Object Lessons Kids Will Love



Object Lessons Kids Will Love

Children's Ministry Magazine

March-April, 1998

Use these 6 eye-popping, chin-dropping object lessons to astound your kids.

By Dean Stone

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Preparation: You’ll need 12 4X6 cards arranged in order from bottom to top with the following words printed on them: Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Alive, Buddha (Buddhism), Muhammad (Islam), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), Baha’u’llah (Baha’i), Joseph Smith (Mormonism), and Jesus (Christianity). Turn the cards over in a pile with the writing side down. Keep the cards in the same order with "Jesus" on top and "dead" on bottom.

Say: Christianity is different from other religions because Jesus is alive, not dead as other religious leaders. To illustrate this, I need a helper.

Tell your helper: I’ll shuffle the cards by taking the top card and placing it on the bottom. I’ll continue shuffling until you say stop.

Next, place the top six cards of the deck in your helper’s hand—one on top of the other.

Say: Jesus died for my sin. I’m going to spell each word in this special phrase beginning with the word "Jesus." As each letter is said, choose the top card of either deck and place it on the bottom of its deck. If you choose your deck, you’ll place a card under your deck. If you choose my deck, I’ll place a card under my deck.

Place a card in either deck on the bottom of its deck after each letter is said. After you finish spelling the word "Jesus," reveal the top cards in both decks. The word "dead" will accompany each false leader, but the word "alive" will accompany the word "Jesus." Comment on the two cards and put them to the side. For example, you may say, "Muhammad is the leader of Islam, and he’s dead." Or you may say "Jesus is the leader of Christianity, and he’s alive." Continue spelling each word in the special phrase, pausing to reveal the top cards after each word is spelled.

Afterward, say: Christianity is different from all other religions because our leader is alive.

GOD’S WORD THE SEED

Preparation: You’ll need a large pumpkin and a New Testament sealed in a Ziploc bag, a knife, plastic gloves, a bowl, and paper towels.

Cut a small slot in the side of the pumpkin, preserving the piece so you can put it back in the pumpkin. Place the Bible inside the pumpkin. Then replace the piece in the pumpkin and keep it turned away from children.

The Message: Ask: What’s on the inside of this pumpkin? What are seeds used for?

Cut open the pumpkin from the top. Dig out all the seeds and place them in a bowl. Pause and tell the children that you see one more rather unusual seed inside the pumpkin. Show children the Bible and take it out of the bag. Then read aloud Luke 8:4-15.

Ask: How is the Bible like a seed? How do we "plant" the Bible? Where does God want us to plant the seeds of His Word?

STARTING OVER

Preparation: You’ll need an Etch-A-Sketch toy. (or a blackboard.)

The Message: Have children decide what picture you should draw with the Etch-A-Sketch (on the blackboard). When finished drawing the picture, have children rate your drawing. If you’ve ever used an Etch-A-Sketch, you know that drawing a picture with curves is almost impossible. As you look at the picture you’ve drawn, express your unhappiness over your artwork. Then explain to the children that one of Etch-A-Sketch’s (a blackboard’s) greatest features is its erasing ability. Turn the Etch-A-Sketch upside down, and give it a big shake. (Erase what you drew.)

Say: I made mistakes on my drawing. The Etch-A-Sketch lets me start over. Sometimes we make mistakes in life. God lets us start over too!

Tell the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32. Then read aloud 1 John 1:9. Ask: What is sin? What does it mean to confess our sins? What happens when we confess our sins?

LITTLE THINGS MATTER

Preparation: You’ll need a computer chip, a medicine tablet, a diamond ring, and a mustard seed. Place each item in a paper sack.

The Message: Bring each item out one at a time and have the children guess what each item is.

Say: Modern-day computer chips contain millions of tiny wires that carry information. Often big people are made well by small medicine tablets. And little rocks called diamonds are so valuable that they cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Ask: Just because these items are small, does that mean they aren’t important? Why or why not? What are other things that are small but important?

Have children guess what kind of seed the mustard seed is. Then read aloud Matthew 13:31-32.

