See www.nph.net/christlight for Teaching Helps podcast information. God Creates Man and Woman Genesis 1:26-28; 2:4-25 Looking Ahead at Lesson 2 God Saves Adam and Eve Genesis 3 Aim: How did God show love to Adam and Eve when they sinned? Truth: God promised Adam and Eve a Savior. Application: Jesus came to save us. Response: We thank Jesus for saving us by obeying him. Lesson Summary: God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve listened to the devil s temptations and ate some of the forbidden fruit. She also gave some to Adam, who ate it. God s perfect world was spoiled by sin. God told the devil he would send someone to crush the devil s power; this was God s first promise to send the Savior. God also told Adam and Eve the consequences of their sin. Memory Treasure: John 3:16 What were the first two people like that God made? The first two people God made were perfect. Application: God made our wonderful bodies. Response: We praise God for our bodies by using them to serve him. Lesson Summary: God made the first man, Adam, out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. Adam was perfect and holy like God. God gave Adam a beautiful garden for his home and told him he could eat from every tree in the garden but one the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God caused Adam to go into a deep sleep, removed a rib from him, and made a woman from it. God presented the first woman, Eve, to Adam and made them husband and wife. Psalm 146:2 perfect without anything bad or wrong praise to speak joyfully and admiringly about God s goodness See Franzmann, Bible History Commentary: Old Testament, pages 23-26 and 29-36; The People s Bible: Jeske, Genesis, pages 22-26 and 33-42. Almighty and loving Creator, thank you for giving life to me and each of my students. What a joy it is to know that we are your special creations! May our lives reflect your love a love so great that you sent your own dear Son to save us. Amen. 2 2013 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Alternate Lesson Plan Begin with this action rhyme: My ears will listen. (cup ears) My eyes will look. (touch near eyes) My hands will open (hold hands like open book) God s Bible book. (have one child get your Bible for you) You need a baby picture of yourself, your pastor, or someone else all the children know. Variation: Use a baby picture from a magazine. Either have the children try to guess the identity of the baby in the photo or show the magazine picture. Remind the children that all people even Jesus, our Savior started out as babies. The first two people did not start as babies God made them in special ways. From our Bible lesson, we will learn what God s first two people were like. Begin with this prayer: Jesus, help me listen As I learn of you. Jesus, help me love you In everything I do. Amen. Each child needs drawing paper. Have each child draw a person and then show and tell the others about it. Ask the children if their people can eat, sleep, breathe, or run. [No.] Long ago God made the first two real people who could eat, sleep, breathe, and run. From our Bible lesson, we will learn what God s first two people were like. 3
Note: You ll need to use the story in the adjacent column. Duplicate Copy Master 1. the following as you tell the story: Cut out the circle to represent the world God created. Show the side with no drawings. Fold the circle in half, and cut on the lines to make Adam. This represents God making Adam from dirt. Cut the smaller person from the middle of the large person to represent God making Eve from Adam. Remind the children that God used his power and only a rib from Adam to make Eve. You need two pieces of poster board (each about 8" x 10"), glue, and either dirt or sand. Optional: real bone. Draw Adam s face on one side of a piece of poster board and glue the dirt (or sand) to the opposite side. Draw Eve s face on one side of the other piece and draw a bone on the opposite side (optional: glue on a real bone). Show each poster as you tell the corresponding parts of the story. Set the Adam and Eve posters side by side when God brings Eve to Adam. You need some dirt in a clear container, toy animals, and separate drawings of the following: face with closed eyes, bone (or use a real one), Adam s and Eve s happy faces. Show the items at the appropriate times as you tell the story. God made a beautiful world with plants, fish, birds, and animals. He also made the most special part of his world people. And this is how he did it: First God made a man. He shaped the man out of dirt. Then God breathed air into his nostrils. And the man became alive. His name was Adam. God made Adam perfect. Adam did not do wrong things. He did not sin. God loved Adam very much. He gave Adam a very wonderful garden as his home. Many beautiful trees grew there. A river flowed through the garden to keep it watered. God told Adam, It is your job to care for this beautiful garden. God had more planned for Adam. He knew that Adam had no other person like him. God said, It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper. God brought all of the animals to Adam so that he could name them. Adam named each one, but he could not find anyone like him. There were lots of animals, but there were no other people. So God made Adam fall into a deep sleep. While Adam slept, God took a rib from Adam s side. Then God closed up that place in Adam s body. God took the rib and made a woman from it. God made the woman perfect. She did not do wrong things. She did not sin. When Adam woke up, God brought this woman to him. Adam was very happy. He said, She is from my own body. She will be called woman. The woman was named Eve. She became Adam s wife. Adam and Eve loved each other, and they especially loved God. God talked to them often in the garden. What a wonderful life God gave to his first two people! 4
