FRIENDS FIX A ROOM FOR ELISHA

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2 FRIENDS FIX A ROOM FOR ELISHA BIBLE BASIS II Kings 4:8-11 LESSON AIM The child will learn that God took care of Elisha by providing friends to help him and that God wants the child to help others. SCRIPTURE INSIGHT "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling" (I Peter 4:8-9). The Shunamite woman is an Old Testament example of this New Testament command. The prophet Elisha, one of the great Old Testament prophets and Elijah's successor, often traveled to Shunem where this woman lived with her husband. We know from II Kings 4:8-37 that she knew Elisha was a holy man of God, and so she determined to make him welcome in her home and invited him for meals whenever he was in her area. Eventually, she and her husband prepared a room especially for Elisha and his servent to use on their visits. By caring for Elisha, she served God. She willingly used her resources to meet the needs of another of God's servants, and her generosity brought great blessings not only to Elisha but also to her husband and herself. Today we have countless opportunities to follow her example. We can open our homes to Christians.and Christian groups. We can support missionaries and Christian workers with prayers and monetary support. We can use whatever we have been given to minister to the needs of others. Serving God in this way shows our appreciation for all of God's gifts to us and our recognition that we are simply stewards over them. GREETING Greet your children this morning with Elisha's room. Cover one side of a shoebox with construction paper (any color). Draw a door and a window on the construction paper. Elisha's roof-top room will be on the top of the shoe box. Cut out a small paperdoll and slide him into a construction,paper sleeping bag type of bed made by folding a strip of construction paper in half and stapling or taping the sides. Elisha can lie in his bed which IS taped on the "roof" (the top of the shoe box). As each child comes into the room, have the following conversation: "Good morning, (child's name) Look at my pretend house. A very nice lady lives here. Look, this is Elisha. The'nice lady made a room for Elisha so he would have a place to sleep when he came to her house. God is so happy when we help our friends." Direct the child to the center with the least children. 1. A Room For Elisha CENTER TIME The purpose of this activity is to teach the child what the Shunamite and that God wants the child to reach out in kiminess. woman had to do to prepare a room for Elisha *NaI'E - The supplies from this center will also be used to tell the stqry. Be sure to make the house and furniture large enough to be used for story time. Draw a rectangle in the center of the butcher paper taped on your table. The rectangle will be the Shunamite woman's house. You will need to make two beds, two tables, two chairs, one lamp, a paperdoll for the kind woman and a paperdoll for Elisha. (See center #1 patterns.) Encourage your children to sit on one side of the table. You will need to s,it in the center on the same side of the table as the children. Open your Bible to II Kings 4:8-11. Place a bookmark there and then close your Bible. Let one child open the Bible to the story. Tell the children that you are goingto tell them all about a woman who helped a man named Elisha. Give each child a piece of furniture that you have cut frqm construction paper. You will keep the paperdolls. Have the following conversation: "This is a very kind lady and this is her home." (Hold the paperdoll up and point to the rectangle in the center of the table.) "Her house had a flat roof: It wasn't like our houses. She had furniture in,her house. What furniture do you think she had?" (Ask each child what piece of furniture he has and let him place it in the kind woman's house,)

