We re Thankful That God Sees Us Lesson 13 Bible Point God Sees Us Bible Verse God sees us (adapted from Job 31:4). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n review the story of Jonah, n realize that God sees them all the time, and n express thankfulness that God sees them. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n We re thankful that God sees us. Jonah 1:1 2:10 Being swallowed by a fish would be traumatic, to say the least, but in this case the event was arranged by God to save Jonah s life. For in the belly of that fish, Jonah came to his senses and realized that he needed to obey God. Deep inside the belly of the fish, Jonah finally yielded to God s will. As he contemplated his near-drowning, he must have finally understood the folly of trying to run from God. What would happen to him now? God had saved his life once perhaps God would save him again. Jonah cried out to God in sorrow and repentance, his heart full of gratitude that he was even alive. The Lord heard Jonah s prayer, and commanded the fish to deliver Jonah onto dry land. Prayer Read Proverbs 3:5-6. Where do you turn when you need guidance? Pray: Lord, thank you for your faithful direction in my life. Help me listen for your guidance, especially in the area of Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart on the next page. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. 179
Lesson 13 This Lesson at a Glance Arrival Activities Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome Time Receive a warm welcome from the teacher and Cuddles the Lamb. Option 1: Seaside Sand Pretend they re at the beach and play with sand. Option 2: Gobblin Fish Roll balls into a fish s mouth. Name tags (p. 8), marker, tape or safety pins, scissors, CD player Dishpans, sand, scoops, plastic spoons, newspapers, seashells or stones Playground or tennis balls, box fish from Lesson 11 or mediumsized boxes, masking tape Bible Story Time Pick-Up Time Sing a song as they help clean up the room. Bible Song Sing about the Bible. CD player Bible, CD player Bible Activities Closing God Sees Us Interact with the StoryBoard as they hear the story of Jonah from Jonah 1:1 2:10. God Sees Us Song Sing a song about how God always sees us. I See You! Play a game of Hide and Seek, and remember that God sees them all the time. Interactive Bible Bulletin Board Review the Bible Point with Cuddles the Lamb as they create a bulletin board together. Sing It Out Sing a song about how God always saw Jonah. Bible Craft Make peekaboo fish, and see Jonah in them. Bible Game Hop to story pictures, and view the story of Jonah. Praise Prayer Say a prayer and have a snack. Cotton balls, seashell patterns (p. 177), scissors, tape CD player Tape CD player Peekaboo-fish and Jonah patterns (pp. 190-191), crayons, glue sticks, scissors Story pictures (p. 191), tape, glue sticks, paper plates, scissors Fish-shaped crackers, apple juice, paper cups, napkins *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 180
Arrival Activities n Welcome Time SUPPLIES: name tags (p. 8), scissors, marker, tape or safety pins, CD player Play God Sees Us (adapted from Job 31:4) (track 9) from track 9 the CD as children are arriving. Use Cuddles the Lamb to help you greet each child by name and with a warm smile. Tape or pin a name tag to each child s clothing. Say: Today we re going to learn that God sees us. Place Cuddles out of sight so the children won t be distracted by him during the next activity. We re Thankful That God Sees Us Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help the children remember it and apply it to their lives. Help children learn one point that will stay with them for days and even years to come. n Option 1: Seaside Sand SUPPLIES: dishpans, sand, scoops, plastic spoons, newspapers, medium-sized seashells or stones Before this activity, spread newspapers in one corner of the room. Set out dishpans partially filled with sand. Provide a variety of plastic spoons and scoops for children to dig with. Also set out a few medium-sized seashells or stones for children to bury and dig up. As children arrive, invite them to play at the beach. Encourage children to take turns hiding and digging up the shells and stones. As children play, ask questions such as Can you see things when they re buried? and Can you think of a time you couldn t find something? Point out that we can t see what s hidden in the sand but God sees everything. Remind children that Jonah was on a beach and God saw him there just as God sees us. n Option 2: Gobblin Fish SUPPLIES: playground or tennis balls, box fish from Lesson 11 or medium-sized boxes, 3-foot length of masking tape Place the box fish from Lesson 11 at one end of the room. If you didn t make the box fish, place a few medium-sized boxes on their sides with one set of end flaps removed. Place a 3-foot length of masking tape on the floor a few feet from the box fish. As children come into class, encourage them to take turns feeding the hungry fish by standing behind the masking tape line and rolling playground balls or tennis balls into the box. Remind children that Jonah prayed inside the big fish and that Jonah was thankful God saw him and heard his prayer. Explain that we can be thankful that God sees us, too. 181
