We can trust God in hard times.

God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt Lesson 2 Bible Point We can trust God in hard times. Bible Verse Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord (Psalm 40:4a). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that God sent 10 plagues to Egypt, n discover how powerful God is, n talk about hardships they face, and n realize that God will see them through difficult times. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n God sends plagues upon Egypt. Exodus 7:14 12:30 If Pharaoh released the Israelites, not only would he lose his slaves, but such an act would be seen by others as a sign of weakness. The Israelites had been treated poorly by the Egyptians, though, and when they cried out to God, he responded. He let the Egyptians (and surrounding nations as well) see that he truly is God. He used his mighty power to rescue his people and to demonstrate to all who would hear about him that he is worthy of worship and obedience. The last plague is the only one in which God required that his people respond in a particular way to be safe from the plague. The Passover festival, which commemorates God s passing over the homes of the Israelites while killing the firstborn child in each Egyptian home, became one of the most important festivals in the Hebrew religion. The act of faith required by the Israelites was the sacrifice of an innocent lamb, whose blood was to be displayed on the doorposts. The lamb died in place of the firstborn child. This sacrifice became a symbol that the Israelites understood an innocent life had to be taken to spare them from death and it foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who shed his blood and died so that all who believe in him might be saved from spiritual death and eternity apart from God. Prayer Read Hebrews 11:28. What leap of faith has God asked you to make lately? Pray: Dear Lord, help me to show my students how we can trust you, even in hard times when Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 31

Lesson 2 Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use. Refer to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies columns to determine what you ll need. n Make photocopies of the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Time Let s Get Started Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags, and be greeted by the teacher. Option 1: Leapin Froggies Play Leapfrog while they learn about the plague of frogs. Option 2: Super Swatters Learn about the plague of flies with paper swatters and fuzzy flies. Option 3: Fabulous Flat Bread Make a snack, and discover that God helped the Israelites through hard times. Stone Tablet Name Tags (p. 27), markers, pins or tape Craft sticks, scissors, index cards, black yarn, transparent tape Flour tortillas, bowls of jelly, paper plates, plastic spoons, heart-shaped cookie cutters Bible Story Time Closing Pick Up Our Toys Sing a song as they pick up toys, and gather for Bible Story Time. Setting the Stage Free each other from a prison. Bible Song and Prayer Time Sing a song, bring out the Bible, and pray together. Hear and Tell the Bible Story Cheer for Moses while they listen to a story from Exodus 7:14 12:30, and then celebrate the Passover. Do the Bible Story Play a game to see how God protected the Israelites, and then sing about the plagues God sent. Bugged About Bugs Help Pockets trust God even in a hard time. CD player Bible, construction paper, scissors, CD player, basket or box Bible, CD player, Fabulous Flat Bread from Option 3 Balloons, yarn, CD player, large trash bag Tape, Super Swatter from Option 2 Shield Prayer Form a protective circle, pray, and then cheer for God s strength. *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 32 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Welcome Time n Welcome! SUPPLIES: Stone Tablet Name Tags handouts (p. 27), markers, pins or tape Bend down and make eye contact with children as they arrive. Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them how they put last week s lesson into practice. Ask questions such as What job did God ask Moses to do? and What jobs did God help you with? Say: Today we re going to learn that we can trust God in hard times. Hand out the stone tablet name tags children made in the first lesson, and help children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged or if children weren t in class that week, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout at the end of Lesson 1. Direct children to the Let s Get Started activities you ve set up. Let s Get Started Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity. Circulate among the children to offer help as needed, and direct children s conversation toward today s lesson. Ask questions such