Youth Educational Adventures. Up, Up and Away!

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1 Dear Teacher, As a Beginners teacher, you are trying to do everything you can to make each class as good as it can be. Classes will be better and learning improved if all students have their lesson read to them, do the activity in their book and learn their memory verse before class. Educators tell us that students are more likely to complete their assignments when these are given to them in writing. In order to improve learning and save you time, please select ten different colors of paper (one for each week s lesson), making sure you have enough for each student to have one of each color. Every week give out a different color of paper to differentiate that week s assignment. Our goal is to ensure that all students understand what is expected of them for the next class. Blank spaces are left for you to fill-in and write such information as upcoming social events or Holy Days. Give each student one of these reminders at the end of each class and ask them to give it to their parents. Reminders Dear Parents, The goal at YEA is to help your child to be biblically literate. Even more than that, we want to introduce your child to Jesus. We want to instill a love for Him, an awareness of Him as a friend, a guide, a help in time of need, and to lay the groundwork for coming to know Him as Savior. We need your help to do this. Classes will be better and learning improved if all of the students do their assignments. Please assist and encourage your child to complete the following assignments before next Sabbath or by the indicated time. 1. Read lesson number on pages. 2. Learn the memory verse on page. 3. Each day, read the Devotional Bible readings on the back of your book for week. 4. Bring your Bible and YEA book to Sabbath School Go to and download daily YEA! Let s R.E.A.C.H. activities for your child to do. Thank you for helping your child learn and grow! Sincerely, Youth Educational Adventures Lessons for Sabbath School and Home Parent and Teacher s Guide Unit 1 Life of Christ Book One Beginners Up, Up and Away! YE1TA

2 Youth Educational Adventures The Life of Christ Book One Beginners The purpose of this series of lessons is to introduce each child to Jesus. We hope to instill a love for Jesus, an awareness of Him as a friend, a guide, a help in time of need, and to lay the groundwork for coming to know Him as Savior. We also want to develop in the children a love for learning about God which will bring them again and again to church and to Sabbath School. We hope to encourage daily contact with God through prayer and devotional Bible readings. In the process, we hope to create in each child an expectation of fully participating as a baptized member in God s church. We also pray that the lessons in this book will translate into knowledge and behavior becoming of a child of God. Ronald Dart - Publications Editor Allie Dart - Managing Editor Mickie Ranaldo - Layout and Design CEM and YEA are very grateful to those who have given of their time to make this publication possible. In alphabetical order, they are: Paula Hughes, Joy Kern, Marilyn Lewis, Ron McKown, Mindy Sivils, Kitty & Larry Watkins Special thanks to Gary George for photographing our cover picture and to Cassia Joe, Zachary Compton, and Keelie Compton for appearing in the picture. Our vision is to create Christian educational opportunities for all our children so that they will build a lasting relationship with God and experience the joys of salvation and the rewards of God s Kingdom. Christian Educational Ministries P. O. Box 560 Whitehouse, Texas phone: BIBLE.44 fax: website: Copyright Christian Educational Ministries All Rights Reserved Index of Lessons Lesson 1 A Special Baby is Born!... 4 Lesson 2 Jesus Visits the Temple... 6 Lesson 3 Jesus is Baptized... 8 Lesson 4 In God s House Lesson 5 Food for Everyone Lesson 6 Jesus Walks on Water! Lesson 7 The Best Day of the Week Lesson 8 The Blind Man Can See! Lesson 9 Jesus Loves Me! Lesson 10 The Man in the Tree Kelly saw the bands with their shiny horns. She saw the funny clowns with their red noses. She could even see the little dogs as they jumped through the hoops. Kelly was very thankful for Daddy s strong shoulders. Once there was a very little man named Zacchaeus. He lived in Jericho. Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector. One reason he was so rich was because he cheated people. He made people pay more taxes than they owed. Then, he kept the extra money for himself. People didn t like Zacchaeus because of what he did. Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town. He wanted more than anything to see Jesus. He was sorry that he had not always been honest. He thought Jesus might be able to help him. The day Jesus came to Jericho, Zacchaeus rushed to find a place to wait for Him. But when he got to the road there were so many people there. Zacchaeus ran up and down the road. He jumped up and down. But, he was too short to see over the people s heads. He looked around and finally saw a big sycamore tree. Zacchaeus hurried and climbed up onto one of the branches. Everyone heard footsteps coming down the road. (Have the children slap their knees to make a walking sound.) Jesus was coming! Zacchaeus could see Jesus walking. Then Jesus stopped right under the sycamore tree where Zacchaeus was sitting. He looked up into the tree and said, Zacchaeus, come down. I want to go home with you today. Can you imagine how Zacchaeus felt? Jesus was coming to his house! He climbed down as fast as he could. He and Jesus walked down the road to Zacchaeus house. Zacchaeus told Jesus he was sorry for cheating the people. He said that he was going to pay back all the money he took. He said that he would even give back four times as much. (Have the children hold up four fingers.) Jesus knew that Zacchaeus was really sorry. Jesus said that He would forgive Zacchaeus and let him live forever with Him. 1. How big was Zacchaeus? 2. What kind of work did Zacchaeus do? 3. Who did Zacchaeus want to see? 4. What did he do to see over the heads of the people? What did Jesus say to Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus is on page 29 of the Kids Classics Collection. Be sure to do the motions. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that you love me. Thank you that you forgave Zacchaeus. Please forgive me when I do bad things. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Lay the butcher s paper on which you have drawn the tree on the floor. Each child will need an old shirt to protect his clothing. Pour a small amount of green finger paint into a styrofoam plate. Help each child make hand print leaves for the tree by dipping the palm of his hand into the paint. Let children place their leaves on the tree branches. If your class is small, each child should be allowed to make several leaves. Hang the tree on the wall, being careful not to smear the paint.

