Primary Teacher Book

Primary
Teacher Book
Welcome
Welcome to BugZone....................................................................................................2
A Day at BugZone........................................................................................................3
Things You Should Know
Understanding Your Primaries.......................................................................................6
Learning That Lasts.......................................................................................................7
Teaching Tips................................................................................................................8
Motivating Desirable Behavior....................................................................................10
Sharing the Salvation Message....................................................................................12
Operation India: Good News for Kids........................................................................14
Decorating Your Classroom.........................................................................................15
Clip Art.......................................................................................................................18
Using Reproducible Certificates..................................................................................20
Bible Lessons
Lesson 1 Changed: Joshua. ......................................................................................23
Lesson 2 Changed: Gideon......................................................................................31
Lesson 3 Changed: Naomi and Ruth.......................................................................39
Lesson 4 Changed: Zacchaeus. ................................................................................47
Lesson 5 Changed: Saul of Tarsus............................................................................55
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name:
make known his deeds among the people” (Ps. 105:1).
A fuzzy caterpillar crawls along a leaf, attaches itself to a twig, hangs upside down, and spins a chrysalis.
Then God changes that little caterpillar. And it emerges, transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Our great
God transforms people in even bigger ways.
BugZone: Transformed by Our Big God challenges students with life stories of
people who were transformed by God. Students follow Joshua’s transformation
from a slave in Egypt to the man who led God’s people into the Promised
Land. God transformed Gideon from a frightened man into a confident
leader who believed in what God would do. God provided for Naomi and
Ruth, transforming Naomi from a sad, bitter woman into a happy grandmother, and bringing Ruth a husband and joy. Zacchaeus had been a dishonest
tax collector who charged people more money than they owed, but God changed
him. God transformed Saul from a man who hated Christians into a man who
served God by teaching boldly about Jesus. Our God transforms lives in big ways!
Responding to God is an extreme, life-changing experience. BugZone challenges students to obediently follow God’s leading; to bravely trust in His promises, power, and presence; and to obey Him even in hard times. Believing in Jesus as
Savior transforms our lives so that we want to live to please God and tell other people
how God can change them too.
Let’s respond to God’s wonderful love with love, trust, and courageous obedience. The
BugZone theme verse is the expression of a person whose life has been transformed by
God: We give thanks to God. We call upon Him. We tell others about Him.
2
A Day at
BugZone: Transformed by Our Big God is adaptable to your situation. Do
you divide students according to their ages, divide them into teams with mixed
ages, or invite whole families for the intergenerational approach? Do students
stay with the same teachers all the time, or do they rotate to different sites? Will
your program be in the morning? all day? evenings? one day a week? in the park?
in the backyard? at church? You can customize the schedule to meet your needs.
Each daily program is designed to take between two and three hours.
Arrival
Teachers should arrive at least fifteen minutes before the program begins.
Each teacher should wear a nametag. If parents know the teachers’ names, they
will feel freer to talk with them. Keep in mind that Vacation Bible School is an
opportunity to reach parents as well as students.
Designate a central location as the registration area. As students arrive, smile
and greet them warmly. Take a moment to greet the parents and learn their names.
Use the registration cards to record important information about the students.
Give out nametags. If many of your students arrive early, take them to the opening
assembly area for an extra time of singing. If you prefer, take attendance and use
the welcome activities as students gather before the opening assembly.
Nametags
(30733)
Opening Assembly (15 minutes)
Get the day off to a great start. BugZone provides songs for drawing students
into the theme and celebrating our great God together. Puppets or a skit can
introduce the theme of the day. The Director’s Guide includes a sample schedule
for the opening assembly. At the close of the opening assembly, dismiss students
to their classrooms.
Registration Cards
(30208)
Puppet Script & CD
(30748)
3
Bible Exploration
(40 minutes)
Welcome to BugZone!
Attendance Chart
(30732)
Students can record their attendance on their BugZone Passes
(30734). Each lesson includes ideas you can use while students wait
until all have recorded their attendance. If you prefer, record attendance in the main registration area as students arrive.
Introduction
Each lesson begins with a creative, attention-getting introduction.
Explore the Bible!
This is the most important part of the day—the time when students
learn truths from God’s Word. Each Bible lesson has an accompanying visual book.
Decision Time
Each lesson is designed to help your students understand God’s
wonderful plan of salvation.
BugZone Pass with stickers
(30734)
Discover!
Each lesson includes a variety of activities to continue the learning
and reinforce the truths of the stories. Students need to be actively
involved in the story. Each lesson includes ideas to help students
work together to apply the truths they are learning.
Scripture Memory
Each lesson includes an activity to help students understand and
learn God’s Word.
Apply It Now!
Fun activities will help students apply God’s Word to their lives.
Music (15–20 minutes)
Celebrate our awesome God with a time of singing. People remember truths
set to music. Any time is a good time to praise God—before the lesson, after the
lesson, or even in the middle of the lesson! With the BugZone Music CD, students can sing along with the music or with the recorded children’s voices.
