God Made Me

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Younger Blessings Lesson Remember & Celebrate REMEMBER VERSE

As for me, I call to God and the Lord saves me. Psalm 55:16

Ponder Point:

God Made Me SERVICE SCHEDULE Opening Activity Stations 20–25 minutes

Explore Welcome & Engage 5–10 minutes

Discover Large Group 15–20 minutes

Small Group Respond Review/Bless/Connect 20–25 minutes

Today, we will stop and REMEMBER and CELEBRATE all that God has made. God made us unlike anyone else. He made us special and in His image.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Lesson Overview: Remember & Celebrate Experience

Time

Summary

Supplies/Prepare

EXPLORE Welcome & Engage

10–15 min.

Exploration stations create space intended to transition children – to lead them from the external world into an environment where they can commune with God, just as they are with all that they are.

Activity 1: Mixed Up Faces SUPPLIES • face shapes • velcro • magazines • scissors • laminating sheets or contact paper

DISCOVER Large Group

20–25 min.

Facilitate interactive games, songs, and large muscle activities, allowing children to participate in discovering God’s Word.

Worship songs The Big God Story (Optional) Hamilton the Hedgehog (Optional prop: small mirror) Mail Time/Remember Verse Large muscle activity

RESPOND: Review/ Bless/Connect

15–20 min.

Storytelling, discussion and interaction with others, and a time to respond to God in worship through creative expression. Bless the children that they may experience God fully and be a blessing to others.

Snack/Big God Story Review/Blessing Connect: Activity 1: God Made Me SUPPLIES • Large people cut outs • God Made _______ sticker • crayons or markers • optional: other items to decorate people

Activity 2: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Hamilton’s Box of Fun

This is a recurring activity that can be utilized at the end of the service until parents arrive for pick up.

Hamilton’s Box of Fun: Family First Parent Resource

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Activity Stations: 20-25 min. Clean up: A CD with clean up music will be played. At this time, please encourage and assist the kids with clean up. Once the kids are finished, please guide them to their color blanket or Explore table.

Explore: 5-10 min. Activity 1:

Mixed-Up Faces

SUPPLIES • face shapes • velcro • magazines • scissors • laminating sheets or contact paper PREPARE Laminate the face shapes (3 or 4). Attach the velcro strips where the eyes, ears, and mouth would be. Look through magazines and cut out different pictures of eyes, noses, and mouths. Laminate the magazine cutouts. Attach the Velcro strips to the back of each cutout. ENGAGE God made you. He made every person with different eyes, noses, and mouths. Let’s have some fun making some mixed-up faces with the eyes, noses, and mouths. When the child is finished making different faces, clear off the face so the next child has a blank face.

Move to Large Group: Be sure to model for the kid’s large group behavior. Please participate in all aspects of today’s large group time

Large Group Discover:

15-20 min.

Children move into a large group setting and participate in reciting God’s Word, corporate worship, and large muscle activities.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Ponder Point

Remember & Celebrate - God Made Me Hi, kids! Welcome! I am so excited to be here with you today. Let’s all celebrate God by singing and dancing together! (Play the “wiggles song” or another intro song as kids join you in large group.) Wow! That was great! Now, everyone, take a seat— Let’s go over today’s rules so we can have fun and be safe as we celebrate God! Be kind and be safe! –  

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Here is our special line, the teacher stays on this side of the line and the kids stay on that side of the line. Jesus made our hands to be kind to our friends, show me your hands (have kids wave their hands). Remember we can use our hands to clap and have fun, but never to hit or hurt our friends. Show me your feet (have kids stomp their feet). We can use our feet to dance and have fun, but we never use our feet to kick or hurt our friends or our church. Another way we can be kind is when teacher “___” is speaking, you are listening. Show me your ears (have kids wiggle their ears). We can listen with our ears and zip our lips when I’m talking. Add any other rules that specifically work for your room. Preschoolers do better when they know their expectations.

Do you know who else likes to be a part of The Big God Story? That’s right! Hamilton the Hedgehog! Shall we call him and ask him to join us? (The children will answer.) On the count of three, let’s call him together. Are you ready? One, two, three. Hamilton, where are you? (Encourage kids to call for Hamilton.) Hmm … I wonder what he is doing. Let’s try again. Hamilton, where are you? (“walk” the puppet out of his house.)

