A lesson on thankfulness {and a fun game}

Lesson theme:

Thankfulness

Supplies:

Bean bag or ball,

Ahead of time:

Set up the computer with the video to watch. 

When they arrive:

Ask the kids all to be quiet while you watch a movie.  After the movie is done ask the kids questions.

Questions:

Q. Don’t you think Jesus would have like to have all of the lepers come back to tell him thank you?

A. yes

Q. how many lepers did Jesus heal?

A. 10

Q. how many lepers told Jesus thank you?

A. only 1

Q. how can we tell Jesus thank you for dyeing for us so that we can go to heaven?

A. Praying, obeying our mom and dad, listening to him, etc.

Q. what are some things we can be thankful for?

A. Everything, Our moms, dads, homes, etc.

Did you know that the bible tells us to be thankful about EVERYTHING!  I had something just the other day that I was not happy about, I had a really bad headache, but I knew that God had given me that for a reason.  Although it was hard to understand why, I said” thank you God for this headache, I now you gave it to me for a reason”

Now that may seem rather extreme but it ended out, later on, I found out that headache actually made something really good happen that made me feel really good later on.  Although I didn’t understand it then, God did.  We can be thankful about everything that happens. 

Game time:

Okay, this game is one that everyone can play.  Have the kids sit in a circle on the floor.  Use a very soft ball or bean bag.  Throw the ball to anyone in the circle.  The child must say something that they are thankful for.  If they can’t think of anything, they are out.  They cannot say the same thing twice. 

Color a picture

Best ever board game (for sunday school kids)

SO,   Two weeks ago I had to leave class early to help my youth group with some ministry opportunities.  When I left, all the kids were playing a giant board game.  they all grew very upset that they couldn't finish, and being the crazy person I am, told them that we would do it again in two weeks.  The problem was that my class has been rapidly growing.  The board game is great for a class of 3 or 4 kids, but 10 or 12 kids?  yeah...  so this is what I put together.

Theme: Overall
Supplies: 

Large piece of foam board
Oil crayons or markers
velcro
Cardstock paper
questions

Ahead of time
Cut two small pieces of foam board about 2X2 inches.
Make a curved path on the foam board for the game route.  Use the crayons to draw bible scenes or just simple scenery.  Draws lines on the path to make about 20 squares.  Place a small strip of velcro on each square and two small pieces of the back of the squares you cut out earlier.

Print out your questions on the cardstock and cut them out like playing cards.  Its best if you have each card move them 1,2, or 3.

When the kids arrive
Divide the kids up into 2 teams.  Ask them a question from the top card, and have them agree one one of your three answers.

And thats it.  Kids get sooo excited about this,  its crazy!

Pretty cake, nasty cake

This lesson was actually used as a object lesson-illustration-horrifying piece!  It takes awhile to do, but overall, the work is sooo worth the effort.  Plus,  it's fun for me!

Theme
It's what's on the inside that counts

Supplies

• 2 cakes that taste or look gross
• pretty colored icing
• spinach, greens, or some other not-so-appetizing food
• a nice cake tray
• tools to decorate the cake with

Ahead of time

Bake the cake and let it cool completely while you make the icing.  I had a little leftover icing from a group of cupcakes, so I just used that.  

Smooth a thin layer of icing on the tops of one of the cakes.  Using a very thick consistency of icing, build an icing dam around the edge of the cake.  Open the can of greens and drain them until you can't get any more juice out.  Put the greens in the center of the cake with the icing dam.   (Never mind that banana peel)

Place the second cake on top. Be sure that the layers are aligned and fit snugly together. 

Ice the cake with a thin layer of icing on the outside to seal in any juices or crumbs that might give away the cake's real heart!

Ice the cake in whatever decoration you had planned.  I used a ruffle technique, and yes, there are tutorials all over the internet for these!

Once you have your cake finished, put it in the fridge until you are ready to take it to church.  

The lesson

Show the kids the cake.  Ask them if they think it looks good and what flavor they think it might be.  Tell them you are going to cut it open and see what amazing flavors it beholds.  When you slice into the cake to see what amazing flavor it is, the kids will see how gross it looks and ask if those are really greens!

Ask those kids if they would like to eat the cake now...hopefully they say no.  Ask why they changed their minds so quickly.  

Explain that we can look good on the outside, and everyone thinks we are so cute or pretty or handsome, but on the inside, if we don't have Jesus in our hearts, we are just as nasty as the cake.  

Explain that I can't take all that nasty stuff out of the cake now, it's ruined, but if Jesus comes into our hearts, no matter how bad we are or how nasty our heart looks, he can still save us and make us new again.  

Ps.  Here is a picture of the cake once I cut it!  Gross :)
PPs.  if the kids say that they want to eat the cake, tell them a few ingredients and,if your cake has a lot of salt like mine did, inform them that they might even throw up if they tried to eat it.  

Jesus feeds 5000 interactive story

Theme 

Jesus feeds 5000 from John chapter 6 1-14 

Ahead of time 

Get a script to read for the story of Jesus feeding 5000.   

Lesson Plan 

When the children arrive tell them that you are going to read a story.  when you get to each word they should add something to it.    For my class I used this plan.   

In the story, each time I (the teacher) say the word "fish" you say "yummy".  Each time I say the word "bread" you say "yummy so fresh" each time I say the word "hungry", you say "I'm starving!" 

The story 

Jesus had healed a lame man and just finished teaching the people when he decided to take a boat, with his disciples, across the sea.  When Jesus got to the other side he saw a huge crowd of people wanting to hear him speak.   Many had brought lame and blind people for Jesus to heal.  They had heard that Jesus could heal anyone any they wanted to see it happen.  Some people came because they wanted to come and hear Jesus teach.  He was a great story teller and everyone (or almost everyone) loved to hear him.   

Jesus saw that it was getting late in the day and none of the people had had anything to eat because they had followed him and left all the food behind in the rush to see the great teacher.  Everyone was very hungry.  -----   

Jesus looked at the massive crowd of over 5000 people!  "Where will we buy bread--- so that they can eat?" Jesus asked Philip, one of his disciples.  Jesus already knew what Philip was going to say though.   

"These people are hungry---- it will take more than 200 pennyworth, (or about $15,000) to feed everyone just bread-----!" 

The other disciples thought they should look around for some possible food source to feed everyone.  Maybe they could find a huge blueberry patch or possibly a gigantic apple farm.  But even if they did, they wouldn't have the money to pay the owner for it all.   

Then one of the disciples named Andrew found a little boy with 5 loaves of bread----and 2 fishes-----.    Jesus said "make everyone sit down."   There was a lot of grass in the place that all the people were standing, so they all sat down in the nice green grass.   

Jesus took the bread---- said grace, and gave it to his disciples.    He did the same with the fish---.  Then something amazing happened, the bread --- never ran out, more just kept coming!  The disciples kept handing out more and more bread---and fish--- until it was all gone.  They had fed over 5000 people and they still had plenty left over!   

When everyone was full, Jesus told the disciples to gather up the leftovers.  Can you guess how much was left?  ---- 12 basketfuls!   

This was truly a miracle.  

Jesus gave these people a bread that would soon leave there tummies and make them hungry again.  Did you know that Jesus is the bread of life!  It's a different kind of bread.  If we have this bread we will never be hungry again.   

 Q and A time 

Q. The boy could have kept his fish.  Do you think the people were glad he shared?

A. Yep! 

Q. When was another time in the bible that God fed thousands?  

A. When God gave manna in the wilderness