* 2. Fiery Furnace What You Need: Fiery Furnace Activity Pages, markers, scissors What You Do: Provide each kid with an Activity Page.

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1 2 nd & 3 rd Grade Week 1, July 1 These Guys Aren t on Fire Bible Story: These Guys Aren t on Fire (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) Daniel 3 Bottom Line: Trust that God is always with you. Memory Verse: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Question of the Day What is the thing you are most scared of? Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Flip the Cup What You Need: Plastic cups Divide your few into two teams. Name one Team Nebuchadnezzar and the other Team God. Spread out the plastic cups all over the area you are playing in. Team Nebuchadnezzar s goal is to flip all of the cups down like they are bowing down to the statue in our story. Team God s goal is to flip all of the cups up, like they are standing up for what they believe in. Explain that you will be counting to 10 each time and then making both teams freeze. The team of your choice must answer a review question from below. After asking five questions, play another round and have teams switch roles so they both get turns being the good guys. The team with the most cups in their direction at the end wins! Review Questions: o Who were the three main characters from our story who ended up in a fiery furnace? (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) o Who was the King of Babylon? (King Nebuchadnezzar) o What did King Nebuchadnezzar want built for him? (a golden statue) o When music was played, what was everyone supposed to do? (bow down to the statue) o If people chose not to bow, what was their punishment? (be thrown into the fiery furnace) o When the music was played, what did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego choose to do? (not bow down) o What happened because of the choice they made? (they were thrown into the furnace) o What happened when they were thrown into the fiery furnace? (God protected them and they were unharmed) o How many men did the king see in the furnace? (Four) o What did the king tell everyone after seeing what God had done? (To never talk bad about God) You were really getting competitive with our flip cup game! What a fun way to review our story. Could you imagine being in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego s shoes? Have you ever needed to show confidence and stand up for what you believed in? (Allow time for kids to respond.) [Make It Personal] (Share a personal story from a time you were confident and stood up for what you believed in.) Remember, no matter who you are facing or what you are facing, you can [Bottom Line] trust that God is always with you. * 2. Fiery Furnace What You Need: Fiery Furnace Activity Pages, markers, scissors Provide each kid with an Activity Page. 1

2 Instruct them to cut out the trifold on the dotted lines and then color the fiery furnace and the three men inside it. Then ask kids to think about a time when they faced something difficult, such as learning something really hard at school, trying out for a sports team, performing in an instrumental recital or concert, standing up for someone who was being made fun of, etc. When they finish drawing, encourage them to fold the paper toward the middle on the solid lines, so their drawing is now on the inside of the folds. Point out that no matter which drawing is showing on their page, the extra person can still be seen. Tell kids that the figure represents how God is with them just like He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Do you see in our picture that God is with you just like He is with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? There is nothing you will ever walk through where God will not be right by your side! Have you ever been in a situation and trusted that God was with you? (Allow time for kids to share stories.) Those are all awesome stories! Just like you trusted God in those times, you can [Bottom Line] trust that God is always with you. 2

3 2 nd & 3 rd Grade Week 2, July 8 You ve Got a Friend in Me Bible Story: You ve Got a Friend in Me (Philip and Nathanael) John 1:43-51 Bottom Line: Find friends who help you trust Jesus. Memory Verse: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Question of the Day Who is your best friend and what do you like best about them? Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. * 1. Follow the Friend What You Need: Blindfolds, painter s tape square Choose one of your few to be the Leader. (Rotate leaders after each round so others have a chance as well.) Encourage your group to line up behind the Leader and give each of them a blindfold. After your few are blindfolded, instruct them to put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. This will help guide them to know where to go. Instruct your Leader to walk the group to one of the corners of the painter s tape square. Explain to your group that they will be attempting to follow the Leader without stepping off the line she is walking on. Allow the Leader to begin and walk in whichever direction she chooses. As your group makes their way around, encourage and cheer them on! Let them know if they are getting close to falling off the line. After the first Leader has completed her turn, choose another leader. Allow them to decide which corner to begin from. Wow! That would have been so much more difficult if our leader would have led us down the wrong path. How do you think Philip led Nathaniel down the right path in our story today? (This may be a tricky question for them to answer. Allow time for them to think it through.) Just like it was important for Philip to be a friend Nathaniel could trust, it s important to find friends who help you trust Jesus. [Make It Personal] (Share a personal story about a friend who helps you trust Jesus and why this is so important to you. It could be a mentor or a peer accountability partner. Share about the ways in which this friend encourages you to trust Jesus. Be sure to keep what you share age-appropriate.) Out of all of the important things I like to keep track of, like my car keys or my favorite sunglasses, I know that the most important thing is to [Bottom Line] find friends who help you trust Jesus. 2. Search and Find What You Need: Search and Find Activity Pages Pass out a piece of an Activity Page to each kid. Make sure each picture you pass to a kid also has a match you have given to another kid. (If you have an odd number of kids, you can play as well.) Instruct the kids to hold the pictures with the blank side facing out, so others can t see what they have. 3

