New Blog For Parents

I have a blog for parents now - http://www.heritagetoolshed.blogspot.com/. I will be posting weekly reminders and info about our lessons coming up as well as tips and ideas and cute stories about the kids. I will also be doing leader interviews/get-to-know-you posts from time to time as well.

Feel free to check it out and tell our families.

Week 3 Lesson Tips

4 Faces of Emotions

(In your classroom will be 4 Faces of Emotions on popsicle sticks to use if you so choose.)

Recognizing the emotions of the people in the Bible is a great way to enhance your understanding of God's Word. When we recognize the emotions that individuals had in the Bible they become real people. They aren't superhuman able to endure great odds. They were real people who put their trust in God.

Emotions are also a great way for kids, especially young kids. to connect with the story. They know sadness, anger, happiness and being scared. Helping them to identify David's emotions not only helps them connect with the Bible story but makes the idea that God can help them too real.

Simply tell the story of David and Jonathan and King Saul. Let the kids know that today you will need their help to tell the story. Show them each of the 4 Faces of Emotions. Ask them to make an angry face, a sad face, a happy face, and a scared face. Explain that as you tell the story whenever you hold up one of the faces of emotion they need to make that same face.

David meets Jonathan = Happy (friends make us happy, sharing makes us happy)
David returns from battle victorious = Happy (cheering, people were happy they had won, they were singing)
King Saul gets mad = Angry (Saul's face turned red, he didn't like that the people loved David)
David was sad = Sad (David was sad that the King didn't like him.)
David has to hide = Scared (the King was trying to hurt him, his only friend was Jonathan)
Jonathan was sad = Sad (Jonathan was probably sad that his dad wanted to hurt his friend)
David was happy = Happy (to have such a good friend)
King Saul gets mad again = Angry (King Saul tries to kill David)
David was scared = Scared (David had to leave so the King couldn't hurt him)
David was happy= Happy (David was so happy to have a good friend like Jonathan who would helped him)
David and Jonathan = Sad (sad that they had to say good bye)
David and Jonathan = Happy (but glad to be friends and promised to always take care of one another and their families

Props

Bring in pictures from magazines or your own pictures and disscuss with the kids who friends are and what they do. Share. Play together. Eat together. Help. Care for. Protect. They do the right thing because God wants us to do the right thing and help others.

You could also bring in leaves, batteries and seeds and talk to the kids about what our characters were learning today. They lived in a treehouse (leaves) but didn't want to help one another. They each had something they other needed - batteries and seeds. They needed to help each other. Use this to start talking with the kids about how Jonathan helped David in this week's story.

Week 2 Lesson Tips

Props

Bring in bread and a basket – David taking food to his brothers.
Bring in 5 smooth stones or rocks – David picked up 5 stones.
Bring in a slingshot if you have one – David used this to throw his stone.
Bring in clothes that are too big for you – David couldn’t fit into the King’s armor. Bring in clothes and shoes that will be too big for the kids and dress up one of the kids in the clothes and have them to try to run and fight.

5 Senses

Using your 5 senses is a great way to help kids place themselves in the story and remember it.

Go over the 5 senses with your kids:

Today we are going to use our 5 senses to learn our Bible Story. Does anyone know what your 5 senses are? (Point to your nose.) What does your nose do? I can smell. Everyone take in a big deep breath. (Point to your eyes.) What about my eyes? I can see. Put on your binoculars. What do you see in our room? (Let the kids name some things.) I can taste. (Stick out your tongue.) (Point to your ears.) What about these things on the side of my head? I can hear too. And I can touch and feel things. (Wiggle your fingers.) My shirt is soft but my book is hard. Today we are going to use our nose, our ears, our mouth, our hands and our eyes to find out how David, just a young boy, killed a mighty, mighty giant. Are you ready?

David had 7 brothers. Let’s count them. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and they were far away fighting. One day David’s dad packed up some bread and other food and told David to take it to his brothers. Can you smell the bread? (Take a deep breath.) It was probably warm. (Rub hands together.) So David started out walking. Can you use your legs to walk? (Walk in place or in their seats.)

