Colored Sand Tomb Scene

Wednesday:	Colored Sand Tomb Scene
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• paper
• colored sand

Preparation: Colored Sand

While it is possible to dye actual sand, it is generally easier to use salt, and results in stronger colors. Add small amounts of food coloring to a container of the salt and stir until the color is evenly distributed.

Instructions:

Provide the teen with a sheet of paper each, glue, and an assortment of colors of colored sand. Have them create an empty-tomb scene in colored sand by brushing glue onto the portions of the page where each color will go in turn, then sprinkling the colored sand on the glue.

Basket of Fish and Bread

Wednesday:	Basket of Fish and Bread
Bible Lesson:	Feeding the Big Crowd

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• molding dough (see recipe)
• paper basket pattern

Instructions:

Provide each child with a quantity of molding dough, let them play with it for a couple of minutes to get a feel for it, and then show them how to shape it into small bread loaves and fish. Have each child divide up their dough into seven parts and make five loaves and two fish.

Provide a photocopied cut-and-fold basket pattern. If there is time, they can color the basket before being assisted with cutting it out and folding and taping it together.

Place each child's fish and bread in their basket.

Sponge-Painted Tomb Scene

Wednesday:	Sponge-Painted Tomb Scene
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• paper
• paint
• bits of sponge

Instructions:

Each child receives a sheet of paper. Provide small dishes of paint and pieces of cut sponge. Have them paint an empty-tomb scene by dipping the sponge pieces into the paint and stamping them on the paper.

You might want to provide them with an example to look at.

Sign of Jonah Craft (teen)

Tuesday:	Sign of Jonah
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• squares of yellow posterboard
• sticks (paint stirsticks or dowels)
• fishing line
• poster paints (for the whale)
• construction-paper
  • blue daytime sky
  • black night sky
  • yellow suns (3 per)
  • white moons (3 per)

Instructions:

Each teen gets a square of yellow posterboard, which will be angled at 45 degrees to resemble a roadsign. On one side, have them draw and paint a whale silhouette. On the flip side, the diamond should be divided vertically down the middle: to the left side blue black construction paper, and to the right side light blue. On the black half, glue three construction-paper moons, and on the blue side three construction-paper suns.

Using fishing line, have them hang the sign from the middle of a stick (paint stirstick, dowel, etc). When hanging the sign should rotate freely to show both sides.

Sign of Jonah Craft (elementary)

Tuesday:	Sign of Jonah
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• squares of white posterboard
• sticks (paint stirsticks or dowels)
• poster paints (lots of yellow)
• black construction-paper figures
  • whale
  • numeral 3
  • empty tomb with stone rolled aside

Instructions:

Each child gets a square of posterboard and a stick to mount it on (paint stirstick, dowel, etc). The square, when turned at a 45-degree angle, resembles a diamond-shaped roadsign. The children paint the sign yellow, stick it on the stick (like a roadsign is mounted on a post), and stick black cutout construction-paper figures on it to make a sign of Jonah. The black figures on the sign may include a whale silhouette, the numeral 3, or a grave with the stone rolled aside. The sign means that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so also Jesus was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Molding Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 3 TBSP cooking oil
• 3 TBSP cream of tartar
• 2 tsp food coloring
• 2 cups boiling water

Mix flour, salt, and oil in a bowl. Mix food coloring into boiling water. Add boiling water to dry ingredients. Mix very well until lumps are formed. Cool down. Knead until smooth.

Store in airtight containers. Supposedly it'll last up to 6 months when stored in a cool place (but don't freeze it). Makes enough for 4 children.

Fishing for Christ Snacks

Okay, a couple of these don't correlate with the elementary and teen lessons (suggestions welcome), but here are the snacks we are using for the Fishing for Christ theme.

Monday:	Fish Cookies
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16
Preschool Bible Lesson:	The Coin in the Fish's Mouth

Snack: Fish Cookies

Make cutout cookies using a fish-shaped cookie cutter. Frost if desired. Serve with punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

The first fish Peter caught had a coin in its mouth, just like Jesus said.

