We can trust God to give us what we need.

Transcription

1 Praise Jesus! A Widow Shares Her Bread Lesson 1 Bible Point We can trust God to give us what we need. Bible Verse Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (Matthew 6:8b). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n discover that God gives only good gifts, n learn that they can trust God to provide for them, and n find out that God has good things stored up for them. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n A widow shares her bread. 1 Kings 17:7-16 Elijah lived by trust and obedience. Because of evil in the land (1 Kings 16:30), God had sent judgment on Israel in the form of a drought. God had then sent the prophet Elijah away from the land, leaving the Israelites without God s word and blessing. Elijah camped near a brook in a ravine east of the Jordan river and trusted God to take care of him. God did take care of him, sending ravens to feed him morning and night. The drought continued, and the brook dried up, but Elijah didn t panic. God had a plan that involved a poor widow in the town of Zarephath. It s not known if the widow had previous knowledge of or faith in the God of Israel. We do know, however, that she lived in the heart of the land of Baal worship, the religion with which Israel had become infatuated and for which Israel was being punished. In fact, at that time, Sidon, the region in which Zarephath lay, represented the forces of evil aligned against God s people. Whatever the widow believed, she chose to obey the prophet Elijah. She gave up her last bit of food, did as Elijah requested, and was rewarded by having all the food she, Elijah, and her son needed. Until the end of the drought, the widow s supply of oil and flour was never depleted. Elijah, the widow, and her son learned that they could trust God to give them what they needed. We can trust God to give us what we need, too. This lesson will help your class see that God is taking care of them every day. They ll learn to rely on God and to turn to him for whatever they need. Prayer Read Philippians 4:19. What have you trusted God for lately? Pray: Lord, please help me teach my students to trust you to meet all their needs. Help me to model trust in you when 13

2 Lesson 1 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. Grab a Bug Grab as many black bugs as they can in 30 seconds, and talk about greed, desires, and needs. Trust God name tags (p. 24), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Bible Bible Exploration & Application Closing Elijah and the Widow Learn from 1 Kings 17:7-16 how God provided food for Elijah and a widow during a famine. Bugs and Raisins Hunt for provisions, and learn from Matthew 7:9-11 that God will provide good things for them just as their parents do. God s Word, My Food Identify a need they have, and learn how the Bible can encourage them to trust God for that need. Stored Up Feed bugs to a shark, read Psalm 31:19, and talk about the good gifts that God has stored up for them. Conducted Prayer Read James 1:17, think of things that God has provided, and thank God for those things with a fun prayer. Bible, popcorn kernels, popcorn popper, large bowl, small measuring cup, vegetable oil Bible, napkins, tape, raisins, chocolate chips, bowl, popcorn from previous activity Bible, Words to Live On handout (p. 25), index cards, fine-tipped markers, tape, CD player Bible Bible 14

3 Welcome A Widow Shares Her Bread SUPPLIES: Trust God name tags (p. 24), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. Say: Today we re going to learn that we can trust God to give us what we need. Help children make name tags. Photocopy the Trust God name tags and follow the instructions. Tell the children that the attention-getting signal you ll use during this lesson is clapping your hands three times. Ask children to respond by clapping their hands three times as they stop talking and focus their attention on you. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. Attention Grabber n Grab a Bug SUPPLIES: Bible Form a circle on the floor with the jump-rope. Scatter all but four of the black insects inside the circle. You ll use the other four bugs in the Bugs and Raisins activity. Choose a volunteer to go first. Give your volunteer 30 seconds to grab as many bugs as possible while remaining on the outside of the circle. The volunteer must hold all the bugs he or she has grabbed while grabbing more bugs. Have the rest of the kids in the class cheer the child on. At the end of 30 seconds, congratulate the volunteer and have him or her return the bugs to the circle. Choose another volunteer to play. Keep playing until each child has had a turn. Then return the black insects and the jump-rope to the Learning Lab. Gather the children in a circle and ask: How many bugs did you grab? (20; 30; 15.) Were you satisfied with how many you got, or did you want more? (I got more bugs than anyone, so I was happy; I wasn t happy, because I wanted all the bugs.) In this game, it was fun to be greedy, to grab all that you could. Do you know what it means to be greedy in real life? (It means we want more than anyone else; it means we want everything; it means we don t want to share with anybody.) What s something people might be greedy for? (Candy; toys; big things, like cars.) Say: It was fun to grab at the bugs. The more bugs we grabbed, the more bugs we wanted. When we re greedy, we re not satisfied to have just what we need. We want to get more and more, just as you tried to grab more and more bugs. Today we re going to talk about the opposite of being greedy we re going to talk about really needing things, not just wanting them. It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. Moving from all the busyness and pressures of the week to focus on experiencing Bible truths can be difficult, even for children. These active and unusual Attention Grabber activities do just that. They will help your kids be ready to experience all you have for them in the lesson. 15

