LESSON 1: A MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH

LESSON 1: A MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH Large Group Leader Guide Luke 5:1-11 Classroom: PreK-2 10/01/2016 Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 5:1-11 In This Passage: Jesus finds some fishermen, frustrated after a night with no catches. Jesus tells them to let down their nets again, and when they do, there are so many fish that they have to call for help lifting the nets! They re amazed because Jesus is amazing. Bible Point: Jesus is amazing. Summary Verse: Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3). Dig Deeper You ll Be Teaching: Jesus is amazing. In a world of YouTube and social media, kids have seen a lot more amazing things than kids of past generations saw. They ve seen dogs riding bicycles, cats turning doorknobs, and so much more. It can be hard to amaze them, but use this lesson to captivate them with the amazing miracles Jesus can do. Think About: What amazes you about Jesus? What amazing things have you personally seen Jesus do in your life? How have these things helped you put trust in Jesus? Dig In to Prayer Pray that God would equip you to share about the miracles in your own life in a way that captures your kids imagination. Quick Tip Affirm children even if they offer bizarre answers. You could say, I ve never thought of it that way before; would you explain why you answered that way? 1 of 29

This Lesson at a Glance OPENING Kids share about a topic related to the lesson. Bible CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY Kids do amazing feats, fish with tablecloth nets, and then fill their nets with amazing things Jesus has done. Bible paper disposable tablecloth (1 for every 8 kids Fish handout (1 for every 4 kids) (download here) pens tape Easy Prep Cut apart the fish on the handout. You ll need 1 fish per child. TALK-ABOUT VIDEO Kids watch a video and discuss the Bible Point. Catch o Fish teaching video (watch or download here) *Marked supplies are also used in Core Bible Discovery Let's keep kids safe! You can help by using supplies as instructed for only ages 3+, purchasing childsafe items, and being aware of allergy concerns. 2 of 29

OPENING Welcome [5 min] Bible Welcome Thank kids for coming. Just for fun, have kids shake hands with four friends using the back of their hands. Make announcements. Introduce new kids. Celebrate birthdays by having kids sing Happy Birthday off-key. Collect the offering. Introduce the Lesson Say: Jesus is amazing! Today we ll learn about a time Jesus helped some men catch an amazing number of fish. Share Say: When we call someone amazing, it s another way of saying there's something extra special about that person. Tell something amazing about yourself. Have kids get in pairs and tell each other something amazing about themselves. Summarize Open a Bible, and say: You re all amazing because Jesus made you amazing! Today we ll explore that Jesus is amazing so we can trust he ll do amazing things in our lives. We ll dig into the Bible to find out more about this. The Bible isn t an ordinary book; it s God s special book. The Bible is one amazing way God talks to us. God is here right now, ready to talk to you. Pray, thanking Jesus for making each person amazing. Name the kids in the class. Thank Jesus for being the most amazing! 3 of 29

CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY A Miraculous Catch of Fish (Luke 5:1-11) [20 min] Bible paper disposable tablecloth (1 for every 8 kids Fish handout (1 for every 4 kids) (download here) pens tape Easy Prep Cut apart the fish on the handout. You ll need 1 fish per child. Do Amazing Things Say: We re going to learn that Jesus is amazing. But first, let s see what amazing things God made our bodies to do. Give everyone a piece of paper to roll up into a tube. Then each child will hold the tube up to one eye and look through the tube while putting the other hand right next to the tube, about 4 inches from his or her face. If kids keep looking, they ll start to see right through a hole in their hands! For another amazing feat, have kids form pairs. One partner will lie facedown on the floor with arms straight up. The other partner will lift the first one s arms at about a 45-degree angle. After two minutes, tell kids to slowly lower their partners arms back to the floor. The kids on the floor will feel like they are falling through the floor! For one final feat, have kids put their hands on the ground or table, palms down, with their middle finger bent and tucked underneath. Tell them to lift only their ring finger. They won t be able to. Then have kids discuss this question in their pairs. Ask: How did you feel during that last activity? Tell about a time you felt like giving up. Share your own story first as an example. Then have kids answer this question in their small groups. Say: God made our bodies to do amazing things! But as you saw with the ring-finger activity, some things are impossible for us. Sometimes when we try to do things that seem impossible, we might feel like giving up. We re going to see that Jesus is amazing, and he can help us when we feel like giving up. Lower Your Nets Have each pair join three other pairs to form groups of eight. Give each group a disposable tablecloth. Say: Pretend your tablecloth is a fishing net. Two people will hold each corner, and you ll pretend to lower it into the water. Have kids do 4 of 29

