Kindergarten-2nd grade



4th – 5th Grade

THE CONCEPT:

252Basics is a unique approach to curriculum for churches and Christian schools. It is built around three Basic Truths every child should embrace according to what Jesus modeled in Luke 2:52.

1. Wisdom - I need to make the wise choice

(The ability to make wise decisions based on the truth of Scripture)

2. Faith - I can trust God no matter what

(A willingness to put their faith in God through every situation of life)

3. Friendship - I should treat others the way I want to be treated

(Their demonstration of love and kindness to the people in their world)

Each Basic Truth is amplified by a weekly key concept and systematically taught over a three-year track. The curriculum includes 150 Bible stories and is based on a Core Virtue and Memory Verse as the framework for each month.

THE BASICS

FOR LEADERS ONLY

This month we’ve been talking about the need for perseverance, which is (1) refusing to give up when life gets hard. (2) God doesn’t want us to give up. (3) He works to strengthen our perseverance, not just for our own sakes, (4) but in order to benefit others as well. Because we all live in communities (at home, at school, at work, and wherever we go), what we do affects others. We have influence over others. Help kids understand that God wants them to think about the influence they have and to use it for good, for His purposes.

Let’s Grow Together!

Join the Kids in Bible Story Lesson!!!

GET READY

Gather all the supplies needed for large group:

• People: You’ll need a Leader, two Small Group Leaders (or fifth graders), and two kid volunteers. Tip: Enlist and prep the SGLs/fifth graders ahead of time.

• Props and Costumes: For the Bible story, you will need a toy older kids would like, a textbook, a video-game controller, and a pair of cheerleading pom-poms. Put these items in a box onstage.

LEADER: I need two Small Group Leaders and two kids.”

Leader picks the two previously chosen Small Group Leaders/fifth graders to come onstage. Each SGL should bring one of their kids with them. If you did not enlist SGLs to do this, choose two other kid volunteers.

Present the Bible Lesson

Leader: Note that the following Bible lesson script has been organized into three main points (noted in red) to help you present it in a memorable way. The lesson concludes with a “closer” to help make real-life application for kids.

LEADER: (Hold up Bible opened to Hebrews 12.) “The Bible teaches us that we influence others with what we do, and this is really true with respect to perseverance …

“… refusing to give up when life gets hard. The Bible tells us just how we impact others when we give up or when we persevere, and you leaders and kids are going to help illustrate what happens!

“Leaders, I’m going to read you a scenario and I want you to act it out. I may give you a prop to use, or you may just have to wing it. Are you with me? (Pause for SGLs to respond. Give them a thumbs-up.)

(To kids and leaders in audience) “Kids, when I give you this signal (hold right arm straight up over head), you guys need to yell, ‘Freeze!’ Then they (refer to SGLs onstage) will freeze like department store mannequins. Let’s practice.

Hold your arm straight up, prompting the audience to yell, ‘Freeze!’ and the SGLs to freeze in place.

“Good! (To two kid volunteers onstage) Here’s where you guys come in. After they freeze, you two are going to rearrange your leaders. They’ll be the statues and you’ll be the sculptors! You can adjust their arms, legs, and faces however you need to. The catch is you’ll be rearranging them into good behavior—behavior that influences others in a positive way. Got it?

Make sure kids understand. You may need to give them suggestions for how to rearrange their leaders until they have caught on to the idea. Hand volunteers props as indicated in the script below.

WITH FAMILY

LEADER: “The Bible says we should never give up doing what is right. Like at home, when you and your brother want to play with the same thing at the same time …

Hand one of the leaders a toy. Leaders frown, look mad, and tug toy back and forth.

“… and you start to have a big argument over it, which becomes a tug of war, because you’re sure he’ll break it and you don’t want to share.”

Make freeze signal.

KIDS: “Freeze!”

LEADER: “But the Bible says (read Hebrews 12:14a, NIrV), ‘Try your best to live in peace with everyone.’ And that includes brothers! So these guys need to give each other a hug and share this toy.

Help kids make SGLs do a ‘side hug’ with arms around each other’s shoulders, toy held between them.

