Elijah – March 9th 2014

1.     Game – Busy Bees

Ask each child to find a partner and to space themselves out in the room.

The leader calls out various commands which the children are to obey, such as "Stand side to side", "Back to back", "Link Elbows","Join a the knees" etc.

However when the leader calls "Busy Bees", each player has to try to find a new partner. The leader also joins in and finds a partner. The one who has no partner becomes the leader for the next round.

 

2.     Game – Handover

Select a player to be the King.

This person faces the wall and the other players stand behind the King without moving.

The King throws the ball over their head to the players behind.

If the ball is caught the catcher becomes the new king.

Often the ball is not caught and players scramble to get it. Once the ball is recovered by someone it is hidden behind the back of one of the players. When they are ready,   The King then turns round and has to guess who has the ball.

This game can be continued as long as necessary.

Once you have finished the game sit down with the children and discuss handovers.

-          What did you have to do in the game to become the new King?

-          Ask the children how people might feel once they have to move on from a situation.

-          Can they think of any examples when they have had to move on

 

 

Introduced  Elijah and who he was. we spoke about how cool he was.. and that he was taken up in to heaven (never died), showed a quick picture to introduce Elisha...

 

 

3.     Drama

Before you begin divide the children into the following groups

-          Elijah ;

-          Prophets of Baal;

-          people;

-          Ahab.

Give the children a brief description of what each group was like

-          Elijah the prophet was a man of God, trusting in God for what was about to happen, keen to get it right.

-          The prophets of Baal believed in rituals, in dancing and shouting - in putting on a good show for the people.

-          The people were easily led, supposedly supporting the prophets of Baal at the beginning but then possibly changing sides if it looks as though they were supporting the wrong side.

-          Ahab was a worshipper of Baal - a hen pecked husband,  a man who did not like to be contradicted. He hated Elijah.

Read the story from the bible - from 1 Kings 18:16-40. Let the children have fun and act out the story as you read it - this means that it will tend to be fresh and spontaneous.

 

At the end ask the different groups how they felt. Provide a "hot seat" (chair), and ask one of the children who played Elijah to explain how they felt as the story progressed.

-          Were they confident all the way through?

-          Were they frightened by the noise and shouting of the prophets of Baal?

-          Did they feel intimidated because there was one of them and 450 of the prophets?

Help the children see that Elijah acted in faith - he believed God and did what he believed God was

telling him to do. He was obedient and trusted God in spite of other people, in spite of the fact he was the only one, in spite of the fact that everyone else seemed to be against him.

Do we trust God in the same way that Elijah did.

Are they willing to do what they think is right regardless?

 Are they willing to trust God for the outcome - sometimes we want to know what will happen before we begin work.

The example of Elijah reminds us to trust and obey. 

4.     Quiz (after reading 1 Kings 19:1-18)

kids split in to teams, if they answer a question right, they select a picture of an item of food stuck on the wall, on the reverse of each picture is a number = points won.

 

1. The name of the King was	8. What did the angel bring to Elijah?
a) Jeraboam.	a) A copy of the scriptures to read.
b) Ahab.	b) A list of things that needed doing.
c) Charles.	c) Some food and drink.
2. Jezebel the Kings’ wife promised to do something to Elijah. What was it?	9. Where did the angel tell Elijah to travel to?
a) Give him a slap up meal.	a) Mount Hore.
b) Invite him to the palace.	b) Mount Carmel.
c) Kill him.	c) Jerusalem.
3. How did Elijah react:	10. How long did it take Elijah to travel there?
a) He was frightened and ran away.	a) 5 months.
b) He went and had a party to celebrate God’s victory.	b) 3 days.
c) He couldn’t care less.	c) 40 days and 40 nights.
4. Where did Elijah run to?	11. What did God ask Elijah?
a) His friend’s house.	a) Have you had a good journey?
b) The nearest city.	b) Did you enjoy the food?
c) The desert.	c) What are you doing here?
5. What sort of a tree did Elijah sit under?	12. What did God promise He would do?
a) An oak tree.	a) Pass by.
b) A broom tree.	b) Bring him another meal.
c) A palm tree.	c) Send him back to sort out Ahab for God.
6. What did Elijah pray for?	13. How did God’s voice sound to Elijah – was it in:
a) That he could die.	a) An earthquake?
b) A miracle.	b) The wind?
c) Help.	c) A gentle whisper?
7. What did God send to help Elijah?	14. What did Elijah say when God asked him why he was there?
a) An angel.	a) He was sorry for himself and said the
b) A friend.	Israelites were trying to kill him.
c) Another prophet.	b) Pretended that everything was ok.
	c) Made out he had come on holiday.
	15. How did God reply to Elijah?
	a) He told him off for being afraid
	b) He told Elijah that Elijah had messed up
	and was no longer fit to be his prophet.
	c) He gave Elijah a new job to do.

