January GIFT: Forgiveness Stories

This month we learned about 3 forgiveness parables told by Jesus.  As the kids came into the room, they were asked to count how many sheep were in our "pasture."  These were simply sheep clip art I had printed, cut out, and glued to green poster board.  (Actually, my 12-year-old did the cutting & pasting!)  When we started the session, I asked the kids how many sheep they had counted.  The answers varied from 72-103.  The correct answer was 99.
This led us into the story of the Lost Sheep, and after telling the story, I played a game with the kids.  The child who was first to give me the correct answer of how many sheep were in our field became my volunteer.  I asked the volunteer to leave the room, and I showed the rest of the children and parents where the "lost sheep" was hidden.  When the volunteer came back, he stood at the back of the room, and I explained the game.  When he moved, we would clap if he were going in the right direction, and stop clapping if he made a wrong turn.  When he got very close, we would add cheering.  This "hot and cold" guidance eventually led the volunteer to find out lost sheep, and it made all of the kids feel a part of the game.  (Remember I have about 40-50 kids and parents at each session)
After the game, I went on to share 2 other parables, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son (stopping at the point where the son comes home; we didn't get into the jealous brother).  I was sure to include the celebrations at the end of each story.  Then, I talked about what the parables meant, and how being lost was a symbol of sinning or turning from God.  We talked about how the Prodigal Son thought he had lost everything and had nothing, but he discovered he had never lost his father's love.  This of course was Jesus' way of saying we never lose the love of God our Father! 
Lastly, I came back to the idea of celebration and tied that into the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which our families have the opportunity to partake in later this month.
For Art & Snack, we celebrated God's forgiveness with Rice Krispie Treats (a fairly allergy-safe party-type food) whole making "Parable Story Boxes."  The boxes were from a suitcase craft from Guildcraft arts & crafts.  Each child received story cards and activity or prayer ideas for each of the 3 parables we discussed.  Click here for a PDF of the cards.  Each parable also had a symbol in the box: a sheep that the children made, a plastic coin, and an empty pouch (also from Guildcraft).
GIFT Parents who missed this session can pick up the Story Box materials at our February GIFT session.