“Hamilton the Hedgehog” Hamilton the Hedgehog is a fun puppet that you can use during your large group discover time. You may choose to use Hamilton to introduce the morning’s activities or perhaps get the mail (Remember Verse). Every week there may be an optional “prop” you may choose to have Hamilton use to introduce the children to today’s Bible story (which will be told later during small group). It’s always good to use Hamilton to help settle the kids. You can tell the kids, “Hamilton is very shy so everyone needs to be quiet and listen so he will come out of his house”. You may have a façade that is part of your stage/teaching area that would include a “home” for Hamilton. However, if this is not an option and children see you with the puppet on your hand, just interact with both Hamilton and the children. That interaction will help kids to see the puppeteer and puppet as separate characters. You don’t need to give Hamilton a “voice”, simply ask Hamilton questions and he can nod yes or no.

Hamilton’s Prop (Optional): Small Mirror Hi, Hamilton! Hamilton, what do you have? (Have Hamilton whisper in the Storyteller’s ear.) Interact with Hamilton about the item brought with him today (mirror). Use Hamilton to transition to Mail Time. He can help you get the mail, or he could choose a volunteer to help retrieve the mail.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Mail Time: Each week children will receive mail in the mailbox placed in the large group area of your classroom. Written on the mail is the month’s Remember Verse from the Bible. It’s important for children to associate the message written on the “mail” as words from the Bible, so be sure to have a Bible visible for reference. SUPPLIES • Remember Verse • Bible (your personal or a children’s Bible) • Mailbox SET UP Place today’s Remember Verse inside of the mailbox. You can also use “Hamilton” to retrieve your mail for the morning. ENGAGE Use this time to get excited and enthusiastic about sharing God’s Word with your group of kids. Make a big deal out of going to the mailbox to open the mail and retrieve the Remember Verse. Make sure to tell the kids that this Remember Verse comes from the Bible. Realize children may not totally understand the meaning of this scripture, but they are beginning the practice of hiding God’s Word in their hearts.

Remember Verse Motions As for me : Both hands in fists, point thumbs toward chest. I call to God: Look up, cupping hands around mouth. and the Lord saves me: Point up to God. Psalm 55:16

Now, lead the large group in reciting the Remember Verse several times together using a variety of engaging methods (motions, high voice, low voice, squeaky voice). You might want to ask your group to stand up. Using the hand motions (above in the text box), go over the verse two or three times with the kids. Get excited! Treat this as a celebration — an exciting time of introducing your children to God’s Word. Applaud them for a job well done!

The Big God Story (Optional): The following supplies will be provided if your class will be doing a large group story time. Remember & Celebrate God Made Me SUPPLIES:  gift bag or gift boxes  hand mirror PREPARE Put the mirror in the inside the gift bag or gift box.

Alternate to using this script – review any “God Made Me” book with your kids.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

I think we are ready to ask God to help us learn today. (Lead the kids in a Prayer of Release as you prepare to hear God’s Word.)

Prayer of Release A Prayer of Release is a prayer asking God to remove any distractions that would get in the way of hearing from and responding to Him. As we pray, we dedicate this time to the Lord and quiet ourselves, so that we might hear specifically from Him. In this way, we are consciously laying aside our worries, successes, and requests for the moment. We ask to be filled with knowledge and understanding from Him, giving God His rightful role as teacher. Give the kids a few seconds, as it feels appropriate, of silence. (A few seconds of quiet can also help settle your group.)

Today is a special day! We are celebrating all that God has taught us and given us. Let’s get ready to learn more from The Big God Story. It wouldn’t be a party without a present, and I have one right here. Let’s see what is inside. (Unwrap the gift and pull out the mirror.) What is this? It’s a mirror. I like to look into the mirror and guess what I see—me! Who made me? God did. Who made you? Yes, God did. In The Big God Story we learned about God creating a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. God made Adam and Eve, and He made us too! Let’s look inside the mirror and see what we see. Let each child have a turn looking in the mirror. As you are helping them pass the mirror, ask the following questions: 

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see two eyes? What color are your eyes? God made your eyes so you can see.

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What do you see on your face that you use to smell? A nose. God gave us each a nose that we can use to smell things with. I love the smell of (fill in the blank).

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There is something else on your face. It helps you talk and taste food. What is it? That’s right—a mouth. I’m so glad God gave us mouths. What is your favorite food to put in your mouth?

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What are those things on the side of your head that help you listen? Yes, ears. God made our ears so we can listen to all of the sounds around us. Birds chirping, families talking, friends laughing.

God made each one of us special. He gave us a heart to love Him and love others. Who do you love? (Interact with the children and their responses.) God made us, and we can know Him and love Him! Let’s all stand up and put our hands in the air and tell God, “Thank You for making me!” (Stand up with the children and say that statement a couple of times.)

