Curriculum for Preschoolers SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

Transcription

1 3 5 year olds Curriculum for Preschoolers SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 We want preschoolers to take a first look at who God is and understand... GOD MADE ME GOD LOVES ME JESUS WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND FOREVER Editor in Chief: Kathy Hill Editor: Kristin Brady Copy Editor: Dana Wilkerson Curriculum Writer: Donna High, Autumn Ward Illustrators: Jodi Blackwell Graphic Designer: David Hill FL Creative Team: Sue Miller, Lois Pallansch, Kathy Hill, Kendra Fleming, Autumn Ward, Ashley Hiers, Donna High, Abbey Carr, Danielle Schneller Chief Executive Officer: Reggie Joiner Chief Operating Officer: Reggie Goodin Executive Director: Sue Miller Technical and Web Support: Hadley Brandt Partner Support: Deb Springer Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois All rights reserved. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws First Look. All rights reserved. STATEMENT OF FAITH USER AGREEMENT The rethink Group, Inc. gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor First LookTM materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith.

2 3 5 year olds SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 BASIC TRUTH God Loves Me KEY QUESTION: Who s got it? BOTTOM LINE: God s got it! MEMORY VERSE: God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT BIBLE STORY FOCUS: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 Here s an overview of what you ll be teaching in 3s 5s this week. Make It Fun (Choose one or all of these activities.) Follow the Leader Pillar of Pillows Cloud Shapes Make It True Worship Introductory Sketch Bible Story Make It Stick (Choose as many of these activities as you like.) Follow the Arrows Clouds and Fire A Maze for Moses Bouncing Clouds Fire or Clouds Make It Real Small Group Time Prayer Dismiss Parent CUE 2

3 Key Question: Who s got it? Bottom Line: God s got it! Memory Verse: God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT Bible Story Focus: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 Prepare to offer one or more of the following activities as your 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds arrive. Let one or two teachers lead activities in different areas of the room while another teacher greets parents and kids at the door. Make it Fun 1. Follow the Leader Follow the Leader is an activity that uses large motor movement, listening, and social skills to introduce the Bible story idea of following something. What You Need: No supplies needed During the activity: Play a fun game of Follow the Leader. Walk, skip, hop, tip-toe, and do other fun action movements around the room. Move your arms in funny ways. Zig-zag from side to side. Act like different animals. Do whatever you can to make following you as much fun as it can be! Allow the children to take turns being the leader as well. Continue playing as long as the children are having fun. During the activity: Come on, everyone! Line up behind me! We re going to play Follow the Leader. All you have to do is follow me and do what I do! At the end of the activity: That was so much fun! You guys did a great job following and a great job leading, too! Our Bible story today is about some people who had to follow fire so they would know where to go. You heard me right they followed fire! I can t wait to hear this story! 2. Pillar of Pillows Pillar of Pillows is an activity that incorporates teamwork while introducing the Bible story. What You Need: 5-6 white travel pillows for every 4-5 children (Note: Regular sized pillows will work but might be harder to handle for little hands.) Before the activity: Place the pillows in a pile in the play area. During the activity: Divide the children into groups of four or five, and encourage them to work together to stack the pillows. If the stack should fall, encourage them to try again. (Note: Make sure each group has its own pile of pillows.) At the end of the activity: Pile all of the pillows from each group in a large pile and work as a class to try to stack ALL of the pillows. Before the activity: Let s play a game! I am going to divide you into teams. (Divide the children into groups of four.) I see a pile of pillows on the floor. Let s work together to see how high we can stack them. During the activity: Work as a team with your friends to stack the pillows on top 3

