Lesson Continued

Introduction: As the students arrive, say: Welcome! Welcome to_____________ (your region’s current season).

As a weather reporter may announce, say: Today’s current conditions call for a temperature of _____ degrees, with partly ______ skies, and a wind coming from the east at ____ mph. With weather conditions like these, we better plan accordingly and __________________. (List a number of appropriate seasonal activities such as taking a hayride, raking leaves, shoveling snow, building a snowman, planting some flowers, splashing in puddles, going swimming, or building a sandcastle at the beach.)

Express your like or dislike for the weather in this particular season and explain why. Ask the students: What is your all-time favorite season and why? What is your least favorite season and why? Allow for multiple students to answer.

Sometimes I wonder why God ever created _________ (your least favorite season.) Wouldn’t we all be better off without all this __________? (snow, freezing rain, heat, humidity, rain, etc.) Please tell me that some of you agree with me!

But God said that He created every season for a purpose. So, yes! Even ______ (your least favorite season) has its purpose. Not only do seasons have their purpose, but times of our lives have a purpose too. That means that there will be times when we will laugh, dance, keep, love others, be loved, and have peace. There will also be times when we will cry, mourn and grieve, give up, fix something that is broken, and have to deal with war.

Maybe you’re in a fun season of life right now. You are happy and your family is great and your friends just traded silly bands with you and you are doing well in school and you had cinnamon rolls for breakfast! (What could be better?)

But maybe you’re in a sad season of life right now. Maybe someone you love has died recently. Maybe you are trying hard in school and your grades aren’t getting better. Maybe your parents are fighting a lot and you think you may have to move to some place new. Maybe your friends haven’t really been friends.

What I want you to know today is that seasons will change. Bad times and good times will come and go. You will change. Your friends and family members will change. Your home, school, or church may even change. And your hair, that will probably change too! (You should see what I looked like in 5^th grade!)

But you have to know that God will never change. If you have a relationship with Him, He will never leave you. He will always be there to help you through. God says that He has made everything beautiful in its time. That means that He can take even the worst seasons of life and turn them into something more beautiful than we could ever have imagined. Our God is incredible!

Directions

1. Have the kids pick out a piece of construction paper and fold it into 4 sections (hotdog fold and hamburger fold).
2. Give the kids a piece of light blue paper for the sky background and have them cut out 4 rectangles and paste them in each section of the original construction paper they folded. Just like what you see in the picture above with the black background paper and the blue pieces.
3. Give the kids a piece of brown construction paper and have them cut four small rectangle out for the trunk of the tree for each four seasons.
4. Now give the kids some cotton balls and have them paste them to the top of each trunk as you see in the picture above.
5. Lastly, let them color the top left cotton balls spring colors, the top right summer colors, the bottom left fall colors, and the bottom right leave white for winter. Just like the picture above.

Directions

1. Play traditional musical chairs as many times as the kids want!

Directions

1. This can be played on the spur of the moment; with options you’ve prepared or with options suggested by the children. The children are presented with a choice and move to one side of the room or the other to cast their vote. For example, “Would you rather grow wings and fly or be able to walk through walls?” Silly options are especially fun: “Would you rather have jelly legs or sausage arms?”