as What hard times have you faced? or How do you encourage your friends and family during hard times? God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives. n Option 1: Leapin Froggies SUPPLIES: none Show children how to play Leapfrog around the room. After children understand how to play, form pairs and have a Leapfrog relay. Tell children that the Egyptians worshipped pretend gods, including a frog goddess named Heqt. Explain that God sent thousands of frogs to Egypt to make Pharaoh set the Israelites free and to show that God is the only one we should worship. n Option 2: Super Swatters SUPPLIES: craft sticks, scissors, index cards, black yarn, transparent tape Before class, cut 6-inch lengths of black yarn. Set out the yarn, craft sticks, transparent tape, and index cards. Have each child tape a length of black yarn to an index card and then tape the index card to the end of a craft stick to make a fly swatter. Help children fray and knot the end of the yarn to make bugs they can swat. Explain that God sent lots and lots of flies and bugs to Egypt to make Pharaoh set the Israelites free. You ll need a fly swatter for Pockets during the Closing. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 33

Lesson 2 n Option 3: Fabulous Flat Bread SUPPLIES: flour tortillas, bowls of jelly, paper plates, plastic spoons, heart-shaped cookie cutters Set out flour tortillas, plastic spoons, bowls of jelly, paper plates, and heart-shaped cookie cutters. Form two groups, and instruct one group to use the cookie cutters to make heart-shaped tortillas. Then have the other group spread jelly on the hearts and place them on plates. As they work, tell children that God told the Israelites to make flat bread because they were going to leave Egypt in a hurry, and the bread wouldn t have time to rise. Explain that God showed his love to the Israelites during a hard time. Be sure children make enough Fabulous Flat Bread snacks so each child has one during Hear and Tell the Bible Story. If you don t choose Option 3, provide some other treat, such as pita bread or crackers, to be served during Hear and Tell the Bible Story. When everyone has arrived and you re ready to move on to the Bible Story Time, encourage the children to finish what they re doing and get ready to clean up. n Pick Up Our Toys SUPPLIES: CD player Lead children in singing Pick Up Our Toys (track 2) with the CD track 2 to the tune of Skip to My Lou. Encourage the children to sing along as they help clean up the room. You ll be using this song each week to alert children to start picking up. At first they may need a little encouragement. But after a few weeks, picking up and singing along will become a familiar routine. If you want to include the names of all the children in your class, sing the song without the CD and repeat the naming section. If you choose to use the CD, vary the names you use each week. We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys And put them all away. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys, Putting them all away. (Repeat.) 34 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Bible Story Time n Setting the Stage SUPPLIES: none Tell the children you ll clap your hands to get their attention. Explain that when you clap, the children are to stop what they re doing, raise their hands, and focus on you. Encourage children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities you ve planned. Form three groups. Say: This game will help us see what it s like to be held prisoner and what it s like to set prisoners free. Have Group 1 link elbows and form a tight circle around Group 2. Explain that Group 3 may very gently tickle the members of Group 1 and make funny faces at them in an effort to free Group 2. Tell the members of Group 1 that if they laugh or smile, members of Group 2 may escape. After a minute, have groups trade roles and play again. When each group has been held prisoner, gather in a large circle and ask: What was it like to be trapped inside the circle? (Crowded; no fun; weird.) What was it like to be tickled? (Fun; hard not to laugh; hard to keep the prisoners inside.) Say: When you were bothered by funny faces and tickles, it was hard to keep a straight face and hold onto your prisoners. In our story today, we ll learn how God bothered Pharaoh until Pharaoh let the Israelite people go. Pharaoh saw how mighty our God is, and the Israelites learned to trust God in hard times. Today we ll learn that we can trust God in hard times, too. God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt n Bible Song and Prayer Time SUPPLIES: Bible, construction paper, scissors, basket or box, CD player Before class, make surprise cards for this activity by track 3 cutting construction paper into 2x6-inch slips. Prepare a