this and then look to see if there is anything in their nets. Tell kids to keep doing this over and over, about 20 times or until kids begin to feel annoyed with the experience. Ask: How did you feel about doing the same thing over and over without any results? Say: Well, that wasn t very amazing at all. None of you caught anything in your nets! I guess today wasn t our day. Fold your nets up neatly and put them aside. Allow time for kids to do this. Say: Some fishermen in the Bible had a similar fishing trip. They had a whole night of fishing, and they didn t catch anything. So they gave up. They were cleaning up when Jesus came along. Read Luke 5:1-4. Say: Jesus told them to lower their nets again. So get your nets back out and fish again. Allow time for kids to unfold their nets and try fishing again one time. Ask: What happened differently this time? How do you feel about having to unfold your net and try again for nothing? Say: What you just experienced might be what the fishermen expected to happen. But that s not what happened because Jesus is amazing. Read Luke 5:5-7. Say: Whoa! Jesus is amazing! He didn t help them catch just a few fish. He helped them catch so many fish that they needed help pulling in the net! Fill Their Nets Say: I can t make your nets become full of fish out of nowhere because I m not Jesus. But I m sure we ve all seen ways Jesus is amazing. Think of something amazing Jesus did for you in the last week. We call this a God Sighting. Share your own example of a God Sighting. Then have small-group leaders distribute paper fish and pens, and have kids write their God Sightings on their fish. While kids write, tape a tablecloth on the wall so it hangs like a net. (Hang more than one if you need more space to fit everyone s fish.) When kids are ready, they can tape their fish to this net. Say: Our fishing net is full of fish now! And all these fish say amazing things Jesus has done. I m going to read some of the God Sightings that fill our fishing net. When you hear each one, react in an amazed way! Read several God Sightings. Then have small groups discuss these questions. Ask: Which God Sightings amazed you the most? Which seemed ordinary? How can ordinary things be amazing, too? Say: Jesus does amazing things in our lives every day. Just the fact that we are breathing and our hearts are beating is amazing! Things like that are easy to just get used to, but Jesus is always doing amazing things! 5 of 29

You acted amazed when you heard God Sightings, even if you didn t really feel amazed. Let s see how one of the fishermen reacted when he saw how Jesus is amazing. Read Luke 5:8-9. Ask: How does Peter s reaction compare to your reaction to our God Sightings? Say: This week, let s look for the amazing things Jesus does in our lives. We ll see God Sightings all around us when we keep in mind that Jesus is amazing! Then we can tell Jesus how amazed we are, just as Peter did. 6 of 29

TALK-ABOUT VIDEO Catch o Fish [10 min] Catch o Fish teaching video (watch or download here) Discuss and Watch Catch o Fish Ask: What s the most amazing thing you ve seen this week? Tell kids about something amazing you ve seen this week. It can be something silly or small or big but it has to be something you ve seen in the past week. Then have kids get into groups of three and share their own stories. Allow about three minutes for sharing, and then have a few kids call out their amazing sightings to the rest of the group. Thank kids for sharing. Say: The Bible tells us about a time some friends of Jesus saw him do something amazing. Let s see what that was! Watch Catch o Fish. Say: In the video, the kids who were acting out this Bible story had only a few fish in their nets but the Bible says that in real life, there were so many fish that the nets they were using began to tear! When the people there saw this amazing thing, they realized Jesus was someone special. He wasn t just an ordinary man. The Bible tells us in Psalm 40:3 that Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. This means that when people see the amazing things Jesus does, they trust Jesus. Ask: Why does seeing someone do something amazing help you trust that person more? Say: When we read the Bible and learn about the amazing things Jesus does, it can help us trust in him! Jesus is amazing! The Life of Jesus, Lesson 1: A Miraculous Catch of Fish. Design and base content copyright Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 21-40 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only. 7 of 29