3 Lesson 10 The Man in the Tree Salvation has come to your house (Luke 19:9). Objectives 1. Name at least two facts about Zacchaeus. 2. Explain that they shouldn t give up easily if they want something that is good for them. 3. Tell how Zacchaeus was able to see Jesus. Luke 19:1-10; Romans 6:22-23 SIN - to do wrong, break God s Law FORGIVE - excuse or pardon, not punish TAXES - money you are required to pay the government and memory verse charts, stars, butcher s paper, brown paint or crayons, green finger paint, styrofoam plates, old shirts to protect children s clothing, flannel board and figures, songbook, CD, CD player, prizes These comprehensive lessons are designed to get one idea across each week. The Scripture, memory verse, review, activity, song, and prayer are all intended to drive home this point in different ways. All of these steps have their importance in the learning process. It would be a mistake to leave out a step such as the song. Words set to music are learned and retained far better than the spoken word. Include action or hand motions with as many of the songs as you can. 22 The more you work with young children, the more you will realize that it is important to be realistic with your expectations. The ability to comprehend and perform certain skills will differ from child to child. Allow time to help the slower or reluctant children. Give them much encouragement. Your class will love this story because they can relate to a man who was so short that he couldn t see over the heads of tall people. The use of a flannel board and figures will help make this lesson come alive. Flannel boards can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore. Try doing the activity first you can use it as a prop. Before class, make a tree trunk with branches about five feet tall on butcher s paper. Color or paint the tree brown. The children will make the leaves with their hand prints. You can then hang the tree on the wall of your classroom. Since this is the last lesson it this unit, you may want to award a small prize to each child who has quoted all ten memory verses. Things like Bible coloring books and crayons can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore or dollar stores. Kelly went with her daddy to watch a parade. The sun was shining. She could hear the music as the bands marched by. She heard the horns honking on the little cars the clowns drove. She could hear everything but she couldn t see anything! Kelly was a little girl. She couldn t see over the heads of all the big people in front of her. All of a sudden Kelly felt Daddy s strong arms lift her up. Up, up, she went, until she sat high on Daddy s shoulders. Now she could see everything. Dear Parents and Teachers, A passage from a psalm haunted me over the days when we were putting the finishing touches on our first book. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, from my youth, said David. Upon you I have leaned from my birth (Psalm 71:5, 6 NRSV). What David is saying is that he could not remember a time when he had not trusted and leaned on God. If only all of our children would grow up with the same faith that they would not be able to remember a time when they did not pray, have faith in God, follow His teachings as best they knew and love Jesus Christ as their friend. After these words in the psalm comes this beautiful affirmation: O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come (vv.17, 18). As we continue this project, we hope and pray that God Himself will teach our children. It is our task to present His message to the children with love, clarity, persuasion and even passion. For if we do not teach as people who love God, how can we hope to pass on that love to the children? You hold in your hands the first revised book in the Life of Christ series designed for use by Beginners, parents and Sabbath School instructors in teaching children the ways of God. As far as we know, no one in our tradition has ever done anything quite like this a fact that is astonishing all in itself. There are those who say that if you give them a child until he is six years old, the child will remain in their faith for life. There is a lot of truth in that statement. The reason is that children are more open to faith at that age than they ever will be again. Children also tend to fulfill our expectations. If we do not expect them to know God at that age, then they may well fall into a habit of assuming that God may be important to the church or their parents, but that He need not be important to them. Realizing that children are as much in need of ministry as adults, CEM formed an arm called Youth Educational Adventures (YEA) to underwrite and expedite the teaching and nurturing of the children and youth of God s people. One of the first goals of YEA is the biblical literacy of the children, but that is not nearly enough. Which of you parents does not hope for your children to be baptized? If you can hope for it, then it is only right that you work for it and YEA stands 3 ready to help you. We want your children to not only know about God, but to know Him. We want them not only to know about Jesus, but to believe in Him and to commit their lives to Him. The lessons are more than isolated stories about biblical characters. Into each lesson is woven a strong life application. With all of this in mind, we developed an ongoing curriculum so that when a child passes age seven, age 11, or age 18, he will know the things he should know at that age and will have come as far as maturity will allow. Parents are encouraged to read the lessons to their children prior to Sabbath School. This will help them reach their comfort level more quickly in class. It will enable them to participate in class discussions and benefit more from the lesson. This age group enjoys sharing what they have learned. If you follow through after class with a discussion about what they have learned, they will feel good about sharing it with you. Show that you are interested by asking questions and making comments. Giving a lot of positive reinforcement will help them to love Sabbath School and enjoy learning about God s Word. It would be good for the parents to join their children in reading the devotionals on the back of their book each day and to kneel with them and pray. Doing this habitually can build a foundation of biblical knowledge that will last throughout all eternity. These lessons were designed to take about 45 to 50 minutes. Ideally, Sabbath Schools could be taught at the same time as an adult Bible Study. Every section of the lesson should be completed. If there is not enough time allotted for Sabbath School, the teachers should work with the parents to encourage the children to complete the activities at home. The activities are designed not only to add pleasure to the learning experience, but to reinforce the lesson as well and to complete the learning process. We regret being unable to include the music for the suggested songs. For your convenience, Christian Educational Ministries stocks the Kids Classics Collection, Volume 1. To order, write to PO Box 560, Whitehouse, TX 75791, call BIBLE-44, or go to the bookstore on CEM s website at May God bless the little children, and may He do it through you. Ronald L. Dart

4 Objectives 1. Name the town where Jesus was born. 2. Recite the names of Jesus earthly parents. 3. State that the birth of Jesus was one of the greatest events that has ever happened. Luke 1:26-35, 2:1-20 STABLE - a barn where animals are kept SWADDLING CLOTHES - cloth used to wrap a newborn baby SHEPHERD - a man who takes care of sheep and protects them from wild animals and memory verse charts, gold and silver stars, unbreakable nativity scene, crayons, simple toys, blocks and clay, white lunch-size paper bags, cotton balls, glue, white construction paper, songbook, CD, CD player Arrive early enough to set up the room with a table that has toys, blocks and clay on it, and small chairs arranged in a semicircle in a different area of the room. Before class, either buy or make attendance and memory verse charts, write each child s name on them, and dates at the top. If you elect to make the attendance and memory verse charts, draw lines down from each date and across from each name to form squares. Tack the charts on the wall low enough for the children to reach. Lesson 1 A Special Baby is Born! Glory to God in the highest (Luke 2:14). As the children arrive, greet them warmly, calling each one by name. Give each child a silver star to put by his name on the attendance chart. Then have them go to the table to play with the toys and other children. Encourage children to shape their clay to form a sheep or a star. As they play, ask questions that will lead into the lesson such as: Do you know who Jesus is? Did you know that Jesus was once a little baby? Did you know that His birth was so special that God put a very bright star in the sky? Allow time after children arrive for them to play with the toys and clay until they reach their comfort level in class. Then let them recite their memory verse. Praise them for knowing it and give them a gold star to put by their name on the memory verse chart. Now say, One, two three, it s listening time for you and me. Move the children to small chairs if they are available, or have them sit on the floor in a semicircle. Make sure that you sit at their eye level as you teach the lesson. Remember that the attention span of three to five year old children is very short. To captivate and hold their interest they must be involved each step of the way. Children are great mirrors of your attitude and enthusiasm. The lesson should be so familiar that you can tell it with enthusiasm, vocal variety, gestures, and drama. Before you begin, give each child one or more pieces (depending on the size of the class) of the nativity scene and ask them to hold their piece until you ask for it. As you go over the narrative, ask for each piece as needed. A long time ago, a man named Joseph married a woman named Mary. They lived in a country called Israel. It is very far away. One day, an angel came to Mary s home. He told her that she was pleasing to 4 When Jesus heard what the disciples did, He told them to let the children come to Him. He said that nothing was more important than children. Jesus told them that everyone must become like little children if they want to be part of God s Kingdom. They must learn to love and trust in Jesus just like the little children. One by one, Jesus picked up each child. He placed His hand on their head and prayed for them. Jesus was giving a blessing to these children. He wanted them to know that He would protect them from harm. He wanted them to know that He would be their Friend. Jesus wants to bless you too. He wants to be your best Friend! Once a year we have a very special service at church. We call it the Blessing of the Children ceremony. Mommies and daddies bring their babies and little children to the front of the room. The minister picks up each baby or child. He puts his hand on the child s head and prays a very special prayer. The minister asks God to send angels to protect the children whenever they are in danger. He asks God to heal the children when they are sick. And, he asks that God will help the children to obey Him. Our minister (use his name) does this just as Jesus did. He does it for the same reasons. He wants to show how special you are to Jesus. Every night before you go to bed, kneel and pray to God. Thank Him for giving you this blessing. He wants to protect you. He wants you to be good. He wants you to obey your daddy and mommy. He wants you to obey Him. Jesus loves children and wants to be their Friend. Let the children act out the story. The boys could be the disciples who object to mothers bringing their children to Jesus. The girls could be the mothers with their babies (dolls to represent the children being blessed). 1. What did the disciples say when the mothers brought their children to Jesus? 2. Did Jesus send the children away? 3. What did Jesus do with the children? Why did Jesus bless the children? 5. Why does Jesus want to bless you? Jesus Loves the Little Ones is on page 42 of the Kids Classics Collection. Dear Father, Thank you for giving me such a wonderful Friend like Jesus. Thank you that He loves me. Thank you that you hear my prayers. Help me do things to please you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Have each child lie down on a piece of butcher s paper. Trace around the child s body. Have the children color their own outline. Tell them to make the hair the same color as their hair, their eyes the same color. Have them look at the color of their clothes and color their picture the same color. They can take their picture home and tell their mommies and daddies that Jesus loves the little children.