4 Explain that you will be counting to five. By the time you reach five, they must find a partner to stand across from. After each kid is standing across from a partner, count to three, and allow kids to flip over their papers. If they are standing across from a partner with the same picture they have, they can step aside out of the game. If their pictures do not match, they must flip their pictures back over and continue playing until they find their match. After all kids have found their matches, encourage them to work together in their pairs to create a story of what the two friends on the paper are doing. Allow them to share the stories they have created with the group. I absolutely loved the stories you created about good friends. It s always nice to have a friend you can count on. What are some examples of how you can be a friend this week? (Allow time for kids to share.) Those are all very good ideas! There are so many good things to be on the lookout for. But the most important thing I look for is to [Bottom Line] find friends who help you trust Jesus. Those are the friends who will hopefully be treating others like they want to be treated, because they want to be like Jesus! 4

5 2 nd & 3 rd Grade Week 4, July 22 He Won t Back Down Bible Story: He Won t Back Down (Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin) Acts 4:1-22 (Supporting: Acts 3) Bottom Line: When Jesus is with you, you can face anything. Memory Verse: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Question of the Day How do you know that something is true? Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Break Through What You Need: Butcher paper pieces, markers Divide your group into teams of three. Ask each kid to think of a really tough scenario. Provide examples such as facing a bully at school, passing the swim test to go into the deep end, feeling left out, etc. Ask teams to illustrate their scenarios on their piece of butcher paper together. They can choose one person s idea to illustrate all together or they can each illustrate their own idea on a section of the paper. After teams have completed their drawings, allow them to briefly present their scenarios to the entire group. After everyone has had a turn, instruct each team to choose two people to hold the ends of their butcher paper and someone to run and break through the paper. Encourage teams to switch roles so that everyone has a turn to break through the paper. (They can pick up the larger piece of butcher paper and use that to break through.) I agree with all of our teams that those were some difficult scenarios to break through. How do you normally face a difficult situation? (Allow time for kids to share their ideas.) [Make It Personal] (Share a personal story about a difficult situation and how Jesus helped you break through.) There will always be situations that pop up in our lives that are difficult to walk through. But the awesome thing is that we can lean on each other in those times to help! Let s always remind ourselves and our friends that [Bottom Line] when Jesus is with you, you can face anything. 2. Stump the Crowd What You Need: Stump the Crowd Activity Pages, Bibles, pencils Split your group into two teams and let them create team names, if they choose. Ask teams to sit apart from each other, so they can t hear each other. Provide each team with a Bible, a pencil, and one page of the Stump the Crowd Activity Pages. (Make sure you give each team a different page.) 5

6 Instruct them to look over the questions on the paper and begin creating their own questions to fill in numbers 4-8. Kids can look up Acts 4 to help generate ideas about possible questions. Explain that they will be asking their questions to other team, so the questions can be tough but shouldn t be super obscure or impossible to answer without looking in the Bible. When kids have finished writing their questions, guide them to take turns asking a question to the other team. During each turn, teams will choose someone to read their question to the opposite team. If the opposite team gets the question correct, they get to keep all of their team members. If they get the question incorrect, one person must move to the other team. (You may need to facilitate the choosing of the person who switches teams, so feelings don t get hurt. Use your best judgment based on what you know about your few!) The team with the most people at the end wins! You all were coming up with some difficult review questions! Way to stump the other team. There were some times that Peter and John faced when they could have felt pretty stumped too. What would you have said to the religious leaders if they were questioning what you believed in? Would you have been nervous? (This may be a difficult question for kids to answer. Provide them with enough time to think and respond.) Peter and John chose to trust what they knew to be true. They knew that [Bottom Line] when Jesus is with you, you can face anything. We know that whoever we face or whatever we face, we can trust that we have what we need in Him! I 6