LESSON 1: A MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH Small Group Leader Guide for Grades 1 & 2 Luke 5:1-11 Classroom: PreK-2 10/01/2016 Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 5:1-11 In This Passage: Jesus finds some fishermen, frustrated after a night with no catches. Jesus tells them to let down their nets again, and when they do, there are so many fish that they have to call for help lifting the nets! They re amazed because Jesus is amazing. Bible Point: Jesus is amazing. Summary Verse: Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3). Dig Deeper You ll Be Teaching: Jesus is amazing. In a world of YouTube and social media, kids have seen a lot more amazing things than kids of past generations saw. They ve seen dogs riding bicycles, cats turning doorknobs, and so much more. It can be hard to amaze them, but use this lesson to captivate them with the amazing miracles Jesus can do. Think About: What amazes you about Jesus? What amazing things have you personally seen Jesus do in your life? How have these things helped you put trust in Jesus? Dig In to Prayer Pray that God would equip you to share about the miracles in your own life in a way that captures your kids imagination. Quick Tip Affirm children even if they offer bizarre answers. You could say, I ve never thought of it that way before; would you explain why you answered that way? 8 of 29

This Lesson at a Glance LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Kids jump into a net and then pray. sheet or parachute* OBJECT LESSON Kids discover fish on a page they color. white paper white crayons thick blue washable markers (1 per child) Easy Prep Use a white crayon to draw at least 1 simple fish profile on a white sheet of paper. You ll need 1 of these per child. Vary how big, how many, and the location of the fish so each child s paper is unique. Draw the fish with force so the line of wax is thick this will help the fish show up better. CRAFT Preschoolers make fish and nets to catch them in. bath poufs (1 for every 4 kids) Fish handouts (2 per child) (download here) crayons Easy Prep Cut the ropes off the bath poufs so they stretch out into a long strip of netting. Cut the strips into 1½- to 2- foot pieces. Cut the fish handouts into quarters. You ll need at least 8 fish per child. *Marked supplies are also used in Core Bible Discovery Let's keep kids safe! You can help by using supplies as instructed for only ages 3+, purchasing childsafe items, and being aware of allergy concerns. 9 of 29

LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Caught by Jesus [5 min] sheet or parachute* Count Fish Place the sheet on the floor, and have the children sit in a circle around it. Say: Jesus is amazing! The fishermen were amazed when they caught one fish (touch a child on the head), two fish (touch a second child on the head), three fish (touch a third child on the head), and many more fish! Have the children stand. Say: We can see Jesus do amazing things, too. If you believe Jesus is amazing, then jump into the net when I count you. Explain that kids can jump onto the net when you touch their heads and count them. Start over with the first three children you counted, and then continue counting the children (one fish, two fish, and so on). Have all the children count with you. Say: Let s tell Jesus we know he s amazing! Pray: Jesus, we believe you re amazing! You can do anything. We pray in your name, amen. Have the children move off the sheet. Repeat the counting process (one fish, two fish, and so on) three more times, each time having kids jump into the net for each of these things: if you want to see Jesus do amazing things if you want to thank Jesus for being amazing if you want Jesus to help you do amazing things for him Lead a brief prayer after each round. Thank the children for coming to your class, and invite them to come back next week. 10 of 29

OBJECT LESSON Miraculous Fish Appearance [10 min] white paper white crayons thick blue washable markers (1 per child) Easy Prep Use a white crayon to draw at least 1 simple fish profile on a white sheet of paper. You ll need 1 of these per child. Vary how big, how many, and the location of the fish so each child s paper is unique. Draw the fish with force so the line of wax is thick this will help the fish show up better. Reveal the Fish Say: The fishermen worked hard all night, but they didn t catch any fish. Then Jesus got into their boat. He told them to fish again, and they caught so many fish! Jesus did something amazing. Jesus is amazing! Give each child a white sheet of paper that you prepared ahead of time. (Set pages in front of kids so the white crayon is facing up.) Say: Let s see if we can catch any fish. I have a feeling that if we color some water on these pages, we ll see some fish, too. Have the children use blue markers to color over their pages until they see the fish profiles you drew ahead of time. Encourage them to color over the entire page because fish could be hidden all over the page. Invite each child to show off the fish he or she caught. Talk About It Ask: What did you think or feel when you found a fish on your page? Say: It seems like the fishermen were surprised and excited, too! It was amazing that they caught so many fish! Jesus is amazing. He can do a lot of surprising and exciting things for us, too. If time allows, give the children white crayons and paper, and let them make secret designs on the papers. Have them trade papers and use a marker to reveal the pictures. Share one or two surprising, exciting, or amazing things Jesus has done in your life that helped you. Ask: What amazing things do you think Jesus can do to help you? Say: Jesus can do anything. Jesus is amazing! 11 of 29

