Printable Lesson Plan
A printable version of our Redemption
Bible Lesson Required printables are
underlined.
-Morning Circle Time
-Preschool Theme
-Letter of the Week
-Music & Movement
-Center Time Activities
-Snack Suggestion
-Thematic Craft
-Bible Theme
-Bible Verse
-Bible Song
-Optional Resources
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Bible Theme: God Made Me Unique
Our second October lesson teaches children that God
has made each and everyone of us different and
unique. We are all special and those differences are
what make us even more special.
Preschool Theme: Elephants
This page is full of Elephant printables! There are
elephant coloring pages, bible verse bracelets,
handwriting worksheets and more! We have
everything you need for a great lesson.
"Elmer and the Hippos" by David McKee
In Elmer and the Hippos, the elephants are not happy. The
hippos' river has dried up, and they have moved into the
Elmer decides to investigate. He discovers the hippos' dry
river could be fixed¯but only if the hippos and the
elephants drop their prejudices and work together.
"Elmer" by David McKee
Elmer the elephant is bright-colored patchwork all over.
No wonder the other elephants laugh at him! If he were
ordinary elephant color, the others might stop laughing.
That would make Elmer feel better, wouldn't it? The
surprising conclusion of David McKee's comical fable is a
celebration of individuality and the power of laughter.
Snack:
Peanuts are an obvious choice if you have no allergic
individuals in your classroom. However, boxes of animal
crackers are probably a safer idea. See how many of the
animals the children can identify!
Read Elmer, by David McKee.
Take some time to discuss Elmer's situation. What
made Elmer unique? What makes each of us
unique? How did Elmer's special talents (his fun
colors and his jokes) help his friends? How do our
special talents help our communities?
Music & Movement:
Play the video or the song "The Elephant Song" by Eric
Herman. This funny song will delight the children, and goes
along with the prankster/joke theme of the "Elmer" book. Click
here to learn more about Mr. Herman's music. Play the song
again and pause after each animal is mentioned. Let the children
act like that animal, then hit "play" again until the next animal.
Continue like this until the song is finished.
Morning Circle:
Introduce the letter “E” to the children. Show the children the letter "E." Explain
that there are several ways to pronounce the letter "E." Show a picture of an ear.
Say the word "ear" with the children. Show a photo of an eagle. Say the word
"eagle" with the children. Explain that this is just one sound the letter "E" can
make. Now show the children a photo of an egg. Say "egg." Ask the children if
they heard the difference. Now show a picture of elbow. Say "elbow." Ask the
children if "elbow" sounds more like "egg" or "ear." Explain that the same letter
sometimes has different sounds. You may like to check out the website
"photographic dictionary" for some excellent pictures and words you can use to
teach your young children basic sounds and letters.
Show the children a photo of an elephant.
Explain that "elephant" begins with "e."
Ask the children if they can tell you where
elephants live. How big are they? What
color? What are their long "noses" called?
Are they loud? Tell the children that lots
of elephants live in Africa, on a broad area
of grassland called a "savanna." Take some
time to show some interesting photographs
of elephants in their habitats. You may
want to explain that some elephants live in
different areas of the world, including
Asian countries and jungles.
Savanna Habitat
Set up an area for imaginary play with toy
savanna animals. Include lions, zebras,
giraffes, elephants (of course,) and any other
African savanna animals you can find.
Include some plastic trees and some blue
paper cutouts for "waterholes." You could
even utilize a sand table for this setup. Play
some African animal sound recordings in
the background while the children play.
Listening Center
Make a recording of yourself reading age-appropriate jokes. Make
the recording interesting and be mindful of the timing of your
jokes. Set up a cd player or playback device of your choosing at a
table. Invite small groups of children to have fun listening and
laughing at your preschool jokes. (A few websites with
age-appropriate jokes for preschoolers include mothering.com,
activity village, and indianchild.com.)
Color Names Practice
Make a large grid on a piece of white posterboard. The idea is to make a grid of colors that
resembles Elmer's patchwork skin in the circle-time story Elmer, by David McKee. Color
in each square with a different color, then write the color name for that square with a black
marker. Include the basic colors that are shown on Elmer's hide: red, green, blue, yellow,
pink, orange, purple, black, and white. Next, prepare various bowls of colored objects.
(Make sure the objects correspond to the colors on your posterboard.) You might include
a bowl of buttons, a bowl of paperclips, a bowl of hair barrettes, and any other sets of small
objects that match the poster. Help the children place the colored objects onto the
matching squares on the grid. Reinforce the color names with the objects. For example
you might ask a child, "what color button is that in your hand?" The child might say,
"red." Then have the child choose any red square on the grid and say with the child, "red,"
as they place their object and look at the color word "red" on the grid.

Read: "Elmer and the Hippos" by David McKee
After reading the story, take a moment to talk with the children
about what "prejudice" means. (Remember that "prejudice"
refers to more than just ethnicity or race. We can have
prejudices against people who wear glasses, overweight or
overly-thin people, people with unusual hair, or simply anyone
who is different.) How were the elephants and the hippos
different from one another? How were they the same? How
are people the same? Different? Explain that God made us all:
creatures, people, plants. He made us to be unique. He also
made us with similarities. How can we all work together to
help each other despite our differences? How can we enjoy and
learn from others who are different from us?

Patchwork Elephants Patchwork elephants. Create an elephant template. Copy and cut out enough elephants for each child to have one. Gather many colors of construction or tissue paper. Cut these into small squares. Provide each child with plenty of these colored squares. Let the children paste their squares onto their elephants to simulate Elmer's patchwork body.
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Additional Activity:
If you are within reasonable distance from a zoo,
consider taking a field trip. Alternatively, create a
library corner filled with books and photos of jungle
and savanna animals. Consider watching a film about
African animals or elephants. Be sure to discuss the
characteristics of the animals you observe, such as
their similarities and their differences.
Elephant Coloring Pages Page 2
Here are some beautiful illustrations of elephants
for children to color. One sheet includes a
notebooking section for children to continue their
handwriting practice.
Elephant Color Sorting Game
This is a fun color sorting game
you can have out on a center
activity table. You can print
these up in color, or to save ink
use the black and white and
simply print onto colored
paper. Use cardstock or
laminate for durability.
Another verse that could be used separately, or in addition to, the above verse is Acts 10:34-36
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E is for Elijah This is a Bible Coloring Page of Elijah being fed by the Ravens that God sent.
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