Lesson 13 n Pick-Up Time SUPPLIES: CD player As Arrival Activities draw to a close, gently mention that it will track 2 soon be time to clean up. Encourage children to help you pick up things in the room as you lead them in singing Let s Pick Up All Our Things (track 2). Use the CD and sing the song to the tune of Looby Loo. Let s pick up all our things. Let s pick up all our things. Let s pick up all our things And put them all away. Everyone here can help. Everyone here can help. Everyone here can help. Let s put it all away. Let s pick up all our things. Let s pick up all our things. Let s pick up all our things. It s time to stop our play. Bible Story Time n Bible Song SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Say: Who sees us? God sees us. How do we know? The tracks 3, 11 Bible tells us in the book of Jonah. Show the Bible. The Bible is God s special book. It tells us about God. Let s sing a song about the Bible. Using the CD, lead children in singing God s Special Book (track 3) to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. This is God s special book. Yes, it s God s book you see! I learn about all God has done And his love for me! (Repeat.) Bible! Say: The Bible is God s special book. In the Bible, we can read all about how God sees us. God sees us at home, and God sees us at church. Ask: What else does God see? Pause as children respond. Say: It s important to learn about the Bible, because the Bible is God s special story. Let s sing a fun song all about the Bible! Lead children in singing 182
We re Thankful That God Sees Us The Bible Is God s Special Book (track 11) with the CD. Play the song several times, if possible. Lyrics are on page 24. Say: God sees us, and we can learn all about how God does that in the Bible. Let s learn more! n Bible Story: God Sees Us SUPPLIES: cotton balls, seashell patterns (p. 177), scissors, tape Before class begins, please check to make sure the sensory items are still securely attached so the children can touch them without danger of pulling off the items or putting them into their mouths. Panel 1 Before class, photocopy the seashell patterns found at the end of Lesson 12. Cut out two shells for each child and two for yourself. Set the paper seashells behind the StoryBoard. Hold the figure of Jonah beside Panel 1. Say: We ve been learning about Jonah. Can you tell Jonah hello? Pause. A long time ago, God wanted Jonah to tell the people in Nineveh to stop doing bad things. But Jonah didn t want to tell them. So guess what Jonah did? Jonah tried to hide from God. Close your eyes, and I ll hide Jonah. Don t peek! Set the figure of Jonah on your shoulder. Open your eyes where s Jonah? Have children find Jonah, and then repeat the activity a few more times but hide Jonah on your head or tuck him behind your ear. Ask children to close their eyes again, and fasten Jonah to the boat on Panel 1. Ask: Where s Jonah hiding? Jonah s hiding on a boat! Who saw Jonah on the boat? (God.) Who sees us all the time? (God.) Say: While Jonah was sleeping on the boat, a terrible storm began. We can feel the storm cloud. Have children touch the cloud. Ask: How does the cloud feel? (Soft; fluffy.) Say: The wind blew and blew. And the boat went fast in the wind. Let s be like the wind and blow pretend boats. Hand each child a cotton ball. Have them blow the cotton balls around the floor. Then say: Now blow your boats to me. When you have collected all the cotton balls, say: You re very windy! Can you blow the sails on the boat? Encourage children to blow the sail on Panel 1. Then let them move the waves. The sailors were scared. They knew God sent the storm because Jonah had disobeyed him. Jonah told the sailors to toss him in the sea. Then the storm would stop. So they picked Jonah up. Show me how heavy Jonah was! Make lifting motions. Then they tossed him in the water with a big splash! Make tossing motions. What a splash! Let s see what happened to Jonah next. 183