Ask Ask Ask Whom did God make first? [Adam.] Draw stick people of Adam and Eve on the board (or show a picture of them). Gather at least two of the following: (1) dish of uncooked rice and a spoon; (2) unbreakable drinking cup; (3) toothbrush; (4) pencil and paper. What did God use to make Adam? [His power and dirt.] Point to the drawing (or picture) of Adam while saying, God made Adam perfect. Adam did not sin. Who was the helper God made for Adam? [Eve.] What did God use to make Eve? (Cue by pointing to your side.) [His power and a rib from Adam.] Point to Eve while saying, God made Eve perfect. Eve did not sin. Point to someone here that God made. [Point to one another.] Even though we are not perfect, we still have wonderful bodies that can do many things. Have a volunteer perform one or more of the following tasks without using any thumbs: scoop up rice with a spoon, pretend to drink from a cup, hold a toothbrush, write with a pencil. Then have volunteers do the same actions with thumbs. Have the children tell how thumbs help them. Who knew that having thumbs would be good for us? [God.] He deserves our thanks and praise. Read Psalm 146:2 to the children. Explain that we praise God for our bodies and all the things they can do. We also praise God for sending Jesus to take away our sins. the memory treasure with the children. Let s thank and praise God for our wonderful bodies by taking care of them. 1 Put any or all of the following items into a box: toothpaste, hand soap, piece of fruit, ball, pillow, sunscreen. Ask Who was the first man God made? [Adam.] What did God use to make Adam? [His power and dirt.] Use your hands to pretend you are making Adam out of dirt. Blow on your hand like God breathed into Adam. God made Adam perfect. (Show two thumbs-up.) Adam did not sin. Ask Who was the first woman God made? [Eve.] What did God use to make Eve? [His power and a rib from Adam.] God made Eve perfect. (Show two thumbs-up.) Eve did not sin. Ask Who made us? [God.] God gave us bodies that can do many things. Lead the children in doing things such as jumping, wiggling their fingers, and smiling. Ask How does it feel to have such a special body from God? [Great!] Show one item from the box at a time and have the children share ways they could use the item to take care of the wonderful bodies God gave 5
them. [Possible responses: brush teeth, wash, eat healthy foods, exercise, get enough sleep, and wear sunscreen.] Ask What do we say to God for giving us such wonderful bodies? [We thank him and praise him.] Adam and Eve did not start out as little babies. God made one from dirt and one from a [rib]. Ask What were God s first two people like? [Perfect.] God had us be born as babies. Ask What did God give to us? [Wonderful bodies.] the memory treasure. We praise God for our bodies, and we use them to praise God for sending Jesus to take away our sins. Teach the children to say the passage and do the following actions: point to your mouth for praise and point up for LORD. Parent Idea: The student lesson suggests a family contest. Have your child tell the class what contest your family did. Ask Ask God used his power and dirt and a rib to make the first two people. He also made them special in another way. What were God s first two people like? [Adam and Eve were perfect.] God made us special too. What did God give us? [God gave us wonderful bodies.] Let s thank and praise God for our bodies by singing a song. First sing the following song to the tune of Praise Him, Praise Him. Then have the children join you. Praise God, praise God. He s my loving Father. God made me. God made me. Praise God, praise God. He s my loving Father. God made me. God made me. Student Idea: Pretend to be the teacher with your parents. Point to Adam and see if they know what God used to make Adam. Can you think of other questions to ask? Psalm 146:2 6
Begin by singing the refrain of Psalm 139b (hymnal, page 117) while doing the following actions. I will (point to self) Praise (point to mouth) You, O Lord, (point up) For I am (point to self) Wonderfully made. (hold hands out at sides) Repeat the refrain, this time encouraging the children to join you in singing and/or doing the actions. Use Activity 1 (Story Rhyme) under Lesson Activities to review the story. Prepare for this application activity by attaching bulletin board paper to a wall so there will be room for each child to stand against the paper and be traced by you and some helpers. You may need more than one section of paper. Add the caption: Praise the Lord we are wonderfully made! Talk about our wonderful bodies and what they can do. We praise and thank God that we are wonderfully made. Sing the refrain of Psalm 139b (see the opening activity) to help the children learn it. Then trace the children on the paper. Have them add facial features and clothing to make the outlines look like themselves. Also provide paper, cotton, and other three-dimensional items that the children can use to make background items such as trees, clouds, and flowers. Close by singing the refrain of Psalm 139b again while doing the actions described at the beginning of this section. Again, encourage the children to join you in singing and/or doing the actions. Choose and use the Lesson Activities that best meet the needs of your students. Lesson Activities 1. Review Story Rhyme Purpose: To use an action rhyme that reviews how God made Adam and Eve. Procedure: Lead the children in doing the following action rhyme: God shaped Adam from the dirt (pretend to form person from dirt) And breathed life into him. (exhale onto hand) Adam was a perfect man. (put two thumbs up) Adam did not sin. (shake head no ) God took one of Adam s ribs (pretend to pull rib from body) And made a wife for him. ( walk one hand over to the other) Eve was a perfect woman. (put two thumbs-up) Eve did not sin. (shake head no ) Garden of Eden Purpose: To use a model to visualize the events of the Bible account. Procedure: Note: This activity probably works best with a class of ten or fewer that can gather around you. Fill a shallow box with sand. Sink a small dish of water in one corner to represent a river. Glue 7
