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Living the LIFE Curriculum © La Verne A. Tolbert, Ph.D.

Teaching Like Jesus Ministries 1539 E. Howard Street

Pasadena, CA 91104 (626) 398-2465

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Genesis 1:1

Our God Is!◊Preschool and Kindergarten

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OUR GOD IS…His-Story Genesis is the Book of Beginnings, and it is His-story. This history details God‘s dealings with mankind. UNIT GOAL The goal of this series is to overview the Old

Testament beginning with the Book of Genesis—the Book of Beginnings.

UNIT OBJECTIVE By the end of this 13-week series, students will

decide that God is both Creator and Covenant-Keeper.

These main points highlight the unit:

1. The triune God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—creates the world and its inhabitants; 2. When Adam sins, God has a plan for redemption as demonstrated with the covering or clothing He provided for Adam and Eve; 3. God responds when Cain‘s jealousy results in bloodshed; 4. Humankind becomes so wicked that God decides to begin all over again and spares only Noah and his family; 5. Later, God makes a covenant with Abraham, the father of faith.


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―I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.‖

John 10:10 New International Version

Welcome to Living the Life Curriculum Series©! To ensure that this will be an enjoyable and successful teaching time, here are some pointers to help you effectively communicate the Word of God. First, read through all of the lessons so that you will have the ―big picture‖ for this 13-week series. Then, on Monday during your daily time with the Lord, review the lesson for the following Sunday. It‘s essential to read the entire passage directly from the Bible along with this curriculum series. Tuesday through Saturday, plan each portion of the lesson. God will speak to your heart and direct your steps to find the materials you need if you give Him- and yourself- adequate time to prepare.

Above all, as you prepare, remember to pray. Pray that your lesson will flow smoothly. Pray to hear the Holy Spirit. Pray for discernment. Pray for wisdom. Pray for favor with the students. Pray to have an attractive personality. Pray for a sense of humor. Pray that God will meet your students‘ needs. Pray that students will understand. Pray that students will apply what they have learned. Pray that students will be saved. Pray! Pray! Pray! Perhaps you may want to use this acrostic as a guide to pray Monday through Saturday:

May God bless you and the children!

Teaching for Heaven‘s Sake,

Pray intercessory prayers for your students.

Release God‘s power in your classroom.

Ask the Holy Spirit, the ―Teacher‖, for creative lesson ideas.

Yoke with a like-minded prayer partner.

Entreat God to expel evil influences from the environment.

Remember that prayer works! So, pray!


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In This 13-week curriculum you will find: 1. Spiral curriculum for Preschool through Sixth Grade 2. Lesson Plans based on Hook, Book, Look, Took from Teaching Like Jesus: A Practical Guide to Christian Education in Your Church (Zondervan, pg. 110) www.teachinglikejesus.org 3. Special Needs Adaptation Lesson Plans 4. Notes Pages to jot down Holy Spirit-inspired ideas 5. ―All the World‘s a Stage‖ Skits 6. Class Starters and Ice Breakers 7. ―What If‖ questions to sprinkle into your lessons 8. Teacher Evaluation Sheets 9. Review Lessons with Mrs. Win-A-Verse 10. Coloring pages and craft ideas 11. A review lesson. Thank you for using this curriculum! If you have any questions, please email Dr. Tolbert: [email protected]. Remember, ―A church without children is a dying church!‖

mailto:[email protected]


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Unit #1

How To Lead A Child To Christ 8

Lesson Format 10

Summary of Lessons 11

Shopping List 12

Lesson #1 “Let There Be Light” Lesson Outline 14

Hook, Book, Look, Took 15

Special Needs Modification 16

Notes 17

“All The World’s A Stage” Skit 18

In the Beginning… 20

What If… 21

Materials 22

Teacher Evaluation Page 26

Lesson #2 “God Lives In Heaven”

Lesson Outline 27



Notes 30



What If… 34


Lesson #3 “Seas, Plants and Trees”

Lesson Outline 36



Notes 39



What If… 43

Materials 44


Lesson #4 “Sun, Moon and Stars”

Lesson Outline 46



Notes 49



What If… 53

Materials 54

Teacher Evaluation 6

Lesson #5 “Fish, Birds, Cattle and creeping Things”

Lesson Outline 57


Notes 59


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Table of Contents, Cont’d



What If… 63

Teacher Evaluation 4

Lesson #6 “God Made Us”

Lesson Outline 65


Notes 67



What If… 72


Lesson #7 “Come Sunday Morning” Lesson Outline 74



Notes 77



What If… 82


Lesson #8 “God Loves Us”