5 Lesson 9 Jesus Loves Me! Jesus said: Let the little children come unto me (Matthew 19:14). Objectives 1. Describe what happened when some mothers brought their children to Jesus. 2. State that they are important to Jesus. 3. Explain what happens at the Blessing of the Children ceremony. Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16 BLESSING - a gift or favor from God CEREMONY - an act established by custom or authority and memory verse charts, stars, dolls, crayons, butcher s paper, songbook, CD, CD player It would be good to schedule this lesson for either the week before or after the Blessing of the Children ceremony. It provides an opportunity to explain this ceremony to your class. Church traditions should be introduced early to children in an easy-to-understand way. Most of the children in your class may have been blessed at one of the annual services. If not, they are still young enough to be a part of the next service. If you are in doubt about whether a child has been blessed, check with the parents and suggest that they be. The teacher should look for opportunities to relate to parents. You may learn things to pray about and ways to better meet the needs of your students. Before class, cut enough pieces of butcher s paper for each child in your class to have a piece approximately four feet long. This should be large enough to trace the body of the tallest child in your class. You may want to call the parents of the girls in your class and ask them to let the girls bring their dolls to class to use for acting out this lesson. After opening the class with prayer, follow the lesson Marcy and Scott were playing catch in the back yard. Scott tossed the ball high into the air. Marcy missed the ball. It went sailing over the fence into the neighbor s yard. Mr. Jones lived next door. The children were afraid of him. He always yelled at them when the ball went into his yard. Mr. Jones didn t like children. He didn t want them to come into his yard. And he didn t want them to bother him. Jesus is not like Mr. Jones. He loves people of all ages. He even loves to have children around Him. One day Jesus sat teaching the people. Many had gathered to hear what He had to say. When the women heard that Jesus was there, some mommies brought their children to Jesus. They wanted Him to bless them. But, the disciples didn t want the children to bother Jesus. They said He had more important things to do. 20 God. He also told her that God was going to give her the most special baby ever to be born. This baby would be God s very own Son. The angel told Mary to name the baby, Jesus, because He would be the Savior of the world. The long, hot summer was ending. It was time for Joseph to make the trip to Bethlehem. He was going to pay his taxes and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. People didn t have cars to drive. So, Joseph and Mary packed their things and loaded them onto a donkey. Joseph put Mary on the donkey to ride to Bethlehem. Joseph walked beside her. When they got to Bethlehem, the streets were filled with people everywhere. They had come to pay their taxes. This was about the same time of year that we go to the Feast of Tabernacles. It was time for Mary s baby to be born. She and Joseph needed a place to stay. Joseph looked everywhere, but all of the hotels were full. Where was he going to find a place for them to spend the night? Finally, Joseph found a nice hotel keeper and asked him if he had an empty room. The man was sorry, but all his rooms were full. He was a kind man and wanted to help. He knew Mary was very tired and needed a place where baby Jesus could be born. He told them he had a stable where animals were kept. He told Mary and Joseph they could stay there. So, Mary and Joseph took their things to the stable. It was the only place in Bethlehem where they could stay. Baby Jesus was born that night. Mary snugly wrapped the baby and put Him in a manger. A manger is a box that holds hay for animals to eat. This was the only bed Mary had for baby Jesus. On the night Jesus was born, there were some shepherds in a nearby field watching their sheep. All of a sudden, a very bright light appeared. This scared the shepherds. An angel came to tell them something. The angel said, Don t be afraid. I bring you good news. The angel told them that Jesus was born to be our Savior. Soon there were many angels singing, Glory to God in the highest. The angel told the shepherds exactly where they would find Jesus. The shepherds were so excited that they rushed as fast as they could go to see Jesus. When they got to the stable, they found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger. For many years, people had waited for their Savior to be born. The shepherds knew everyone would want to know this wonderful news. So, they went all over town telling everyone. They shouted praises to God as they went. This was the greatest thing that had ever happened. We are a lot like the shepherds. We are very happy that Jesus was born. We can praise God 5 that baby Jesus was born when we sing. When we pray, we can thank God that Jesus is our Savior. Use the nativity figures to help the children remember and answer the review questions. 1. What was the name of the city where Jesus was born? 2. What are the names of Jesus earthly parents? (Hold up figures of Mary and Joseph.) 3. How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem? (Hold up the figure of donkey.) 4. Who was out in the field watching sheep? 5. What was the most important thing that happened? Go Tell It on the Mountain is on page 61 of the Kids Classics Collection. Our Father in heaven, Thank you for giving us Jesus to be our Savior. He is our best Friend and the greatest gift of all. Help us to please Him. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Enlarge and duplicate the sheep patterns onto white construction paper for each child. Help the children to cut out the pieces. Allow them to glue the pieces onto a white lunch-size paper bag (as shown in the picture). They can color the nose and legs of their sheep. Finally, have them glue cotton balls to the body of their sheep.

