April 9, 2017 Let s Talk (Passion/Palm Sunday)...about What Happened to Jesus Nursery (Age 3) Focus Scripture Matthew 26:14 27:66 PURPOSE To hear from those who were there. Lesson Preparation q Read Matthew 26:14 27:66 and biblical background for April 9. q Check with your Superintendent to see if your congregation will be doing an All Ages Walk through Holy Week. If not, follow the outline below. q Set up worship table as in previous weeks, and bring Jesus figure. q Bring, updated Lenten Flower Calendar with sequins (or other items) glued on #29-#34 and one more sequin. q For Playtime, make a palm branch for each child but do not pull the centers out. (See instructions on Teacher's Resource Sheet.) Bring other free play activities. q Bring Charlie Churchmouse and his house. Bring 6 teaching pictures: Hosanna! (#44), A Celebration! (#45), Stay Awake! (#46), Not Me! (#47), Who Was Jesus? (#48), and Alive Again! (#49). Mount pictures at children s eye level around the room. q Bring tablecloth, buns, juice and glasses. (Snack is included in the story.) q Option A: Bring a coffee can with lid for each child. Cut construction paper to cover the cans. (Option: Bring a brand new unsharpened pencil for each child.) q Option B: Make a stencil for each child by cutting out a 14 cm x 18 cm, 5 1/2 x 7in cross from a piece of cardboard. Bring shallow dishes of white paint, colored construction paper and small sponge pieces clipped to clothespins. q Option C: Make copies of activity sheets Our Easter Story Booklet and cut a set of 6 pictures for each child. Cut construction paper sheets into halves each child needs 4 half sheets. Punch 2 holes on the left side of the squares. With yarn or ribbon, tie 4 sheets together to form a booklet. Print Our Easter Story on the front cover. (Make a sample.) q Bring Lenten Stories Review Box from past weeks. q Check the birthday list for the next 2 weeks. q Pray that the children will be moved by the Easter story. 1 Playtime Welcome the children as they arrive. Give each child a prepared palm branch and show them how to gently put a finger in the cut end and hold one piece while they pull the other end. Set the palms aside to use later in the story. Set out other free play activities as well. 2 Circletime Purple (Gather around the worship table.) Light the candle saying We light this candle to remind us that God is always with us. Opening Song: Season of Lent (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb) Now we are in the Season of Lent, Season of Lent, Season of Lent, Now we are in the Season of Lent, We ll take a trip to Easter. Jesus is leading us on the way, on the way, on the way, Jesus is leading us on the way, On our way to Easter. Suggested Actions: Verse 1 Join hands and sing slowly as you walk in a circle, then walk in opposite direction. Verse 2 Invite a child to hold the Jesus figure as all follow the child in a procession around the room as you sing. Lenten Flower Calendar Remind children about the meaning of the flower shape (God brings new life to all things.) Invite a child to glue a sequin (or other item) on the Bible after #34. Then count together how many days until Easter. (If the children made their own calendars or coin boxes in Week 1, talk about what they are doing with them at home.) April 9, 2017 The Whole People of God 1
April 9, 2017 Nursery continued Birthdays, Offering Prayer: Dear God, you love us all day long when the sun is shining bright (make circle with arms) and when the stars come out at night (fingers dance in the air) Thank you for always being with us (cross hands over chest.) Amen. (Children respond Amen. ) Easter Is Almost Here We have counted and there are only 6 days left until Easter. Easter is the most important day in the whole year for followers of Jesus. Today we are going to go on a special walk around the room and hear the Easter story together. I is such an important story that we don t want Charlie to miss it. Let s call Charlie and ask him to come and hear this very special story with us. (Call Charlie and have him join you for the story.) The Story of How Jesus Died and Lived Again (See Teacher s Resource Sheet) 3 Integrating the Theme Sing: Good News Song (tune: Old MacDonald Had a Farm) Jesus is alive today, Allelu-ia! It s time to wipe our tears away, Allelu-ia! Good news for me Good news for you. Now we know just what to do! Go and tell it everywhere Jesus is alive! (Explain that next Sunday is Easter Sunday the day we have been waiting for all through Lent. There will be a celebration that Jesus is alive and loves and cares for us all. Pick up Charlie, parade around the room and sing the Good News Song again. Explain that alleluia means praise God. ) 4 Take-Home Activity Option A: Easter Drums Give each child a paper (precut to fit the coffee can) to decorate with markers in happy colors. Fasten the paper to the can using masking tape. Encourage children to celebrate Easter by beating the lid of their drum with their hands, or by tapping it with the eraser end of an unsharpened pencil. Option B: Cross Stencil Painting Give each child a piece of construction paper and tape it to the table. Put loops of tape on the back of each cross and adhere it to the center of the construction paper. Invite children to dip sponge into shallow dish of paint and dab the paint over the open area of the paper and along the edge of the stencil. Remove stencil to reveal the cross. (Note: clip a clothespin to each small sponge to form a handle.) Option C: Our Easter Story Booklet Help them glue the pictures in order in the construction paper booklet (leave the front and back blank for covers). Print title on the cover page. Invite the children to take the books home to tell the story to their family. 