WITH FRIENDS

LEADER: “We also need to persevere in doing right with our friends. Suppose you’re doing well in your history class, and you promise to help your friend, who’s not doing so well.

Hand textbook to SGLs, who ‘read’ the book together. Be ready to hand one of them the video game controller.

“But pretty soon, you’re sick of studying. You would rather play a video game, (hand controller to one SGL) even though your friend really needs to study. So you shut the book and try to get him to goof off.”

Make freeze signal.

KIDS: “Freeze!”

LEADER: “The thing is, even though you may get an ‘A’ on the test, your friend needs more study time, and you need to help him persevere. You need to be a good influence by putting away the game and opening the book.

Kids take game controller away, open book, and make leaders ‘study.’

“That’s better. If I were having trouble in a subject, I’d want someone to help me. And how should I treat others?”

KIDS: [Recycle] “I should treat others the way I want to be treated.”

WITH THE TEAM

LEADER: “Your team sports and activities are another awesome place to show perseverance. Suppose your coach always seems to put his son in to kick the goals in soccer. You’re an awesome kicker, but Coach never gives you a chance. You’re so mad, you start to gripe and complain, which gets your teammates griping and complaining.

Leaders cross arms, kick ‘dirt,’ etc.

“You even get really disrespectful and make faces behind the coach’s back!”

Make freeze signal.

KIDS: “Freeze!”

LEADER: “But the Bible says we shouldn’t get bitter and angry because we’ll make others that way, too! Instead, be a good influence, respect your coach’s authority, and be good team players. You could even cheer your team on to victory!

Give pom-poms to kids and help them make leaders smile and raise pom-poms in cheerleading pose.

“Now, that’s more like it! That kind of good attitude and perseverance can influence the whole team for good. Okay, you can unfreeze now! Thanks for all your help. Let’s give our volunteers a big hand.

Volunteers exit and go back to their seats.

close the story

LEADER: “God wants you to persevere in doing good—both to help yourself and to influence others for good. When you refuse to give up when life gets hard, other people will notice. And when they know you rely on God to help you persevere, it makes them want to know more about God. God can use your influence with others to teach them about Himself. Imagine the impossible—God can use YOU to tell His story. I bet you never knew you were so important!

[Impress] “When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. Like when you don’t get the new math lesson at all, but you ask your teacher for extra help instead of giving up. Or when you keep cheering for your team and encouraging your teammates, even though you’ve lost every game so far. Or you play ‘Chutes and Ladders’ with your little brother—again! Every time you persevere through something that’s hard for you, you influence someone else—a friend, a teammate, a family member. You encourage them to persevere, too. [Impress] When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. Let’s say it together.”

CG: Bottom Line Slide

LEADER and KIDS: [Impress] “When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith.”

LEADER: “So never give up doing what’s right! Trust God to help you persevere. Someone else may be watching how you handle whatever you’re going through, and you can influence that person for good and help teach them about God. Let’s pray.”

Pray

LEADER: “God, thank You for the privilege of helping tell others Your story. Help us to be good influences for the people around us. Thank You for giving us the strength and the help we need to persevere through the hard times in life. We love You, God. Amen.”

Wrap Up

LEADER: “Wow, what a cool and amazing month we’ve had learning about perseverance! Life can be really hard sometimes, like it was for the very first Christians. What happened to some of the very first Christians? Right, sometimes people said really mean things to them because they believed in Jesus. What else? ( Right again. Sometimes their property was stolen, or taken away from them. What else happened to some of those Christians? (Pause.) Some of them were thrown in jail, not because they’d done anything wrong, but because they believed in Jesus.

“These things may not happen to you, BUT hard things happen in everyone’s life. The good news is that no matter what goes on in our lives, we know God can help us get through it. He wants us to persevere—to refuse to give up. He wants us to remember what other people have done and how God helped them persevere. He wants us to remember what Jesus has done for us. He wants us to remember what God wants to do in us. And He wants us to remember that what we do can help someone else’s faith

CATCH ON ACTIVITIES

**If you need copies or cut outs for your classroom activities, please email the information to crafts@ before 12:00pm Friday.

