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Sal and her mother are collecting blueberries to can for the winter while Little Bear and her mother are also on Blueberry Hill eating blueberries to prepare for winter hiberna-tion. Several elements of the Theology of the Body can be drawn out of Sal’s human experience (TOB 4:4). This lesson focuses on the dignity of creation, the special dignity of the person and the human relationship with God through the world and others.

This story presents us with the beauty and order of creation; the blueberries are a gift provided in abundance to many different creatures all who have come to Blueberry Hill to enjoy them (TOB 2:3). Both Sal and Little Bear follow their mother in their work and eventually tire and sit down. This ultimately leads to Sal and Little Bear falling behind and losing track of their mothers. As Sal and Little Bear search for their mothers and experience the wonder of creation, they meet other creatures that at first seem to be making sounds similar to their own mother. As Sal encounters the world around her she begins to distinguish the noises of her own mother from the other animals. Eventually Sal’s mother finds her when she hears the familiar sound of blueberries hitting the pail.

Similar to Adam, Sal’s bodily encounter with the world helps her to learn more about herself as a person and her relationship to God, the world and others. Sal experiences the difference between herself and other creatures. She is set apart from the rest of creation in a special way (TOB 5:4; 6:1). Unlike Little Bear, Sal is capable of knowing her place in the world and making choices in a distinctly human way (TOB 5:5).

The gift of the blueberries has engendered a desire for human work, which places itself at the service of others and a greater goodness. For Sal and her mother this work is a way in which creation is received as a gift from the Father, but also helps them to grow in virtue as their labor bears forth fruit in the cold winter months (TOB 6:4; 7:2). The fact that we work in order to survive is an important lesson that deepens the bond that Sal has with Blueberry Hill – she can now see that it, and therefore all of creation, exists for her good (TOB 16:3).

The lessons that Sal can learn from her encounter with the world are numerous; see which ones you discover with the children given to you!

KINDERGARTEN

STORY OVERVIEW

UNIT 1BLUEBERRIES FOR SALby Robert McCloskey

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THEOLOGY OF THE BODY CONNECTIONS

KNOWLEDGE• Develop a sense of wonder for creation (TOB 5:4-5; 16:3, 46:5; 71:4).

• Learn that creation is a given as a gift to man so that he can share in the life of God (TOB 13:2-3; 16:3).

• Learn about God and the world through human experience (TOB 4:4).

• Learn about man’s special relationship with God through Original Solitude (TOB 5-6).

• Learn that Adam recognizes he is different from all other living beings by naming the animals (TOB 5:4).

• Learn that Adam is different from all other creatures because he can care for creation (TOB 6:3-7:2).

• Be introduced to the fact that man is self-aware and is given the ability to choose the good (TOB 6:1).

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES• Identify similarities and differences between Sal and Little Bear.

• Explain how and why Sal and Little Bear worked to get berries.

• Explain how God is involved in the story.

• Give examples of Love in this story.

• Describe the relationship that God has with his creatures.

• Give examples of ways that humans are superior to animals.

• Describe ways that creation is a gift from God.

SKILLS• Learn to pray the Our Father.

• Recite the days of creation.

• Practice naming surroundings and classify-ing objects.

• Practice recognizing the difference be-tween animals and human beings.

• Express that the body is important and helps us to learn about ourselves.

• Memorize and recite Scripture especially from Genesis 1-3.

• Practice sitting still while listening to a story.

• Practice listening to classmates speak without interrupting.

• Practice speaking clearly.

APTITUDES• Appreciate the dignity of the human per-

son and place of man in creation.

• Experience the wonder of creation.

• Recognize that each person is created as a gift from God.

• Cultivate the desire for happiness and union with God.

• Cultivate an attitude of reverence toward the body.

• Cultivate awe for God’s creatures and all of creation.

• Develop an awareness of the presence of God in creation and our relationships with others.

MATERIALS NEEDED

PRAYER

• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

• Visual aids for the Presentation stage of the lesson

• Worksheet and/or sorting activity

• Paper and drawing materials for the children

• Sponges in the shape of animal footprints, paints, paper

A note to the teacher: This lesson contains many themes. You may choose to work several days with this book highlighting a different theme each day. You might decide to highlight only a few or to use these questions when they tie together with similar themes in your curriculum (see suggestions in the “Lesson Extensions” section). The following lesson stages are meant to be a guide and may need to be reorganized, min-imized, or reframed for your particular classroom.

• Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gifts that you give to us especially the beauty of creation, our friends and family and our work. Our Father … Amen.