Ask: What are some little things you could do to serve God?

GOD LOOKS ON THE INSIDE

Preparation: You’ll need a cut geode, a rock that’s been cut open to reveal a beautiful crystallized interior that’s available at most rock or tourist shops.

The Message: Show children the "unattractive" side of the rock while concealing the beautiful interior. Ask the children if they think the rock is beautiful. Then show them the beautiful interior. Read aloud 1 Samuel 16:7.

Ask: How do people try to be beautiful on the outside? What does God want to see on our insides? How can we be beautiful on the inside?

THE GREAT SEPARATION

Preparation: You’ll need two clear, hard plastic 16-ounce tumblers, model airplane cement, clear fishing line, and two small packages of craft beads (one dark color and one white).

In the bottom of one tumbler, drill eight small holes that are large enough for fishing line to pass through. Cut four 18-inch lengths of fishing line. Insert each end of the line into separate holes in the tumbler with equal lengths of fishing line coming through each hole. Seal the holes containing the fishing line with model airplane cement. Repeat until there’s a fishing line running through each hole.

Next, thread the white beads onto each strand of fishing line inside the tumbler. Tie and glue the line at the end of each strand making sure the length of the strand doesn’t extend beyond the tumbler’s mouth. Remove any excess fishing line. Place the dark colored beads in the other tumbler.

The Message: As you tell the story of the enemy sowing bad seed with the good seed from Matthew 13:24-30, pour the dark beads into the tumbler containing the white beads. Continue telling the story while shaking the tumbler that now contains both colors.

Move both tumblers behind your back and keep them hidden as you pour the dark beads back into their original tumbler. Of course the white beads stay in their tumbler because they’re connected by the fishing line.

Say: One day Jesus will return to separate the good from the bad...the Christians from the non-Christians. We don’t know when that’ll be.

When you bring both tumblers from behind your back, the beads have "amazingly" been separated.

The Apostle Paul

Children's Ministry Magazine

July-August, 2001

The Apostle Paul helped lay the foundations of the Christian church. His missionary zeal and commitment to God’s truths are a shining example for all Christians. To help you celebrate Paul’s teachings and life, we asked Children’s Ministry Magazine readers to give us the best ideas they’ve used to teach about Paul.

On the following pages, you’ll find environments, snacks, crafts, and Bible activities that’ll help your kids grow as they learn about the Apostle Paul.

ENVIRONMENTS

by Larry Crane

To help children better understand the world of Paul and the places he went, set up these environments in separate rooms for children to travel through. Have the leaders in each room dress in appropriate costumes as well.

LYDIA'S HOUSE

Decorate the room with nice furnishings, including lots of purple cloth and Bible-time vases and pitchers. Have a woman tell the story as a monologue from Acts 16:14-15. Part of the monologue can include showing kids how to dye cloth purple and illustrating the importance of being good hosts and hostesses.

Give each child fabric crayons and a piece of purple fabric. Have them draw pictures on their fabric. Then gather the pieces and make a wall hanging.

SYNAGOGUE

Dip square sponges into brown paint and stamp them onto newsprint to create “bricks.” Cover the room walls with these bricks. Put a menorah on a table and a large scroll on a lectern. Have children leave their shoes at the door. Give children prayer shawls to cover their heads as they enter. Then have them kneel on mats during the teaching time. (If possible, research Hebrew traditions or interview a rabbi so you’ll be prepared to answer children’s questions.)

Provide sandboxes and a poster of the Hebrew alphabet so children can practice writing in Hebrew (check out jewfaq .org/alephbet.htm). Children can also make small scrolls as a craft to remind them of the Scriptures that were read in the synagogue.

JAIL ROOM

Stuff large paper grocery bags with newspaper and tape them shut. Stack the

stuffed bags on each other to create the “stone” walls of the jail, but don’t tape them together. Lay black plastic on the floor of the jail. Spread out shredded raffia and plastic rats and bugs on the floor. Glow-in-the-dark bugs with black lights are even better! “Chain” high-school prisoners to the jail walls. Make your storyteller a jailer who takes the kids back in time for the story from Acts 16:22-40. When the earthquake hits, push the “stones” onto the children so they can experience the earthquake as Paul did.

