KS1 - Year 1

Key Stage 1 Year 1

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Love is creative.

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

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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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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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

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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A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

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