BugZone Music CD
(30730)
4
Games (20 minutes)
The Director’s Guide contains games related to the theme as well as games
specifically designed for each day’s lesson. Games are fun, and they are also a good
way to continue the learning.
Snacks (15–20 minutes)
Visit the snack area and enjoy snacks that reinforce the Bible lesson. Look
for optional ideas to allow student participation in preparing the snacks. Snack
time is a good opportunity to chat informally with students. The Director’s Guide
includes snack ideas and conversation starters.
Director’s Guide
(30701)
Crafts (20–25 minutes)
The craft book includes crafts and ideas for guided conversation that reinforce
each Bible lesson. The completed crafts will be long-lasting reminders of the lessons and the fun of VBS.
Activity Sheet Time (20 minutes)
You can use the activity sheets in a variety of ways. The choice is up to you.
Use the activity sheets during your program. As students work on these sheets,
discuss the lesson. Also use this time to talk one-on-one with students about
salvation.
Send the activity sheets home. The directions and any necessary answers are
included on the sheets.
Craft Ideas Book
(30728)
Closing Assembly (15 minutes)
End your time together each day with the closing assembly. Use this time to
sing and to enjoy the puppets or skits. A suggested schedule for the closing assembly is in the Director’s Guide.
Primary Student Book
(30711)
5
Understanding Your
Primaries
Get to know your students! The better you know your students, the better
equipped you’ll be to meet their needs and introduce them to the Savior. All
workers—­including the game director, snack director, and craft director—will
benefit from knowing the age characteristics of the students.
I am special!
Primary Students
I like . . .
• Variety in activities and presentations.
• Learning by doing. I like to do skits and act out the story.
• Doing, seeing, hearing, touching. I learn best when you use all five senses
in the story.
• Others to like me. I am very aware of what others think of me.
• My teacher. I am eager for your approval. Do you like me?
I can . . .
• Worship God. I love to sing.
• Love God. I need to know that God values me and loves me
unconditionally.
• Care about others. I can pray for others. I need to be learning how to
actively love others.
• Understand the simple truth of the gospel. God loves me. Jesus died to
take the punishment for my sin. He rose again from the dead. I need to
believe in Jesus and ask Him to be my Savior.
• Start applying God’s Word to my life. You can help me by teaching me
clearly what God wants me to do. Practical role plays can help me
practice Biblical responses to everyday situations.
• Learn right from wrong and choose the right.
6
Learning That Lasts
Your students are very precious to God. God made them with different hair
and skin colors, different abilities and interests, and different learning styles. How
can you be sure this VBS will make a difference in the life of each student?
•• Pray that God will prepare the hearts of your students and will work in
their lives in a life-changing way. Before a student is ready to hear about
God and His love, that student needs to experience your love. Smile. Spend
time talking with the students as well as teaching them. You are the first step
toward Learning That Lasts.
•• Teach with an open Bible, emphasizing that these lessons present the
truth of God’s Word. God’s Word is always new, exciting, and relevant.
Learning to know God makes a lasting difference.
•• Motivate each student to make a personal decision that will bring about
lasting change. Effective teaching should lead to changed lives. What decision do you want your students to make today? How will this lesson help
with a problem your students face in everyday life? What do you want them
to know, to do, to change as a result of this lesson? Each class should be a
time of decision, first about salvation and then about spiritual growth.
Each BugZone: Transformed by Our Big God lesson is designed to partner
with you to reach each student with Learning That Lasts. Each one begins with an
introduction designed to help you capture the students’ attention from the start.
“Explore the Bible!” presents truth from God’s Word. “Decision Time” encourages students to invite Jesus to be their Savior and to choose to follow Him in
their everyday actions. “Discover!” is designed to actively involve the students in
the lesson and to help them apply it to their lives. Students are invited not only to
memorize Scripture but also to investigate how the verses apply to their everyday
lives. “Apply It Now!” challenges each student to immediately take action, putting
God’s Word into practice in daily life.
7
Teaching Tips
Know your students. Effective teachers understand how students learn. People
learn in four basic ways: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic.
Visual learners understand and remember the lesson when
they can “see” it. Captivate your visual learners by using body
language and motions. Using the visual packet and other objects suggested throughout the program will help you reach
your visual learners.
Auditory learners learn best by hearing. Include sound effects that allow the students to participate in the lesson.
Auditory learners also learn through singing songs that reinforce the truths taught in the Bible lessons.
Tactile learners enjoy hands-on activities. They learn best
when they are able to feel or touch something related to the
lesson. Crafts that students make and take home also help
reinforce the lesson.
Kinesthetic learners need action! The more physical the
activity, the more kinesthetic students pay attention, and the
more they remember.
