===================================================================== Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, April 24, 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, SWALLOWED BY A FISH ===================================================================== Lesson Aim: God forgives me when I am sorry for my sins. Memory Verse: "The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion." Numbers 14:18, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - WHO'S HIDING? Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: This activity is similar to hide and seek but with a twist. (If possible, play outdoors. If not, follow alternate directions.) Select one child to be the one who hides. All children and the leader hide their eyes. Count to twenty. Only the leader is to locate the child. The rest of the children look for the child too, but if they find the child, that child comes out and the other child takes his/her place in the hiding spot. The objective of the game is for all the children to have a turn in the hiding spot without the leader noticing. If all the children have a turn before she finds the hiding spot, the children "win". Children may not have more than one turn in the spot. Warn the children that if they make a big cluster around the spot or if they draw your attention to the spot, they will lose. They must work quietly and secretively. Alternative indoor activity: Have a child hide an object somewhere in the room. Whenever a child finds it, they move it to another hiding spot. The objective would be for all the children to find it and move it before you, the leader, find it. Children may not move the object more than once. In our Bible story today, someone is hiding in the bottom of a boat. Do you know who he's hiding from? Let's find out. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIBLE GUESSTURES Materials needed: (6) 3 X 5 cards WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: On the six 3 X 5 cards write the following words, one word to a card. Boat, Storm, Boxes of Cargo, Fish, Vine (plant), Worm WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: If you have more than six children participating in this activity at one time, divide the group as far as possible into six small groups. Give each individual child or small group a 3 X 5 card. Ask them to think of ways to portray the word written on the card. (If a group is working on a card, they do not have to think of all the same actions, then can work independently of each other). Tell the Bible story using the following script. At the appropriate time in the story the child or group stands and portrays the object for the rest of the group to guess. Jonah was a prophet who lived when Assyria was one of Israel's worst enemies. An important city in Assyria was named, Nineveh. One day God told Jonah to go preach in Nineveh and warn them that they would be destroyed. Jonah did not like that assignment at all. He headed in the opposite direction toward Tarshish on a (Have child or group pretend they are a boat.) Of course God knew all along where Jonah was on that boat, and He loved Jonah too much to let him continue disobeying. In order to stop Jonah He sent a (Have child or group pretend to be a storm.) The sailors aboard the ship were petrified. They tried everything to keep the ship from going down, even throwing over (Have child or group pretend to be cargo.) But God didn't want cargo, He wanted Jonah. After casting lots (explain if necessary) they found that Jonah was indeed the cause of all their troubles. Jonah suggested that they throw him overboard and the storm would quit. They finally agreed to do so. Immediately the sea became calm and they praised Jonah's God. God still had plans for Jonah, so He sent something to rescue him from drowning. (Have child or group pretend they are a large fish.) Jonah was in the stomach of that fish for 3 days. He repented and asked God to forgive him, which of course God did, because He loves to do that. After the fish spit Jonah back out on dry land he hustled on over to Nineveh to preach. The people in Nineveh wanted to change. They asked for forgiveness, which of course God granted, because He loves to do that. But Jonah was embarrassed and angry because he felt like God make a fool out of him. He went and pouted outside the city under a (Have child or group pretend they are a vine or plant growing.) God needed to teach Jonah a lesson about forgiveness and love. Along came a (Have child or group pretend they are a worm.) And chewed up the plant, killing it. God told Jonah that if he, Jonah, could feel pity and compassion for a plant that he hadn't even made or taken care of, why couldn't God feel pity and compassion towards the people He had made? (The Ninevites) God wanted to save the people in Nineveh and was very glad when they repented and changed. He was happy to forgive them. He is happy to do the same for each of us. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE REVIEW Materials needed: (7)3 X 5 cards Straight pins Permanent marker 2 sheets of gray or black construction paper Scissors Glue Blue flannel felt board 1 Large wiggly eye (optional) Bibles WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Trace or draw a large fish or whale-looking figure on both sheets of the gray or black construction paper. Glue the two halves of fish together, ONLY AROUND THE OUTER EDGES. Leave the mouth unglued. You should end up with a fish that is a pocket where papers can be dropped inside from the mouth. Glue on a wiggly eye. Cut the 3 X 5 cards in half. Print one word of the memory verse on each half. Mix the cards up and insert them into the "fish's belly". Pin the fish to a blue flannel felt board. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Look up the memory verse in the Bible and review it together several times. Jonah learned something important while he was in the belly of the fish. It is something we need to know and remember. Have children take turns drawing a card from the fish's belly and pinning it on the blue flannel board in the order in which the verse is read. After the whole verse has been assembled children take turns removing words, one at a time, and repeat the verse together after each removal. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Sometimes we may be tempted to think, "So, what was the big deal with Jonah anyway? He should have just gone and done what God asked him to and he would have been spared three days in a fish's belly." Are there things God may ask us to do someday, that we may not care much for? Read the following statements. If it is something a child feels they could do with no problem, they are to stand up and say, "Here am I". If it is something they would rather run away from like Jonah did, they are to run in place in their chairs. 1. You are asked to sing special music in church alone. 2. Your teacher asks you if you would try to make friends with the kid nobody else in class likes. 3. Your coach asks you to give the opening prayer for your teammates before a big game. 4. You need to confess to your mom that you've been telling quite a number of lies lately. 5. You have to tell your friends you can't come to the party they've planned because you don't think some of the activities they've planned are right for a Christian boy or girl. Have children submit any ideas of situations they have been in that have caused them to think twice about whether to obey the word of the Lord or not.