Basic 5 Year Curriculum - Week 3

Shamrock:  God the Holy Spirit

This week introduce the child to God the Holy Spirit as the final part of the Trinity.  Have the child label the last leaf of the Shamrock worksheet "Holy Spirit."

Can You See the Holy Spirit? 

Blow up a balloon and let it go, watching it fly around the room. Ask the child, "What made the balloon fly around?" (Air) "Can you see the air?" (No) Repeat the activity a few times and encourage the child to try catching the balloon. Then say, "Now, let's look outside. When you see the leaves moving on a tree, what makes them move?" (Wind) "Can you see the wind?" (No) Explain, "Just like we can't see air or wind, we can't see the Holy Spirit. So how do we know they are real?" (Wait for responses.) "We know because we can see the effects: air makes the balloon move, wind moves the leaves, and the Holy Spirit helps us make good choices and obey, even when it's hard."

Warning:  Do not allow the child to put any parts of the balloon in their mouth.

adapted from unknown original source

The Holy Spirit is My Helper

Have the child write "The Holy Spirit is My Helper" on the lines of the The Holy Spirit is My Helper worksheet.  Next, cut long strips of orange, yellow, and red crepe paper, and staple them to the bottom of the page. Explain that the Bible says at Pentecost, there was a sound from heaven like a mighty windstorm. Shake the paper to represent the wind. (You can connect this to the study of wind in this lesson plan.)

The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village

The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village by Francis Chan is an engaging parable about a village that struggles to work their big red tractor, believing it is difficult and slow. However, when a hidden instruction manual is found, they discover the tractor can do much more than they imagined. This story teaches children about the importance of the Bible, following the Holy Spirit, and obedience.

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Math:  Sorting Shapes

Gather various items from around the house and discuss the main shape of each one. Sort the items based on their main shape. A bonus to this activity is that when a child starts to recognize basic shapes in objects, it helps them learn to draw those objects more easily.

Science:  Calendar - Year

Discussion

A year consists of 365 days and 12 months. Review what was learned in Week 1 about how the earth rotates around the sun, creating one year.  Connect this to the New Testament by explaining that we are living roughly 2,000 years after Jesus was born.

Craft:  Family Timeline
Draw a straight line and mark important events for each year. You can start with the marriage of the child’s parents or the child's birth. Make sure to include Spiritual Markers—specific times when you can see God’s hand guiding a situation. (A more detailed timeline will be created in Weeks 31-32.)

Science:  Wind

Wind is what we feel when the air around us is moving.

Dress:  Depending on the temperature, wearing warmer clothing may be necessary when it's windy.

Science: Wind and Weight
Gather items of different weights (e.g., feather, Styrofoam cup, rock, piece of paper, book, pencil). Predict which items will be moved by the wind. Use a hairdryer or fan at various speeds to blow the items and see if your predictions were correct.

Science: What Will Stick?
Gather a few plastic lids (about 3-4 inches in diameter). Make a small hole at the top of each lid, string a piece of yarn through the hole, and knot it. Coat both sides of the lid with petroleum jelly. On a windy day, hang the lids outside. After a few hours, bring them back inside and see what the wind has carried. Use a magnifying glass to examine what’s stuck to the lids in detail.

original source unknown

Craft:  Windsock
Decorate a piece of cardstock, then roll it into a cone shape and staple it closed. Along the bottom edge of the cone, staple different colored streamers. Punch two holes at the top of the cardstock, and thread yarn through to create a hanger.

Letters:  Ll

Formation Chant
L - body, leg
l - body

Use the Ll Writing worksheet and for further learning check out the Letter L Activities.

Numbers:  

See the fine motor activity.

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The Little House

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton tells the story of a small house that experiences a wide range of emotions as it witnesses the changes around it. Virginia Lee Burton not only wrote the story but also beautifully illustrated it, vividly expressing the house's feelings.

Literacy:  Illustrator
The illustrator is the person who creates the pictures or photographs for a story or book. Illustrations add more depth and detail to the story. In some books, the author and illustrator are the same person, while in others, they are different people. Illustrators use various mediums, such as paint, drawing, photography, chalk, crayon, or pencil, to create the images. As you read different books, specifically look at the illustrations and note the mediums used.

Discussion

• Talk about the emotions the house feels throughout the story, such as happiness or sadness.
• Discuss our responsibility to care for the things God has given us.
• Talk about how things change over time and with the seasons. Using the book's illustrations, identify which month or season is shown on each page.

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Fine Motor:  Pick Up Small Items

Using small items like M&M's, buttons, or coins, create groups of zero to five in a pile. Encourage your child to use their thumb and index finger to pick up each item, avoiding the temptation to slide the items to the edge of the table for easier grabbing. For extra practice, have your child pick up the small items using a pair of tweezers or tongs. Cosmetic tweezers may be more challenging, so consider using plastic tweezers from a science or doctor set or kitchen tongs.

Gross Motor Skill:  Red Light, Green Light 

The Red Light, Green Light game is a fun way to practice obedience and following directions. Play it on a trampoline, at the park, or while running or walking side by side. Teach your child to immediately stop when you say "red light." This skill can be a lifesaver in emergency situations, like when crossing a parking lot.

Ideas to Teach Obedience

Visual Perception:  Lacing

Lacing is a great introduction to sewing and helps develop fine motor and visual perception skills. It requires hand-eye coordination as the child moves the string through holes. This week create bird feeders by lacing Cheerios on wire.  Begin by shaping floral wire or a pipe cleaner into any desired shape (such as a heart, spiral, or square). Then, thread Cheerios onto the wire. Hang the completed project in a tree with a string for birds to enjoy.