Curriculum Materials for 2 nd and 3 rd Grades CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT: EPIC Create a fun summer set that can stay up throughout the summer. See if you can buy or borrow largescale, bright and colorful props like inflatable palm trees, pool animals, beach umbrellas, rafts, tubes, even a kayak or paddles! Think about fun ways to hang beach balls from the ceiling or pass them around as kids come in for Large Group. BEFORE KIDS LEAVE THE 5TH GRADE, WE WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND 3 BASIC TRUTHS: FAITH I can trust God no matter what. WISDOM I need to make the wise choice. FRIENDSHIP I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Chief Executive Officer Creative Team Contributing Writers Copy Editors Illustrations & Graphic Design Technical & Web Support Orange Specialists Reggie Joiner Kristen Ivy Cara Martens Brandon O Dell Jon Williams Greg Payne Phil Pierce Elizabeth Hansen Dan Scott Jodi Blackwell Sharon Carey Emily Meredith Kelly Nishi Mike Tiemann Julie Tiemann Elloa Davis Jennifer Davis Dana Wilkerson Mike Davis Dan Scott Brian Bascle Joe Goode Hadley Brandt Amy Grisham Joy Bowen Abbey Carr Becky Kizer Misty Phillips Stephanie Porter Susan Richards Courtney Templeton User Agreement Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Basics materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws. All rights reserved. 252 Basics and the 252 Basics logo are trademarks of Orange.
STATEMENT OF FAITH ABOUT GOD God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God. ABOUT PEOPLE People are made in God s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us. 252 GOOD-TO-KNOW TERMS SMALL GROUP LEADER One consistent leader for the same 8-0 children all year We suggest you start and end in small group so kids connect relationally with one leader and other similar-aged peers. If you have multiple small groups meeting in one room, try using circle area rugs to give each group their own spot. Offer as many of the activities as your time, space, and resources allow. ABOUT THE BIBLE God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 00% accurate, reliable, and authoritative. ABOUT SALVATION That s why Jesus God s Son came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God s family and will live with Him forever in heaven. Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 973, 978, 984 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader s Version, Copyright 995, 996, 998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright 993, 994, 995, 996, 2000, 200, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
June Week 202 Small Group 2-3 FOR LEADERS ONLY GOD VIEW: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AND GOD S CHARACTER, AS SHOWN THROUGH GOD S BIG STORY When was the last time you really trust Him with your life. But that s not think about what God might be calling thought about this? the end. As believers, we have to put each of us to today. our trust in God again every day. Every The God who created the oceans, moment of our lives we have choices, Our Bottom Line is: I can depend on the stars, and the planets calls us His and in those moments we can choose God because He has a plan for me. children. Then, because we sinned to put our confidence in God or to put Sometimes when we read the Bible and were separated from Him, that our confidence somewhere else. it s easy to think, That s a great story, same God the Creator of all things but that was then and this is now. stepped onto our planet and lived This month we are going to take a look Those types of things don t happen among us as one of us. He taught at what it means to trust God both anymore. But we re going to see us how to live. And then as an act of for the very first time and each day in what in this story is true for each of indescribable love, He died for us. And the face of new circumstances. us now, right where we are and in the in a moment of unimaginable triumph, future if we really believe this Basic He defeated death, rose again, and This month, let s think about how: Truth: that I can trust God no matter ascended into heaven to prepare a () God loves us and has proven that He is what. place for us for eternity. trustworthy. (2) God invites us to show our trust in Him Even if we don t yet know God s John 4:9 says, We love because every day. specific plan for our lives, we can know he first loved us. And wow, how He (3) Our trust in God changes the way we that God wants us to become more loves us. It makes sense that we love live, and is a testimony to others. like Jesus. That s why He sent Him God back. Who wouldn t love this Remember: A virtue is something God does as a living example to walk here on God who created us and said we were in us to change the world around us. earth. One of the biggest things we re good, who came to redeem us when we had lost our way? But here s the This week, we re discovering: told to do to show our trust is found in our month s Memory Verse: Love tricky part. If you love God, you will Our Bible story is the calling of the the Lord your God with all your heart trust God because trust and love go disciples (Luke 5:-). This starts an and with all your soul and with all your together. EPIC adventure in trust and love as mind. This is the first and greatest That s why, when you first encountered His love, you made an initial step to these guys go everywhere with Jesus and become His closest friends. We ll explore why they were chosen and commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 3
