Who Loves you, and Whom Do you Love?

“Hide My Word in Your Heart.”

February is the month for talking about love. Whom do you love and who loves you. At circle time we talked about all the people in our lives who love us very much and everyone we love too. Three of my children said they love their dogs, cats and Morris the tortoise. In a little basket beside my chair I had small items for each of the children. I asked if they had little treasures and they wanted to put them some place safe where would you hide them right now so they would not get lost. I gave them each a small toy and saw where they put them. Most put them in a pants pocket, shirt pocket and one in her shoe.

We talked about the Word of God and our Bible verse. To keep it safe we hide the word of God in our hearts by memorizing our Bible verse each week. Our Bible verse is “Love the Lord Your God with all Your Heart”, Matthew 22:37.

We talked about color patterns in our shirts and our pants. I gave them a cut out of a pair of pants or a shirt and let them decorate them as they liked. They had their choice of anything that was in the art center to use. Some used markers, paint, stickers and the girls loved the sequins and glitter pens. After their article of clothing was dry I gave them an outline of a heart and they cut it out and glued it to their shirt or pants. On the heart I wrote-I Have Hidden Your Word in My Heart… After we recited the Bible verse they tucked the piece of paper into the heart pocket. We hung our shirts and pants on the walls for about a week and after we had memorized the verse, they took them home.

Hiding small items from the science center, cars and trucks area, and small animals is all part of the preschool experience. Hiding the Word of God in their hearts is part of their growing experience.

Have a joyous February.
Lynn

Joseph's Coat of Many Colors

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.
Genesis 37:3

It was a very colorful day in class. Ahead of time I cut out paper bag vests for each child. They are simple to do, just cut open the middle of the front side of the bag. Cut a hole in the top for the neck. Cut a hole on each side of the bag for arm holes.

I always like to give the children lots of choices so I had paint, markers, crayons, tissue paper, fabric, glue and even chalk out on the tables.

At circle time we talked about Joseph and all of the reasons his father gave him a coat of many colors. The responses are always so cute and some were even funny. Some of the responses from them were:

“Joseph’s father gave him the coat because he was cold.”

“He gave him the coat because he wanted him to be pretty.” (my personal favorite)

“He wanted everyone to know that his coat was special.”

“He wanted to share.”

I asked them if they wanted to make a coat of many colors and they couldn’t get to the tables fast enough.

They colored, painted and glued fabric on their coats. Of course no two of them were alike. I made one along with them as we talked about how Joseph’s coat was probably made. Most of them thought it was sewed together by his father.

After the coats were completed we decided to have a parade through the school to show them off. It was so much fun as I let each child lead the parade for a little while.

I hope you will make Joseph’s coat of many colors with your students and have as much fun as I did.

As always, peace and joy,
Barb

Sending God a Valentine!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate it than to send God a Valentine?

1 Cornithians 13:4 says;
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I have not done this lesson with the students yet but wanted to share with you what I plan to do to perhaps inspire you to do something similar.

As you may know, I love to chart what the children say and dictate their words onto cards, letters or other work they do.

In beginning the lesson I will ask the children what Valentine’s Day means to them and I will chart it as they speak. I am certain the word “love” will come out of the exercise, and then I will ask them if they would like to make a Valentine for God to tell him how much they love him.

We will make this a large group project and make a HUGE Valentine for God.

Some of the supplies we will use are the following:
•Stickers
• Paint
• Glue
• Foam Shaped Heart Pieces
• Markers
• Glitter
• HUGE piece of Poster Board (cut it into the shape of a heart)

Each child will be given the opportunity to write, color, paint or draw on the card. For the students who can’t yet write, I will dictate what they say. I know that what they say on the Valentine card to God will be heartwarming and touching.

When everyone has had a chance to write on the card and it is finished, I will pull them into a circle and share what everyone said, colored, painted and drew.

We will end the lesson with reading the story:
My Valentine Story: Giving My Heart to God by Crystal Bowman

As the parents pick up their children, I will encourage them to look at the card with their child.

I hope this inspires you and would love to hear your thoughts.

As always, peace and joy,
Barb

Cows, Eggs and Families

Families come in all shapes and sizes. When teaching about families, one of the concepts I like to begin with is that not every family is exactly the same. As a class we talk about how all of us in our families are special in our own way and we each bring something special to our family. We talk about how we are all of God's children and we are all family in His eyes, and we are special in our own way.

I let the kids describe their own families, and then we discuss that no matter what defines our “family,” it’s important to be loving and kind to our family members and remember that each of us in turn are unique and important to our family, who loves us very much. One of the books we like to read in our class of 3- and 4-year olds is about a cow and an egg, aptly named The Cow That Laid An Egg, by Andy Cutbill.

The story surrounds a farm where a cow named Marjorie feels very ordinary. The chickens on the farm decide to play a joke on her and make her think she’s laid an egg. But when it hatches what will it be? Certainly not a baby cow… And, sure enough, a chick eventually pops out of the egg. However, when it makes its first sound, it’s clear that Marjorie is the rightful mom after all, for the chick lets out a resounding MOO!

I bring in hard-boiled eggs for the kids to decorate. I usually bring one pre-decorated to have black cow spots on it, like the one in the book, and I let the kids take turns holding it during the story, if they can do so without being too distracted. After the story the children decorate their own eggs (with markers, glitter glue, crayons, stickers) any way they want. Then we look at all the different eggs and talk once again about how, just like each of us and our families, each egg is special and beautiful in its own way.