Sheep Fold Leader

INTRODUCTION

           In this curriculum we will take a week (5 days) to discover what it means to be part of God’s flock, and learn about the Good Shepherd who leads us!  From the Old to the New Testaments the Bible continuously refers to us as sheep, and God as our Good Shepherd. This week we will go on a journey, to discover first, that the Good Shepherd knows us. Then we will learn how the Good Shepherd protects, provides, and loves us. The last day will come full circle as we come to realize that the Good Shepherd invites us to know him!

We are all like sheep!  So fluff up your wool and get ready for some fun!

Welcome to the Sheep Fold!

The Sheep Fold is the place where the children get to dive deeper into the Bible lesson.  They will have an object lesson , a time to do some bible reading, review their memory verse, as well as time to work(or at least receive) their hand out for the day.

Although I hope that you and the children will have fun as you learn together, it is also important to note that this is more of a settled time, then high energy. The children will have the opportunity for high energy at game time.  

Anything that you can do to make the 'Sheep Fold' feel cozy and inviting will help the children feel like it is a special place. 

Welcome the children into the fold, and invite them in with excitement.

Visual Aid and Discussion

            The first part of the Bible Fold time will be your visual aid and discussion time. These are meant to get the children to think about the bible story in a new way and engage with you. Encourage the children to participate .

Bible Time

            During Bible time, you can open the Word of God and read and disscuss together. If you have strong readers you could ask some of them to read out loud.

Bible Memory Review

            Every day the children will receive another Bible verse to memorize. This is a time when they can review their memory verse for a second time during the day. 

Handouts

            At the end of your time with the children, make sure you give them each one of their hand outs for the day.  The group leader that is assorting the children may want to hold them so they don’t get lost through the rest of the time of VBS.

NOTE on day 5.

Day 5 is a very special day of VBS. Each child will be given a small gift, along with an invitation for a personal relationship with Jesus. This might be a good day to have the pastor/church elders visit your class in case you need assistance.

As Sheep Fold Leader we ask that you:

Prepare!  Read through the day’s Bible Lesson prior to teaching it. Do whatever prep work needs to be done and come to class ready and excited to teach the children.  Work on making your time with the kids run as smoothly as possible.

Pray! Pray for the children you will be in contact with this week and ask God to use you to touch their lives in a special way.

Enjoy! Enjoy the opportunity to teach the children something new!

Have Fun!  If you are having fun, the children will have fun too!

day 5 snack

Day 5 The Good Shepherd invites me to know Him.

Watering Hole(snack time)

Supplies needed:

Plain cookies

Icing

Sprinkles (Christmas colors)

Instructions:

Invite the kids to come and celebrate with you and decorate some Christmas cookies together (and of course eat them too!) Talk about some of the symbols of Christmas and how they can remind of the Good Shepherd….i.e the candy cane reminds of  a shepherd staff.  The angel can remind us of God calling the shepherds to the manger, ect. …

day 3 pasture time

Pasture Time (Game Time)

Day 3 God Provides for us!

DRIP DRIP DROP or BUILD IT

Today’s games are themed around generosity and I want you to remember as we are playing that sometimes God surprises us by providing for us in ways that we could never have dreamed of.

Supplies needed:

Option 1—Water and sponges

OR

Option 2 --A large set of legos with at least two flat bases as a starter.

Instructions:

Game option 1 God provides us with water.

 Drip drip drop….a game played the same way as Duck Duck Goose with the exception being that you take a sponge filled with water and Drip Drip Drop(squeeze the rest of the sponge) on the heads of those in the circle.

Game option 2 God provides us with housing/shelter

Divide the group into a team of two (or more in necessary).

Have them get in a row behind a line. Have building supplies set out on a table/designated spot. Each child must run from behind the line and put one single piece on the ‘house’ and run back and tag the next child and so on. The game is over when they have a house built that will hold two Lego people.

Day 3 Drama

Day 3

The Good Shepherd Provides for me

DRAMA

This drama could be acted out and planned before hand or you could use this story to do and impromptu drama using volunteers from the audience.

 Supplies

·        Signs with stripes and dots

·        Signs that are white

Characters  needed:

·        Narrator(this could be your announcer or MC person)

·        Jacob

·        Labon

                                                                                                                                        

Here is Jacob. He follows God

(Jacob comes in dressed like a shepherd and waving at people)

Jacob works for his father in law Labon caring for his goats and sheep.

(Labon walks in and waves and stands on the other side of the stage)

  Jacob has a BIG family and doesn’t make a lot of money at his job. So Jacob comes up with a plan so that he can watch God provide for him.