CRAFT Fish Mobile [20 min] bath poufs (1 for every 4 kids) Fish handouts (2 per child) (download here) crayons Easy Prep Cut the ropes off the bath poufs so they stretch out into a long strip of netting. Cut the strips into 1½- to 2-foot pieces. Cut the fish handouts into quarters. You ll need at least 8 fish per child. Prepare the Nets Say: Jesus is amazing! He helped the fishermen catch a lot of fish! We re going to make a craft for us to catch a lot of fish. To start, we need to prepare our nets like the fishermen did. Give each child a bath pouf net. Have children pretend that they re really fishermen getting their nets ready. Lead the kids in carefully stretching out the nets. Show them how they can reach a hand through the netting sleeve and stretch it with their other hand. 12 of 29

Color Fish Say: Next, we need some fish! Distribute fish, and crayons, and allow time for kids to color. Catch Fish Say: Now it s time to catch the fish in our nets! Show children how they can swim their fish into the nets. Have them practice by putting all the fish into their nets. Say: The fishermen tried to catch fish all night, but they didn t catch any! Let s see if you can keep the fish in your net. Lead children in trying to hold their nets in different ways to see which ways don t lose any fish. They can hold up their nets by each end, or they can hold both ends. Let them experiment and report what they find to the whole group. The nets will do a pretty good job of keeping the fish in, so kids can even try shaking or swinging the nets to see if the fish stay in. Sing a Song Say: You caught a lot of fish in your nets! Let s sing a song while we catch some more fish! Have the children remove the fish from their nets. Lead children in singing this song to the tune of The Ants Go Marching. The fish go swimming one by one, (swim one fish around the net) Hurrah, hurrah! The fish go swimming one by one, (swim one fish around the net) Hurrah, hurrah! The fish go swimming one by one, (swim one fish around the net) The little one stops to snatch some food; (touch fish s mouth to the net) And the net is lowered down (push fish into the net) From the boat to catch lots of fish! Swish, swish, swish! (swing net from side to side with fish in it) Repeat the verse for each of the eight fish, each time changing the number of fish that you re on and adding another fish to the net at the end. Sing the song as time allows. Say: Jesus is amazing. He helped the fishermen catch a lot of fish! Jesus can help us in amazing ways, too! The Life of Jesus, Lesson 1: A Miraculous Catch of Fish. Design and base content copyright Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 21-40 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only. 13 of 29

LESSON 1: A MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH Small Group Leader Guide for Grades 3 & 4 Luke 5:1-11 Classroom: PreK-2 10/01/2016 Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 5:1-11 In This Passage: Jesus finds some fishermen, frustrated after a night with no catches. Jesus tells them to let down their nets again, and when they do, there are so many fish that they have to call for help lifting the nets! They re amazed because Jesus is amazing. Bible Point: Jesus is amazing. Summary Verse: Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3). Dig Deeper You ll Be Teaching: Jesus is amazing. In a world of YouTube and social media, kids have seen a lot more amazing things than kids of past generations saw. They ve seen dogs riding bicycles, cats turning doorknobs, and so much more. It can be hard to amaze them, but use this lesson to captivate them with the amazing miracles Jesus can do. Think About: What amazes you about Jesus? What amazing things have you personally seen Jesus do in your life? How have these things helped you put trust in Jesus? Dig In to Prayer Pray that God would equip you to share about the miracles in your own life in a way that captures your kids imagination. Quick Tip Affirm children even if they offer bizarre answers. You could say, I ve never thought of it that way before; would you explain why you answered that way? 14 of 29

This Lesson at a Glance LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Kids praise Jesus by decorating synonyms for amazing. Amazing Synonyms handouts (1 word per child) (download here) crayons or markers Easy Prep Print at least 1 page of the handout for each child. It s a good idea to print multiples of each word so kids have plenty of options. OBJECT LESSON Kids create an amazing chemical reaction! hydrogen peroxide (¾ cup) dish soap (a few squeezes) food coloring (8 drops) empty 16-ounce clear plastic bottle permanent marker yeast (1 tablespoon) warm water (3 tablespoons) spoon cup funnel tray CRAFT Kids stamp fish and make paper nets. construction paper 3x3-inch pieces of craft foam scissors washable ink pads pencils Net handout (1 per child) (download here) glue sticks markers Easy Prep Make a sample craft to show kids. 15 of 29

