2 nd /3 rd Grade Oct 21 Moses and the Red Sea Bible Verse The sea opened up, and the Israelites walked through on dry land with a wall of water on each side. (Exodus 14:21-22) Teacher Enrichment This is the eighth lesson in the Old School: Lessons from the Old Testament series which examines many well-known stories from the Old Testament. Each week will explore how God is revealed through the events and characters of a Bible story. This series will build a base of Old Testament Bible knowledge for children. During Moses life, Israelites living in Egypt were slaves who were treated poorly and hated by the Pharaoh. God was displeased and demanded that Moses free the Israelites. Moses saw this task as too difficult for him to accomplish. God promised to help and Moses reluctantly agreed, but as the story continues the task only gets more daunting. Over and over again the Pharaoh refuses to free the Israelites; not even when confronted with plagues. The Pharaoh finally agrees to release the Israelites only to change his mind and have his army give chase! Moses must have felt defeated, frustrated and hopeless. Yet as he faced the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other, Moses trusted in God s help and raised his staff as instructed. The sea parted and the Israelites were saved. Like Moses, there are times in our life when we are faced with hard things or are asked by God to do hard things. They can seem impossible, but God provides help. In this lesson, children will learn that God can help us do things that are difficult. Children will identify hard things in their lives and the ways God can help. They will also learn that God places loving people in our lives to help us with those difficult tasks and situations.
Before Class Begins Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival. Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival. Check that you have supplies for this lesson: Arrival Activity, Moses activity sheet 1 per child Moses Board Game sets (board game, buttons, dice) 4 sets Place an arrival activity at each place on the table. Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, pens, Moses activity sheet, pencils, markers Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name. Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child with a sticker to place in today s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete Moses activity sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships. Children s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards The Children s Worship Leader will direct your class to come to Ruth Hall at 9:20 or 11:05.
Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the Joy & Concern cards to the Children s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 105. Encourage children to participate in Children s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 105. The Lesson SUPPLIES: Moses Board Game (game board, buttons, dice) Gather all the children in a circle on the carpet. As you are able, sit on the floor with them or use a chair as part of the circle. SAY: Today we learned how God asked Moses to do a hard task to free the Israelites from Egypt. Moses wasn t sure he would be to do it, but God provided him with help. ASK: What were some ways God helped Moses? (Provided a helper, Aaron; sent plagues to convince the Pharaoh; parted the Red Sea) SAY: Sometimes God asks us to do hard things, but He provides us with help when we need it. Last week we learned that God protects and takes care of us by providing helpers. God also puts loving friends and family members in our lives to help us when things seem hard. SAY: Turn to your neighbor and share a time when you were faced with a hard task and God helped or placed someone to help you. Allow children about 5 minutes to share with their partners. ASK: Would anyone like to share their examples with the group? Allow children an opportunity to share with the large group. When one person shares, ask if anyone else has experienced a similar situation.
SAY: When the Israelites came to the Red Sea, it may have seemed impossible to get away from the Egyptians, but God provided a way. God does the same for us when we are faced with hard or scary or big tasks. He provides us with help and makes a way. SAY: Today we are going to play a game to help review the story of Moses life. Create teams of up to 4 children. Provide each team a game set. There are 4 game sets provided. Children take turns rolling the dice, moving the corresponding number of squares and following directions on the board. First child to the end of the game board wins. Closing Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the children to say a prayer or use the one below. God, When you ask us to do hard things, we want to follow your direction. Thank you for providing help when we are faced with big, hard tasks. Amen If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Moses activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom.
Moses Board Game