Curriculum Materials for K-5th Grades JUNE SMALL GROUP 2-3 HERE S A SNEAK PEEK OF WHAT YOU LL BE DOING IN 2ND AND 3RD GRADE THIS : SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES TO FOCUS THE ENERGY Ideas for Early Arrivers How Many Fish? INTERACTIVE LARGE GROUP EXPERIENCE TO ENGAGE THE HEART Opener Worship Bible story Prayer and Worship Closer SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES TO MAKE THE CONNECTION (CHOOSE TWO OR MORE OF THESE ACTIVITIES) What Just Happened? Follow Me Fishing for Verses Prayer DISMISSAL Prayer, share and reflect on today s lesson before leaving Putting your confidence in someone you can depend on. BIBLE STORY The Chosen (the calling of the disciples) Luke 5:- BOTTOM LINE I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. MEMORY VERSE Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38, NIV 4
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min GETTING READY : FOCUS THE ENERGY (Choose one or both of these activities.) Early Arriver An offering container Ping-Pong balls (one per child) Permanent markers Paper sack How Many Fish? Goldfish crackers Dixie cups Stopwatch : MAKE THE CONNECTION (Choose as many of these activities as you like.) * If you don t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #3. Activities #2 and #3 are particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged (not just for boys). What Just Happened? (application activity / review the Bible story) No supplies needed Follow Me (application activity / great for boys) Follow Me (Activity Page); use this key to set up a grid of papers Marker 25 pieces of construction paper; write one letter of the Basic Truth (I can trust God not matter what) on each page (one page will be blank) Masking tape (optional) Fishing for Verses (memory verse activity) Fishing for Verses (Activity Page); one copy per group, cut the cards apart Paper clips Small, but strong washer-type magnet Two 8-inch pieces of string Two 2-inch dowel rods 5
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min Masking tape Bibles Prayer No supplies needed Additional Resources: Make copies on cardstock of this week s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. Give or tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more about these great resources, go to http://www.studio252.tv/leaders. 6
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min BIBLE STORY: THE CHOSEN Luke 5:- BOTTOM LINE: I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. : FOCUS THE ENERGY Focus the energy on today s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity. Before students arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your class for the first time. Pray that God would help the kids understand that He has a plan for them. Pray that they would want to be part of the big story God is telling and that they would become more like Jesus as He works in them to change the world around them. MEMORY VERSE: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38, NIV BASIC TRUTH: I can trust God no matter what.. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA What You Need: an offering container, Ping-Pong balls, permanent markers, paper sack Invite the kids to place their offerings in the container, and then ask them to use the permanent markers to draw fishy features on the Ping-Pong balls to transform them into fish. Be sure the kids make enough fish so that there will be one for each child in your group. Place the fish in a bag (you ll need them in Large Group!). 2. HOW MANY FISH? What You Need: Goldfish crackers, Dixie cups, stopwatch Apply go and do Impress impress this upon their minds Personalize a personal story from the heart Recycle important things to say over and over Transition making a transition from one leader to another Give each kid a pile of Goldfish crackers, and ask them all to sit on one side of the table or on the floor. Place each kid s Dixie cup across from him, about 8 to 2 inches away. Time the kids for 30 seconds to see how many Goldfish they can toss into their cups without spilling the cups. (Allergy alert: Kids who can t touch the Goldfish crackers due to an allergy could operate the stopwatch or be a judge at the end. If allergies are severe enough to warrant it, ask the other kids to all wash or sanitize their hands after the activity.) At the end of 30 seconds, count to see who got the most fish in their cup. Instruct kids to pick up any crackers that fell on the floor and then let them eat the ones that didn t. 7
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min What You Say: Today, we are going to do a little reverse fishing! We are going to put our fish back in the cups instead of fishing them out. When I say Go! I ll start the stopwatch and you start tossing your fish one by one into your cup. Let s see who can get the most fish in their cup in 30 seconds. Ready, set, go! After the fish have been tossed: Great job getting your fish into your cups! Now, feel free to enjoy eating any of your fish that didn t fall on the floor. Today, we are going to learn about a different kind of fishing that Jesus told His disciples about. After the story, you will have a chance to quiz me on what happened, so be sure to listen closely so you can ask me some hard questions! Gather the Ping-Pong-ball fish and lead your group to the Large Group area. 8