Lesson Outline 84


Notes 86



What If… 91


Lesson #9 “God Sees Cain”

Lesson Outline 93


Notes 95



What If… 99


Lesson #10 “Two By Two”

Lesson Outline 101



Notes 104



What If… 108

Materials 109



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Lesson #11 “A New Name” Lesson Outline 111


Notes 113



What If… 117


Lesson #12 “A Baby Boy” Lesson Outline 119



Notes 122



What If… 126


Lesson #13 “Review”

Lesson Outline 128

Review Question 129

Notes 131

“In the Beginning…” 132

What If… 133


About The Author 135


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Do you remember when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Was it vividly memorable, exciting, part confusing, or a combination of all three? At what age did this take place? Were you a child, teen or adult? These may appear to be simple questions but in actuality, they are not. At each of the three levels just mentioned, a person perceives things differently. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior should be vividly memorable and exciting but never confusing. So many times we hear testimonies about how people accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and never really understood what they were doing until a later date. For this curriculum series, we want to avoid children being confused about receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior. We want them to remember the joy of this occasion. For a child, what does it mean to accept Jesus Christ as his/her personal Savior? In her book, Teaching Like Jesus, A Practical Guide to Christian Education in Your Church, Dr. La Verne Tolbert gives a simple but easy-to-understand explanation of this: ―Because children are in this literal stage (elementary age), some Christian terms may be confusing for them. Asking Jesus to ‗come into their heart,‘ for instance, may not be the best way to offer salvation. Imagine asking someone to actually break through the chest cavity to enter the heart! Instead, asking Jesus to be their ‗Best Friend‘ or asking Him to be ‗Savior‘ (and explain what the word Savior means) is a better way of inviting children to be born again. In general, avoid using Christian clichés when teaching.‖ The following is a 5-step application to lead a child to Jesus Christ.

1. Review the day‘s lesson with colorful and exciting words. 2. Define the following term:

Savior – A person who rescues another from harm, danger, or loss – The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition.

3. Describe qualities of a best friend such as trusting, caring, forgiving, loving and always there for you.

4. Explain to the children how there is only one person who will always rescue them from harm, danger or loss and who is trusting, caring, forgiving, loving and always there for them. That person is Jesus Christ.


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5. Explain to the children that everyone makes mistakes and we all need forgiveness (someone to say it‘s o.k.). Jesus has made the way for us to be forgiven of our sins (mistakes), and get to heaven (the place where God is). The only way for this to happen is if we each ask Jesus to be our Savior. Ask the children, ―Who has not asked Jesus to be your Savior? Would you like to ask Him now?‖ Have those who respond repeat the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me. I am sorry for my sins. Thank you for forgiving me. I ask Jesus to be my Best Friend and Savior. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Give the child a gift (i.e. Children‘s Bible, bookmark) to make the moment memorable. After this celebration, a Children‘s Worker can go over the following:

Does the child understand what just happened? Does the child understand the importance of attending church

(preferably a Children‘s Church)? Does the child understand the importance of learning about the

Holy Spirit (personal helper)? Does the child understand praying? Does the child understand the importance of attending a mid-

week Children‘s Bible study? Follow through is a critical component to the development of a child‘s spiritual growth. Teacher, share with the parents the decision their child has made and encourage the child to tell his/her parents and family/friends. Make sure to look for these new born believers in the upcoming weeks and ask how they are doing. Are there any questions about what happened the prior week(s)? Encourage the children to learn all they can about Jesus, their New Best Friend. Remember – ―Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.‖ – Matthew 19:14


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Hook: …captures the learner’s attention and sets the stage for the lesson. It leads naturally to the …

Book: …the Bible lesson. Learners are now ready to dig into the Word of God to personally discover God’s truth.

Look: …forms a bridge between Bible times and today. It answers the questions, “What is happening in the world around us?” and, “How does this lesson relate to the people, events, or circumstances today?”

Took:

…is the personal application. Students make decisions by responding to the question, “What will I do with what I have learned?”