3 Remind the child that chairs go with tables and that lamps go on tables. Talk about the use of each item in the kind lady's house. For example: "How do you think the kind lady used the table and chair?" You will need to impress upon the children the importance of the furniture for the lady. After the children have placed the furniture in the house, place the kind woman in her home. Have one of the children hom Elisha while you hold the kind woman. Guide the child holding Elisha toward the lady's house and pretend to knock. Ap you talk for the kind woman, have the following conversation: "Hello, Mr. Elisha. Please come in so we can talk." (Guide the child in placing the paperdoll Elisha inside the house.) "How have you been, Mr. Elisha? I am so glad you came to see me. Please come again. Goodbye, Mr. Elisha." (Have the child walk Mr. Elisha out.) "The next time Mr. Elisha comes to visit me, I'm going to have a special room for him. I will put some of my very own furniture in Mr. Elisha's room. I will put his room on the roofbecause it's very cool there." Have the children place a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp in Elisha's room. Place the paperdolllady in the room to wait for Elisha's next visit. Have a different child be Elisha and guide the paperdoll toward the house. Have Mr. Elisha knock at the "ooor," You will be the kind woman again and say, "Come in, Mr. Elisha. T have room for you." (Have the kino lady lead Mr. Elisha to his room. Have Mr. Elisha :'try out" all of the furniture in his new room.) You can repeat the above action and conversation. Keep the furniture where it is and let the children take turns beiuglvlr. Elisha as you act the part of the kind lady. End your time in prayer asking God to help us be kind to our friends like the lady in the Bible was kind to Elisha. 2. Knock, Knock - Elisha's Here! The purpose of this activity is to f ach the children that the W01mln did a kind thing for Elisha. You will need two paperdoll puppets, one for Elisha and one for the kind lady. You will also need five or six beds, five or six tables and five or six chairs. (See center #1 patterns.) Draw a small rectangle on the butcher paper-covered table for each child. The rectangle will be the kind woman's home. Begin the activity by opening your Bible to II Kings 4:8-11. Hold up the paperdolls and introduce them to the children. Have the following conversation: "I want to tell you about a very kind woman in the Bible." (Hold up the kind lady paperdoll.) "She did a very kind thing for this man. His mime is Elisha. (Hold up the Elisha paperdoll.) The kind woman made God happy when she helped Elisha. Let me tell you what she did. She made a room for Elisha so he would have a room of his very own when he came to visit her. The, kind lady put a bed, a table and a chair in Elisha's room." (Give each child a set of furniture and let him arrange the pieces in his own rectangle "room.") Let's all fix up a room for Elisha." When the children have finisherl placing the furniture in the rectangles, guide Elisha to each house. Let the children take turils inviting Elisha into their rooms. You will be Elisha and knock at each room. The child will hold the kind lady paperdoll. The child will say, "Come in, Mr. Elisha!" You(Elisha) will want to thank the kind lady for all she did for you. Elisha will then try out each piece of furniture. After each child has had a turn, remind the children that God wants us to help our friends like the kind lady helped Elisha. End your time together in prayer asking God to help the children be helpers to their friends. 3. Let's Get Ready The purpose of this activity is toput the child in a situation in which he is helping to prepare for a friend's visit.. Youwill need a Bible, a towel, a washcloth, a bar of soap, paper and pencil, a paper plate, a fork and a spoon, a small blanket or bedspread from your home center bed and a small pillow. Place all of the items in a clothes basket, keeping them grouped together. You will need to move your home center bed, table and chair away from the home center to create more interest. Group the furniture close together. Then place four or five chairs side by side. As each child approaches the center, have him sit in one of the chairs. Open your Bible and have the following conversation: ''Today we will learn about a kind woman who made a room for a friend named Elisha so he would have a place to stay. Today we are going to get a room ready. We are going to pretend that Elisha needs a place to stay. God wants us to help others, just like the kind lady in the Bible." Remove the groups of items from the basket, leaving the Bible for last. Let the children, one at a time, help to prepare the room by placing the items in their proper spots. Youwill need to point out the importance of each item. (The towel, wash cloth and soap can be placed beside the bed. The Bible can be placed on the bed.) When the room has been "readied," the children can take turns being Elisha. You will want to demonstrate by being the guest first. As you come into the room, thank each child for being so kind for preparing the room for you. Try out each piece of furniture and the props that go with it.

4 ~- -'--,.-,,5~ I ~~ FOR CHILDREN 24 MONTHS OLD AND UNDER 1. What Does A Friend Need? The purpose of this activity is fa get the child fa think about what he has in his home so that he will think about what someone else might need. Place a sheet of butcher paper on the wall. Have furniture pieces cut out of construction paper, such as a table, a chair, a bed and a lamp. (See center #1 patterns for older children.) You will also need a paperdoll friend made out of construction paper. Draw a rectangle in the center of the butcher paper. Place double-backed tape on the back of each piece of the butcher paper. Place double-backed tape on the back of each piece of furniture. Let the children take turns placing the items in the rectangle' 'room." While the child is placing the furniture, have the following conversation: " (Child's name), a friend is coming! He doesn't have any place to sleep. God wants us to be kind to our friends. What does a friend need to sleep on? Can you put the bed in'the room for the friend?" (Guide the child in placing the bed.) ". Repeat the similar conversation using the other pieces of furniture. Then let the child hold the paperdoll friend as you say, "Knock,knock. The friend is here!" Let the child pretend to put the friend to bed and to sit at the table. Remind the child that God wants us,to be kind to our friends and to help them. Remove the turniture pieces and repeat the activity with a different child. If you have a large class, you may want to do this same activity as a table center. If you do this activity at a table, you will not need to use tape on the furniture'pieces; just lay the pieces on the tabletop "room." Encourage the children to sit around the table and wait for their turn.. 2. She's Our Friend The purpose of this activity is wallow the child to do kind thingsfor a "fn end." Place a pallet, blanket or sheet on the t100ras a place to sit. Set a large doll in a chair. Have a small plastic spoon, a washcloth and the bed from your home center (or a pillow and a small blanket) for the pallet available. Each child will take a turn feeding the doll, bathing the doll or putting the doll to bed. Encourage your children to sit down on the pallet or sheet. Open your Bible and have the following conversation: "The Bible says that we should be kind and help our freinds. Let's pretend that she is our friend." (Point to the doll.) "She has come to our house. Let's show here how kind we can be. (Child's name), would you like to feed our friend some dinner?" (Guide the child in feeding the doll.) "We make Jesus happy when we are kind to our friends." Repeat the above action with each item letting all the children have a turn being kind to the doll. 3. Whose House Is This? The purpose of this activity is to give the child an opportunity to show kindness to the paperdoll. Place a sheet of butcher paper on the table. Draw five or six small rectangles; one in front of each chair. Inside the rectangles draw a bed the same length as a regular size paperdool. Youwill also need one paperdoll cut out of construction paper. When the children are seated at the table, point out each child's "house" to him. "This is (child's name's) house." Then have the following conversation: "Jesus wants us to be kind and help our friends. I have a friend right here (hold up paperdoll) and he needs a bed, someplace to sleep; He's going to come to your house and knock on your door. Will you be kind to him and let him rest in your bed?' Move the paperdoll from house to house as you say, "Knock, knock! Whose house is this? May I come in and rest in your bed?" (Guide the child in putting the paperdoll in the bed.) "Thank you, (child's name), for being so kind to me in your house. That makes Jesus happy. Now. I'll go visit someone else's house." Repeat the same conversation at each child's "house." 1. Supplies Needed STORY TIME Bible; butcher paper with Shunamite woman's house drawn on it: two beds, two tables, two chairs, one lamp and a paperdoll puppet for the kind woman, and a paperdoll puppet for Elisha. (NOTE - These are the same