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min BIBLE STORY: THE CHOSEN : MAKE THE CONNECTION Make the connection of how today s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions. Luke 5:- BOTTOM LINE: I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. MEMORY VERSE: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38, NIV BASIC TRUTH: I can trust God no matter what.. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: no supplies needed Have the kids quiz YOU on the Bible story! Let each kid ask you a question about what happened in the story. After you answer, ask the rest of the group to tell you whether your answer was right or wrong. Continue as long as the kids remain interested. If they get stuck, remind them of what happened in the story. Encourage them to try their hardest to stump you! If they get stuck, suggest they ask questions about the people in the story, what happened in the story, or what the story meant. What You Say: Today we heard a story about Jesus and His disciples. The disciples trusted Jesus and decided to follow Him. We should trust Jesus too. I know that I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. When we depend on God, He will help us know how to live AND we will grow in faith like Jesus did. For instance, (tell kids about a time when you trusted Jesus). Apply go and do 2. FOLLOW ME (application activity / great for boys) What You Need: Follow Me (Activity Page), prepared 5x5 grid of pieces of construction paper, masking tape (optional) Impress impress this upon their minds Personalize a personal story from the heart Recycle important things to say over and over Transition making a transition from one leader to another After you have laid the papers out in a 5x5 in a grid, tape the papers to the floor if you have slick floors on which the papers could slip. Have the kids line up facing the grid. One at a time they will try to get from start to finish by stepping on the papers in order. Every time a kid takes a step, look at the Activity Page grid and either say nothing or say buzz the kid if they have stepped on a buzz space. If a kid is buzzed, they go back to the end of the line and the next kid tries to go. Explain to the kids that they are following one another like we are 9
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min called to follow Jesus. They will need to watch how the people in front of them walk so they will know the right way to walk in order to succeed. Note: The first four kids will each get buzzed. Hopefully the kids will soon figure out that they can t step on the first letter; then they ll try the second letter, and then the third, etc. The game will probably take a little while to get started, but the kids will catch on and things will speed up. Make sure they understand that the key is to watch where others get buzzed so they can avoid those squares when it s their turn. The game is over when all kids make it to the other side by following the correct path. To play again, make the game more challenging by flipping the papers over to the blank side. Tell kids to make sure to pay attention to the people who go before them so they don t make the same mistakes. What You Say: It s important that we learn from people who are wiser than we are doing the good things they do and learning from their mistakes. Sometimes what we think we should do isn t the right thing after all. That s why we need to trust Jesus and follow His lead. And by following people who are following Jesus, we know we re on the right path. I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. * 3. FISHING FOR VERSES (memory verse activity) What You Need: Fishing for Verses (Activity Page), paper clips, magnet, 8-inch pieces of string, 2-inch dowel rods, masking tape, Bibles Attach a paperclip to each cut-out fish. Tie the magnet to the end of the string. Make a masking tape circle on the floor and put the fish inside. Have kids take turns using the magnet on the string to fish out the words. When all the words are out of the circle, lead the kids to look up the verse (use the Bible navigation tips below if needed) and say it several times together. Then, ask the kids to work together to assemble the fishes in order. Finding verses with 2nd and 3rd graders: Guide them to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of contents, lead them to find Matthew in the list under New Testament. When the kids find Matthew, lead them to look at the page number beside the word. Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find Matthew. Help the kids find the page. When they find Matthew, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 22. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 37-38 in chapter 22. 0
June 202 SG 23 0-5 min What You Say: Jesus asked His disciples to be fishers of men, but today we were fishers of words. The Bible tells us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. Part of loving God is trusting Him with our lives. He made us, He loves us, and He has a plan for us. I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. This week, remember to love God with every part of yourself. PRAY AND DISMISS What You Need: no supplies needed Have kids join hands and form a circle. Have them bow their heads and whisper a prayer to God about something they are trusting God with right now. It could be anything from something they re having trouble learning and understanding at school, to trouble with a kid in their neighborhood. Remind kids that they don t need to worry about what anyone else thinks about their prayer because everyone will be saying their own prayer. If they can t think of what to say, they can just whisper, I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. What You Say: Thank You, God, that we can trust You because You have a plan for us. Amen. When we pray to God, we don t have to be loud, He hears us no matter how quiet we are. Let s all depend on God this week! Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive for pick-up.