the attitude of gratitude lapbook - homeschool …the attitude of gratitude lapbook by homeschool...

The Attitude of Gratitude

Lapbook

by Homeschool Helper Online

You may use this lapbook for your personal use.

Please do not make copies of it for anyone else.

If you would like to share it with someone, please direct them to our website so they can download or print it themselves.

http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com




Library List: Laying Down the Rails by Sonya SchafferFor Instruction in Righteousness by Pam Forster

www.HomeschoolHelperOnline.com

Developing An Attitude ofGratitude

#1 in the Habits Training Series

By Janelle Parhamwww.HomeschoolHelperOnline.com

The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that man's primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One excellent way to fulfill that purpose is to develop a habit of gratefulness. When we recognize God's sovereignty and give thanks to Him in all circumstances, we bring Him untold glory and we gain a deeper enjoyment of His presence in our lives. This study is designed to help you reinforce the importance of gratefulness as you work to build the habit in yourself and your children.

Charlotte Mason, a nineteenth-century educator, placed a strong emphasis on habits training for children. In her words, "The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children."

A large part of habits training is encouraging the behavior that you are trying to foster and giving gentle reminders each time that response is not received. I have found that spending a short amount of time each day focusing on the habit and doing some sort of hands-on activity will help the child stay on track and keep that habit at the forefront of his mind. I pray that these activities will assist you in your quest to develop the habit of gratefulness in yourself and your children.

Please feel free to use this project pack in any way that fits your family. I have included the daily lesson plans that we used in our family. They are just a guideline and can be done faster, slower, in a different order, etc. The most important thing to remember is that habits training takes place all day long. It is up to you as the teacher to model gratefulness, to guide and encourage your children throughout the day, and to correct and redirect them when they go astray. Before you know it, they will be giving thanks in all circumstances without any nudge from you!

Have fun and let me know how your family is doing in developing an “attitude of gratitude”!

Janelle Parhamwww.plantsgrownup.blogspot.com

A Note to the Teacher

See page 30 for instructions on how to assemble the lapbook..


Day 1: We are going to spend the next few weeks learning how to develop the habit of gratefulness. A habit is an action or an attitude that we learn to do without having to think about it. We are accustomed to doing it so often that it comes naturally to us. Think about what happens when someone sneezes. Do you say “God bless you” without really thinking about it? What happens when you wake up in the morning? Do you have to lay there for a few minutes so that you can figure out what to do next? No, you throw off the covers, swing your feet onto the floor, stand and begin your day. You've done it so many times that it just comes naturally, without making a conscious decision. Can you see how useful habits can be? When we create good habits for ourselves, we automatically do the things we ought and we free up our minds to focus on whatever task is at hand. Creating a new habit takes time and a lot of practice. We are going to focus on building one habit at a time so as not to become overwhelmed trying to focus on many things at once. The activities in this project pack will help focus your attention on building the habit of gratefulness so that it becomes a natural response to all of life. Since God commands us to give thanks in all circumstances, I believe this study is well worth our time and attention!

Activity: Cut out heart shapes beginning on page 11. Beginning with “gratitude”, write the definitions on the hearts, one or two per day. When completed, punch holes where indicated and fasten all together with a brass fastener.

Day 2: Every single day brings blessings from God. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that His loving kindnesses never cease and His compassions are new every morning. The very fact that you are breathing is reason enough to give thanks to God! Stop from time to time as you go through your day and think of five or six things that you are grateful for. If you have a hard time remembering to do this, set a timer to go off every hour to remind you. Each time you count your blessings, think of something new. God has blessed you so abundantly that you shouldn't have to repeat any!

Activity: Cut out the blessing cards and pocket on pages 9 and 10. To form the pocket, fold in half on the dotted line with the graphics facing out. Fold back the flaps on each side. Glue flaps down carefully so that cards will slide easily into the pocket. Each day, fill out a card with the thing you are the most grateful for that day.

Day 3: When God created the universe, did He just set things in motion and then step back to let them run on their own accord? Does the sun rise and set each day simply because that is what it has always done? Unfortunately, there are some people who believe this is true. But the Bible, God's holy Word, tells us otherwise. It paints a picture of our God who is sovereign. His is in complete control of everything, down to the very last atom. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He even knows how many hairs we have on our heads (Matthew 10:30). His Word also tells us that He loves us and will work all things together for good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). So whatever comes into our lives, even

Lesson Plans and Directions

Copyright 2008 Janelle Parham www.plantsgrownup.blogspot.comPage 3


when it's difficult or hurts for a time, we can give thanks for it. We can know that God is in control of it and will use it for good because He has promised it.Activity: Cut out the shape on page 14. Fold in half on the dotted line. Inside, write an explanation of how the sovereignty of God should lead us to be grateful. If you need guidelines to write on, use the ones on page 15. Use as many pages as necessary. When complete, slip pages inside the mini-book and staple at the top. Don't forget to continue working on vocabulary and daily gratefulness cards.

