Skit #3 for Following the Footsteps

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 3

Heather:	[Enter] Okay, I'm all set now. I'm going to follow in the footsteps... [walk slowly toward stage while speaking...] the footsteps of Ezra... I want to do the same things Ezra did... Ezra had a platform to stand on, and read the Bible. Now let me see... What can I do that's like that? I could say my memory verse from last night, but what about the platform? I know, I'll use the stage! Here I go! I'm going to follow in Ezra's footsteps.
[Heather gets up on the stage and starts saying the verse. Johnny interrupts about halfway through.]
Johnny:	[Enter] Hey, Heather, what are you doing up there?
Heather:	I'm following in Ezra's footsteps. See? I'm using this stage as a platform, and I'm saying my memory verse, which is from the Bible.
Johnny:	Well, learning your memory verse is a good way to follow in Ezra's footsteps, but why are you up on the stage?
Heather:	What, isn't it good enough? Isn't the stage like Ezra's platform?
Johnny:	What do you need a platform for?
Heather:	Well, Ezra used a platform. I'm following in his footsteps.
Johnny:	Ezra used a platform because otherwise all the people wouldn't have been able to hear, and they wouldn't have known what God's word said. They didn't all have their own copies of the Bible. These people [gesture toward audience] have their own copies of the Bible. So I don't think the platform is the most important thing about Ezra's footsteps.
Heather:	Well, then, how am I supposed to follow in the footsteps?
Johnny:	What did the people do once Ezra had read the Bible to them?
Heather:	Well, they did what it said... Oh, I get it. If I'm going to follow in the footsteps, I have to do what the person did. To follow in the footsteps of Ezra, I have to do what the Bible says.
Johnny:	Right.
Heather:	Okay, so how do I know what to do?
Johnny:	Keep coming to Bible school, and to church, and study your Bible at home. You'll learn all kinds of things that you can be doing. Then you can really follow in the footsteps.
Heather:	Wow! And I won't even need a platform!

Skit #2 for Following the Footsteps

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 2

	[Heather enters]
Heather:	Alright, I'm all set to follow the footsteps, just as soon as I figure out where they go. Now let's see... yesterday we talked about Caleb and Joshua leaving footsteps. Now, where did they go again? Let me think...
Johnny:	[Enters] Hey, Heather, how's it going?
Heather:	Didn't Caleb and Joshua go into the promised land?
Johnny:	Well, yes...
Heather:	Okay, I'm all set. So, which way is that from here anyway? Is the promised land [pointing] this way?
Johnny:	Umm, why do you need to know?
Heather:	Because, I'm gonna follow the footsteps Caleb and Joshua left for us. I don't need to see their footprints, because we studied in last night's Bible lesson about where they went. I know they went to the promised land, so I figure their footsteps must lead there. So as soon as I figure out which way that is, I'll go follow...
Johnny:	I don't think you understood. We weren't talking about going to a place where they went. When we talked about following the footsteps of Caleb and Joshua, we were talking about emulating how they lived, and what they did.
Heather:	Well, how will that tell me which way to go? How am I supposed to get to wherever it is I'm supposed to be going, if I don't know which way they went? Can't we just program it into my GPS?
Johnny:	Heather, you're not listening. We don't need to go where they went. What we need to do is act the way they acted, the way God wants us to act. We're supposed to be learning to follow their example. That's why God gave it to us in the Bible, so we can learn how to act.
Heather:	So you mean I don't need my hiking boots and my GPS? Whew, that's a relief. I bet the promised land is a long way from here anyway. It would probably take me all day to walk there.
Johnny:	Actually, I think it's across the ocean, so you couldn't walk there from here anyhow.
Heather:	Across the ocean? That would really take me a long time! I'd miss Bible school for sure!
Johnny:	Oh, you don't want to miss Bible school tonight. We're going to learn about somebody else whose footsteps we can follow.
Heather:	Okay, I'm ready!

Skit #1 for Following the Foosteps

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 1

	[Heather enters, bent over and looking at the floor.]
Heather:	I can't find any footsteps here. [Look under a pew.] Boys and girls, did any of you see any footsteps? [Looks behind the piano, etc.] I came here to follow the footsteps, but I don't see any! What am I going to do? Oh, now what? Woe is me, ...
	[Johnny enters]
Johnny:	What are you doing, Heather?
Heather:	Well, I was going to follow the footsteps, but I can't find any!
Johnny:	You can't find any? But we're going to learn about them tonight!
Heather:	You mean, I have to learn how to find them? I thought this was going to be easy. Footsteps, you know, [point to ground] you see them, and then you [making exaggerated stepping motions] step in the same places.
Johnny:	I don't think that's what they mean by following the footsteps.
Heather:	Sure it is! When it snowed last winter, I followed in my dad's footsteps, so I wouldn't get any snow in my boots. It's like that.
Johnny:	Well, these footsteps that we're talking about at Bible school are from people who lived thousands of years ago.
Heather:	Thousands of years? Wouldn't the snow have melted by now? Wouldn't the footsteps be gone?
Johnny:	Well, yes, but it's a figure of speech. Their physical footprints are gone, but we can still follow in their footsteps by following their good example. Following in the footsteps means behaving like they behaved, doing the kinds of things they did.
Heather:	I don't get it. How can I follow footsteps I can't see?
Johnny:	Don't worry. Just wait until the Bible teacher comes, and we're going to learn all about the footsteps that we can follow.