To help tell this story, use The Great Escape video from The Visual Bible for Kids Series (Tommy Nelson, 800-933-9673, 800-663-3133 [Canada]; ).

SHIPWRECK ROOM

To simulate the belly of a ship, unroll a 20-foot roll of black plastic. Use duct tape to connect the long edges on the outside, keeping the short edges open to make a tube. Set a box fan at one of the ends of the plastic, and tape the edges closed around the fan’s edges (not behind the fan). Turn on the fan, and the plastic will inflate. Put sand and driftwood next to the ship, and paint a sky backdrop on the wall behind the ship.

Have kids crawl through the opening in the other end to enter the ship’s inner cavity. Mist children with water from spray bottles, and play sound effects of the beach and storm as you tell the story of Paul and the shipwreck from Acts 27:14-44.

Have children use nails to make tin punches of the Ichthus symbol in aluminum pie plates. Explain that this “fish” symbol was important in Paul’s life because after Jesus died, it was dangerous for a person to be a Christian. To tell others that they were Christians in Paul’s day, people would draw this symbol in the sand. As Christians today, we can also use this Ichthus symbol to tell others that we believe in Jesus.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

The Apostle Paul’s ministry was immortalized in his letters that became the bulk of the New Testament. Understanding Paul’s letter-writing ministry can help children learn more about Paul.

PAUL'S LETTERS

Have children make paper. This activity works well with children as young as 4. Children can use the small round paper to write love notes to family members or to Jesus.

Paper-Making Supplies

You’ll need a 34.5-ounce coffee can; a 11.5-ounce coffee can with the top and bottom removed; one 8x8-inch piece of plastic needlepoint canvas (available at sewing or craft stores); two 8x8-inch pieces of window screening (available at hardware stores); one plastic tub; newspaper (minus the slick ads); warm water (coffee carafes work great to keep the water warm); paper towels; marigold seeds, dried flower petals, or glitter; and old stamps, printed Bible verses, or small newspaper cartoons.

For each child, you’ll need a plastic jar with a lid such as a peanut butter jar.

Paper-Making Station Setup

One paper-making station for every five to seven children is most helpful.

• Set the plastic tub on a flat surface at a height that the children can easily reach.

• Place the larger coffee can in the center of the tub.

• Place the following items on top of the larger can in this order: plastic needlepoint canvas, one sheet of window screening, and the smaller coffee can.

• Have the second piece of window screening and paper towels available.

Tell Kids To:

• Tear an 8x8-inch piece of newspaper into dime-sized pieces.

• Place the pieces into your plastic jar.

• Add marigold seeds, dried flower petals, or glitter as desired.

• Fill your plastic jar two-thirds full with hot water and close the lid.

• Cover the lid with a paper towel to catch dribbles. Then shake for five to 10 minutes to make paper pulp the consistency of runny oatmeal.

• When the newspaper has turned to pulp, move to the Paper-Making Station.

• At the Paper-Making Station, swiftly dump the paper pulp into the smaller coffee can.

• Allow the water to drain through the screen and plastic needlepoint canvas into the larger can.

• Carefully remove the smaller can and set it aside.

• Place old stamps, Bible verses, or cartoons on top of the paper pulp as desired.

• Place the second piece of window screening on top of the paper pulp and blot it with paper towels.

• Remove the top piece of window screening. Lay a paper towel on the paper, flip it over, and remove the back window screening.

• Cover the paper with more paper towels and press to absorb water.

• Carefully remove the paper creation and lay it flat on a fresh paper towel to dry overnight.

• When your paper is completely dry, use a fine-point Sharpie pen to write your name and message.

Sandy Spooner

O’Fallon, Missouri

PEN PALS

We wanted our children to understand the importance of Paul’s letters in encouraging, loving, and instructing the early churches. To do this, we placed our children in groups named after the early churches: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. We gave each group a real mailbox that we purchased from a local hardware store. Each group decorated its mailbox with its name. Then we assigned each child a pen pal in one of the other groups. Over the course of a three-month period, the kids sent letters of encouragement to their pen pals each week. Our adult volunteers delivered the letters to the mailboxes.

