The Vicar is getting together a collection of prayers for our church primary school. What we are looking for is lunchtime prayers, beginning of the day prayers and going home time prayers. With or without tunes.
We have a couple of prayers from our old school and collected from random places, but I would love to have contributions from others. Do you have a prayer you could share, that the teachers could use with our children?
The ones I have so far:
Morning
Good morning, Lord.
This is your day.
We are your children.
Show us your way.
Lunch
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you God for everything.
1,2,3,4,5.
Thank you God that I’m alive.
6,7,8,9,10.
Thank you for our food.
Amen.
Going Home
Nothing so far…
The Vicar's Wife 
From our local:
Jesus tender Shepherd hear us
bless your little lambs tonight
through the darkness please be near us
keep us safe till morning light.
All this day your hand has led us
and we thank you for your care
you have warmed us, clothed and fed us
listen to our evening prayer.
or
God bless the sky that is above us
the earth that is beneath us
your image deep within us
the day that lies before us. (Ray Simpson, I think)
or
the Lords prayer?
lunch:
thankyou for the world so sweet
thankyou for the people we meet
thankyou for the things we’ve done
thankyou God for everyone!
The “Thank you for the world so sweet…” prayer has actions (or did at our children’s last school!)
world… – arms in a big circle and end the line with mm mm
food we eat – rub tummy and end line with “yum yum”
birds that sing-aling-aling (with hands making beak shapes)
Thank you God for everything mm mm yum yum aling-aling amen (with actions).
It’s very hard to describe actions!
We learnt the Superman prayer at Scargill House one year:
(sung to the tune of the Superman theme, and with appropriate alternating arms up in the air doing Superman impression)
Thank you Lord, for giving us food
Thank you Lord, for giving us food
For giving us meat
And good things to eat
Thank you Lord
Amen.
In the early 1960’s when I was a child at primary school (and before the days of Jamie Oliver) when we sat down to lunch in the school canteen the teachers made us pray:
“For what we are about to receive
May the Lord make us truly thankful.”
This was changed by the children (under their breath) to
“For what we are about to receive
May the Lord provide the antidote…”
Keep up the good work on ‘The Vicars Wife’ BTW. It is always one of the highlights of my day to read!
Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub!
The song we sang at guides before going home?
Day is done
Gone the sun
From the sea from the hills from the sky
All is well
Safely rest
God is nigh
(If you don’t remember the tune give me a call!)
Lunch
(To the tune row row row your boat)
Bless, bless, bless this food
Bless all present here.
And help us now to spread your love
To people far and near.
there is a great one to the tune of the Adams Family if that is not offensive. I can send you.
End of day
(Tune- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Thank you God for all that grows,
Thank you for this days rainbows,
Thank you for these friends of mine
Thank you for the stars that shine,
Thank you God for all our fun,
Thank you God for all you’ve done!
Thank you Father for all the gifts you give,
Thank you Father for all I need to live,
Let me share with others, so everyone will know
I want to thank you Father everywhere I go.
By Jock Stein – to the tune of 10 green bottles!
Thanks all for your excellent suggestions – will be forwarding them to our teachers.
And welcome to the Vicarage, Rosanna. Do let me have the words for the Addams family prayer. I suspect the kids would love it and I can leave the decision about suitability to the Vicar!
To the tune of Frere Jacque
Thank you Father
Thank you Father
For our food
For our food
And your many blessings
And your many blessings
Amen
Amen
Can of course be sung in a round …
I use this one at school
Thank you for our school today
For time to work and time to play
Help us grow more like you
In all we say and all we do
Amen