Curriculum Materials for K-1 st Grades CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT: PHOBIA ISLAND! For the month of September, we re headed to Phobia Island, where anything can happen to help kids learn more about what God has to say about courage. BEFORE KIDS LEAVE THE 5TH GRADE, WE WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND BASIC TRUTHS: WISDOM I need to make the wise choice. FAITH I can trust God no matter what. 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 Elizabeth Hansen Brandon O Dell Greg Payne Phil Pierce Dan Scott Jon Williams Lori Chergosky Emily Meredith Abbey McCormack Julie Tiemann Mike Tiemann Jill Turner 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. 201 Orange. All rights reserved. 252 Basics and the 252 Basics logo are trademarks of Orange. 201 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org/252basics
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 8-10 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 100% 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 197, 1978, 1984 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 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright 199, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
September Week 201 Small Group K-1 FOR LEADERS ONLY GOD VIEW: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AND GOD S CHARACTER, AS SHOWN THROUGH GOD S BIG STORY In the beginning of their relationship with Jesus, the disciples might not have been the most courageous bunch you ve ever seen. Remember when the storm blew up and even the most seasoned fishermen woke Jesus in a panic (Mark 4)? But Jesus wasn t scared. He knew the power and reliability of God. Time and again Jesus showed His disciples that God would provide whenever they needed Him. As they learned to trust God, the disciples courage grew to the point that Peter and John boldly testified before the Jewish government (Acts 4) about Jesus life and resurrection. Courage is being brave enough to do when you re afraid. Peter and John were facing imprisonment or worse but they had courage to speak openly about Jesus because they knew God would give them the words they needed. We can also face potentially scary situations because we trust God will take care of us. Courage is not the absence of fear but how you respond in the face of fear. When we approach situations, we can remember that God is bigger than anything we face. If we re afraid we ll be all alone, He will be with us. If we re afraid we re not good enough, He ll provide the gifting we need. And when we can t understand what s going to happen, we can remember that God sees everything that s happening and wants what s best for us. Then we can move forward courageously. This month, let s think about how: (1) God desires a relationship with us. Being courageous demonstrates trust and builds that relationship. (2) The Bible challenges us to respond to life with courage even when what we face doesn t make sense. () As we trust God and show courage, we become more like Jesus who was brave enough to say and do what God asked even when He faced death on the cross. This week, we re discovering: In this week s Bible story, Moses was up against an impossible task: on one side was the Red Sea on the other side was the Egyptian army coming after the Israelites (Exodus 14). Only God could save them. Moses stood strong in the face of fear and trusted God with the outcome. Our Bottom Line is: I can be brave even when things seem impossible. We often find ourselves in situations that feel impossible. For kids, it might be moving to a new town or parents divorcing. It s hard to know what s going to happen and how everything will be okay. But we can have courage because we trust God. The monthly memory verse is: When I m afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56: NIrV. The story of Moses teaches us that God can make a solution even when we can t see the possibility. And when we bravely follow God into that solution, we can see God do amazing things that we never imagined.
Curriculum Materials for K-5th Grades SEPT SMALL GROUP K-1 HERE S A SNEAK PEEK OF WHAT YOU LL BE DOING IN KINDERGARTEN AND 1ST GRADE THIS : SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES TO FOCUS THE ENERGY Ideas for Early Arrivers Impossible! INTERACTIVE LARGE GROUP EXPERIENCE TO ENGAGE THE HEART Opener Worship Bible story Prayer Closer SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES TO MAKE THE CONNECTION (CHOOSE TWO OR MORE OF THESE ACTIVITIES) Red Sea Crossing River Rocks Never? DISMISSAL Prayer, share and reflect on today s lesson before leaving Being brave enough to do what you should do, even BIBLE STORY The Old Man and the Sea (Moses and the Red Sea) Exodus 14 BOTTOM LINE I can be brave even when things seem impossible. MEMORY VERSE When I m afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:, NIrV BASIC TRUTH: I can trust God no matter what. 4
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min GETTING READY : FOCUS THE ENERGY (Choose one or both of these activities.) Early Arriver An offering container Impossible! Hershey s Kisses ; at least 2 per child Paper plates; 1 per child Moist wipes OR for a non-messy, allergy sensitive and sugar-free option: Chair At least canning jar rings : 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 #. Activities #1 and #2 are both particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged. Red Sea Crossing (application activity / review the Bible story / great for active learners) Bible 2 jump ropes or ropes Pillar of Cloud (from the Activity Pages on the Web site); photocopy onto cardstock and cut out. If you wish, you can enlarge the image, draw it on poster board, and cut it out. NOTE: For smaller groups, simply provide a Bible and a prepared Pillar of Cloud River Rocks (memory verse activity / great for active learners) Bibles (for kindergarteners, mark the Bibles at Psalm 56) Two paper plates per child (tip: for safety, do not use Styrofoam) Never? (application activity) Never? (Activity Page); make 1 photocopy per child Markers or crayons 5
