This is Not My Hat, a Storytime about Stealing and Awesome Hats (Book by Jon Klassen)

Not my Hat - a Storytime about Stealing

Preschool themes: Hats, fish, stealing, envy, theft.

Bible themes: Covetousness, stealing

Introduction:
Have a variety of hats available to show to the children.  Make the selection as wide and as interesting as possible. Include hats for different occupations, sports, and purposes. Spend some time with the children discussing and modelling some interesting hats.

Ask the children, "What if someone took your favorite hat when you weren't looking? How would that make you feel? Why would someone take something that doesn't belong to them?" Discuss the concept of theft with the children. Discuss need versus want, envy, and the right way to deal with feelings of want.

Story:
This Is Not My Hat, by Jon Klassen.  Introduce the story by explaining that it's about someone taking something that doesn't belong to them, in this case, a favorite hat.  Enjoy the story with the children, and then discuss how the little fish tried to justify reasons that it was o.k. to take the big fish's hat. Take a few moments to talk about what was right and what was wrong in the story.



Game: Hide the Hat. Choose a colorful hat to be "it." Ask one of the children to hide it. Help the rest of the group cover their eyes and sing a little song or count for a few seconds while she hides it. (Ask a parent helper or other adult to help the child hide the hat.) Then, with the help of the adult, instruct the child to give clues to help the rest of the group find the hidden hat. Tell her to say "warmer, warmer" when the group is close to the hat, and "colder, colder" when they are not close to finding it. Play a couple of rounds of this game, and the children will soon catch on.

Bible Verse: Exodus 20:15 "Do not steal." (CEV)
Ask the children to sit again and take a moment to tell them what the Bible teaches about stealing. Explain that it is wrong to want something someone else has so much that they would take it. Also tell them that although stealing is very wrong, that Jesus loves each of us and is always ready to forgive.

Story:
Jennie's Hat, by Ezra Jack Keats
Read the story with the children and take time out to discuss the idea of being disappointed, and how to handle feelings of want and of disappointment in a healthy way. Explain that we don't just take what we want, or sulk about what we do not have. If we are patient, and if we take healthy action, we can be content and will be blessed.

Art Activity:
Paper hats.
Take the creativity of the previous story and run with it! Make "derby hats" with your young ones! ("Derby" here refers to the famous Kentucky Derby style hats.) Don't worry, the boys can have fun with this, too! Be sure to offer lots of fun items to decorate your hats with, including things that will appeal to both girls and boys. Let the children choose the colors and items they want to decorate their awesome hats with!

You will need: lots of newspaper, tape, a stapler, colorful tissue paper, glue, scissors, and lots of items for decorating.

The link below gives fantastic instructions on how to make these fanciful and fun paper hats:
http://www.henryhappened.com/how-to-newspaper-derby-hat-for-kids.html
                               Thank you, henryhappened.com!

The Grouchy Ladybug: Story time themes: Insects, Summer, Humility, The Golden Rule, Manners, Telling Time

Title: The Grouchy Ladybug
Author/Illustrator: Eric Carle
Word Density: Low to Medium
My Recommended Age-Appropriateness: Preschool to 8

Summary:

In this Eric Carle classic, a ladybug (or ladybird, or ladybeetle, depending on your locale,) gets up on the very wrong side of the rose petal. Determined to pick a fight with every obliging creature it runs into, the poor ladybug moves through its (notice its gender is undefined) day, hour by hour, and finds absolutely no contentment. What it doesn't realize until the very end is that happiness is a state of mind; the ladybug chooses to be grumpy, and so grumpy it is. The silly bug challenges progressively bigger and scarier and more powerful animals (and even a giant whale's fin, in a moment of final desperation.) Finally, getting what it asked for, the ladybug lands right back where it began its dreary day. In humility, the ladybug learns how to be accepting, pleasant, and friendly at last. Carle's vibrant illustrations, the exciting cut-away design of the book, and its progression showing an analog clock moving through the hours of a day, all combine to keep this classic story a vital part of any preschool classroom or storytime session. It compliments other books carrying the same themes of grouchiness, bad days, and bad manners, such as A Pig's Book of Manners, by Nicholas Allan and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst.

