f 4 k e e w n e v i g r o s s e
Getting Started Thanks for joining us on this adventure! Whether you're planning on following along with this program in its entirety, or picking and choosing activities to do with your family, we hope this guide will bless your family and help you to grow together in Christ s love. Our website is orchardhomeschool.org for more information. This Summer Character Series program is best suited for 3-6 year olds, and is formatted for a 4 day/week schedule. As you begin to explore the material, feel free to add, subtract, or change up activities and scheduling to better suit your own family. Each week, we ll give you tools and inspiration to explore one character trait with your family. The weekly program is split into 4 days, with a variety of activities, content, and helpful guides for you. Included in each week is a reflection time for you, which we hope you ll take advantage of - it is so important for us as parents to make sure we are getting our own cup filled before we can pour out knowledge and love to our families. Grab a cup of coffee and a comfy chair and enjoy some time with God. We have also included some circle time suggestions. Our girls love the structure and consistency of having a daily circle time where we come together to sing, pray, read, and work on our memory verse. If this doesn't sound like something that will work for your family, feel free to leave it out. Check out the Prep Work page to get your supplies ready for the week - And if you have any questions, let us know! Enjoy!
Prep Work Week four - forgiveness - June 24-28 1 Join our facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/orchardhomeschool Use this group to get more information, inspiration, and support from us, and from other Orchard families. 2 Print out the week s guide FORGIVENESS - JUNE 24 or download to your ipad/computer. 3 Print out our schedule worksheet (located on the week s page on our website (orchardhomeschool.org). We have included a blank schedule for you to fill in. Although totally optional, this is a nice way to figure out what you have time for, and commit to those moments of time together. 4 5 Print out the printable files listed in the supply list below, on cardstock or printer paper. Put Forgiveness Blessings card on your fridge, bathroom mirror, or wherever you will see it often. Use it to give yourself some encouraging words to share with your family as they learn about kindness. 6 Hang your memory verse on your fridge, or frame where you will see it often. Take a few minutes to memorize it before sharing it with your family. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Prepare your Sheep and Shepherd costumes as described in the Craft Ideas page. Print on cardstock, cut, and glue/tape the Unmerciful Servant puppet cards to popsicle sticks (optional.) Print out the included script. Print on cardstock and cut out forgiveness coin. Print, cut, and staple together "Joseph is Kind to His Brothers Mini Book. Check out the week s supply list (located below) and get stocked up for fun! Place the Forgiveness in your child's Character Journal. Pray! Pray for you, for your family, for your friends, that God would use this week to bless you in amazing ways, and that he d speak through you the words your kids need to hear to know that God knows them and loves them so very much. Included in this packet printable verse printable puppets and script printable Joseph mini-book printable Forgiveness worksheet printable Forgiveness Coin printable Forgiveness Blessings Mama Moments daily lesson guides other supplies you ll need headband cotton balls tape glue hot glue (optional) scissors white cardstock towel 4 feet of rope or ribbon black construction paper colored construction paper white crayon popsicle sticks (optional) paper towel washable marker bible (we use NIV) white vinegar 6 rolls toilet paper tarnished pennies salt
week highlights: - Day 1: God loves and forgives his "runaway" sheep. - Day 2: We should pass along God's forgiveness to others. - Day 3: We should forgive others even when they really hurt us. - Day 4: Only God can clean our hearts. Forgiveness week four memory verse: colossians 3:13 "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Circle time - memory verse - pray together - songs: Jesus Loves Me and Deep and Wide (audio at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byupr7vt68w and on our videos page.) Deep and Wide Deep and wide Deep and wide There's a fountain flowing deep and wide. (Repeat) First time, sing song all the way through. Second time, sing but replace wide with mmmmm. Third time, sing but replace deep and wide with mmmmm.
Day 1 reflect Mama Moment #1 w Circle time talk We are learning about forgiveness this week. What does it mean to forgive someone? What can you tell me about forgiveness? read "The Lost Sheep Luke 15:3-7 or this re-telling: Jesus used to tell stories to help people understand more about God. Here is a story that Jesus told! Once there was a shepherd who took care of 100 sheep! That is a lot of sheep! What kinds of things do you think the shepherd did to take care of the sheep? (feed, brush, watch, etc.) He knew the name of every single sheep, and knew what they each liked to eat and what they needed. One day, the shepherd saw that one sheep was missing! And even though he had 99 other sheep, he went looking for the one who went missing because he loved the sheep so much. talk The shepherd told the sheep to all stay together, but one sheep made the choice to run away - why do you think the sheep did that? Not a great choice, right? What are some not great choices that we make? God tells us that even though we make some not great choices, he loves us so much and will come find us and forgive us and keep loving us, even more than the shepherd loved his sheep. play Sheep and Shepherd Hide and Seek (see craft ideas page for costume ideas for this game.) One person is the sheep, and hides somewhere. Another person is the shepherd and looks for the 'sheep, saying I m looking for the sheep that I love so much! When they find the sheep, the sheep says I m sorry I ran away and the shepherd says I forgive you and I love you, little sheep. create Handprint Sheep (see craft ideas page.)