Worship Songs: Choose one or two worship songs to sing during large group.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Large Muscle Activity: Choose a large muscle activity for your classroom. Some hints for introducing the large group activity:

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Have everyone sit down and get ready to listen to the rules of the activity. (Try whispering as you sit down to help kids concentrate.) Before you have kids start the activity, explain and model what the kids are to do for the activity. Show the item you will be using (scarves, bean bags, etc.) Keep kids sitting while you pass out item, as they get the item (scarf, etc.) they can stand up. Start activity. When you are finished with the activity, have kids sit down again and collect items. (This will help with kids crowding and running into each other.)

Following are suggestions for large group activities either in your classroom or in a large group programming area. 

Scarves: Give each child a scarf and let them wave it to the music or a game of Slow and Fast (found on “Rhythms on Parade” by Hap Palmer).

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A few other fun songs from Hap Palmer: Rock and Roll Freeze Dance, Jack in the Box (kids pretend to be a different animal as they jump out of the jack in the box.)

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Paint the walls: Preschoolers love to paint! Give kids a paintbrush and some imaginary paint and they love to paint or clean the walls. Use sponge or large paint brushes, use a couple of buckets (no water or paint necessary) and tell the kids that they can paint or clean the walls anywhere they want to in the large group area.

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Parachute: A variety of items can go on your parachute (often to match your curriculum).

Dismiss the kids to their groups/rooms for Small Group Respond.

Small Group Respond: 20-25 min. Snack/Bible Story Review Questions SUPPLIES (per small group) • God Made Me girl and boy sheets • Hand Sanitizer, Graham crackers Settle your kids back on the small group blanket; use hand sanitizer and pass out crackers. Say a prayer of thanks before eating.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson Show the kids the picture of the boy and the girl provided in your small group bin. Discuss the following questions with the children. Questions are meant to prompt further conversation about what children have been experiencing. They also invite children to ponder this truth and dwell with the wonder of God.

Today, we REMEMBER and CELEBRATE all that God has made. God made us unlike anyone else. He made us special and in His image.    

Who made your eyes, mouth, ears? Who/What else did God make? God gave you a heart to love others, who do you love? What can we say to God for making us?

Bless: Open a Bible and use the provided Blessing Card: Children, remember that God made you special and wonderful.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Connect: Activity 1: God Made Me SUPPLIES • Large people cut outs • God Made _______ sticker • crayons or markers • optional: other items to decorate people SET UP Place one pattern at each child’s place setting. Set the remaining materials in the center of your small group. ENGAGE Write the child’s name and adhere the “God Made ______” sticker to each cut out. Who made you? Encourage responses. God did. We have a person on this paper, but it has no hair or eyes or clothes. Can you help me make this person beautiful just like you? What color are you using for your eyes? Who made your eyes? Ears? Nose? Mouth? Let the children use their own creativity to make the person however they like.

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November 28-29, 2015 Younger Blessings Lesson

Activity 2: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes ENGAGE

Invite the children to join you in an open area. God made you and God made me. He gave us so many different parts on our body. Each has a special job. Can you show me where your head is? Where your shoulders are? Where your knees are? Where your toes are? Great job! Let’s sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” To mix up the song, sing it really fast and really slow. Ongoing Connect Option

Hamilton’s Box of Fun Hamilton’s Box of Fun This is a fun resource to encourage the kids to interact with each other by sharing toys and using their imagination with different objects. This activity can be utilized at the end of the service until parents arrive for pick up. Please return these special activities to Hamilton’s Box when you are finished for the day. SUPPLIES  coloring page (this will match the day’s Bible story) beanbags  small magna doodles  wooden blocks   special books (open the flap books, or music books) SET UP Put a variety of fun objects/toys in the box. Hide the box or basket somewhere in the room. Please do not allow kids to return to playing with ALL of the toys. As parents arrive to pick up their children, be sure to greet each one and share an encouraging word about your day. The adult in the younger preschool room must match security tags. Our policy is NO TAG – NO KID! If someone has lost their tag, they need to go to Guest Central to get issued a new tag. No exceptions!

Remember Verse Motions As for me : Both hands in fists, point thumbs toward chest.

I call to God: Look up, cupping hands around mouth. and the Lord saves me: Point up to God. Psalm 55:16

Family First Look Cards Be sure to hand out this week’s Family First Look to the parents as they pick up their child. This resource will help parents review this week’s lesson with their child and look ahead to next week’s lesson. It also has this week’s Blessing and the current Remember Verse their kids are learning.

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