(Jacob acts like he is thinking and coming up with a good idea)

Jacob goes to Labon and says, “Hey Labon, I have an idea. How about instead of paying me money you just pay me by giving me all the spotted or stripped animals when they are born. That way you’re heard will be the best and pettiest and most spotless heard there is in the whole land.”

(Jacob goes up to Labon and is talking to him )

Labon thinks about this idea. Labon is selfish and greedy. He wants to have the best heard, and most of the animals that are already really nice, so that means he might not have to give Jacob hardly any animals for all his work. Labon like this idea and says “Yeah, It’s a deal”

(Labon thinks about it, then gives a thumbs up and shakes hands with Jacob)

Jacob goes off to take care of Labon’s animals.  God gives Jacob the idea to put up signs up where the animals eat and drink that have big dots and stripes on them. So that is what Jacob does.

(Jacob puts out signs with dots and stripes on them)

Guess what? When the baby animals are born almost ALL of them have spots or stripes on them. So Jacob got almost ALL of Labon’s animals! 

(Jacob is happy)

 This happened for a little bit but pretty soon Labon noticed.

This made Labon grumpy.  Labon said NO NO NO NO I change my mind.  I want the stripped and spotted sheep and you can have the plain ones.

(Labon shakes his head says no and points to Jacob acting out he words)

So Jacob only gets the spotless animals. But right always he changes the signs to plain signs

(Jacob looks grumpy but changes signs to plain signs)

Do you know what happened? The next time animals started only having plain babies, and not very many spotted ones. So Jacob started getting more and more animals again.

(Jacob is happy again)

But it didn’t take long before Labon noticed it again, and changed his mind.

(Labon shakes his head ‘no’) and points to the sheep)

In fact we the Bible tells us that this happened lots of times!

(Labon and Jacob act this out a few more times where Jacob keeps changing the signs and Labon keeps changing his mind, until Jacob plops on the ground exhausted)

 But every time Labon changed his mind, God still provided for Jacob. In fact when it was time for Jacob and his family to move away, the Bible says that Jacob was a very rich man, because God had provided for him in lots of ways.

(Jacob gathers his sheep and signs and walks off the stage waving at Labon)

Day 4 Devotional

ALL WE LIKE SHEEP

Today’s Overview:

4

The Good Shepherd loves us!

Isaiah 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.

Luke 15 The Good Shepherd will go out searching for a lost sheep because he loves them.

“I found it” I said on the phone this morning while I held what was lost in trembling hands.  To anyone who knows the importance of a permanent residence card (green card) to the lively hood of an American Immigrant, they also can understand the anxiety that would come with the realization that it was completely gone.  The last hours have been accompanied with tears, with stress, with fear, and with worry, but now as I hold I thought was lost forever in my shaking hand, relief washes over me like a flood.

A new set of tears fill my eyes. The soul heaves an internal sigh and releases the build up stresses and fears that I didn’t even realize were so intense. Soon after the relief follows a desire to celebrate, and so, I did. Family, food, smiles, and laughter flow into the evening and fill me with joy, as together we rejoice for that which was lost now has been found.

Now imagine with me the joy of the Shepherd when his lost sheep has been located. Celebration rings out across the fields and whoops of joy are heard by all who pass by. Relief floods his being, for what was lost is now safe in his arms, and the dangers of the world are not able to reach it. The sheep baaas softly, so happy to know the joy and peace of the Shepherd, and the Shepherd smiles and celebrates, for the love he has for this little lamb, is deep and great.

Gone are the moments of tense anxiety and intense searching. Forgotten are the cuts, and bruises and blisters, obtained as this Good Shepherd had searched without end. All that matters in that moment is the togetherness of sheep and Shepherd.

“But what if the sheep runs off again?” you ask. 

Then the Shepherd will search again, and again, and will not give up. Because He is the Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep, and the love he has for us is a love that no human can ever comprehend.  What a truly remarkable God we serve. 

devotion day 5

ALL WE LIKE SHEEP

Today’s Overview:

Day	Theme	Bible Memory	Bible Story
5	The Good Shepherd invites us to know Him	John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!	Luke 2 God invites the shepherds to see the baby Jesus

Yesterday, as I worked at my computer, I had several  windows open, as I worked going back and forth through a few programs. I was trying to accomplish my task at hand that moment, and yet there was a line that was at the bottom of one of my pages that kept peeking through my work to find me. It said "The greatest  gift of all is to know him." Several times as I worked, I had to pause and just savor that though...to know Him. I was as if God in that moment was calling to me, inviting me to spend time with Him.  It was like He was reminding me over and over the whole purpose to the writing of this curriculum to begin with--introducing children to the Good Shepherd.