5 supplies used in center #1. You may need to draw another house on a clean sheet of butcher paper if the one used at center time is not in good condition; a black magic marker, picture of food or child eating; pillow and blanket. 2. Preparing For Story Ease the children to your story circle by singing your transition song. Once the children are seated, sing "Where is.?", act out monthly rhyme, say monthly Bible verse and begin with prayer. *BIBLE LEADER - Have one child come and read (repeat after you while he is holding the open Bible). "The kind woman made a room for Elisha so he would have a place to stay." II Kings 4:10 3. Outline For Story *NOTE - Tape the butcher paper (with the house drawn on it) to the wall. Arrange your story circle in front of the butcher paper. You will need tape on the back of all of the furniture pieces. Open your Bible. "The Bible tells us that God wants us to help others. I want to tell you a true story from the Bible today. The story is about a very kind lady (hold up. the kind lady paperdoll) who helped a man named Elisha." (Hold up the Elisha paperdoll.) '. "This is the kind lady's house." (Place the kind lady paperdoll on the mural beside the house.) "She had beds in her house (Plate the beds in the house.) and a lamp." (Place the rest of the fumituie on the mural.) "The Bible says that one day the.kind woman was in her house," (Place the kind woman in the house.) "and a man named Elisha came by her house." (Tape Elisha paperdoll beside the house.) "The kind lady asked Elisha to please come in and have something to eat." "Elisha came in and ate with the lady and talked with her. Then Elisha told her goodbye and left." (Walk Elisha out of the house.). "Another day, Elisha walked by the kind lady's house again. She said, 'Elisha, please come in and eat something.' Elisha went inside to eat, and Elisha and the kind lady talked. Elisha said goodbye and left." (Walk Elisha 'out of the house.) "The kind lady liked Elisha. She knew that Elisha loved God. She wanted to do something kind for Elisha? Guess what she did?".. ''The kind lady made a room for Elisha. She wanted Elisha to have a place to sleep when he was tired." "The kind lady built a room on top of her house, on the roof where it was cool." (Draw a square on top of her roof large enough for the furniture and Elisha to fit inside.) "Then the kind lady took some furniture from her house and put it in Elisha's new room." "Elisha would need a place to sleep, so she put a bed in his room. Elisha would need a place to read, so she put a table, a chair and a lamp in his room. The kind lady put all of these things in his new room." (Place the pieces. of furniture in the room.) "Then one day Elisha came by. The kind lady invited Elisha inside and showed Elisha his new room. Elisha was so happy to have a bed where he could rest." (Lay Elisha on the bed.) "Elisha liked the chair and the table with the lamp on it." "God wants us to help others, too." "You can share some food with others." (Show a picture of some()ne eating or show a can of food.) "If they are tired, you can give them a pillow and a blanket and let them rest." (Show a pillow and blanket brought from home, or just place a doll in the home center bed.) "Let's ask God to help us to always want to help others.". c:(~.;-~,.--/ " '( ~;:J\)"I~-.J (J(j \-' FOR CHILDREN 24 MONTHS AND UNDER I 1. Supplies Needed Bible; a large doll; a pallet and a pillow or the home center bed; a table and a chair; a bowl and a spoon; the supplies from center #1 - butcher paper with a rectangle drawn on it, a bed, a table, a chair, a lamp, a paperdoll kind lady and a paperdoll Elisha made out of construction paper.

