==================================================== Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, March 4, 2000 From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date: February 6, 2000 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, A RICH MAN CHOOSES HIS MONEY ===================================================== Lesson Aim: When I choose to follow Jesus over everything else, I am choosing to have a treasure forever in heaven. Memory Verse: "Give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matt. 19:21, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - TREASURE HUNT Materials needed: A jewelry box, OR treasure chest OR any container like a lock-box where valuables are stored. Several large coins (dollars or half-dollars) Fake pearls or other sparkling jewels Bibles Fancy toy cars with small papers that say, Title taped to them WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Place the coins, jewels and jewelry, Bibles, and cars around the room, not in clear sight but not completely hidden from view. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Show the children the treasure or lock box in your lap. Ask them to think about what things they may expect to find as treasure in such a box. Instruct them to look around the room and bring back items to the box that they consider treasure. No one else it to see what they put in the box. When they are done collecting, pull the items out of the box one by one and talk about its value and why it was selected for the box. Help them understand that different people consider different things valuable as treasure. What makes something valuable to one person may not have much worth to another. In our story today Jesus wants us to know that there are certain treasures that are valuable or worth a lot to everyone who chooses them. Unfortunately the young man in our story did not choose this treasure Jesus talked about. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - FOLLOW ME MEMORY VERSE GAME Materials needed: Six sheets of plain white paper Bean bag Scissors Masking tape Bible WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Using a plate, trace 6 circles out of the plain sheets of paper and cut them out. Draw the details on each circle so that you have one circle that looks like a penny, one that looks like a nickel, one that looks like a dime, one that looks like a quarter, one that looks like a half-dollar and one that looks like a dollar. Place these in order from one end of the room to the other, starting with the penny and ending with the dollar. Keep them within hopping distance of one another, but don't just tape them in a straight line. Make the path of money weave back and forth. Tape them in place. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Have the children look up the memory verse in their Bible. Read and repeat it several times together. Starting at the penny circle, the first child throws the bean bag toward the nickel. Before he can hop to the nickel to retrieve the bean bag he must repeat the memory verse. After he hops to the nickel, the second child may begin at the penny. Each child plays in turn by throwing the bean bag to the next coin and repeating the verse, then hopping to that coin. The activity is complete when all the children arrive at the dollar coin. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - HEAVENLY TREASURE BOXES Materials needed: Bibles Small jewelry boxes Glue Jewels, beads, sequins Markers WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Give each child a small jewelry box and a marker. Look up the following texts together in the Bible. Challenge the children to listen and look for treasures they can expect in Heaven. Each time a treasure is mentioned, they can write that word somewhere on the inside of the box or lid. After the scripture work is done, have them decorate their heavenly treasure boxes with jewels, beads and sequins. 1. John 14:1-3 - mansion 2. Rev. 21:3 - God's presence 3. Rev. 21:4 - happiness, eternal life, perfect health 4. 1 John 4:18 - perfect love; no fear 5. Col. 2:3 - wisdom & knowledge These treasures are worth so much more than anything the world has to offer. They are good and they are forever! ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - HEAVENLY INVESTMENTS Materials needed: 4-5 (3 X 5) cards for each child Hole punch Key ring or binder ring (one for each child) Stickers (religious) OR stamps WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) On each 3 X 5 card print the words: MAKE YOUR INVESTMENTS IN HEAVENLY TREASURE YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE RETURNS WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Explain to the children that investments are ways that people take their monies and put them with companies that they think will help make more money for them. Any time someone wants to increase what they have and make more they invest it. Returns are what you get back from your investments. Give each child 4-5 (3 X 5 ) cards. Read them the words on it. Talk about why heavenly investments have better return than earthly ones. Have them punch a hole in the top left-hand corner of each card. Put all the cards on the key ring or binder ring to keep them together. All over the card have the child write the treasures found in the previous activity: (mansion, wisdom, knowledge, perfect health etc.) Decorate the card with stickers or stamping. Encourage each child to share the cards with adults this week including church members.