Mary shows me the way. I m glad that Jesus has chosen me to love him through K4J! Morning Prayer Good morning, Jesus! Thank you for giving me all that is good. Thank you for being my friend. I want to give you my best today when I help other people and take time to pray. I love you! Amen.

12 It s Good News (sung to Jingle Bells ) It s Good News! It s Good News! I ve got Good News for you (have the kids cup their hands and shout) I will be a herald when (kids point to themselves) I give good news to you! (kids point to themselves and then to each other) Spread the Good News! December Mission Song Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement and turn right) Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement and turn left) We gotta Spread the Good News (Cup hands as if making an announcement & face forward) About Jesus with others (Point up and then cross arms in front to include everyone in audience) Hark! The herald angels sing (Exaggerate caroling with hands folded as if an angel) Happy Herald make that trumpet sing! (Pretend to blow a trumpet)

13 Truth Pictures pattern The priest is another Jesus on earth. The 10 Commandments God is love. The Trinity is one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At baptism, I received the gift of my faith. The mass is the greatest prayer on earth. Mary is our mother. When we pray, we learn to love as Jesus loves.

14 Happy Herald Angel pattern