4 Lesson 1 Ask: What are some things we really need in life? (God; our parents; food; clothes; a home to live in.) What are some things we may want, but don t really need? (Toys; fancy clothes; a bike; a room we don t have to share with anyone else.) Say: Today we ll learn about some people in the Bible who didn t have everything they needed. They learned, just as we ll learn, that we can trust God to give us what we need. There s a verse in the Bible that tells us that. Listen! Hold up your Bible and turn to today s Bible verse, Matthew 6:8b. Read the verse aloud to the children: Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Say: Can you say that verse with me? Let s repeat it together. Repeat the Bible verse several times until the children can say it by themselves. Then continue: Jesus said that God, our heavenly Father, is ready to provide for us before we even know what to ask for! Isn t that amazing? Let s see how God helped the people in our Bible story. If you don t have a popcorn popper, bring in a bag of popped popcorn and a package of unpopped popcorn. Bible Insight The widow of Zarephath thought she was preparing her last meal when she met Elijah. Her simple act of faith resulted in a miracle. Every miracle, large or small, begins with an act of obedience. We may not see the solution until we take that first step of faith. Bible Exploration & Application n Elijah and the Widow SUPPLIES: Bible, popcorn kernels, popcorn popper, large bowl, small measuring cup, vegetable oil Bring a popcorn popper to class so that you can pop popcorn at the end of this story. (The popcorn will not be eaten until the next activity.) Measure enough popcorn kernels to make a big bowl of popcorn. Put the popcorn kernels in a small measuring cup. (Also bring oil if your popper calls for it.) If your popper needs to heat up before it can be used, plug it in before you begin the story. Keep children away from the popper so they don t get burned. Have the children gather on the floor and practice the following motions with you. Say: I need your help with our story. There are three main characters: the widow, Elijah, and God. When I say, the widow, rub your stomach like this (rub your stomach in a circular motion) to show that she was very hungry. When I say Elijah, fold your hands in prayer like this (demonstrate by pressing your hands together) to show that he was a prophet who prayed and talked to God a lot. When I say God, point up toward heaven. Raise your finger upward and look up. I have something else that will help tell the story. Show children a small handful of the popcorn kernels. Listen to find out what can happen with a small amount of food. Open your Bible to 1 Kings 17:7-16 and show children the passage. Say: Our Bible story comes from the first book of Kings. There had been no rain in the land of Israel for a long time. The ground dried up, the plants shriveled, and the people started to run out of food. They began to worry about having enough to eat. This was the beginning of a famine, which means there wasn t enough food in the land to eat. Elijah (pause) was a prophet. A prophet was a man of God (pause) who received special information from God before things happened so that people 16