Day 2 reflect Mama Moment #2 w Circle time play Act it Out! (Unmerciful Servant, Matthew 18) Using printable puppets and the printable script (see printables section) act out the story of the unmerciful servant for your child. As a bonus, have them use the puppets next and re-tell the story in their own words. talk Talk about what "owe means: Take a dollar bill or a coin and give it to your child. Tell them that when you borrow something, you have to give it back, and when it is money, we say that you owe them. So if they borrow money from you and use it to buy ice cream, they owe you that amount of money. The servant borrowed money from the king, spent it, and then owed it back. He didn t have any money to give back, and the king forgave him and said you don t owe me any money. That was very kind and forgiving! Then what happened next? Someone owed the servant money and didn t pay him back, and he was not forgiving. God is like the very kind king. When we make not so great choices, he forgives us. What can we do to pass that along? We can forgive others. create Pass Along Forgiveness! Print out the Forgiveness Coin. When someone makes a bad choice and later apologizes, the person that they hurt can say "I forgive you and give them the Forgiveness Coin. They should hold on to the Forgiveness Coin until they have an opportunity to forgive someone else, and pass the coin on. create Kings and Queens of Forgiveness Make and decorate crowns using construction paper. Wear them to remind each other of the forgiving king in the story, and to help remind yourself to be forgiving all day if someone hurts you. eat While you have your king and queen crowns on, have a tea party with tea or juice, crackers, cheese and fruit. Kings and Queens are very polite, so use this as an opportunity to practice kind table manners!
Day 3 reflect Mama Moment #3 w Circle time Read Joseph is Kind to His Brothers Mini-Book (see printables). talk Has anyone done anything mean to you? Did you forgive them? Was it hard to do? If you were Joseph, how would you feel? Do you think it was hard for him to forgive his brothers? create Pray and Wash Away Cut a sheet of paper towel into a heart shape and write on it things that we do that can hurt others. Pray together "God, we re so sorry that we make not so great choices that hurt others. Please forgive us, and help us to forgive others when they hurt us. Amen. Next, place the paper towel in a bowl of water or under a faucet and see that all of the things you wrote have been washed away! play Pyramid Bowling Set up 6 rolls of toilet paper into a flat pyramid wall. 3 on the bottom in a line, then two on top in a line, then one on top. Use a playground ball to roll and try to knock them down. Explain to your child that when Joseph was in Egypt, they built huge pyramids! Library Trip The Forgiving Tree by Jan and Mike Berenstain Books from your local library about Ancient Egypt or Pyramids
reflect Mama Moment #4 Day 4 w Circle time play Mommy Says Played just like "Simon Says. Give a command like Mommy says sit down Mommy says jump on one foot and they should only do the command if Mommy says. Say Sit down and they should not sit down. If they do something when you did not say Mommy Says draw a red x on their hand with washable marker. If they get 3 x marks, they re out. Next, explain that when we don't listen, we can ask God to forgive us and he will wash our bad choices away. Wash the red x marks off of their hands. talk God calls our bad choices "sins and we can t really just get rid of those by just washing them off like we did with the x marks. The bible tells us that we should be punished a lot for the bad choices that we make, but God sent Jesus to die on the cross for us so we won t be punished, but we can be with God forever. (Or say "We need God to wash away our sins, we can t do it on our own - if you re not comfortable talking about Jesus death yet with your child.) We're going to do a little science experiment together now to talk more about this. play Cleaning Pennies 1. Give your child a tarnished penny. Give them a few things to try and clean it with - toothbrush, sponge, soap, etc. Note that some dirt might come off, but it's still very tarnished. We need God to clean our hearts. No amount of bubble bath or soap will do that! 1. Take a small mason jar or glass and spoon in 1 teaspoon of salt. *Optional: Say Before Jesus died for us, he cried. Tears are very salty, so we re adding salt. 2. Next add 4 tablespoons of white vinegar. *Optional: Say When Jesus was on the cross, the soldiers gave him vinegar to drink instead of water. It didn t taste good and was very mean of them. 3. Next add in your pennies and say "Clean our hearts, God! (Ps 51:10). Let them sit for about a minute and dry them off with a paper towel. Clean pennies for clean hearts! character journal Have your child decorate the Forgiveness "Create in me a clean heart O God page with markers, crayons, glitter, etc.