6 ,::;,-.:p~~~' ' :l.. ~---; :/ \~_i' '\, FOR CHILDREN 24 MONTHS OLD AND UNDER (cont.'d) I 2. Preparation For Story Ease the children to your story circle by singing your transition song. Once the children are seated, sing "Where is?", act out monthly rhyme, say monthly Bible verse and begin with prayer. *BIBLE LEADER - Have one child come up and read (repeat after you while he is holding the Open Bible), "Be kind to one an~ther." (Ephesians: 4:32). 3. Outline For Story *NOTE - Have butcher paper taped to the wall with a rectangle drawn on it. Have the construction paper furniture pieces and the paperdolls close by with tape on the back of each piece. Set your circle up around the mural. ' Open your Bible. "Jesus wants us to be kind. The Bible tells' us so.,we should help our friends." "Let's pretend that she is a friend." (Hold up the large. doll.) "She has come to my house. She is hungry. I should invite her into my house and give her something to eat." (Setthe doll down in a chair at the table and place the bowl and the spoon in front other.) "If my friend is sleepy (yawn', I can let her sleep in my,bed." (Put the doll in the bed.) Move to the butcher paper' mural. "There is a story about a very kind lady in the Bible." (Place the kind lady paperdoll on the butcher paper,) "She had a friend named Elisha." (Tape the Elisha paperdoll next to the kind lady paperdoll.) "Elisha loved God very much." ' "The kind lady wanted Elisha to have a place to rest. She made a room for Elisha." "She put a bed in his room and a table and a chair. The'n she put a lamp on his table." "Now her friend Elisha would have a room where he could rest." (Place Elisha on the bed.) "This was a kind thing for the lady to do. God is happy when we are kind." "Let's say a prayer asking God to help us be kind." (You will want to ask a child to come up and be the prayer leader:. Have the children repeat each phrase of the prayer after y~u.) MUSIC TIME Sing "Jesus Loves Me" as the children.enter the room. Ask two children to come up front to help a "Friend." Use a big doll. Pretend he has hurt his leg. Have a child get on each side of the doll and hold him up while the children sing the following song. Sing this song to the tune of the "Farmer In The Dell." lean help my friends, I can help my friends.,the Bible says to help my friends, I can help my friends. Also sing: "Jesus Loves The Little Children," "Praise Him, Praise Him" and "When I Pray." CRAFT TIME 1. Before Sunday cut out the bed, the table, the chair and the paperdoll Elisha. Attach the paperdoll to the background sheet with a piece of yam. (See craft pattern), 2. Have the child glue the bed, the table and the chair (in that order) onto the background and say, "The kind lady made a room tor Elisha:' Then demonstrate moving Elisha around the room. "Elisha had a place to sit. God was happy when the kind lady helped Elisha."

7 . ~:.~.. -nj (/ ijt{~-6-" FOR CHILDREN 24 MONTHS OLD AND UNDER Younger children will only glue on the bed. All other pieces will be already glued on. NarE TO PARENTS The following might be included in your note to the parents: 1. Advise them of the story and activities taught that day. 2. The parent can reinforce the Bible story by using the craft to help the child build a room for Elisha. The pieces of the craft can be cut out and made moveable. The child can move Elisha from piece to piece (if it is one of the crafts for older children.) 3. Older children will enjoy pretending the parent is the friend and making a pallet for him. After the parent has set the scene, the parent should always point out the story in the Bible. The parent should encourage the child to repeat the Bible Leader's verse (include verse in the note).

8 EXPANDED SESSION FRIENDS FIX A ROOM FOR ELISHA - Supplement BIBLE BASIS II Kings 4:8-11.LESSON That the child will learn that God took care of Elisha by providing friends to help him and that God wants the child to help others.. CENTER *NOTE - See curriculum for centers #1,2, and 3. AIM TIME 1. I Can Help My Friend The purpose of this center is to give the child an actual opportunity to '~help"a friend. Youwill need a bag of marshmellows, at least 3 per child (1 for the child, 2 for a friend), some milk in a heavy, steady bowl, some finely chopped peanuts, a baggie for each child, tooth picks and a sticky label for each child that says "For My Friend From " Open your Bible to II Kings 4:8-11 and tell the children, ''The Bible says that God wants us to help our friends, just as the lady in our story helped her friend Elisha. We are going to make some treats for a friend we know in our neighborhood or at school. Each child will get to taste our treat and give 2 to a friend." Have the children write their names on the labels and stick them to the baggie. Then have the children spear a marshmellow with a toothpick, quickly dip it in milk and then roll it in the peanuts. Then have him drop two into the baggie. The third one he may eat. Be sure to mention in your letter to the parents what the treats are.for. *NOTE - See curriculum. STORY TIME