He is the Vine and We are the Branches

 This week's lesson focuses in on growing closer to Christ through His Church, specifically the sacraments.  Very simple oultline below!

9:15 pray

9:20 Station One

            Children will get to trace their hands on green construction paper, then cut them out (as able, adults to help little ones).  On the wall, a vine will be drawn on a long piece of butcher paper.  On the paper it will say “He is the vine and we are the branches.”  Read to the children scripture, and then they get to attach their handprints as leaves on the vine.  Grape clusters will have each of the sacraments on them.  We will remind the children that we stay attached to Christ through the sacraments.

 

John 15:5….I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

9:30 Station Two

            Biggest children will work on their text book reading.  Middle and Smaller children will have Getting to Know God by John Kosmas Skinas read to them.

 

9:40  Station Three

            Lesson with me.  Biggest children will complete book work.  Middle and Littlest children will also SING A SONG: His Banner Over Me is Love (Verse… HE is the vine and WE are the branches… stand straight and tall for the VINE and stretch out arms and legs in funny shapes for the branches).

 

Binder handout:  Sacrament quiz from text book, God with Us, grade 6.

 

Ideas from the lesson were based on activities at :  http://www.sermons4kids.com/true_vine_group_activities.htm

We are Called to Grow Closer to God

This year, we are using the 6^th Grade God With Us Curriculum, but I have to supplement it to fit the needs of our younger children as well.  Here’s my lesson for Unit 1, lesson 1.

In this lesson, we are encouraging the children to grow closer to God through prayer, the Sacraments, learning Church teaching, and our families.  The older children will receive their text books for the first time, younger children will hear stories about the Saints Constantine and Helen from the book A Child’s Paradise of Saints.

 

9:15  Gather for prayer

9:20 Station One:  I will go over the lesson for the day, comparing how a plant needs air, water, good soil, and sunshine to the needs we have as Christians o have prayer, Sacraments, Church teaching, and our families.  These are the things that we and plants need to grow.  Children will complete their worksheet to go along with the lesson.

 

9:30  Station Two:  Children will plant flowers, discussing the care that plants take to grow. 

 

9:40  Station Three:  The oldest children will read from their text book, starting on page two.  The younger children will hear stories about the Saints Constantine and Helen from the book A Child’s Paradise of Saints.

 

9:50  We will gather all the children back together for a lesson re-cap and final prayer.  I will hand out the page for their binders as well.

Welcome back and the Exaltation of the Cross!

This week marks our parish's return to Sunday School!  It is also the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross this weekend and the focus of this week's lesson.

Class runs from 9:15am to 10am, and I'm going to break up this week's lesson as follows:

9:15     Opening prayers in the Nave
9:20     All children gathered together for welcome back, I will review rules and attendance rewards
9:30     I will introduce today's theme, talking to them about St. Helena being an archaeologist of sorts and invite them to seek out the cross as well.
9:35     Treasure Hunt game!  Before class, I will hide 10 pieces of the story of St. Helena out in our church yard.  Each piece of the story is numbered and has a small cross attached.
9:40     The children will bring in the pieces and read the story of St. Helena to each other.  Each child who found a piece of the story gets to read their own part.
9:50     We'll move into our wrap up and discussion of appropriate church behavior.

That's it!  Simple, but gets them moving around and keeps the lesson interactive!  I'm ready to get going again!