PREVIEW

Catch On is designed to help kids understand how the day’s topic applies to them. They’ll discuss real-life experiences, interact with a close-knit group of peers, and participate in a variety of activities that appeal to different learning styles. Life-application and memory-verse activities, as well as prayer, are always a part of this hands-on time.

GET READY

For each small group, do the following:

• Flip Side: Provide a twin-size sheet or blanket.

• Combined Colors: You’ll need an inexpensive watercolor palette and a bowl of water for every two or three kids. Everyone will need a paintbrush, sheet of paper, and pen. Provide a Bible.

• Eagle Workout: Each person will need a Bible.

• Claim Numbers: Copy and cut apart “Claim Numbers” (from the Activity Pages on the Web site). Everyone will need a pen.

* If you only have time for one activity, we suggest activity #2. Activity #1 is particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged (not just for boys).

1. Flip Side (a classroom-wide application activity / great for boys)

SUPPLIES: twin-size sheet or blanket

Tip: If your group is small or you have access to several throw rugs, let kids form pairs or trios for this activity and use rugs instead of blankets.

Give each group a blanket and ask them to place it on the floor. If there is a top and bottom side, place it with the top down. Next, give the kids a moment to all stand on their blankets. Challenge them to turn the blanket over without getting off of it. Play again. This time, ask them to sit on the blanket and remain seated as they work together to turn it over.

SMALL GROUP LEADER: “Turning the blanket over was difficult, but you did a great job of working together and persevering to the end. It was a group effort, and your actions made a difference for your team. If someone had decided to take a nap instead of doing his or her part, the game would have flopped. In a similar way, [Impress] when life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. Remember that God’s goal for you isn’t just to become a Christian. That’s just the beginning of your journey with Him. He wants to turn you into a disciple: one who listens to and learns from Jesus, who follows Jesus, and shares what you’ve learned with others. God can use your circumstances, good or bad, to strengthen your perseverance. [Apply] Don’t give up this week if your life takes a flip and gets hard. Be careful how you react. It can be easy to take your frustrations out on others when things aren’t going well. Instead, do everything you can to live in peace, knowing that your perseverance can encourage others to keep going.”

[Personalize] Perseverance can be contagious. Share a time when you or someone you know kept doing what was right and made wise choices in the midst of an unpleasant situation. What positive influence did it have on you and others?

* 2. Combined Colors (application activity / review the Bible lesson)

SUPPLIES: watercolor palettes, bowls of water, paintbrushes, paper, pens, a Bible

Ask a volunteer to read aloud today’s lesson passage—Hebrews 12:12-15. Remind kids of today’s Bottom Line: [Impress] When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. Explain that the way they live out their faith can spill over into the lives of others and color their attitude for good or bad. In other words, what they do, especially when things aren’t going right, affects others.

[Apply] Discuss what they can do to make a positive influence on someone else’s faith in God. Ask how they can be a good example. For instance, they could continue to do what’s right, make wise choices, pray, be a good friend, and so on.

Set out the paper and art supplies. Invite kids to fold a piece of paper into four sections and then unfold it. Tell kids to create an interesting new color in each block by combining two or more watercolors from the paint palette. Ask them to write a name for their new colors using words and ideas from today’s lesson, such as Peaceful Pink, Bitter Brown, or Green Grace.

Explain that an artist will usually use bright, cheery colors to create a painting that reflects a mood of happiness. Dark and dreary shades are often used to reflect feelings of discouragement, sadness, or evil. Ask kids to take turns sharing their color palettes. Encourage them to choose one of their newly created shades and describe a life situation that, if painted, might contain that color.

SMALL GROUP LEADER: “If God painted a picture of your life, He would use a combination of many different colors. There’d be light and dark shades just as there are good and bad times, easy and hard days. In some situations, the colors would spill over and blend into those of someone else. You live in a community with people of all ages—at home, school, church, and other places. What you do affects others. God wants you to think about the influence you have and to use it for good. [Impress] When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. [Apply] Paint your world with colors that reflect a heart of faith this week. Then, watch to see if your persevering attitude spills over into someone else’s life and encourages them to believe in God and not give up.”

Optional 5th Grade Discussion Questions

If you lead fifth graders, consider asking these discussion questions:

• What does it mean to live in peace with others?