It was so much fun for the children to come in each week and check their mailboxes. At the conclusion of our unit, the kids each identified themselves to their pen pal and new friend.

Beth Mathews

Dayton, Ohio

PAUL'S TEACHINGS

by Sheila Halasz

Not only was Paul prolific in his letter-writing, but every word was God-breathed. Help children understand Paul's teachings with these activities.

PAUL THE WRITER

For this activity, you’ll need paper, pencils or pens, and tape or push pins.

Say, “Paul was a writer. He wrote 13 books of the Bible with God’s help. He wrote more books in the Bible than anyone else.”

Pass out the paper and pencils. Tell children to write 13 things they know about God. If you have a younger group, kids can work together to make one list of 13 things.

When the children are finished, ask, “Was it easy or difficult to write 13 things you know about God? How many of you asked God to help you? Do you think Paul wanted to write God’s words? Why or why not? Do you think it was easy or difficult for Paul to write 13 entire books? Explain. Paul had very special help from God, and Paul wrote exactly what God told him to write.”

Read aloud 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Ask, “What can we do to make sure people read what we wrote?” (If no one suggests it, tell kids they could put up their lists in places around the church for others to read.) “It pleases God when others read about him. Choose where you’d like to post your writings.” (Make sure kids only hang their lists where your church allows things to be hung.) “Why is it important for people to read what Paul wrote? What can we do to encourage people to read God’s Word?”

THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

You’ll need white crayons, watercolor paints, white paper, and a children’s Bible.

Read aloud Ephesians 3:3-5 from the children’s Bible. Then say, “God told Paul his secret plan. This secret was something that people who lived in other times didn’t know. We each have secrets too, and we’re going to create secret messages.

“Think of something good about yourself that you would like to share with a friend that your friend may not know. Maybe you like to eat broccoli, or you play hockey, or you’re really good at spelling. Use a white crayon to write a word or draw a picture on a white sheet of paper that tells about your secret. When you’re done, exchange papers with a friend. Have your friend try to guess what your secret is.”

After everyone has had a chance to guess, ask “Do you think God knows your secret? Now pretend you’re the Apostle Paul. How would it feel to have God share his secret with you?”

Read aloud Ephesians 3:6-7. Say, “Paul found out God’s secret that Jews and non-Jews can be part of the same body and can share together in God’s plan for his people. The even bigger secret is that all people can be part of God’s family if they believe in Jesus as their Savior.”

Have kids use the watercolor paint to paint their friend’s picture to see what the secret is. Let children share the secrets they discovered.

Then ask, “How did you feel when you discovered a secret about a friend? How do you think Paul felt about knowing the greatest secret ever? How did Paul share God’s secret with others? Who could you share God’s secret with this week?”

MILK FOR BABES

You’ll need half a banana for each person, spoons, bowls, and napkins.

Form pairs. Give each pair two banana halves, spoons, bowls, and napkins. Have the kids mash the bananas in the bowl to make “baby food.” Ask, “Why do babies eat baby food?”

Say, “You’re going to take turns with your partner, feeding him or her baby food—a mashed banana. We’ll race to see who can do this the fastest—and neatest. Ready, go!”

After this activity, ask, “How did it feel to feed your baby partner? How did it feel to be the baby? How would it feel if you were always treated like a baby here at church? Explain.”

Read aloud 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. Ask, “What kind of food did Paul say he was feeding these people? What does that mean?”

Read aloud 1 Corinthians 3:3-4. Ask, “What were these people doing that made them seem like babies? What do people do when they’re jealous of each other?”

Read aloud 1 Corinthians 3:5-9. Ask, “According to these verses, what’s the solution for people acting like babies? When have you ever seen people acting like this before? What’s the solution for all of us to be united instead of divided?”

SPEAK IT

You’ll need a piece of candy and a lemon slice for each person. You’ll also need unsweetened Kool-Aid soft drink, cups, salty crackers, and water.

