A Fertile Heart - Receiving & Giving Creative Love (Key Stage 1)

Key Stage 1: RHE Reception Teacher Copy

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love Panda Press Publishing would like to thank the following contributors to A Fertile Heart: Kathryn Lycett, John Cook, Mary Dickenson, Maryanne Dowle, Bernadette Eakin, Christopher Hancox, Louise Kirk, Gavin McAleer and Rebecca Surman Thanks also to Dr Charlie O’Donnell, Joe Smiles, Michael H. Barton, Mary Flynn, Rev Dr Stephen Morgan and Fr Wayne Coughlin for their kind support.

ISBN: 978-0-9930555-7-7 A Fertile Heart KS1 - Reception Scripture quotations taken from various authorised translations.

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Printed and bound in the UK and published under licence by Panda Press Publishing Ltd, 1 Newcastle Street, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8JU Company Number 11786188 Printed, bound and distributed in Australia by Createl Publishing, 98 Logistics Street, Keilor Park, Victoria 3042, t: 03 9336 0800, f: 03 9336 0900, www.createl.com.au Keep in touch Facebook @afertileheart Linkedin.com/company/a-fertile-heart Twitter @afertileheart visit A Fertile Heart at www.fertileheart.org.uk Version 7, September 2021

Imprimatur:

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Nihil Obstat for KS2, 3 & 4: Reverend Jonathan Veasey.

Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, 30th November 2020.

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

04/07/2018

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Coat_of_arms_of_George_Stack.svg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Coat_of_arms_of_George_Stack.svg

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Foreword His Grace George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel “The Glory of God is humanity fully alive”. Thus wrote St. Irenaeus in the 3rd century. His words remain true to this day. They mean that God is the creator of the gift of life. In that gift, each human person receives a share in His own creative love. His revelation in life and love, as well as through creation, is pure gift. This is the ‘grace’ of which we speak, in order that “we may have life and have it to the full” (Gospel of St. John 10:10).

This truth lies at the heart of the Gospel. It is what it means to be truly human. The gift of life is bestowed

by God in order that we may flourish and thrive. We do this in the first place simply by living with gratitude.

We do it by responding to His love in a life of joyful communion with Him. We express it by actively engaging in the good of others so that mutual ‘flourishing’ may take place. The more we give, the more we receive.

The ‘Gospel of Life’ outlined above is, indeed, ‘Good News’. It is revealed in every aspect of human nature and creation itself. This is the life-giving teaching we seek to hand on to our children who are “the messages we send to tomorrow”. The Rite of Baptism reminds us that parents are the first and best teachers of their children. The Catholic school exists primarily to educate children to receive and respond to God’s love for each one of them and for all. Our schools are designed to help parents fulfil their God given task of caring for their children in the school of love. The Catholic school is not just a place for professional education – existing for improvement in learning - important though that is. It is a place of formation, a place in which ‘lessons for life’ are imparted, received and shared. The whole school community teaches and learns these lessons in a truly Catholic environment.

Human relationships are obviously at the heart of life and flourishing. We are made to relate to each other, body, mind and spirit. The physical, emotional and spiritual reality of our being are part and parcel of the ‘holy trinity’ of each one of us. Thus affective sexuality education is a crucial part of human formation.

A Fertile Heart is the culmination of several years work of dedicated individuals [teachers, theologians, education advisers and parents] from within the dioceses of Birmingham, Cardiff, Clifton, Arundel and Brighton and Shrewsbury. They have worked tirelessly to create a resource which puts the human person and the flourishing of our pupils at the heart of the Catholic school. It is offered as an important aid to pupils, parents, teachers, governors and clergy to remind us all that “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning God had meant us to live it” (Ephesians 2:10).

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Contents: Reception Reception, Y1 & 2 all have six modules comprising of three lessons. Each module focuses on a Bible story, and also uses a contemporary children’s story to help with learning - aided by songs and various activities.

The first lesson in each module focuses on learning the relevant Bible story, and the other two lessons draw out what we can learn from it about who I am, and about relationships.

1 & 2) Genesis 1 and 2 - the stories of creation: These provide us with a whole wealth of truth in understanding who we are, and our relationship with God, each other and the world. They teach the children that we are made by God, out of love and for a purpose; that all creation is good and that we make it very good; that we are uniquely made in the image of God, as man and woman in close relationship; that we are stewards of creation and that we all belong to the human family; that relationship and friendship are important to us; that God wants us to be happy, thankful and kind. All this helps each child to appreciate ‘the wonder of my being’ (Psalm 139), and the importance of belonging and being thankful for all our blessings. These lead us to be kind to each other.

The lessons in these stories last us a lifetime, and are an excellent way to introduce these important themes to our children.

3) The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32): This simple parable helps the children understand that they are growing - and that growing makes us happy. We are all like tiny seeds that are called to grow into something beautiful. The Bible often uses plants and trees in helping us understand ourselves and our growth - and this will be a regular theme up to Year 3, so much so that we encourage the children to plant some seeds, nurture them and watch them grow. This will teach them that, as they are helped to grow, so they should help creation and each other grow. When we help each other grow in love we are living as God’s family, as his loving gardeners, as the kingdom of heaven.

4) Jesus speaks of the birds and the lilies (Matthew 6:25-34): Jesus teaches us to not be afraid, but to trust in God. He looks after the lilies and the birds, and each of us is much more important than them. This personal love of God for each of us help us admit our worries, and be reassured in love. Part of his love for us is that he gives us the very gifts we need to grow into the persons we were created to be. So, we do not need to compare ourselves to others. I am unique and my gifts are unique - and suit perfectly who I am: and it is the same for you.

5) The feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21): In this module the children will hear how Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people. In the last module, they learnt how we can trust God with our lives; in this story they learn how we can trust him each today - he will give us ‘our daily bread’. We should always be thankful for this and ask him to bless our food. All this leads us to think about eating sensibly so we can grow big and strong and healthy. We will then look at how God also feeds us with truth and love, so that our minds and hearts can grow big and strong and healthy too. Other people help us in all these - and we can help ourselves too.

6) Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-9): In this module the children are taught about God saving us and that our good and bad choices have consequences. This includes the truth that our good choices make God, others and ourselves happier, and our bad choices make everyone sadder. Everyone else was behaving badly, but Noah was a good man: he listened to God, he cared for people and for creation. He and his family became a new start for the world.

The olive branch, the dove and the rainbow are all signs that God wants us to be happy and live in peace - and if we live like Noah and his family, we can - and we help others to do the same. Noah is a reflection of Jesus, but what Noah does for his family, Jesus does for the whole world. The waters of the flood reflect the waters of Baptism which don’t destroy people, but destroy evil. This leads us to a simple exploration of Baptism, life, happiness and peace as God’s family.

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Modern Texts Julia Donaldson - Monkey Puzzle Publisher - Macmillan Publishers ISBN 13 - 9781509812493 Sally Lloyd-Jones - Just Because You’re Mine Publisher- Harper Collins ISBN 13 - 9780062014764 Eric Carle - The Tiny Seed Publisher - Little Simon ISBN 13 - 9781416979173 Sally Lloyd - Jones Baby Wren and the Great Gift Publisher - Zonderkidz ISBN 13 - 9780310733898 Eric Carle - The Very Hungry Caterpillar Publisher - Hamish Hamilton ISBN 13 - 9780140569322

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Introduction Welcome! It’s such a privilege to help a young child grow in understanding anything; doubly so when it means them understanding themselves. We are all created in love, to live and grow - but maybe that’s particularly obvious though the wonder of a child’s eyes.

Content In Reception, we focused on being loved, happy, beautiful children of God - whom God calls to grow in body, mind and heart, and invites us to cooperate in this. Year 1 is structured by the Hail Mary separated into three parts: helping us to receive God’s love so that we can love ourselves, each other and the whole human family, respectively.

Through the Annunciation, backed up by the parable of the Good Shepherd, we deepen the children’s understanding of God’s personal love for them, encouraging them both to see their gifts as an expression of that love, and to give God thanks by courageously using them to help others. All this helps them understand that everyone is special - we are all important because we are all loved, all belong and all have something to offer.

The Visitation, supported by the story of Zacchaeus, helps the children see that being loved by God helps us love ourselves, and both of these help us love each other, with God’s love. We think through the many people who help them grow, and the small ways they can help others.

The parable of the Forgiving Father/Prodigal Son helps the children see the whole of humanity as God’s forgiven family, encouraging them to love everyone as brothers and sisters in Jesus. Finally, the Last Supper helps the children understand that they are on a journey from now to heaven - a journey we are all on together. This sensitively brings up the subject of dying in the context of meeting Jesus face to face, and how all this is connected with the Mass and loving service. It also opens up some very simple lessons on safeguarding. Lessons 1f1 and 1f2 are the deepest lessons of the year.

The great strength of all this is that it communicates - in a joyful, life-giving way - the truth behind healthy living and good relationships and firmly links it all to our faith, so that the children don’t only learn the externals of good practice, but gradually understand and own the reasons behind it.

Structure and Methodology The general structure of the year is 6 modules - perhaps one every half term - each with three lessons. Each module focuses on a Bible story, with a modern story to help us understand its truth. Please, as a school, buy these contemporary books - the course is impoverished without them, and the authors etc. have a right to just remuneration. Each lesson has an Introduction, a Respond and Teach element - as reflective Circle Time, example activities and a mission. There is a lot of music used - normally two songs per lesson, sometimes repeated - that helps immerse the children in the beauty and joy of the message. All lessons can easily be delivered in smaller chunks to suit your class and timetable.