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min Prayer The kids Never? drawings 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
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min BIBLE STORY: THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Exodus 14 BOTTOM LINE: I can be brave even when things seem impossible. : 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 kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Pray specifically for the kids you know are facing seemingly impossible situations. Ask God to show up in those situations and make the impossible possible. Pray the kids will courageously know that they will be okay. MEMORY VERSE: When I m afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:, NIrV BASIC TRUTH: I can trust God no matter what. 1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA What You Need: An offering container What You Do: Invite the kids to place their offerings in the container, and then ask the questions below. Be sure to really ham up the silliness: the more surprised and confused you act by the kids negative answers, the better! 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 What You Say: Can a pig fly? No? Hmm. Can a shark walk on land? It can t? Really? I thought sharks could walk on land! Are you sure they can t? Okay, I ve got one. Can an elephant fit inside a green bean? Are you sure? Green beans are long and elephants trunks are long, so I thought they would fit. No? Oh, okay. Let s see. Can an octopus do the cha-cha slide? No? An octopus can t do the cha-cha slide? Bummer. That would be fun to watch. Slide to the left, left, left, left. Slide to the right, right, right, right. Gosh, I wish I could see that. Okay, I ve finally got it. Can people walk across an ocean? No? That s impossible? Hmm. I thought they could. Oh, well. You might be surprised by today s Bible story. 7
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min 2. IMPOSSIBLE! What You Need: Hershey s Kisses, paper plates, moist wipes; OR a chair and canning jar rings What You Do: Give each child a paper plate and a piece of candy. Guide the kids to place the candy on their plates and hold their hands behind their backs. Challenge them to use only their mouths to unwrap the candies and eat only the chocolate. The task will be messy and almost impossible! Provide plenty of wipes when the challenge ends the kids will need them! Reward the kids efforts by giving each child a chocolate to eat the normal way. What You Do (non-food option): Guide the kids to line up at one end of your room. Place a chair upside down at the opposite side of the room so that the legs are facing the children. Place the chair as far as possible from the children to provide the maximum difficulty. Give the first child in line three canning jar rings and challenge her to toss them one at a time in an attempt to ring a leg of the chair. What You Say: It was just about impossible to unwrap the Kisses with your mouths [or ring a leg of the chair]. In our Bible story today, we ll hear about something that truly seemed impossible. Let s go to Large Group and learn more. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 8
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min BIBLE STORY: THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Exodus 14 BOTTOM LINE: I can be brave even when things seem impossible. MEMORY VERSE: When I m afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:, NIrV BASIC TRUTH: I can trust God no matter what. : MAKE THE CONNECTION Make the connection of how today s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. RED SEA CROSSING (application activity / review the Bible story / great for active learners) What You Need: Bible, jump ropes or ropes, prepared Pillar of Cloud (Activity Page) What You Do: Lead the kids in a game to reenact the Israelites Red Sea crossing. Choose one child to be Moses, one child to be the Pillar of Cloud, one or two children to be the Egyptian army, and four children to be the Red Sea. Give the Pillar of Cloud the prepared prop. The remaining kids will be the Israelites. (For smaller groups, see note below.) Lay the ropes out straight, right next to each other. Direct the Red Sea kids to each grab one end of a rope, keeping them as close together as possible. Guide Moses to stand at one end of the ropes. Instruct the Israelites to stand behind him, the Pillar of Cloud to stand behind the Israelites, and the army to stand behind the cloud. Open the Bible to Exodus 14 and then begin the game. 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 To play, sing the lyrics below to the tune of London Bridge. Guide the kids to perform each motion indicated. If time allows, invite the kids to play again, allowing the kids to switch roles. Encourage the group to sing the song with you as they learn the words. Note: For smaller groups, omit the ropes. For the Red Sea, simply choose two children to stand, face each other, and hold hands. Guide the kids to drop hands and step apart when Moses raises his staff, and then step back together and hold hands around the army when the Red Sea waters flow back o er. 9
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min My friend Moses, raise your staff, raise your staff, raise your staff (Moses raises his hand over the sea) My friend Moses, raise your staff; part the waters (The Red Sea kids step away from each other, parting the sea) Israelites go through the sea, through the sea, through the sea (The Israelites walk through the sea; the Pillar of Cloud stays) Israelites go through the sea on dry grou-ound. Pharaoh s soldiers follow them, follow them, follow them (The Pillar of Cloud moves aside and the army enters the sea) Pharaoh s soldiers follow them into the se-ea. Moses, friend, stretch out your hand, out your hand, out your hand (Moses stretches out his hand over the sea) Moses, friend, stretch out your hand o er the waters Red Sea waters flow back o er, flow back o er, flow back o er (The Red Sea kids come back together, trapping the army) Red Sea waters flow back o er Pharaoh s army. What You Say: When the Israelites seemed caught between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, staying