Read aloud Philippians 2:9-11. Have each child eat a piece of candy and say, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Then have each child suck on a lemon piece and say, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Then have each child eat a salty cracker and again say, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Lastly, have them try to wash down the crackers with unsweetened Kool-Aid soft drink as they say, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Say, “There are times when it’s hard for our tongues to keep telling others about Jesus Christ being the Lord. What can we do when we just don't want to keep telling others about Jesus? How can God help us?"

Pass out cups of water to the children.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Use these snacks to extend lessons about the Apostle Paul.

PAUL THE TENTMAKER

To help kids remember that Paul’s ministry was telling others about Jesus, but his job was making tents, have them make tents. This idea is from Tina Smith from Candler, North Carolina.

Each child will need a paper plate, two graham crackers, and two pretzel sticks to make tents. Have kids each work on a paper plate. Kids will spread icing or peanut butter on one edge of a graham cracker and then lean the other piece of graham cracker to form a tent. The pretzel sticks serve as tent poles to hold up the tent.

JAIL CELLS

To remind children of the story of God delivering Paul and Silas from jail, have them make jail cells. Give each child a graham cracker and several 3-inch licorice laces. Spread marshmallow cream on the graham cracker, then lay licorice laces across the marshmallow cream to make the bars of the jail cell.

SHIPS AHOY

Paul’s missionary travels took him on sailing ships quite often. To help children remember this, have them make mini ships. You’ll need small individual pie crusts, pudding or custard filling, Fruit Roll-Ups fruit snacks, and cookie sticks. Have children each fill a pie crust with pudding or custard filling. Then have them each unroll a fruit snack, lay it flat, and cut it diagonally into fourths. Have each child weave a cookie stick through the center of their fruit snack triangles and insert one end of the cookie stick in the filling to create the mast and sail of the ship.

VENOMOUS VIPER

In Acts 28, while Paul was putting wood on the fire, a viper bit him. He shook off the snake and suffered no ill effects. As you talk about God’s protection of Paul, have kids make this snack from RoseAnne Sather, art director for Children’s Ministry Magazine.

Have each child cut two mini bagels in half and arrange them in a slithery pattern (see diagram). They can use cream cheese to stick them together. Help kids carve a little off the sides of one end for a nose. Add Red Hots candies for eyes and Fruit by the Foot fruit snack tongue.

Colorful Chains - Preschooler’s lesson

Children's Ministry Magazine

September, 2004

We can sing and praise God, even when bad things happen.

Materials:

Terrific Tools:

plastic knives

1 small bowl

paper plates (1 per child)

water

paper towels

Fun Foods:

Different colors and flavors of Fruit by the Foot cut into 6-inch strips (5 strips per child)

Place 5 fruit strips of different colors on a plate. Make each strip into a circle, and link the circles together to form a chain. Close the circles by dabbing a small amount of water on the ends and pressing them together.

The Bible Story

Paul and Silas in Jail (Acts 16)

Ask: How do you feel when someone has been unkind to you or treated you un-fairly? What do you do?

Say: Some very unfair things happened to Paul the missionary. Paul had a good friend named Silas. Paul and Silas traveled together telling everyone they met about Jesus. Many people listened to their words and believed in Jesus. Peo-ple who believed in Jesus were called Christians. Give each child a plate with five different colors of fruit strips on it.

Not everyone believed Paul and Silas. They didn't like Christians and tried to get them to stop telling people about Jesus. In one city people put Paul and Silas in jail. They put chains around Paul's and Silas' feet so they couldn't walk. Have each child make a circle using one of the strips. Let children dab water on the ends and press them together to make the circle.

Paul and Silas didn't worry, even though they were in chains and in jail. They prayed to God. They sang songs to God. The other people in the jail listened to them. They listened to their prayers. They listened to their songs. Have each child link a second circle with the first one and use water to seal the second circle.

In the middle of the night, the ground shook with an earthquake. Everyone was surprised. But then the doors to the jail flew open! The chains on the prison-ers fell off! Have each child link a third circle onto the chain.

