Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, September 12, 1998 From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date: August 1, 1998 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, A ROAD THROUGH A RIVER ===================================================================== Lesson Aim: Jesus helps me be strong and courageous. Memory Verse: "Be strong and courageous...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - MEMORY MIMES Materials needed: 1 Sheet of poster board A permanent marker WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Print the following questions on the poster board. 1. When you took a trip, how did you get there? 2. How long were you gone? 3. How did you feel when you left on the trip? How did you feel when you arrived at your destination? 4. What did you do during your trip so time would pass faster? WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Choose a volunteer for the first mime. At your signal, the children in their seats read the first question to the volunteer in unison. The volunteer mimes, or shows by action only, an answer to the question. (For example they may act out driving a car, or zooming like an airplane etc.) When the audience guesses what the answer is to their first question, another volunteer is chosen and the audience proceeds onto the next question. Again, the volunteer mimes an answer. (Volunteers may need some clues from you on appropriate actions to mime to facilitate guessing.) Give all children who desire a chance to participate, questions may be repeated. But keep the activity rolling, so the entire length of time does not exceed 5-7 minutes. Follow-up with these discussion questions: 1. What do you think makes a trip so exciting? 2. How do you feel when you arrive at your destination? The Israelites finally arrive in Canaan, which has been their destination ever since they left Egypt. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE MONUMENT Materials needed: 20 medium-size rocks (Large enough to print one word on a side) Permanent marking pen Bibles WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Write one of the words from the memory verse on each rock. (Do not include the text) On the remaining four rocks print the words: Jesus, faithful, when, come. Place all twenty rocks in the corner of the room, face up so each word can be seen. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Have the children look up the verse in their Bibles. Repeat it together several times. Place the children in the opposite corner of the room from where the rocks are. Explain to them that where the rocks are represents the Promised Land, Canaan. In that land the Israelites built a monument from rocks to help them remember God's goodness and His leading. Have the children imagine that there is a great river separating them from the rocks. In order to be able to cross over it and reach the rocks, they must repeat the memory verse. After repeating the verse, they move over to the rocks and select one that has a memory verse word on it. They lay it down and begin building a monument, one rock at a time. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - BOLD BALLS Materials needed: Small plastic balls or golf balls (4) Toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes cut in half (10) Magic markers WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Print one text on each ball. Don't print the whole verse, just the text. Joshua 1:9, NIV Psa. 27:14, NIV Psa. 31:24, NIV Deut. 31:6, NIV WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Give each child a tube and a marker. If you do not have ten children in your class, give some students more than one tube. Make sure all ten tubes are given out to be written on. Instruct the children to write a word or two that tells about a time when they have felt afraid and needed extra courage. (You may need to stimulate them with some clue ideas or examples of your own). After all the tubes have something written on them, line them up across the front of the room about a foot apart. Place the children at the opposite end of the room at least 6-8 feet away from the tubes. Show the children the balls with the texts printed on them. Print these same texts on a blackboard or poster board for all to see. Explain to the children that the texts are promises of help and courage from God. Each time a child looks up one of the texts and reads it or has you read it, they may use the ball with that same text printed on it to roll across the floor to try and knock down any of the problem tubes. (The tubes may need to be re-set several times for children who want to have all four tries.) At the end of the activity point out God's eagerness to send us strength and courage when we ask for it. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - COURAGE RIBBONS Materials needed: Yellow fabric ribbon (Enough for each child to have 12". Make sure it hangs limp and is easy to manipulate) Small safety pins WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Cut each child a piece of ribbon, 12 inches in length. WHAT THE STUDENTS DO: Explain to the children that sometimes yellow ribbons have been used as a symbol of courage. People tie them around things or hang them as a way of saying, they are waiting in courage for something good to happen. Yellow is bright and bold, like courage. God promises us His courage to face any problems or situations that may seem too hard or frightening to us otherwise. (Go slowly through a step-by-step process showing the children how to tie their yellow ribbon into a nice bow with hanging tails.) Help them pin their ribbons on. Ask them what they will tell people who ask them why they are wearing a yellow ribbon. (This ribbon reminds me that God will give me courage to face anything.) ***IF TIME ALLOWS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO GIVE THE CHILDREN EXTRA RIBBON TO MAKE EXTRA BOWS WITH. THEY CAN SHARE THE BOWS WITH OTHERS WHEN THEY EXPLAIN WHY THEY'RE WEARING THEIRS. INCLUDE EXTRA SAFETY PINS ALSO.***