5 A Widow Shares Her Bread could prepare themselves ahead of time. God (pause) took care of Elijah during the famine by sending birds with bits of bread and meat for him to eat. But one day, God (pause) told Elijah (pause) to go to a widow s (pause) home and stay with her for a while. A widow (pause) is a woman whose husband has died. In our story, this widow lived with her son, but some widows live all alone. Elijah (pause) obeyed and found the widow (pause) gathering sticks for a fire. He said, Please, bring me some water to drink. I m very thirsty. As she left to bring him a drink of water, he added, And while you re getting me a drink, please bring me some bread to eat. The widow (pause) said, But I have no bread. I have only a little bit of flour and oil. (Hold up the small cup of popcorn kernels.) It s only enough to make a small meal for my son and me, and then we will starve because there is no more food. Elijah (pause) said, Don t worry. Go home and bake the bread; then bring it to me to eat. Then go back and cook something for you and your son. God (pause) promises that you will never run out of flour or oil until it rains again. The widow (pause) believed and went home to bake the bread. (Pour the popcorn into the popper or bring out the bowl of popped popcorn.) And from that day on, the flour and oil never ran out. The widow (pause), her son, and Elijah (pause) had plenty to eat. God (pause) kept his promise and took care of them. While the corn is popping, ask: When have you felt really hungry? (I m hungry when I get home from school; once we went on a trip and left our lunches at home by mistake; sometimes I forget to eat breakfast and then I m really hungry by lunchtime.) What do you do when you re hungry? (I ask my mom for a snack; I look for something to eat; I try not to think about food.) When the popcorn has finished popping, show it to the children. Save the popcorn for the next activity. Say: Look how much popcorn there is! We ll enjoy it in a few minutes. This big bowl of popcorn was made from a few kernels. In the Bible story, God took a small amount of flour and oil and made it last for a long, long time. Ask: How did God keep the widow from running out of flour and oil? (God gave them more; it was a miracle; God can do anything he wants to.) Why was the widow willing to share the little bit of food she had left with Elijah? (Because she knew he was from God so he wouldn t tell her a fib; because she trusted him; because she trusted God.) Elijah and the widow trusted God to provide food for them. What do you trust God for? (Food; clothes; that my parents will take care of me.) Say: We can trust God to give us what we need. The widow, her son, and Elijah were very hungry, but they believed that God would keep providing for them even when they were almost out of food. God knew what they needed, and he knows what we need, too. We can trust God completely. Let s find out more about trusting God. If you brought already-popped popcorn for this activity, put the bowl of popcorn in the center of the circle during this discussion. Bible Insight It took an act of faith and a willingness to sacrifice for the widow to use the last of her provisions to bake bread for Elijah. She trusted God and was willing to give up all that she had. When we trust God, we can be sure he will give us everything we need. 17

6 Lesson 1 WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD Be sure to pick up pieces of any broken balloons and dispose of them immediately. Balloons may contain latex. HANDS-ON BIBLE Before class, gather the following supplies: a 20-ounce plastic soda bottle, a water pitcher, a packet of fast-activating bread yeast, 1 3 cup of sugar, and a balloon. Right before you start this activity, fill the pitcher with warm tap water. Help your students locate 1 Kings 16 in their Hands-On Bibles. Say: We just heard a story of how God took care of Elijah and the widow when they were really hungry. A little bit of food was all they had left, but God miraculously supplied all they needed. Let s take a look at the activity called Just a Little Bit and try a little experiment. Read Just a Little Bit out loud to the class and follow the steps together, asking for volunteers to assist you. Set aside the bottle for about a half hour and continue with your lesson, but don t forget about the bottle! After half an hour, bring the bottle out again. Observe the expanded balloon, and then ask: What do you think happened to make the balloon inflate like this? (Maybe it had something to do with the warm water; something made it get big; I m not sure.) How is this like when we trust God with just a little bit? (God can make our little bit bigger; God can do something really big.) Say: Do you remember the yeast we put into the water? That little bit of yeast made so much gas that it filled the balloon! And that s a little bit like when we trust God with just a little bit. He can take something very small and make it really big. We can trust God to give us what we need, no matter how big our need is! End with a round of applause for God being able to provide all our needs, no matter how big they are. Make sure that each child finds only one pouch. You can encourage the children to help each other hunt for the pouches. n Bugs and Raisins SUPPLIES: Bible, napkins, tape, raisins, chocolate chips, bowl, popcorn from previous activity Before class, prepare one of these small surprise pouches for each child in class. Fold a paper napkin in half and tape the sides together to create a small pouch. Put three or four raisins in most of the pouches. In no more than four of the pouches, put one of the black insects in along with the raisins, and make a small dot on the pouch so you ll be able to identify it right away. Then tape the pouches shut. Hide the pouches around the room. Also mix raisins and chocolate chips in a bowl. Hide the mix where the children won t find it. During class, have the students sit on the floor with you. Say: For fun, I ve hidden a special pouch for each person somewhere in the room. Have the children hunt until each child has found a pouch. Make sure that more than one child has a pouch with a bug in it. Have the children bring their unopened pouches back to the circle. Wait until all the children have returned, and then have each child open the pouch he or she has found and put its contents on top of the napkin. Then put the black insects back in the Learning Lab, and fill each child s napkin with raisins, chocolate chips, and popcorn. As kids enjoy the snack, ask: What did you think when you saw that some of the pouches had plastic bugs in them? (I got scared because I thought it was a real bug; I was surprised; I thought it was a dirty trick; I thought it was funny.) 18