Lesson Format


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Le

OVERVIEW OF LESSONS

Lesson #1 Let There Be Light! Genesis 1:1-5 God speaks... and He creates the world. Lesson #2 God lives in heaven Genesis 1:6-98 Heaven, where God lives, is above the sky. Lesson #3 Seas, Plants, and Trees Genesis 1:9-13 God speaks and separates the seas from dry land. Lesson #4 Sun, Moon, and Stars Genesis 1:14-19 God speaks to the light and creates day and night. Lesson #5 Fish, Birds, Cattle and Creeping Things Genesis 1:20-25 God gives us food to eat. Lesson #6 God Made Us Genesis 1:26-31 God makes man in His own image. Lesson #7 Come Sunday Morning Genesis 2: 2-3 God sets aside one day to rest and to worship. Lesson #8 God is love Genesis 3:21 When Adam sinned, God had a plan! Lesson #9 God Sees Cain Genesis 4 Cain hid from God, but God found him. Lesson #10 Two by Two Genesis 6 Noah, his family, and the animals were saved from the Flood. Lesson #11 A New Name Genesis 12: 1-3 God gives Abram a new name and makes him the father of many nations Lesson #12 A Baby Boy Genesis 21:1-3 Abraham and Sarah experience God‘s promise of a son. Lesson #13 Review Lesson with Mrs. Win-A-Verse


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Shopping List In order to teach these lessons effectively, you will need to be prepared with a few essential items. Here is a list of the items you will need along with a few suggestions of what works best for us. Bibles We suggest a culturally relevant Children’s Bible such as: The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories by Kelly Pulley (2005), ZonderKidz: Grand Rapids ISBN: 0310709628 (www.zondervan.com) Children‘s Story Books We suggest culturally relevant story books such as: Designed By God So I Must Be Special by Character Builders For Kids (1988), Vaughn Press: Orlando ISBN: 0961527945 (www.amazon.com) Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (1970) Harper Collins: New York ISBN: 0060239572 (www.amazon.com) How God Gives Us Chocolate by Henrietta D. Gambill (1970) Harper Collins: New York What Will Mommy Do When I’m At School? by Dolores Johnson (1990) Macmillan: New York Jamal’s Busy Day by Wade Hudson (1991) Just Books: Orange ISBN: 0785702555 (www.target.com) A Million Fish… More Or Less by Patricia C. McKissack (1992) Alfred A. Knopf: New York ISBN: 0785784883 (www.amazon.com) Praise and Worship Music CD‘s We suggest praise and worship cd’s such as: “In The Arms of The Father” by Kuk Harrell (www.galaxymall.com/music/kukharrell/order.html) Puppet Family We suggest a puppet set such as: “Let’s Talk! Kid Puppets” Complete Set (www.lakeshorelearning.com) Camera (Polaroid or Digital is best to get photos immediately) (www.walmart.com) T.V. Monitor(www.walmart.com) DVD/VHS Player (www.walmart.com) DVD/VHS of Disney‘s ―The Lion King‖ or Thomas Nelson‘s ―Bibleman: Breaking The Bonds of Disobedience‖ (www.amazon.com) Dolls and Doll Accessories Stuffed Animals Building Blocks/Legos Crayons

http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?S=R&qisbn=0310709628

http://www.zondervan.com/

http://www.amazon.com/


http://www.target.com/


http://www.galaxymall.com/music/kukharrell/order.html

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/

http://www.walmart.com/





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Paint Markers Pencils Paper Cardstock (white and colorful) Posterboard Felt and Felt cut-outs for flannelgraph Glue Tape Scissors X-acto Knife Wooden Dowels Fishing line Flower Seeds Potting Soil Empty Milk Cartons Globe/Large Map of the World Snacks Fresh or Plastic Fruit


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Lesson #1

Lesson Explanation No! Fish did not become frogs

and frogs did not

become…whatever! Birds,

animals, fish, and people were

all created by the Creator. God

never tries to convince anyone

about His existence. The Bible

simply says, “In the beginning,

God…”

Teacher Evaluation Often we are not pleased with how God made us. We wish we were like someone else—in appearance, personality, or lifestyle. Is this you? Are you content with who you are in Christ? Do you know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)? If we spend our adult lives wishing that we were other than who we are, look at what we‘re wasting…our entire lives! God created everyone perfectly for His purpose, including and especially you.

Student Examination How did the world come into existence? The answer is this: God made everything! As children learn the creation account, they will have the foundation to understand that there is a big difference between ―God created‖ and the Big Bang theory of evolution.

Objective Given a lesson on the creation

from Genesis 1: 1-5, children will recall that God made the world by drawing pictures of the earth and memorizing Genesis 1:1.

Memory Verse

“In the beginning God

created the heavens

and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

Our God Is!◊1st and 2nd Grade

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Materials Children‘s Bibles Coloring paper

Designed by God, So I Must Be Special, by Character Builders for Kids (1988), Vaughan Press: Orlando, Florida

Crayons

Hook: Method: Song. "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Bridge—“God loves us so much because He made us.”