4 Make it Fun of each other. I wonder who can stack the tallest pile of pillows. Let s see! (Play the game.) WOW! All of your stacks are HUGE! Nice work! At the end of the activity: Now let s use ALL of our pillows and work together as a class to see if we can stack ALL of the pillows! (Help the children to stack the pillows.) Way to go! That is a very high stack of pillows! They almost look like clouds. Today in our story we are going to hear a wonderful story about a stack of clouds. They were very important! Let s get ready to hear our Bible story to find out why! 3. Cloud Shapes Cloud Shapes is an activity that helps develop sensory awareness and fine motor skills while introducing the Bible story idea of clouds. What You Need: Several cans of shaving cream and wet wipes Instruct the children to sit at a table, and then spray a mound of shaving cream in front of each child. Tell them to pretend the table is the sky and they can use the shaving cream to make cloud shapes. During the activity: This is a can of shaving cream. Today we re going to pretend it s a can of clouds! I m going to put some clouds in front of each of you and I want you to make any kind of cloud shape you want! (Walk around to each child as they play and talk about their clouds.) At the end of the activity: Raise your hand if you ve ever watched clouds in the sky. (Pause.) Watching clouds can be fun. The people in our Bible story today have to watch a cloud, but they re not watching it for fun. God uses a cloud to show them the right way to go. 4

5 Key Question: Who s got it? Bottom Line: God s got it! Memory Verse: God is with you wherever ]you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT Bible Story Focus: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 After children have participated in Make It Fun, gather them for a large group time that includes interactive worship, introductory sketch and Bible story. A Worship Leader and live instruments are recommended to sing along with the music tracks. Encourage children to be active during worship by incorporating the appropriate hand motions. Choose an adult or teenager who relates well to preschoolers to tell the Introductory Sketch. If possible, use the same person for an entire month as the Host role stays the same each month. Choose an engaging adult to tell the Bible story. This person should be able to command the attention of preschoolers and control the group through animated storytelling. These scripts are written to be told and not read. Advanced preparation is necessary. Make it True Worship What You Need: Paperclip Memory Verse Card from the Week One Activity Pages on the Website) in your Bible at Joshua 1:9. You will also need a CD player and this month s worship song, He s Got It, which you will need to download from the Website. You will also need My God is Number One, available at www. AmberSkyRecords.com or on the CD Wherever I Go. WORSHIP LEADER: Hello, friends! I am so glad that I can be here with you today! Let s all jump up on our feet and sing all about how God s got it! Lead children in singing He s Got It, this month s worship song. WORSHIP LEADER: Tell me, who s got it? CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: God s got it! WORSHIP LEADER: That s right! God s got it, and He ALWAYS will! We know He s always got it because He s always with us no matter where we go. Let s say our Memory Verse together. CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: God (point both hands straight up) is with you (point out to a friend) wherever (spin in a circle) you go (march in place), Joshua 1:9. (Hold hands open like a book.) WORSHIP LEADER: He s with us wherever we go. How amazing is that? (Pause.) And not only is He with us but He will take care of us, too! Let s sing another song that will help us remember that. The words say: I can jump up and down (jump) And fly around (arms out and sway like flying) I can always count on God (point up and march) My God is number one (right hand out straight with pointer finger up) I can jump up and down (jump) March on the ground (march) I can always count on God (point up and march) My God is number one (right hand out straight with pointer finger up) Ready to sing it with me? (Pause.) Great! Here we go! Lead children in singing My God is Number One. WORSHIP LEADER: Great singing, friends! After all of that jumping, flying, and marching I m ready to find a seat and listen to today s Bible story. I heard it s another GREAT story about how some people discover that God s got it! I can t wait to hear ALL about it! See you next time! 5