7 A Widow Shares Her Bread Would you rather eat bugs or raisins? Explain. (I d rather eat raisins because bugs are icky; neither, because bugs aren t food and raisins taste bad; I d rather have raisins because I don t want to eat a plastic bug.) Say: I think some of you received something from me that you didn t like very well! But listen to what the Bible says about what we receive from God. Read Matthew 7:9 11. Ask: Why does God give us good gifts instead of bad gifts? (Because God loves us; because that s how God is; because God promises to take care of us.) What kinds of good gifts has God given you? (A baby brother; a nice house to live in; lots of friends.) Say: When we ask God to take care of us, we can be sure that he will. God promises to bring us the good things that we need. Your parents would never give you stones to eat when you need bread, and God will never give us bad gifts. We can trust God to give us what we need. God will never let us down. Let s play a game now and learn some more about how God gives us all we need and more! n God s Word, My Food SUPPLIES: Bible, Words to Live On handout (p. 25), index cards, fine-tipped markers, tape, CD player Before class, photocopy the Words to Live On handout for track 14 each child, and assemble the bird glider. Say: God sent birds to Elijah to bring him food to keep him alive. A raven is a special kind of bird. We re going to play a game with this raven to remind us that we, too, can trust God to give us what we need. Jesus said people need more than bread to live on; they need God s Word, too. That s in Matthew 4:4. In a few minutes, we ll look at some great verses in the Bible that can fill you up better than pizza and ice cream! Hold up your Bible and have the children gather around you. Say: The Bible is God s special book to us. We need the Bible. God gave us the Bible so we could learn more about him and about Jesus. It is one big book filled with many smaller books. There are two main sections of the Bible called the Old Testament and the New Testament. Point these out in the Bible. The Old Testament books are about things that happened before Jesus came. The New Testament is what happened when Jesus came and then later on, too. Let s sing a song that will help us learn the names of the books of the Bible. That way, when you want to look up a verse, you ll know how to find it in the Bible! Play The Books of the Bible Song (track 14) along with the CD once or twice, and then lead the kids in singing with the CD. (Lyrics are in the back of the book.) When the song is over, turn off the CD player. Then give each child an index card and a fine-tipped marker, and have children write their names on it. Say: Think of a time God gave you something you needed. Then draw a picture of it, or write a word that represents it, on your card. Or maybe there s something you need to ask God for right now. If so, then write a word or draw a picture of it on your card. Give kids a few minutes to write or draw on their cards; then have them lay the 19