• Discuss the connections to the Our Father and the story:

Our Father ...

○ Why do we call God “our Father” in this prayer?

♦ God is Our Father; he is the Creator and gives us all good things. He makes earth a beautiful home for man because He loves him.

... who art in Heaven ...

○ Where is God’s home?

♦ Heaven is the home of Our Father and is also our true home; He wants us to be with Him.

... hallowed be thy name.

○ What does “Hallowed” mean?

♦ “Hallowed” means to sanctify or make holy. We honor the Lord’s name as holy by living holy lives and we ask Him to show Himself in our lives each day.

God has shared His name with us because He wants us to be His children. He wants you to be able to call on Him like you call on your parents when you say “Mom” or “Dad.” A name in the Hebrew culture described the whole person – including their character and their work.

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Somethingto writehome about

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be

thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on

earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our tres-

passes, as we forgive those who trespass

against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but

deliver us from evil.

AMEN.

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INVITATION

PRESENTATION OF TYPES

COMPARISON OF TYPES

1. Discuss with children the topic of motherhood as well as animals. The goal is to high- light the differences between humans and animals and the dignity of human work.

a. What does your mother do for you? What do you do with your mother?

b. Do animals have mothers? Are their mothers the same as our mothers? How are they different?

c. Do animals do work? What kind of work do they do? Is it different than the kind of work that people do?

1. Give children the worksheet and ask them to match the baby with its mother. Dis-cuss the similarities and differences between babies and their mothers.

2. Discuss the kind of work that animals do (bees making honey, beavers building a dam, horses pulling heavy loads, etc.) where possible show pictures or examples. Discuss the kind of work that people do (growing plants, caring for animals, caring for the sick, teaching, building homes, fixing broken cars, etc.) where possible show pictures or examples.

3. Explain that we are about to read a story about a little girl and her mother who go outside to do some work together. As we read this story think about the differences between animals and humans. Read the story Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClo-skey with the children.

1. Demonstrate that man has similarities and is also different from other created be-ings which can be learned by naming our surroundings (TOB 6:3; 7:1-2).

a. Highlight the similarities between Sal and Little Bear.

i. How is Sal like Little Bear?

ii. Why are Sal and Little Bear eating blueberries?

b. Highlight the differences between Sal and Little Bear.

i. Why wouldn’t Sal want to go home with Little Bear’s mother?

ii. What noises do the animals in the story make?

iii. How is Sal’s body different from the body of Little Bear?

iv. How do the mothers recognize they have the wrong baby?

v. How does Sal eat differently from Little Bear?

vi. How does Sal’s mother find her?

vii. What can Sal do that Little Bear cannot do?

2. Demonstrate that the work man does has a special dignity because he can care for the world. It is through work that man understands the meaning of his body – he is a creature but the greatest of all creatures. (TOB 6:4-7:2)

a. Highlight the work that is happening and its bodily nature.

i. What sound do the blueberries make as they hit the pail?

ii. How do Sal and Little Bear prepare differently for the winter?

1. What will Sal do with the blueberries?

2. What will the bears do with the berries?

3. Which involves more work?

4. How is the work good?

iii. How does Sal learn about the importance of picking blueberries?

iv. Who teaches Sal how to pick blueberries?

v. Why does Sal sit down in the blueberry patch?

vi. Why is it hard for Sal to put blueberries in her pail?

vii. Does Sal think about her work differently than the animals in the story?

3. Highlight that creation is a gift (TOB 13:2-3).

a. What is good about the blueberries?

b. Where did the blueberries come from?

c. Where did Little Bear and his mother come from?

d. Where did Sal and her mother come from?

e. Does God love the things he makes? How does He show it?

f. In what ways is the earth a home for the bears in the story?

g. In what ways is the earth a home for Sal and her mother?

EXPRESSION

1. Cut the images of mothers and babies from the worksheet and ask children to sort and match them. Each child could each be given one image and then search for the other student in the class who has his or her match. Discuss similarities between mothers and babies as well as differences between animals and humans. Note that Sal’s mother found her based on the noise that she made while working to col-lect blueberries. This is a great way to highlight human work as different from the “work” of animals.

2. Ask children to draw a picture of themselves with their mother completing one of their favorite activities. Alternatively, children could draw a baby animal and its mother. Discuss how our work and our ability to care for creation as humans make us different from the animals.