6 Make it True First Look offers weekly introductory sketches on the DVD titled Wonder, Look at God s Story. This DVD is available for purchase at the rethink store on our Web site. Worship Leader exits. Introductory Sketch What You Need: Lab coat, safety goggles, balloons, streamers, a party hat, and a party horn HOST: (Enter wearing lab coat, goggles on top of head, party hat, streamers around neck, and carrying a balloon that s half way blown up and not tied off.) Hi, friends! How are you? Oh, you re probably wondering why I am dressed like this! Well, I m in my science clothes because I ve been helping teach a silly science class at the school near my house. We get to do all kinds of fun experiments and things there. We ve been learning about things we can use to create power. It s SO much fun! One of the kids in my class has a birthday coming up that we are going to be celebrating. (Blow party horn.) I just love birthday parties. But I m trying to come up with a way to celebrate her birthday and do a science experiment. I need to think about this. Hmmm. (Blow up balloon some more while thinking.) Hmmm. (Blow up balloon more.) Aha! I could use this balloon to show the kids in my class an experiment about power! Say, would you guys let me try it out right here first? Ya know, like test it?! (Pause.) All right! Here goes! (Blow up the balloon so that it is very full.) Okay, count to three with me. One two three! (Let balloon go so it can deflate.) Whoa! Not only did it make a funny noise, it also flew all around with so much power! That was a lot of fun. I think my friends at silly science class are going to love this. Speaking of power, you guys are going to get to hear a way, way, way cool story today. Get your awesome listening ears ready and I ll see you guys next time! Bye! Host exits. Bible Story What You Need: Bible, a wagon or square dolly on wheels, 5 white pillows, a cloud photo, and a fire photo STORYTELLER: Hi, friends! It is SO great to see you again. I ve got an awesome (hold up Bible and set it down) Bible story to tell you today and I cannot wait! Do you remember who we talked about last week? (Pause.) Moses! God spoke to him and told him to rescue the Israelites from the mean king in Egypt. Moses knew that (point up) God s got it, so he went to Egypt. It was SUPER hard, but God helped Moses rescue the Israelites and they got away from the mean king. Now they were ALL following Moses! How many Israelites do you think were following Moses? (Pause.) A LOT! There were SO many people. And they all looked right at Moses and said: (put one hand out) Hey there, Mo. (Put other hand out.) Tell us where to go! Do that with me. (Put one hand out.) Hey there, Mo. (Put other hand out.) Tell us where to go! 6

7 Make it True First Look offers weekly Bible story on our DVD titled Wonder, Look at God s Story, which you may choose to use rather than a live Storyteller this week. This DVD is available for purchase at the rethink store on our Web site. Great job! Wow! All of those people needed Moses to lead them and tell them where to go. So Moses took a deep breath and looked ahead. He looked this way. (Turn head to right.) You guys look this way, too. And then He looked that way. (Turn head to left.) You guys, too! Great job. He looked EVERY way. (Turn head all around and then back to center.) Whew! Then he said to himself. (In scared voice) Uh-oh. I don t think I know the right way we should go! Yikes! But there was SOMEONE who knew the right way to go. Who do you think it was? (Pause.) Yes! You guys are SO smart. God knew the right way to go! God sent something WAY COOL to help. Do you know what it was? (Start stacking pillows in the wagon.) It was a cloud. Actually, God sent a whole BUNCH of clouds! (Finish stacking the pillows and place the cloud picture on top so the children can see it.) All the clouds stacked up into one tall pillar, like this! Then the pillar started moving in the right direction! (Carefully roll the wagon with the pillows in it.) Moses was SO excited. He said, Now I really know the right way to go. Let s follow that cloud, even high and low! The people were excited, too. They said, Yeah, Mr. Mo! Now we know where to go! Let s pretend to follow the cloud like the people. Pat your hands on your legs. (Demonstrate.) God helped us know the right way to go. Do it again! God helped us know the right way to go! Fantastic! One more time. God helped us know the right way to go! Great job! Hands in your lap. The people were going the right way. But (very dramatic) thennnnn it got dark! Oh, no! It s hard to see anything when it s dark. Do you think the people could still see the right way to go? (Pause.) Well, God did something AMAZING! Instead of clouds, He sent this! (Replace the cloud picture with the fire picture on the pillows.) Swoooooosh! Swooosh! A tall pillar of fire! Now the people could see the right way to go, even in the dark! Everybody cheer and say, Woo-hoo! (Pause.) Moses and the people were so happy God showed them the right way to go. They could see that God s got it! And God s always got it for me and you, too! Who s got it? God s got it! Ready to say it with me?! Who s got it? CHILDREN and STORYTELLER: God s got it! STORYTELLER: Great job! One more time! Who s got it? CHILDREN and STORYTELLER: God s got it! STORYTELLER: It s true, friends! God has the power! God s always got it! Let s pray. 7