Visual Packet
(30707)
Visual Packet
(30707)
8
God made different students with different learning styles. Use a variety of
teaching methods to help all your students learn. Does your lesson have something
to see? something to touch? something to do? Are you using the activities that are
designed to reinforce the lesson application? This program will help you teach all
the different students in your class.
Make each lesson come alive. Help students experience the story—the sounds,
the sights, and the emotions. Use the visual packet. Use action verbs and colorful
nouns to paint a picture in the mind of each listener.
Share your enthusiasm for the story. Use your eyes, face, gestures—your whole
body. Use your voice to show different moods. Speeding to the climax expresses
intense action. Slowing creates suspense. Emphasize by speaking more loudly or
more softly. Try using different voices for different characters.
Before you teach, ask a friend to listen to and evaluate your lesson (or record
your lesson and do a self-evaluation). Did you keep the desired student response
in mind as you taught? Did you use your voice and your body to paint a picture
of the story’s action? Did you know the lesson so well that you could maintain
eye contact with your audience? Did you use the visuals effectively?
Actively involve your students in the learning process. Students
learn best by doing. They quickly forget most of what they hear. They re-
member a little more of what they both see and hear. But students best
remember what they do themselves.
The “Discover!” section of each lesson contains ideas to actively involve your students in the lesson. When possible, offer your students
choices. Some students enjoy drama, while others prefer drawing or puppets. Here
are some additional ideas.
•• Act out the Biblical account. As your students “become” the people in the account, they can see how the situations recorded in the Bible are similar to
those that students face today.
•• Sing. Many students will remember a song longer than they remember the
words of a story. Songs help students remember Scriptural truths.
•• Pray. Start with short sentence prayers: “Thank You, God, for loving me.” “I
love You, Jesus. Please help me to tell my friends about You.”
Work together to find Biblical guidance for everyday living. Help your students find answers in God’s Word. How do I know what is right and what is
wrong? Where can I find the strength to choose right? Talk together about practical ways students can apply each lesson.
9
Motivating Desirable
Behavior
You want to do much more than enforce a set of rules. You want to teach and
encourage Christlike behavior—behavior that is patient, loving, kind, respectful
of others. When a student learns to respond to God’s Word, we call it Learning
That Lasts.
Create an atmosphere in which students thrive. Come early, ready to minister to the earliest students. Smile. Learn their names. Get to know them. Be
enthusiastic. Your words, actions, and attitude should show that you like students
and you enjoy VBS.
Be a positive role model. Be an example in word and deed. Change “Do as
I say, not as I do” to “Do as I say and as I do!” Students learn by example. Show
them that you think the lesson is important. If teachers are whispering during
the lesson, why shouldn’t the students? If teachers are attentive and enthusiastic,
students likely will be also.
State specifically how you expect students to act. Don’t assume newcomers
know what you consider appropriate behavior. “Walk when inside” helps them
know exactly what you do want them to do. If you say, “Don’t run,” there is still
a question of what is acceptable. Hopping? Skipping? Behavior expectations need to be realistic
for the age group.
Correct negative behavior quickly without attacking the person. “I want you to . . . ” is more effective in guiding them toward Christlike behavior
than “No. Don’t . . .”
Notice and praise students when they do
things right. Young people are naturally lively and
want attention. Don’t wait for them to do something wrong before you notice them.
Plan ahead. Think through potential trouble
spots. Discipline problems often occur when the
teacher is not prepared. Be ready to go with prayer
and an attention-grabber. Don’t expect students
to wait quietly while you rearrange chairs, set up
visuals, or go for forgotten supplies.
Keep your lessons exciting and relevant to
students’ lives. Use visuals and a variety of active learning methods. Boredom leads to trouble.
Students learn best when actively involved in the
learning. They may become restless if expected to
sit still for longer than their age and attention span
allow. This program was developed with young
people in mind. It offers a variety of studentoriented learning activities with each lesson.
10
11
Sharing the
Salvation Message
Always use the Bible when talking with a student about salvation. Even if
the student can’t read the words, look up the verses and read them aloud. This emphasizes that salvation is from God, not from you. By watching you use your Bible,
the student will learn that the Bible has the answers concerning eternal life.
The following questions will help you share the gospel one-on-one. Ask the
questions and let the student respond. It is unnecessary to use every question
with every student. Listen to the responses. Be sure the student understands the
gospel.
1. What would you like to talk with me about?
(This question lets you know the reason the student responded to the invitation or wanted to talk with you.)
2. Who is God? Does God love you? How do you know God loves you?
God is the great creator of the universe and us. The Bible tells us that God
loves every person in the world. God loves you and wants you in His family. He showed His love by sending His Son, Jesus, to earth to die for our
sins (Gen. 1:1; Rom. 5:8).
3. What is sin? Who has sinned?
Sin is disobeying God. It is doing what God told us not to do, or not doing
what God told us to do. Everyone has sinned (Rom. 3:23).