3. Discover bodily differences through footprints:

a. Cut a sponge into the shape of an animal’s footprint.

b. Have the children dip the sponge in paint and lightly press onto paper.

c. Have the children make their own footprints on the paper.

d. Display the images and discuss the differences between humans and animals.

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APPLICATION

RELATIONSHIP WITH CREATION1. Live animals! Go on a field trip to the zoo, petting zoo, local farm or even combine

with the show and tell of a pet. While looking at the animals discuss with the chil-dren the bodies of the animals and the ways that they are similar and different from humans. Questions from the story could be adapted and asked again. Compare our human way of being and working with that of the animals.

2. Plant something! Read Genesis 2:15 and discuss Adam’s role to care for the gar-den and how this gift of work is specifically given to man. Plant something, gather flowers for the classroom or go on a nature walk. Talk about the care that nature requires and how we can appreciate its beauty.

Read Mark 4:26–43 and discuss the parable of the mustard seed. Highlight that God is the one who makes the seed grow and that man participates in this work by caring for the seed.

3. Go on a nature walk! Create a nature notebook. Experience the beauty of creation by observing and attempting to draw something beautiful in nature. The goal of this activity would be to help the child look intently at nature and discover it is full of wonder. Help them to pay attention to what they see, where they see it and to make observations.

4. Treat Time! Make a blueberry treat (muffins, cobbler, parfait, etc.) and discuss the fruits of nature and the fruit of our work. Questions from the story could be adapt-ed and asked again.

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD5. Gratitude! Help the children to compose a prayer expressing their gratitude for cre-

ation. This could include a drawing of elements of creation for which they are thankful.

6. What is its name? Place classroom safe objects in a brown paper bag (a stuffed an-imal, a rock, a cotton ball, a small toy, etc.). Ask a child to feel what is inside the bag and try to name it without looking. Reveal all the items. Discuss how naming some-thing is a way of caring for and entering into relationship with something (or someone).

Read Genesis 2:19 and discuss how Adam was asked to name the animals. When he did this he learned that he is similar to the animals but also very different. There was something about him that was even more special – he could care for the world, he could name things, and he could talk directly to God.

Talk about the “Our Father” that was prayed before reading the book. Explain how special it is that God shared His name with us because it shows He wants to be in re-lationship with us – and a very special relationship at that! Share some of the different names of God with the children and leave them in a prominent place in the classroom.

7. Naming and working with letters. Bring in a bag, box or basket and fill it with things that start with the letter B, pull them out and ask the children to name the items. Don’t forget the blueberries and the bears!

This exercise could be used with any letter you are teaching the children.

4. Incorporate an animal-shaped snack into the day to encourage discussion about different animals.

5. Recite the days of creation and discuss how each day something greater is created by God. Point out that man is the climax of creation, the greatest thing that God creates. Use the “Days of Creation” images to create a counting/sequencing game.

PARENT COMMUNICATIONS

• If you have a newsletter consider sharing these points:

○ Our Theology of the Body lessons included:

♦ Learning how man is set apart from the rest of creation and is the greatest of all creatures.

♦ Learning that creation is a gift from God.

♦ Learning that man has a special relationship with God.

○ Include details of any of the Expression and Application activities completed as a class.

○ Include some highlights from your discussions and some questions that could be asked again at home.

○ Share any of the aptitudes you hope to see growing in the children.

○ Include the title of the book and the author and suggest that they read this story at home. Also suggest an activity that was not used in class that could be completed at home.

○ Include a few connections that you discussed when praying the Our Father and encourage the parents to pray this prayer with their children at home.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS8. A gift for Mom! Consider completing this lesson around Mother’s Day and have the

children write a prayer for their mother. Discuss how making a gift is a form of hu-man work, our bodies allow us to make gifts in a way that animals cannot. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we can give and praying is something very important that we can do as humans.

9. Do you have classroom roles or helpers (such as a board cleaner, plant caretaker, mailperson, messenger, etc)? Discuss the dignity and importance of these roles es-pecially how they are a service to the other people, that they are a way to care for the classroom environment and that they allow for relationships in the classroom. Highlight that these are human works that animals cannot do.

10. Invite a guest! Bring in a guest speaker to share about their work. Discuss the ways that this person’s work is different from the “work” of animals.

11. Be thankful! Celebrate someone who works in the school by writing them a thank you note, making them a small gift or completing an act of service for them. High-light the value and dignity of human work.

Read Psalm 69:30 and highlight some of the points from the “Our Father” prayer. How is our work a way of giving thanks to God and honoring His name?

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Somethingto writehome about

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Online resources ○ Coloring pages related to the story of creation.