Day 4: I have mentioned God's commandment to give thanks in all circumstances. Do you know where in the Bible you can find that command? Actually, there are all kinds of verses that remind us to give thanks and praise to God. The one in particular that I have in mind is 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” That seems pretty simple, doesn't it? God is certainly worthy of all of our thanks and praise! But the verse says “in everything give thanks”. That means everything: when your brother or sister steals your favorite toy, when your mom says you have to clean your room, when you're having something awful for dinner, everything. That's a little bit harder, isn't it? It may be harder, but if the Holy Spirit lives in your heart, it's not impossible. Nothing is impossible with God, and if He commands you to do something then He will enable you to do it. Let's look back at those examples of difficult situations and think of some ways that we could be grateful for them. If your brother or sister steals a toy, you could choose to be thankful that you have brothers and sisters. How lonely you would be without them. You could choose to be thankful for the opportunity to practice patience and love. When you are asked to clean your room, you could choose to be thankful that you have a room to live in. Some people have no home. You could choose to be thankful for the toys and clothes that need cleaning. You could thank God for the opportunity to practice diligence in completing a job properly and the opportunity to honor and respect your parents. I think you get the idea. Start practicing the habit of gratefulness each time you are tempted to be angry or frustrated. We'll talk more about this subject later.

One of the best ways that we can fix something in our minds is to write it down. If you say it out loud while you write, that's even better because you are using three out of your five senses to interact with the information. Some of this country's greatest leaders, statesmen, and authorshave used copywork to help them learn and remember great words that would shape and direct their lives. During our study we will copy three different Scriptures that will help us see the habit of gratitude from God's perspective. I hope that you will not only copy God's Word but that you will hide it in your heart so that it might direct your life and keep you from sin.Activity: Cut out the square on page16. Cut out guideline square on page17 if needed. Glue to backside of first square. Copy 1 Thessalonians 5:18 on the lines provided. Flip over and fold in half lengthwise with graphics on the inside. Open up.Copyright 2008 Janelle Parham www.plantsgrownup.blogspot.com


Fold diagonally on lines provided. Open. Fold diagonally in the other direction. Open. With the lined side facing you, push down on the top and bottom of the square. It should collapse into a triangle with the graphics on the top.

Day 5: All through the ages, the children of God have used music to praise and honor their heavenly Father. One of the best-known songwriters is King David, who poured out his heart and soul to God in the Psalms. Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us that we should “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” (Italics mine). God enjoys it when we praise Him in song ! Some of the richest expressions of love and thanksgiving have come to us in the form of psalms and hymns. In the course of our study, we will take a look at just two of these musical treasures, but I hope that you will be inspired to continue to study the great hymns that make up our spiritual heritage.

The first hymn that we will study is “For the Beauty of the Earth”. As you read through the words, think about the things that the hymn-writer is praising God for. They are beautiful, precious gifts that each one of us shares in. Do you regularly thank God for each of these things?

For the beauty of the earthFor the glory of the skies,For the love which from our birthOver and around us lies.RefrainLord of all, to Thee we raise,This our hymn of grateful praise.For the beauty of each hour,Of the day and of the night,Hill and vale, and tree and flower,Sun and moon, and stars of light.RefrainFor the joy of ear and eye,For the heart and mind’s delight,For the mystic harmonyLinking sense to sound and sight.RefrainFor the joy of human love,Brother, sister, parent, child,Friends on earth and friends above,For all gentle thoughts and mild.Refrain

For Thy Church, that evermoreLifteth holy hands above,Offering up on every shoreHer pure sacrifice of love.RefrainFor the martyrs’ crown of light,For Thy prophets’ eagle eye,For Thy bold confessors’ might,For the lips of infancy.RefrainFor Thy virgins’ robes of snow,For Thy maiden mother mild,For Thyself, with hearts aglow,Jesu, Victim undefiled.RefrainFor each perfect gift of Thine,To our race so freely given,Graces human and divine,Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.Refrain