Lesson 13 Panel 2 Reveal Panel 2, which shows the fish. Say: While Jonah swam in the sea, a big fish swallowed him. Slide the figure of Jonah through the slit in the fish s mouth. Show me how the fish swallowed Jonah. Cup your hands, clap them together, and say: Gulp! God sent the fish to save Jonah from drowning. I m thankful that God saw Jonah and saved him by using the big fish. Let s say our fish rhyme and pretend to get swallowed up. Lead children in the action rhyme they learned last week. Instead of using a blanket, have children use their hands to get swallowed up. I m being swallowed by a mighty big fish! Oh, no! It swallowed my toe. (Hide your toes with your hands.) Oh, me! It swallowed my knee. (Put your hands on your knees.) Oh, my! It swallowed my thigh. (Put your hands on your thighs.) Glip, glup! It swallowed me up! (Cover your eyes.) That was fun! We can have some more fun by peeking at Jonah in the fish. Have children lift the flap on the fish to see Jonah. Then say: Jonah prayed in the fish. He told God he was sorry for hiding. He told God he loved him. Let s tell God we love him. Pause. God, we love you. Jonah was in the big fish three whole days. Let s count to three. Ready? One, two, three! Oh, my! God heard Jonah s prayers, and the big fish spit Jonah out! Important: Put away the StoryBoard out of reach of children. Panels 2 & 3 Set the StoryBoard on the floor. Fold the fish s tail out for a 3-D effect. Fasten the figure of Jonah to the beach. Say: The big fish spit Jonah on the beach. Let s clap to show we re thankful that God saw Jonah on the beach. Pause. Ask: What else is on the beach? (Seashells; crab; sand.) Say: I have pretty seashells for you. Hand each child two paper seashells and keep two for yourself. We can use our seashells to tell God how thankful we are that he sees us. Say the following sentence and do the actions in parentheses. Encourage children to toss their shells in the air, too. Thank you, God (toss one of your shells), For seeing us! (Toss your other shell.) Now let s gather seashells. Pick up one shell in each hand. When the children have gathered their shells, tape them to their clothing. Seashells remind us that God saw Jonah on the beach and that God sees us. Let s sing a song about God seeing us. n God Sees Us Song SUPPLIES: CD player track 9 Using the CD, lead children in singing God Sees Us (adapted from Job 31:4) (track 9), to the tune of Three Blind Mice. 184
We re Thankful That God Sees Us God sees us; God sees us. All the time, rain or shine. God sees us every night and day. God sees us when we work or play. God says he ll never look away. God sees us. (Repeat.) Say: God sees us. God saw Jonah, even when he was hiding. Let s play a fun hiding game to help us remember our Bible story. Bible Activities n I See You! SUPPLIES: none Say: God sees us all the time. Remember how Jonah tried to hide from God? We re going to play a hiding game. Choose a child to be It. Give It the tinsel maraca, and have that child turn his or her back with eyes closed. Encourage the rest of the children to hide in the room. Watch to make sure the children are hiding safely, such as under a table or behind a chair. When all the children have hidden, have the person who is It turn around and search for the children. Explain that when It finds a child, he or she should shake the maraca and say, God sees [name of the person just found] and so do I! The hidden child becomes the new It. Continue until each child has a turn to be It. Then gather children in a circle on the floor. Ask: Where do you hide at home when you play hide and seek? (In my room; under the table; in my bed.) Who sees you when you re hiding? (God; Mommy; Daddy; my baby-sitter.) Who sees you all the time? (God!) Now let s go find Cuddles! Say: God saw Jonah all the time, and God sees us all the time, too. God loved Jonah, and God loves us. In fact, God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to be our forever friend. When we believe in Jesus, we can live with him in heaven someday. Let s give God a great big cheer for sending Jesus to be our friend! Lead children in a cheer for God. 185
Lesson 13 n Interactive Bible Bulletin Board SUPPLIES: tape Before class, gently remove the small paper fish, Jonah, the seashells, and starfish from the bulletin board. Leave the lunchsack fish in place. Add the boat. Place the pictures in Cuddles arms. Teacher: Cuddles: Teacher: Cuddles: Teacher: Teacher: Look at our bulletin board! It s almost empty. Where could our pictures be? Do you think they re hiding like Jonah? Bring out Cuddles the Lamb holding the pictures. They re not hiding. I have the pictures. I liked the story about Jonah, and I wanted to tell the story to my sheep friends. I m glad you liked the story, but how can we tell the story without the pictures? (Hanging his head in shame) I m sorry! I guess I m like Jonah. I didn t think you d see what I did. Well, we can see that the pictures are missing. Children, let s put the pictures back on our bulletin board while I tell the story of Jonah. Cuddles can help. Have Cuddles hand each child a picture. As you retell the story of Jonah, help children tape the pictures in place. Tape the picture of Jonah onto the beach last. That looks better. Our pictures are back in place. Now you can help me tell the story once more. When I point to a picture, you tell me what it is. Read the following story rhyme and do the accompanying actions. Jonah hid on a [boat]. (Point to the boat.) It [sailed] out to sea. (Point to the sail.) Jonah tried to hide from God (cover your eyes), But God sees you and me! (Point to children and yourself.) A big [fish] swallowed Jonah up. (Point to the lunch-sack fish.) Jonah prayed for three days each. (Hold up three fingers.) Then the fish spit [Jonah] out (point to Jonah) On a sandy [beach]! (Point to the beach.) 186
