Dr. Pat's Orthodox Super Sunday School Curriculum

JONAH

Objectives:

1. Children should be able to tell the story of Jonah.
2. Children should identify another reason for disobedience – dislike of the command.

Possible Lesson Plan:

1. Open with prayer.
2. Read the story of Jonah in The Beginner’s Bible, pages 257-264, the Children’s Bible Reader, pages 148-151, or the Read with Me Bible, pages 244-249. Remember that Ninevah was the capital of the Assyrians, who were poised to conquer the entire land of Israel.

Add Jonah to your timeline.

3. Feed the Elephant True/False questions:

                                              True                                              False

                  Jonah was a prophet of God.                    Jonah was a king of Israel.

                 God told Jonah to go to Ninevah.             God told Jonah to go to Egypt.

                 God sent a storm to Jonah’s ship.              Jonah’s ship had clear, blue sky.

                 Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.           Jonah was eaten by a lion.

4. Discuss disobedience again: Why did Jonah disobey God? Did he think the command was silly? Did he have trouble hearing God? Or did he dislike the command? Are you ever asked to do something you dislike? What? What were the consequences to Jonah for disobedience? What happens to you?

5. Decorate a “Big Mouth Fish”:

Take a large cardboard box and cut

      a jagged mouth around 3 sides.

Decorate with painted or paper spots,

      stripes, eyes, etc.

Children can climb into the box and

      pretend to be Jonah as you retell

the story.

6. 
6. OR Make a Jonah Toss Game: Take a large coffee can. Cover with blue paper and add picture of whale in the “water” and, if you’re really ambitious, a sailing ship glued to the rim. Give each child a piece of paper; they can color a picture of Jonah on each if desired. Review the story – how the sailors threw Jonah (just like trash) overboard to lighten the ship during the storm. Have the children crumple their pieces of paper and try to throw their Jonahs into the sea can!

7. OR Make a “Jonah Fish”: Cut 2 fish from blue construction paper for each child.

Cut an opening in one fish to see the stomach.

Decorate both halves with jagged white teeth and eyes. Staple halves together, except at mouth. Cut out and color Jonah figure.

Tape securely to craft stick.

Children can put Jonah in the mouth of the

fish and see him in the stomach!

If you want, mount the fish on a finger-painted blue sea.

8. Close with prayer.