8 Lesson 1 As children share their needs with the class, keep in mind that each need that s voiced is a real issue that a child may be struggling with. This is a good time to show love for your children by affirming and comforting them. Place a hand on a shoulder or give a hug when needed. Take the cards home with you this week and pray over your students needs. In a situation like this, it s possible that children may bring up issues of abuse or neglect. This is an outcry for love and for help; bring these issues to the attention of your pastor or director in private. Thank you for your love for God s children. cards face up on the floor in a cleared area. Have a child toss the bird glider over the cards, trying to get it to land on or near a card. Pick up the card the bird lands closest to and hand the card to its owner. If the child is willing, have him or her share his or her need with the class. Go around the room, giving each child a chance to toss the bird glider, until all the cards have been picked up and all the needs shared. As each child shares from his or her card, say: Here s a verse for you. God wants you to know Finish the sentence with one of the verses from the Words to Live On handout you photocopied earlier. When each child has had a turn, have everyone sit down. Hand out a copy of the Words to Live On handout to each child, and have kids follow along as you read through the list again out loud. Then say: We can trust God to give us what we need. God has even written down those promises for us in his Word. We can read these Bible verses, and other verses from the Bible, whenever we have needs. When Jesus said we should live on God s Word and not just on bread alone, he was reminding us that we should think about his words and believe them. Because we trust Jesus, we can do that. Ask: How can these Bible verses help us when we have needs? (They remind us to trust God; they give us hope; they make us feel better.) How does it make you feel to know that we can trust God to give us what we need? (I feel safe; I feel loved; it makes me happy to know God will take care of me.) Say: Jesus gave us some words we can chew on. That means we can believe Jesus words, think about them, and apply them to our lives. When we do that, we ll feel full and satisfied in our spirits. And sometimes that s better than the best food in the world! Have the children fold their handouts in half and then in half again to form long strips. Secure the paper strips around their wrists so they can take their handouts home with them. Encourage children to wear their paper bracelets as reminders of the verses and to review these verses with an adult at home. Then close in prayer, praying over all the needs expressed that day. Pray: Lord, thank you for loving us. Thank you for the ways in the past that you have given us what we needed. Thank you for always giving us what we need. We can trust you completely! Amen. Say: In the next activity, we are going to think of some specific things for which we can thank God. Return the bird glider and CD to the Learning Lab for future use. 20

9 A Widow Shares Her Bread n Stored Up SUPPLIES: Bible Have the children sit in a circle. Put the black insects in the middle of the circle. Hold up the rainbow shark and say: We ve eaten a tasty snack today and talked about how God s Word can be better tasting than real food. Now I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is a very hungry shark. We need to find some food that he likes before he starts tasting our fingers. Let s see if he likes black bugs. Put a bug in the shark s mouth and hold the shark vertically so the bug drops down into the shark s stomach. I think this shark likes bugs. Let s all take turns feeding the shark. When you put a bug inside the shark, tell us something that you have that you re thankful to God for something you need that God has provided. For example, you could thank the Lord for providing a nice house for you and your family to live in or for sunny days when you can play outside and be happy. Just as God gives even a hungry shark what he needs, we can think of how God gives us what we need. Pass the shark to your left. Have the child pick up a bug, mention something he or she is thankful for, and put the bug inside the shark s mouth. Then have the child pass the shark to the next person. Continue until everyone has had a turn. If you d like, continue until all the bugs are inside the shark. Then say: This shark is full of bugs, but more than that, he s full of good things that come from God, because with each bug that we dropped into the shark, we shared something good that God has provided for us. Listen to what the Bible says about what God has for us. Read Psalm 31:19. Then ask: What does it mean to store up goodness? (It means that you save it; it means that you keep it ready.) Why does God store up good things for us? (Because we trust him; because God loves us.) We ve talked about the things that God has already given us. What do you think God has stored up for your future? (A new bike; good breakfasts; good plans for my future.) Say: God has given us a lot of great things to eat, just as we ve given lots of bugs to this shark to eat. This shark is full of good things that come from God. Our lives are full of good things, too, such as (Mention some of the things the children talked about earlier.) We can trust God to give us what we need. Let s thank God for all the gifts he s given to us. Lead the children in a round of applause for God, thanking him for giving us what we need. Return the rainbow shark and black insects to the Learning Lab. Children will likely equate the word fear with being frightened about something. Help them understand that fear in this psalm means to have an amazing respect for God. We honor and respect our parents by obeying them and trusting them. When we honor and respect the Lord in the same way, we will discover all the goodness God has stored up for us. 21

