===================================================================== Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, April 10, 1999 From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date: March 15, 1999 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, GOD TURNED BACK TIME ==================================================================== =Lesson Aim: God sometimes does unusual things to help us trust Him. Memory Verse: "Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." Prov. 29:25, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - BELIEVE IT OR NOT Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare in advance) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Tell the children that nature can do some pretty unusual things. Below are some statements you will read to the children. If they believe it can truly happen, they stand up. If they do not believe it, they remain in their seats. 1. Camels can go for many days without drinking. (Believe it) 2. Elephants are pregnant for two years. (Believe it) 3. A chameleon's tongue is as long as its whole body. (Believe it) 4. A dog sweats when it is hot. (Not) 5. A spider in South America can eat birds. (Believe it) 6. There are more insects than animals living on our planet. (Believe it) 7. The earth can stop spinning and turning for several hours so time appears to go backwards. (Not) Do you remember in a Bible story not too long ago, God performed a miracle using the sun? He caused something impossible to happen. There were more daylight hours than in a normal day. In our Bible story today, God uses the sun and the earth's movements again to provide a miracle to strengthen a man's faith. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE BINGO Materials needed: Buttons (8 for each child) Card stock (3 sheets) Ruler Bibles WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare in advance) Cut the card stock in half. With the ruler, mark off 12 squares, three across and four down each row. Inside the squares of the first sheet of card stock print the following words: Whoever, Obeys, Is Jesus, Safe, In Trusts, Kept, Blessed The, And, Lord For each of the other five sheets of card stock, write in the same words in the squares, but rearrange them so they are all in a different order each time. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Play this game with a small group of six children or less. If your group is larger, make more memory verse bingo cards. Give each child a memory verse bingo card and eight buttons. Look up the memory verse together in the Bible. Read each word on the card out loud. Give the following clues. The children place a button on the square that they think answers the question. When all children have answered the eight questions and used up their buttons, they should have the words of the memory verse covered. 1. Which word means you can count on something and believe it for sure? (Trusts) 2. Which word means held onto for a while? (Kept) 3. Which word means anybody? (Whoever) 4. Which word is the opposite of out? (In) 5. Which word is talking about a member of the Godhead? (Lord) 6. Which word means free from danger? (Safe) 7. Which two letter word means something will happen? (Is) 8. Which word is referring to a certain person? (The) Be careful to point out to the children that being kept safe from danger doesn't always mean the dangers that happen from living in a sinful world. God does not remove all the dangers from this world. He does not remove us from all the dangers. But He does keep us safe from the evil one, and Satan is the worst danger anyone will ever have to face. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - FEARS COURSE Materials needed: Nylon rope or cord (24 - 30' in length) Blindfolds WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Make a maze outside or inside with chairs wrapping the cord around various fixed objects. Make sure the objects will not hurt the children if they are bumped into. Every 3' or so make a knot in the cord. There should be a total of 6 knots in various locations along the cord. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Blindfold each child. Ask them to walk along holding onto the rope. Whenever they come to a knot, they are to count it in their head. At the end of the walk they will report to you how many knots they found along the way. Only have two children on the rope at a time before sending more. When everyone has had a chance to count the knots, have them return to their seats and report how many they encountered. Ask the children to name some fears those knots could represent. (Example: Fear of being hurt, Fear of getting lost, Fear of failing etc.) All the knots represent dangers and fears we have. In order to stay on course each child needed to hang onto the cord. They could not bypass the knots because they did not know when they would come upon one. Life on our sinful earth is like that. We have to go straight ahead. We cannot stay away from all dangers and fears. God does not promise to "undo the knots". But He does promise to calm our fears and give us courage and strength to meet those fears. Look up Isa. 43:5, NIV first half. Memorize the first nine words together, "Do not be afraid for I am with you........." Now have the children repeat the blindfold course, saying the verse each time they come to a knot. Encourage them to see how quickly they can get through the course. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - NO FEAR SIGNS Materials needed: Poster board Contact paper Hole punch Yarn Permanent markers WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Using a medium size dinner plate, trace a circle for each child onto the poster board and cut it out. Punch a hole near the top. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Show students signs that depict something they're not suppose to do by drawing a picture then running a slash through it. (Example: Grocery shopping carts have circles with children shown standing up in the cart and a slash runs through the circle. When a store doesn't want you to bring pets inside, they draw a pet in a circle then run a slash through the circle.) Give each child a poster board circle. Have them make a fear sign. They write the words, NO FEAR in large lettering in the circle. Then they draw a large slash down through the circle. At the bottom of the circle they write the words, GOD IS HERE. Cover the circles with contact paper and attach a piece of yarn, so the circle can be hung somewhere in their room or on their door. Encourage them to take their fears to the Lord each day in prayer.