sacrament

Lesson #40 "The Sacrament Helps Me Think About Jesus"

***Note: Please read the post called “10 Lesson Helps” found under “Primary Lesson Listings” before reviewing any of my Sunbeam lesson plan ideas.

“Teach ideas in a simple, clear way. Use summaries and visual materials to reinforce ideas. Encourage questions and responses to the lessons, but have the child take turns with other children. Use a variety of teaching methods such as stories, songs, discussions, dramatizations, finger plays, and simple games. Alternate between quiet and lively activities” (Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 111).

Materials needed: Pictures 1-70, 1-8, 1-55, 1-18, 1-13, 3-56, 1-74, 1-73, 1-44, 1-59; the coloring page (print from the link below) and crayons.

What is his/her name? (point to a child) Point and ask the same question for each child. Tell the children that each of us has a name. We give people and things names like a “chair” (point to the chair) a “table” etc.

What is the name of the class we are in? If they have trouble answering, tell them it is the “Sunbeam class.” What is the name of the other (either before or after Sunbeam class) meeting we go to in Primary where we learn songs and hear children give talks? (if they don’t know, tell them it is “Sharing Time.”)

So what is it called when we go to the room with all the children and sing songs together and listen to the talks?

What is it called we come to our classroom with our Sunbeam friends and have a lesson with (teacher’s name)?

What is it called when we go into the big room and sit with our families and take the bread and water? The name of that is “Sacrament Meeting.” Why it is named sacrament meeting? (Because we take the sacrament). We call it Sacrament Meeting because the sacrament is the most important thing we do in that meeting. Sacrament Meeting is the most important meeting of all. It is more important than Sharing Time and Sunbeam class time because that is where we remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us and take the bread and water to remember him.

The sacrament is what Jesus asked us to take to remember him. Show the Last Supper (1-70) and talk about what is happening. Show picture 1-8 and ask what is happening in this picture. Make a connection for the children between these two events.

Do this “Activity Verse” (sing to the tune of “Come With Me to Primary,” Children’s Songbook, p. 255).

I’m glad I come to church each week (hands peaked)

I love to listen (hand over ear)

And to pray (fold arms, bow head)

I learn of Jesus up above (point up)

The sacrament shows us His love (hug self)

Repeat a few times and encourage the children to just do the hand actions at first and then try to sing it with you.

What does the bread remind us of? The water?

When we wait for the bread and water, what should we be doing? Put your thumbs up if what I say is a good thing and thumbs down if it is a bad thing:

Playing with toys?

Talking to our brother or sister?

Thinking about Jesus?

Thinking about a t.v. show?

Listening carefully to the sacrament prayers?

Standing up on the bench or crawling on the floor?

Playing games on your mom’s cellphone?

Looking at pictures of Jesus?

(If the chapel is vacant during this time): Let’s take a walk quietly down the hall and see where the holders of the Aaronic Priesthood prepare the sacrament in the chapel. Then let’s sit on a bench and practice what our bodies look like during the sacrament.

(Back in class): If we are thinking about Jesus, we can think about the things he did when he lived on earth. Here are some pictures (show the pictures one at a time and ask the children what Jesus is doing in each of them).

Put the chairs in a circle and place one of the pictures on each chair. Have the children stand in a circle inside the chairs and walk in a circle. I’m going to sing the song we learned and when the song ends, stop in front of one of the chairs, next to a picture and we’ll talk about each one. Have each child tell what Jesus is doing and remind them they can think of this story during the sacrament.

Give them the coloring page (print from link below) and remind them to think of Jesus’ love for them and all he did when they are taking the sacrament.

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/magazines/friend/2012/05/fr12may39-sacrament-coloring-page.pdf?lang=eng

 

Sunbeam Lesson #8 "I Am Thankful for Water."

***Note: Please read the post called “10 Lesson Helps” found under “Primary Lesson Listings” before reviewing any of my Sunbeam lesson plan ideas.