10 Lesson 1 Closing n Conducted Prayer SUPPLIES: Bible Ask: What did you learn today? (I learned that God will give me what I need; I learned that God gives me good things; I learned that I can trust God to take care of me.) Review today s Bible verse, Matthew 6:8b, with the children. Read aloud (or have a volunteer read it to the class): Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Say: God our heavenly Father is already planning what good gifts he can give us before we even ask for them. Listen to what the Bible says about good gifts. Read James 1:17. Ask: What do we learn about God from James 1:17? (That God made all the lights in the heavens; that God never changes.) Why does God give us good gifts? (Because God is a good God; because God takes care of us; because God loves us.) What is one gift God has given you? (My little sister; my parents; a nice home.) Say: Each of us is a special creation. God made each one of us and loves us so much that he promises to take care of us forever. It s fun to think about all God has given us. He provides us with so many things! Let s name some. Have children each think of one thing that God provides for them. They might think of general things such as life, clothes, homes, or food. Or they might think of specific things such as a new bicycle, a baby brother, or an A in math. Have each child say his or her idea aloud so you can make sure that each child has a different idea. Then have the class stand in a circle. Stand in the center of the circle. Show the children the tinsel wand. Say: I m going to pretend that I m a music director, and you will be my musicians. This wand is my director s stick. It has a special name we call it a baton. Each time I point my baton at you, call out the one thing you ve thought of that God has provided for you. Call it out loudly, as if you were making sounds with a musical instrument. We want everyone to hear! Then, when I point my baton straight up in the air, say, We can trust God to give us what we need. Thank you, God! Let s practice that. Point the tinsel wand straight up in the air and say with the children: We can trust God to give us what we need. Thank you, God! Then randomly point the tinsel wand at different children. For fun, really ham it up and act like an orchestra conductor. You can point to children from one side of the circle to the other, point behind your back, and wave the wand at several children at the same time. You can indicate to one child to call out his idea softly and indicate to another child to call out her idea loudly. Periodically, point the wand in the air. If you have time, let the children take turns being the conductor. Then have everyone clap. 22

11 A Widow Shares Her Bread Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 23

12 Trust God Name Tags Photocopy this page, and cut apart the name tags as indicated. Have children color their name tags and write their names on the lines. 24 Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com

13 Words to Live On What s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. Genesis 28:15 When we need protection. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10 When we are waiting for God to answer a prayer. Look at the ravens. They don t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Luke 12:24 When we have physical needs. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 When we are worried. Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com 25

14 Elijah 1: We can trust God to give us what we need. Bible Story A widow shares her bread. (1 Kings 17:7-16) Sure as the Sunrise Rise with your family before dawn and snuggle together as you watch the sunrise. Sip hot chocolate and sing quiet praise songs together. Before the sun has risen, read this portion of Hosea 6:3: Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn. After the sun has risen, read Isaiah 60:1 joyfully. Talk about how God is as trustworthy as the sunrise. If the day is cloudy, talk about how you know that God is with you even though you can t see him, just as you know the sun is behind the clouds. Gifts for All Visit a pond, pool, lake, stream, or ocean near your home. Take a plastic cup and a bucket. See how many cupfuls of water it takes to fill the bucket. Then try to guess how many people could be given a cup of water from the body of water before it would dry up. (Be sure to caution your child not to drink the water.) Then read Philippians 4:19. Tell your child that the body of water is like God s riches. God has so much that his supply will never run out, and God wants to share these riches with us. Breakfast Gifts Make your favorite pancake recipe. After you pour the batter into the skillet, sprinkle a spoonful of wheat germ or granola over the top of each pancake. When the pancakes have cooked on both sides, immediately drizzle them with honey and roll them up. As you eat the pancake rolls, read Psalm 81:16 and talk about the good gifts that God gives you. Bird Bath Bible Key Verse No Your eye Father has seen, knows exactly ear has heard, what you and need no mind even has before imagined you what ask God him! has prepared (Matthew 6:8b). for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9b). Today your child learned that every good gift comes from God. The children learned that God is trustworthy; when God says he ll provide good things for us, we can be sure that he will. The children discovered that God already has an abundance of gifts stored up and ready for them, even before they ask him. Use these ideas this week to help your child learn that God will provide. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to learn about trusting God by watching how God takes care of the birds. Create a sanctuary for the birds in your neighborhood this week. Place the lid of your garbage can upside down on top of the can so it creates a shallow basin. Line the lid with gravel or small rocks. Spell out Don t worry! with the gravel. Fill the lid with 1 to 2 inches of water. Then watch as the birds bathe and preen. 26 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com