Today we had all 10 little Sunbeams show up. I don't think it has ever happened this whole year and I was very grateful to have an assistant teacher with me. He is a great help as we try and teach these young 4-year-old's.
Our lesson was "We can be Reverent". How do you teach a 4-year-old to be reverent? We focused on how we act in church and why. The church building is the Lord's house, and while not as sacred as the temple, it is still sacred and special because we gather there to learn more about the gospel, to share our testimonies and fellowship with our brethren and sisters. No individual owns the church, we all pay tithes so that we can have a church building where we can meet.
Reverence is something that the children seem to know by this age. The children all know that being reverent can consist of folding their arms, bowing the head, speaking softly, and raising their hand when they have something to say in class. Putting our lesson into practice, we walked around the halls of the church in a reverent manner. They all did very well and we even helped some adults be more reverent as we walked past.
I hope they remember something of what we taught today, because as we headed back to primary for closing exercises, they ran down the hallway and seemed to quickly forget what we had just taught.
God bless the little children.
Showing posts with label sunbeams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunbeams. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friendship & animal crackers
This week we discussed being friends with our sweet little Sunbeam class. This week I had a strategy to keep them occupied by doing different activities every 5-10 minutes and it seemed to work. They were more attentive and engaged than usual.
I tried an object lesson: I gave each of the children a toy animal. Then I asked them to turn to the child on their right and ask if they could have the other child's toy. They enjoyed this very much and learned that sharing is what friends do.
We also asked them who their friends are. We asked them what their friends are like, what made them different, and emphasized that their teachers and parents are their friends. One of the little girls volunteered that Jesus is our friend, which we reinforced. I think the most important thing I can teach the children is that they are children of a loving God and that Jesus loves them.
On a side note, this was the first Sunday we went without snacks during class. I thought we would have trouble maintaining peace, but keeping them engaged in the lesson helped avoid concerns about snacks. When the children are in nursery (18 months - 3/4 years old) they are allowed to eat snacks and have more playtime. Part of the goal of Sunbeams is to help them transition to the rest of primary, and the rest of primary does not have snack time. The rest of the year my co-teachers and I will continue to 'ween' them off snacks all together.
Until next week!
I tried an object lesson: I gave each of the children a toy animal. Then I asked them to turn to the child on their right and ask if they could have the other child's toy. They enjoyed this very much and learned that sharing is what friends do.
We also asked them who their friends are. We asked them what their friends are like, what made them different, and emphasized that their teachers and parents are their friends. One of the little girls volunteered that Jesus is our friend, which we reinforced. I think the most important thing I can teach the children is that they are children of a loving God and that Jesus loves them.
On a side note, this was the first Sunday we went without snacks during class. I thought we would have trouble maintaining peace, but keeping them engaged in the lesson helped avoid concerns about snacks. When the children are in nursery (18 months - 3/4 years old) they are allowed to eat snacks and have more playtime. Part of the goal of Sunbeams is to help them transition to the rest of primary, and the rest of primary does not have snack time. The rest of the year my co-teachers and I will continue to 'ween' them off snacks all together.
Until next week!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Appreciation for homes
This last Sunday we talked about homes, in particular to be thankful for our homes. We walked them through different types of homes, both throughout history, in the scriptures, and in our own times. Then I asked them about their own homes.
Hello, Shane Jordan here, and I'll be talking about what we discuss each Sunday in the Birmingham 1st Ward of the Birmingham Stake, in Birmingham, Alabama.
I'm a Sunbeam primary teacher, which is for girls and boys ages 3-4. Sunbeams is their first experience in primary (ages 3-12) classes, and is crucial to help them transition from nursery (18 months - 3 years old) where they have less structure and more free play than primary does. I enjoy teaching these children a lot, though you will see that it can be challenging to keep their focus for 2 hours each Sunday.
This last Sunday we talked about homes, in particular to be thankful for our homes. We walked them through different types of homes, both throughout history, in the scriptures, and in our own times. Then I asked them about their own homes. While most weren't able to describe much detail, they were able to tell me what colors their house had. Though one boy said he lived in a forest, most were thankful for air conditioning, running water, etc.
The sweetest part was when one of our quietest children pointed out that the church building we were in was the House of the Lord! I am always amazed by their spiritual intelligence. I believe they are closer to the Spirit than most of us.
Hello, Shane Jordan here, and I'll be talking about what we discuss each Sunday in the Birmingham 1st Ward of the Birmingham Stake, in Birmingham, Alabama.
I'm a Sunbeam primary teacher, which is for girls and boys ages 3-4. Sunbeams is their first experience in primary (ages 3-12) classes, and is crucial to help them transition from nursery (18 months - 3 years old) where they have less structure and more free play than primary does. I enjoy teaching these children a lot, though you will see that it can be challenging to keep their focus for 2 hours each Sunday.
This last Sunday we talked about homes, in particular to be thankful for our homes. We walked them through different types of homes, both throughout history, in the scriptures, and in our own times. Then I asked them about their own homes. While most weren't able to describe much detail, they were able to tell me what colors their house had. Though one boy said he lived in a forest, most were thankful for air conditioning, running water, etc.
The sweetest part was when one of our quietest children pointed out that the church building we were in was the House of the Lord! I am always amazed by their spiritual intelligence. I believe they are closer to the Spirit than most of us.
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