After a lot of reflection and discussion, we decided to write down nearly every word of the lessons. There are several reasons for this: to save you the spade work; because we found it easier to write down a set of questions and answers than try and explain in abstract what they are trying to achieve; and because doing it this way really allows the important strands of A Fertile Heart to be gradually built up. We hope the fuller text gives you confidence in the lessons, and allows you to focus on what you do best - teach the children! Included in this, we haven’t added so many ‘mindmap’ and ‘discuss’ pointers as in Reception modules, due to space - trusting that you know the best way to make the lessons dynamic and interactive. We are firm believers that you are the best resource you have in the classroom and we want our course and colourful powerpoints to help you as much as possible.

Truth and Love We are in a culture where many of our children do not experience the traditional family structure. This is important to acknowledge, while still presenting Jesus’ vision of what family is called to be. As well as this, many of our children sadly carry wounds that need great sensitivity. We have tried to allow these truths to shape how we communicate Christ’s life-giving message of love, without it preventing us talking of God as Father, family life, forgiveness, trust, etc. - in a spirit of equality, tolerance, compassion and dignity. We can only help you in this with our words and prayers; you are the one who will best know how to deal with anything that arises. Sensitive issues need to be dealt with sensitively, not ignored.

The RHE themes at the start of each module relate to England and Wales CES’s given themes, based on Department for Education guidance and agreed with them.

A Fertile Heart is so called, because we all long to be fertile in the deepest sense - to grow, to help others grow, to make a difference: and ultimately it is love that achieves this. So we invite you to add your fertile heart to ours, and to Jesus’ and Mary’s - so that we can all help our children’s fertile hearts grow too.

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God helps me to grow Lesson Objectives Lesson 1: To understand the parable of the Mustard Seed.

Lesson 2: To understand that we grow in our bodies and in love.

Lesson 3: To understand that God helps us to grow and change.

Teacher Notes In this module the children learn that they are like tiny seeds that God creates out of his love, and helps to grow. This helps us to be at peace about who we are, how we grow, and any differences we have, because we know God is guiding our growth.

Once more, we see a similarity between us and the rest of creation, but we also see a difference: we don’t just grow in our bodies, we grow in love, too. This is what the kingdom of heaven is about - helping each other grow in love. From this the children will understand that all people and all living things should be loved and cared for, right from the very beginning, just like the tiny seed. Then we will be living as God’s family, as his loving gardeners, as the kingdom of heaven.

RHE themes Theme 1: Created and Loved by God 1.1.1.3, 1.1.2.3, 1.1.3.1, 1.1.3.2, 1.1.3.6, 1.1.4.5 Theme 2: Created to love others 1.2.1.1, 1.2.1.2, 1.2.1.3, 1.2.1.4, 1.2.1.6, 1.2.2.1, 1.2.2.2, 1.2.2.5, 1.2.3.1 1.2.3.2 Theme 3: Created to live in community 1.3.1.1, 1.3.1.2, 1.3.3.2, 1.3.3.3

Bible Text Matthew 13:31-32 – The Parable of the Mustard Seed The children will hear Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed. They will discover the beauty of their lives from the very moment that God created them. They will learn what it means to grow and change as children of God, and that they each belong to God’s family.

Modern Text Eric Carle - The Tiny Seed Follow the journey of the tiny seed as it makes its way in the world. Where did it come from? How does it grow? Where will it end up? We are just like the tiny seed, created out of the Father’s love for us, and made for a very special purpose.

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Rc1 To understand the Parable of the Mustard Seed

The activity is within the Respond & Teach section, and would probably work better Lesson in the hall. Objectives Introduction Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKH0-y7O_I The Parable of the Mustard Seed (1:11).

This is a very simple, short parable. It introduces ‘kingdom of heaven’ which we will explore, but obviously, firstly we focus on thinking through how a mustard seed grows.

“Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.”

St Thérèse of Lisieux.

Read Mt. 13:31-32. If you have got a seed - even better a mustard seed - to show the children, it would be good.

Discuss the story to draw out the meaning and check the children’s understanding.

Use the following questions to guide the discussion: • How big is this seed/the seed in the story? Tiny.

• What happens to the tiny mustard seed over time? It grows really big.

• What/who helps the tiny mustard seed to grow? God helps it to grow by sending the sun and the rain.

• Why do you think the birds come to perch in the tree? It was a nice place to rest and shelter.

• What might happen if the seed or plant stops growing? It might die.

• Isn’t it amazing that something so small can turn into something so big and helpful?!

Yes! • Does it matter that the seed is so tiny at the beginning? No. Little things often grow into big things - it’s the growing that is important.

The parable of the mustard seed.

A tiny mustard seed.

Respond and teach Explain: Jesus used the story to help us understand how ‘the kingdom of heaven’ grows. The kingdom of heaven is all of us growing to be like Jesus so that we can, one day, all be happy forever in heaven.

But it starts with you and me growing - just like the mustard seed did - just like every living thing does! Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQuEZNp5Ds Grow Little Seed, Grow! (3:26).

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

A tiny baby.

Stretching and growing.

Activity (probably best in the hall): Obviously adapt as you see fit, but the central part of the activity is for the children to curl up into a ball, making themselves as tiny as possible - and then gradually for them to uncurl, stand up, and stretch out. We ask them to do this twice: firstly pretending to be a mustard seed growing into a tree, and then as themselves growing from being ‘a seed’ to a 4/5 year old, to an adult.

It might help to have one or two children demonstrate the uncurling first. The music is picked because it starts off slowly and gradually builds to a crescendo - try and get the children to coordinate with this! It might be fun to finish off the whole activity with the children pretending to be the ‘birds of the air’ flying around the hall, flapping their wings!

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Mt:13:31-32

Mission Thank God at the end of the day for something that made you happy.

Suggested music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlX2NgM3Ro Morning from Peer Gynt by Grieg (stop it at 1:58).

Class discussion about how we reflect the mustard seed growing.

Explain: Earlier we answered questions about how a mustard seed grows. Let’s ask those same questions about ourselves: Ask: • How big were we as babies? Tiny.

• What happens to us over time? We all grow - into children, and then into grown-ups (that’s why we call them ‘grown - ups’ - because they have grown up, like the mustard plants!).

• What/who helps us to grow? God - and lots of people - by giving us all we need.

• How are we like the tree that helped the birds find rest and shelter? The more we grow, the more helpful we will be, too.

• Do we like growing? Yes, we feel happy when we can see we are growing - in lots of ways.

• What might happen if we stopped growing? We would become sad if we stopped growing at all. (But slowly growing is very different from not growing!)

• Isn’t it amazing that someone as small as a baby can turn into a big helpful grownup?! Yes! • Does it matter that we are so tiny in the beginning? No. Little things often grow into big things - it’s the growing that is important.

Teacher note: in the following lessons we will look a little at the different ways the children grow, and some more on how the kingdom of heaven grows.

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Rc2 To understand that we grow in our bodies and in love

The activity here - planting seeds - is again in the middle of the lesson.

Lesson Objectives Introduction

Recap on the last lesson - of how the mustard seed is the tiniest seed but grows into a big shrub, which is helpful to the birds.

Explain: we are now going to hear a similar story of a tiny seed.

Read the story of The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle.

“He created everything so that it might continue to exist, and everything he created is wholesome and good.”

Wisdom 1:14

Discuss the story to draw out the meaning and check the children’s understanding.

Use the following questions to guide the discussion: • What makes the seed different to all of the other seeds in the story? It was the tiniest.

• Can you remember what happened to the bigger seeds? See below.

• Does it matter that one seed was tinier than the rest? No, they are all special.

Planting seeds.

Growing up!

Respond and teach Explain: One of the seeds is burned up by the hot sun; one stuck on an icy mountain; one drowns in the ocean; one gets dried up in the desert; one pecked up by a bird; one eaten up by a mouse. This tells us that seeds need to be protected, and helped, to grow. But rather than just hearing about that, why don’t we do it ourselves, and see?

Activity: Planting plant seeds. Maybe one table group at a time for the actual planting? Show the children a packet of seeds. Show them how tiny they are.

Have ‘pots’ of soil ready.

Explain: We are going to plant these seeds and take care of them. It will be very exciting to watch them grow, but we’ll have to be patient because it might take quite a long time!

Ask: what will we have to make sure the seeds get, for them to grow and be healthy?

Water and sunlight (They also needed good soil to grow in).

Explain: It is the same for us. The seed being planted is like us being born. But then we need help in growing and being healthy.

Ask: What do we need to help us grow and be healthy? We need food and water to help our bodies grow.

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Food and love.

“For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 27.

Mission Caring for nature.

Care for all living things for God gave us the responsibility to do so.

Explain: we also need to look after parts of our bodies that grow differently: we need to have our hair cut, because it grows; we need to clean our teeth, so they stay healthy, we need to cut our nails because they grow too!

Explain: All living things are the same - in that they need care in helping them grow and be healthy. God cares for everything he has made, but remember, we are special to him, because we are made in the image of God. Watch and join in with ‘God made me’ (1:30), with which the children are now familiar.

Explain: so we are the same as plants and animals in our bodies growing. But we have something extra special. God wants us to grow ‘inside’ as well, in ways we can’t see - he wants us to grow in love, to grow to be as loving as Jesus! Then we can help others grow too!