4. What does God say about sin? What is the punishment for sin?
God loves us, but sin separates us from Him. God hates sin. Sin must be
punished. The Bible says that the punishment for our sin is to be separated
from God forever (Rom. 6:23).
5. Can you take away your sin?
No, you cannot do anything on your own to take away your sin. Forgiveness
of sin is a free gift from God (Eph. 2:8, 9).
6. Who is Jesus? Did Jesus ever sin?
Jesus is God the Son, Who came to earth as a man and lived a perfect life
(Heb. 4:15).
7. What did Jesus do to take away your sin?
Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for your sin. Only Jesus
could take the punishment for your sin because He is the only man Who
had no sin of His own (1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21).
12
8. Did Jesus stay dead?
No, in three days He came back to life. He now lives in Heaven, preparing a
special place for all who believe in Him (1 Cor. 15:4; John 14:2, 3).
9. John 3:16 says we are to believe in Jesus. What does it mean to believe in
Jesus?
We need to believe Who Jesus is—the only Son of God, Who became a
man and lived a perfect life—and what Jesus did. He died on the cross to
take the punishment for our sin. He rose back to life the third day. We need
to accept His free gift of salvation by believing in Him (Rom. 6:23).
10. If you believe in Jesus, what will He do for you?
If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, He will take away all your sin; He will
give you everlasting life and make you His child so you can know and love
Him. God will take you to Heaven someday, where you will live forever
with the Lord Jesus ( John 1:12; 14:2, 3).
11. Would you like to believe in Jesus as your Savior right now? If you believed
in Jesus as your Savior, what did Jesus do for you?
If you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, you now have everlasting life.
Your sin has been forgiven. You are part of God’s family, and you can be
sure you will go to Heaven someday (Acts 16:31; John 5:24).
12. Jesus loves you and died to take the punishment for your sin. After you believe in Jesus, how can you show your love and thanks to Him?
You should love God and want to please Him. You can talk to God in
prayer. You can learn what He has to say to you by reading your Bible and
going to Sunday School and church to learn more about Him. When you
sin, you should confess that sin to Him. He will forgive you so you can be
happy with Him again (1 John 1:9). You can tell others this wonderful good
news about Jesus so they can know Him too (Matt. 28:19, 20).
13
Operation India:
Good News for Kids
2012 VBS Missions Offering
Director Tip
Stories and images
are available on the
Director’s Resource CD.
To learn more about
Operation India, visit
www.rbpVBS.org or www.
GARBCinternational.org.
Did you eat dinner last night? Thousands of boys and girls in India go to bed
hungry and don’t get to go to school. Many of them live in orphanages or on the
streets. They have no money, no knowledge of the one true God, and no hope for
the future. These children need to learn about Jesus and His power to forgive sins
and change lives. And we can help them do that!
This year’s VBS missions project is called Operation India: Good News for
Kids. Your offerings will be used to reach children all over India through Sunday
School, VBS, and Christian orphanages and schools.
Pastor Mohan Kumar and his wife, Padma, run two orphanages and a Bible
college. They also travel throughout India to hold VBS camps all year long! Their
goal is to reach ten thousand children and to train two hundred VBS workers a
year. Producing enough materials for that many children is a financial challenge.
Your donation can help provide the Kumars with curriculum and help them train
teachers to share the good news with countless kids!
In northeast India, Berean Baptist Academy and Hope Baptist School provide Christian education to hundreds of children, mostly from Hindu families,
while caring for many orphans who live at the schools. Books, clothing, food, and
medicines are daily needs that your donation will help supply!
Pastor Pandu Madalla is ministering to unsaved children at the poorest level
of Indian society in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. As Pastor Madalla provides
basic life needs and school supplies to the children, he prays for their salvation.
We can join him with our prayers and gifts!
Here’s your opportunity to inspire VBS students to take part in what God
is doing in India. Display the “Operation India: Good News for Kids” missions
poster. Show the pictures and read the stories from the Director’s Resource CD
about the Indian children whose lives have been transformed by the gospel. Let
your students know that their prayers and offerings for this VBS project will help
children in India learn
about Jesus as their
Savior and have real
hope for the future.
Please send your offering to:
International Partnership
of Fundamental Baptist Ministries
Operation India
1300 N. Meacham Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173‑4806
14
Decorating Your Classroom
Family Photo Corner
You’ve watched parents drop off their kids for VBS and return to pick them
up at closing time. Now here’s an idea for getting parents out of their cars and
into your church! Set up a photo corner.
Use the BugZone backdrop or scene setters (30795, 30818) to create a great
photographer’s background. Use the instructions on the Decorating CD (30702)
to make a tree from wood grain paper and green balloons. Suspend butterfly
inflatables (30793) and hang butterfly punch-outs (30798), butterfly cutouts
(30799), and jumbo tissue butterflies (30800) from the ceiling.