6 Lesson 2 Jesus Visits the Temple So Jesus grew both tall and wise (Luke 2:40). Objectives 1. Name the town where Jesus and His family went to keep the Passover. 2. Tell that Jesus studied the Bible because He wanted to obey His Heavenly Father. 3. Explain that they should never go anywhere without telling their parents where they are. Luke 2:40-52 PASSOVER - the day we remember God bringing Israel out of Egypt, and Jesus dying for our sins SCROLL - an ancient book in the form of a rolled strip of paper TEMPLE - God s house where people went to read God s Law and to pray Bible, YEA Students and Teacher s book, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, craft sticks, glue, paper, crayons, songbook, CD player, CD, toys and clay Children rarely exceed our expectations. Creating the right kinds of expectations in children can be done with subtle and overt concepts often repeated. Let the children know what you expect of them. Children should be expected to learn their memory verse, to pray, to obey God, and to be good in class. Preschoolers need to feel loved, appreciated, and important. Initially, they gain their self-worth from their families. As their world expands, the attitudes of their teacher and friends can have an impact on whether they feel happy or dissatisfied about themselves. The teacher who shows that each student is important to her also conveys the idea that the child is important to God. This can be done by emphasizing something the child does well and mentioning each child s name in your prayer. It is important that no child gets the idea from this lesson that he can leave his parents without letting them know where he is. This could be very dangerous in this day and age. After each child has said his memory verse and put a star by his name, say, One, two, three, it s listening time for you and me. Invite them to sit in a semicircle and hear a story about their Friend, Jesus. Before class, write the memory verse on enough strips of paper for each child to have one. Make a scroll to be used in telling the story by following the directions in the activity section of the lesson. Mark went to the fair with his mom and dad. He liked to ride the merry-go-round. He liked the clowns with their balloons. Daddy even bought him a bright red balloon. He tied the balloon to Mark s arm so it would not float away. There were so many things to see and do at the fair. Sometimes Mark would try to run ahead of his mom and dad. Dad warned Mark not to go away from them. But, Mark wanted to see and do everything at the fair. While his parents were watching a man playing the piano, Mark wandered off. He wanted to see the animals. He forgot what his dad told him. Before long Mark was lost. When Mark s parents realized that he was not with them, they began looking for him. They even asked a policeman to help them find Mark. They looked and looked. Then, his mom saw a red balloon above a 6 This poor man had been blind all of his life. He had never seen a tree or grass. He didn t know what green looked like. He had never seen his mother and father. He knew the sound of their voices. He couldn t see the bright sunshine or the rain. He could only feel them on his skin. It was like he was in a very dark room without a light. Since this man was blind, he couldn t see to go to work. He was very poor. All he could do was sit beside the road and beg people for money so he could buy food. Jesus stopped when He saw the poor blind man. The man probably thought Jesus was going to give him some money. One of the disciples asked Jesus if the man had done something really bad. They thought that was the reason the man was blind. Jesus quickly told them that the poor man wasn t being punished for being bad. He hadn t done anything any worse than you or I have done. Jesus said the reason the man was blind was to show everyone that Jesus had the power to heal him! Then Jesus did a strange thing. He didn t give the man medicine to make him well. He didn t operate to make his eyes to see. Jesus picked up a handful of dirt. He spit on it and made some mud. Then he put the mud on the man s eyes. There was a pool of water nearby. It was called the Pool of Siloam. Jesus told the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The blind man had to be led to the pool, but he did what Jesus said. What do you think happened? When the man opened his eyes he could see! He saw green trees and grass. He saw the bright sunshine. But best of all, he saw Jesus! Jesus made the blind man see. Jesus had power to heal the blind man. Jesus has power to heal you and me. He loves us and doesn t want us to be sick or hurt. When you are sick, Mommy and Daddy can pray for Jesus to heal you. They can also ask your minister to pray for you. Jesus just wants you to ask Him. Repetition is a good way to learn and review the lesson. Say each statement slowly and have kids repeat after you, doing the same things that you 19 do. This could be repeated several times. 1. The blind man could not see. (Put your hands over your eyes.) 2. He couldn t see the trees or the grass. (Reach up and then bend down.) 3.Jesus healed the blind man. (Put your hands over your eyes and take hands off.) 4. Now he can see the sun shine. (Make a big circle by putting your fingertips together.) 5. Now he can see the squirrel climb the tree. (Make climbing motion with your hands.) 6. Jesus is our very best friend. (Hug yourself.) O Be Careful Little Eyes is on page 39 of the Kids Classics Collection. Heavenly Father, Thank you for helping the blind man. Thank you that you can heal me when I am sick. Help me to always believe and obey you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Give each child a piece of modeling clay. Ask them to make something that the blind man could see after Jesus healed his eyes.

7 Lesson 8 The Blind Man Can See! I was blind, and now I see (John 9:25). Objectives 1. Describe how Jesus made the blind man see. 2. Repeat that Jesus has power to heal the sick today. 3. State what they should do when they are sick. John 9:1-12, 25 BLIND - not able to see HEAL - to make well or healthy again SILOAM - a spring and pool outside Jerusalem and memory verse charts, stars, modeling clay, a small jar of mud, bottle of aspirin or Tylenol, thermometer, cough medicine, band-aid, pin the tail on the donkey game and blindfold, songbook, CD, CD player Creativity, variety, and making learning fun are essential in keeping the attention of this age group. At the same time, they are more comfortable if a similar routine is followed each week so they will know what to expect. It is good to establish areas where certain activities take place. Play, learning, activity, and eating areas should all be designated. Some of these may take place in the same area if your space is limited. Preschoolers don t yet understand that God provides for their needs. They assume that their parents or someone will always be there to take care of them. This week s lesson is one more step in helping them to learn how God takes care of them. Throughout the lesson help them to understand that Jesus loves them so much that He doesn t want them to be sick. He can help them get well. As the children arrive, involve them in a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Ask: Can you see anything with the blindfold on? Explain that this is what it is like to be blind you can t see. You will need a small jar of ordinary mud. Place a small amount of dirt in your jar and add a little water to make a mud paste. After opening the class with prayer, follow the lesson Place the following objects on a table in front of the children: bottle of aspirin or Tylenol, thermometer, cough medicine, band-aid, mud. Explain what each of the items is. Ask: If you were sick, which of these things do you think would help you get well again? After each child has had an opportunity to tell which item they think would be best, you can begin your story. One day Jesus and His disciples were walking along a road. (Have the children stomp their feet on the floor.) They saw a man sitting by the side of the road. The man was blind he couldn t see. (Have the children close their eyes.) Could the man see Jesus and the disciples? How do you think the man knew they were there? He couldn t see them, but he could hear them. 18 crowd of people. She walked toward the balloon. Sure enough, the balloon was tied to Mark s arm. Mark was really afraid because he was lost from his mom and dad. He was so happy that his mother found him. She was very happy to see Mark and to know he was safe. One day, Jesus went to Jerusalem with His family to keep the Passover. He was 12 years old. There were many other people going to Jerusalem. They didn t have cars to ride in. They walked, and walked, and walked. (Have the children slap their knees to make a walking sound.) It took them several days to walk all the way. This was a fun time. There were many people in Jerusalem, just like at the fair. There were many things to see there, too. Many of Jesus friends and cousins would be there. They would see where the people went to worship God and pray. The Temple was God s house. It was a beautiful building where God s Law was kept. Jesus really wanted to know God s Law and to pray. He sat and listened as the priest unrolled the scroll and read the Law. (Unroll the scroll you have made.) When the Feast was over, Mary and Joseph started back to Nazareth. (Have children slap their knees to make a walking sound.) But Jesus was not with them. His parent s were busy and didn t notice Jesus was