Of all the psalms, Psalm 23 is the best known. This program idea is a good follow up to the Christmas season, focusing on sheep and shepherds.
Young children are familiar with the scenes of shepherds watching their flocks in the night. Take advantage of this familiarity with these books and activities.
Vocabulary
- shepherd--one who takes care of sheep
- sheepfold--pen where the sheep stay during the night
- pasture--grassy land where sheep eat
- flock--a group of sheep
- staff--long, slender stick, usually with a hook on the end, used in caring for sheep
- rod--club used for protection agaisnt wild animals
Introduction
Pass out a coloring sheet from Sheep USA.
Questions:
- What animal is this?
- What sound does it make?
- Why are they important to people? (People cut sheep's fleece and use it to make wool yars and cloth. Explain that this is like thier own haircuts and does not hurt the sheep.)
Sheep are gentle and shy. A group of sheep is called a flock. Caring for sheep is a very important job. The person who cares for sheep is called a shepherd. Sheep live in a sheepfold, or sheep pen. They usually stay in the pen at night. Each morning the shepherd leads his flock out to green pastures where they can eat grass. When the sheep have eaten the grass in one place, the shepherd leads them to a new pasture. He leads them to water so that they can drink.
Sheep cannot defend themselves against wild animals. All they can do is run away. Part of the shepherd's job is to protect his sheep. Many shepherds carry a staff. He uses it to guide his sheep and lead them where they need to go. Sometimes a shepherd carries a rod, or club, to protect himself and his sheep from wild animals. They often have dogs that are trained to help them guide and protect the sheep.
Books
The following books can be used with this program idea.
Charlie Needs a Cloak, by Tomie de Paola.
A shepherd shears his sheep, cards and spins the wool, weaves and dyes the cloth, and sews a beautiful new red cloak.
Ashkii and His Grandfather, by Margaret Kahn Garaway and Harry Warren (Illustrator).
A Navajo boy accompanies his grandfather to the summer sheep camp high in the mountains. Grandfather teaches Ashkii how to protect the livestock from dangerous animals and plants. He encourages Ashkii to draw pictures of what he sees while herding. When it is time to start school Ashkii protests; he doesn't need school if he is going to be a sheepherder. Grandfather urges Ashkii to go to school to become a Navajo artist with the help of this teachers. Becoming bored with school, he and his friend Chee run away to join grandfather in sheep camp. After a trying adventure they return to school. Ashkii becomes content as he learns about art from his teacher. This book is currently out of print.
The Shepherd Boy, by Kim Lewis.
James longs for the day he is old enough to be a shepherd like his father, an when Christmas comes, almost a year later, he receives a very special present.
Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool, by Teri Sloat and Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator).
"Farmer Brown was shearing sheep, piling up a snowy heap of wool that filled his shed, knee-deep..." But when the temperature drops, his shivering sheep see all their wool in sacks--and "BAAA!" they cry. "WE WANT IT BACK!" Young listeners will enjoy chiming in on this hilarious read-aloud as Farmer Brown's sheep track down their wool. As the farmer goes form one neighbor to the next, his sheep discover how their fleece changes when it's cleaned, carded, spun into yarn, and dyed. Can they get it back? It's the tender-hearted Farmer Brown himself who comes up with the surprise solution. "Now each year, come shearing time, the sheep wait eagerly in line, to feel the clip and hear the buzz, and wear bright sweaters over fuzz."!
