Thanksgiving

“I will praise God in a song.  I will honor him by giving thanks.” 

“Let’s come to him with thanksgiving.  Let’s sing songs to him.” 

Psalm 69:30; 95:2

As the name indicates, Thanksgiving is a time for us all to pause and give God thanks for the blessings we have received in the past year.

Each one of us on the Children of Hope staff is blessed by the precious little ones you bring to this school. We are thankful for them, and for all of you — parents and caregivers — for giving us the opportunity to teach them the basics they’ll need for Kindergarten, but more importantly, about Jesus.

This issue of “Hope for Families” is simply an assortment of ideas for you to use or be inspired by to praise to Lord for His goodness, and to help teach our children to do the same.

 Discussion Questions

• Who gives us all of our blessings? God
• Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?  To thank God for all the things he has given us and all the blessings we have received
• What are you thankful for?

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for all the blessings you have given us this year.  Thank you for teaching us that you do what you promise, and you help us do good to others.

Amen.

Bible Verse for November

“Give thanks to the Lord. His love is forever.”

1 Chronicles 16:34

Activities

Thanksgiving Thank You Note

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to show others how much they’re appreciated. With a little help, preschoolers will enjoy writing thank you notes to special family members and friends this holiday season. The Thanksgiving thank you note activity is a wonderful exercise to help preschoolers take stock of the blessings in their life and is certain to become a cherished holiday tradition for both the thank you note writer and the recipient.

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Family Activity

Give thanks as a family this holiday season by creating a uniquely personal tablecloth for your Thanksgiving table. For this family activity, invite family members young and old to preserve festive drawings and sentiments of thanks with crayons on a paper tablecloth, prior to sitting down to your Thanksgiving meal. This activity could also be done using paper placemats instead of a paper tablecloth

Make a Thankfulness Turkey

Materials:

· Several sheets of construction paper in fall colors (brown, orange, red, & yellow)

· Black marker

· Scissors

· Glue

· Pinking shears or decorative scissors (optional)

Directions:

• Trace your child’s foot on a brown piece of paper and  cut each one out. This part will be the head and body of your turkey — the heel is the head and the toes are the belly.
• Draw on the eyes with the marker. Write on the body “(child’s name) is thankful for…”
• Using the pinking shears, decorative scissors, or regular scissors, cut out 5-6 “feathers” from the additional construction paper. It seems to be easiest make them “football” shaped and each one should be about the same length as the body.
• Cut out the red “waddle” and an orange triangle for the beak from the scrap paper, and glue them on the face.
• Help your child write one thing on each feather that he is thankful for. Glue one end of each feather to the back side of the body so you can see the writing from the front.
• This makes a great decoration for Thanksgiving, as well as allows us to think about all the things with which God has blessed us.

Baby Moses

Exodus 1:22; 2:1-10

So the Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River. But let all the girl babies live.”

There was a man from the family of Levi. He married a woman who was also from the family of Levi. She became pregnant and gave birth to  a son. She saw how wonderful the baby was, and she hid him for three months.

But after three months, she was not able to hide the baby any longer. So she got a basket and covered it with tar so that it would float. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the tall grass at the edge of the Nile River. The baby’s sister stood a short distance away. She wanted to see what would happen to him.

Then the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt came to the river. She was going to take a bath. Her servant girls were walking beside the river. She saw the basket in the tall grass. So she sent her slave girl to get it. The Pharaoh’s daughter opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”

Then the baby’s sister, Miriam, asked the Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”

The Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Yes, please.” So the girl went and got the baby’s own mother.

The Pharaoh’s daughter said to the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you.” So the woman took her baby and nursed him. After the child had grown older, the woman took him to the Pharaoh’s daughter. She adopted the baby as her own son. The Pharaoh’s daughter named him Moses, because she had pulled him out of the water.

Discussion Questions

• Who wanted to kill the Israelite baby boys?   Pharaoh

• How did Moses’ mother protect him from the Egyptians? She prayed to God and then she hid him in a basket.

• Who found the basket with Baby Moses inside? Pharaoh’s  daughter

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Moses and the way you protected him from harm. Help us to be thankful for all the great things you have done for us.  Amen.

Bible Verse for November

“Give thanks to the Lord.  His love is forever.”      1 Chronicles 16:34

Activity

Make a Basket for Moses

This project is to make a basket like the one made from reeds used to float Baby Moses in the Nile River. This easy craft boosts counting and fine motor skills. You can also use the same technique to make woven placemats or picture frames.

Materials:

· Construction paper in two different colors

· A 5-inch paper plate

· Glue or rubber cement

· Scissors

Instructions:

1. Start by cutting your construction paper. You’ll need 8 strips, each about 12 inches long and 3/4-inch wide.
2. Now, arrange the strips, two at a time, so that they form an X. Use glue to secure each X in the center. You’ll make four of these.
3. Once the glue is dry, arrange the Xs fanned out in a stack so that they look like a star or an asterisk. Keep the spaces between each arm of the shape as even as you can. Use glue to connect all the Xs together. Let dry.
4. Use your paper plate to trace a circle on a sheet of construction paper. Cut out the circle and glue it carefully in the center of the star shape. This makes the bottom of your basket. Let the glue dry.
5. While you wait for it to dry, prepare your weaving strips. You’ll need to cut four strips about 16 inches long and ½-inch wide. (If you’re using standard-size construction paper, you’ll need to glue two pieces together at the edges to make the size you need.)
6. Once the circle has dried, fold up the long arms of the star from the edge of the circle one by one to make the body of the basket.
7. Take one of the long strips. Use a piece of tape to secure it to the first of the arms and begin weaving over and under all the way around the basket until you reach the tape. Carefully remove the tape and use glue to attach the beginning of the long strand to its end. Hold in place to dry.
8. Repeat for each of the four long pieces, then let basket dry.