not around. They could hear the footsteps of a lot of people. (Have kids stomp their feet.) He must be somewhere in the crowd. Where is Jesus? Mary asked. She and Joseph began to look for Him. (Have the children cup their hands around their eyes and look from side to side.) They asked their friends if they had seen Jesus. They asked strangers if they knew where Jesus might be. But, Jesus was nowhere to be found. Something must have happened to Him. Mary and Joseph turned around and walked back to Jerusalem. (Have the children slap their knees again.) They searched and searched everywhere. (Have the children cup their hands around eyes.) Finally, they found Jesus. Where do you think He was? Jesus was in the Temple sitting with the Bible teachers. But, they were not teaching. Jesus, a little boy, was teaching the teachers! He knew the Law of God so well that everyone listened to Him. They were amazed that a young boy knew God s Word so well. When Mary and Joseph saw Jesus in the Temple they asked, Why did you stay behind? We were looking everywhere for you. But Jesus told them they didn t have to worry about Him. He was in His Father s house. He was doing His Father s business. Was 7 Jesus talking about His father, Joseph, or His Father, God? Jesus never disobeyed His parents. He wants you to always let your parents know where you are. His Heavenly Father knew where He was. He was doing what His Father wanted Him to do. God is our Heavenly Father, too. He wants you and your mom and dad to read the Bible every day. Jesus is very pleased when you learn your memory verse and read your devotionals. Jesus is happy when He sees you come to Sabbath School and learn about God. After each question has been answered, have the children participate in the action. 1. Where did Jesus go with Mary and Joseph when He was 12 years old? Jerusalem. (Walk around the room, and come back to be seated.) 2. What did Mary and Joseph do when they noticed Jesus was not with them? Searched for Him. (Cup hands around eyes, looking from side to side.) 3. Where did they find Jesus? In the Temple. Whose house is the Temple? God s house. (Point up.) 4. Did Jesus ever disobey His parents? No. (Shake heads from side to side.) 5. Who knew where Jesus was? His Heavenly Father, God. (Point up.) The B-I-B-L-E is on page 18 of the Kids Classics Collection. Dear Father, Thank you for the Passover, for the Bible, and for my mom and dad. Help me be like Jesus and obey my parents, and learn the Bible. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Give two craft sticks and a strip of paper with the memory verse written on it to each child. Let them glue a stick to each end of the paper. To make a scroll, help them roll the paper from each end meeting in the middle. Explain to them that this is the way the Bible looked when Jesus was a little boy.

8 Objectives 1. Repeat the name of Jesus cousin. 2. Describe how John baptized Jesus. 3. Tell that God was happy when Jesus was baptized. Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 3:13-17 BAPTIZE - to put completely under water in order to obey God and show that the bad things we have done have been washed away MINISTER - a man who leads and helps the church DOVE - a bird that pictures God s Spirit and memory verse charts, stars, crayons, a doll about the size of G.I. Joe, plastic tub and water or a flannel board and figures, white construction paper, white crepe paper streamers, paper reinforcements, glue, string, modeling dough, CD, CD player Preschoolers are too young to comprehend the significance of baptism. But biblical truths and traditions need to be introduced early and built on as the child grows. Baptism should be a part of their earliest memories. Create expectation that they will be baptized when they are old enough to come to repentance. Ask your minister to keep you informed about upcoming baptisms. Take your class to see them so the children can become familiar with this beautiful ordinance. Lesson 3 Jesus is Baptized This is my beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). 8 If you don t use a flannel board to tell this lesson, use a doll to demonstrate baptism. Before class, pour enough water into a plastic tub to cover the doll. Show the children how Jesus was placed under the water in baptism and raised up again. Enlarge and duplicate the dove pattern onto white construction paper so that each child will have one. You will probably need to cut out the doves, especially for the younger children. Also make enough small doves for the review section so that each child will be able to answer a question. Cut white crepe paper streamers into 12 inch pieces. You will need three pieces for each child in class. As children arrive, call each one by name and tell them how glad you are that they came to Sabbath School today. Show them to the table and ask them to make a bird out of modeling dough. While they are busy working, ask them if they have ever seen anyone being baptized. Allow them to tell about it. After everyone has arrived, recited their memory verse, and put their stars on their charts, say, One, two, three, it s listening time for you and me. Seat the children in a semicircle, either in chairs or on the floor. Tromp, tromp, tromp. Jesus walked along the Jordan River. There were many other people walking toward the river. When they reached the river they saw Jesus cousin, John the Baptist, standing in the water. No, he wasn t swimming. He was standing up. John was all wet. Other people were in the river with John. They were wet, too. These people had just been baptized. The minister usually baptizes a person. He goes with them out into a lake, river, or pond. He tells the person to hold his nose. Now watch while I show you The Sabbath is a very special day. It is a day to rest. It is a day to spend time with our Friend, Jesus. (Have the puppet nod her head after each statement.) And, it s a day to do good things for other people. We should always go to Sabbath services on this day. We wear our best clothes. We get to do fun things at Sabbath school. It s the best day of the week! On Friday, you can help your Mommy get ready for the Sabbath. You can help her with her work so she will be able to rest on the Sabbath, too. She might even make your favorite food for Sabbath dinner. (Put the puppet up to your ear.) Samantha says her favorite is chocolate chip cookies! (Let each child tell his or her favorite food.) (Hold the puppet up to your ear.) Samantha says to ask your Mommy and Daddy to read your daily devotional to you before you go to bed. Then they can kneel by your bed and pray with you. These are good things to do on the Sabbath. (Have the puppet nod.) Jesus did many good things on the Sabbath. One day He saw a man whose hand had something wrong with it. It was smaller than his other hand. He could not use it as he did his other hand. (Have the puppet move her head from side to side.) He couldn t throw a ball. He couldn t pick up a chair. He couldn t color with that hand. It just didn t work right. It was the Sabbath day. Jesus wanted to do something really good for this man. He told the man to stretch out his hand. When the man stretched it out, guess what happened? (Move the puppet like she is agitated.) I think Samantha knows. But, let s see if the boys and girls know. (Ask the children.) That s right. The man s hand was made well. It was now the same size as his other hand. He could use it just as you use your hands. What a special thing to do on the Sabbath! (Put your thumb and second finger together like the puppet is clapping.) Let s all clap with Samantha. Can you think of something special you can do to help someone on the Sabbath? Maybe you could help push someone who is in a wheelchair. Or, you could take a glass of water to someone who is sick in bed. You could even make him a get well card. Jesus helped those who needed help on the Sabbath. He wants you to do good on the Sabbath. Helping someone else on the Sabbath will make it a good day for them and for you. The Sabbath is the very best day of the week! Help the children remember the Sabbath by doing the following motions: 1. The Sabbath is a special day of rest. (Bend your head toward your shoulder with hands together by your face.) How can we help Mommy prepare for the Sabbath? (Act as if you re sweeping with a broom.) 3. How can I do good on the Sabbath? (Shrug your shoulders.) 4. I can take a meal to someone who is sick. (Hold your hands like you are carrying a tray.) 5. The Sabbath is a special day of rest. (Bend your head toward your shoulders with your hands together by your face.) 6. The Sabbath is the best day of the week. (Clap.) Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam is on page 21 of the Kids Classics Collection. Dear God, Thank you for giving us such a wonderful day. You rested after creating the earth, the trees, the animals, and the birds. You want us to rest, too. Help us to do good on the Sabbath. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Help children make sunflower wind dancers (see diagram). Give each child a yellow paper plate. (Or, have children color one yellow.) Help them cut triangles out of the edge of the plate to form petals. Give each child three 20" strips of green crepe-paper streamers and some sunflower seeds. Allow them to glue the streamers to the edge of the paper plate, and the seeds to the middle of the plate. Punch two holes at the top of the plate and thread a piece of yarn to make a handle. They can take these wind dancers to someone who is sick to help cheer them.