surprise card for each child, plus a few extras for visitors. Fold the cards in half; then stamp the Moses stamp inside one of the surprise cards. Bookmark Exodus 7:14 12:30 in the Bible you ll be using. Have children sit in a circle. Say: Now it s time to choose a Bible person to bring me the Bible marked with today s Bible story. As we sing our Bible song, I ll pass out the surprise cards. Don t look inside your surprise card until the song is over. Lead the children in singing Read God s Book (track 3) with the CD to the tune of The Muffin Man. As you sing, pass out the folded surprise cards. Keep track of which children have had a turn to be the Bible person, and make sure everyone gets a chance throughout the quarter. Now it s time to read God s book, Read God s book, read God s book. Now it s time to read God s book. Let s hear a Bible story. (Repeat 3x.) Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 35

Lesson 2 After the song, say: You may look inside your surprise cards. The person who has Moses stamped inside his or her card will be our Bible person for today. Identify the Bible person; then have the rest of the children clap for him or her. Ask the Bible person to bring you the Bible. Help the Bible person open the Bible to the marked place and show children where your story comes from. Then have the Bible person sit down. Say: [Name] was our special Bible person today. Each week, we ll have only one special Bible person, but each one of you is a special part of our class! Today we re all learning that we can trust God in hard times. Let s say a special prayer now and ask God to help us trust him in hard times. I ll pass around this basket. When the basket comes to you, put your surprise card in it and say, God, help me trust you in hard times. Pass around the basket or box. When you ve collected everyone s surprise card, set the basket aside and pick up the Bible. Lead children in this prayer: God, thank you for the Bible and all the stories in it. Teach us today that we can trust you in hard times. In Jesus name, amen. n Hear and Tell the Bible Story SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player, Fabulous Flat Bread from Option 3 Bring out the Learning Mat: Moses Leads God s People and a track 5 Bible. Have children gather around you. Say: Our Bible story comes from the book of Exodus. Our Learning Mat shows us pictures of our Bible story. Unfold the Learning Mat so only the two lower pictures are showing. Point to the picture of Moses and the burning bush, and say: It looks like this man lit a bush on fire! That s dangerous! Ask: What s happening in this picture? (Moses is talking to God; God is telling Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt; God is showing Moses his power.) Say: Oh, so Moses didn t set the bush on fire. Whew! That s good. Ask: Why did God want Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? (Because Pharaoh was mean; because the Israelites were slaves; because the Israelites were sad.) Was Moses afraid or happy about what God had asked him to do? Explain. (Moses was scared, but God told him not to be; Moses was afraid, but God was going to be with him so it would be OK.) Say: Today we ll hear how Moses convinced Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Remember, Pharaoh was a wicked man who didn t love God. In fact, he and his people worshipped idols that looked like frogs, bulls, bugs, and the sun. That was wrong! So when you hear the word Pharaoh, give the thumbs-down sign. But Moses was a brave man who loved and trusted God. So when you hear the word Moses, raise your arms like you re cheering for him. Let s practice the motions a few times. Pharoah. Pause for children to respond. Moses. Pause again and wait for children to respond. Then say: In our story, Moses walking stick is very important. We ll take turns holding up the groan tube whenever we hear about Moses holding up his walking stick. You can let the tube make a groaning noise to show that something bad is going to happen to the Egyptians. 36 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt Give the tube to the two children on your right. Have them hold it up together and then pass it back to you after the first plague. Continue passing the groan tube to different pairs throughout the story. Play Ten Plagues for Pharaoh (track 5) on the CD, and lead children in the appropriate motions. Point to the pictures of the plagues on the mat as they re mentioned on the CD. When the track ends, turn off the CD and say: Today, Jewish people still celebrate the Passover. They remember how God protected the Israelites from the terrible plagues and freed them from Pharaoh s hand. Let s enjoy our own flat bread to celebrate the fact that we can trust God in hard times. Distribute the Fabulous Flat