Tuesday, April 30, 2013

God's Great Big Love

The Love of Christ Ephesians 3:18-19
 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love. I pray that you can understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ’s love is greater than any person can ever know. But I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God.

Discussion Questions

  • How much does Jesus love us?  Christ’s love is greater than any person can ever know.
  • What is the only way we can understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep Christ’s love is? By praying to understand the greatness of it.

Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for your great big love. Please help us to understand its greatness.
Amen.

Bible Verse for May

“Be strong and brave. The Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”
Joshua 1:9

Science: Measuring

Materials:
  • Several popsicle sticks, paint sticks, wooden spoons or some other item in multiples (to be used in place of a ruler)
  • Variety of things to measure, both inside and outside of the house (if it’s a nice day)


Guide Your Child To:
  • Measure some things using the popsicle sticks (or whatever you choose), lying the sticks end to end and then counting the number of sticks.  For example, the table is 10 popsicle sticks long.
  • Measure various things in the room together. Talk about if they are the same size or a different size, etc.
  • Talk about: Is there anything you can’t measure?
  • Measure Jesus’ love.  Say: “Hmm….I don’t know how to do that.  Do you?  How do you know that Jesus loves you?”  (He is my friend, the Bible tells me so, He listens when I pray, He makes me feel happy inside…)

Singing: Deep and Wide

Deep and wide
Deep and wide
There's a fountain flowing deep and wide
Deep and wide
Deep and wide
There's a fountain flowing deep and wide

Hmmm and wide
Hmmm and wide
There's a fountain flowing hmmm and wide
Hmmm and wide
Hmmm and wide
There's a fountain flowing hmmm and wide

Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
There's a fountain flowing hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
There's a fountain flowing hmmm and hmmm

Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm flowing hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm and hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm flowing hmmm and hmmm

Hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Tell the Good News


Jesus Talks to His Followers Matthew 28:16-20

The 11 followers went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. On the mountain, they saw Jesus and worshiped him.

But some of them did not believe that it was really Jesus.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.”

Discussion Questions

  • How many followers went to Galilee?     Eleven
  • Where did they see Jesus and what did the followers do? They saw Jesus on the mountain; the followers worshiped him.
  • What did Jesus tell them? “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.”


Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for telling the Good News to us. Please help us to tell everyone what God has done for us.
Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell everyone what God has done.”    Psalm 105:1

Singing: Go and Tell the News

Tune: "B-I-N-G-O”

Jesus told His friends to go into all the town-s
Go and tell the news, go and tell the news, go and tell the news,
Tell it to all people.

The helpers went and told the news to everyone they me-et
It was happy news, it was happy news, it was happy news,
News that Jesus loves them!

Science: Popcorn Praises

Materials:
  • Large pot with lid
  • Stove
  • Plain popcorn
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • Potholders or oven mitts
  • Salt to season

Guide Your Child To:
  • Put the vegetable oil in the bottom of the large pot.
  • Add enough popcorn to cover the bottom of the pot.
  • Watch you turn the heat on the burner to medium high.
  • Listen and look for the first popcorn kernel to pop.
  • Watch you put the lid on the pot.; watch you use potholders or oven mitts, begin shaking the entire pot over the burner.
  • Watch you continue shaking the pot until you no longer hear kernels popping. Remove from heat.
  • Help you carefully remove the lid  and salt popcorn to flavor. Enjoy!


Talk About (while enjoying the popcorn!):
  • (Look at some unpopped kernels)  The popcorn kernels are like people who don’t know about Jesus. Without the warmth of God’s love, they haven’t burst to life.
  • But when God’s love warms our hearts and we invite him into our hearts, we burst with happiness; praises to Jesus can’t stay inside — they pop out, just like the popcorn. 
  • We can’t help but tell others how much we love Jesus and what he has done for us.  How can we share this happiness with others?



Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Paul Tells About Jesus


Acts 16:9-15

That night Paul had a vision. In the vision, a man from Macedonia came to him. The man stood there and begged, “Come over to Macedonia. Help us!”

After Paul had seen the vision, we immediately prepared to leave for Macedonia. We understood that God had called us to tell the Good News to those people.
We left Troas in a ship, and we sailed to Neapolis. Then we went by land to Philippi, the leading city in that part of Macedonia. It is also a Roman colony. We stayed there for several days.

On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city gate to the river. There we thought we would find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them.

There was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. Her job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped the true God.  The Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.

She and all the people in her house were baptized. Then Lydia invited us to her home. She said, “If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord, then come stay in my house.”
And she persuaded us to stay with her.

Discussion Questions

  • Where did Paul and the other disciples go? Macedonia
  • Who did they meet in Macedonia? Lydia
  • What happened to Lydia and all the people in her household? They were baptized.
  • Then what did Lydia do? She invited Paul and the other disciples to stay with her.


Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for the story of Paul telling others about you. Thank you for Lydia believing in you and for being a good friend to Paul. Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell everyone what God has done.”  Psalm 105:1

Action Rhymes: Ten Little Friends

Materials:
  • A pen or felt-tip marker

 Guide Your Child To:
  • Draw smiley faces on each of your child’s fingers
  • Have him hold up all his fingers as you sing this song:

        One little, two little, three little friends,
        Four little, five little, six little friends,
        Seven little, eight little, nine little friends,
        Ten little very kind friends.

Talk About:
  • Who was a friend in this story?
  • What happened?


Cooking: Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
  • Canned chicken noodle soup
  • Oyster or fish-shaped crackers

 Kitchen Tools:
  • Small bowls
  • Spoons
  • Ladle or serving spoon
  • Bowl for crackers

Prepare Ahead of Time:
  • Prepare enough soup for each person to have a small serving.
  • Place crackers in a container which will be easy for your child to handle.

 Guide Your Child To:
  • Take a bowl and spoon.
  • Wait for you to pour soup into his bowl.
  • Wait a few minutes for the soup to cool a bit.
  • Take a few crackers from the cracker bowl and pass it to another family member.

 Talk About:
  • We’re sharing soup and crackers. What else can you share?
  • How do you feel when someone shares with you?
  • Who shared in our story?
  • Why does God want us to share?


Art Center: Purple Collages

Materials:
  • Bible
  • Purple collage materials (scrap paper, yarn, fabric scraps, etc.)
  • Magazines
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Construction paper
  • Purple markers
  • Optional: purple yarn or ribbon & a hole punch

Guide Your Child to:
  • Cut out purple items from the magazines. 
  • Using the magazine pieces and the purple collage materials, glue onto the construction paper in any design your child desires. 
  • When the glue has dried, use purple markers to outline the collage shapes and add other designs.

Optional:
  • Along the edges of each sheet of white construction paper, use a hole punch to make holes. 
  • For each family member, cut three 18-inch lengths of purple yarn. 
  • To make a needle, wrap a piece of transparent tape around one end of each yarn length. 
  • Let your child weave purple yarn through the holes to create a border for her collage.

 Talk About:
  • Paul told Lydia the good news about Jesus.  What do you think is the good news?
  • The good news is that Jesus loves you.  You can tell others the good news, too!  You can say, “Jesus loves you.”
  • Who is someone you love?  Jesus loves him/her too!  Jesus loves you and me and everyone! 
  • Jesus wants us to tell others about His love.  To whom can you tell the good news? 



Tuesday, April 9, 2013

April 2013 Hope's Happenings


PreK Field Trip

On Wednesday, April 24,  the PreK only will be going on a field trip to “You Are the Potter”, on Madison Ave near the mall.

While they are there, they will be making a special Mother’s Day gift. We will need several volunteers to help chaperone this trip; there will be room for a couple of parents to ride the bus with the students, but others may meet us there (due to liability issues, you may not follow the bus there but you can meet us there at 10:30).

If you are planning to attend, please let Mrs. Parker know as soon as possible. Please understand that if you commit to going, we are counting on you to be there, as children will be assigned to you for supervision.

Students will need to wear their Children of Hope T-shirts on that day. Each child must have a signed permission slip turned in to the office or they will not be able to attend.
In addition, each child must have a car seat or booster seat in order to ride on the bus. On the day of the field trip, parents or guardians will be asked to remove the child’s car seat from their own car and install it on the bus themselves.

A permission slip will come home next week and need to be returned by Wednesday, April 17.

If you have any questions or concerns about this field trip, please come by the office after you have dropped off your child, or call us at 888-HOPE (888-4673).

PreK Graduation

Just a reminder that the PreK Graduation will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 1:00. All PreK families are invited to join us for this celebration. (Just a note: this graduation is for PreK Students only — the K4 students will have their graduation next year, after completing PreK)

Calling All PreK Parents!

Have you checked with your child’s elementary school about Kindergarten registration? 
Please see below for information on Kindergarten Registration, as well as a list of what to take with you in order to enroll your child.

If you are unsure which elementary school your child will attend, please see us in the office and we will be more than happy to help you figure it out!

PLEASE NOTE: You MUST enroll your child in order for him or her to attend Kindergarten.

Enrolling for Next Year

It’s time to register for next year! Information came home a few weeks ago about enrollment for the fall. Be sure to register soon to hold your child’s spot for next year. If your child will be graduating from COH this year, feel free to refer a friend or family member to COH.

Please see Mrs. Bonson in the office if you have any questions, or if you need an application or information to refer a friend!