Printables forgiveness Blessings "Thank you for saying you were sorry for hurting." "You were so quick to forgive when they. What a great example of God s love that was!" "Can I pray with you to ask God to help you to forgive?" "I know it was hard to forgive about that since they do it a lot." "I m so sorry that I. Can you forgive me?" "Can I pray with you to ask God to forgive me for?"
Mama Moments Day 1 week four- forgiveness Read Micah 7:18-19 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Read the passage twice, the first time normal reading pace, and the second time slowly, capturing some of the amazing imagery of love in these verses. Imagine your Heavenly Father, stomping on your sins and throwing your shortcomings into the sea. Journal: What stood out to you in these verses? What can you take comfort in today? Pray: Thank God for continuing to show you new things about His love with each week, each day. Thank Him for being so quick to forgive, so eager to stomp on your sins and throw them into the sea. Ask Him to help you show a small bit of that forgiveness and mercy to others today. Day 2 Journal: Where/with which people do you struggle with being forgiving? What areas of your own life and heart could you use some forgiveness from God today? Read Daniel 9:4-5: I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. Pray: Praise God for being so great, so awesome, and so faithful. Thank Him for forgiving us and loving us even when we continually mess up. Ask Him to help you to be more forgiving so you can more fully understand and appreciate His forgiveness.
Mama Moments Day 3 week four - forgiveness Read Matthew 18:21-22: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Journal: Write about a person in your life who you feel like you struggle to continually forgive. Does it feel easier or harder to you to forgive repeatedly? Why do you think that is? Day 4 Pray: Thank God for always forgiving you. Thank Him for that person in your life that you struggle to continue to for, and ask Him to help you love like He does and have so much patience and forgiveness. Journal: As you and your family adventure through the summer, and you are reminded to be joyful, kind, patient, forgiving, etc., does it feel overwhelming to you to teach (and live out) those character traits on a daily basis? Why or why not? Read 2 John 1:5-6: And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. Journal: After reading these two verses, how does it change or reflect what you wrote earlier today? Pray: Thank God that with His help, His yoke is easy and that His burden is light. Thank Him for simplifying his commands (and our goals for this summer!) down to one message: LOVE. Thank Him for the blessings of your family, and ask Him to help you show them each today how much you love them.
Printables For unmerciful servant act it out Print out this sheet, cut out the King, Sam & Scott. Glue onto popsicle sticks to make puppets. king sam The Unmerciful Servant Once there was a man named Sam the Servant who borrowed a lot a lot a lot of money from a king. The king was happy to let Sam borrow it, as long as he paid it back later. When it was later, Sam did not have enough money to pay the king back. He begged the king to not throw him in jail, and the king forgave him and told him he did not need to pay him back and would not go to jail. Sam was so relieved and so happy! After Sam left the king, he ran into his friend Scott the Servant, and remembered that Scott owed HIM a dollar, which is not very much. Scott told Sam that he did not have the money to pay him back and asked Sam to forgive him, but Sam threw Scott in jail! What do you think about the story? Who was forgiving? Who was not? What do you think about it? scott Forgiveness coin Forgive as the Lord forgave you
Craft Ideas Sheep Headband shepherd Headpiece Cut out oval shaped pieces of white paper or cardstock and tape or glue them onto a headband. For extra sheepiness, hot glue on some cotton balls. Place towel on head and tie with rope or ribbon. (for sheep & shepherd hide and seek) (for sheep & shepherd hide and seek) handprint sheep photo credit: http://www.dltk-kids.com Trace and cut your child's hand onto a piece of black construction paper. Glue and cover with cotton balls and draw on a face with white crayon.
forgive colossians 3:13
create in me a clean heart, O God. psalm 51:10 Forgiveness week four
"Joseph is Kind to His Brothers Text and Illustrations by Jill Kemp: http://www.lambsongs.co.nz
"Joseph is Kind to His Brothers Text and Illustrations by Jill Kemp: http://www.lambsongs.co.nz