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Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, August 7, 1999

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

Date Completed: June 15, 1999

Abstract: Activities to use as a supplement to help teach the lesson, JOHN'S
SPECIAL WORK
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Lesson Aim: Jesus wants us to share news about Him with others.

Memory Verse: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved."  Mark 16:16, NIV


GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - A DESERT DIG (A multi-sensory activity)

Materials needed:
Book containing pictures of desert scenery, and animals, birds and reptiles that
live in the desert.
(Check your local library)
Large, flat gift wrap box
Sand
Tin foil
Plastic forks

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Xerox pictures of desert scenery and cut out objects such as: cactus,
roadrunner, lizard, tortoise, jackal, hare, snake, desert plants etc.  Line the
large flat box with tin foil, then fill up the box with sand.  Hide the pictures
of the desert objects throughout the sand.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Give each child a plastic fork.  Bring out the box and explain that it
represents the desert.  They will have to dig for treasures to find out what the
desert is like.  Give each child an opportunity to gently dig and uncover one
desert picture.  After finding all the pictures and discussing them set them
aside for use in the next activity.  In our story today a man lives in a desert.
It may have contained some of the same plants and animals we uncovered in our
desert dig.  GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIOGRAPHY BOOK ABOUT JOHN (An auditory & visual
activity)

Materials needed:
Any biography book on a children's level, particularly containing pictures
(check local library)
Desert object pictures from previous activity
Magazine picture of a baby
Magazine picture of good foods

Picture of Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River
Colors or markers
Glue sticks
Half sheets of construction paper
Stapler

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

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Show the children the biography book.  Explain how it is a book written about a
real person's life.  The children will make a biography book about
John-the-Baptist.  As you tell the story they select the picture that will best
suit that part of the story and glue it on one of the construction pages.   The
colors or markers are so that each child can draw a stick man on the next to last
page.  These stick men represent the crowds John-the-Baptist was preaching to.
When the book is all finished, staple it together and find a Sabbath school class
or division that it can be shared with.


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - WORDLESS BOOKS (A multi-sensory activity)

Materials needed:
Colored construction paper: Black, red, white, blue, green (enough for each child
to have a square of each color measuring 4" by 4")
Stapler
Box

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Cut each child a 4" by 4" square from each color of construction paper.  Mix the
squares of construction paper up and place in a box.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Discuss with the children different ways we can share the good news about Jesus
with others. Produce the box of colored construction paper squares.  Have each
child select a colored square according to the order in which each color is
mentioned.  Each square goes underneath the square mentioned before it.

Black - stands for sin.  Everyone has sinned and deserves to die for those sins.
Red   - stands for blood.  Jesus' blood from Calvary takes the place of our
        death.  He died for our sins because He loves us so much.
White - stands for forgiveness.  When we are truly sorry and ask for forgiveness,
        Jesus will forgive us, and it is as if we had never sinned.
Blue  - stands for believe.  We must believe that Jesus does everything He says
        He will do.
Green - stands for grow.  As our love for Jesus grows, we will become more and
        more like Him.

Staple each child's book together.  Show them how to share the good news about
Jesus with others using the book with no words.  Make sure each child
understands what each color stands for.



ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - SHARING JESUS WITH OTHERS

Materials needed:
Handkerchief or small square of fabric

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

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Have the children sit in a circle.  Select one child to be the "dropper" first.
He circles around the peripheral of the circle and drops the cloth behind the
back of one of the children.  Instead of chasing each other, the child who has
the cloth dropped behind his back states something or some way he could share
Jesus with someone.  The child on the peripheral continues to walk around until
he returns to the child where he dropped the cloth.  If he gets back to the
child before he has thought of a way to share Jesus the "dropper" gets another
turn.  If a child shares a "witnessing" idea before the "dropper" gets back
around to him, he then becomes the "dropper" and the first child returns to the
circle.