Make large bugs by projecting clip art onto large sheets of cardboard or plywood. Paint your bugs. Cut a face hole so students can be photographed with
their faces showing through the hole. Attach stands to the back so the bugs will
stand up.
Provide butterfly nets (30774), BugZone magnifiers (30815), and mammoth
insects (30771) for students to hold. Invite parents to bring their cameras and
photograph their students. Encourage students to get their pictures taken with
the BugZone puppet, Bugzi (30749).
Have friendly church members on hand to greet your guests and distribute
information on your church’s services. Offer to show each visitor the classrooms
where their family members would attend Sunday School.
15
1
2
3
4
8
BugZone Director’s
Resource CD and Decorating CD
(30702)
16
1. Posters
•• Display the BugZone theme poster (30720),
salvation poster (30736), and Operation
India poster (30766).
•• Display the 58" x 80" backdrop (30703).
•• Get a large supply of jumbo 22" x 34" theme
posters (30721) and sets of five BugZone
posters (30722). Each student will want a
poster to take home.
•• Watch for bug posters at teacher stores and
on Internet sites.
2. Doorways
•• Over each doorway hang a 3' x 6' BugZone
banner (30727) or add a sign—“BugZone”
or “Transformed by Our Big God.”
•• Purchase a green glitter curtain at a party
store. Cut in an arch shape so it falls just
above the head height of your students, or
let it dangle to the floor.
3. Bulletin Boards
•• Outline the bulletin board with a butterflies
border (30794).
•• Add BugZone clip art, posters, decorations.
4. Science Centers
•• Set up a science center. Decorate a table with
a green raffia table skirt and silk vines. Plan
to include the butterfly garden (30816) and
one or two reversible caterpillar to butterflies
(30814). Station a teacher nearby.
•• Set out BugZone magnifiers (30815), bug
containers, bug catchers (30775), and BugZone bugs (30770). Place butterfly nets
(30774) nearby.
•• Provide jumbo bug stickers (30781) for students to attach to their clothing.
•• Add camp chairs or tree stumps for seating.
5. Giant Wall Mural
•• Attach rolls of paper to the wall to create a
giant wall mural.
•• Using BugZone clip art, make, color, and attach bugs and other clip art. Use cute cartoon
clip art for young children. Use the lifelike
clip art for older students.
•• Attach BugZone bugs (30770), mammoth
insects (30771), butterflies (30768), and caterpillars (30769).
6
5
4
7
•• Suspend from the ceiling butterfly inflatables
(30793) to dangle in front of your mural.
•• Hang butterfly punch-outs (30798), butterfly cutouts (30799), and jumbo tissue butterflies (30800) from the ceiling.
•• Stand ladybug inflatables (30792) in front
of your mural.
6. Walls
•• Attach the lower scene setter of grass
(30795) and the upper scene setter of sky
(30818) to the wall.
•• Dangle butterfly inflatables (30793). Add
BugZone clip art and BugZone friends cutouts (30797), butterfly punch-outs (30798),
butterfly cutouts (30799), and jumbo tissue
butterflies (30800).
•• Extend your scene into the room. Cut tall
poster board grass shapes and attach a stand.
Lay a brown or green length of fabric on the
ground and add ladybug inflatables (30792),
mammoth insects (30771), and the Just
Buggy! 3-D bug set (30791).
7. BugZone Accessories
•• Your classroom needs its own Bugzi puppet. Bugzi comes as a set of two puppets—a
caterpillar and a butterfly (30749)! Kids will
love him.
•• Encourage students and workers to wear
BugZone buttons (30742).
•• Store supplies in BugZone backpacks
(30739). Fill a BugZone backpack with fun
items students can interact with: mammoth
insects (30771), bug-eyed bugs (30779), and
wind-up flipping ladybugs (30772).
8. Balloons, Balloons, Balloons
•• Make giant balloon flowers and bugs.
•• Group white balloons; dangle as clouds.
•• For balloon sculpture ideas, see the Decorating CD. YouTube.com has wonderful
instructions for making a variety of balloon
flowers and bugs.
•• Check the Director’s Resource CD to find
more decorating information and step-bystep instructions.
Order these and more
decorations at
www.rbpVBS.org
or 1-800-727-4440.
17
Clip Art
18
Clip art may be photocopied for local church use.
More clip art is available on the Director’s Resource CD.
19
Using Reproducible
Certificates
Use these certificates to recognize and encourage each student. Recognize good behavior, Scripture
memory, listening, kindness, friendliness, following directions, and smiling! Copy the certificates onto
colorful paper. Present the certificate to the student in a public manner—for example, in the classroom or
during the closing assembly. Let everyone at the program know what a great job the student has done!
Be sure to honor each of your students. When you reward a student, place a mark next to the student’s
name on the attendance chart. This record will help you keep track of who has received a certificate and
whom you need to catch being good. Even the most difficult child can be caught smiling. Often when a
student receives a certificate and a smile from a teacher, his or her attitude and behavior change for the
better.