We re Thankful That God Sees Us Teacher: We re thankful that God sees us. We ll sing a song to thank God for keeping his eyes on us. Place Cuddles out of sight. Permission to photocopy this script from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Toddlers & 2s granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com n Sing It Out SUPPLIES: CD player Using the CD, lead children in singing Jonah Tried to Hide track 10 (track 10) with the CD, to the tune of Ten Little Indians. The lyrics are on page 24. After the song, say: We ve been learning that God sees us just like he saw Jonah. Let s make a peekaboo fish, and then we ll see Jonah, too. n Bible Craft SUPPLIES: peekaboo-fish and Jonah patterns (pp. 190-191) for each child, crayons, glue sticks, scissors Before class, photocopy the peekaboo-fish and Jonah patterns for each child. Carefully cut along the dotted lines on the fish to make a flap that lifts up. Fold the page with the fish on it in half. Cut out the small square picture of Jonah. Set out crayons and glue sticks. Distribute the fish patterns, and invite children to scribble-color them. Then help them spread glue along the inside edges of the picture of Jonah. Help children glue the picture of Jonah under the flap. Let children lift the flaps on their pictures and play Peekaboo with Jonah. Encourage them to say, Peekaboo! God sees you! Remind children that God saw Jonah just as God sees us. 187
Lesson 13 n Bible Game SUPPLIES: story pictures (p. 191), tape, glue sticks, paper plates, scissors Before this activity, photocopy the story pictures. Cut out the pictures, and glue each one to a paper plate. Then tape the paper plates to the floor. Say: God can see everything. God sees us, and he can see the pictures on the floor. We can see the pictures, too. I ll call out the name of a picture, and you can hop to that picture. Call out the names of the story pictures one at a time, and let children hop to each one. If you have older toddlers in your class, let them take turns being the caller. For an added twist, encourage children to say, I see [name of the picture] as they hop to that particular paper plate. Closing n Praise Prayer SUPPLIES: fish-shaped crackers, apple juice, paper cups, napkins Have children wash their hands. Then gather everyone at the snack table. Ask: Who does God see? (God sees us; Jonah; everyone.) Say: Isn t it great that God sees us all the time? I m so thankful that God watches over us and keeps us safe. Let s thank God for seeing us. Fold your hands. Pray: Dear God, thank you for seeing us all the time. We know you love us, and we love you, too. In Jesus name, amen. We ve been learning about how Jonah was swallowed by a big fish. Now we can gobble up some fish of our own! Give each child a napkin with a small handful of fish-shaped crackers on it. Hand children paper cups half filled with apple juice. Be sure children throw their napkins and paper cups in the wastebasket when they ve finished. Remind them to take home their peekaboo fish. Providing children with their own small plastic cups cuts down on expenses and saves on waste, too! 188
We re Thankful That God Sees Us n Where Is Jonah? For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. Let the children play Where Is Jonah? Choose one child to be Jonah. Tell the rest of the children to hide their eyes while Jonah hides. Without the CD, lead children in a Jonah hunt as you sing Where Is Jonah? to the tune of Are You Sleeping? Where is Jonah? Where is Jonah? Hiding now? Hiding now? Over by a chair? Underneath a table? God sees us. God sees us. Repeat the game until everyone has had a turn being Jonah. n God Sees Us Song Without the CD, lead children in singing God Sees Us (adapted from Job 31:4) to the tune of Three Blind Mice. God sees us; God sees us. All the time, rain or shine. God sees us every night and day. God sees us when we work or play. God says he ll never look away. God sees us. (Repeat.) 189
Pattern Carefully cut on the dotted lines on the fish to make a flap that lifts up. FOLD BACK 190 Permission to photocopy this pattern from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum for Toddlers & 2s granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com
Patterns Cut loosely around each pattern instead of cutting exactly on the outlines. Permission to photocopy these patterns from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum for Toddlers & 2s granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 191