Dr. Pat's Orthodox Super Sunday School Curriculum

OLD TESTAMENT

PARENTS’ GUIDE

MASTER SCHEDULE -- sample, fill in your own dates

Schedule of Classes:

            Each year we send home a parents’ guide to help you continue your children’s Christian education at home and to reinforce what is being taught in Church School.  This gives each family with children some ideas for exciting activities for you and your children to enjoy together; it is not meant to be comprehensive or exclusive. Use your creativity! If you know the topic of the week, you can also think up some wonderful ways to “bring it home” from Church. This can start as simply as reviewing the lesson of the week (Can the children tell you the story?) in the car on the way home from Church and continue through the week in your daily devotions and prayers. This year we focus on the Old Testament and each child, from the smallest to the teens, will have a Bible storybook or Bible itself to read in Church School and at home. If you take it home, be sure to bring it every week!

             It is very important even for the very young child to have daily prayers (Do you have a family icon corner? What about setting up one in his room?) and Bible (or Bible story) reading, maybe right after dinner or at bedtime. Do you say grace after each meal? Each day they can practice crossing themselves, lighting candles, burning incense, etc. And on Saturday night, in preparation for Liturgy the next day, what about a time of private confession to the Lord? You could even “pray the hours” on days when you are home: 7 AM (First Hour) thanking God for His light, 9 AM (3^rd Hour) thanking Him for His Holy Spirit, 12 Noon (6^th Hour) thanking Him for His crucifixion, and 3 PM (9^th Hour) praying with the wise thief, “Remember me, O Lord, in thy Kingdom.” Very little time spent, but a habit begun. Don’t forget a Jesse Tree (the 10-12 class is making one this year) and Advent wreath to bring Nativity closer to home.

            There will be some memory work for the year. While studying Moses, we will learn the Ten Commandments. While studying David, the 22^nd  Psalm. And, in the last few weeks of the year, the children in the 3-5 and 6-7 year old classes should learn the books of the Torah (the first 5 books) and the older students all the names of the books of the Old Testament.  These will be recited when ready during opening exercises and prizes given.  This would be great memory work to do in the car on the way to Liturgy!

            Just because we don’t have classes on Nativity and Pascha does not mean you will not be busy! Put up your Jesse tree at the beginning of Advent and add one of the many ancestors of Jesus we’ve studied to it each day, reviewing the story as you do so. What’s a Jesse tree? See the next page for instructions. An Advent wreath with candles to light for each Sunday of Advent (How many are there in an Orthodox home?) will add a bit of beauty to your icon corner. Finally the big day arrives! The Nativity of Christ!  There is so much to do!  Decorate the tree with ornaments and paper chains.  Have a birthday cake for Jesus. Review the Christmas greeting, “Christ is born!” and the response, “Glorify Him!” Sing the Troparion: “Thy Nativity”.  You can make crèche scenes out of the strangest things at home – pine cone people, toilet paper tube people, spoon people, etc. Be sure to have a crèche at home to review the story; before Christmas, Mary and Joseph can slowly move around the room toward the stable. Prayer: Lord, may you come in our hearts as you came on earth as a little child.

            As we enter Lent, review fasting with your children; some may be too young to fast fully but still can understand the concept. Come to Presanctified Liturgies and as many Lenten services as you can. Make an egg tree: blow out eggs for several weeks before Lent and let them drain and dry. Then decorate them as prayer requests – as members of your family, friends, travelers by land, sea, and air, your government, etc. – one for each day of Lent. As you add the egg to the tree, pray for the person or intention; your intercessory prayers will lengthen as the 40 days continue.

And, finally Pascha! Each night at storytime, review what Jesus was doing that very day. Put the icon of Pascha in your icon corner. Practice the Paschal greeting in as many languages as you can muster so your child will be an active participant in the service. Sing together the hymn, “Christ is risen from the dead…” And don’t forget the wonderful traditions: dye eggs (use crayons to make Pysanky), prepare your Pascha basket and cover, bake Easter bread, make Pascha cheese. You’ll be busy this week!

            Now, on to suggestions for particular weeks. Note that in the back of the booklet are a coloring or activity page or 2 or 3 for almost every lesson. Crosswords and puzzles for older students are included with the materials, and, of course, the youngest students can color on anything in sight!

            Don’t forget our parties and movie nights. These also form part of the learning experience. They are included in the calendar. Movie nights will begin right after vespers on Saturday with dinner for the whole family, followed by a short animated video for the smaller children. The feature film for the older children (You can decide how to define “older”, depending on maturity) with popcorn will include an overnight lock-in; bring sleeping bags. I will need at least one parent to spend the night with us. Details on the parties will be in the newsletter.

THE JESSE TREE

     The idea for a Jesse tree comes from the Scripture referring to Jesus as being a tree from the root of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, ancestor of Jesus both through Mary and through his adoptive father, Joseph. It was because of this ancestry that they were both traveling to Bethlehem for the census; Bethlehem was the city of David. Thus, the Jesse tree holds symbols of the ancestors, either physical or spiritual or both, of Jesus.

            Traditionally, the Jesse tree is placed in the home at the beginning of Advent. For each day, the children add an “ornament” to the tree, one for each of 40 Old Testament saints and prophets. It is left up during the Christmas season as a reminder of the centuries God spent preparing a people for His coming.

            How to make a Jesse tree? I’ve seen both 3-D and 2-D versions. With a 3-D version, you could take either a small purchased Christmas tree or a bare sapling or tree branch that looks like a tree, or make one with dowels like we are doing this year with the 10-12-year-old class is Church School. Then, for each character, you make a 3-D ornament that symbolizes the 40 characters you have chosen – e.g., an apple for Adam, a rainbow for Noah, a camel for Abraham, etc. These can be made a simply as taking a regular Christmas ball and gluing on a picture or a sticker, or with a multitude of craft styles and skill levels. They can all be in the same style or in a vast array of styles; if you leave them up to the creativity of the children, they’ll be in a vast array of styles, but interesting!

            3-D version takes up too much space or too easy to knock over? Then make a felt banner with a large brown or black tree with lots of branches. Hang it on the wall and cut out felt shapes symbolizing the various characters and place them as if hanging from or sitting on the branches, one for each day. Using felt, you do not need Velcro unless the “ornaments” are particularly heavy. Some people get really fancy and  needlepoint or embroider or stuff their ornaments; these will be heavy and need Velcro. 

You don’t have children at home anymore? What more lovely gift to make for the grandchildren or godchildren than a Jesse tree complete with ornaments (or ornament kits) that they would enjoy year after year?

          On the next page are selected readings for use as you place each ornament on the tree. The ornaments we made in Church School are in normal print. The other characters in bold are discussed in the opening exercises and ornament is suggested that can be made at home very, very simply to finish the 40 days.

JESSE TREE READING