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Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, June 23,
2001

From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders)

Date Completed: May 1, 2001

Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps
to teach the lesson, A PATHWAY THROUGH THE SEA
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Lesson Aim: God has many ways to help us and deliver
us.

Memory Verse: "He guided them safely, so they were
unafraid."  Ps. 78:53, NIV


GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - THE CHASE IS ON

Materials needed:
Masking tape
Hard-boiled eggs (one for each child)
Pencils/markers

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Make a square with the masking tape on the floor.  It
should be large enough that all the children can sit
around it, but small enough that they can move their
egg around in it.  Hard boil the eggs.  Make sure
they're cool and dry.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Give each child a hard-boiled egg.  Using the
pencils/markers have them draw faces and hair on
their eggs.  Have the children sit around the outside
of the masking tape square.  If you have three
children, pick one child to be the Egyptian and the
other two to be Israelites.  If you have four children,
2 are Israelites and 2 are Egyptians.  (Keep the ratio
approximately twice as many Israelites to Egyptians.) 
Put a special mark on top of the Egyptian eggs to
signify that they are Egyptian.  All the children hold
their eggs in the square.  No one can ever leave the
square.  The Egyptians chase the Israelites.  The way
for an Israelite egg to keep from being caught is to
turn around and face the Egyptian egg.  When they do
that, the Egyptian has to stop chasing and go to
someone else.  If an Israelite runs from the Egyptian,
the Egyptian can continue to chase him. Whenever an
Israelite is caught, they immediately become an
Egyptian and chase the Israelite eggs.  (To catch an
egg you just tap it, not knock it.)  When an Israelite
becomes an Egyptian, the game stops, the special mark
is put on top the egg, then the game resumes.  At any
time, the game can be stopped and the eggs traded, so
the children can play both as Israelites and Egyptians. 

In our Bible story today, the Egyptian people are
chasing after the Israelites.  God has the Israelites
turn and face their enemies while He works a mighty
miracle to save them.  GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE
STORY.

GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - PATHWAY TO SAFETY

Materials needed:
Gift-wrap box or large square Tupperware container
Sand
Popsicle sticks (8)
Toothpicks (one for each child in the class)
Marker
Bibles

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Fill the square container with one to one-and-a-half
inches of sand.  (You may have to line a box with tin
foil to keep it from leaking.)  On one end of each
popsicle stick write a memory verse word.  Stick the
popsicle sticks in the sand in a vertical line in the
correct order that the memory verse is read.  (The word
ends of the sticks must be showing.)  Keep them at
least an inch apart.  

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Show the children where the memory verse is found in
their Bibles.  Repeat it several times together.  Give
each child a toothpick.  Have them stick it somewhere
in the sand but not past the point where the memory
verse markers begin.  Explain to the children that the
toothpicks represent the children of Israel being
guided to the Promised Land.  The object is for the
group to work together to get all the toothpicks from
one end of the path of sand to the other end using the
popsicle sticks as marker mileposts to stop at.  Choose
a toothpick.  Someone in the group says the first word
of the memory verse.  This moves the toothpick to the
first marker.  (Popsicle stick)  Another child says the
second word of the verse.  This moves the toothpick to
the second marker.  This continues until the toothpick
gets all the way to the last marker and over to the
other side. 

Give clues along the way to help remind them of words. 
As they learn the verse and the toothpicks begin
dwindling, turn the markers upside down so the memory
verse word is in the sand.  This will make it more
challenging.  Remind the children that only God can
guide us so we are unafraid!


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - PILLAR OF CLOUD, PILLAR OF
FIRE

Materials needed:
Dowel sticks (one small one for each child)
Cotton balls 
  (enough for each child to cover two small identical
  poster board cloud shapes)
Poster board
Scissors
Glue
Orange, red and yellow markers
Clothes pins

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Cut out two identical cloud shapes for each child from
the poster board.  (4" high X 2" wide) The shapes need
to match together.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Lay down one cloud shape.  Place the small dowel stick
on top the cloud shape.  Lay down the other cloud shape
on top.  Glue the two cloud shapes together using
clothes pins to hold together until it is dry.  Glue
tightly around the dowel stick so it cannot slip out.
On one side of the cloud shape glue plain cotton balls
to represent the pillar of cloud that led the
Israelites by day.  On the other side of the cloud
shape glue cotton balls, then marker over them first
with yellow, then orange, then red to represent the
pillar of fire that led the Israelites by night.
Practice saying the memory verse holding up the cloud
side while you say, "He guided them safely" then turn
it around and show the fire side while saying, "so they
were unafraid."


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - GOD'S HELPERS

Materials needed:
None

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
There are no advance preparations necessary.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Have volunteers act out the following situations as you
read the clues.  The rest of the children guess what
kind of a helper God used to rescue someone in trouble.


GOD USES NATURE
(ravens)  We carried food to a prophet
     God used us during a famine
     We fly in the sky
     What are we?

GOD USES ANGELS
(angels)  We can go anywhere
          We have gotten people out of prison, shut
          lion's mouths and delivered special
          messages to people.
          Our home is in Heaven
          What are we?

GOD USES WEATHER
(sun)     I was made on the 4th day of creation
          God used me to make the day longer so the
          Israelites could win a battle
          I am bright and warm and yellow
          What am I?

GOD USES OTHER PEOPLE
(prophets) We can be men or women
          Because we listen and obey God gives us
          special messages to tell others to help
          them
          Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and many
          others in the Bible were called this
          Who are we?

Now talk about other helpers God uses to guide us. 
Help them think of other situations to act out that
show God helping us in some way.