 

 

 

At which point we ran out of time, final prayer and time to go…

 

2 Feb 2014: Faith: To Believe The Impossible

1         Wheelbarrow Race 

Not sure of the link, but the kids enjoyed it!

2 Quiz - blind faith

Ø  4 chairs, labelled A B C D

“Gonna read out some remedies for health problems. Historically correct, kids to chose which they think they would prefer. Gonna ask some folk why they have chosen, so listen well.”

Fever

A)     Take a spoon of treacle (made from 40 ingredients which took 12 days to make, including snake skin

B)      Have a cut made in your arm to let the bad blood out

C)      Wrap yourself in red cloth and tie red cloth to the bed you sleep in

D)     Take a cold bath several times a day

Nits

a)      Use dog shampoo, instead of normal shampoo

b)      Put Vaseline in your hair overnight, wrap it in a towel and wash it off in the morning

c)       Wash your hair with mayonnaise

d)      Shave all your hair off.

Headache

a)      Drill a hole in the skull to relieve pressure

b)      Massage your head with lavender oil

c)       Drink half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in water

d)      Eat 2 tablespoons of honey after each meal

“each time we chose to put faith in one of these things, its putting your trust totally into someone or something”

“when we have faith in God we choose to trust him, and do what he says”

“David in todays story chose to have faith in what God said and now in what other people around him said”

3 Bible Study

“Who knows the story of David and Goliath?”

Each sentence below is in on  sheet of A4, kids have to get them in order,

Giant called Goliath challenges the Jews to  a fight.

Jews were all afraid

David, however, said he would fight and win!

Other Jews told David not to do it

David chose not to wear any armour

He took 5 small stones and a sling

1 stone hit Goliath on the head and he fell

David took his sword and cut his head off

 

Q:

a)      Why did they think that none of the rest of the Jews dared to fight Goliath

b)      What reasons would the soldiers have given for not fighting Goliath

c)       What reasons can you think of that David would have given to say he COULD fight Goliath

d)      Did others agree with David when he said he could fight Goliath

“Have any of us ever fought a giant?”

“what things do we find hard, that maybe could be represented by Goliath”?

“”
David had little faith, he had killed a lion and a bear, so the giant was the next step

And for us, if we continue to pray and know what God wants us to do, we can take little steps, but can do amazing things

4         Song: Faith as small as a mustard seed

 

 

5         Word Collage (10m)

Ø  Paper and pens out

Ø  Video set up

during this we listed/watched this animation

 

“what words come in to your mind when you think of having faith in God? What has God made, what can he do? How  big is God? What is he like?”

“write the words whilst the video is playing”

 

6         Video of what kids think  Faith is:

just to finish off we talked about Faith and what it is. Most of the kids had a good understanding, the discussin was quite wide.,,

final video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5XYrlfx4w

 

finished off with some games

Family Service – “Jailhouse Rock”

Sunday 17^th November

35 children (aged 4 – 11)

Welcome& register in groups:

Kids draw something that represents power, eg volcanoes, river etc etc

All together: pray

In the background is the video below, showing powerful things

 

What do you think the most powerful thing on Earth is? Give some examples:

• Powerful Peppers- Naga Jolokia [pronounced; Na-za Holo-ka] peppers are the most powerful food. It can be 10 times stronger than a jalapeno and can burn your skin. Imagine what it would do inside your mouth!
• Powerful Machines - The Wartsila-Sulzer boat engine is used to power huge container ships and makes the fastest car look slow. It is stronger than 213 of the most powerful Ferrari cars.
• Powerful Animals- A rhinoceros beetle can lift up to 850 times its own bodyweight. That’s exactly why they are often called Hercules beetles! They are native to rainforests and eat rotting wood and decaying fruit.