Today as we hand out invitations to the children, and encourage them receive Jesus their Good Shepherd into their lives, please remember, your invited too. The Good Shepherd is inviting YOU to know Him as well.  For some He is an invitation for the beginning of a relationship with Him. For others, you have known Jesus and have had a personal relationship for sometime, yet the invitation to know Him more is for you as well.

That is the amazing thing about God. Every day He gives us, is another personal invitation from heaven to know Him more. I have heard it said that every day of life is a gift from God. Maybe the reason for that, is because every day is another day to experience the gift of growing closer to the Good Shepherd who loves us.  The question for you today is this.  Will you accept His invitation?

 2000 years ago a host of angles invited shepherds who were societies outcasts, to knees before their king in awe and wonder. There willingness to accept the invitation landed them a part in the greatest story ever told.

Today a personal invitation is here for you as well, and the acceptance of your invitation will give you a part in the same story, because it is the story of God, and it is a story that isn't finished yet.

pre k day 5

Day 5

 The Good Shepherd invites me to know him!

Active Learning Time

·         Encourage the kids to decorate their sheep fold for a party.  Allow the kids to hang up streamers or other party supplies that you have brought for them.  Tell them that they will be inviting some special guests for a party later so we need to get ready! Make you’re the kids put the invitation sign on the outside of your door for your special guest.

·         Tell the children that while we are waiting for our special guest we are going to play a party game. Help the children to play pin the tail (or place the wool) on the sheep using cotton balls, tape and the sheep picture here

Carpet Learning Time

Carpet time today should begin with a knock on the door, as you guest comes into class with the invitation on the door and engages the children in end of their active learning time.  Your guest today will be helping with the story, so once the children have been introduced to their guest encourage them to join you on the carpet for a story. 

Guest- Thank you all so very much for the special invitation to your classroom today! It made me feel so special to be invited!

How many of of you have been invited to a birthday party before? (allow for response)

Where you excited when you got the invitation? (allow for response)

Here with me I have several invitations I want us to look at together.

(take some time to go through and read each invitation with the children and allow the kids to imagine how fun each invitation would be to get each invitation is numbered so try to follow the invitations in order)

Now I have an invitation for each one of you! It is a special invitation from Jesus the Good Shepherd! All week you have learned that the Good Shepherd knows you, and protects you, and provides for you and loves you! Today we are learning that the Good Shepherd invites us to know him. He wants to be your very best friend, and live inside of you. (hand each child their invitation and read it to them)

When we get an invitation for something now we have to decide if we want what the invitation says. If we get a birthday invitation then we have to decide if we are going to go to the birthday party right?  Well this invitation is the same way! We all have an invitation to be friends with Jesus the Good Shepherds, but just because we get and invitation doesn’t mean that it’s just going to happen. We have to decide that we want to be friends with Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Now I want you to think about it, and if you want to accept Jesus the Good Shepherd’s invitation and be his friend then I want you to close your eyes and pray this prayer with me okay?

Dear Jesus

I want to accept your invitation.

I want you to be my best  friend.

Thank you for being my friend.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Now let’s all stand in place and review our Bible verse again!

Behold

(pointing)

the Lamb

(cradle a baby)

of God

(pointing up)

Who takes away

(act like your are taking something with both your hands)

the sin

(make ‘devil’ horns with your fingers on your head)

of the world

(make a ‘globe’ with your hands)

John 1:29

Table Learning Time
supplies needed:

• wood sheep cutout(here)
• White bulky yarn
• String for hanging sheep
• hand out for each child
• cutouts for the handout page

Hand out project:

·         Help the Children to glue and invitation next to each sheep so that each she has his own invitation. Glue the special invitation by the children in the picture.

·         Talk about how special invitations are and how the Good Shepherd invites us to know him.

·         Make sure you put each child’s name on their take home page.

Craft project:

Have the children wrap yarn around a the sheep cut out and attach a string so they can hang them.                                                                                                                                                                           link to a list of alternative crafts for day 5

Snack Time

Depending on how you have arranged to do things with the snack department, either have snack time in your room or go to where the watering hole is for snack.

pre k day 4

Day 4

 The Good Shepherd loves me!

Active Learning Time

·         Have some stuffed animal sheep, along with some blankets. Encourage the children to pretend to be sheep parents and care for their baby lambs.

·         Lead the children in a game of hide and seek with one of the stuffed sheep. Get one of the kids to hide their eyes(or leave the room) so that you can hide the sheep. Let the other children coach the child looking for the lost sheep with hot/ cold clues. When they find the sheep have them give the found sheep a big hug to show how happy they are to have found it.