Pick and choose among the following themes, Bible verses, and songs to create a lesson that best ties in with your current theme or objective:

Christian Themes:

1. Humility.
2. Being a good neighbor.
3. Treating others like you would like to be treated.
4. Do not think more highly of yourselves than you ought to.

Preschool Themes:

1. Grouchiness.
2. Manners.
3. Being nice.
4. Insects.
5. Telling time.

Scripture Connections:

1. Romans 12:3 "I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you." (CEV)

2. Matthew 23:12 "Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great." (NCV)

3. Luke 6:31 "Treat others just as you want to be treated." (CEV)

4. Matthew 22:39 "And the second command is like the first: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (NCV)

Song Connections:

1. "The Selfish Song," by Veggie Tales.

2.  "Telling Time," by Jennifer Fixman, "We Love Math With Miss Jenny."

3. "Show Kindness Every Day," from Jack Hartmann's "Counting Piggy Tails - Better than Counting Sheep."

4. "Living In Harmony," by A Capella Kids.

Enrichment:

If you use this lesson during the Spring or Summer, take the children outside and try to catch ladybugs. Place the caught specimens in a bug viewing container and let the children study them, using magnifying glasses and sufficient light. If no ladybugs are to be found, provide a library table with lots of nice glossy books about ladybugs for the children to peruse.

Too Much Noise! Themes: Stress, Quiet, Solitude, Prayer, Distractions, Worship, Farm Animals, Noises, Sounds

Too Much Noise!

...A Preschool Story Time Lesson Plan About Seeking Quietness.

INTRODUCTION:

As an introduction to your storytime, bring in an assortment of noise makers for the children. Include objects that make loud noises (such as tin pie plates, rattles, plastic cups for banging together,) and items that create soft sounds (like organza scarves, sandpaper, pinwheels, or small triangles.) Alternate between having your group make loud then soft noises. Discuss the differences the children experienced. How did the loud noises make them feel? How would they feel if the loud noises went on for a very long time?

STORY: Too Much Noise, by Ann McGovern. Enjoy the story with the children. Take a few minutes after the story to discuss the main character's experience of having all those noisy farm animals in his house. How do they think that experience helped him feel better about the quieter "noises" in his home?

GAME: Play "Barnyard Match-up." Assign a farm animal noise to each child. Make sure there are two of every animal represented. For example, if you have twenty children, make sure you have two pigs, two cats, two cows, etc. to make 10 sets. Let the children all make their animal noises at the same time, seeking out their partner. Game is over when all the sets have come together. Assist younger children and have fun in the cacophony!

SONG and Quiet-Down: Gather everyone back to your storytime circle, and discuss the noisy game you just played. Emphasize the distinction between the noise before and the quiet now.

Explain that everyone needs to find a quiet place now and then to stay healthy and happy. Tell about how Jesus often sought out a quiet place away from the crowds to rest and to pray.

Play "Agnus Dei" from Cedarmont Worship for Kids, Volume 1. Sit back and let the music lead the children into a place of stillness and worship.

STORY: A Quiet Place, by Douglas Wood. Ask the children where their favorite quiet place is. Describe what Jesus' favorite quiet place might have been like.

BIBLE VERSE BRACELETS: Psalm 46:10a "Be still, and know that I AM God..." (NKJV)

and/or Matthew 14:23 "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there." (NKJV)

(Print out, on a brightly-colored sheet of paper, today's verse repeated down the page. Cut between each verse so that you have 10-15 strips, each with the verse printed on it. Ask the children to form a line, and using tape to stick the ends together, wrap a "Bible Verse Bracelet" round each little wrist. Some children do not want to wear it; in that case, hand it to them and tell them to use the verse as a bookmark. The children love these, and come to expect them at each session! The verses also find their way home to parents and siblings, and help to spread the news about that day's storytime.)

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Visit a local farm. Explore the many types of animals there. Discuss the different sounds each animal makes. Find the noisy places on the farm. Find the quiet places. Enjoy!!