Ask (These may need extra help): • How do we grow to be like Jesus? We grow in love.

• For our bodies to grow we need food and water: what do we need to help us grow in love? We need to know what is right, and we need help to do it! (we call these ‘truth’ and ‘love’).

• We also grow by practising! What can we do, to practise love, and grow? Be kind, be helpful, say sorry, forgive, be polite, etc.

Explain: The best bit is that, the more we learn to love, the more we grow and the more we help each other grow. This is what Jesus meant when he talked about the kingdom of God. (Note to teacher: which we will look at next lesson.)

Explain: So, all life grows, and gives life.

Love gives life. God is love - and his love gives life to everything. And so many people love us too, helping us grow in our bodies, and in love.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hohD7WSRxIs Grow | Mooseclumps (2:45).

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To understand that God helps us to grow

Introduction

Lesson Objectives Recap: it will be good, to start with, to recap a lot of the first two lessons.

Watch: The Parable of the Mustard Seed (1:11) from lesson 1.

Revisit lesson 1 activity (maybe in the hall again, or a more simple version in the classroom):

“Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.”

Pope Francis, Laudato si’ n. 13.

Get the children to curl up into a ball, making themselves as tiny as possible - and then gradually uncurl, stand up, and stretch out - firstly pretending to be a mustard seed growing into a tree, and then as themselves growing from being ‘a seed’ to a 4/5 year old, to an adult.

Recap: Remember, we have learnt that all life grows, and gives life.

Love gives life. God is love - and his love gives life to everything. And so many people love us too, helping us grow in our bodies, and in love.

Watch: Grow | Mooseclumps (2:45) from lesson 2.

Respond and teach Circle Time: Create atmosphere by playing relaxing music, and make a prayer focus/ table using objects such as a globe. Welcome God into the space in which you sit.

(Take time to listen and respond after each question – model being calm.)

Jesus’ love makes me grow.

Ask: • Let’s remind ourselves: what do plants need to grow?

Sunlight and water (and good soil).

• Can the plants water themselves? No! • So who provides sunlight for the plants? God. • And who provides water for the plants?

God - through the rain - or us - through watering the soil.

• But who made us? God! So God provides the water - either from the clouds or through us.

When we help God, we are being gardeners, like Adam and Eve. God loves it when we help him in making things grow.

He likes working as a team with us.

Explain: Let’s think about us now.

Ask: • Can anyone remember the two ways that we grow? In our bodies and in love.

• What do we need, to grow in our bodies? Food and water, and lots of other things!

• Do we provide these for ourselves? No. Just like the plants we need help to grow.

• Who helps us with food and water? God, mum, dad, school cooks, farmers, delivery drivers, shop assistants, etc. - lots and lots of people!

All these people are like ‘God’s gardeners’ - helping you to grow.

• What do we need, to grow in love?

We need to know what is right, and we need help to do it.

• Who helps us to grow in love? God, mum, dad, family, teachers, priest, friends, etc. - lots of people.

All these people are like God’s gardeners - helping you grow in love.

• But you have to help in your growth. How can you help grow in your bodies?

Eat healthy food, drink water, not just fizzy pop, exercise, clean your teeth, go to bed when you should to rest, don’t watch too much TV, etc.

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Being God’s loving gardeners together.

“Jesus said, “Unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”.

Matthew 18:3

United to God and creation.

And you have to help in your growing in love. How can you help in this? Listening and learning how to love, trying your best, saying sorry, being thankful for all the help you get, not wanting your way.

Explain: So, God, others and you are a team in helping you to grow. And you are part of the team in helping everyone else to grow. Let’s all be God’s loving gardeners!

Going back to Jesus’ parable - or story - he told us the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

Ask: So, what is the kingdom of heaven? It’s when we all love like Jesus - together as one family with God as our Father.

Explain: So, when we are being God’s loving gardeners for each other and for creation, we are building up the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the Lord.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q3E0OQUBCU Building Up The Kingdom Sing-Along (3:10 - though stop when you feel you need to!) This song is lively, and is immediately followed by quiet prayer. You might play some calming music after this video, to help the transition!

Helping each other grow.

Mission To be God’s loving gardeners - to each other and to creation - including the seeds we planted.

Activity: prayer. Make the Sign of the Cross.

Let’s be still, and thank God who lives in the hearts of us all.

Let’s quietly think of ways God helps us grow - and thank him. (Pause.)

Now, let’s quietly think of ways other people work with God to help us grow - and thank him for them. (Pause.)

Now, let’s think of ways we can be God’s loving gardeners to each other… and to creation - and ask him to help us be good gardeners.

Ask the children to repeat every line of the prayer: God our Father you have made us out of love and you help us to grow out of love.

Thank you for loving us thank you for making us grow and thank you for all the people who help us grow.

Please help us to join in our own growth and to help each other grow.

Through Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

Finish with the Sign of the Cross.

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Key Stage 1: RHE Year 1 Teacher Copy

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Love is creative.

To have a fertile heart is to love, grow and make a positive difference.

Contents: Year 1 Year 1 is structured by the Hail Mary separated into three parts: helping us to receive God’s love so that we can love ourselves, each other and the whole human family, respectively. This will reinforce this important prayer for the children, but also, hopefully enrich the prayer for them every time they pray it.

1) The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38): ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.’ The story of how Mary came to be fruitful with Jesus is central to our faith. It shows God’s personal love for Mary, her receiving that love and her responding to it - and what amazing things can occur when this happens. It is the same for us. The story also highlights that we don’t have to be big, important or famous to make a real difference; I can make a difference simply by being me. Humbly trusting God gives me the courage to be me, and to use my gifts for God and others.

2) The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7): This story deepens the children’s knowing God’s personal love for each of us, no matter how ‘small’ we think we are. The logic of leaving the 1 for the sake of the 99 is not the logic of the Good Shepherd, God the Father, or any loving parent. The beauty and wonder of creation also communicates God’s love for me.

Knowing this love will help me when I feel ‘lost’ in different ways. It helps me know I’m special as I am - and so is everyone else, which takes away prejudice and helps us encourage each other instead.

3) The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56): ‘Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.’ Mary has just become the mother of God, but this doesn’t make her self-important - exactly the opposite, she immediately helps her pregnant, older cousin. This story focuses on simple acts of kindness; doing what we can, not what we can’t. It highlights the mystery and beauty of new life, and the importance of being thankful, especially to God. It helps the children see that often God loves us through others, and can love others through them so we can all help feed each other’s body, mind and heart.

4) Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10): Zacchaeus is small, and has done wrong, but Jesus still cares for him and talks to him, which helps him repent, believe in himself and do good. Likewise, Jesus loving us when we feel unloved, or have been mean, helps us to love ourselves as we are, be resilient and kind. We think of simple concrete ways in which we can help Jesus care for our body, mind and heart. Knowing we are loved helps us think about ourselves less, and so be free to think about others more: helping us to share, be kind and be inclusive. This makes everyone happier.

5) The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32): ‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.’ Through the parable of the Forgiving Father we focus on two truths that unite us: we are all God’s family and we are all forgiven. Being able to say sorry together helps us live as God’s forgiven family. We explore how working together, patience and not holding grudges unites us as friends and family. This leads us to think of all the people who help the community be one family - and help the children see that, even now, they can play their part in this, and even more so as they grow. We focus on our local community and on church, but mention our country and the whole human family too.

6) The Last Supper (Luke 22:14-23): ‘… now, and at the hour of our death.’ Life only really makes sense as a journey to heaven - a journey of growing in love. Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and giving them his Body and Blood, at the Last Supper, helps us understand the Mass as uniting us in that journey of love with Jesus - and uniting now with heaven. We are called to feed others as he feeds us, so that we can all be united now and in heaven. Jesus helping Peter to grow, after he failed him, is sensitively used to teach the children that the one who is guiding us to heaven is the one who will meet us face to face when we die, so there is nothing to be afraid of. We explore the importance of ‘now’, and the need to be generous and open to surprises - though we also include some gentle safeguarding too. We finish the year by committing ourselves to helping build God’s kingdom of love and to the Hail Mary.

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Modern Texts Rachel Bright - The Lion Inside Publisher - Scholastic Press ISBN-13: 9780545873505 Max Lucado - The Boy and the Ocean Publisher - Crossway ISBN-13: 9781433539312 Max Lucado - Just In Case You Ever Wonder Publisher - Crossway ISBN-13: 9780718075385 Max Lucado - The Tallest of Smalls Publisher - Thomas Nelson ISBN-13: 9781400315147 A A Milne - Winnie the Pooh has Lunch with Rabbit Publisher - Heinemann Young Books ISBN-13: 9781855914315 Judith Kerr - The Tiger Who Came to Tea Publisher - Harper Collins Childrens ISBN-13: 9780007215997

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Introduction Welcome! It’s such a privilege to help a young child grow in understanding anything; doubly so when it means them understanding themselves. We are all created in love, to live and grow - but maybe that’s particularly obvious though the wonder of a child’s eyes.

Content In Reception, we focused on being loved, happy, beautiful children of God - whom God calls to grow in body, mind and heart, and invites us to cooperate in this. Year 1 is structured by the Hail Mary separated into three parts: helping us to receive God’s love so that we can love ourselves, each other and the whole human family, respectively.