“The Lord has a great work for each of us to do. You may wonder how this can be. You may feel that there is nothing special or superior about you or your ability…The Lord can do remarkable miracles with a person of ordinary ability who is humble, faithful, and diligent in serving the Lord and seeks to improve himself. This is because God is the ultimate source of power” (James E. Faust). Teaching, No Greater Call, p.21

Materials need: Put items in a sack or can:  cup, toothbrush, soap, watering can, (or anything associated with water).  A water bottle and large plastic cups. “Sink and float” items (i.e. pennies, a sponge cut up into pieces, a grape or raisin, a small toy, etc.). Straws. A rain stick if you have one. A picture of a child being baptized and one of the sacrament being passed to the congregation.

Take the children to the bathroom before going to class. Be sure to have them wash their hands. Teach correct hand washing procedures: Turn on the water, lather up with soap on both sides of the hands and in between fingers until they are covered in bubbles, rinse off while you sing the “ABC’s” song. Turn off water and dry hands. While they are washing ask, “How is water helpful in washing your hands?” “What did the water do to the bubbles and the dirt?”  “Why do we wash our hands with soap and water?”

In class: Have a child pull an item out of the sack and say how they would use it.  What else do you need to use it? Repeat with each child and each item.

Each of these things needs water.  We are thankful to Heavenly Father for making water because we need it very much.  

Where does water come from? (get responses:  rain, rivers, lakes, oceans).  Heavenly Father made all these things so we can grow and be healthy.  Everything needs water, not just people.  Plants, flowers, grass, trees too!

Tell the children how there are two very special kinds of water. Show pictures of a boy or girl getting baptized and the sacrament. Explain the importance of water in each picture.  (Be sure that the children are taught appropriately that the water represents-or reminds us of-Jesus’ blood and the water at baptism reminds us that we can be clean when we repent).

Let’s sing a song about different things we do each day with water: (Variation from “Fun to Do” from Children’s Songbook, p. 253).

Brushing our teeth is fun to do…(Variations: Washing our face, washing our clothes, washing the dishes, watering the plants, taking a bath).

Have one child go out. Hide one of items from the sack around the room.  Have the child come back in, find it and tell what we use it for.  Sing the song again about the item they found (i.e “Washing our hands is fun do to…”).  Repeat with each item with different children.

Stand up and sing with actions: (from the Children’s Songbook, p. 241)

Rain is falling all around (hands with fingers wiggling down)

On the housetop (arms up to a peak or triangle)

On the ground (touch the ground)

Rain is falling on my nose (touch nose)

On my head and hands and toes (touch body parts)

If you have the rainstick, tell them that you are going to make a raining sound. Close your eyes.  Can you hear it?  Keep your eyes closed and point to where I am making it rain (do it in different areas of the classroom). Sing the song again while you slowly make the rain sound. Let each child do it and repeat the song.

What would happen if we didn’t have water?  We would all get very thirsty.  All the plants might die. Tell the story about Moses getting water from the rock from Exodus 17:1-6.

Imagine your were one of the Children of Israel in the desert with Moses and it was hot and you didn’t have any water. How would you feel? Give a cup of water to each child to take a drink. How does it make our bodies feel when we drink water? 

Share your testimony about how God made the earth with water so all things could grow. We couldn’t grow without water. Explain how blessed we are that we have clean water and can get it so easily but that we should be careful with it and not waste it.

Extension activity: Fill up the cups with water again and show a tray of the “sink or float” items. Ask the children about each one. Do they think it will sink in the water or stay floating on top. Have them guess at each one. Then hand them each the items, one at a time, and have them experiment. Give each child a straw to blow bubbles in their cup of water.

FYI: If I lived somewhere hot and sunny, we’d go outside and paint the sidewalk with paintbrushes dipped in the water cups. The water makes designs that quickly evaporate and is fun and easy to do. No mess or clean up!