Week 18 - Christmas - 4th Week of December

Items Needed: Bible
Tactile Letters: c, a, d
Books: My "A" Book, My "C" Book, My "D" Book, What Is the Bible?, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Christmas, Big Thoughts for Little People, The Jesus Book, Guess How Much I Love You, Jesus God's Great Gift
Worksheets: c, a, d, Knowing God Activity Book, Dot-to-Dot, 1 1/2" tracing paper, Lowercase "C" Characters , Four Seasons
CD-Rom: Charlie Church Mouse Preschool
CD: Hide 'Em In Your Heart, Vol 1
Activities: Christmas cards, crayons, paper, tactile letters and numbers, stuffed animal or ball, pipe cleaners, Christmas ideas (see below), toy phones, season activities (see below)
Video: Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas
Letter A Activity, Letter C Activity, Letter D Activity

Character Trait: Love
Definition: Taking care of others, kindness, patience, and forgiveness
Opposite: Not liking, selfishness
Big Thoughts for Little People: Letter G

Bible Story: Jesus' Birth
Scripture: Luke 2
The Beginner's Bible: pg 271
My Story Bible: pg 60-67
Through the Bible in Felt: pg 153-158

Verse: John 3:16a - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.
Steve Green – Hide 'Em In Your Heart, Vol 1 - #18

Bible Song: Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay

Information: Dial 911

Math: Four Seasons - Fall & Winter

Letters: c, a, d
c - curve around
a - curve and down
d - curve and line

Comprehension Questions:
What is your favorite part of the Christmas story?
It says in the Bible the Jesus loves us so much that He humbled Himself and became man (Phil 2:5-8). Do you think it was hard for Jesus to leave Heaven and come down to earth as a baby?

Book of the Week:
Guess How Much I Love You

Ideas:
• Guess How Much I Love You Book of the Week Ideas:
- Discuss the love our Heavenly Father has for us that He was willing to send His Son down to earth as a baby
- "Guess How Much I Love You" card
- Valentine "love" activities

• Jesus' Birth Preschool Bible Story Activities & Color Sheets:
- Coloring Pages - Shepherds, Jesus is Born, Bowing to Jesus, Three Wise Men, Star Dot-to-Dot
- Collection of ABCJLM Christmas Ideas
- Using modeling clay or play dough, create your own nativity scene. Have you child tell the story using their creations. This would be a wonderful "Family Night" activity.
- Knowing God Activity Book - A coloring book about "Knowing God Through His Son"
- Play the "Wise Men" adventure and use the coloring sheet on the Charlie Church Mouse Preschool Cd-Rom. Read more...
- Make Nativity Paper Dolls

• Christmas Action Story (Author Unknown)
Read the following story pausing after reading the italicized words. Have the child do the following action when the word is spoken:
Angels - wave arms like angel wings.
Mary - place hands together and place under the chin as in praying
Joseph - show muscles
Baby & Jesus - hold arms and rock back and forth

People had been waiting for a very long time. As a matter of fact, people had been waiting since the first man and woman had to leave God's special garden because they disobeyed. They were waiting for God to keep His promise to send them a Savior.
One day an angel spoke to a girl named Mary and told her she was going to have a baby. Then the angel spoke to a man named Joseph, who was going to be Mary's husband. The angel told Joseph that Mary's baby was special. He was God's son, Jesus!
While Mary and Joseph were waiting for Jesus to be born, they had to go on a long trip. The ruler of the land had made a law that people had to go to their hometowns and write their names in a special book so that leaders could count how many people there were. So Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to be counted. They had to walk all the way!
Finally, they arrived in Bethlehem. Mary was ready to have her baby. But Bethlehem was so crowded that they couldn't find a place to stay! Everywhere they went they were told, "There is no room!" Finally, a kind innkeeper said they could stay in his stable. And just in time, too! That night Jesus was born! Mary wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a manger to sleep. All of the angels joined in and said, "Glory to God! Peace on earth to those who love God!"

• Character Education - Love Activities
- Discuss how to show love:
- Showing affection for parents, siblings, pets
- Remembering to greet family members with affection
- Make Cinnamon Ornaments to give away - they make your home smell so good!
- "God so loved the world" Coloring Sheet - Have the child draw a picture of himself/herself inside the heart.

• Letter & Number Ideas:
Week 18-21 focuses on the lowercase "c" characters. Start by creating the characters using play dough snakes or pipe cleaners for the bubbles and move to writing the characters on 1 1/2" tracing paper with yellow lines and green and red dots as a guide. If needed, create 3" characters using yellow lines and green and red dots as a transition to the tracing paper. Use the Lowercase "C" Characters worksheet to show the progression of the letters and numbers. Be sure to say the Letter Formation Chant or Number Rhyme as the child creates each character.

• Seasons:
- Fall
Months – September, October, November
Holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving, family birthdays
Weather - Cool
Clothing – Jackets, long sleeve, jeans
Plants – The trees' leaves turn colors and fall off, harvest apples
Animals – Migrate, collect food, hibernate
- Winter
Months – December, January, February
Holidays – Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Family Birthdays
Weather – Cold, snow, ice
Clothing – Winter coats, gloves, hats, sweaters
Plants – Trees are without leaves, plants are brown
Activities – Sledding, caroling, snowball fights

- Create a Four Seasons Wheel using the Four Seasons printables. This week focuses on fall and winter. Print the Fall Tree and add fall-colored leaves. Print the Winter Tree and add snowflakes. Post the finished Winter Tree on a wall with the Fall Tree under and left of the Winter Tree (at 9:00) adding pictures around each picture to depict the season. Also add names or pictures of people whose birthday are in each season. Add the arrow moving from fall to winter.
- Click for more ABJCLM Four Season Ideas

• Send Christmas Cards – have your child assist you with the cards by helping to sign their name and telling you their address. Demonstrate the proper way to address and stamp a card.

• View & Read:
Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas
What Is the Bible? - In simple terms, this book helps you explore what's inside the Bible. Part of the book covers the Christmas story.
God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren - Little Cub questions why we must love others, even the seemingly unlovable.
God Gave Us Christmas- A wonderful book that explains the true meaning of Christmas.
Jesus God's Great Gift - Part of the "I Can Read with Help" series, this simple book is easy enough for preschoolers to understand.
The Jesus Book - Read the following pages to help your child better understand the birth of Christ
pages 10-13 Who is Jesus?
page 55 - When was Jesus born? (turn back to pages 50-53 to view a Bible time line)
page 68 - Where was Jesus born?
page 78 - Why did Mary name her baby Jesus?

• Fine Motor Skills:
Make crayon rubbings - Using the tactile letters and numbers, place a piece of paper over the cards and have your child color. They will have the surprise of a letter or number when they finish. (This works best if you tactile letters and numbers are made out of sandpaper and will not work if they are made out of yarn.)