Week Four

This is our fourth and final week about creation. God made people, and God made me focuses on the unique characteristics God has given us. We'll spend this week celebrating our differences, features, and quirks that make us special.

Let's start this week by reading Genesis 1:26-31 and Psalm 139:13-14. Talk about how God make us in His image and that we are His children. This is a good place to introduce the concept of God as our "Father." It's also great to include in your conversation that God created each and every one of us intentionally just as we are and that He has a special purpose for us all. Our specific talents and skills are like gifts from Him. We have a responsibility to use those gifts wisely and with purpose. So talk about how He gave us hands for helping His people, feet for going to His people to share love, lips for speaking truth and for using loving words, etc.

Supplies Needed:

butcher paper

crayons/markers/paint

copy of All About Me

camera and copies of pictures taken throughout the week

play dough ingredients: flour, salt, Kool-Aid powder, oil

unflavored popcorn & seasonings (seasoned salt, cinnamon, sugar, garlic powder, parmesan cheese)

a bag or a box for the sensory kit plus a handful of household items of different textures

supplies for your Child's Favorite party - decor in your child's favorite colors, their favorite meal/snacks

white paper plate

scraps of yarn in your child's hair color

I hope you all have a great week getting to know your children even better as the unique little kids God created in His image!

I would love to hear your stories of how things are going with your kids. As I'm preparing this post, we're just finishing up the first week, and we have had a ball. I was amazed at how quickly my daughter memorized the verse, and it blesses my socks off to hear her recite it as she's falling to sleep, recall it at appropriate times throughout the day, and refer to it while reading other Bible stories. This new plan has been such a huge bright spot in our week, and I pray it has been for you too!

Here's the direct link for Week 4's lesson plans, and here is the link for the All About Me booklet.

Week Three

Continuing the thread of creation, this week is all about animals. The scripture reference is Genesis 1:24-25. As always, make sure to begin the week by reading the scripture and explaining it thoroughly.

I've found that there's no need to paraphrase the scripture into "kid-friendly" language during the first run-through. I think it's important to read straight from the text, then to sum up what we've just read. I am amazed at how much my 3-year-old understands before we've even discussed the meanings. I find that the times that I read straight from the text offer more opportunities for adding vocabulary words to her arsenal too which is a win-win educationally. What ways have you found to be helpful to introduce the text to your kids? I'd love to hear your ideas too!

Supplies List

animal crackers for snack

washable paint, markers, pens

crayons and a copy of the animals on the lesson plan

shoebox

popsicle sticks

plastic animals

Get ready to moo, bark, slither, and gallop your way through this week!

Week Two

How did your first week go? Wasn't it nice to have a back-up plan to focus the week and to actually have things prepared to do when the time came? It's such a relief for me to actually have a plan.

Week two's theme continues the thread of creation. This week we'll talk about how God created the fish and the birds. We'll begin by reading Genesis 1:20-23 and discussing with the kids. Again, make sure to give them plenty of time to soak it in, ask questions, and clarify things. And it's always a good idea to start with the 3 questions I shared last week about God's word.

Supplies Needed

goldfish crackers

multiple colors of tissue paper (I keep a basket in our art cabinet with leftovers from projects or paper that has been used for wrapping presents)

glue

q-tips

blue construction paper

magazines, books, photos of sea creatures to cut and paste

refrigerated tube of pizza dough

pizza sauce

cheese

pepperoni

Finding Nemo

popcorn

12 ounce bag of chocolate chips

6 ounce container of chow mein noodles

jellybeans, chocolate eggs, or M&Ms

old mesh produce bag

string

yarn

dried, dead grass

small sticks

popsicle sticks

crayons or washable markers

I hope you and your kids enjoy all of the fun activities I've compiled to help learn and explore God's creation!

Here's the permanent link to Week Two.

Week One

Are you ready to start at the very beginning? I've designed the themes to correspond with holidays. If you just pop in from time-to-time, you may want to find the current week instead of trying to do them consecutively if you'd like to find activities appropriate to the season/holiday.

Week One's focus is on the first 4 days of creation; separation of the light and dark, separation of the sea and sky, creation of the land and plants, and creation of the sun, moon, and stars. This week will be the beginning of establishing who God is for our kids.

Start your week by reading Genesis 1:1-19 aloud with your kids. Give them plenty of time to ask questions, discuss God's word, and absorb what you're reading. It's also a good idea to always begin any Bible readings talking about God's word. I always hold up the Bible and ask, "What is this?" The kids answer that it's a Bible. Then I ask, "And what's inside the Bible?" They answer, "God's words." Then I follow-up with, "And what is special about God's words?" The kids respond, "They're all true!"

Supplies Needed:

Crayons or Washable Markers

Grab Bag Items from around the house (rocks, leaves, sticks, fruits, veggies, nuts, flowers, etc.)

Construction Paper

Contact Paper

A Collection of Waterproof things for Sink or Float

A Collection of household items for Sun Prints (ABC fridge magnets or a foam alphabet work perfectly for this)

Child's favorite fruits for a fruit salad (along with kid-friendly utensils for cutting if appropriate)

Flower seeds, potting soil, flower pot

Alright, let's dive in!

Here's the permanent link to Week One. But you can also always find the link list in the sidebar.