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Tuesday:	Cross Cookies
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Jonah: Obey God

Snack:

Make cutout cookies using a fish-shaped cookie cutter. Frost if desired. Serve with punch. For preschool, use red punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin.

Preschool: The cross shape and the red punch fit with the wordless book lesson (red page): Jesus died on a cross so that we could be forgiven.

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Wednesday:	Banana Bread
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Feeding the Big Crowd

Snack:

Serve banana bread and punch. (It is best to use a banana bread recipe that does not involve nuts. A large percentage of young children don't like them, and then you have the risk someone will be allergic.)

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: The snack itself does not correlate with the lesson, but review the lesson or the memory verse while they eat.

Preschool: Jesus fed thousands of people from the five little bread loaves (and two small fish), and there was more bread left over after they all ate than when he started!

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Thursday:	Goldfish Crackers
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Following God (Fishing All Night)
Memory Verse:	2nd John 1:6
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fish in the Net

Snack:

Serve fish-shaped crackers, and punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

How many fish were there in the disciples' net when they counted them? 153 large fish!

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Friday:	Cupcakes
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Cupcakes
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men

Snack:

Serve cupcakes and punch. The preschool cupcakes should have green icing. For the older groups, the color doesn't matter.

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: The snack itself does not correlate with the lesson, but review the lesson or the memory verse while they eat.

Preschool: The green icing goes with the wordless book lesson (green page): we grow in Jesus when we come to church, pray, listen to the Bible, etc.

Don't Break the Rod

Indoor Game:	Don't Break the Rod

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• chairs
• toilet paper
• toy pool nets (one per team)
• buckets (one per team)
• small wading pool
• foam packing peanuts
• fish (you can use the fish sponges)

Instructions:

Set up the pool full of packing peanuts (in lieu of water) and fish at one end of the room. Divide the group into equal teams and line them up at the other end of the room. Each team must line up single-file starting next to their bucket.

Each team receives a connected strand of toilet paper containing one square for each team member. This is their fishing rod, which they must not break. Each team member must hold onto one of the squares, so that the entire team is holding the rod, and the person at the front of the line carries the net.

When the starting whistle is blown, the team must make its way across the room to the fish pool, retrieve one fish (but no packing peanuts) using the net, then return to their bucket and deposit the fish there. They may then pass the net to the next team member and go back for the next fish.

If at any time a team's rod breaks (i.e., the toilet paper tears), they must stop, return any fish they may be carrying to the pool, and go back to their bucket. They will then be issued a new rod and may start again.

Play until time expires or the fish run out. The team with the most fish wins.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Fishermen's Relay

Friday:	Fishermen's Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• fish (you can use the same sponge fish from earlier in the week)
• toy pool nets (2)
• small plastic pool
• optional: fill the pool with water (outdoors) or packing peanuts (indoors)
• fisherman gear (in pairs, essentially identical items for each team)
  suggestions:
  • fisherman's boots (hip waders or galoshes)
  • fisherman's hat (can be decorated with bobbers)
  • oversized jacket
  • life jacket
  • bug spray (water in a reusable spray bottle; they can spray a little on themselves and leave the bottle behind)
  • sunscreen
  • stringer (on a belt)
  • tackle box
  • lunch cooler
  • rod and reel, or cane pole
  • bucket for the fish
  • bait
  • oar
  • inflatable raft

Instructions:

Divide the group into teams of equal size. Various articles of clothing and (non-sharp) fishing paraphernalia are available for each team. Each team member in turn must don all the fisherman stuff, run down to the pool of fish, fish out one fish (using a hand-held net, like a toy pool net), return with it, and take off all the fisherman stuff so the next team member can do the same thing.

You will want to vary the amount and type of gear according to age group. For the preschool, limit the carried items to one small item (plus the net), and skip the more complex worn items. For teens, load them up with as many large and/or awkward items as possible, and don't spare the hip waders.

If your group is large, you can divide into more than two teams, but you need as many of each piece of fisherman gear as there are teams, e.g., for four teams you need four sets of boots, four tackle boxes, etc. For a very small group, use just one set of stuff and time each person with a stopwatch to see who can get the best time.