Prayer Can

Thursday:	Prayer Can
Elementary Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	from James 5:16
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• plastic frozen juice cans (or Crystal Light cans, or any other plastic cans)
• paper, with the word Pray in big bubble letters photocopied on it, the appropriate height from the bottom of the paper, so that it will be centered vertically on the can. The length of the paper should also be trimmed if necessary so that it doesn't wrap too far around and cover up the word.
• ribbon, glitter, etc.

Instructions:

First, let them color the word "prayer" and, if there's time, the background of the paper.

Next, spread glue on the outside of the can, or roll the can in glue, stand it upright, and wrap the paper around the can, with the bottom edge of the paper against the table. Spread the paper as smoothly as possible, limiting wrinkles to a minimum.

Finally, if there is time, they can glue ribbon around the top and bottom edges, add glitter, or decorate the can in some additional manner.

Sukkot Shelters

Tuesday:	Sukkot Shelters
Elementary Lesson:	Do What It Says (Ezra reading from the book of the law): We should study God's word and obey it.
Memory Verse:	James 1:22
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• empty check boxes (one box or lid per child, they don't need both)
• twigs
• squares of corrugated cardboard

Instructions:

Each child gets one cardboard base (which represents the ground), and one check box or lid. (If you have enough of the boxes that you don't have to use the colored lids, that might be even better)

On the long side of the box (or lid), find the midpoint, and make a short there from the opening to the edge of the closed back. (The closed back is the top of the lid or bottom of the box). Do the same on the other long edge. Now fold the box (or lid) along the middle, to approximately a ninety-degree angle. Crease the fold, then glue the flaps together and hold or pinch them, so that that the box stays in this folded shape until the glue dries.

Now glue the box to the cardboard, open side down, with the peaked roof (crease) up, resembling a tent. Spread additional glue on the box surface and place twigs thereupon, so that it looks like the whole thing is made out of sticks. (Remind them that the Israelites did not have boxes to glue their sticks to: they had to build the entire shelter out of the sticks, big enough to live in for a week.)

Footprint Placemat

Monday:	Footsteps Placemat
Elementary Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua): We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	1st John 2:5
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• heavy paper (preferably 11x17)
• writing and coloring utensils
• clear Contact paper

Instructions:

Each child gets one sheet of the paper. Show them how to center their foot on the paper so that the whole foot is on the paper. Have them get with a partner and trace one another's feet (or you can have them trace their own, especially in the older age groups; for preschool, an adult can help). Allow the older children to add toenails and other details.

Once the shape is traced, let them color in the foot shape. The older age groups should write the day's memory verse on the placemat, either around the edge or in the footprint. (Lines may need to be drawn for the younger children to write on.) If they like, and have space and time, they can also emblazon the Follow the Footsteps slogan on the placemat.

Help them laminate their placemats with the clear Contact paper. (It may be enough to laminate the front side and folder over the edges.)

Gather and Sort the Balls

Friday:	Gather & Sort the Balls
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

• preschool

Equipment Needed:

• plastic balls
• wading pool
• buckets, in the same colors as the balls
• weight to hold down the buckets (e.g., gravel or bags of sand)

Preparation:

Put about three inches of water in the bottom of the wading pool. Weight four buckets (red, green, yellow, and blue) enough to hold them down, and set them in the pool. Scatter 30-50 plastic balls (in the same colors) all over the yard.

Instructions:

Have the children find one ball at a time, bring it, and try to throw it into the correct bucket, without stepping into the pool. If they miss, have them go get another ball and try again. If they make it, clap and cheer, and send them for another ball. Yay!

Footsteps of Service Game

Friday:	Footsteps of Service
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service: we should serve God by serving others.
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• clothesline
• clothespins
• 3x5 cards with service activities written on them, in two categories
• buckets (labeled)
• chairs
• blindfolds
• extra shoes (decoys)

Preparation:

Hang the service cards on a line with clothespins, near where the kids will be. Set up two sets of buckets or containers for them to sort the cards into, with the labels facing the kids. These can be arbitrarily far apart, depending on how far you want to make the kids run. Set up the chairs in a circle, with one chair for each pair of kids, with the chairs facing inward. Place some decoy shoes in the middle. Place a blindfold on each chair.