• How can you live at peace with those in your family? What about with kids at school? With your teammates? Coaches? Teachers? Leaders?

• Name some people from the Old and New Testament who experienced difficulties. How did their faith-responses affect others in positive or negative ways?

3. Eagle Workout (memory verse activity)

SUPPLIES: Bibles

Challenge kids to name the books of the Bible in order from Genesis to Isaiah. Those who are not able to recite them from memory may refer to the table of contents in the front of their Bibles.

Invite kids to find Isaiah 40:31 and recite it together several times. [Apply] Let them share what the verse means to them. Ask for testimonies of how God reminded them to soar like an eagle this month. How did Isaiah 40:31 encourage them not to give up?

Lead everyone in an Eagle Workout, using the following motions at an increasing rate:

NIV Eagle Workout:

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. (Jump in place.)

They will soar on wings like eagles; (do jumping jacks)

They will run and not grow weary, (run in place)

They will walk and not be faint.” (Walk in place.)

Share the following Eagle Fact: An eagle parent, whether it realizes it or not, is influencing its babies every time it leaves the nest and returns with food. It’s modeling important behavior that the young eagles will eventually imitate. In time, they’ll follow their parent’s example. A hungry young eagle must learn to take off, fly, and land in order to survive.

SMALL GROUP LEADER: “Difficult times are like a spiritual workout. They put your faith to the test and stretch your perseverance muscle. God’s goal isn’t just for you to become a Christian. He wants you to soar like an eagle. You’re in training to be a strong, healthy, fit disciple who listens to and learns from Jesus. [Apply] When things are hard, don’t fall apart. And be careful not to take it out on others. Live in peace, even when things aren’t going well. [Impress] When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith.”

4. Claim Numbers (pray)

SUPPLIES: “Claim Numbers” (Activity Page), pens

As you distribute the “claim tickets” and pens, check to make sure you have a match for each claim number and prayer request. Ask kids to write a prayer request in the appropriate section of the claim ticket. Suggest that kids think of a situation in which they need God’s help to live at peace with a family member or someone they know. When finished, invite kids who have been to a baggage claim at an airport to share their experiences and explain to those who have not traveled by air how the process works.

Direct the kids to tear off the right side of their tickets on which the claim number is printed. Caution them to be careful not to rip the section containing their prayer requests. Give a few minutes for kids to find the person whose prayer request number matches their claim number.

Provide a few minutes for kids to pray silently for one another. Then ask everyone to say today’s Bottom Line in unison as you close.

KIDS and SMALL GROUP LEADER: [Impress] “When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith.”

SMALL GROUP LEADER: (Praying) “Dear God, thank You for using every circumstance, whether good or bad, to strengthen our faith. Perseverance is important to You, so help us not give up if things get hard this week. Help us live in peace with those around us and to be good examples of perseverance. We ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

[Apply] “When things aren’t going right for someone you know, one of the best ways to help is to be a friend and pray for them. Praying for others is a great way to live in peace. It’s also a huge part of learning how to persevere. God doesn’t want you to give up. Not just for your benefit, but for the sake of others as well.”

WRAP UP

SMALL GROUP LEADER: “Christians were facing some pretty bad stuff back when the book of Hebrews was written. Like us, they may have been tempted to give up when things got bad. The author of Hebrews wrote to encourage them. He was following today’s Bottom Line: [Impress] When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith. God wants to use you, too. Your faith story, like that of like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and others, could touch the life of someone else and help them keep trusting God during really bad times. Perseverance can be contagious, but in a good way. Could anyone catch it from YOU? Let’s see how many others can get a ‘case of the perseverance’ from us this week. As you leave, high-five as many people as you can. Let’s start a perseverance epidemic. See you next time.”

Closing Prayer

Distribute virtue booklet to parents as they arrive.

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July 23-24, 2011

Baggage Check

Virtue: Perseverance—refusing to give up when life gets hard.

Memory Verse: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31, NIV

Bible Story: Baggage Check (persevere to strengthen others) • Hebrews 12:12-15

Bottom Line: When life seems impossible, remember what you do can help someone else’s faith.

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