Through the Annunciation, backed up by the parable of the Good Shepherd, we deepen the children’s understanding of God’s personal love for them, encouraging them both to see their gifts as an expression of that love, and to give God thanks by courageously using them to help others. All this helps them understand that everyone is special - we are all important because we are all loved, all belong and all have something to offer.

The Visitation, supported by the story of Zacchaeus, helps the children see that being loved by God helps us love ourselves, and both of these help us love each other, with God’s love. We think through the many people who help them grow, and the small ways they can help others.

The parable of the Forgiving Father/Prodigal Son helps the children see the whole of humanity as God’s forgiven family, encouraging them to love everyone as brothers and sisters in Jesus. Finally, the Last Supper helps the children understand that they are on a journey from now to heaven - a journey we are all on together. This sensitively brings up the subject of dying in the context of meeting Jesus face to face, and how all this is connected with the Mass and loving service. It also opens up some very simple lessons on safeguarding. Lessons 1f1 and 1f2 are the deepest lessons of the year.

The great strength of all this is that it communicates - in a joyful, life-giving way - the truth behind healthy living and good relationships and firmly links it all to our faith, so that the children don’t only learn the externals of good practice, but gradually understand and own the reasons behind it.

Structure and Methodology The general structure of the year is 6 modules - perhaps one every half term - each with three lessons. Each module focuses on a Bible story, with a modern story to help us understand its truth. Please, as a school, buy these contemporary books - the course is impoverished without them, and the authors etc. have a right to just remuneration. Each lesson has an Introduction, a Respond and Teach element - as reflective Circle Time, example activities and a mission. There is a lot of music used - normally two songs per lesson, sometimes repeated - that helps immerse the children in the beauty and joy of the message. All lessons can easily be delivered in smaller chunks to suit your class and timetable.

After a lot of reflection and discussion, we decided to write down nearly every word of the lessons. There are several reasons for this: to save you the spade work; because we found it easier to write down a set of questions and answers than try and explain in abstract what they are trying to achieve; and because doing it this way really allows the important strands of A Fertile Heart to be gradually built up. We hope the fuller text gives you confidence in the lessons, and allows you to focus on what you do best - teach the children! Included in this, we haven’t added so many ‘mindmap’ and ‘discuss’ pointers as in Reception modules, due to space - trusting that you know the best way to make the lessons dynamic and interactive. We are firm believers that you are the best resource you have in the classroom and we want our course and colourful powerpoints to help you as much as possible.

Truth and Love We are in a culture where many of our children do not experience the traditional family structure. This is important to acknowledge, while still presenting Jesus’ vision of what family is called to be. As well as this, many of our children sadly carry wounds that need great sensitivity. We have tried to allow these truths to shape how we communicate Christ’s life-giving message of love, without it preventing us talking of God as Father, family life, forgiveness, trust, etc. - in a spirit of equality, tolerance, compassion and dignity. We can only help you in this with our words and prayers; you are the one who will best know how to deal with anything that arises. Sensitive issues need to be dealt with sensitively, not ignored.

The RHE themes at the start of each module relate to England and Wales CES’s given themes, based on Department for Education guidance and agreed with them.

A Fertile Heart is so called, because we all long to be fertile in the deepest sense - to grow, to help others grow, to make a difference: and ultimately it is love that achieves this. So we invite you to add your fertile heart to ours, and to Jesus’ and Mary’s - so that we can all help our children’s fertile hearts grow too.

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1d

Loving myself helps me love you.

Lesson Objectives Lesson 1: To know the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Lesson 2: To love myself because God loves me.

Lesson 3: To understand that loving myself helps me love you.

Teacher Notes Module 1d continues to move from helping the children know they are loved, to helping them understand that knowing they are loved helps them love themselves and love others. From last lesson’s focus on the smallness of Jesus and John in the womb, we move to the smallness of Zacchaeus - and to the Too Smalls of Stiltsville - the link being that smallness - or any physical attribute - is no bar to being ourselves, being loved and being loving.

The story of Zacchaeus also draws out that Jesus loving us when others don’t and/or when we’ve been mean gives us both a resilience and an impetus to be good. In the second lesson, we see how being loved by Jesus helps us to love ourselves as we are - and just as Jesus cares for our body, mind and heart, so we should care for all three too - thinking of simple concrete examples of how the children can do this.

The third lesson then helps them realise that if they know they are loved, they will think about themselves less, and so be free to think about others more: helping us to share, be kind and be inclusive. This makes everyone happier.

RHE themes Theme 1: Created and loved by God 1.1.1.1, 1.1.2.1, 1.1.2.2, 1.1.3.1, 1.1.3.5, 1.1.3.6, 1.1.4.4 Theme 2: Created to love others 1.2.1.1, 1.2.1.2, 1.2.1.4, 1.2.1.6, 1.2.2.1, 1.2.2.3, 1.2.2.4, 1.2.2.5, 1.2.3.1, 1.2.3.4, 1.2.3.5, 1.2.3.6, 1.2.3.7, 1.2.3.8, 1.2.4.2 Theme 3: Created to live in community 1.3.1.1, 1.3.1.3, 1.3.2.2, 1.3.2.3, 1.3.3.2, 1.3.3.5

Bible Text Luke 19:1-10 - Jesus and Zacchaeus This story is about Zacchaeus, a tax collector from Jericho, who wants to meet Jesus.

He has cheated people out of money, and he is small - but neither of these stop him seeing Jesus.

Jesus greets him as a friend and eats with him in his house. Being so loved leads to Zacchaeus repenting of his meanness and promising to be kind and just from then on.

Modern Text Max Lucado - The Tallest of Smalls Stiltsville is full of tall people on stilts and the Too Smalls who aren’t. Everyone thinks the tall people are more important, and Ollie, like all the small people, wants to be like them.

One day he gets his stilts, but they are not all they are cracked up to be. He falls flat on his face, but is picked up by Jesus who reminds Ollie that he is loved as he is - no-one is ‘too small’.

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1d1 To know the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus

Explain: Mary and Elizabeth, and especially baby Jesus and John, taught us that no Lesson matter how Objectives small we are, we are loved and can love. Believing this makes us ‘blessed’ and joyful - happy. Elizabeth could see that God especially blessed Jesus and Mary, and we remember that every time we pray the Hail Mary. Let’s do that now.

Watch: Tomkin - The Hail Mary (0:36) and pray with him.

Introduction Explain: We are going to hear a story today about a man called Zacchaeus. He lived in a city called Jericho, and wanted to meet Jesus.

But he had two problems: he had been mean to others and he was a bit small.

Let’s listen to what happens.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BjtbJFz2ug Zacchaeus (1:54).

Check understanding. The following questions may help.

Ask • Where did Zacchaeus live? Jericho.

• What was his job? A tax collector. Taxes are money people have to pay to the rulers of the country. In Jesus’ time, people had to pay taxes to the Romans.

But they got local people to collect the money. Zacchaeus was one of these people.

• Was Zacchaeus poor or rich? Rich! He would charge the people their tax for the Romans, but then add some on for himself! That was a bad thing to do!

• What did the people think of Zacchaeus? They didn’t like him.

• What did they say he was? A liar and a cheat.

• What did they say when they saw him? Boo! • One day, Jesus was visiting, and Zacchaeus wanted to see him. What was his problem? He was very short.

• How did he solve his problem?

He climbed a tree, a sycamore tree - so that he could see Jesus.

• What might he have been afraid of as well?

That Jesus might say ‘boo’ to him as well - and not like him.

• What did Jesus say to him when he saw him?

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. I must stay at your house today.”

• What did the people in the crowd then do?

They grumbled - they thought it was unfair that Jesus wasn’t booing at Zacchaeus, and instead was being so nice to him.

• How did Zacchaeus feel? He was surprised and very happy!

• What did he say to Jesus? “I will give half my money to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay them back four times more.”

Maybe get the children to count to four to back up ‘four times more’.

• Jesus did stay at Zacchaeus’ house and ate with him. What did he say to Zacchaeus?

Today, salvation has come to this house.” He also said that Zacchaeus belonged to God’s family, and that Jesus had come to find the lost and bring them back home safely (just like the Good Shepherd).

Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.”

Zacchaeus said, “Look sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.”

Luke 19: 5, 8

Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Explain: We have talked before about growing on the outside - our bodies - and growing on the inside - our mind and heart. Zacchaeus had two problems didn’t he? One ‘on the outside’ and one ‘on the inside’: on the outside, he thought he was too small; on the inside, he had been mean and cheated people of their money.

Sometimes it can be hard feeling small, but it is even harder thinking that people don’t like us.

This song tells us of Zacchaeus’ bigger problem.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhNLJXmU90Y Nobody liked Zacchaeus (2:27).

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Feeling others don’t like me.

Respond and teach

Example Activities

Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

Ask • Sometimes we can feel not liked - maybe not as bad as Zacchaeus, but still we can feel not liked: is that a nice feeling? No. No. Sometimes the other person isn’t happy with me because I’ve been mean.

Sometimes they may think I’ve been mean, and I haven’t.

Sometimes it’s they who are being mean. But whatever the reason, it’s not nice feeling not liked.

• Does Jesus love us when we feel not liked? Yes. Does Jesus love us when others are mean to us? Yes. • Does Jesus love us when others think we have been mean? Yes. Does Jesus love us when we have been mean? Yes. Even then he still loves us - not because we’ve been mean, but even though we’ve been mean.

• Can you remember what Jesus called Zacchaeus when he met him? Friend. And then he called him by his name - Zacchaeus.