Your workers may enjoy receiving the certificates too! The children will have fun giving you awards. Share
a certificate and a smile with everyone.
© RBP • This page may be photocopied for class use only.
20
© RBP • This page may be photocopied for class use only.
© RBP • This page may be photocopied for class use only.
21
22
Changed: Joshua
Num. 13; 14; Deut. 31:6–8; Josh. 1:1–11; 3
1
Memory Verse
“Have not I commanded
thee? Be strong and of a
good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is
with thee whithersoever
thou goest” ( Josh. 1:9).
Topic
Courage and strength
Theme
God’s presence and power give us courage and
strength to obey Him.
Desired Student Response
Each student will practice making obedient choices
in a variety of circumstances.
WELCOME
Select one of the following activities to start your session.
•
Smile, greet, and get
to know each student.
•
Make sure you have a
completed registration
card (30208) for each
student.
•
Distribute nametags
(30733) and BugZone
passes (30734).
Option 1: Science Station—Weight, Weight, Don’t Tell Me!
Materials
•• Leaves; clear jar with lid; food scale; scale; whiteboard and marker; grasshopper or plastic grasshopper from BugZone bugs (30770); paper; pencil.
ACTIVITY:
Before class:
1. Place some leaves in a clear jar. Poke air holes in the lid.
2. Weigh the jar and write its weight on the whiteboard.
3. Place the live or plastic grasshopper in the jar.
During class:
1. Invite a student to weigh the jar containing the grasshopper and subtract that
weight from the weight of the jar.
2. Weigh an adult volunteer and a student volunteer and have a student record
the weights on the whiteboard.
3. Discuss the comparison between the grasshopper’s size and weight and that
of a person.
Even the smallest person is large compared to a grasshopper. Yet even the
biggest person is tiny compared to God! We don’t have to be afraid of anyone
if we have God on our side. God’s presence and power will give us courage and
strength to obey Him.
Materials
Option 2: I Spy a Bug!
•• Mammoth insects (30771).
Before class: Hide mammoth insects where students can look through their
“binoculars” and find them fairly easily.
ACTIVITY: Show students how to cup their hands around their eyes as if
looking through binoculars. Encourage students to take turns describing
the bugs they spy. Ask the other students to raise their hands if they think
they saw the same bug. ASK: What is a spy?
Your mission was to look through your spy binoculars and tell the class about
any bugs hiding in this room. Spies are sent on a secret mission to find information about something or someone and then tell what they learned. In our lesson
today, we are going to hear about twelve spies who were sent on a very important
mission.
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Option 3: Lions and Tiger and Bears! Oh My!
Materials
•• Large box containing a stuffed animal (preferably a lion, bear, or other wild,
frightening animal); rope.
1
ACTIVITY: Tell the following story of being chased by a dangerous animal.
(Use in your story the same type of animal as the stuffed animal in the box.)
Speak quickly, acting fearful and frantic—overdoing it to produce laughter
and not fear. At the appropriate time, open the box.
I’m going to tell you a story. When I’m done, you tell me whether you think
it was a true story.
I was taking a walk when . . . suddenly I was chased by a huge lion. I ran and
ran. I jumped over fallen trees, tripped over a rock, ran through a stream. The lion
was roaring and getting closer and closer. Finally I climbed a tree and crawled out
onto a branch. When the lion ran past, I captured him with my rope.
ASK: Do you think my story is true?
I brought that lion with me today. Do you want to see him? Take a look.
ASK: Can you believe he almost got me? He is so big and scary, isn’t he?
No, I guess you’re right. He’s not as big as I said he was, is he?
Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t seem safe or easy. We are afraid, and
our problems look much bigger than they really are. We forget that God can help
us. This lion story is not a true story. But now we are going to hear a true story
from the Bible. We will learn about some people who didn’t think about God’s
promises to them and that He was always there to help them. They looked only
at the danger—and then they didn’t have the courage to obey God!
INTRODUCTION
Master Says
ACTIVITY: Play a game of Master Says. Tell students they must do what
their master (the teacher) says when the command is preceded by the words
“Master says.” Students who do a command without first hearing “Master
says” must sit down. Give commands rapid-fire: “Master says touch your
nose,” “Master says jump up and down,” “wave your arms,” and other actions
with and without “Master says.”
In today’s lesson, we’ll learn about a man who changed from being a slave in
Egypt to being the courageous leader who led the Israelites into the Promised
Land.
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EXPLORE THE BIBLE!
Materials
•• Lesson 1 visual book (30707) and/or PowerPoint visuals from the Director’s
Resource CD (30702); box; two dowel or curtain rods; gold spray paint;
blue fabric; poster board cloud; grasshopper from BugZone bugs (30770);
2 blue tarps.
Before class: Spray paint a large box and two dowel rods (at least two feet longer
than the box) with gold paint. Push the dowels through the box so it can be carried. Cover the box with blue fabric.