*Marked supplies are also used in Core Bible Discovery Let's keep kids safe! You can help by using supplies as instructed for only ages 3+, purchasing childsafe items, and being aware of allergy concerns. 16 of 29

LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Amazing and More [5 min] Amazing Synonyms handouts (1 word per child) (download here) crayons or markers Easy Prep Print at least 1 page of the handout for each child. It s a good idea to print multiples of each word so kids have plenty of options. Choose a Word Ask: What does amazing mean to you? Say: Jesus is amazing. I ve printed a bunch of words that are synonyms for amazing. Synonyms are words that have a similar meaning. If you have fewer than 15 kids, give one word to each child to hold up. You don t have to use all the words. If you have more than 15 kids, give 15 of them each a unique word to hold up for the rest of the kids. Have kids hold up the words. Say: Here are some synonyms for amazing all words that describe Jesus. Help the children announce each of the words. Choose one of the words, and share with kids about why you chose that word. Say: Jesus is amazing and [word you chose] in my life because [briefly tell why Jesus is amazing to you]. Say: Take a minute to talk to Jesus silently about which word he most wants to be in your life. Then take a paper with that word. Allow about a minute. Color and Pray Help each child find the word he or she chose. Say: Color in your word as you silently talk to Jesus about why he gave you that word. Maybe you want to thank Jesus for how awesome he s been to you. Maybe you really need Jesus help and you want to ask him to do something extraordinary. Maybe you want to talk to Jesus about something you regret and ask him to give you his incredible strength to make different choices in the future. Allow time for kids to pray and color. After a few minutes, close in prayer, asking Jesus to do amazing things to answer all the children s prayers. Say: It was great seeing you all today I hope to see you again next week! Be available in case a child wants to talk to you more about today s lesson. 17 of 29

OBJECT LESSON Miraculous Overflow [10 min] hydrogen peroxide (¾ cup) dish soap (a few squeezes) food coloring (8 drops) empty 16-ounce clear plastic bottle permanent marker yeast (1 tablespoon) warm water (3 tablespoons) spoon cup funnel tray Guess the Volume Say: Jesus is amazing. It was a miracle that the fishermen caught so many fish. They hadn t caught anything all night! Seems like there weren t many fish out there. And then Jesus comes along, and they catch more than they can handle! Point out the ingredients, and then ask kids to estimate how much the empty water bottle will be filled when you put them all in. Kids can make marks on the bottle to indicate their guesses. Watch It Overflow Say: Let s put the ingredients together. Invite three kids to each add one ingredient through the funnel into the plastic bottle in this order: ¾ cup hydrogen peroxide, a few squeezes of dish soap, and 8 drops of food coloring. Gently swirl it to mix. Have two other kids put 1 tablespoon of yeast and 3 tablespoons of very warm water in a separate cup. Have another child stir it with a spoon. Place the plastic bottle on the tray. Pour the water/yeast mixture through the funnel into the plastic bottle, and immediately remove the funnel. The ingredients will overflow out of the bottle like a long rope of toothpaste. Talk About It Ask: How did you feel watching our experiment? How did this experiment help you picture the overflowing nets in the Bible? 18 of 29

What did this experiment teach us about Jesus? Say: Our experiment was amazing! We took small amounts of ingredients and made them into something huge! But Jesus is even more amazing. He started with no fish and made a net that was overflowing with fish. 19 of 29

CRAFT Net Full of Fish [20 min] construction paper 3x3-inch pieces of craft foam scissors washable ink pads pencils Net handout (1 per child) (download here) glue sticks markers Easy Prep Make a sample craft to show kids. Stamp Fish Say: While the fishermen were out all night fishing, they didn t catch any fish. But with Jesus help, they caught a lot of fish! That s because Jesus is amazing! We re going to make nets full of fish to remind us of the amazing thing Jesus did. Show kids your sample craft. Distribute craft foam pieces, and have each child cut out a small fish shape. Then have kids use a pencil to press eyes and fins into their foam fish. 20 of 29