• Where did Jesus and Zacchaeus then go? To Zacchaeus’ house. (Although this isn’t shown in the video, Jesus just says it.)

• Do we spend time or go round to visit people we like or people we don’t like?

Those we like. So Jesus going round to Zacchaeus’ home shows how special Jesus still thought Zacchaeus was.

• And then what did Zacchaeus do? He realised he had been mean to people and promised never to be mean again.

Explain: This is very important for us to remember: Jesus always loves us.

Let’s say that together: Jesus always loves us.

Even if we feel sad: Jesus always loves us.

Even if we feel not liked: Jesus always loves us.

Even if others have been mean to us: Jesus always loves us.

Even if we have been mean to others: Jesus always loves us.

Yes, and when we can still remember that Jesus loves us it help us love ourselves and want, even more, to be good.

• Remember Zacchaeus’ other ‘problem’? He thought he was too short.

• Did being small stop him seeing Jesus? No. Or stop Jesus loving him? No. Or stop Zacchaeus loving others? No. • So was being small really a problem? No! There is nothing about our bodies, our ‘outside’ that stops us being loved, or stops us loving - so we don’t have to worry about such things: you are special just as you are.

You are loved just as you are.

1. Recreate the story of Zacchaeus using role play.

2. Hot seat Zacchaeus.

3. Write a postcard from Zacchaeus to Jesus saying ‘thank you’ for visiting him.

For Zacchaeus, it must have been a stunning experience to hear himself called by his name, a name which many of his townsmen spoke with contempt. Now he hears it spoken in a tone of tenderness, expressing not just trust but familiarity, insistent friendship.

Pope St John Paul II

Explain: We can see a pattern. Earlier we saw how God loved Mary, and then she loved Elizabeth. Here we see how Jesus loved Zacchaeus, and then Zacchaeus loved others. If we let God love us, we will then love others.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxe9jO0scgA Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man (1:02) as a fun recap.

Jesus always loves us.

Mission Next time that you are mean, remember that Jesus still loves you and helps you be good instead.

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1d2 To love myself because God loves me

Explain: God showed Mary he loved her and so she knew she was blessed. Of all the Lesson reasons she Objectives could have loved herself, the best one was that God loved her. Let’s pray the Hail Mary, asking that we may always know that we are loved and blessed by God. Watch: Tomkin - The Hail Mary (0:36) and pray with him.

Introduction Explain: Last lesson we learnt from the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus that being small, or feeling not liked, or even being mean, doesn’t stop Jesus loving us - and knowing that makes us happy and more loving.

Read The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado.

Check understanding. The following questions may help.

“Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Luke 21: 3, 4

Ask: • What two types of people are there in Stiltsville?

Tall people - on stilts - and small people.

• At the start of the story who does everyone think is more important?

The tall people on the stilts.

• What do the small people think about themselves? That they are ‘the less and the least, the shy and the shier, the not-cools and have-nots who want to go higher’.

• Are they happy being small? No, they think only the tall people on stilts are important, and want to be like them.

• What happens to Ollie one day?

He gets given some stilts. Yes, and he thinks he will now be important.

• But what happens? Lots of birds land on him.

• And then, what even worse happens?

He falls over - because he couldn’t balance on long stilts.

• He was very upset - then who helped him? Jesus.

• What did Jesus tell him? That he was ‘precious my Ollie, not too short or too small. I made you, remember; you’re mine after all.’

• What did Ollie learn from this? That he was happier being himself. That Jesus loved him as himself. That it wasn’t being small that was the problem - that it was him thinking he was too small that had been his problem.

• Could he change being small? No. Could he change thinking he was too small? Yes, and Jesus’ love helped him do that.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sa-DxClTXw Jesus Loves Me (1:40).

Respond and teach Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

Explain: So, we know from Mary, from Zacchaeus and even from our story of Ollie, just how important it is to know that Jesus loves us.

When we know that, we can be as happy as Mary, and as loving as Mary.

Zacchaeus shows us how knowing we are loved by Jesus can stop us being mean. Ollie shows us that knowing we are loved by Jesus can stop us wishing we were different from who we are.

Being loved makes me happy and loving.

So, hands up who knows Jesus loves them. (Hopefully all of them!)

And, hands up who loves themselves. (Likewise!)

There are lots of reasons why we should love ourselves - but the most important one is that Jesus loves me. All the other reasons might go away - but that one never will.

Remember, Jesus loves us so he helps our bodies grow, our minds grow and our hearts grow. So, if we love ourselves, we should want to help our bodies grow and be healthy, our minds grow and our hearts grow.

Loving myself helps me care for myself.

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Example Activity 1. Using downloadable template, draw an example above each of the three captions: ‘loving myself by caring for my body/mind/heart’.

Family Bible stories.

So, we know that (say together with actions - touching tummy, head and then heart): ‘Jesus feeds my body, mind and heart’.

Now we can also say: ‘I can help Jesus feed my body, mind and heart’.

Ask: • How can we help keep our body healthy so it can grow? What can we do about food? Eat healthy food: fruit and vegetables etc. Drink water, not just fizzy drinks.

• How can we help stay healthy every day? Have exercise, play sport, get plenty of fresh air, don’t watch too much TV. • How can we keep our teeth healthy? We can brush them properly morning and night.

• How can we keep our body clean and healthy? Washing and showering when we should.

• How can we help our minds to grow? Do we learn more from reading or playing TV games? Reading - so perhaps we could read more and play electronic games less.

• What about in class - how can we help our minds grow? Listening carefully, and trying our best.

• And what about in prayer and at Mass? We can know our Bible stories and really try when we are praying.

• And is it healthier to lie or tell the truth? Tell the truth - So we should always be honest, and never lie.

• How can we help our hearts grow? How can we receive more love from our family? Spend more time with them, help in the house.

When we let Jesus love us, and so love ourselves, we can also be better at not letting others be unkind to us. Firstly, we won’t believe others when they say unkind things, and we will be strong enough to tell a grown-up if anyone keeps being unkind to us - whoever they are.

(This is just preparing the foundation for dealing with bullying and even with safeguarding, next year.)

“Physical healing is a gift, physical health is a gift that we must safeguard, but the Lord teaches us that we must safeguard the health of our hearts - our spiritual health - as well.”

Pope Francis

Mission Ask someone at home to read you a Bible story.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SIhhVVP7yM&t=210s Jesus loves me (3:30-5:56 The first song is a recap of the earlier one - which you can always repeat instead, with actions - the second one is a simple one which the children can count to.)

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1d3 To understand that loving myself helps me love you

Explain: Mary knew she was blessed. This didn’t make her selfish, but meant she didn’t Lesson Objectives have to worry about herself - and so was free to love others more. Let’s pray to her for help in being like her.

Watch: Tomkin - The Hail Mary (0:36) and pray with him.

Introduction Explain: We first learnt about Jesus and Zacchaeus - and how Jesus loving Zacchaeus helped him love himself and then to love others.

Recap - watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uL6FuAE2r4 Zacchaeus a tax collector (1:44 - same story, different video!)

Recap - explain: The we learnt from the small people of Stiltsville, that Jesus loves us as we are and that we don’t have to worry about what we look like or what some people think of us - because Jesus loves us as we are - and this makes us happy, and want to be good.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

Do you remember the song we learnt?

Watch: Jesus Loves Me (1:40) and join in the actions.

Respond and teach Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

• Who is really good at thinking? Probably lots of ‘me’s.

• How many things can you think about at the same time?

Let’s think of some examples.

• If I start asking you to add up 3+2, who could do that? Probably lots of ‘me’s.

• What might happen though if the head teacher/TA brought in a big chocolate cake as I was asking you? You’d probably get distracted from counting!

• Why? Because you’d be thinking about the chocolate cake.

• If I asked you to spell ‘cake’, who could do that? Probably lots of ‘me’s.

• What might happen though if a wasp was buzzing around the classroom?

You’d probably get distracted from spelling!

• Why? Because you’d be thinking about the wasp and its sting.

• So, what have we learnt from these examples: how many things can we think about at the same time? One. • So, what about if I asked you to be kind to someone else in the class: who could do that? Hopefully, lots of ‘me’s.

• What might happen if someone was being mean to you at the same time?

You’d probably get distracted from being kind.

• Why? Because you’d be thinking about how hurt you felt, because of that person.

This is important: I can only really think about you or me, about how you are feeling or about how I am feeling.

• So, what did we say happens when I know God loves me? I find it easier to love me too, and to feel special.

• And what happens when I love myself and know I am special? I don’t have to think about me so much - I know I’m safe in God’s hands.

• So who can I think about more? You! Because I’m only good at thinking about one thing at a time!

• Is it loving to share sweets or toys, or selfish? Loving.

• Does thinking about the other person more and yourself less make it easier or harder to share things? Easier. So, does it make it easier or harder to love? Easier.

• Is it loving or selfish to be kind even when the other person has called you names? Loving.

• Does thinking about them more and yourself less make it easier or harder to still be kind? Easier. So, does it make it easier or harder to love? Easier.

• Is it loving to ask someone to join in your game? Loving.

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Loving me, loving you! (aha!)

We can only think of one thing at a time…

Sharing toys!

Example Activities 1. Role play in small groups receiving God’s love and sharing it with others.

(E.g. a scene where someone wants to play in their game, and they are going to say no, but then Jesus ‘walks in’ and loves them, and they are able to let the other join in.)

Loved. Loving. Happy.