Instructions:

Explain that the goal of this game is to get service cards for your team, and sort them into the correct bucket. Show each team their pair of buckets, and explain the sorting criteria. (There are two options here: you can either have them sort activities that are services from activities that are not services; or you can have them sort services that involve donating your time from services that involve donating money and goods.)

Then tell them how to get the cards: each team will be split up into pairs, and from each pair one person will sit on a chair, and the partner will be blindfolded and stand in front of their partner inside the circle. The seated partner will remove one shoe and toss it into the middle of the circle. The leader then scrambles the shoes.

When the whistle is blown, the blindfolded partners must attempt to locate the seated partners' shoes and replace them on their feet. (Tying is not required, unless you want to make things hard for the teens.) The seated partner can give instructions and suggestions to help the blindfolded partner locate the shoe, but the seated partner must remain in the chair at all times and may not use their hands to help. (Blindfolded people are not permitted to throw any shoes outside the circle.)

As soon as each pair of kids has finished putting the shoe back on, the blindfold may be removed, and they may choose a service card from the line and proceed to decide which bucket it goes in, run to that bucket, and drop it in. While running, they must both hold on to the card the whole time. When they finish, they return to the circle and switch places, and put on the blindfold. Once the first person is back and has the blindfold on, the whistle is blown and everyone who doesn't have a card yet must stop, so that you can go to the next round. (Those who have a card can finish sorting it.) Once everyone has the blindfolds on, the new seated partners take off a shoe and the next round starts. When time is nearly up, check the sorted buckets, and discard any that are sorted incorrectly. The team with the most correctly-sorted cards wins.

Pile-Up Game

Thursday:	Pile-Up Game
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	James 5:16

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• chairs

Preparation:

Place one chair for each participant in a circle facing outward.

Instructions:

Have each person sit on a chair. Start reading instruction lines (below), one at a time, giving them time to follow the instructions. (Note that if the person beneath you moves, you don't necessarily move with them, unless the instruction applies to you too. If someone is much larger than the person beneath, they may have to squat and hold their own weight to avoid squishing someone.)

If things get too out of hand, have everyone sit in an otherwise empty seat again and start over. If you run out of instruction lines, you can start repeating them, or just make some up.

Example Instruction Lines:

• If your dad brought you to VBS, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you had cereal for breakfast, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you went swimming this week, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If your favorite Bible School activity is the memory verse, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If you are in second grade, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you came to VBS last year, move 1 chair to the left.
• If your favorite color is yellow, move 3 chairs to the right.
• If you live close enough to walk here, move 2 chairs to the right.
• Move one chair to the right for each day you've been to Bible School so far this week.
• If you came with a friend, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you brushed your teeth today, move 2 chairs to the left.
• If your favorite Bible School activity is the game, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you think you're going to bring a friend tomorrow, move 1 chair to the left.
• If you read your Bible today, move 1 chair to the right.
• If you have a case or cover for your Bible, move 2 chairs to the left.
• If your birthday is in March, move 3 chairs to the right.
• If you learned your Bible verse and said it tonight at the registration table, move 2 chairs to the left.
• If you have a pet at home, move 1 chair to the right.
• If you are wearing shorts, move 1 chair to the left.
• If you are in third grade, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If your favorite Bible School activity is crafts, move 1 chairs to the left.
• If you wore your seatbelt on the way here, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If your name starts with a G, move 3 chairs to the right.
• Move one chair to the left for each sibling you have that's here tonight.
• If you ate your vegetables for dinner, move 2 chairs to the left.
• If you have a younger sister, move 1 chair to the left.
• If you like chocolate chip cookies, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If you brought a visitor tonight, move 1 chair to the right.
• If your name has an A in it, move 2 chairs to the left.
• If you are in first grade, move 1 chair to the right.
• If this is your first night here, move 1 chair to the left.
• If you arrived in a car, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If you have blond hair, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If your favorite Bible School activity is Missions, move 3 chairs to the right.
• If you are wearing flip-flops or sandals, move 1 chair to the right.
• If you are wearing green, move 1 chair to the right.
• If you are having fun at VBS, move 3 chairs to the right.
• If you have an older brother, move 2 chairs to the right.
• If you have a pony tail, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If you learned something new in today's Bible lesson, move 1 chair to the left.
• If you had pizza today, move 3 chairs to the left.
• If you came to VBS in a van, move 1 chair to the left.
• If your favorite Bible School activity is the singing, move 1 chair to the right.