9 Lesson 7 The Best Day of the Week Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). Objectives 1. Explain that the Sabbath is a special day of rest. 2. Tell that Jesus wants us to do good on the Sabbath. 3. State that Jesus wants us to prepare for the Sabbath. 4. Tell how Jesus healed a man s hand on the Sabbath. Matthew 12:10-13; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-12; Exodus 20:8-11 SABBATH - the seventh day of the week set aside for rest and worship of God HOLY - dedicated to religious use; set apart for God and memory verse charts, stars, crayons, 18 square piece of cloth, rubber band, buttons, ribbon, red and black markers, yarn, cotton balls, yellow paper plates, green crepe-paper streamers, glue, scissors, hole punch, sunflower seeds, CD, CD player Before class, make a simple puppet by using an 18 inch square of cloth. Stuff the very center with cotton balls to make its head. Put a rubber band around the neck, leaving it loose enough to insert your index finger into the head. Tie a ribbon around the neck making a bow in front. Sew two small buttons on the face for eyes, and one for the nose. Draw eyebrows with a black marker and make lips with a red marker. 16 Add yarn on the head to make hair. Cut two slits in the cloth at the sides for your thumb and second finger, which will look like arms. This puppet can become an old friend you can use in many classes to help focus attention on the lesson. The Sabbath should never be a drudgery. It is a wonderful gift, and we have the responsibility to keep it holy. This lesson is designed to help children look forward to the Sabbath and think of it as the best day of the week. Make it special by being prepared, and by doing good for others. When all the children have arrived, introduce them to your little friend, Samantha. Go around the room and have each child tell Samantha his or her name. Move your finger up and down slowly, to make Samantha nod after each name. Move Samantha s face close to your ear, as if whispering. Say: Samantha says she really likes all of you. She is glad to be here today. Put Samantha back up to your ear. Say: Samantha says it is time for us to hear our Bible story about the best day of the week. Do you ever play so hard that you get really tired? (Have puppet nod her head.) What do you do when you get tired? (Lay puppet in your lap as if asleep.) Say: That s right, Samantha, you rest. God knew we would get tired. He knows that we need to rest. It took six days for God to create the world and everything in it. It was hard work making all the stars, the sun and moon, and all the animals and birds. (Raise the puppet up and nod her head.) He did all of that in six days. Then He rested on the seventh day. God tells us that we should rest on the seventh day as He did. That day is Saturday. God calls it the Sabbath. what happens. (Put the doll into the plastic tub of water, bend it backwards until it is completely under water. Quickly bring it up.) Explain to the children that God tells us that everyone should be baptized. But little children are too young to be baptized. This is something that they will want to do when they get older like mom and dad. Ask: Why do you take a bath? Because you are dirty. Or, because mom said you should. When a person is baptized he is obeying God. The bad things we do are kind of like dirt. Baptism shows God that we want Him to wash away all the bad things we have ever done. Can you think of some things that you shouldn t do? Stealing is a bad thing. Lying and not obeying your mom and dad are also bad. There are also some things you shouldn t do on the Sabbath. Baptism tells God that you want to obey Him. Jesus always obeys God. He never did anything bad. He didn t have to wash away any bad things. But, He wanted to obey God, His Father. Jesus went into the river and asked John to baptize Him. John didn t think he was good enough to baptize Jesus. He knew that Jesus was God s Son. But Jesus wanted to be baptized because God said that it was right. John finally said he would baptize Jesus. Jesus and John walked out into the beautiful Jordan River. John put Jesus under the water just like I put the doll under the water. Then John brought Jesus up very quickly. God was very pleased. He sent a white dove from the sky. It landed on Jesus. (Show children the dove they will be making, and how it flies.) This was God s Spirit that looked like a dove. Then a very loud voice came from heaven. It said, This is Jesus, My Son. When you get older, you will want to talk to a minister about being baptized. Jesus obeyed His Father by being baptized. You will want to obey Jesus and be baptized too. Place the small numbered doves on the table. Allow each child to choose one. Ask the following questions which correspond to the numbers on the doves. If the child holding the numbered dove does not know the answer, allow someone else to answer. If your class is larger than eight, repeat the numbering. 1. What was the name of Jesus cousin? 2. Who did John baptize? 3. How was Jesus baptized? 4. Why was Jesus baptized? 5. What came down out of the sky and landed on Jesus? 9 6. Whose voice did the people hear coming from heaven? 7. When you get older, should you be baptized? 8. Have you ever seen anyone baptized? Sing the following verse to the tune of Jesus Loves Me on page 6 of the Kids Classics Collection. Jesus loves me, He will stay Close beside me all the day. He will wash away my sin. Let His little child come in. (Chorus) Dear Father, Thank you that Jesus obeyed you and was baptized. I want to obey you too. Help me to be good. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Give each child a dove that has been cut out, a piece of string and three white streamers. Allow the children to glue the streamers to the tail of the dove. Using a hole punch, allow them to punch a hole in the head of the dove. Reinforce the hole with a paper reinforcement. Thread the string through the hole and tie it. Allow the children to fly their doves by holding the string.