pictures of plants, animals, and trees to craft sticks. Stand them in the sand to create the garden. Draw a stick man (Adam) on a craft stick, and bury him in the sand. Draw Eve on another craft stick, and set her aside. Pretend to form a man out of sand, and bring Adam out of the sand. Move the animals in front of Adam to be named. Use a small bone or part of a toothpick for a rib and create Eve a distance away from Adam. Bring her to Adam. 2. Application Praise and Thank by Serving Purpose: To discuss praising and thanking God by using our bodies to serve him and others. Procedure: Copy and enlarge the pictures on Copy Master 2 and cut them apart. Explain that one way we praise and thank God for our bodies is by using them to serve him and others. Show and discuss each picture. (Picture 1: using our bodies to help others who drop things; Picture 2: using our bodies to share what we have with others; Picture 3: using our voices to praise God and tell others about him; Picture 4: using our hands, minds, and voices to pray to God.) Emphasize happily doing such acts out of love for the Savior. Optional: Have each child color and cut out a set of pictures and then glue them to a large piece of paper entitled, I Use My Body to Praise and Serve God. 3. Music God Made Me Songs Purpose: To sing that God is the one who made us. Procedure: Try any of the following songs. Little Bitty Me First, sing the song Little Bitty Me t from Copy Master 3 and do the actions. Then sing stanza 1 while doing the actions. Repeat the stanza, this time encouraging the children to join you in singing and/or doing the actions. the same with stanza 2, or teach the second stanza on another day. Use this song periodically to remind the children that God made them and to help them when they are restless. Psalm Response Teach the refrain of Psalm 139b (hymnal, page 117). Suggestion: Teach the actions described in the Optional Midweek Lesson. Thank God for a specific part of the wonderful bodies he has given us and then sing the Psalm refrain as a response. Examples: Thank you, God, for eyes that see (sing the refrain). Thank you, God, for feet that walk (sing the refrain). Other songs If you have the book Little Ones Sing Praise (Concordia Publishing House), you may teach God Made Me (especially stanzas 1 and 2) or God Made Me, Every Part You See. 4. Art Praise Pictures Purpose: To have the children express their praise of God as they paint. Procedure: Play a recording of Beethoven s Ode to Joy ( Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee ) and explain that this is a song of praise to God. Then have the children finger-paint pictures of praise to God as they listen to the song again. Be sure to provide bright, joyful colors of paint! 8
Happy Me Hanger People Purpose: To make a project that reminds the children to be happy to serve God, who made them. Procedure: Each child needs a set of pieces made from Copy Master 4, paper cut into shirt and short shapes, and two wire coat hangers. Tape the hangers together for the children as shown in the diagram. Then help the children do the following: Finish the faces and color the hands and feet to resemble themselves. Cut out all the pieces. Tape one hand to each hanger hook. Tape the face and feet as shown in the diagram. Decorate the shirt and shorts using markers, puffy paints, buttons, rickrack, and other items. Tape the shirt and shorts to the hangers and glue the poems to the clothing. Teach the children the poem. Remind them that we praise God for making us. Display these happy people in the classroom where they can hang freely. head two hangers body hands feet 5. Other Ideas Work Out the Wiggles Purpose: To move some of the body parts God gave us. Procedure: Give the children the following directions: Clap the hands God gave you. Stomp the feet God gave you. Bend the knees... Rub the tummy... Stand on the tiptoes... Bend the waist... Shake the head... Wiggle the hips... Wrinkle the nose... Wiggle the fingers... Memory Treasure Activity Purpose: To make a project to help the children remember the memory treasure. Procedure: Before class write the memory treasure on paper for each child. Review the words and actions (see Close [Alternate]). Have the children use washable ink stamp pads to make their thumbprints on the memory treasure papers. Show the children musical notes from a hymnal or other music book, and then help them use crayons or washable markers to add stems to the thumbprints to make musical notes. Explain that one way we praise God is by singing to him. Thank-You Rhyme Purpose: To thank God for making our wonderful bodies. Procedure: As you say the action rhyme below, lead the children in pointing to each body part as it is mentioned: Here is the head God made for me. Here are my hips and ears and toes. Here is my tummy and my nose. Thank you, God, for making me. (fold hands) Here is the heart God made for me. Here are the elbows, ribs, and eyes. Here are my shoulders and my thighs. Thank you, God, for making me. (fold hands) 1 9
Fingerprints Purpose: To see one way God made each of us unique. Procedure: Use a washable ink stamp pad and make your thumbprint on paper. Show this print to the children and discuss the uniqueness of fingerprints. Have the children use the stamp pad to make their own thumbprints and fingerprints. Give the children time to compare prints with one another. Praise God for making each of us one of a kind! Praise Litany Purpose: To create a class litany of praise. Procedure: On the board or a large sheet of paper, write: God gave me. Then write this response: I praise God for my. Have a volunteer name a body part to complete each pair of sentences, and draw a picture of it on the blank. (Example: God gave me a tummy. I praise God for my tummy.) Erase the body part after saying the sentences and do the activity again and again with different body parts. End by holding a picture of Jesus (or a cross) on the blank and saying, Jesus, the Savior. ) 10