===================================================================== Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, October 24, 1998 From: NAD Children's Ministries (authors: Cyndi Long and Lisa Seeders) Date: September 15, 1998 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, WHEN GIDEON'S ARMY FOLLOWED JESUS ===================================================================== Lesson Aim: When I trust Jesus in faith and do what He asks me to do, wonderful things happen. Memory Verse: "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,'says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 4:6, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - SPEAR, SWORD, HAND GAME Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare in advance) There are no advance preparations necessary WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: This game is similar to one called paper, scissors, rock. Ask the children to think of some weapons that were used back in Bible times to win battles. Spears, swords and hand-to-hand combat were the most frequent methods of fighting. Show the children three different symbols that will represent each of these weapons. For the spear, close your right hand into a clenched fist with fingers and thumb facing left. Stick your index finger out to represent the spear. For the sword, make the same fist facing the same direction but put index and middle finger out together to represent the sword. For the hand, make the same fist having no fingers pointing out. Have all children practice making this symbols. Now pair the children off into twos. When playing the game the children lay their left hand out in front of them, palm facing up. When you say, "go" their right fist hits their left palm three times. On the third hit, they make one of the symbols, either the spear, sword or hand. Winning depends on which weapon the children chose. Swords conquer hands, hands conquer spears and spears conquer swords. For example: If one child in the pair makes a spear symbol and the other child makes a hand the child who made the hand wins because hands conquer spears. Of if one child in a pair makes a sword and the other child makes a spear the child who made the spear wins because spears conquer swords. After playing 5-6 rounds, you, the teacher, enter into the game with a new symbol, prayer. (The symbol for prayer is a totally open right hand palm facing left. Do not explain to the children what your symbol is when you first enter the game.) After saying "go" give the prayer symbol on the third hit. Say, "I won." When the children question what symbol you used to win, explain that it is the symbol for prayer. That's the weapon you've chosen. Suggest playing another round. On every third hit use the prayer symbol. Continue "winning" every game. Very shortly the children will make comments about how you win every time or they may follow your strategy and use the prayer symbol every time too. Close the activity off making sure to point out to the children that none of the weapons were as powerful as prayer. Those who relied on prayer could be assured of "winning" every time. In our Bible story today Gideon and his army learn that there is power not in their size or weaponry but in following the Lord's commands. GETTING THEIR ATTENTION- BIBLE OBJECTS HUNT Materials needed: Loaf of bread, preferably homemade and barley Pitcher, dark but unbreakable Flashlight Toy trumpet WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There is really no preparation ahead of time except hiding the objects listed above around the classroom before the children arrive. Make it somewhat hard. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Tell the children that you have hidden 4 objects around the room that have to do with the Bible story. Give them time to begin looking and then tell them whether they are warm or cold. Once they have found the objects have them set them up on a table for all to see as you tell the story. Refer to the objects when you come to that particular spot in the story. In our story today we will hear about bread loaves knocking down tents and alarm clock pitchers and trumpets. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE- PAPER MEN Materials needed: Five sheets of copied stick men on one color copy paper One sheet of copied stick men on another color copy paper Scissors for each child in the class Lg sheet of newsprint or other white paper with a valley drawn on one side and a stream drawn on the other (sort of an overhead view) WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Draw 40 stick men on a eighth of a sheet of copy paper and then copy over to make a quarter of a sheet. Copy this 3 times and cut and paste to a full sheet of copy paper and copy 6 times, 5 on one color and 1 on another. You should have a total of 320 stick men on each sheet. Each man represents 100 men. On the 5th sheet (the one of a different color) cut off all but 70 men. Draw the valley on one side of the newsprint and the stream on the other as if it was an overhead view. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: You will be telling the story as you go along. Give the children scissors and have them cut the five color sheets into small groups. Put these men in the valley in a camping arrangement. These are the 135,000 Midianites . Now begin with Gideon and the fleece of wool and his prayers. When you get to the part where 32,000 men answered Gideon's call, give the children parts of the last sheet of men to cut up into groups of 5. As you tell the children the story of who was frightened and who drank from the stream with their hands to reduce the number of men tell the children to remove those men from the picture. Finish your story with the 3 remaining stick men surrounding the camp of Midianites and add the objects that were collected earlier. The purpose of this is for the children to understand the difference in the size of the armies. They will appreciate what God did for those 300 men compared to the 135,000 Midianites. Emphasize that with God anything is possible. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIBLE DRAMA Materials needed Piece of fleece, lamb's wool or some cotton Real or play trumpet (Younger divisions frequently have these) Long tapestry candle (to represent torch) Pitcher WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: The Bible story contains many little acting parts that may be panomimed by the children. Speaking parts for Gideon and the Midianite soldiers may be written out for older Primaries to read. Otherwise all parts are dramatized as you narrate the story. The props mentioned in the above materials list are recommended for added visual effect. There are plenty of parts for a large Sabbath school and a small Sabbath school can assign several roles to just a few children as needed. Role-playing parts needed: Gideon Israelite army Purah Two Midianite soldiers Midianite army GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - CRAFT FOAM PUZZLE Materials needed: Craft Foam Sheets (Available in craft stores) One foam sheet per child Scissors Permanent thin-line markers WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Imagine each child's foam sheet as a square cut into four quadrants. Cut the following four shapes out of each child's foam sheet one out of each quadrant. Cut a trumpet out of the upper left quadrant, a torch out of the upper right quadrant, a pitcher out of the lower left quadrant and a heart out of the lower right quadrant. Cut only the shapes, do not cut into the rest of the foam sheet. (You may want to draw them first before cutting) WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Look up the memory verse together in the Bible. Give each child a foam sheet and the four "puzzle piece cut outs" that go with it. (If the foam sheets are different colors, the children may want to trade cut out pieces so their "puzzle" is more colorful.) On the following pieces have the children print the memory verse words. Trumpet - "'Not by might Torch - nor by power, Pitcher - but by my Spirit Heart - says the Lord Almighty." Zech. 4:6 ***Explain to the children that there was one other thing Gideon's army had besides a trumpet, torch and a pitcher when they went into battle.....a willing heart to follow God's commands. Take the puzzle pieces in and out practicing the memory verse. Play a game, putting all the puzzle pieces in the middle and allowing children only to draw out a piece for their puzzle when they can say what is on that particular shape. Encourage the children to take the puzzle home and play with it with a younger child explaining the story and what it means. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - CAPTURE Materials needed: The following music on tape or a piano player WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Learn the following song so you can teach it to the children WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: This activity is like the game London Bridge is Falling Down. The children line up and go under a bridge made by you and another adult. Everyone sings the alternate words together while playing. They continue circling around and returning to the bridge. The difference in this game from London Bridge is that the goal is to be caught. They must keep moving and not change the pace to make it happen. Before playing the game, teach the children the song and talk about what it means in connection with the bible story today. Alternate words: You don't have to be the biggest be the smartest be the strongest You just have to trust in God and let Him use you. If your group consists of older Primaries, you may want to bypass the game and just learn the song.