When David got to where his brothers were, he gave them the food and then suddenly (Tell the kids to freeze.), David heard a loud, loud noise coming from up on the hill. (Cup your hand around your ears.) Did you hear that? He looked up (Have kids look up using their binoculars made by their hands) and you know what he saw? He saw a very BIG giant. This giant was taller than anyone in all of Israel. (Stand up on your chair – just you not the kids.) David heard (Have kids put their hands around their ear like they are trying to listen) the giant say: (Use a very loud booming voice) I am the commander of the Philistine Army. Who is brave enough to come fight me? You are all scaredy cats. You are like ants to me. Come here and I will stomp on you!”

(Sit back down.) All of David’s brothers and the other soldiers ran away in fear. Can you use your legs to run and hide? (Shake like you are scared too.) The giant was so big. How big do you think the giant was? I wonder what it sounded like when he walked. I bet it was BOOM BOOM. Can you guys walk like a giant?

Even though all the soldiers were scared, David wasn’t. He knew that God was bigger than any giant. When the King heard that David wasn’t scared he asked David to come see him. So David went to see the King. (Let's walk to see the King) The King asked David how he could fight the giant. David told him that God was a big God and could defeat the giant. David told the King that when he was watching the sheep God helped him kill a bear and a lion. Wow! What does a bear sound like? (encourage kids to roar like a lion.) How does a lion walk? (Have kids act like lions.) They were big animals and they wanted to eat the sheep. I wonder what sheep taste like. They were hungry; what does your tummy sound like when it is hungry. (It growls.) David saved the sheep because God was there and helped him. David would take his sling and put in a rock (reach out and pick up a rock and put it in your sling) and swing it above your head and let it go and then wait for it and then holler “Yes”) Hey everybody get your sling out and put a rock in it. Let’s sling wave it over our heads and get ready to throw it at the bear. (Wave sling above your heads). Can you hear the wind? We are making our sling go really fast. Here we go. Ready. 1 2 3 Did you see it? Did you get the lion or the bear? (Use your bionculars/eyes to see the bear or lion fall down.) Yeah!

So David wasn’t scared of a giant. So the King put armor on David. He gave him a helmet and a shield. What else do you think he gave David? (Let kids guess). Let’s put on our armor together. (Act like you are putting on armor & remember it’s heavy). But guess what? David had a problem. He was just a boy. The King’s armor was too big for him. It didn’t fit. He couldn’t walk in it. It was too heavy. (Have kids stand up and to pretend to try to walk). So David took off all that heavy armor. (Take armor off and remember it’s heavy). He decided he would face that giant with just his sling and God on his side.

So David walked out to meet the giant. He stopped at a stream of water and picked up 5 smooth stones. Can you guys pick up 5 smooth stones? (Pretend like you are picking up stones; throw some away becuase they are rough.) Make sure they are nice and smooth. He probably had to wipe off his hands from the water. Do you think it was warm or cold?

Then David walked up the hill. Let’s walk up the hill. When that giant saw the little boy David, you know what he started to do? Listen. I’ll show you. (Get back up on chair and start laughing really loudly). The giant started laughing and said, “You sent out a little boy to fight me! I will squash him like a bug!” The giant was so much bigger than David.

But David wasn’t scared and he had told the King he would fight the giant so he knew that he would do what he said. He knew he could because God was with him. So David shouted – "You come at me with a sword but I come with God on my side and today the Lord will help me defeat you.” And then David ran - let’s run too (run in seats) towards the giant and he waved his sling way up high in the sky (wave your sling) and threw that rock at the giant.

(Get back up on the chair) That rock came very very fast through the air and hit the giant right between the eyes (point) and that giant wobbled and wobbled (act this out) and then fell (fall down) down. BOOM. How loud do you think it was when he hit the ground?

And all of the soldiers began to shout and to holler. Can you hear them? Let’s shout too! Whoooooo!

Week 1 Lesson Tips

Act Out the Story

Choose a child for each of these people in the story (10 total):

Samuel
David
Jesse – David’s father
7 brothers

Have the remaining children sit down in a circle and explain that they are going to help you tell the story today.

Have the child playing David stand away from the rest of the group.

Have the 7 brothers stand in a line.

Have Jesse stand at the “door”.

Have Samuel be ready to walk with you.

Explain to the kids in the circle that Samuel was a man who listened to God and God told him things. One day God told Samuel to go to Jesse’s house because one of Jesse’s sons would be the new King. (Walk with Samuel to Jesse’s “door” and knock on the door.)