5 Closing Lenten Stories Review Box Have the children find today s picture, Alive Again, and place it face up so that everyone can see it. Then invite children to wave their palm branches and sing the Good News Song again. 2 The Whole People of God April 9, 2017
The Story of How Jesus Died and Lived Again April 9, 2017 Nursery Story Resource Sheet (When you arrive at each station, encourage the children to look at the main picture to find the person who is shown in the inset at the bottom right hand corner. Point out the person who is telling the story. Allow time for the children to talk about what is happening in each picture before you begin. Encourage any suggestions the children might have and feel free to adapt the script! After doing the accompanying action, move on to the next station.) 1. Teaching Picture: Hosanna! I m so high on my daddy s shoulders. I can see everything! It s so exciting! Jesus is coming down the road on a donkey. People are happy. They re waving palm branches to welcome him and shouting, Hurray for Jesus! Hosanna! (Parade around the room waving the newspaper palm branches. Shout Hosanna! Hurray for Jesus! ) 2. Teaching Picture: A Celebration! I ve been cooking all day to make our favorite foods for the Passover holiday! It s extra special this year because Jesus is with us. But some of the disciples are worried. Not everyone loves Jesus the way we do. Now Jesus is sharing bread and wine with his disciples. I hear him saying, Remember me every time you eat bread and drink wine together. Shall we have some food and drink with Jesus and the disciples? (Lay out a tablecloth on the floor with buns, juice and glasses. Bow heads and say the prayer, then share the bread and juice.) Prayer: Thank you, God, for food to share and thank you for our friend, Jesus. Amen. 3. Teaching Picture: Stay Awake! I have gone to this garden to pray to talk to God. I know there are people coming who want to hurt me. My disciples, Peter, James and John are with me. Peter promises me that he will always be my friend, but I know he is afraid too. We are here in this beautiful garden to pray. My friends are tired and keep on falling asleep; they are just too tired to stay awake with me. I m glad to have this quiet time with God. Will you sing a quiet song with me? Sing: God Is With Us Use quiet voices. 4. Teaching Picture: Not Me! I wish that girl would stop pointing at me. The soldiers have taken Jesus away. We don t know what to do without him. The girl keeps saying I was with Jesus. I tell her, No. I don t know Jesus! I know that I promised Jesus I would always be his friend. I feel terrible for saying I don t know Jesus! But I am afraid the soldiers will take me too. 5. Teaching Picture: Who Was Jesus? I work for the leaders who put Jesus on a cross and he died. Some of Jesus friends will wrap his body in soft white cloth and lay him in a cave in a garden. They will push a big rock across the opening of the cave. I hear them talking about all the kind things Jesus did. His friends loved him very much. I don t feel good inside. Maybe what we did was wrong. I need to be quiet for a while to think about what has happened. Will you be quiet with me? (Speaking in a whisper, ask the children to be very, very still and think about how sad it was that Jesus was gone from his friends.) 6. Teaching Picture: Alive Again! What has happened? We went to the cave and now we see that the rock has been pushed away. Jesus body is gone! An angel says, Don t be afraid! Jesus isn t here. Go and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive again! We are so happy and excited. We run to tell everyone, Good news! Jesus is alive. Will you sing about the good news with us? Sing: Good News Song (See Lesson Outline). April 9, 2017 Whole People of God 3
April 9, 2017 Nursery Activity Sheet Our Easter Story Booklet (Page 1 of 3) #2 #1 4 Whole People of God April 9, 2017
April 9, 2017 Nursery Activity Sheet Our Easter Story Booklet (Page 2 of 3) #3 #4 April 9, 2017 Whole People of God 5
April 9, 2017 Nursery Activity Sheet Our Easter Story Booklet (Page 3 of 3) # 5 #6 6 Whole People of God April 9, 2017
April 9, 2017 Nursery Teacher s Resource Sheet Palm Branch Make palm branches out of a newspaper. 1. Lay 3 pieces of newspaper on the floor. 2. Roll them up and tape them. 3. Cut up one end in 4 places. 4. Put finger in the cut end and hold one piece. Pull other end. NO ROOM AT END OF LESSON April 9, 2017 Whole People of God 7