Distribute construction paper and washable ink pads, and have kids stamp fish all over their papers using their foam fish. As kids work, have them share stories about amazing things they ve seen. Make a Net Say: Now it s time to catch the fish in our nets! Give each child a Net handout. Have kids fold along the dotted lines and then cut out the gray parts. When they unfold the papers, they ll have nets. If time allows, kids can decorate their nets with markers. When nets are ready, kids can glue them on top of their fish-covered papers. Talk About It Say: Jesus is amazing, and he definitely amazed the fishermen when he helped them catch so many fish. Ask: What makes something amazing? What s something amazing Jesus has done in your life? Say: Take your craft home and hang it up to remind you that Jesus can do amazing things for you! The Life of Jesus, Lesson 1: A Miraculous Catch of Fish. Design and base content copyright Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 21-40 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only. 21 of 29

LESSON 1: A MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH Small Group Leader Guide for Grades 5 & 6 Luke 5:1-11 Classroom: PreK-2 10/01/2016 Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 5:1-11 In This Passage: Jesus finds some fishermen, frustrated after a night with no catches. Jesus tells them to let down their nets again, and when they do, there are so many fish that they have to call for help lifting the nets! They re amazed because Jesus is amazing. Bible Point: Jesus is amazing. Summary Verse: Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3). Dig Deeper You ll Be Teaching: Jesus is amazing. In a world of YouTube and social media, kids have seen a lot more amazing things than kids of past generations saw. They ve seen dogs riding bicycles, cats turning doorknobs, and so much more. It can be hard to amaze them, but use this lesson to captivate them with the amazing miracles Jesus can do. Think About: What amazes you about Jesus? What amazing things have you personally seen Jesus do in your life? How have these things helped you put trust in Jesus? Dig In to Prayer Pray that God would equip you to share about the miracles in your own life in a way that captures your kids imagination. Quick Tip Affirm children even if they offer bizarre answers. You could say, I ve never thought of it that way before; would you explain why you answered that way? 22 of 29

This Lesson at a Glance LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Kids praise Jesus by decorating synonyms for amazing. Amazing Synonyms handouts (1 word per child) (download here) crayons or markers Easy Prep Print at least 1 page of the handout for each child. It s a good idea to print multiples of each word so kids have plenty of options. OBJECT LESSON Kids create an amazing chemical reaction! hydrogen peroxide (¾ cup) dish soap (a few squeezes) food coloring (8 drops) empty 16-ounce clear plastic bottle permanent marker yeast (1 tablespoon) warm water (3 tablespoons) spoon cup funnel tray CRAFT Kids make foam fish to fill a fun net bag. craft foam scissors pencils pens permanent markers mesh bath poufs (1 for every 10 kids) duct tape Easy Prep Cut the rope off of the bath poufs so that they fall apart. Make a sample craft to show kids. 23 of 29

CRAFT Net Full of Fish [20 min] craft foam scissors pencils pens permanent markers mesh bath poufs (1 for every 10 kids) duct tape Easy Prep Cut the rope off of the bath poufs so that they fall apart. Make a sample craft to show kids. Stamp Fish Say: While the fishermen were out all night fishing, they didn t catch any fish. But with Jesus help, they caught a lot of fish! That s because Jesus is amazing! We re going to make nets full of fish to remind us of the amazing thing Jesus did. Show kids your sample craft. 28 of 29

Distribute craft foam, and have each child cut out at least 10 small fish shapes, about 3 inches long. Then have kids use a pen to press eyes and fins into their foam fish. As kids work, have them share stories about amazing things they ve seen. Kids can write these on their fish. Make a Net Say: Now let s make awesome nets to catch our fish! Have each child cut about 1 foot off of a bath pouf. Then have kids duct tape one opening of the pouf segment closed to form the bottom of the net. Next, have each child tear a long piece of duct tape (about 2 feet) and fold it in half the long way to make a narrow strip that s not sticky. Kids will tightly roll up one end of the duct tape strip so that it will fit through a hole on one side of the pouf net. They ll do the same thing on the opposite side of the net. Then they ll pull the ends of the duct tape strip up above the net and tape it to the handle. When nets are ready, kids can place their fish inside. Talk About It Say: Jesus is amazing, and he definitely amazed the fishermen when he helped them catch so many fish. Ask: What makes something amazing? What s something amazing Jesus has done in your life? Say: Take your craft home and hang it up to remind you that Jesus can do amazing things for you! The Life of Jesus, Lesson 1: A Miraculous Catch of Fish. Design and base content copyright Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 21-40 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only. 29 of 29