When Samuel got to Jesse’s house he asked Jesse to get all his sons and bring them to him. So Jesse called his sons over. (Have Jesse walk over to the 7 sons. Have all the 7 sons follow Jesse back to where Samuel is.)

Samuel looked at each son to see if he was to be the next King, but God tells him “Nope” (Shake your head back and forth.) Explain to the kids it’s their job when Samuel (put your hands on the child playing Samuel) looks at each brother to shake their heads and holler out “Nope!” Have the kids practice saying “Nope!” and shaking their head back and forth. Have Samuel stand in front of each brother and wait for the kids to shout “Nope!”

Then explain that when Samuel couldn’t find the right son to be King, God tells him “Don’t look at the outside, but look at the inside.” (Shake your finger when you say “Don’t” and make binoculars with your hands around your eyes when you “look”. Move your binoculars up and down when you say “outside”. Continue to use binoculars as you say “but look” and then point at the heart when you say “inside”.) Have the kids practice saying this with you.

Tell the kids that Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons and Jesse said he did. He had one more son named David. He was the youngest and smallest and was out watching the sheep. Samuel told Jesse to call for David to come in. Explain that when it’s time for Jesse to call David they must help call David by hollering over to David. Have them shout for David. Have David walk over to where Samuel, Jesse and the 7 brothers are.

When David came inside God told Samuel that David would be the new King. Have kids point at David and say, “That’s the one!” David might have been the smallest and youngest, but God knew that David loved him and would obey Him and knew that He was just the right person to be King. God knew that because God doesn’t look at who is the biggest or best or oldest. God looks at us and see how each of us is special and made by Him and each of us can do something special for Him just like David was made to be King. Because God doesn’t look at the outside but looks at the inside. (Use the motions.) Have the kids repeat this with you.

Props

Bring in 8 objects that vary in size from largest to smallest. Put the smallest object in your pocket or under your seat out of the vision of the children.

Pick up the biggest object first as you tell the children that Samuel looked at the oldest brother. He was very tall but God said “No”. Put down the object. Pick up the next largest item as you talk about the next brother and how tall, good looking, strong, fast, etc. he was. Each time God tells Samuel "No" put down the object.

As you talk about Samuel asking if Jesse had any other sons and that Jesse had not called in David, pick up the smallest item from wherever you have it hidden. Tell the kids that David was the youngest and no one thought it was important to call him. No one thought he was big enough or smart enough to be King. He wasn’t tall or strong or big or as fast as his older brothers. But God saw him and told Samuel he would be King. Because God looks at us and sees how each of us is special and different. We don’t have to be the biggest or the best or the fastest. We just have to love God and He loves us already. And no matter what will always love us.

Other ideas:

You could bring in measuring tape or ruler and have the kids guess how big each of David’s brothers were. When it is time for David to be chosen you could throw away the measuring tape or ruler because doesn’t use that. He knows each of us already and knows how special we are and what we can do for Him no matter how tall or big or fast or great we are.



What comes next?

Tell the story but stop and ask kids questions as you go.

Today I’m going to need your help to tell our story. Our story today is about Samuel. Samuel listened to God and obeyed God. One day God told him something very important. He had a special job for him.

Do you remember what God told Samuel to go do?

Samuel was to go find the next King. He was to go to a man’s house named Jesse. Jesse had lots of sons; one of them was going to be King. So when Samuel got to Jesse’s house, Jesse called his sons to come in and meet Samuel.

How many sons did Jesse bring to meet Samuel? Can you count them with me?

Jesse brought his 7 sons to meet Samuel. And Samuel looked at each one. Some were tall and some were big and some were fast and some were strong.

Did God choose any of them to be King?

None of those 7 sons were to be King. God told Samuel that it didn’t matter what someone looked like on the outside. God wanted someone that loved Him and someone that He had made special. So Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons left.

Did Jesse have any other sons? Where was David?

David was the youngest and smallest and they forgot to call him home. He was out watching sheep. They brought David in to meet Samuel.

What did God say about David? Did God pick David to be King?

David was chosen to be King. God knew that David was special and would make a good King. God knew Him and knew he could do the job.

Do you think God knows us? How made us?

God made us just like He made David and He knows we are special and no matter what we look like on the outside He knows we can do great things for Him.