The man in charge of the jail woke up and ran to see what had happened. He was afraid that all the prisoners had run away. Have each child link a fourth circle onto the chain.

Paul and Silas called to him, "We are all here." The jailer was amazed. He knew something had happened that only God could do. He asked Paul and Silas what he should do. Have each child link a fifth circle onto the chain.

"Believe in Jesus," they told him. And he did. He let Paul and Silas out of jail. The jailer took them to his home and took care of them. He gave them food to eat. The jailer's family members all became Christians that night.

Ask: Why do you think Paul and Silas could sing and praise God after so many bad things had happened to them? When will you sing and pray to God this week?

Pray: Dear God, thank you for always being with us, no matter what happens. Help us to remember that you are always here, always loving us wherever we are. Amen.

Make paper chains.

Sing praise songs. Use rhythm instruments to accompany the songs.

Use one-pint plastic berry baskets as jail cells. Make puppets by drawing features on the ends of craft sticks. Decorate the puppets with fabric scraps and yarn. Let the children tell the Bible story using the puppets and basket.

Spice Up the Recipe!

Purchase a 13x9-inch cake, and frost it using a thin layer of canned frosting. Cut Fruit by the Foot into strips long enough to lay over the top of the cake. Place the fruit strips two-inches apart over the cake's surface to look like prison bars. Decorate the top of the cake with one of the chains.

Prayer Ideas

Children's Ministry Magazine

September-October, 1997

By Lois Keffer

SWEET AND SOUR GRAB BAGS

Prepare one grab bag with several different kinds of candy—sweet, sour, hot, and dark-chocolate—for every four kids. Form groups of four and give each group a grab bag. Have children take turns reaching into the bag for one candy. When each child has a treat, explain that the candies represent different kinds of prayer.

Use the following examples to lead kids in prayer.

Sweet candy—thank God for a "sweet time" in your life.

Sour candy—ask God to help you add sweetness to someone else's day.

Hot candy—ask God to keep you excited about serving him.

Dark-chocolate candy—pray for someone who's going through a difficult time.

After you've prayed, enjoy the treats. Have each child put one of each candy in a sandwich bag to take home. Encourage children to teach their families what they've learned about prayer.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY

One-Word Prayers—To help children learn to pray aloud, form a circle and have children take turns saying one-word prayers. The word can be a person's name, a word that tells how the child is feeling, or a thank you to God. When you've prayed around the circle once, close by saying "amen."

A to Z Pop-Up Praises—As you call out letters of the alphabet, children pop out of their chairs and call out words about God that begin with each letter. For example, when you call out the letter A, a child might pop up and call out the word "amazing." Allow children to say words such as "excellent" or "exciting" when you get to the letter X.

Air Prayers—Form a circle and give everyone a balloon. Go around the circle and have each child say a sentence prayer. Every time a child offers a prayer, he or she blows into the balloon. Help kids tie off their balloons when they're full. Then close by playing a game of Keep-It-Up with the prayer-filled balloons.

Sticky Prayers—Form pairs. Pair younger children who don't write with older kids who do. Form a circle; then give each child a pencil and as many self-stick notes as there are kids in your class.

Have each child write each classmate's name at the top of a different note. Then have children write simple prayers for the people on the notes. When kids are done, have them stick their notes on the appropriate people. Close by thanking God for the friendships he's given us.

SILENT PRAYER WALK

Lead middle to older elementary kids on a silent prayer walk in the neighborhood surrounding your church. Gauge the length of your walk by your kids' attention span. Say: We're going on a silent prayer walk. We won't talk. I'll give hand signals to go, stop, or turn. As we walk, we'll see people. Silently pick out the people you'd like to pray for, and pray as you walk by them. After we return to class, we'll talk about our experiences.

When you return to your classroom, ask: How did you feel during our walk? How did our prayer walk change the way you look at people? What did you learn from praying this way? Close by thanking God for each person you prayed for and for God's help in seeing people through his eyes.

Adapted from Hooray! Let's Pray! by Lois Keffer (Group Publishing, Inc.)

-----------------------

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download