By Folliot S. Pierpoint

Copyright 2008 Janelle Parham www.plantsgrownup.blogspot.com


If you would like to learn the music for this hymn, you can hear it online at http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/b/fbeautye.htm With each hymn, I want you to look up any words that are unfamiliar to you and add them to your vocabulary mini-book. If there are phrases that you don't understand, discuss them with your teacher. Then you will be ready to complete the mini-book with your thoughts about the meaning of the hymn or how this hymn can help you as you work to develop a habit of gratitude.Directions: Cut out the rectangles on page 18. On the lined page, write down what this hymn means to you or how it has affected you in developing a habit of gratitude. Print additional pages as necessary. When your writing is complete, stack the pages with the cover on top and staple along left edge.

Day 6: As we've studied the subject of gratitude, we have seen that God commands us to give thanks in all circumstances, even the ones that are difficult or unpleasant. If He commands us to do it, then it must be possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. Today, I want you to think of some difficult circumstances that you face regularly or that you have faced in the past. Maybe it is an unpleasant person who teases you, maybe you are having trouble with a particular subject in school or a bad habit that you just can't seem to break. Make a list of five of them.Directions: Cut out the rectangle on page19. Fold in half on the dotted line. On the top layer only, cut in on each of the solid lines to form five flaps. Write a difficult situation on each flap. Under the flap, write some things you can be thankful for in that situation.

Day 7: The Bible is full of stories that show us what gratitude looks like and how God feels about his children who have hearts filled with thanksgiving. It also is full of stories that give us an example of ingratitude and it's consequences. Today is the first of two stories that we will study that teach us how not to behave. Sometimes, in order to fully understand a character quality, it helps to take a look at what the opposite quality looks like. Look up and read Numbers 21:5-6 and then complete the mini-book for this lesson.Directions: Cut out the rectangle on page 20. Cut up on each of the solid lines to form three flaps. Fold the booklet in half lengthwise, then write the answers to the questions under the flaps. Fold in thirds on the dotted lines with the picture on the outside.

Day 8: Today we are going to work on another verse from Scripture. Today's verse is Ephesians 5:20. We discussed this verse a bit when we did our hymn study. It continues to emphasize God's command to be thankful in all circumstances. Hopefully, as our study has progressed, you have found yourself giving thanks to God for things that you may have previously overlooked. Continue looking for the blessings in each moment of your day!Directions: Cut out the squares on pages 21 and 22. Follow the directions listed on Day 4.



http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/b/fbeautye.htm

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/b/fbeautye.htm

Day 9: It's time to study a new hymn! I hope you enjoyed our first hymn study and that it has helped you to develop an attitude of gratitude in your life. Our second and final hymn study is “O Worship the King” by Robert Grant. Again, if you would like to listen to it online, it is available athttp://cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/w/owtking.htmDon't forget to write look up and write down any words that are unfamiliar to you!O worship the King, all glorious above,O gratefully sing His power and His love;Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.The earth with its store of wonders untold,Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;Established it fast by a changeless decree,And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.O measureless might! Ineffable love!While angels delight to worship Thee above,The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

Directions: Cut out the rectangles on page23. Follow the directions listed on Day 5.

Day 10: Today's lesson is the study of another story from the Bible that illustrates an ungrateful heart. This story is about two sisters and how one sister was irritated with the other. Does that sound familiar? Read the story in Luke 10:38-40 and then complete today's mini-book.Directions: Cut out the rectangle on page 24. Follow the directions listed on Day 7.

Day 11: Colossians 3:17 is another wonderful scripture to hide in our hearts. It talks about committing all that we do to the Lord, giving thanks to Him always. Our last copywork assignment is to copy Colossians 3:17 and hopefully, to commit it to memory. Also, don't forget to finish your vocabulary mini-book and to continue working on your gratefulness cards.Directions: Cut out the squares on pages 25 and 26 and follow the directions listed on Day 4.



http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/w/owtking.htm

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/w/owtking.htm

Day 12: We're at the end of our study! I hope that you have enjoyed it and that you are finding yourself thanking and praising God our Father all throughout your day. Just writing this study has helped me to find new things to be thankful for! One way that we can show our gratitude for God's love and His blessings is to pass them on to others. Look up and read Matthew 25:35-40. What it is saying is that when we do nice things to others, we are actually doing them to Jesus Himself. Isn't that amazing? So today's assignment is to think of five things that you can do for others (and for Jesus) and then do them!Directions: Cut out the flower shape on page 27. Write one act of kindness on each petal and then fold it down to the center. Cut out the title on page 28. Tape it to the top of the folded up flower so that the tape acts as a hinge.

