FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PATIENCE

Exodus 34:6 / 2 Peter 3:9 / James 1:19 / 1 Corinthians 13:4 / Hebrews 10:36

Romans 12:12 / Romans 8:25 / James 1:3 / James 5:7

DECLARE THE WORD OF GOD AT THE CLASSROOM DOOR:

• We have been talking about fruit… the fruit that grows on trees and the fruit of the Spirit inside of us.  Today we aretalking about PATIENCE.  The Word of God tells us that GOD IS PATIENT WITH US!  What does that mean?
• Let’s clap each word and declare it together: “GOD IS PATIENT WITH US!” (“I am merciful and very patient with my people” Ex 34:6)

WORKTABLES: PDF

• Printing Text: GOD IS PATIENT WITH US
• Sponge Paint: Blueberries!
• Review Blueberry Fact Sheet PDF
• Visuals: Fresh blueberries
• Blueberry Taste Test Tally (Like/Dislike).  Give thanks to God for blueberries!
• Plant some blueberries in a small pot and observe over the next few months
• Add some blueberries to our sealed jar. Observe decomposition over time.
• “Now, let’s go to the carpet and learn about another kind of fruit: PATIENCE!

SONGS:

• I Hear the Blowing of the Shofar Calling me to Worship God!
• Theme Song: Christ the Vine… PATIENTLY with dog puppet / Song sheet PDF
• PATIENCE: Herbert the Snail

LESSON VISUALS:

• Basket of plastic fruit; sealer jar with rotting fruit
• Fruit Tree Poster

LESSON:

• James 5:7 tells us to be patient like a farmer.  “He waits for his valuable crop to growfrom the earth.  He waits patiently for it to receive the first and the last rain.”  The Harvest makes the wait worthwhile.
• Abraham and Sarah had to wait a long time to have the son that God promised to give them.  They were very old when Isaac was born.  God kept His promise.
• Read the booklet The Fruit of the Spirit: PATIENCE by LDFischer PDF

PRAYER SUGGESTIONS:

• WORSHIP (statements about God’s character): GOD IS PATIENT WITH US!  He gives us time to come to Him.  He doesn’t get mad at us or yell at us; He encourages us.
• Think of a time when it was VERY HARD TO WAIT!  Let’s ask God for His help.  Ask Him to grow the good fruit of patience in you.

FREE PLAY: Before you hand out play cards, show the students the FREE PLAY TIMER.  Tell them when it rings, they will have 1 more minute to play then everyone will STOP PLAYING and clean up the centers. 

• During Free Play, call the children one at a time to work on the art project: Add PATIENCE to the Fruit Trees.

CLEAN-UP: Students tidy up the centers where they were playing when the bell rang. Teachers oversee this activity.  Students learn to sort and return items to their proper place. In so doing, they are learning to take care of the classroom.  It also helps them be prepared for dismissal. Once the centers are tidy, student move to the BOOK NOOK where they may quietly read until parent/guardians arrive.

OVERTIME ACTIVITY:  However, should the service extend beyond the normal dismissal time, there are some circle games that can be played (Marbles, Bean Bag Toss, Doggie’s Bone etc).   These games are located under the TV stand. Students do not return to centers once they have been cleaned.

DISMISSAL:

• Call the students one at a time when parent/guardian arrives.  Prompt other students to call out “GOODBYE (student’s name)”
• Student returns PLAY CARD to the tray
• Student checks mailbox for take-home papers
• Student selects a snack from the table in the hallway

CLOSING DOWN THE CLASSROOM: PDF

• Wash brushes and close paint jars
• Turn off battery operated keyboard
• Stack chairs and carpet mats
• Vacuum area rug (rechargeable vacuum plugged into corner outlet)
• Turn off heat and lights
• Place garbage can outside classroom door
• Return teaching materials to packet