8 Make it True Dear God, thank You for this incredible true Bible story. Help us to always remember that God has the power to do anything! God s got it! We love You, God! Amen. We ll see you next time! Bye, friends. Storyteller exits. 8

9 Key Question: Who s got it? Bottom Line: God s got it! Memory Verse: God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT Bible Story Focus: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 These activities are designed to help preschoolers understand and remember today s Bible story and Bottom Line. Offer as many of the following activities as your time, facilities, resources, and leadership allow. You may want to lead one activity at a time. Or offer two activities at once and allow half the kids to participate in each, then switch groups and repeat the activities. Make it Stick 1. Follow the Arrows Follow the Arrows is an activity that uses a concept from the Bible story to teach the Memory Verse. What You Need: Arrows from the Activity pages on the Website, white cardstock, scissors, and painter s tape Before the activity: Copy Arrows from the Activity Pages onto the white cardstock so each child has at least one arrow. Cut out the arrows and tape them to floor in a path that leads around the room, leaving about two feet in between each arrow. During the activity: Have the children follow the arrows around the room while saying the Memory Verse. Then lead them around the arrows while hopping and saying the verse. Repeat as many times as desired. Before the activity: I see arrows all around our room! Let s follow the arrows to see where we go! While we are following the arrows, let s say our Memory Verse together. During the activity: Here we go! (Lead children around the arrows.) Let s say our verse. God is with you wherever you go, Joshua 1:9. Great job! Let s say it again. God is with you wherever you go, Joshua 1:9. Perfect! Let s follow the arrows again, but this time let s hop along the arrows! (Hop along the arrows with the children.) Can you say the verse while we are hopping? Let s give it a try! God is with you wherever you go, Joshua 1:9. Great job! (Repeat as many times as desired.) At the end of the activity: Whew! That was fun! Our verse tells us that God is with us wherever we go! He is always with us! That is such wonderful news! God was with Moses today in our story and helped him know the right way to go. He helps us every day, too! Who s got it? (Pause.) Yes! God s got it! 2. Clouds and Fire Clouds and Fire is an activity that uses fine motor and listening skills to review the Bible story. What You Need: Red, yellow, and orange Play-Doh, and lots of cotton balls During the activity: Give the children the Play-Doh and cotton balls. Encourage them to press, roll, and shape the dough into flames and pick and fluff the cotton balls into clouds. Make your own clouds and fire while you review the Bible story with the children. 9

10 Make it Stick Before the activity: I have some Play-Doh and cotton balls for us to play with today. Guess what we re going to make with the cotton balls? (Pause.) Clouds! We re going to make clouds, just like God used in our Bible story today. Guess what we re going to make with the red, yellow, and orange Play-Doh? (Pause.) Fire! We re going to make fire, just like God used in our Bible story today. During the activity: (While you shape the clouds) God gave Moses the special job of leading His people to their new home. There was just one problem: Moses didn t know which way to go! But there was someone who did know the right way to go. Who was it? (Pause.) Yes! God! God s was like: I ve got this, Moses. You just follow me and I ll show you the right way to go. God made a special cloud for Moses and the people to follow in the daytime. As long as they followed the cloud, they would be going the right way. But what about at night? How would Moses know which way to go? You can t see clouds at night. (Begin shaping fire from the play dough.) God was like: I ve got this, Moses. Just follow me and I ll show you the right way to go. God made a special pillar of fire for Moses and the people to follow at night. It was so bright they had no problem seeing it! As long as they followed the fire, they would be going the right way. At the end of the activity: Moses and the people were so happy that God showed them the right way to go. They could see that there s no need to worry because God s got it! And you know what? God s got it for you and me, too. Who s got it? God s got it! 3. A Maze for Moses A Maze for Moses is a fine motor skill activity that promotes following directions and listening skills. What You Need: Maze from the Activity Pages on the Website, white paper, crayons and markers Before the activity: Copy Maze from the Activity Pages onto the white paper for each child. During the activity: Give each child an Activity Page and a marker. Direct them to place their marker on the Moses at the bottom of the maze, and then follow it all the way to the top. At the end of the activity: Allow the children to color the pictures on the page. Before the activity: Today in our story we learned that God helped Moses find his way. Here is a maze (hold up maze). Let s see if we can work together and help him, too! During the activity: (Hand out the markers and Activity Pages.) Everyone place 10