The Secret Birthday Message: Storytime themes: Birthdays, Pirates, Directional Words, Shapes, Following Jesus

                              

Title:  The Secret Birthday Message

Author/Illustrator:  Eric Carle

Word Density: Low
Age-Appropriateness: Toddler to 8

Summary: 

I get really, really excited about ANY of Eric Carle's books. But I get especially happy when I find a new one (or in this case, old one.) First published in West Germany in 1971, The Secret Birthday Message is a little gem. With characteristically wonderful artwork, Carle presents a simple idea. A boy named Tim discovers a mysterious coded message in his room on his birthday-eve. In it are specific instructions for where to find his birthday present. Full of symbols, shapes, and directional words like "in," "behind," and "through," Carle uses specially-cut pages that lead the reader on a literal treasure hunt through the book. And of course, in classic Carle fashion, there's a surprise at the end of the search. A thoroughly lovely and educational presentation by my favorite author, artist, philosopher, and universal grandpa, Eric Carle.

Using this story as the basis for your lesson, choose from or combine the following themes found in this book to correspond with your current curriculum unit or lesson objectives:

Preschool themes:

1. Secret messages/Pirates.

2. Birthdays.

3. Shapes.

4. Directional words.

Christian themes:

1. Follow the Savior.

2. Jesus' Birthday.

3. The Greatest Treasure is Peace With God.

4. God's message for us.

Scripture connections:

1. Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is." (New Century Version)

2. John 8:12: "Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.'" (New Century Version)

3. Acts 10:36: "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all." (NIV)

4. Ephesians 4:6: "[There is] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (NIV)Song suggestions:

1. "Follow the Saviour" by Colin Buchanan from "Follow the Saviour" CD.

2. "The Greatest Treasure" by Colin Buchanan, from his "Practise Being Godly" CD.

3. "The Best Book to Read is the Bible" from Colin Buchanan's "Follow the Saviour" CD.

4. Song, "Luke, Chapter 9 Verse 23," from Colin Buchanan's "Practise Being Godly" CD.

·Enrichment: Provide a "secret message" for the children to decode. Place a bag of treats in a hidden area. Draw a map using symbols and pictures, and show it to the children. Help them decipher the map and find the treats.

                      

Dinosaur Roar!: Storytime themes: Dinosaurs, Grace, Opposites, Descriptive Words, God's Strength, Our Dependence Upon God

Story Time Lesson for Teaching About God's Sufficient Grace

Summary: Dinosaur Roar! by Henrietta and Paul Stickland.

In this simple book, large colorful happy-looking dinosaurs accompany antonyms that will help children understand opposites. A perfect opportunity to introduce the concept of God's strength and our weakness.

Preschool Themes: Opposites, descriptive words, dinosaurs.

Christian Themes: God is strong when we are weak.

Opener:

Play an "opposites" game with the children. Give a few examples of opposites to demonstrate or remind children of the concept. Then let the children guess the opposite of a word's meaning by acting the opposite out. For example, say "up." The children guess "down," by saying it and acting out "down" in their own way. Say "hard" and let them act out and say "soft." Try "cold" and let them dramatize "hot." Give them cues as needed and have fun.

Story: Dinosaur Roar! by Henrietta and Paul Stickland. See if the children can act out some of the dinosaur actions during the story. Reinforce the concept of opposites using examples from the story. Ask the children to give some examples of things that are strong, then things that are weak. Ask them if they've ever felt weak. (Perhaps when they've been ill or afraid.) Explain that God is always strong. Nobody is stronger than God! And when we feel weak and realize we're not very strong, we can remember how much He loves us and is strong for us!

Song: "Jesus Loves Me" (See if the children can catch when the words "weak" and "strong" are sung during the song, by acting out the words as they are sung.)

Bible Verse: 2 Corinthians 12:9 (a) (NKJV)

(Print out, on a brightly-colored sheet of paper, today's verse repeated down the page. Cut between each verse so that you have 10-15 strips, each with the verse printed on it. Ask the children to form a line, and using tape to stick the ends together, wrap a "Bible Verse Bracelet" round each little wrist. Some children do not want to wear it; in that case, hand it to them and tell them to use the verse as a bookmark. The children love these, and come to expect them at each session! The verses also find their way home to parents and siblings, and help to spread the news about that day's storytime.)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Explain the verse to the children by saying that God is very strong. He is stronger than anything we can imagine. He knows that we are weak compared to Him. And because He is so strong, we are made strong through Him. So no matter how little or weak we feel, God is strong enough for everything and everyone!

Art: Dinosaur coloring pages. Please see the authors' and illustrator's website for free printables of dinosaurs from their book. This site also has templates for creating your own dino pop-up mouth! Choose any of these, make copies for the children, and let them color and decorate them as they wish.