Sunday, September 16, 2018 Age 5 / Kindergarten 24 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-35 Provided for you (see below) Class Roster Class Attendance Sheet Copy of opening prayer service Read Aloud Bible Stories Book When Should I Pray? poster activity Prayer Rock Materials LITURGICAL YEAR / FEAST DAYS CATHOLIC TRADITION Weekly readings and discussion: http://www.loyolapress.com/sundayconnection.htm FEAST DAYS & CELEBRATIONS September 5 St. Teresa of Calcutta September 8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 13 St. John Chrysostom September 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 21 St. Matthew Learn more about the Saints: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/b yname.asp Session Notes: Below are the session plans for today. A printed version will be provided for you in your catechist mailbox. Samples of the prayer service and activity sheets can be found on the last pages of this session plan. Our session today will focus on prayer. We have a few activities for the children so we ask that you take a moment to read through the following pages so that you can transition smoothly from one activity to the next REMINDER: We will begin using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies program on September 30, 2017.
Suggested Timeline for September 16, 2018 9:00am - 9:15am 10:45am 11:00am Welcome & Gathering Activity Welcome any new additions to your class today & have parents fill out the Emergency Contact Information sheet before leaving. Confirm that the child is on your roster. (If a child is not on your roster, please send the family to the coordinator table by the chapel.) If a child is new, please have them make a namecard. For those who were here the first day, place the namecards on the desks prior to class. Have children color Zacchaeus coloring sheet as children arrive (sample on last page). Go around the room and have everyone reintroduce themselves and remind them of the class rules Give me 5. 9:15am - 9:30am 11:00am 11:15am Opening Prayer Service and Zacchaeus Bible Story Have the children work together to set up the prayer table. Review as a class what all the components are there for and what they symbolize. After the items are on the table, lead the children in the Opening Prayer Service, helping the children to respond Jesus, help us to know you. (A copy of the prayer service can be found on the last pages of this session plan.) Tell the children that the Bible Story we her today is about Jesus and a man who became his friend. Read The Man Who Was Too Little from the Read Aloud Bible Story Book. Conclude with the Question and summary that appears on Page 32. Remind the children that Jesus is our closest friend and wants to be with us always. A very important way we can keep Jesus with us is to pray. Offer this time for a break to the bathroom and water fountain and when you come back we will talk about prayer. 9:30am 9:35am 11:15am 11:20am Bathroom Break Take a few moments to allow the children to use the bathrooms or even take a walk outside for some fresh air before you return to the classrooms. 9:35am 9:45am 11:20am 11:30am Prayer Discussion and Practicing the Sign of the Cross Begin with a brief discussion on prayer then play a Simon says type game to learn to reinforce the sign of the cross. Below is some resource material with some great simple questions to ask the kids. The answers can be adapted to be short and simple for our Kindergarteners.
WHAT IS PRAYER Questions to discuss: Question: What do you think Prayer is? Definition of Prayer: Prayer is talking to God and listening for God to talk to us. It is opening our hearts our fears, desires, joys and sadness and letting God know how we feel. Question: Why do we pray? We pray because we want to be close to God and God wants us to be close to Him. We want to tell God how we are feeling and we need God s help and guidance every day to live the way He wants us to live. Question: When can you pray? We can pray at any time, day or night. God is always there and ready to hear the prayers of our hearts. We should make time at our meals to offer a prayer of thanks for our food, but we should also pray at other times as well. Question: Where can you pray? Since God is always with us we can pray anywhere. Sometimes people like to set aside a quiet place to pray. This could be in a bedroom, on a porch, out under a tree, in the car, just any place that we can pause to talk with God. Question: How long should your prayers be? There is no set time limit for prayer. God will listen to us for as long as we want to pray. Sometimes our prayers will be longer because we have more to say to God. The length of the prayer doesn t matter. Question: What posture should you take when you pray (kneel, fold your hands, close your eyes, etc.)? It doesn t matter whether you are sitting or standing or kneeling. We often will fold our hands out of respect and as a gesture to God that we are really seeking to talk to Him. We also close our eyes (Why?) It might be that we close our eyes to help block out other thoughts and therefore be able to really concentrate on our prayer to God. When we talk to God we want to give him our undivided attention! There are also different types of prayer. The ones we know and the type where we can just speak with God. Question: What prayers might we know? Sign of the Cross (have everyone practice) Prayer Before Meals Hail Mary Question: How would we pray if we just wanted to talk to God? Thanking Him Saying I m Sorry Asking for help
ST. FRANCIS SAYS Sign of the Cross game Begin a game of Simon Say, but use St. Francis instead. Start with simple things like touch your head, stand on one foot mixing up when you say St. Francis says Intermittently use the phrases in this order: o St. Francis says Touch your forehead o St. Francis says Touch your tummy o St. Francis says Touch your shoulder by your heart o St. Francis says Touch your other shoulder Keep putting the sign of the cross in while you continue to play the game. After the game let the children know you are going to walk to the cafeteria. 9:45am 10:10am 11:30am 11:55am Prayer Posters and Prayer Rocks (LOCATION: CAFETERIA) Please move to the cafeteria for the craft and guided coloring activity. We will be making prayer rocks with the children and coloring a big poster for them to take home. PRAYER ROCK CRAFT Materials One smooth painting stone for each person Sharpies Instructions Use the sharpies to write the word pray on the rock. (the children may need help with this) Add additional decorations such as a cross or line drawing or a smiley face. Let the stones dry a bit. We will also have a card to go home with the children with a poem. PRAYER POSTERS Materials Prayer Poster for each child (sample is on next page) Crayons Instructions Pass out the prayer posters and have the children put their names on them. Put all the crayons up for a few minutes. Remind them of the conversation you had about prayer and guide them through the pictures. Point out the five finger prayer to them. Let them color as you continue the conversation on prayer.
10:10am 10:15am 11:55am 12:00pm Return to the Classroom, Clean-up & Closing Prayer Close class by gathering again around the prayer table to pray the Sign of the Cross, Glory Be, and the Our Father (every week) 10:15am / 12:00pm End of Class All children should be picked up by a parent before you leave your classroom today.. If a parent is not at the door at 10:20 or 12:05 please bring the child to the coordinator s table Please put away prayer table items at each session. Please put all class materials into the classroom bins and move the bins back to the location where you found them at the beginning of class. Make sure all trash is cleaned up and put in the classroom trash cans. All classroom furniture should be put back into the original locations before you leave. If you have any extra materials from class, please place those back in your mailbox at the coordinator s table along with the attendance sheet from your class. OPENING PRAYER (We will have copies for you in your mailboxes)
Zacchaeus Coloring Sheet Prayer Poster Sample Prayer Rock Prayer Card