11 Make it Stick your marker on Moses on the bottom of your paper. Be sure to stay in between the lines and follow the maze with your marker like this. (Demonstrate.) Great job! You are very good at showing Moses which way to go! At the end of the activity: God is always with us and He always helps us when we need help, just like He helped Moses today in our story. He showed Moses the way to go! God s got us and God s always got it! Who s got it? (Pause.) Awesome! God s got it! Now you may use your crayons to color the pictures on the page. 4. Bouncing Clouds Bouncing Clouds is an activity that uses hand-eye coordination, large motor skills, and cooperation skills to review this month s Bottom Line. What You Need: Poly-Fil, 1 paper plate per child, masking tape, and 1 jumbo craft stick per child Before the activity: Make clouds by rolling handfuls of Poly-Fil. (You will need one cloud for every two children.) Make a paddle for each child to bat the clouds by taping a paper plate to a jumbo craft stick. During the activity: Divide the children into pairs all over the room. Give each child a paddle and give each pair of children a Poly-Fil cloud. Show them how to bat the cloud back and forth with an underhand motion. Before the activity: God used fire at night to show Moses the right way to go. What did God use in the daytime? (Pause.) Yes! God used a cloud. Today we re going to pretend this is a cloud. Let s see if you can use this paddle to keep the cloud from touching the ground. Sound like fun? (Pause.) Let s try it! During the activity: (Walk around to each pair of children and encourage them, giving suggestions on how to keep their cloud off the ground.) At the end of the activity: You did a great job keeping your cloud in the air! It s not as easy as it looks, is it? But for God, well, all things are easy because He has the power to do anything! In today s story, God had the power to show Moses the right way to go. God has the power to show you and me the right way to go, too. Make a cloud? God s got it. Make some fire? God s got it. No matter what it is, God s got it. Who s got it? (Pause.) God s got it! 5. Fire or Clouds Fire or Clouds is a craft-based activity that helps the child retell the Bible story to friends and family. What You Need: Fire and Labels from the Activity Pages on the Website, white cardstock, Avery labels #5160 or equivalent, cotton balls, glue, large craft sticks, scissors, and yellow, red, and orange markers 11

12 Make it Stick Before the activity: Copy Fire from the Activity Pages onto the white cardstock, and cut them out so each child gets one. Copy Labels from the Activity Pages onto the labels so each child gets one. Lay the markers out in the work area. During the activity: Give each child an Activity Page and allow children to color the fire with the markers. Then have the children turn the fire over and spread glue all over the back of it. Place two inches of the craft stick on the glue (make sure to leave enough of the stick to hold onto) and then cover the rest of the surface with the cotton balls. At the end of the activity: Place the label onto the handle part of the stick. Before the activity: Today we learned that God told Moses where to go by sending clouds and fire down to show him the way. This is such an amazing story so I know that you will want to tell your family and your friends all about it. We are going to make a special project that will help you do just that. During the activity: (Give each child an Activity Page.) Use your markers that I have laid out for you to make this (hold up Activity Page) look like a real fire. (Allow children to work.) Great job! Now turn your fire over and put glue all over the back of it. (Help the children set the craft stick in place.) Now put the cotton balls on the rest of the glue. Perfect! Now you have a cloud and a fire, just like in our story! At the end of the activity: (Apply the labels to the craft sticks.) Great job! You have something to help you tell your family and friends the story. During the daytime God sent a pillar of clouds to show Moses the way. Show me your clouds (have children hold up the cotton side) and at night He sent a pillar of fire. Show me your fire (have children show the fire side). God had the power to help Moses, and He has the power to help us too! Who s got it? (Pause.) Absolutely! God s got it! 12