Copyright 2008 Janelle Parham www.plantsgrownup.blogspot.com


Something I AmThankful For

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I am thankful for______________

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The Vocabulary of a

Grateful Heart

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Contentment________________________________________

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How does the sovereignty of God lead

us to gratefulness?



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Copywork1 Thes. 5:18



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For the Beauty of the Earth

HYMN STUDY

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Tou

gh T

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What d

id t

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Israelit

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as g

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response?

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bers 2

1:5-6

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should

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behaved?



CopyworkEphesians 5:20



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O Worship the King

HYMN STUDY

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What d

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artha d

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0:3

8-40

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Martha

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ehaved?



CopyworkCol. 3:17



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Ways I Can Show Gratitude

Directions. Cut out pentagon on this page. Cut out around outside edges of the shape on the following page. On each petal write the name of an important person in your life (i.e. Mom, dad, sibling, pastor, friend, etc.) Then write something you could do to show gratitude to that person. Fold in each flap and tape cover over the top so it will open like a hinge.



Bibliography

Schaffer, Sonya. Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook. Georgia: Simply Charlotte Mason

Forster, Pam. For Instruction in Righteousness. Gaston, Oregon: Doorposts. 1993

Forster, Pam. Plants Grown Up. Gaston, Oregon: Doorposts.

Other Resources:http://www.characterjournal.com/html/Character%20Journal%203%20-%20Gratefulness.htmhttp://www.cyberhymnal.org

gratefulGRA'TEFUL, a. [from L. gratus. See Grace.]

1. Having a due sense of benefits; kindly disposed towards one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay benefits; as a grateful heart.

2. Agreeable; pleasing; acceptable; gratifying; as a grateful present; a grateful offering.

3. Pleasing to the taste; delicious; affording pleasure; as food or drink grateful offering.

Now golden fruits on loaded branches shine,

And grateful clusters swell with floods of wine.

gratitudeGRAT'ITUDE, n. [L. gratitudo, from gratus, pleasing. See Grace.] An emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. Gratitude is an agreeable emotion, consisting in or accompanied with good will to a benefactor,and a disposition to make a suitable return of benefits or services, or when no return can be made, with a desire to see the benefactor prosperous and happy. Gratitude is a virtue of the highest excellence, as it implies a feeling and generous heart, and a proper sense of duty.

The love of God is the sublimest gratitude.

thanksTHANKS, n. generally in the plural. Expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment made to express a sense of favor or kindness received. Gratitude is the feeling or sentiment excited by kindness; thanks are the expression of that sentiment. Luke 6.

Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory. 1 Cor.15.

Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Cor.9.

He took bread and gave thanks to God. Acts.27.



http://www.characterjournal.com/html/Character%20Journal%203%20-%20Gratefulness.htm

http://www.characterjournal.com/html/Character%20Journal%203%20-%20Gratefulness.htm

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/grateful

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/grateful

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/gratitude

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/gratitude

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/thanks

http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/thanks

Lapbook General Instructions

There are many ways to put together a lapbook. Just play with it and do what works for your family. Iusually print all of the mini-book pages on white cardstock before we start the unit. I like cardstock because of its durability, but regular printer paper works fine too. I use printer paper to print out the lesson plan pages, place them on top of the mini-book pages and put them in a folder or 3-ring binder. It can then be given to an older child to be worked through independently as a daily devotional or kept ready to work on together as a family.

As each mini-book is completed, it is best to keep them in a bag until all are complete and ready to put in the lapbook. An alternative is to mount the mini-books on pieces of cardstock that has been three-hole punched and place them in a 3-ring binder.

To create a lapbook, open up a manila file folder, then fold each side in to meet at the center crease. This is also called a shutter-fold. This project pack requires an extension to fit all of the mini-books that your child will create during the course of this study. To create one, take a piece of cardstock and fold it in ½ inch along one of the long sides. Apply glue to the flap that you have created and glue inside your lapbook. (See photo). You are now ready to start gluing mini-books into your lapbook. Feel free to copy our example or create an arrangement of your own. The various clip art found throughout this project pack can be cut out to decorate your lapbook or you can be creative and make your own decorations. The most important thing is to just have fun!



the attitude of gratitude lapbook - homeschool …the attitude of gratitude lapbook by homeschool...

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