10 Objectives 1. Tell how Jesus made the greedy men leave the Temple. 2. Name at least one right behavior they should do at church (in God s house). 3. Name at least one wrong behavior they should not do at church. Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:13-17 GREEDY - taking more of something than you should and not considering others WORSHIP - honor, devotion or reverence for God RESPECT - to feel and show honor for someone and memory verse charts, stars, pictures of animals, modeling dough, crayons, can with coins in it, rope, animal puppet, songbook, CD, CD player This lesson gives an opportunity to teach appropriate behavior at Sabbath worship service. God has standards of conduct, and we displease Him if we cross these boundaries. There are some things we should not do in God s house. There is a time and place for everything. But, inside the building where Sabbath worship services are conducted is not the place for running and playing. Since animals are a part of this lesson, let your students tell about pets they have or their friends Lesson 4 In God s House Let us go into the house of the Lord (Psalm 122:1). have. Ask them questions like: Who feeds your pet? What is your pet s name? What kinds of things does your pet do? Allow them to shape an animal out of the modeling dough. Place a few coins inside a can with a plastic lid. This will be used to make the sound of the money changers. Open the class with prayer. (Have the children sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, making the animal noises for each verse. Dog: bow-wow; cat: meow; cow: moo- moo; sheep: baa-baa, etc. Assign each child a different sound. At the end of the song, have everyone make their sound at the same time, while one child rattles the coins in the can.) Oooow, what an awful sound. (Hold your hands over your ears.) This is how it must have sounded in the Temple. Jesus looked around. He saw animals everywhere. (Have the children make the animal sounds again.) Men were selling the animals. (Rattle the coins.) What were they doing in God s house? Jesus was angry with the greedy men. He shouted, Get out of here! Jesus had a piece of rope and began swinging it. (Swing your rope above your head.) He didn t hurt the animals. He was just chasing them out of the Temple. Jesus pushed over the greedy men s tables. Coins spilled everywhere. (Rattle the coins.) The greedy men were scared and ran away. Everything looked a mess. Do you think things should be a mess in God s house? Do you know what it means to be greedy? Being greedy means that you take too much of something and don t consider other people. If your mom cuts a candy bar into pieces, it s greedy if you always try to take the biggest piece rather than letting your brother or sister have it. The men selling animals in the Temple were greedy. They wanted to make a lot of money in the 10 Have you ever been afraid of a thunderstorm, like Lori? Jesus and His disciples had just fed the five thousand men, plus women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish. It was beginning to get dark. Jesus sent His disciples out in their boat. They had to sail all the way across the Sea of Galilee. In the middle of the night a big wind came up. (Start your CD.) There were high waves on the sea that made loud splashing noises as they hit against the boat. This made it really hard for the disciples to row the boat. How would they make it safely to the other side? The boat tossed from one side to another. Water was getting into the boat. If enough water got in, the boat could sink. Jesus disciples were afraid! Jesus knew His disciples were in trouble and needed His help. He went to help them. But, Jesus didn t have a boat. How do you think He got to the disciples? No, He didn t swim. He started walking right on top of the water! One of the disciples saw something in the dark night. It looked like someone walking on the water. The other disciples saw the same thing. They thought it was a ghost. Now they were even more afraid! Then, they heard a voice they knew. It was Jesus. He said, Don t be afraid! Peter was one of Jesus disciples. He called out, Jesus, if it is really you, let me walk on the water to you. Jesus said to Peter, Come. Over the side of the boat went Peter s legs. He stepped out onto the top of the water as Jesus was doing. Peter couldn t do that by himself. Jesus helped him. It was a miracle! While Peter was walking, he noticed the waves. They were splashing against him. He felt the wind blowing his hair. Peter was afraid. Then he started to sink. He cried out, Jesus, save me! Jesus reached out His hand to Peter. He lifted Peter out of the water and into the boat. When Jesus entered the boat the waves and wind got still. The storm stopped! (Stop your recording.) Jesus said to Peter, O you of little faith. Why didn t you trust me? The disciples could hardly believe what they had seen. They saw the storm. They saw the waves. They saw Jesus walk on the water. And, they saw Peter walk on the water. They knew that Jesus was really the Son of God. Only He could do such miracles! Just as Jesus saved the disciples in the storm, He can help you when you are afraid. He also gave you Daddy and Mommy and grandmas and grandpas to help you when you are afraid or in trouble. God takes care of them too. Just as Peter asked Jesus to save him from sinking, you will have to ask Jesus to help you. 15 Jesus is in heaven now with His Father. We ask God, His Father, to help us when we pray. He always hears and answers our prayers. Have the children sit on the floor around a small tub with water and a plastic boat in it. Have one child push the boat across the water to another child. The child the boat comes to can answer the question, then push the boat to another child. 1. Where were the disciples when the storm came up? 2. Who did they see walking on the water? 3. Who wanted to walk out on the water to Jesus? 4. When Peter was afraid and began to sink, what did he do? 5. Did Jesus help Peter when he cried out for help? 6. Who will help you when you are afraid? 7. What do you have to do to get Jesus to help you when you are afraid or in trouble? 8. Why do you think the storm stopped when Jesus got into the boat? Peter, James and John In A Sailboat is on page 12 of the Kids Classics Collection. Dear Father, We thank you that you and our Friend, Jesus, are always ready to help us. When we are afraid or in trouble we can pray and you will help us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Have the children help decorate their boat by first attaching the anchor, then glue on circles for portholes, add the steering wheel, and glue waves to the outside of your boat along the bottom. Children can then take turns riding in the boat across the Sea of Galilee. Enact the story by having one of the children pretend to be Peter.