Carpet Learning Time

Call each child by name to join you on the carpet for story time. 

How many of you love ice cream? (allow for response) If I gave you a really yummy ice cream cone with three whole scoops of chocolate ice cream, and then just when you went to lick something happened to make the whole ice cream cone fall to the ground

How would you feel? (Allow for response)

Yeah I would be really sad to if that happened to me.  Did you know that Jesus the good shepherd loves us so much that when we feel sad, that he feels sad too?

How many of you love to play outside?(allow for response)

Do you like it when you get really sick and your parents make you stay inside for days and days? (allow for response)  How do you feel when that happens? (Sad, grumpy, angry)

Did you know that even when we are grumpy or angry Jesus the Good Shepherd wants to help us and stay close to us?

When we feel happy, Jesus the Good Shepherd is happy with us because he loves us.

Now I want to read you a book about Jesus the Good Shepherds love. (read book)

Now let’s all stand in place and review our Bible verse again!

He tends his flock

(Put hands like you are patting sheep on the head)

Like a shepherd

(Make shepherd staff with hand)

He gathers the lambs in his arms

(Motion like you are gathering a lamb into your arm)

And carries them close to his heart

(Put both hands on your heart)

Isaiah 40:11

 Table Learning Time
Supplies needed:

• One 'Love Book and 'Love Book' cover printed out for each child.
• stapler or something to bind the book.
• crayons, stickers, or something for decorating the book.
• One handout for each child
• Heart stickers for handout

Hand out project:

·         Have the children put a heart sticker on all the people that Jesus the Good Shepherd loves.

·         Talk about how Jesus the Good Shepherd loves each of so much. More than anyone in the whole world.

·         Make sure you put each child’s name on their take home page.

Craft project:

·         Have a book printed out for each of the children.

·         Let the Children decorate a heart for the cover of the book and glue it to the front.

Snack Time

Depending on how you have arranged to do things with the snack department, either have snack time in your room or go to where the watering hole is for snack.  

pre k day 3

Day 3

 The Good Shepherd provides for me!

Active Learning Time

·         Set up your sheep fold with play food.  Encourage the kids to play picnic  in their sheep fold.

·         Prior to class put up the food/water, clothes,  shelter, and ‘I need’  signs in so that the children can get to them easily.  Point the signs out to the children and talk about how each one of us needs food, water, clothing, and shelter to live.  Have all the children stand by the ‘I need’ sign. When you start explaining something that you need, the children run to the right sign. When they get to the right sign everyone say “Thank you God for (whatever the thing was) and then go back to the ‘I need’ sign to start again.   For example, I might say, “Today it’s cold outside and I need a pair of mittens to keep my fingers warm.” The children would all run to the clothing sign, and then together you can all say “Thank you God for clothing! Once your prayer is done everybody goes back to the ‘I need’ sign and you start again.

 Carpet Learning Time
supplies needed:

• pretzels

Have the children join you on the carpet for their lesson.

What does the word provide mean? (allow for response)

If I wanted to provide each of you with a pretzel to eat what would I need to do? (allow for response)

(Hand out a pretzel ) Right now I am providing each of you with a pretzel to eat. That means I am giving it to you  so that you can have it.

Do any of you remember the things from our game that we all need to live? (allow for response )

That is right! We all need food, water, clothing, and shelter! You are all so smart.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd and he provides the things we need to live.

Now, I want all of you to take a big huge breath of air and hold  your breath while until I count to five an then breath out okay?  (everyone take a breath) 1 2 3 4 5 (everyone breath out). Good Job! Now lets do it again! (do it again)

Who do you think provides air for us to breath? (allow for response)

That’s right Jesus the good Shepherd provides us with the air we need to breath.

Now I want you all to close your eyes really tight and think really hard. Are you all thinking? (allow for response).  I want each of you to imagine a great big fluffy sheep.  Can you all see a sheep in your imagination? (Allow for response) Okay now I want you to imagine that the sheep has a really silly hat and bowtie on! Can you all see that in your imagination? Does your sheep look funny?

Now everybody open their eyes. Can some of you tell me what color your sheep’s hat was?  What about your sheep’s bow tie?

It’s lots of fun to pretend an imagine. Who do you think provided us with the brains we need to imagine things? (allow for response)

That’s right Jesus The Good Shepherd gave us brains to think and imagine.

Jesus the Good Shepherd provides us with the things we need to live like water, and food and air to breath.

Jesus the Good Shepherd provides us with the things to make stuff fun, like our imagination, and toys to play with.

When Jesus provides us with something, that means that he gives it to us!

Now let’s all stand in place and review our Bible verse again!