1. Powerful Earth - The most powerful recorded earthquake is thought to be the 1960 Valdivia earthquake which caused damage to Chile, Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines. It lifted the ocean floor with a magnitude rating of 9.3 on the Richter scale.

Today we’re learning that praise is powerful. Connecting with the creator of the Earth holds more power than we can imagine.

 

quick song..... Rainbow in the Sky

 

Dvd:Hillsongs Memory verse

Dvd;Watch Hillsongs Big HQ

Praise releases God’s power – tell the story of Paul & Silas

Split Banana OBJECT LESSON: With God all things are possible!

Supplies Needed: A banana, a long thin metal pin. (like a sewing needle or dress making pin)

Before the lesson stick the pin into the banana where you want it to be cut. Slide the pin horizontally to slice the banana without making any marks to the peel. Do this to cut the banana in three places.

Show the banana to the children and tell them that you are going to do the impossible. You are going to slice the banana into pieces without touching or breaking the skin.

Ask the children if they think it’s possible or impossible. Next, have some fun and do some ninja karate moves to “slice” the banana without touching it.

Slowly peel the banana to show that it is cut on the inside. After much applause and amazement from the children explain to them that it was just a trick. It was not impossible but with God things that seem impossible are possible. Matthew 19:26

“With God all things are possible.” (NIV)

Explain to them how the trick is done. Maybe they can show their friends and family and teach others that with God all things are possible.

1. Powerful Praise Our voices are used for so many different things. The most powerful thing you can do with your voice is to praise God.

 The power of praise is that we take the focus off of ourselves and we focus on God. God is all powerful and He can do anything. We can praise God and see His power work in our lives.

2. All things are possible. To your average, everyday person a lot of things seem impossible. What you dream of being when you grow up might, at this moment, seem pretty impossible. Seeing someone who is sick or hurt healed might seem impossible. We know that with God all things are possible! We don’t need to give up! Think about Jesus. After 3 days in a tomb he came alive again. That seemed impossible but it wasn’t for God! We can see miracle after miracle in the Bible, in our lives and in the lives of others.

 

another song.... great big God o

 

Back to Groups:

first pray for one another!

Kids split in to groups, and complete a worksheet

Then write prayer of praise on bunting to decorate the room

 

 

 

Dec 1^st Advent, Be Prepared

Game : Captains Daughter                          

List of instructions :

1. Port (run to left-hand wall)

2. Starboard (run to right-hand wall)

3. Fore (run to front)

4. Aft (run to back)

5. Climb the rigging (on the spot rope climbing actions)

6. Swab the decks (Mopping actions)

7. Cannon-ball coming (Lie flat on the floor)

8. Admiral's aboard (Stop dead, stand straight and salute at attention)

9. Captains Daughter (everybody stops and wolf whistles )

Explain that the children are all sailors on a ship, and the captain is expecting a visit from the admiral – so lots of preparations have to be made. Read out the instructions before the game begins and make sure that everyone understands what to do when each one is called.

One player is chosen as the captain and is given the list of instructions from which s/he can call at random. Once the captain calls "Admiral's aboard" the last person to obey the command is eliminated.

Play until one person is left and that person then becomes the captain & reads the list, in random order...

Question: What is Advent  

We showed the video below, then had a quick fire quiz

 

 

 

 

Questions:

1. Advent is a period lasting for how long… four Sundays
2. Advent the season of .. preparation
3. Advent the season of …. looking forward
4. Advent the season of… change
5. In the video that we saw, how many Candles did we see .. 20
6. Most common word displayed .. wait
7. Preparing for the celebration of… Jesus birth
8. In the video that we saw, how many SNOWFLAKEs did we see.. 25
9. Title of the song “I will wait for you”
10. We saw 2 people waiting and looking at a light shining down, what were they sitting on.. stairs
11. What am I waiting for?  Waiting for Jesus
12. What does advent means?  the coming of …. Something

CHRISTMAS TREE                   

Divide the children into small groups and ask them to read the Christmas story as recorded in Luke 2: 1-20.

Seek answers to the questions:

When was Jesus born (v 2)?

Why did Joseph travel to Bethlehem?(v4)

Where did Mary lay her baby? (v7)

What did the angels say to the shepherds? (v 10)

What was special about Jesus? (v 11)

Why were people amazed at what he shepherd's said ?(v 18)

What do you think Mary treasured? (v 19)

Why were the shepherds glorifying and praising God (v 19).

