015 4 Lead Editor: Kathy Hill Copy Editor: Dana Wilkerson Curriculum Writer: Danielle Schneller, Ashley Hiers Illustrators: Jodi Blackwell, Sharon van Rossum Graphic Designer: David Hill, Sharon van Rossum FL Creative Team: Sue Miller, Lois Pallansch, Kathy Hill, Autumn Ward, Ashley Hiers, Donna High, 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 (NLV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, New Life Version. Copyright 1969-003 by Christian Literature International, P.O. Box 777, Canby OR 97013. Used by permission. 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. 015 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.
015 4 MAKE IT FUN Prepare to offer one or more of the following activities as your preschoolers arrive. Let one or two teachers lead small groups of children in activities throughout the room while another teacher greets parents and kids at the door. Swim Like a Fish Match the Fish What s for Breakfast? MAKE IT TRUE (LARGE GROUP) Worship Introductory Sketch Bible Story 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. Jump in the Net Breakfast with Jesus Catching Fish Fish in the Net John 1:1-14 This symbol indicates an activity with potential allergens. Be sure to post allergy allert sign and inform parents at drop-off. Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE
015 4 MAKE IT FUN Activities designed to draw children into the classroom and introduce vocabulary and concepts needed for the Bible story. MOVEMENT An activity that uses a preschooler s natural desire to move to help them learn and grow. SWIM LIKE A FISH Swim Like a Fish is an activity that introduces this week s Bible story while children use gross motor skills to swim like fish. WHAT YOU NEED: Bubbles Before the Activity: Stand in an open area in the room. During the Activity: Guide kids to swim around the room like fish and try to pop the bubbles. Tell them to make fish faces with each other. After the Activity: Sit down together and introduce the Bible story. Before the Activity: Hello, friends! Come over here and spread out a little. During the Activity: We are going to pretend to swim like fish. Can you show me your best fish face? (Pause.) Those are super fish faces! Okay, get ready, little fish! Come swim to the bubbles and try to pop them. (Walk around blowing bubbles.) Pop the bubbles, little fish! (Repeat as many times as desired.) That was fun! Swim over and sit with me. After the Activity: You were the fastest and best bubble-popping fish today! Guess what. We are going to hear a Bible story about some fish today! I can t wait! John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 3
015 4 MAKE IT FUN Activities designed to draw children into the classroom and introduce vocabulary and concepts needed for the Bible story. GAME An activity that encourages preschoolers to follow guidelines while having fun and learning new concepts. MATCH THE FISH Match the Fish is an activity that introduces this week s Bible story while encouraging kids to match the fish cards. WHAT YOU NEED: Fish from the Activity Pages found on the Website, cardstock, and scissors. Before the Activity: Make two copies of each Fish on cardstock and cut out. During the Activity: Encourage kids to find the matching fish. After the Activity: Introduce the Bible story. Before the Activity: Friends, come sit with me at the table. I have a matching game to play today. During the Activity: What are these? (Pause.) Fish! That s right! Each one of these fish has a friend that matches it. Can you help me find their match? (Pause.) Super! Let s get started! (Describe the different fish.) You were great at finding the fish friends that matched! (Repeat as long as interest holds.) After the Activity: In our Bible story today we ll hear about some fishermen and the fish they caught. I can t wait for you to hear it. John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 4
015 4 MAKE IT FUN Activities designed to draw children into the classroom and introduce vocabulary and concepts needed for the Bible story. INVESTIGATION/ROLE PLAY An activity that channels either a preschooler s innate curiosity or desire to play dress up into a discussion of concepts crucial to the lesson. WHAT S FOR BREAKFAST What s for Breakfast? is an activity that introduces this week s Bible story while children make breakfast and flip pancakes and fish. WHAT YOU NEED: Fish and Pancakes from the Activity Pages found on the Web site, blue and yellow cardstock, scissors, and spatulas Before the Activity: Copy Fish on blue cardstock and cut out. Copy Pancakes on yellow cardstock and cut out. Make several copies of each. Place on a table with the spatulas. During the Activity: Encourage kids to pretend to cook using the table as a large grill/griddle. Show them how to flip the pancakes and fish with the spatulas. Count the fish and the pancakes and encourage free play and allow the kids to bring in other food or home living items if desired. After the Activity: Clean up and introduce the Bible story. Before the Activity: Come on over! We re going to pretend to cook up some breakfast! John 1:1-14 During the Activity: We re going to pretend the table is a large cooking surface and look, we ve got pancakes and fish for breakfast! I need you to flip the pancakes and the fish with the spatulas like this. (Demonstrate.) Okay, cook us up some breakfast! (Repeat as many times as desired.) After the Activity: You were great flipping the pancakes and fish! That was a lot of fun! In our Bible story today we are going to hear about someone special that cooked breakfast for His friends. Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 5
015 4 Activities designed to reinforce the Bible story and bottom line. REVIEW An activity that encourages preschoolers to learn the monthly memory verse. JUMP IN THE NET Jump in the Net is an activity that helps kids recite this month s Memory Verse while jumping into a fishing net. WHAT YOU NEED: Painter s tape Before the Activity: Criss-cross lines of tape on the floor to make a net. During the Activity: Say the Memory Verse together as kids jump into and out of the net. After the Activity: Say the Bottom Line together. Before the Activity: Come stand with me around this net on the floor. (Pause.) When we say our Memory Verse today, I want you to jump into the net. Ready? (Pause.) During the Activity: Let s say our Memory Verse together. (Jump in.) I have loved you with a love that lasts forever, Jeremiah 31:3. Now jump out and say it with me. (Jump out.) I have loved you with a love that lasts forever, Jeremiah 31:3. Super duper! (Repeat as many times as desired.) After the Activity: In our Bible story today we learned that Jesus loved His friends and even fixed them breakfast! God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to be our friend forever! Who loves you? God loves me. John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 6