ASK: What is a slave?
Joshua was a slave in Egypt—forced to work hard without pay. God sent
Moses to lead His people, the Israelites, out of slavery. What an exciting day when
Joshua and other Israelites followed Moses out of Egypt! They headed across a
dry, dusty wilderness on their way to the land God had promised them. God led
the people with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.
DISPLAY: Show visual picture 1 or PowerPoint visual 1. ACTIVITY: Guide
students to pretend to be Israelites, walking day after day. The cloud reminds
you that God is with you. When the cloud stops, set up camp, and go to
sleep. When the cloud moves, pack up camp and start walking again. Finally,
after a long time, you are almost there—God’s Promised Land!
Lesson 1 Visual 1
Moses sent twelve men on a secret mission to find out what the land was like.
Two of those spies were named Joshua and Caleb.
ACTIVITY: Guide students to pantomime as you teach—tiptoe, look, point,
act excited and then scared, and return to camp. As the spies report, pantomime alternating the fear and crying of the people and the bold urging
of Joshua and Caleb.
A spy doesn’t want people to know he is there. Let’s be very quiet. Look! A
green field! Trees! A river! Wow! This is a good land! The spies cut down a huge
bunch of grapes to show the people. The bunch of grapes was so big it took two
men to carry them.
Uh-oh! Look at those big people! Giants! They look much bigger than us!
When the spies got back, everyone wanted to know what they found in God’s
Promised Land. “What’s it like? What did you see?”
DISPLAY: Show visual picture 2 or PowerPoint visual 2. Point out the
grapes.
Lesson 1 Visual 2
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“Well,” said ten spies, “we have good news and bad news. It’s a wonderful land.
Look at the incredible fruit we brought back. But the bad news is—we saw big,
strong giants! They make us look like little, tiny grasshoppers!”
1
DISPLAY: Show the grasshopper. ASK: How big would those giants have
to be if normal humans were the size of a grasshopper compared to them?
Do you think the spies were afraid and exaggerating? Because they were
thinking about the problem instead of their great God, the problems seemed
bigger than what they really were.
The Israelites began to cry. “Oh no. What will we do?”
“Stop!” cried Joshua and Caleb. “Giants are no match for God! God promised
this land to us. God said to be strong and have courage. Let’s go!”
But the people would not listen. They cried and cried. They even wanted to go
back to Egypt and be slaves again! What were they thinking? They did not have
courage. They did not trust God. They chose to focus on the problem instead of
on their great and powerful God and what He told them to do.
“Please listen,” begged Joshua. “Don’t sin against God. Obey Him. Trust Him.
The Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid. Have courage.” But the people would not
listen. They disobeyed. They sinned.
The Bible says that we all sin. “Sin” is the Bible word for the wrong things that
we think, do, and say. We want our own way. We don’t obey. God loves us, but
He must punish sin.
God loved His people, but He knew they were not ready to go into the Promised Land. God made the Israelites wander around the wilderness for forty years.
Before Moses died, he called all the people together and told them God had
chosen Joshua to be the new leader of His people.
DISPLAY: Show visual picture 3 or PowerPoint visual 3. ASK: Why do
you think God chose Joshua to be the new leader? (Joshua had obeyed God
and wanted to go into the land. Joshua was a courageous leader.)
Finally God said it was time to go into the Promised Land. God told Joshua
to obey Him and be strong and courageous. Imagine how excited you would be
if you had waited a long time and now it was time to go into the Promised Land!
But first the people would have to cross the Jordan River. The people couldn’t
wade across the river. They couldn’t swim across.
Lesson 1 Visual 3
ASK: Do you think the people will be afraid and disobey this time? Or will
they have courage and remember to trust and obey God? Let’s find out.
Joshua told the people that when they saw the priests walk by, carrying the ark
of the covenant, they should follow. As soon as the priests’ feet touched the water,
God would make the water pile up in a big heap so they could walk across.
The ark of the covenant was a special gold box that was usually in a tent called
the tabernacle. It reminded the people that God was always with them. When the
ark of the covenant was outside the tabernacle, it was covered with a blue cloth.
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ACTIVITY: Lay the tarps side by side. Guide four volunteers to carry the ark
by its rods and stand where the two tarps come together. At the appropriate time, pull the tarps apart, revealing a path between. Guide students to
stand and follow the ark of the covenant. Guide their responses by showing
your excitement at what is happening. DISPLAY: Show visual picture 4 or
PowerPoint visual 4.
Lesson 1 Visual 4
When the priests carried the ark toward the river, the people followed. And
what do you think happened as the priests’ feet touched the river? Yes! It happened
just like God said it would. Upstream, the waters piled up in a giant heap. God
made the river stop flowing! Only a powerful God could do such a miracle! The
people walked across the river on dry ground. The people obeyed! We need to be
like Joshua. We need to trust that God is always with us. Knowing that God is
with us can give us the courage to obey and make wise choices.
