Acacia in the Desert

Parachute

Take any story that includes water, add a parachute, and presto, instant game.

• Noah and the Ark.  Make paper arks and toss them onto the parachute.  Create a flood by shaking the chute rapidly until the arks fall off.  Do it again.  And again.  Do it until the teacher gets tired and says “Enough!”
• Moses and the Red Sea.  Play Israelites and Egyptians.
• Jonah and the Whale.  First make a storm by shaking the chute.  Then have the whale swallow Jonah by raising the chute up, ducking under it, and pulling it down to sit on the edge.
• Jesus Calms the Storm.  Shake the chute wildly until they hear the words, “Peace, be still.”
• Peter Walking on Water.  Kids take turns “being Peter” by running under the parachute (walking on water) to the other side.

Large Packing Boxes

Even more versatile than the parachute.  Packing boxes can be the…

• Belly of the whale Jonah was in
• Ark that Noah put the animals in
• Lion’s den that Daniel was in
• Pit that Jeremiah was thrown into
• House where the angel Gabriel visited Mary
• Stable where baby Jesus was born
• Prison where Paul and Silas were
• …and many more.

Putting several boxes together is better than just one.  To ensure they don’t collapse, support the sides with chairs or the table.

Picture Books

By reading books, you build…

• attention span
• Biblical worldview
• memory of previous stories

If the entire class is out of control, sit ‘em down and read books.  If you need a controlled activity while kids are being dropped off, read books.  If you want to ensure kids don’t forget the Bible story you taught last Sunday, pick a book based on that story and read it for a month.

The books Lifeway provides its teachers are junk with a capital J.  Zero plot, no conflict, no character development, and no climax.  Children deserve better.  Look on Amazon for books that are highly rated.

Scratch Art Paper

A craft with instant zing and zero mess.  Experiment by using not just wooden sticks, but pennies and fingernails to draw on the paper.  Although scratch art paper can be used with any story, it is best suited for stories with darkness and light, like the:

• Countless stars that Abraham saw
• Midianite camp that Gideon surrounded with trumpets and torches
• Angels that appeared to the shepherds
• Burning bush that Moses faced
• Column of fire that settled over the tabernacle in the Israelite camp

I guarantee the finished result won’t look like the picture to the right, but who cares?

Related Posts

• A Three Week Lesson Plan: Creation
• Why is the church losing its youth?
• 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Crafts
• Lifeway’s Educational Objectives vs. Actual Bible Teaching