○ There are free teaching resources and extension activities at scholastic.com for Blueberries for Sal.

Other projects/activities/cross-curricular ideas ○ Connect this with lessons about jobs and careers (teachers, firefighters, police

officers, etc.).

○ Connect with units about animals (classification, behavior, sounds, etc.).

○ Connect with learning about the seasons. Plant something in the spring and watch it grow!

○ Connect with math lessons by counting and sequencing the days of Creation or count blueberries in a pail.

○ Connect with music by highlighting the sound the blueberries made when they hit the pail. Make shakers out of tin cans by filling them with different beans, rocks, rice, etc. to make a rhythm.

LESSON EXTENSIONS

Other books connected to this story or with similar themes:

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

A little bird goes in search of her mother. This could be a great connection with observing one’s surroundings in nature and find-ing more about one’s own identity.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

A little boy’s care for creation and his patience in growing a carrot from seed. This would be a great story to connect with the parable of the mustard seed and the fact that God is the one who gives life to creation. It could also be used to highlight the boy’s faith.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A caterpillar’s diet each day and the story of his becom-ing a butterfly. Connect the days of the week to the idea of the days of creation; highlight the beauty and wonder found in creation.

Love Songs of the Little Bear by Margaret Wise Brown

This book continues the theme of bears but also could high-light the seasons and wonder of creation as a gift.

ACTIVITY PAGE

MOTHER AND BABY PAIRS• To use in the Presentation stage of the lesson: match each baby with its mother.

• To use in the Expression stage of the lesson: Cut the images of mothers and babies from the worksheet and ask children to sort and match them. Each child could each be given one image and then search for the other child in the class who has his or her match.

• Discuss similarities between mothers and babies as well as differences between animals and humans. Note that Sal’s mother found her based on the noise that she made while working to collect blueberries. This is a great way to highlight human work as different from the “work” of animals.

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13

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ACTIVITY PAGE

DAYS OF CREATION• Use the “Days of Creation” images to create a counting/sequencing game.

• Recite the days of creation and discuss how each day something greater is cre-ated by God. Point out that man is the climax of creation, the greatest thing that God creates.

• Print each day out to display them around the classroom, or reduce the size so that children can put the numbers/days in order.

Day and NightMichelangelo, Sistine Chapel (1508–1512)

21Water and HeavensKatsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave (1829–1832)

3Land and SeaClaude Monet, Water Lilies (1916)

4Sun and Moon

Vincent Van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)

5Birds and Fish

Bian Jingzhao, Three Friends and A Hundred Birds (14th Century)

6Cattle, Beasts and Man

Henri Rousseau, The Equatorial Jungle (1909)

7Rested (Wedding of Adam and Eve)

Marc Chagall, The Lovers of Venice (1957)

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1Day and Night

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel (1508–1512)

This art is public domain in the U.S.

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2Water and HeavensKatsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave (1829–1832)

This art is public domain in the U.S.

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3Land and SeaClaude Monet, Water Lilies (1916)

This art is public domain in the U.S.

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4Sun and Moon

Vincent Van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)

This art is public domain in the U.S.

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5Birds and Fish

Bian Jingzhao, Three Friends and A Hundred Birds (14th Century)

This art is public domain in the U.S.

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6Cattle, Beasts and Man

Henri Rousseau, The Equatorial Jungle (1909)

This art is public domain in the U.S. Photo credit: Chester Dale Collection (www.nga.gov)

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7Rested (Wedding of Adam and Eve)

Marc Chagall, The Lovers of Venice (1957)

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ACTIVITY PAGE

NAME OF GOD• Display these in the classroom or print out as a page that can be colored by

the children.

○ Father (Matthew 6:9)

○ Elohim (Genesis 1:1)

○ Yahweh (Exodus 3:13–14)

○ Adonai (Exodus 4:10–12)

• Discuss how God has shared His name with us because He wants us to be His children.

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Mat

thew

6:9

Fat

her

35

Gen

esis

1:1

Elo

him

37

Exo

du

s 3

:13–1

4

Yah

weh

39

Exo

du

s 4

:10–1

2

Ado

nai

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ACTIVITY PAGE

ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS• Discover bodily differences through footprints:

a. Cut a sponge into the shape of an animal’s footprint.

b. Have the children dip the sponge in paint and lightly press onto paper.

c. Have the children make their own footprints on the paper.

d. Display the images and discuss the differences between humans and animals.

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Deer

Dog

Duck

Bear