Daniel and The Lion's Den

Daniel 6:1-28

King Darius thought it would be a good idea to choose 120 governors. They would rule through all of his kingdom. And he chose three men as supervisors over those 120 governors. Daniel was one of these three supervisors. Daniel showed that he could do the work better than the other supervisors and governors. Because of this, the king planned to put Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom. So the other supervisors and governors tried to find reasons to accuse Daniel, but they could not find anything wrong with him.

Daniel was trustworthy. He was not lazy and did not cheat the king. Finally these men said, “We will never find any reason to accuse Daniel. But we must find something to complain about. It will have to be about the law of his God.”

So the supervisors and the governors went as a group to the king. They said, “King Darius, live forever! We have all agreed on something. We think the king should make this law that everyone would have to obey: No one should pray to any god or man except for you, our king. This should be done for the next 30 days. Anyone who doesn’t obey will be thrown into the lions’ den.” So King Darius made the law and had it written.

When Daniel heard that the law had been written, he went to his house. He went to his upstairs room. The windows of that room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times each day, Daniel got down on his knees and prayed. He prayed and thanked God, just as he had always done.

Then those men went as a group and found Daniel. They saw him praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king. They talked to him about the law he had made. They said, “Didn't you write a law that says no one may pray to any god or man except you, our king? Doesn't it say that anyone who disobeys during the next 30 days will be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “Yes, I wrote that law.” Then those men spoke to the king. They said, “Daniel is not paying attention to the law you wrote. Daniel still prays to his God three times every day.”

So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve all the time save you!” A big stone was brought. It was put over the opening of the lions’ den. Then the king used his signet ring to put his special seal on the rock. And he used the rings of his royal officers to put their seals on the rock also. This showed that no one could move that rock and bring Daniel out. Then King Darius went back to his palace. He did not eat that night. He could not sleep.

The next morning, King Darius got up at dawn. He hurried to the lions’ den. As he came near the den, he was worried. He called out to Daniel. He said, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God that you always worship been able to save you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “My king, live forever! My God sent his angel to close the lions’ mouths. They have not hurt me, because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, my king.”

King Darius was very happy. He told his servants to lift Daniel out of the lions’ den. So they lifted him out and did not find any injury on him. This was because Daniel had trusted his God.

Discussion Questions

• Why didn't the other supervisors and governors like Daniel?  Because Daniel was not lazy and did not cheat the king.
• What law did King Darius make? Everyone had to pray to him.
• Did Daniel obey the king’s law? No, Daniel prayed to God.
• What happened to Daniel for disobeying the king’s law? He was thrown into the lions’ den.
• Who protected Daniel? God!

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Daniel and the Lions’ Den.  Help us to remember that you do mighty miracles in heaven and on earth. 

Amen.

Bible Verse for November

“Give thanks to the Lord.  His love is forever.”   1 Chronicles 16:34

Activity

Science Experiment: Making a Volcano

Materials:

• Aluminum foil
• One short paper cup
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Vinegar
• tablespoon

 Guide Your Child to:

• Help wrap foil around the paper cup so that the foil slope outward like the sides of a hill.
• Put the baking soda in the cup
• Pour vinegar over the baking soda, one tablespoon at a time.

 Talk about with Your Child:

• Have you ever seen a picture of a real volcano? What was it like? (you might want to have one from a book or magazine, or one printed from the Internet to show your child)
• A volcano brings trouble for people who live around it. What kind of trouble did Daniel have
• in our story? What happened to him?
• Who helps us and takes care of us in times of trouble?
• Share with your child about a time when there was trouble for you but God helped you.
• Encourage your child to do the same.

God is kind to Widow

1 Kings 17:7-16

After a while the brook dried up because there was no rain.  Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah, “Go to Zarephath in Sidon.  Live there, I have commanded a widow there to take care of you.”

So Elijah went to Zarephath.  When he reached the town gate, he saw a widow there.  She was gathering wood for a fire. Elijah asked her, “Would you bring me a little water in a cup?  I would like to have a drink.”  As she was going to get his water, Elijah said, “Please bring me a piece of bread, too.”

The woman answered , “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I tell you the truth.  I have no bread.  I have only a handful of flour in a jar.  And I have only a little olive oil in a jug.  I came here to gather some wood.  I will take it home and cook our last meal.  My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”

Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry, Go home and cook your food as you have said.  But first make a small loaf of bread from the flour you have.  Bring it to me. Then cook something for yourself and your son.  The Lord, the God of Israel, says, “That jar of flour will never become empty.  The jug will always have oil in it.  This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.”

So the woman went home.  And she did what Elijah told her to do.  So Elijah, the woman and her son had enough food every day.  The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty.  This happened just as the Lord, through Elijah, said it would be.

Discussion Questions

·   God sent Elijah to Sidon so that someone could care for him.  Who was it?  A Widow

·   What did Elijah ask her for? A drink of water and bread

·   What was the widow running out of? Flour and oil to make food

·   Did Elijah, the widow, or her son ever run out of food?  No, God provided every day.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for always giving us just what we need.  Please help up remember to trust you completely for all things.   Amen.

Bible Verse for November

“Give thanks to the Lord.  His love is forever.”    1 Chronicles 16:34

Activity

Rhyme:  The Widow Kneads the Bread for Elijah

Material Needed:  Play doh

As you read in the Bible story the Widow made bread for Elijah.

Have your child knead the play doh pretending it is bread.  While

kneading have your child sing the rhyme below:

One, two, God loves you!

Three, four, do it some more!

Five, six, knead and mix

Seven, eight, God is great!

Nine, ten, say amen!