015 4 Activities designed to reinforce the Bible story and bottom line. B I B L E S T O R Y R E V I E W BIBLE STORY REVIEW An activity that reviews the entire Bible story in a fun and interactive way allowing preschoolers that repetition they crave. John 1:1-14 BREAKFAST WITH JESUS Breakfast with Jesus is an activity that retells the Bible story while the children act it out and enjoy a snack of bread and fish. Be sure to list the foods you will be using today on the Allergy Alert Poster and post it at the door to your room. WHAT YOU NEED: Goldfish crackers, croutons, small cups, wet wipes, fish net, toy fish, and painter s tape Before the Activity: Make a boat shape on the floor with tape. Pour some Goldfish and croutons into cups for each of the children. During the Activity: Retell the Bible story while children jump in the boat and help act out the story. Enjoy the breakfast snack. After the Activity: Say the Bottom Line together. Before the Activity: Today in our Bible story we heard how our friend forever! Come aboard the boat and sit with me. During the Activity: In our story Jesus friends were fishing out on a sea and they were trying so hard to catch fish. They would throw their net out and pull it back in, but there were no fish! (Throw the net to the right and pull it back in.) Nothing. Then they would try again. (Throw the net back into the water to the right.) Still nothing? (Pause.) Fishing is hard. Do you guys see any fish anywhere? (Pause.) Should I try again? (Pause.) But you know what, guys? (Pause.) The Bible says that Jesus friends weren t catching ANY fish at all! They were so sad. Can you show me your sad faces? (Pause.) Good job! But just then, a man from the shore called out to them! He said, Throw your nets on the other side! Now, they didn t know it was Jesus talking to them, but they did just as He told them, and wouldn t you know it? (Have leaders throw toy fish into the net.) Tons of fish starting jumping into the net! What a great friend Jesus is to help them catch all those fish. And, when all those fish started jumping in the net, they realized it must be Jesus standing on the shore. Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 7
015 4 Activities designed to reinforce the Bible story and bottom line. B I B L E S T O R Y R E V I E W BIBLE STORY REVIEW An activity that reviews the entire Bible story in a fun and interactive way allowing preschoolers that repetition they crave. They were so excited to see Him! They quickly went to the land. Can you guys paddle super fast with me? Ready? Go! Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle! Hurry, we must get to land. Jesus is there! Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle! We made it! Great job paddling, everyone! When they got there, Jesus friends saw that Jesus had built a fire and was cooking bread and fish to share with them. He had made them breakfast! (Hand out cups of Goldfish and croutons.) What an amazing friend! They were so thankful that their friend Jesus had come to spend time with them. After the Activity: Jesus is our friend each and every day. He can help you do hard things like He did with the friends who were fishing. He can be with you at any time, even during breakfast on the beach. Jesus loves you and wants to be your friend forever! And God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to BE our friend. That s right! God loves each and every one of you so very much. Who loves you? God loves me! John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 8
015 4 Activities designed to reinforce the Bible story and bottom line. MOVEMENT An activity that uses a preschooler s natural desire to move to help them learn and grow. CATCHING FISH Catching Fish is an activity that encourages kids to use their gross motor skills by using the parachute to catch fish as the Bible story is reintroduced. WHAT YOU NEED: Parachute and the fish cutouts from Match the Fish or What s for Breakfast in Make it Fun Before the Activity: Spread the parachute out in an open area in the room. During the Activity: Have children play with the parachute. Add fish and have the kids try and keep the fish in the net. After the Activity: Say the Bottom Line together. Before the Activity: Hey, friends! Come find a spot around the parachute. During the Activity: We are going to pretend this parachute is a fishing net. Pick it up and start shaking it. Our net doesn t have any fish in it. Who helped the fishermen in our Bible story today? (Pause.) Jesus did! Jesus helped them catch a lot of fish! (Toss the fish cutouts onto the parachute.) Look! We caught some fish! (Start shaking the parachute.) Yay! Let s try and keep all the fish in the net! (Repeat as many times as desired.) After the Activity: Jesus was a good friend to the men in our story, wasn t He? our friend too. God sent His Son Jesus to be our friend forever because God loves you and me. Who loves you? God loves me. John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 9
015 4 Activities designed to reinforce the Bible story and bottom line. CRAFT An activity that allows preschoolers to review the Bible story, bottom line or memory verse by creating a fun craft to take home. FISH IN THE NET Fish in the Net is an activity that reviews the Bible story while children use their fine motor skills to add fish to the net. WHAT YOU NEED: Fishing Net from the Activity Pages found on the Website, blue cardstock, fish stickers, and a pen Before the Activity: Copy Fishing Net on blue cardstock and cut apart so there is one per child. During the Activity: Talk about the Bible story as children put the fish stickers on the net. Write children s names on their papers. After the Activity: Say the Bottom Line together. Before the Activity: In our Bible story today, we heard how Jesus loved and helped His friends. During the Activity: On your paper there is a picture of a fish net. Jesus friends were fishermen and with Jesus help they caught a lot of fish in their net. And, while they were fishing, Jesus cooked them breakfast! That s a super duper friend, isn t it? Can you put some of these fish stickers on the net? (Pause.) Fantastic! This tells us that the story we heard today can be found in the book of John in the Bible. After the Activity: I m so glad that God made you and loves you and me! Who loves you? (Pause.) God loves me. Who loves you? God loves me. John 1:1-14 Curriculum Materials for -year-olds 015 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org PAGE 10