DECISION TIME
Materials
•• Bibles; salvation poster (30736).
Do you believe that God is greater than anything or anyone else? Here at
BugZone you can hear what God’s Word says about sin and Who Jesus is. Today
you can choose to trust Jesus, Who will never leave you.
ACTIVITY: Use the salvation poster to present the gospel. Ask students to
bow their heads and close their eyes. Invite students who want to learn more
about salvation to look up at you. Assign workers to responding students.
If you have already asked Jesus to be your Savior, then you are a child of God
and should obey Him. If you are already a child of God, how do you show it?
Jesus wants you to live so that others will know you are part of His family. Do you
need to ask your mom or dad for forgiveness for not obeying them? Do you need
to stop doing something you know is disobeying God? Do you need to share the
great news about Jesus with someone? Believe that God will give you the strength
and courage to obey Him and do it today!
DISCOVER!
Materials
Option 1: Creepy Bug Contest
•• Enlarged photos of scary-looking insects, including the Goliath beetle and
giant water bug.
DISPLAY: Display enlarged pictures of insects and have students vote for
the creepiest-looking bug.
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Just as creepy bugs might scare us, the Israelites were scared of the giants in
the land. They didn’t get to go into the Promised Land because they didn’t trust
God to help them.
Materials
1
Option 2: Crossing the Jordan Role-Play
•• 2 blue tarps; ark from Explore the Bible.
Assign one Joshua and four priests to carry the ark. The rest of the class will be
Israelites. Lay the tarps, end to end, on the floor. Guide students to gather at the
river—making sure they have all their belongings, family members, and animals.
Pull one tarp away as if it is water going downstream, and rumple up the other
one in a heap. Guide the students to express that they will be brave and do what
God told them to do, to express amazement at crossing on dry ground, and to
express how strong and wonderful God is.
SCRIPTURE MEMORY
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou
goest” ( Josh. 1:9).
Is God asking us not to be afraid? No. He is commanding or telling us. If you
are God’s child, God promises to be with you. He can give us the strength and
courage to obey Him.
Joshua 1:9 (Form open book.)
“Have not I (Point up.)
commanded thee? (Shake pointer finger.)
Be strong (Make muscles.)
and of a good courage; (Stand up straight and tall.)
be not afraid, (Look afraid, then stand tall.)
neither be (Shake head no.)
thou dismayed: (Put face between hands; look sad.)
for the Lord thy God (Point up.)
is with thee (Point to the children.)
whithersoever thou goest.” (Walk in place.)
Materials
Option 1: Bug Zapper
•• BugZone clip art; marker; butterfly net (30774).
Before class: Write one word from the verse on each clip art bug.
Display bugs in the same order as in the memory verse. Recite the verse together several times. Invite a student to remove one bug and place it into the
butterfly net. Recite the verse. Continue until all of the bugs have been “zapped”
and the students know the verse.
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Materials
Option 2: Commander Says
•• Whistle.
Tell students they must follow orders and do what their commander says when
the command is preceded by the words “Commander says.” Give commands
rapid-fire in an authoritative voice. “Commander says march in place.” “Commander says jump up and down.” “Wave your arms.”
Blow your whistle, and in a commanding voice instruct the students to stand
and repeat after you. Say the first phrase of the verse and have them repeat it.
In best drill sergeant manner, inform them that you can’t hear them. After they
repeat, inform them that you still can’t hear them. Repeat phrase by phrase.
ASK: Who is our commander? What does God tell us to do? Will knowing
that God is with you help you be courageous and obey Him?
APPLY IT NOW!
Option 1: Be Strong! Have Courage! Obey!
Encourage students to think of situations when it might be hard to do what
God wants them to do. Idea starters could include watching a DVD (or listening
to music) students know they shouldn’t watch (or listen to) but that peers want
them to enjoy, and deciding whether to be “loyal” to a group of friends or to stand
against them if the group is snubbing other people or planning to do wrong.
ASK: How can you be brave and obey God at home? at school? at church?
with friends? Can you think of something hard that God can help you do?
Obey right away? Be kind to someone who has not been kind to you? Help
a friend? Is it sometimes hard to obey? Should you obey anyway? Why?
(God’s power can help us obey.) How can learning today’s Bible verse help?
God can help you be brave and make good choices that please Him.
Option 2: Show Me How to Obey
After talking through situations in option 1, invite groups of students to act
out possible ways of obeying in each scenario.
GAMES
(Director’s Guide)
•Caterpillar Race
•Butterfly Catcher Freeze Tag
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SNACKS
(Director’s Guide)
•Joshua Clusters
•“Hit the Trail” Mix
•Milky and Honey
•“Be Strong!” Snack
CRAFTS
(Craft Book Ideas)
•Bug Sun Catcher
•Bug Buzzer
•Bug Mask
•Critter Catcher
•Grasshopper Magnet