Table Learning Time

Supplies needed:

Wooden basket(here)

Watercolor markers  or watercolor paints and brushes

Tape 

Some red and white checkered fabric
food stickers(here)
hand out for each child

Hand out project:

·         Have the children fill the basket with food using the food stickers.

·         Talk about how Jesus the Good Shepherd provides all the things we need.

·         Make sure you put each child’s name on their take home page.

Craft project: 
basket craft alternatives

SAY: Today we are learning that the Good Shepherd provides for us. One of the ways that God provides for us is by giving us the food we need. Today we will be making/decorating baskets so that you can put your snack in your basket and have a picnic.

Instructions:

·         Have the children color the baskets.

·         Cut a piece of fabric so that there is a liner for the basket.

Snack Time

Depending on how you have arranged to do things with the snack department, either have snack time in your room or go to where the watering hole is for snack.

Day 2

 The Good Shepherd protects me.
Preschool

Active Learning Time

·         Have a few stuffed animals set up around the room that would be scary to a sheep(ie..lion, tiger, teddy bear) and let the children play pretend sheep, while trying to stay away from the dangers.    You as the leader could move the animals around at some points so that the ‘sheep’ have to move to a different location, or run to the sheep fold to be safe.

·         Get a shepherds staff/stick and start the children in a game of follow the Shepherd (played the same way as follow the leader) with you being the shepherd. Lead the children/sheep away from all the dangers like a good shepherd. Let the children take turns being the shepherd and holding the stick.

Carpet Learning Time

Supplies needed:

·         helper pictures printed out

·         cutouts that are cut out and ready to go Link out for the pictures and cut outs

·         tape

Call each child by name to join you on the carpet for story time. 

Today we are learning that The Good Shepherd protects us!  He can protect us in lots and lots of different ways!

There are a lot of things that can feel really scary. Jesus the Good Shepherd can keep us safe in many different ways, and uses many different people and tools to keep us safe.

If you where in a fire. Would that be really scary? (Allow for response)

YES it would be really really scary.

What kind of person do you think the Good Shepherd would use to keep you safe if you were in a fire?(allow for response)

A firefighter! (Show the picture of a firefighter) that’s right!

What kind of tools does a fire fighter have to help keep you safe?  (Allow for response and talk about the cutouts as you tape them to the picture. )

Thank you God, for giving us firefighters that help keep us safe.

If you ever got really sick or someone you knew got really sick. Would that feel really scary? (Allow for a response)

Who is someone that The Good Shepherd might use to help you if you were sick? (Allow for response)

A doctor or nurse!  (Show picture of doctor and nurse)

What are some of the tools that a doctor or nurse might use to help protect your body if you were sick. (Allow for response and talk about the cutouts as you tape them to the picture.)

Thank you God for the doctors and nurses that you use to help keep my body protected.

When you are really scared who are some people that help to you to feel safe? (Allow for response)

Your parents and caregivers! (Show picture of parents)

What are some things that your parents might use to help you feel safe? (allow for response and talk about the cutouts as you tape them to the picture. )

Thank you God for my parents and all the people that help me feel safe!

The Good Shepherd wants us to be safe, that is why is send us people who will protect us and help us to feel safe!

Now let’s all stand in place and review our Bible verse again!(review Bible verse with the children.)

The LORD

(point up)

Will keep you

(put hand out like a stop sign)

From all harm

(pound fist into hand)

He

(point up)

Will watch over

(put hands on forehead as though you are looking for something)

Your life

(put hand on your heart)

Psalm 121:7

Table Learning Time

Supplies needed:

• Pool noodles cut in half (one for each child) and taped to look like a staff(see picture)
• Decorative tape or stickers for the children to decorate their noodle
• crayons
• Permanent marker(for the teacher to use)
• handouts for each child
• cutouts for each child
• glue

Hand out project:

·         Give each child their hand out for today. Have them glue the cut outs where they belong.

·         Talk about how Jesus the Good Shepherd protects us in lots of different kinds of ways.

·         Make sure you put each child’s name on their take home page.

Craft project:

Say:  In our Bible story we learned that the Good Shepherd used his staff to keep the sheep safe.  Today we are each going to make our own staff.

Supplies needed:

Instructions:

•  Before class write the word’s  ‘The Good Shepherd’ on the pool noodle
• Make sure the pool noodle is bent and curved to look like a shepherds staff(tape it curved with clear tape).
• Have the children decorate their Shepherds staff with stickers or decorative tape

A link to some other ideas you could consider for today's craft.

Snack Time

Depending on how you have arranged to do things with the snack department, either have snack time in your room or go to where the watering hole is for snack.