safe by moving forward seemed impossible. But God protected His people and gave them the courage to keep going. God was bigger than what was impossible for the Israelites, and He s bigger than whatever seems impossible in our lives, too! Because I know that I can trust God no matter what, I can be brave even when things seem impossible. Is there anything in your life that seems impossible right now? (We re moving soon; my best friend is mad at me; my grandma is really sick; my uncle doesn t know Jesus; my parents are fighting.) (Briefly tell the kids about a kidappropriate and interesting time in your life when something seemed impossible. Tell the kids how God helped you be brave and face your fears. Briefly tell how God worked everything together for good.) No matter what seems scary or even impossible to you, God is with you and He is bigger than any of your fears. That doesn t mean He ll make them go away. Your family might still move, and your loved one may not get better. But you can be brave because God is always with you, and He s bigger than anything you might face. You can always trust Him! So remember: I can be brave even when things seem impossible. 10
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min 2. RIVER ROCKS (memory verse activity) What You Need: Bibles, paper plates What You Do: Lead the kids to look up the Bible verse using the Bible navigation tips from Week 1. Guide the kids to point to the words as you read the verse aloud together. Unpack the word you, emphasizing that when we trust in God, we trust in the allpowerful, strong, good, and loving God who made the world and everything in it. Nothing is impossible with Him! Guide the kids to line up at one end of your room. Mark a finish line 15 to 20 feet from the kids. Tell the kids that they are Israelites crossing the Red Sea, and that their goal is to get to the other side (the finish line) by stepping only on river rocks (hold up the paper plates). Emphasize that they may only step on the rocks; they may not step on the ground. Give each child two paper plates. Challenge the kids to think of a way they can get to the other side by using only the two plates. Give the kids plenty of time to solve the problem. Try to avoid giving them the solution, but, if necessary, ask prompting questions to spur them along. One solution: The first child in line sets one river rock down and steps on it. He then sets the second rock down a few feet away and steps or jumps to it. Next, he turns, picks up the first river rock, and again sets it a few feet in front of him. He continues until he reaches the other side of the sea. Guide the kids to take turns crossing the Red Sea. When they reach the other side, lead them to say or shout, When I m afraid, I will trust in you. If time allows, invite the kids to cross the sea again, this time moving sideways, backwards, or even holding hands with a friend. What You Say: God was bigger than what seemed impossible to the Israelites, and He s bigger than whatever seems impossible in our lives, too! The Bible tells us that nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:7, NIV) There is nothing He can t do! Even more, God loves us and cares for us beyond what we can ever imagine, and we can trust Him no matter what! With God on my side, I can be brave even when things seem impossible. *. NEVER? (application activity) What You Need: Never? (Activity Page), markers or crayons What You Do: Give each child an Activity Page and guide him to describe what he sees. Invite the kids to draw something that seems impossible to them between the waters of the Red Sea. It might be something they or someone they know might be facing. They might draw a moving van, someone who is angry, someone who is sick, arguing parents, or any other difficult thing. They could also write words. 11
September 201 SG K1 25-0 min What You Say: For the Israelites, being stuck between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army seemed like an impossible situation. But for God, it wasn t impossible at all; it was simply a chance for Him to show the Israelites and the Egyptians his power. Moses knew God s power, and so he told the Israelites: Don t be afraid. Stand firm. You will see how the LORD will save you today. The LORD will fight for you. Just be still. (Exodus 14:1-14, NIrV) When you face something that seems impossible, you may feel scared, angry, or even lonely. But remember that nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:7, NIV) He loves you, and He will help you. He may not make your problems go away, but you can trust He is with you and that He s bigger than anything you might face. You can even remember what Moses told the Israelites: Don t be afraid. The LORD will fight for you. Just be still. And remember our Bottom Line: I can be brave even when things seem impossible. PRAY AND DISMISS What You Need: the kids Never? drawings from the previous activity What You Do: Guide the kids to quietly sit around you as they hold their drawings up above their heads toward God. Lead them in prayer for the seemingly impossible things that they and the people they love may face. What You Say: Dear God, thank You that we can trust You. Nothing is impossible for You. Even more, You love us beyond what we can ever imagine. (Pause briefly.) When we face difficult and seemingly impossible things, help us remember that You are bigger and stronger and more powerful than anything we could ever face. Because of who You are, I know that I can be brave even when things seem impossible, and so can my friends here with me. Lord, there are some things in our lives that seem impossible. (Guide the kids to quietly lower their drawings and silently pray or whisper for the impossible situations they drew or wrote down.) Lord, help us remember that You love us and that we can trust You no matter what. Thank You that You will work everything together for good, even if it doesn t seem good right now. Thank You that nothing is impossible with You. Thank You for giving us courage. We love You, Lord. Amen. Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive for pick-up. 12