The Creation: I am Thankful for Day & Night
Prayer:
Creation Story: To refresh my kids (ages 4, 2) memory of the creation as a whole, I read them "The Creation Story." There's something about this short story that really captivates their attention. We read through it fairly quickly, pointing out a few things as we went.
Beginning Activity: Tell the children we are going to talk about a couple of the things that Heavenly Father planned and Jesus created. Hide a sun printout behind your back and ask the children to guess what's behind your back. Give the following hints, one at a time: It's round and yellow. It makes us feel warm. It's in the sky.
We Work & Play during the day: "Tell the children that the sun gives us light so we can see. The sun also warms us and helps the plants grow. We would not be able to live on the earth without the sun. Have the children tell about things they do when it is daytime, such as eating a meal, playing a game, or sweeping the floor. Have them stand and act out their ideas together." My boys loved acting out their ideas.
We Rest during the night: "Explain that every evening the sun goes down and the sky gets dark. We cannot see the sun at night." Hold the moon and star printouts behind your back and give your children clues to guess what's behind your back. "Have the children tell about or act out some of the things they do at night, such as saying bedtime prayers, listening to stories, brushing their teeth, or sleeping. Help the children understand that sleep is good for our bodies, and Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to take good care of our bodies. If we get enough sleep, we will feel better and be healthier. If we do not get enough sleep, we will be tired and cranky."
Samuel the Lamanite: I got up on our TV stand and told the children about Samuel the Lamanite! "Tell the children that Heavenly Father used the day and the night to help tell about the birth of Jesus. Hold up the picture of Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall, and explain what's happening in the picture. Explain that the prophet Samuel told the Nephites what what would happen in the sky when it was time for Jesus to be born. The sun would go down, but the sky would not get dark."
Night & Day Sensory Play: Okay, my boys absolutely LOVED this sensory bin. I filled a shallow bin with black beans (night), tea lights (sun), glow stars, and glow moon. To enhance the play, I added toilet paper rolls, mini bread pans and little strainer scoops. My boys loved turning the lights off and watching the stars and moon glow (see below). As they played, we reviewed principles learned during our lesson. And of course, the toilet paper roll eventually became a chimney, the tea light became fire, and a star became the big bad wolf as they re-enacted, The Three Little Pigs.
Testimony: Add this in while you play.