• Does thinking about them more and yourself less make it easier or harder to invite them? Easier. So, does it make it easier or harder to love? Easier.

Jesus sort of makes a deal with us! He says, “I love you so much that I’ll think about you - so that you can be free to think about others and love them”!

That’s much better than all of us thinking about ourselves! It makes us all happy!

Explain: When we do this, we don’t just give our love to others, we give God’s love to them - St Francis called it being a ‘channel’ of God’s love because a channel helps something flow from one place to another - or one person to another.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8bybL_DqY Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (this lasts for 4:26, but feel free to stop it at say, 2:10, or wherever else you think best.)

2. Ask the children to sit with their arms folded, and not smiling. Pass a cuddly heart or equivalent to a child, who then passes it on to another.

When they receive a heart they smile; when they pass it on, they do a ‘double thumbs up’. Add a second or third heart to the mix if it helps. Receive the hearts back from the last children, when everyone should be happy having received and given love.

3. Each child has a strip of paper, on which they write one way they are going to love, and then decorate. Each strip is then used to make a link in a class ‘kindness chain’.

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

Mother Teresa (St Teresa of Calcutta)

Mission Pass on a smile and a double thumbs up to all your family.

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Key Stage 1: RHE Year 2 Teacher Copy

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Love is creative.

To have a fertile heart is to love, grow and make a positive difference.

Year 2 Introduction Welcome! It’s such a privilege to help a young child grow in understanding anything; doubly so when it means them understanding themselves. We are all created in love, to live and grow - but maybe that’s particularly obvious though the wonder of a child’s eyes.

Content In Reception, we focused on being loved, happy, beautiful children of God - whom God helps to grow in body, mind and heart, and invites us to cooperate in this. In Y1 the Hail Mary guided us to deepen our love for ourselves, each other and the whole human family, through receiving God’s creative love of us, and responding generously and joyfully, as Mary did.

Year 2 is structured by the Our Father, separated into six parts. Healthy, life-giving relationship is founded firstly on self-knowledge. We cannot truly know ourselves except in the light of Genesis 1-3. We are lovingly created in the image of God as his helpers and friends. Year 2 starts with the sad story of the Fall of Adam and Eve - which helps us understand why we and the world aren’t perfect, and need saving. It is a hard module - and 2a1 and 2a2 are longer - because it is so important for the children to understand this story correctly: but the reward is that it helps the rest of the year go much more smoothly. The children learn that sin hurts our special journey to full happiness with God, but in Jesus, can’t stop it: he is both our vaccine for sin and our satnav guide through life.

The parable of the Good Samaritan helps the children understand the joy of giving, and that we are called to build up God’s kingdom through loving service of each other. Jesus’ Calming of the Storm calls us to trust in God’s loving will for us even when it feels dark and scary. It also helps the children see that our real journey is an ‘inside one’ not an ‘outside one’: a spiritual journey. The parable of the Talents develops the children’s understanding that God feeds our body, mind and heart with the daily bread of food, truth and love - and that we can cooperate in all of these: growing more when we share our gifts. The parable of the Unforgiving Servant calls the children not just to be forgiving, but to have a forgiving heart. It offers ways to overcome our emotions in order to do this. Accepting that we are all loved sinners can be both freeing and uniting. Finally, the story of Joseph and his brothers, and his journey to Egypt, helps the children understand how to help God lead them away from temptation. They also learn that nothing can stop our journey home to God. Within these, we also deal with some safeguarding issues, helping the children to understand how to be ‘kind but careful’ - hopefully in a way that will give them confidence without panicking them.

The great strength of all this is that it communicates - in a joyful, life-giving way - the truth behind healthy living and good relationships and firmly links it all to our faith, so that the children don’t only learn the externals of good practice, but gradually understand and own the reasons behind it.

Structure and Methodology The year begins with an introduction to the Our Father, and in particular the meaning of ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. This is followed by 6 modules - perhaps one every half term - each with three lessons. Each module focuses on a Bible story, with (except for 2f ) a modern story to help us understand its truth. Please, as a school, buy these contemporary books - the course is impoverished without them, and the authors etc. have a right to just remuneration. Each lesson has an Introduction, a Respond and Teach element - as reflective Circle Time, example activities and a mission. There is a lot of music used - normally two songs per lesson - that helps immerse the children in the beauty and joy of Christ’s message. All lessons can easily be delivered in smaller chunks to suit your class and timetable.

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

After a lot of reflection and discussion, we decided to write down nearly every word of the lessons. There are several reasons for this: to save you the spade work; because we found it easier to write down a set of questions and answers than try and explain in abstract what they are trying to achieve; and because doing it this way really allows the important strands of A Fertile Heart to be built up slowly. We hope the fuller text gives you confidence in the lessons, and allows you to focus on what you do best - teach the children!

Included in this, we haven’t added so many ‘mindmap’ and ‘discuss’ pointers as in Reception modules, due to space - trusting that you know the best way to make the lessons dynamic and interactive. We are firm believers that you are the best resource you have in the classroom and we want our course and colourful powerpoints to help you as much as possible.

Truth and Love We are in a culture where many of our children do not experience the traditional family structure. This is important to acknowledge, while still presenting Jesus’ vision of what family is called to be. As well as this, many of our children sadly carry wounds that need great sensitivity. We have tried to allow these truths to shape how we communicate Christ’s life-giving message of love, without it preventing us talking of God as Father, family life, forgiveness, trust, etc. - in a spirit of equality, tolerance, compassion and dignity. We can only help you in this with our words and prayers; you are the one who will best know how to deal with anything that arises. Sensitive issues need to be dealt with sensitively, not ignored.

The RHE themes at the start of each module relate to England and Wales’ CES given themes, based on DfE guidance and agreed with them.

A Fertile Heart is so called, because we all long to be fertile in the deepest sense - to grow, to help others grow, to make a difference: and ultimately it is love that achieves this. So we invite you to add your fertile heart to ours, and to Jesus’ and Mary’s - so that we can all help our children’s fertile hearts grow too.

Modern Texts Max Lucado - The Oak Inside the Acorn Publisher - Tommy Nelson ISBN-13: 9781602522732 Shel Silverstein - The Giving Tree Publisher - Harper & Row ISBN-13: 9780060256654 Angela Elwell Hunt - The Tale of Three Trees Publisher - Lion Children’s Books ISBN-13: 9780745917436 Marcus Pfister - The Rainbow Fish Publisher - North-South Books ISBN-13: 9780735820845 John Steptoe - Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters Publisher - Puffin ISBN-13: 9780140559460

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Contents: Year 2 The Our Father is used this year to unite the different modules together. This will reinforce the prayer for the children, but also, hopefully enrich the prayer for them every time they pray it. A short introductiory lesson presents the Our Father to the children, and explores ‘on earth as it is in heaven’.

1) ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.’ The Fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3): This story, like Genesis 1 and 2, tells us so much about being human, and why we are like we are. This deals with the bad part - our turning away from God, and sinning. The children explore how we can all want to decide what is right and wrong, but trusting God as Father means we trust that he knows and wants what is best for us. God promises to save Adam and Eve even after they have chosen not to trust him; he is still Our Father, even after we choose not to trust him. This is why his name is ‘hallowed’ or holy. It is Jesus who is our Saviour - he is our vaccine against sin and our satnav on our ‘inner journey’ of growing in love.

2) ‘Thy kingdom come.’ The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37): This is the clearest and simplest of Jesus’ parables calling us to serve and help each other. First of all it teaches us that Jesus is the Good Samaritan who heals us and the whole human family; then it calls us to help him by being like the Good Samaritan ourselves, by serving others and the whole human family whatever our differences. We are called to lend everyone a helping hand when we can and when it is safe - and to find joy in the giving itself, not in any reward.

3) ‘Thy will be done’ The Calming of the Storm (Matthew 8:23-27): There can be storms in our lives. It can seem like Jesus is asleep. But he never leaves us, and the storms will never cause us to sink. He has power over all creation, and nothing bad can happen that he cannot being good out of, if we trust him. God has plans for us that are even more amazing than our wildest dreams!

Trusting this protects us from loving money, power or fame, which take us on a meaningless ‘outer journey’, whereas Jesus invites us to a life-giving inner journey.

4) ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30): We explore further the idea that God feeds us with food, truth and love. And that every gift from God helps us daily grow in body, mind or heart. The parable of the Talents helps us see that we cooperate with this daily growth by using our gifts to the best of our ability. Thankfulness and trust in God give us the courage to use our gifts lovingly. Jesus’ deepest truth is that when we give gifts, or love, to another, we in some way give ourselves too. This is why he gives himself to us as daily bread: on the Cross, in Mass and Holy Communion. We have life to the full (Jn. 10:10) when we have completely become a gift to God and others.

This is heaven.

5) ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35): Through Jesus’ parable of the Unforgiving Servant, we explore the importance of forgiveness and the link between God forgiving us, and us forgiving each other. We reflect on what forgiveness is, and isn’t, and what emotions can stop us wanting to forgive - or wanting to say sorry - and how to overcome them. We learn that forgiveness comes from a generous, forgiving heart which frees both of us to be happy. We then look at the ‘Lord have mercy’ in Mass, and the beauty of us all knowing that we are a family of forgiven sinners.

6) ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ Joseph and his brothers (Gen. 37, 39-41): The story of Joseph introduces two topics which we would all rather avoid: that there is a serpent whose voice can tempt us; and that there is human evil, which we seek to protect our children from, through safeguarding. Firstly, then we think through choices that lead us away from or into temptation. Then we offer a foundation for the school’s safeguarding lessons. In particular, trust in God gives the children confidence to seek appropriate help and to learn appropriate skills, so that they can still learn to be kind, but in a careful way. We finish the module and the year on a positive note - that ultimately, God will always protect us, even if our difficulties on the way can be deep and real.

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2c

Trusting in God when things go wrong Lesson Objectives Lesson 1: To know the story of Jesus Calming the Storm.

Lesson 2: To trust that God wills what is best for us.

Lesson 3: To know that our journey to heaven is an inside journey not an outside journey.

Teacher Notes We turn to the third part of the Our Father: ‘thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’.

Module 2a focused on trusting God instead of choosing what we wanted - not giving in to our own impulses for pleasure.

Philosophers call these our (misguided) concupiscent desires for life and growth. The virtue we are called to is temperance.

This module focuses on still trusting in God when things go wrong - when the fear of being hurt, isolated or even dying tells us to panic.

These are called our irascible desires for avoiding being harmed. The virtue we are called to is courage or resilience.

This doesn’t mean we ignore fear, but that trust in God helps us to not panic - so that we can face fear in a rational way.

Obviously, we will only be communicating some of this to the children - and in a simpler way.

The Bible story we focus on is Jesus’ Calming of the Storm, and this is complemented by Angela Elwell Hunt’s The Tale of Three Trees, which teaches the children that our lives might not go quite according to our plans and desires, but that God’s plans for us are even bigger and better - as you’d expect from a loving, almighty Father.

The lessons help the children to see that the desire for money, fame and power can set them off on an ‘outside’ journey, whereas love, truth and trust in God guide them on an ‘inside’ journey to heaven.

RHE themes Theme 1: Created and loved by God: 1,1,1,4, 1.1.2.1, 1.1.3.1, 1.1.3.2, 1.1.4.1, 1.1.4.4, 1.1.5.1.

Theme 2: Created to love others: 1.2.2.1, 1.2.2.4, 1.2.2.5, 1.2.4.2, 1.2.4.6, 1.2.4.7.

Theme 3: Created to live in community: 1.3.2.2, 1.3.3.4.

Bible Text Matthew 8:23-27 - The Calming of the Storm The children will hear the story of Jesus Calming of the Storm, where Jesus gets into the boat and falls asleep while a storm rages. The disciples, in a panic, wake him up and question whether he cares. He challenges their lack of faith and calms the storm with a word. The disciples are left in amazement at who this man is.

Modern Text Angela Elwell Hunt - The Tale of Three Trees This is a story of three trees who all have dreams for the future. They interpret their dreams in a clear way, and after waiting and waiting, have to cope with the disappointment of not achieving what they wanted. However, God had deeper plans, and the life and death of Jesus fulfils their dreams in specific ways that they could never have expected.

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2c1 To know the story of Jesus Calming the Storm

Explain: we are now going to think about the third part of the Our Father - ‘thy will be Lesson Objectives done, on earth as it is in heaven’.

‘Will’ is another name for wanting. Sometimes we want different things to what Mum or Dad want for us - and we can feel it’s not fair, and before we know it, we are feeling that they are being mean to us. Then, later, when we’ve calmed down, we realise we were being silly - of course Mum or Dad want what is best for me.

The same can happen with us and God - when things seem to go wrong we can think that God has forgotten us, or isn’t being fair to us. Sometimes we have to wait a bit longer to see that he was caring for us all along. When we pray that God’s will be done - not ours - we are trusting that God knows what is best for us - even when it doesn’t feel like it. Let’s pray the Our Father, and really mean those words.

“Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith?”

Matthew 8:26

Watch: Tomkin - The Our Father (0:40).

Introduction Ask: Who likes the sea? Who likes being on a boat?

Explain: Lots of us, but maybe only when the sea is calm and the sun is shining!

Sometimes the sea, or even big lakes, can be very stormy! Then it’s a bit scary, as the waves get bigger, and the boat seems to get smaller and smaller! Let’s watch a video of a boat in some very stormy seas.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZSM5ZbdpWw&t=360s Ships in Horrible Storms (from 6:00 up to 8:48 - or as long as is needed).

Jesus calms the storm.

Explain: Jesus lived near a big lake called the Sea of Galilee.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzPwRXytr7U Jesus Calms The Storm (2:08).

Check understanding. The following questions may help.

• What was the weather like when they got in the boat? Calm and sunny.

• What happened as it got darker? A storm started.

• What were the big waves doing to the boat? Nearly sinking it.

• What did the disciples feel? Panic, fear.

• What was Jesus doing? Sleeping on a cushion at the back of the boat!

• What did the disciples do? Wake Jesus up and ask for help.

• Jesus saw the big storm, and the frightened disciples: what did he do?

He told the wind and the waves to be quiet and be still.

• What happened? They did!!

• What did Jesus then ask his disciples? Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?

• What did the disciples feel then? Terrified of Jesus - as in awestruck, because of his calm and what he’s just done.

• What did they say? Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him.

Explain: The disciples did right in going to Jesus for help - but he wanted them to trust even more: to simply feel safe because he was with them. That’s what we mean when we say we trust in Jesus, when we say ‘your will be done’.

We are all afraid of lots of things.

Walking with God through storms and through sunshine.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlJU3te81Dg I will trust you (4:07).

Of course I care. Be at peace.

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Respond and teach Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

Explain: This story helps us to learn how to deal with our fears.

• Do you have fears? Yes. • What fears do we have? (This might need sensitive handling.) Common answers would probably include the dark, shadows, spiders, snakes, the unknown, thunder and lightning, blood; some children’s situations might lead them to franker answers of illness, losing mummy or daddy, death; and there are in between answers such as the dentist, crossing the road, being in an assembly, or moving class/school/home.

Jesus understands that we have fears. He doesn’t expect us not to be afraid of things.

If you remember, he got very afraid the night before he died - not surprising at all!

But he does want us to have courage.

• What helps us find courage? Does talking to others about my fear, help?

It can - we can be encouraged by the other person, the more we can trust what they say, the more we will be encouraged.

Who can we go to if we are worried or afraid? Any grown-up you trust - family, me, both.

There are also organisations who can help us in different ways, some of which we will be learning about later.

We can also learn ways of protecting ourselves - so we can always be ‘kind but careful’ but even as grown-ups we can’t always protect ourselves.

Courage comes from being able to trust the person who is protecting me. And, in the end, that is always God. Trusting in God gives us confidence to share with a trusted grown-up and to learn ways of protecting ourselves - God loves us through others.

Ask: • The disciples were afraid of the storm. What did they do?

They woke Jesus up, wanting him to help.

• Was that a good thing to do, or a bad thing?

A good thing - they went to the right person for help.

• However, what did they say to him? Master, don’t you care if we drown?

Oh dear, that sounds a bit like they didn’t trust him - a bit like when we are scared and start thinking that mum has forgotten me, or dad doesn’t care.

• After Jesus had calmed the storm, they were able to not be afraid.

Why was it easier for them then?

It had stopped! It’s very easy to be brave once the storm is over!

We might think that turning the light on will give us courage about the dark but it doesn’t really: it just removes the dark.

Real courage is being able to trust when it is dark, when we are in a storm.

• How did the disciples feel after even the wind and waves had obeyed Jesus?

It says they were terrified of Jesus!

• What does that mean? Full of awe and wonder at what they had just seen.

Jesus had just calmed a whole sea in three words! (Quiet! Be still!)

This ‘fear’ is a good fear. It comes from us knowing the power of God, and knowing that our loving God is all powerful helps us trust.

Fear of God gives us courage against all other fears.

That’s an important thing to remember.

Explain: One last thing: trusting God doesn’t mean we never feel afraid, it means the feelings aren’t as strong, and don’t stop us being happy.

Fear is like the waves: if they’re just gentle waves they don’t bother us; if it feels like I’m drowning that’s different! Trusting God means knowing that whatever happens I won’t drown in fear. And that keeps me smiling!

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpkQ-Bb78sU With Jesus in the boat we can smile through the storm (1:27).

Example Activities 1. Create storm soundscapes using percussion instruments - starting from calm and gradually getting stormier.

Maybe record their compositions on a graphic score.

2. Re-enact the story in small groups, using the percussion accompaniment either ‘live’ or using a recording.

3. Hot-seat or interview the disciples before, during and after the storm.

“Why are you afraid?

Have you no faith”?

Faith begins when we realise we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives.

Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. “ Pope Francis, from St Peter’s Square, solitary, at the beginning of the pandemic

Mission Next time you are afraid of the dark, tell Jesus it’s okay because he is with you.

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2c2 To trust that God wills what is best for us

Explain: Remember, to will something is to want something - so what God wills is Lesson Objectives what God wants to happen - and since he is almighty God, what he truly wants to happen happens, but it is a lot easier and a lot better if we try and help him. So, when we pray ‘your will be done on earth’, we’re saying we trust he wants what is best for us, and will help it happen.

Watch: Tomkin - The Our Father (0:40), and pray it with him.

Introduction Explain: Imagine your family are taking you out on a trip. All week you are excited about where you might be going. Will it be swimming? The cinema? A play park?

• What would happen if you found out the treat your family had got for you wasn’t what you wanted: would it be fair to be sad?

No, because your family had made an effort to make you happy.