7 2 nd & 3 rd Grade Week 5, July 29 Something to Believe In Bible Story: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God s Love) Romans 8:38-39 Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Early Arriver Idea Crazy Fun Facts What You Need: No supplies needed Read the list of crazy fun facts below. Encourage your kids to guess if the crazy fun fact you are reading is true or false. Crazy Fun Facts: A hippo s lips are about five feet wide. (False; they are two feet wide) Some of the first soles of Nike shoes were made by pouring rubber into a waffle iron. (True) To create the sound of Darth Vader s breathing, a sound designer breathed into a scuba mask. (True) There is more vitamin C in strawberries than in oranges. (True) You can compete in an underwater mountain bike race in Sydney, Australia. (False; but there is one in North Carolina) Bloodhounds can follow a scent that is one week old. (False; they can follow a scent that is 4 days old) The first microwave oven was almost as tall as a refrigerator. (True) Ketchup was originally sold as medicine. (True) Popsicles were invented by a 10 year old. (False; an 11 year old) If grasshoppers were the size of people, they could leap the length of a football field. (False; they could leap the length of a basketball court) Some of those facts were so crazy, I didn t know if I even believed them. Which fact did you think was the craziest? (Allow kids to answer while also sharing what you found the most interesting.) [Transition] Today in Large Group, we are going to learn about something else that s crazy awesome that we can always believe to be true! Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Sticky Love What You Need: Red balloons, masking tape, markers Divide your group into teams of three. Use tape to create a starting line and a finish line about 15 feet apart on your floor. Provide each team with a red balloon, masking tape, and markers. As a team, they must think of 10 ways God loves them. They will rip off pieces of masking tape, place them on their balloon, and write each idea on the tape. When they have 10 ideas taped onto their balloon, they must carry it from the starting line to the finish line. The twist is that they will carry the balloon using only their backs! 7

8 Use one of the teams to demonstrate how they will do this. o Instruct the team of three to sit down back to back, place the balloon in between their backs, link arms, and then attempt to stand up. The first team with their ideas completed and balloon across the finish line wins! I wish I had a camera to capture how funny that challenge was! Just like you linked arms and stuck by each other in the game, God always sticks by you. In fact, you can never get separated from the love He has for you. Knowing God will stick by me no matter what makes me want everyone to know this kind of love. [Make It Personal] (Share a personal story of a time you told others of God s love and lived like you believe what God says is true.) One of the ways I like to live out my faith is by telling people of His love. How do you think you can live like you believe what God says is true? (This will be a challenging question for your few. Help them get their brain juices flowing by prompting them with questions like, How could you live like this at school? The park? At home? Allow time for kids to think and answer. Provide some help if they can t seem to get ideas flowing.) Those were all fantastic examples! This week, remember to be thankful for God s amazing love and [Bottom Line] live like you believe what God says is true. 2. Confidence Trophy What You Need: Plastic cups, chenille stems, cupcake liners, clear tape, glue, Confidence Trophy Labels Activity Page Provide each kid with a plastic cup, cupcake liner, two chenille stems, and a label. Encourage kids to place their label on the cup. Demonstrate how to build their Confidence Trophy. o The cupcake liner will become the base of the trophy. o Put a few drops of glue on the bottom of the cupcake liner and glue it to the bottom of the plastic cup. o Instruct kids to press on the inside of the bottom of the cup and the inside of cupcake liner so they don t crush the cupcake liner. o When finished, kids should stand the trophy up so the cupcake liner is on the bottom. o Bend each chenille stem into the shape of trophy handles. o Using the clear tape, attach the shaped chenille stems to either side of the trophy. o Make sure there is tape on the top and bottom of the chenille so it stays secure. When everyone has completed the trophies, recite the memory verse together. Wow! Look at your super cool trophies. I m sure some of you have received a trophy or ribbon for winning a game or doing an awesome job at an activity before. This trophy represents something that we DIDN T actually have to win. Our memory verse this month tells us that we can be confident that God is going to do some amazing work in us. Because of this great news, you can [Bottom Line] live like you believe what God says is true and live like you re true winners! 8