Elisha And the Shunamite Woman

This Sunday we will be learning about Elisha, the Shunamite woman and her son.  I briefly, introduced the Shunamite woman at the end of our last lesson. Tell the KIDDOS that Elisha was going to Shunem and would meet a very kind woman there....

God's Awesome Plan For Man Wall

We will talk about the KINDNESS that the woman showed Elisha...the fact that she fed him and even had a room built especially for him.    I want the KIDDOS to understand that GOD wants us to show Kindness to others.  GOD wants us to be generous.    I will use this lesson to  REALLY drive home the importance of SHARING with others. 

We will also,  learn about Elisha wanting to do something SPECIAL for this woman...since she had been so nice to him and his servant.    We will learn that Elisha promises that the woman would have a son!!!  We will learn that the promise came true...she had a son and loved him very much.  Then, we will learn about the son dying and Elisha bringing him back to life.   

I wanted our Memory Verse to focus on being kind/sharing with others...and I thought this verse went with our story perfectly.    I have a little tune that we will sing this Memory Verse too.  Most of the KIDDOS will have it memorized before leaving the classroom.  I really love for the KIDDOS to be able to sing their Memory Verse to a tune...it seems to help them get them memorized quickly.  

Because, we briefly touched on the woman from Shunem during our last lesson...we already have that city on our MAP. 

The Visuals for this lesson come from a clip and copy book....I will attach the picture to the paint paddle as I tell the story.    This will also come in handy when reviewing the lesson....Seeing if the KIDDOS can put the story in the correct sequence. 

After we are finished with this lesson I will add this to my bucket of Paint Paddle Early Arrival Activities....That way the KIDDOS can revisit this lesson in the future. 

I want to be up front with my readers...this lesson presented  a CHALLENGE for me.  That challenge was  coming up with a "TAKE HOME" project.  I wanted the "TAKE HOME" project to go along with the lesson...but, I could not THINK of anything!!!!   So, I pondered....and pondered and pondered.    Well, this is what I ended up doing.   I decided to have the KIDDOS make a "wind sock" to hang in their bedroom....(after all the woman built Elisha a bedroom) and I wanted the "wind sock" to remind them to SHARE!!!  So, I printed their Memory Verse on yellow cardstock.  The KIDDOS will color the verse with MARKERS!!!!  Then roll it into a large tube.  They will  get to add various colored party streamers and glue on a set of googly eyes (above the word eye)....I think it works.  Let me know what you think. 

Our REVIEW game is one that the KIDDOS have played before....  We play it like Musical Chairs....We will sing a song...I say STOP!  We roll the FOAM DIE...and the number rolled will correspond with one of the numbers in the circles...The KIDDOS in that numbered circle answers a question from the lesson.    This game has been well received by the KIDDOS. 

The KIDDOS EXPLORER JOURNAL activity for next week looks like this!!!!  They will add the BED which is on foam sticker paper...so it not just a flat sticker stuck to the page...it actually gives the page a bit of a 3D effect...but, we are not done yet....The KIDDOS will get to glue on a TABLE and a CHAIR....then they will glue the paper LANTERN onto the table.    The tables  and chairs are from DOLLAR TREE.  The table was originally oval...but, my wonder hubby cut them in half---length wise---and the chairs are from a Chair stacking game that Dollar Tree carries.  I was so excited when I found them....I believe there were 10 chairs in a pkg.  

(I went to Dollar Tree...specifically looking for small chairs and when I found these, I sort of did a jig and a small squeal may have been heard down the aisle.)  BTW, the chairs were in the "BOY'S TOYS."

OK...after I finished the post, I was just NOT happy with the FINISHED PRODUCT for the KIDDOS "EXPLORER JOURNALS".....I wanted an Elisha and a little boy....So, my wheels began to turn...

At first,  I considered using clip art.  Then I thought about craft sticks (Tongue Depressors) ....but, when I began looking through all my craft supplies.... I was reminded of  my ABUNDANCE of Chenille Sticks/Pipe Cleaners!!!!   


Please understand, when I say ABUNDANCE...I am in NO WAY EXAGGERATING.  (I buy them at Hobby Lobby when they go on sale for 80-90% off!! Watch for them at the end of Summer, after Easter, after Christmas.   I have also bought a shoe box FULL of them for $0.25 at a Garage Sale.)  






I decided to make a little boy and an Elisha out of the Chenille sticks.    The KIDDOS will attach the boy to the bed with a velcro dot.  That way Elisha can "RAISE" him back to life.  Elisha will be "FREE STANDING." That way the KIDDOS can MOVE him around, sit him down  at the table or have him walk  off and come back...etc.

BTW, I COULD NOT stand for them NOT to have some sort of FACE!!!!!  Is it just me...or is a faceless "person" just kinda creepy?   So, I added some small smiley face stickers to the Chenille Stick Men.  (The stickers were left over from a past Memory Verse Tracker/Reward system.) 

NOW, I am MUCH happier with the Project!!!   

I am looking forward to teaching this lesson....SHARING is such a important topic for KIDDOS.  I want them to understand that when we SHARE it makes GOD happy, others happy and ourselves happy. 

Blessings,

Ronda