And do you know what? They know more than you, and they know you very well so there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy their choice even more than your own.

“The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord.”

Romans 14:7

Explain: today’s story is about three trees, and about what they wanted from life.

Read The Tale of Three Trees, by Angela Elwell Hunt.

Check understanding. The following questions may help.

• What did the first tree dream of being?

A treasure chest, holding precious gold and diamonds.

• And the second tree? A mighty ship that carried kings and queens.

• And the third tree? The tallest tree in the world, so that when people looked up at him they would think of God in heaven.

They all slowly grew, and waited, and finally people chopped them down for wood.

All three trees got excited - looking forward to their wishes coming true.

• What was the first tree used to make? A feedbox for animals. Oh dear.

• And the second? A simple fishing boat. Oh dear, oh dear.

• And the third? Large beams - just planks of wood. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

The years went by, and nothing happened, and the three trees began to even forget their dreams.

• Then one day, what was the feedbox used for? To hold a newborn baby in the hay.

• And who was that baby? Jesus. And the first tree realised he held the greatest treasure of all - far greater than gold and diamonds.

• And later on, who got in the simple fishing boat?

Some fishermen - one of whom fell asleep.

• And what happened while they were in the boat? There was a big storm.

• And what did the sleeping man do?

He woke up, and told the sea to be at peace - and it went calm, the storm stopped.

• And who was that man? Jesus.

• And do we recognise this story? Yes. What is it called? Jesus calms the storm.

Yes, and the second tree realised that he was carrying not just kings and queens, but the king of heaven and earth.

• And later on, what happened to the beams of wood?

They were made into a cross, and a man was nailed to it and died.

• And who was that man? Jesus.

• Yes. And what happened three days later? He rose again from the dead.

And the third tree realised that he had become a great sign of God’s love for us all, and from then on, anyone who looked at him would think of God in heaven.

• So, did all the trees’ dreams come true? Yes. How they expected? No. Better than what they expected? Yes. Yes, and our lives are like that - if we let God’s will be done.

Trusting that God wills what is best for me.

The Tale of Three Trees.

Explain: Let’s allow this song to help us think what we can learn from the story.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j61cwtyn9to A Prayer for Tomorrow (2:25).

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Entrusting our hopes to God.

Explain: So, if we trust in God, who has bigger dreams for us that we do, we offer him our hands, our feet and our hearts - to do his will.

Respond and teach Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

Explain: This story has helped us think about our own dreams, and God’s will. Have you ever been in a room when someone has said something, and you didn’t hear it properly, but another person did? Or you were watching the TV and didn’t understand something, so you ask mum or dad what was said? It’s a bit like that with us! Your heart ‘speaks’ about what you really want. And your mind hears it. And God hears it. But you don’t always hear it right. But God does. So God offers to help us follow what we really want - not what we think we want!

That’s a bit confusing - but the story helps us understand it.

• What did the first tree really want? To hold a great treasure.

• What did he think he really wanted? To hold gold and diamonds.

• Is that what he really wanted? No. He made the mistake of thinking that gold and diamonds were the greatest treasure.

• What did the second tree really want? To carry important people.

• What did he think he really wanted? To be famous for carrying kings and queens.

• Is that what he really wanted? No. He made the mistake of thinking that being famous was more important than serving.

• What did the third tree really want? To guide people to know God. • What did he think he really wanted? To make people look to God. • Is that what he really wanted? No. He made the mistake of thinking that he had to make people look up to see God. • Some children want to be rich when they grow up to have lots of money. What can they learn from the first tree?

That Jesus is our real treasure: if we have him in our heart, we don’t need money or diamonds.

• Some children want to be famous when they grow up.

What can they learn from the second tree?

That serving makes us happy, not how many people like us, or whether we are on TV or not.

• Some children want to be powerful when they grow up.

What can they learn from the third tree?

That love is more powerful than strength.

These are very important lessons. A lot of children and grown-ups you meet might want to be rich, famous or powerful - and that can make us want the same. But money, fame and power aren’t part of God’s dream for you and if you are listening to those people, you aren’t listening to God. • In the story, did what the trees really want come true?

Yes - in a way they didn’t even dream of.

• What needed to happen for their real dreams to come true?

Three things. They had to wait, and wait and wait; they had to trust in God even when it seemed to be going wrong; they had to learn from what happened to them.

So, every time we pray the Our Father, let’s remember this story and learn from the three trees.

Example Activity 1. Learn and sing Only a Shadow, by Carey Landry (The love I have for you my Lord). You may need the music coordinator or lead to help!

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work.”

St John Henry Newman

Mission Share with someone your dreams for your future - and then ask God what his dreams for you are.

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2c3

To know that our journey to heaven is an inside journey not an outside journey

Explain: we have been thinking about God’s dreams for us, and our dreams for LessonA Objectives ourselves. mistake we can make is that God wants to take us on an ‘inside’ journey, but we sometimes are thinking of an ‘outside’ journey. So, it helps to remember that heaven is simply being like Jesus and with Jesus.

Watch: Tomkin - The Our Father (0:40), and pray it with him.

Introduction Recap - explain: we heard the real story of Jesus Calming the Storm, and then we heard the made up story of the three trees. If you remember, that helped us think about our dreams and God’s dreams for us, and trusting what he wants trusting his will.

Watch: A Prayer for Tomorrow (2:25).

Recap - watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEAUHUjq7nI 62 Jesus Calms the Storm (1:00).

“[The hidden wisdom of God teaches us about] the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond our imagination: all that God has prepared for those who love him.” cf. 1 Corinthians 2:7, 9

Check understanding. The following questions may help.

• What did Jesus and his disciples want to do? Sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

• What did Jesus do on the boat? Sleep. That showed that Jesus trusted his disciples he wasn’t worried at all about safely crossing the sea.

(Teacher note: recall the words of Only a Shadow: My own belief in you, my Lord, is only a shadow of your faith in me…)

• What suddenly happened? A great storm.

What was it like? Waves crashing into the boat, wind whipping around the disciples.

Do you remember the video we saw of the boat in trouble?

And do you remember our percussion recordings?

• The disciples panicked, and woke Jesus. What did they say?

Don’t you care that we are drowning?

• What did Jesus reply? Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith at all?

• Jesus tells the wind and waves to be calm. What happens?

Straight away they are calm.

• What do the disciples say about Jesus?

Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him?

Journeying to be like Jesus.

Respond and teach Circle Time: use relaxing music to help set the scene.

• What is heaven like? Happy, fun, loving, etc. Yes, but what is it like?

We don’t really know. God hasn’t told us.

In fact, he deliberately hasn’t told us… because it isn’t important!

Let’s listen to what the Bible tells us about heaven…

Maybe ask a child to read out 1 Cor. 2:9, which is in the margin.

Ask the class what they think he means.

Explain: We can’t even imagine how beautiful heaven is.

And God hasn’t told us either. Now why is that?

• What makes heaven, heaven? What is going to be the best bit about heaven?

God. Being with God. • What’s the second best thing about heaven? Being with each other.

Yes, the best bit about heaven is being with God and each other being together in love. One family.

• Can you remember from the Good Samaritan, what two things did Jesus tell us to do? To love God and to love our neighbour.

So, on earth we are learning to love God and each other, so that in heaven we can be happy loving God and each other.

That’s our journey of love!

So, God doesn’t tell us what heaven looks like, because it doesn’t matter what heaven looks like!

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What does a journey to heaven look like?

Our journey is an inside one growing in love.

Our journey is a journey on the inside, not on the outside.

Example Activities 1. Draw a picture of Jesus, you and some of his disciples on a boat in a storm, all still smiling. Include a speech bubble each for Jesus, a disciple and you.

2. Sing ‘With Jesus in the boat we can smile through the storm’ at a school assembly. (Maybe play the children’s percussion recording before the song to set the scene.)

We have to choose an inside or outside journey.

• Does anyone remember what we mean by inside and outside? Outside is about what we look like, our body; inside is about the things we can’t see - our mind and heart.

It doesn’t matter what the ‘outside’ part of heaven is like - what we can see - what matters is that everyone there loves each other.

Just like it doesn’t matter what our ‘outside’ is like - what we can see, our body - what matters is that we love.

So, sometimes we don’t quite understand what we really want because we are dreaming of ‘outside journeys’ whereas our heart and mind long for an ‘inside journey’.

• Is wanting money about an inside journey or an outside one? Outside.

• Is wanting to be famous about an inside journey or an outside one? Outside.

• Is wanting to be powerful about an inside journey or an outside one? Outside.

Yes, and so what makes wanting them wrong is that they take us on the wrong journey!

• But what about love, is that about an inside or an outside journey? Inside.

• And truth and honesty - do they help us on an inside or an outside journey? Inside.

• And trusting God - does that help us on an inside or outside journey? Inside.

So if we decide money, fame and power are important we will go on an outside journey: and we will be sad because we won’t understand God who is taking us on an inside journey.

But if we decide love, truth and trust are important we will go on God’s inside journey for us: and we will keep smiling even if bad ‘outside’ stuff happens.

Watch: With Jesus in the boat we can smile through the storm (1:27) and sing along with it on your inside journey!

“Heaven is not a place in the Universe. It is a condition in the next life. Heaven is where God’s will is done without any resistance. Heaven happens when life is present in its greatest intensity and blessedness - a kind of life that we do not find on earth.”

YouCat, 52.

Mission Next time you are asking for money remember that Jesus is your real treasure.

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A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

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