Book: Method: Question and Answer

Can anyone tell me who made the world?

Where can we read about how God made the earth? Teacher, read Genesis 1:1-5 from a children’s Bible.

God said, “Let there be light.” God made the light, and He also made the night.

Bridge—“Why do we need light? What do we need to see in the daytime? Why do we need night? What do we do we see in the evening?”

Look: Method: Question and Answer

What’s special about the daytime?

What’s special about the night? Bridge—“What do we do during the day? What do we do differently at night? (This discussion can take place as children are coloring their pictures of the earth.)

Took: Method: Review.

How do we know that God created our world?

Because the Bible tells us so! Repeat Genesis 1:1 until children commit it to memory. Use hand movements to make a big earth!


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Materials

Children‘s Bibles Coloring paper

Globe or map of the earth Crayons

Hook: Method: Song. "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Bridge—“God loves us so much because He made us.”

Book: Method: Read Genesis 1:1 to the children. Read the verse again and have the children repeat after you (do this several times).

Look: Method: Nature walk. Take the children outside and ask them to tell you what they see (give clues if necessary). As the children begin to identify things, ask them if they remember the Bible verse. Then, have the children repeat the verse after you.

Took: Once you’re back in class, look over the pages the children have colored and repeat the Bible verse with them.

Special Needs Modification


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NOTES

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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*This can be done with volunteers or puppets

Title: Have You Noticed? Characters: Dennis, Bobby and Kim

Dennis (talking to Bobby and Kim): Hey guys, where‘s one of your favorite places to go? Bobby (looking a Dennis strangely): Why do you wanna know that? Dennis: Because there‘s something I don‘t understand. Just answer the question. Kim: I like to go to the beach with my family. Bobby: I like to go rent video games. Dennis: Is that all you think about, video games? Kim: That‘s all you talk about Bobby, video games, video games, and more video games. Bobby: Don‘t get mad at me ‗cause I can play and you guys aren‘t any good. Dennis: What a shame! Bobby: What‘s a shame? Dennis: I see a head on top of shoulders but it‘s a shame it‘s empty up there. I‘m just kidding. Kim: O.K., what‘s up with where we like to go? Dennis: My parents took me to the mountains for the day and when we got there, my dad took us for a nature walk and started asking us HAVE YOU NOTICED THIS BEFORE or HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT BEFORE? Bobby: Noticed what? Kim: Let me guess, Nature!


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Dennis: Yeah, but he was more specific. He started pointing at the different trees, birds, bushes, leaves, insects, and what really tripped me out was how the wind was blowing. Kim: Hey, this sounds like what we were talking about in Children‘s Church. ―In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth‖ from Genesis 1:1. Bobby: That‘s right, I remember too. Kim: What? You remember something from Children‘s Church? Bobby: Just because sometimes I look like I‘m not paying attention, it doesn‘t mean I‘m not. I just listen different sometimes, that‘s all. Dennis: I was in the mountains looking around and remembered that the Bible says God created everything. Kim: You don‘t have to be in the mountains to notice things. I have an idea, let‘s see what we can notice right now. Bobby: A butterfly. Dennis: A palm tree. Kim: The cold wind. Bobby: A worm in the mud. Kim: A snail in the bushes. Dennis: It‘s like what we learned in Children‘s Church, we need to stop sometimes and just look around and see all the wonderful things God created for us to enjoy. Bobby: (facing the crowd) Hey boys and girls, before you go home today, can you name five things you notice outside? Kim: Don‘t forget, ―In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.‖ Dennis (facing the crowd) Well, that‘s it for now, we have to go. Dennis, Bobbie & Kim (facing the crowd) See you next time, bye.


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Method: Coloring. Have the children start class by coloring pictures of a forest with animals, pictures of birds, butterflies or various animals. After the children have finished coloring, ask them to talk about what they colored. Ask them have they ever wondered where these things have come from? You‘re ready now to begin the lesson!


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What if God didn‘t make animals, trees, bushes, flowers or the grass you play on?

How do you think things would look? What do you like most

about animals, trees and plants? Why?


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Jesus Loves the Little Children

Written By: Unknown Copyright Unknown

Jesus loves the little children All the children of the world

Black and yellow, red and white They're all precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

Whether you're rich or whether you're poor It matters not to Him

He remembers where you're going Not where you've been




All around the world tonight His children rest assured

That He will watch and He will keep us Safe and secure





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Teacher:

Did you apply the lesson to your life?

___________________________________________________ Did you teach the lesson effectively?

___________________________________________________ What worked?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What needs to be improved?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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