Ask the children to write on a blue bauble something that they have learned about Jesus' birth, that they want to remember this Christmas. If they wish they can copy a verse onto the bauble, or write something on their own. They can then go and hang their bauble on the tree.

Examples of baubles completed are below:

 

 

MEMORY VERSE  - Pass the Parcel

PASS THE PARCEL

Prep: A present with a word from the memory verse in every layer of paper & a sweet

Memory Verse: “They will call him Immanuel which means God with us" Matthew chapter 1 verse 23.”

We ran out of time for the following:

Reflection – Christmas Worship & Calendar drawing               

we were going to how the video below, the kids were then going to think  about how much God Loves them, not just at Christmas but all year. They drew a picture on some coloured card with a 2014 calendar on it.  

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Prayer with M&Ms

This was created by my youngest son at his 11-14 year old group; still useful for future Sunday School Creative Prayer ideas....

 

1 Timothy 2v1-5
I urge you first of all to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; Intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by Godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our saviour who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (NLT)

 

Questions to Discuss

·         How can we act on that reading?

·         Why should you pray for people you don’t like?

·         Should we pray for people that don’t pray for us?

·         Why do we pray for people that don’t believe in God?

 

M&M Prayer

Orange:  Pray for a national leader (Barack Obama, David Cameron, and The Royal Family, the UN etc.)

Red:  Pray for a teacher

Yellow: Pray for a church leader (Youth worker, minister etc.) 

Green: Pray for a family member

Blue: Pray for a friend

Brown: Pray for someone in the room

 

When you pray for them…

·         Give thanks for them

·         Ask god to help them

·         Pray God will be with them and bless them

Nature of God: Mighty God (3 Nov 2013)

1         Icebreaker Game – I Went to the North Pole

kids (and leaders) in a circle

The first child begins by saying, "I went to the North Pole and I took a (sleeping bag)."

The second child says, "I went to the North Pole and I took a (sleeping bag) and a (can of tuna)." The next child continues, "I went to the north Pole and I took a (sleeping bag), a (can of tuna) and a(teddy)." etc

We did this twice, raised many laughs, the kids remembered everything very well. For the record, things starts good, eg taking “pen, pencil, paper”… then towards the end changed to “toilet, hairy man”

Lots of fun.

 

2         Strongest Product Comparison

We talked about what we would be doing today, looking at Gods power, then suggesting we could test various products to see which is more powerful….

Kids split to 2 teams

Each team had a sheet of plastic to use, each time they had something to clean up, with a suitable (or not ) implement.

Task1: dry up a puddle of water, team 1 had toilet roll, team 2 had kitchen roll

Task2: scrub some felt tip that was on the plastic sheet, team 1 had J Cloth, team 2 had Scrubby Pad (which resulted in the plastic ripping!)

Task 3: lump of Jam to clean up. Team 1 had a hand brush; team 2 had a kitchen broom (note, had to was the brushes under water to clean out the jam!)

We spoke about what power was, and how we measured it.

 

3         Video – Aladdin Genii

 

Showed the video here, we spoke about how the Genii was like God, typical questions were

 

· How powerful is the genii?

· What does Aladdin have to do to "earn" his three wishes?

· Why does the genii so badly want to use/share his power?

· Do you think the genii is like God in any way?

· In what ways is God's power like that of the genii?

· If God is all-powerful, why doesn't He always use his power to change circumstances for us?

 

One of the kids ended up by saying “Aladdin’s Genii is like the Holy Spirit, just that you can see him” <nugget>

 

4         Power Discussion

 

The kids were tasked with drawing pictures of something powerful, examples given were

¨       River

¨       Sea

¨       Wind

¨       Power Stations

¨       Fire

These were drawn, together with God, Superman, Stars…

 

5          Power in the Bible

We discussed how God uses power

From the passage:  Psalm 89:5-14

We tried to answer the questions:

How does God demonstrate His power in this passage?

Who is He more powerful than?

As well as God's physical power, this passage talks about God's character. What does it say about God?

How does God's character affect the way He uses His power?

How does God treat His people?

 

6         Gods has Power to Drive our Lives

I spoke about the song below, and what I meant to me. (this was the song that my puppet team performed to yesterday, always useful re use things!)

God is so powerful he can take control of our lives, if we let him.

 One child asked for the song title/singer so she could take it home and listen to it later! <nugget#2>