Bread from Option 3 or some other treat, such as pita bread or crackers. As children eat, ask: What were some of the bad things that happened in Egypt? (Lots of frogs; water turned to blood; darkness; animals died.) Why did God let those things happen? (To change Pharaoh s mind; to make Pharaoh let the Israelites go.) How did God take care of the Israelites? (God protected them; he told them how to keep their children safe.) Say: Just as God took care of the Israelites during the plagues, God takes care of us when things are difficult. God even provided a way for us to be forgiven for our sins. God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. If we are truly sorry for all the wrong things we ve done and we believe in Jesus, we will live with him in heaven one day, and we can trust him to be our friend while we re still here on earth, too. When we are forever friends with Jesus, we can trust God in hard times and in good times. That s really something to celebrate! Our next activity will show us what it might have been like for the Israelites and Egyptians. n Do the Bible Story SUPPLIES: balloons, yarn, CD player, large trash bag Before class, blow up two balloons for each child in class. track 6 Tie 12-inch lengths of yarn to half of the balloons. Form two groups. Distribute the balloons tied with yarn to Group 1, and help children in that group tie the yarn around their ankles. Allow members of Group 2 to hold the other balloons. Say: When God sent the bad plagues to Egypt, he protected his people from the worst of them. We ll see what it s like to be protected from bad things. When I shake the groan tube, walk around and try to step on and pop as many balloons as possible. If your balloon gets popped, sit down against the wall. You can only pop balloons by stepping on them. Ready? Go! Play for a minute or two, encouraging children to step on balloons rather than on other people s feet. Gather children and ask: WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD Children under 8 yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once. Balloons may contain latex. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 37

Lesson 2 What was it like to have a balloon on your foot? (Scary; hard; it made me move faster.) What was it like to get to hold your balloon? (Nice; easy; fun, because I knew no one could pop it.) Say: Some of your balloons were protected in your arms. That s the same way God protected the Israelites during the plagues. But the balloons tied to your feet were like the Egyptians they were really having a hard time! Because the Egyptians didn t love God, God didn t protect them. Distribute extra blown-up balloons to children whose balloons were popped. Let s hug our balloons and say, We can trust God in hard times to remember that God took care of his people during the 10 plagues. Encourage children to say the Bible Point as they hug their balloons. Say: Our Bible verse for today comes from Psalm 40:4a, and this is what it says: Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord. The Israelites trusted God, and they had a lot to be joyful about and so do we! Now let s sing a song to remember how God changed Pharaoh s mind about letting the Israelites go. Gather the balloons in a large trash bag and set it aside; then lead children in singing God Told Moses (track 6) to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie? with the CD. At the end of class, you may wish to distribute a leftover balloon to each child to take home. God told Moses, Take my people (point to other side of room) From Pharaoh he s evil! God told Moses, Take my people (motion to come here ) From Pharaoh right now! (Clap on words right now! ) So Moses told Pharaoh, The Israelites must go. (Shake finger at imaginary Pharaoh.) But old Pharaoh, he said, Oh no! They re staying with me! (Shake head, point to self.) God sent frogs and gnats and locusts (hop up and down) And flies and diseases. (Slap at arms.) Finally Pharaoh changed his mind (point to head) When his firstborn son died. (Trace a pretend tear down cheek.) So Pharaoh told Moses, Take God s people please go! (Point to other side of room.) So the Israelites were free (raise arms in celebration) To go worship the Lord. (Clap on worship the, point to heaven on Lord. ) Turn off the CD player, and say: We can trust God in hard times. Let s see if Pockets has learned to trust God. I thought I saw her swatting something around here earlier. Closing 38 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 n Bugged About Bugs SUPPLIES: tape, Super Swatter from Option 2 Bring out Pockets the Kangaroo with a Super Swatter taped to her arm, and go through the following puppet script. When you finish the script, have kids wave goodbye, and then put Pockets away and out of sight.