11 Objectives 1. Tell that Jesus has power over the wind and the waves. 2. Describe how Peter walked on water. 3. Explain that God will help us when we are afraid or need help, if we ask Him. Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21 HEAVEN - the place where God lives FRIGHTENED - to get scared or be afraid FAITH - to believe or trust DOUBT - not to believe or trust Lesson 6 Jesus Walks on Water! O you of little faith (Matthew 14:31). and memory verse charts, stars, music CD, CD player, CD of thunderstorm, flannel board and pictures or picture depicting this story, large cardboard box, white, blue, gray and tan construction paper, glue, brown spray paint As you give children stars for the charts, explain that the stars show how thankful you are that they loved Jesus enough to come to Sabbath School and learn their memory verse. This is an important concept to move rewards from the extrinsic to the intrinsic. Telling the story is far more powerful and effective than reading the script. Children are used to many visuals and drama from TV, video games, amusement parks, movies, etc. Visual aids are imperative in holding kids attention and effectively teaching the lesson. You can purchase a flannel board and story figures from your Christian bookstore. Play the CD of the thunderstorm for sound effects as you tell the story and put the pieces on the flannel board. This story has suspense, so make use of vocal variety and drama. Be sure that the children understand that they cannot walk on water without a miracle. They should not try this at home or anywhere else! Before class, obtain a large cardboard box (possibly a refrigerator box) to be used as a boat. Spray paint the box brown, and allow the paint to thoroughly dry. Cut several circles the size of a paper plate out of white construction paper for portholes. Cut an anchor out of gray construction paper. Cut a steering wheel out of tan construction paper, and waves out of blue construction paper (enough to go the length of your box). Lori woke up in the middle of the night. Rumble, rumble, crash, boom! The thunder was very loud. Lightning was flashing brightly. The wind was blowing and rain hit her window. It was a bad storm. Lori tried hiding under her covers. She could still hear the noise. She was scared. Lori began to cry. What if the wind blew her house away? What if the big tree out front fell on the roof? Lori s mommy heard her crying. She came into Lori s room and turned on the light. The storm didn t seem quite as bad with the light on. Lori felt safer knowing Mommy was here to protect her. She stopped crying. Mommy told her that she didn t have to be afraid of the storm. Jesus would keep her safe. He had more power than any old storm! Mommy knelt down by Lori s bed and prayed with her. She tucked Lori in and smoothed her hair back. Mommy softly sang Jesus Loves Me to Lori until she fell back to sleep. 14 wrong way. The Temple leaders saw what Jesus did. They came and asked who gave Jesus the right to run the animals out of the Temple. Do you remember whose house the Temple was? It was God s house. And who was Jesus? He was God s own Son. He knew that God s house was not a place to sell animals. It was supposed to be a place where people prayed and worshiped. When we come to Sabbath services, we come to sing, pray, and worship God. When we are in God s house, we should always show respect. There are things we should not do in God s house. It is all right to sell things in stores, but not in God s house. We should not run and play in church. We can run and play outside. There are right things we can do in God s house. We should listen quietly when God s Word is taught. If you have to say something in church, you should whisper. We can sing and pray in God s house. We want to please God. Let s remember to do the right things when we come to Sabbath services and show respect for God. Use an animal hand puppet to ask the questions. Practice using the puppet before class. 1. What did Jesus find when He went to the Temple in Jerusalem? 2. What did He do to the animals that were there? 3. What did Jesus do to the greedy men who sold the animals? 4. Can you tell some things that you should not do in God s house? 5. Name some good things that you can do in God s house? Come and Go With Me is on page 83 of the Kids Classics Collection. Dear Father, We love you and our Friend Jesus. We want to please you. Help us always remember to do good things in your house. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 11 Enlarge and copy two sets of pictures below onto light colored construction paper. Cut them apart, forming 18 individual cards. Turn all of the cards face down on the table. Mix them up. Now, allow one child at a time to turn over two of the cards. If the cards match, they can be removed. If they do not, turn them back over and go to the next child, repeating the procedure until all the cards have been matched. Remember to point out which items belong in God s house and which do not.

12 Objectives 1. Describe the food that Jesus used to feed the crowd. 2. Explain that feeding the crowd was a miracle. 3. Tell the importance of sharing what we have with others. Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:35-44; John 6:1-14 MIRACLE - something that God does that man cannot do SHARING - giving a part of what belongs to you to someone else GIVING THANKS - praying to thank God for the food and memory verse charts, stars, small basket, loaf of French bread, jelly or peanut butter, paper towels, table knife, fish-shaped crackers, something to drink, small paper cups, crayons, songbook, CD, CD player A preschooler s concept of love is limited to personal experiences. They are hands-on little people who learn from what they taste, smell, see, and hear. They learn from the parent or teacher who shows love in ways that appeal to their senses. Giving big hugs or taking care of a skinned knee means a lot to a young child. God s love is shown to a child through your acts of kindness. These acts of kindness can include mentioning how much absent Lesson 5 Food for Everyone Jesus took the loaves and fishes... and gave thanks to God (John 6:11). show your love while working with short attention spans. The idea of sharing is not within the cognitive skills of many young preschoolers. They simply understand that they must give away something that they have. Or, they may demand that someone else gives something to them. Today s lesson shows a young boy giving his lunch to Jesus so that others may have something to eat, too. The little boy was being kind and generous. He wanted to please Jesus and help others. These are concepts preschoolers can grasp. Place a napkin inside a small basket. Lay a loaf of French bread inside the basket, along with enough fish-shaped crackers for each child to have two. Enlarge and duplicate the fish and bread pattern onto colored construction paper. (Tan for the bread, green for the fish.) You will need five loaves and two fish. Cut out the shapes and place them in a small basket. Tromp, tromp, tromp. (Have the children slap their students are missed before the prayer. You can also thighs to make the sound of walking feet.) That s the 12 sound of many people on their way to keep the Passover in Jerusalem. These people followed Jesus wherever He went. Jesus had been very busy teaching them about God s Kingdom. He also healed sick people and made people who were hurting feel better. These people wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. Jesus needed to spend time with His disciples alone. So, they went up on a mountain. Tromp, tromp, went the sound of their feet up the mountain side. (Slap their thighs.) Jesus looked down and saw the big crowd of people. There were a lot more people than we see at the Feast of Tabernacles each year. As He watched, He saw the people start climbing the mountain to get to where Jesus was. (Slap their thighs.) These people were very tired and hungry. Jesus noticed they had nothing to eat. He felt sorry for the hungry people. He wanted to help them. Jesus told one of His disciples to buy food to feed the people. But, there was no place to buy food. They didn t have enough money to feed that many people. Andrew told Jesus that there was a little boy who had a lunch. He wanted to give it to Jesus. But there were only five small loaves of bread and two small fishes. (Have the children hold up five fingers on one hand and two fingers on the other hand.) That was not enough food to feed so many people. Jesus took the little boy s bread and fish. He told everyone to sit down. Then Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. Jesus broke the bread and gave it to His disciples. They began to pass it out to the people. It was a miracle! The little bit of food became a lot of food. There was enough food for everyone to eat until they were full! Jesus sent His disciples to pick up the scraps in baskets. They filled up 12 baskets with what was left over! There was more food left over than when they started! The people saw what a great miracle Jesus had done. They believed that God had sent Him. That made them very happy. When we see someone who is hungry, we should help them like the little boy in our story. It is good to learn to share what you have with someone else. Think how happy that little boy must have been. He knew that his food helped feed so many hungry people. God wants us to learn to share to give to help someone else. That makes God happy. 1. Where did the people follow Jesus to when He went to spend time alone with His disciples? 2. Were there a few people or many people? Why didn t the disciples go to the store to buy food? 4. Who gave Jesus his lunch? 5. What was in the little boy s lunch? (Have children count the five loaves and two fish.) 6. What did Jesus do with the lunch? 7. How much was left over? My God is So Big is on page 14 of the Kids Classics Collection. Thank you, Father, for our Friend, Jesus. Thank you for the little boy who shared his food with the hungry people. Thank you for the food we are about to eat. Please bless this food. Help us to always share what we have with others. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Place a paper towel in front of each child. Tell them to bow their heads and fold their hands. Ask the blessing for the food they are about to eat. Break the bread into pieces so that each child will have some. (This will illustrate Jesus breaking the bread.) Spread a little jam or peanut butter on each piece of bread. Tell the children you are going to share your lunch with them. Pass the basket of bread and allow each child to take out a piece. Give each child two fish-shaped crackers and something to drink. This might be a good time to start a food drive to help needy people in your community or church. The children could help with collecting canned goods to share with someone else.