Take What You Need

We continue to have the opportunity to bless one another. If you have clothing or toys which your children have outgrown, please feel free to bring them in on Tuesday for other families to take as needed. On the flip side, if you see anything that would work well for your child, please take it home. You DO NOT need to donate anything in order to take what you need.   

As you have items you would like to share, please bring them in on a Tuesday. However, anything left on Thursday after everyone has been picked up will go to a nearby shelter; it will not be kept for the following week.

Kindergarten RegistrationFor the 2013-2014 School Year

In order to enroll in Kindergarten in the State of Indiana, students must be 5 years of age by August 1.

Perry
According to the Perry Schools website, there is not a scheduled Kindergarten Round-Up for Perry Schools Kindergarteners, so you will need to call the school your child will attend to find out when you can register your child. 

The Full-Day ONLY will be available; the half-day option is not longer available.

When you go to the school for registration, you will need to bring with you:
  • Birth certificate
  • Immunization records
  • Social Security card or I94
  • Proof of residency


Center Grove
Kindergarten Round-Up is April 11 at each elementary school at 6pm. You will need to take  your child to the school to which they are assigned on that night.

The Full-Day ONLY will be available; the half-day option is not longer available. There is no tuition charge for Full-Day, however parents will pay textbook and supply fees.

When you go to the school for registration, you will need to bring with you:
  • An original birth certificate
  • Immunization records
  • Proof of residency (such as a utility bill, lease agreement, or purchase agreement)


If you are unsure which elementary school your child will attend, please see us in the office and we will be more than happy to help you figure it out!
  
Please note that all information presented here has come directly from these school systems. If there are any mistakes or omissions in the information, please understand that we are passing along the information which was made available to us.


Paul Meets Jesus

Acts 9:1-19
Saul did not like Jesus’ followers.  He was on his way to put some of them in jail.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed around him. Saul fell to the ground. A loud voice asked, “Saul, why are you against me?”


Saul was afraid. He cried out, “Who are you?”  The voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are against.”

“Go to Damascus and you will be told what to do.”

When Saul got up, he could not see.

Some men who were traveling with Saul led him to the city.

Jesus had also appeared to a man named Ananias. Jesus led Ananias to Saul.  Ananias laid his hands on Saul and said, “Jesus sent me to you. You may see again. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Immediately Saul could see!

Then Ananias baptized him.

After this, God changed Saul’s name to Paul. He was a new man! Instead of hating Jesus’ followers, he loved them. And he became a follower, too.


Discussion Questions

  • What happened to Saul on his way to put Jesus’ followers in jail? There was a bright light & he fell to the ground.
  • Who spoke to Saul? Jesus
  • What happened when Ananias laid hands on Saul? He could see again!
  • Then what happened to Saul? He was baptized and God changed Saul’s name to Paul. And Paul became a follower of Jesus.


Prayer

Thank you for the story of Saul changing to Paul. Thank you that you can change the heart of anyone into a follower of you. Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell everyone what God has done.”    Psalm 105:1
  

Science Activity: Rock Salt

Materials:
  • Rock salt
  • Table salt
  • Magnifying glass
  • Paper plates


Guide Your Child To:
  • Put some table salt and some rock salt on a plate
  • Examine the salt: Look at it. Feel it.  Look at it under a magnifying glass.  See that it is a rock.


Talk About:
  • Salt is a kind of rock that we eat. When do you eat salt?
  • What does salt look like?
  • Who made your eyes so you can see and learn?
  • What did the person in our story see? What happened?


No Bake Cooking: Peanut Butter Delight

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons peanut butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4-6 ice cubes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar


Kitchen Tools:
  • Blender
  • Measuring spoons, cups
  • Paper cups
  • Paper towels


Guide Your Child To:
  • Help add the ingredients to the blender.
  • Let the teacher pour a small amount into a cup.
  • Taste the drink.

Talk About:
  • We are mixing together some of God’s gifts.  What are they?
  • Where does milk come from?
  • Where does peanut butter come from?
  • Where does honey come from?
  • Where does vanilla come from?
  • Would a person who is blind be able to enjoy this drink, even if he couldn’t see it? Why?
  • Could he tell what it was made of? How?
  • Who was blind in our story? What happened?


Active Game: Riddley-Riddley-Ree

What to Do:
  • Look around the room and choose an object for the child to guess.  Say to your child:
  • Riddley-Riddley-Ree
  • I see something you don’t see
  • And the color is _(say the color)__
  • After your child guesses the object, let him choose the next object and give you the clue.


Talk About:
  • Who gave us eyes to see?
  • Who was blind in our story? What happened?
  • Do you know anyone who is blind?
  • What kinds of things do you like to see and watch?
  • How can you thank God for your eyes?