God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt Teacher: Teacher: Teacher: Teacher: Teacher: (Swatting the yarn bug) I got one! There s another one. Ugh! Pockets, what are you doing? Someone left the door open and let in all these flies. I can t stand flies or ants or spiders or mosquitoes. Summer would be great if it weren t for all these creepy-crawly bugs! (Swats another one.) Pockets, it sounds like these bugs are really bugging you. Yes, they are! Bugs give me the creeps! Today we learned about some other people who had to put up with lots of bugs and worse. Children, can you tell Pockets what happened in Egypt? (Allow children to tell about the plagues God sent on Egypt. Be sure they tell Pockets that God protected the Israelites from many of the plagues.) Yuck! I d go crazy with all those bugs and frogs and things! I ll bet the Israelites felt the same way. But God took care of his people. He protected them from the worst of the plagues. God sure must have loved the Israelites. Yes, and God loves you, too. That s why we can trust him through any hard time. You can even trust God to help you deal with these bugs. You re right. I guess if God can help all those Israelites, God can help me with these few pesky flies. Teacher: Good thinking, Pockets. Just remember that we can trust God in hard times. He ll always take care of us. Well, I d better go shut the screen door so no more of these flies get in. See you next week! Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Pre-K & K, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 39

Lesson 2 n Shield Prayer SUPPLIES: none Say: Even though God sent bad things to Egypt, he protected the Israelites and helped them through a hard time. God protects us during hard times, too. In fact, the book of Psalms in the Bible has a verse that says, But you, O Lord, are a shield around me (Psalm 3:3a). That means that God keeps us safe and surrounds us with his love. Let s form a protective circle and pray, thanking God that we can trust him in hard times. Have children link arms and huddle together in a tight circle. Pray: Dear God, thank you for being a shield around us during hard times. Help us trust you to take care of us as you took care of the Israelites. In Jesus name, amen. Have children make a pile of hands in the middle of the circle and cheer, Even when the going gets rough, I know God is strong enough! Yeah, God! Collect name tags for next week s use before children leave. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage parents to use the handout to plan meaningful family activities to reinforce this week s topic. 40 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. n Lively Learning: Darkness Derby Form two groups, and have groups stand on opposite sides of the room. Place a blindfold on the first person in Group 1 s line. When you shake the groan tube, have the blindfolded person walk to the opposite group, gently touch three people s shoulders, take off the blindfold, and hand it to the first person in Group 2. When everyone has had a chance to move in darkness, remind children that God made it dark for three days in Egypt. Explain that God showed the Eygptians that he has power over everything. n Make to Take: Billions of Bugs Before this activity, cut apart the cups from an egg carton. Set out markers, glue, scissors, chenille wire, craft pompoms, and the egg cups. Allow children to use their imaginations to create unique bugs. Children may use the egg cups for bug bodies; then they may add chenille wire antennae and legs or pompom eyes. As children work, remind them that God sent flies, gnats, and locusts to bother the Egyptians. n Treat to Eat: Bug Bread Set out raisins, bread or bagels, plastic knives, and bowls of cream cheese or frosting. Have children spread cream cheese on slices of bread and then sprinkle raisins on the bread to look like bugs. As children eat their Bug Bread, remind them that God sent flies, gnats, and locusts to cover Egypt. Tell children that, like the Israelites, we can learn to trust God in hard times. n Story Picture: God Sends 10 Plagues Give each child a copy of the Today I Learned handout. Set out markers, glue, scissors, and black yarn. Have children color their pictures and then cut tiny pieces of black yarn. Allow children to glue the yarn to the picture to represent flies, gnats, and locusts. Remind children that we can trust God in hard times. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 41

Today your child learned that we can trust God in hard times. Children heard how God sent 10 terrible plagues upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. They discovered that God helps us through our hard times, too. Verse to Learn Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord (Psalm 40:4a). Ask Me l What hard times did the Israelites go through? l What hard things can you trust God with? l How can our family show that we trust God in hard times? Family Fun l Lead your family in singing When I m Scared to the tune of Frère Jacques. When I m scared, When I m alone, I ll talk to God. I ll talk to God. I ll tell him how I feel. I ll tell him how I feel. He ll help me. He ll help me. We can trust God in hard times. God Sends Plagues Upon Egypt (Exodus 7:14 12:30) Lesson 2 42 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Pre-K & K, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com