13 Key Question: Who s got it? Bottom Line: God s got it! Memory Verse: God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT Bible Story Focus: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 Make it Real Small Group Time What You Need: Paperclip Memory Verse Card from the Week One Activity Pages on the Website in your Bible at Joshua 1:9. Provide a journal and a funshaped pen for each small group. You will also need reward stickers or a hand stamp. SMALL GROUP LEADER (SGL): Today s Bible story taught us that God has the power to do whatever it takes to show us the right way. How did He show Moses the right way? (Pause.) He sure did! God used fire and clouds! How cool is that? God was like: Don t worry about which way to go. I got this! I love it because that means when we need to know the right way, God s got it! Who s got it? CHILDREN and SGL: God s got it! Make It Real is designed to help preschoolers understand how the Bottom Line applies to them. They ll discuss real-life experiences and share prayer requests. Divide kids into small groups of about five to eight children with each leader. Ideally, assign the same small group leader to the same group of preschoolers for the entire year. SGL: Anytime you need to know the right way, God will be right there with you because (open Bible) God is with you wherever you go, Joshua 1:9. Let s say our Memory Verse together with the motions and then anyone who wants to try and say it by himself or herself can. CHILDREN and SGL: God (point both hands straight up) is with you (point out to a friend) wherever (spin in a circle) you go (march in place), Joshua 1:9. (Hold hands open like a book.) SGL: Again! CHILDREN and SGL: God (point both hands straight up) is with you (point out to a friend) wherever (spin in a circle) you go (march in place), Joshua 1:9. (Hold hands open like a book.) SGL: Okay, now who wants to try and say it? Give each child the opportunity to say the verse on his or her own. Have your stickers/hand stamp ready to given when they say it. Way to go! I am so proud of you! Now it s time to pray, but first I want us to make a list in our prayer journal of times God has already showed us the right way, like when God showed me to always tell the truth or when God showed me to share. What about you? When has God showed you the right way? Write down the children s names and what they say in your journal. Remember to print the words so they can recognize their names and letters. Note: The children may need help. Here are some ideas: God showed me to: be kind, be a good friend, help others, obey my parents, be thankful, trust Him, talk to Him, etc. God definitely has the power to show us the right way. Let s use our list now to pray. Would anyone like to say your own prayer to God before I pray for us? 13

14 Key Question: Who s got it? Bottom Line: God s got it! Memory Verse: God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, NLT Bible Story Focus: God has the power to show me the right way. Pillars of Clouds and Fire Exodus 13:21-22 Make it Real Give each child that wants to pray the opportunity to do so and then close with a prayer that includes the list the children made. Prayer SGL: Dear God, You are so good to show us the right way. And You re so powerful that You can always show us the right way. Please help us to talk to You when we need to know the right way and then help us to do what You say. We know Your way is always best. We love You, God! In Jesus name, amen. Make It Real is designed to help preschoolers understand how the Bottom Line applies to them. They ll discuss real-life experiences and share prayer requests. Divide kids into small groups of about five to eight children with each leader. Ideally, assign the same small group leader to the same group of preschoolers for the entire year. 14

15 Dismiss Set any take-home creations where you or parents can get them easily. Greet parents at the door and tell them that this month preschoolers are learning that God s got it! Encourage parents to repeat the Bottom Line at home and help their child understand that God s got it! Have this month s Parent CUE available for parents to pick up or send it in a monthly . Encourage parents to use the activities found in Parent CUE to reinforce this month s Bottom Line: God s got it! 15