Solomon

October 18, 2020 - Lesson 3: Elijah and the Fireball from Heaven

Uh Oh Topher_Logo.jpg

Big Idea: God can do miracles.

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 18

Key Verse: “With people (point to self with thumbs), this is impossible (make big “X” with arms). But with God (point up), all things are possible (two thumbs up).” Matthew 19:26 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).


OPENING PRAYER

Lord, open now my heart to hear, And through your Word to me draw near. Let me your Word ever pure retain; Let me your child and heir remain. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BIBLE LESSON VIDEO

ASK THESE QUESTIONS:

  1. What is your favorite part of this Bible lesson?

  2. What miracles did God do in this Bible lesson?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Choose one (or more) of these activities to do with your child.

 

+ That's Impossible

  • Supplies: None
  • Directions: Have the children try to perform each of the challenges below. After attempting each one, lead the kids in shouting, “That’s impossible!"
  • Actions: Jump and touch the moon; Clap loud enough for China to hear; Stomp and cause an earthquake; Flap your arms and fly; Spin around faster than a tornado; Push the wall down with your hands
  • Say: For people, those things are all impossible. But for God, nothing is impossible. He can do anything. Today we’re going to hear a story about something incredible God did. We’re going to learn that God can do miracles.
  • Question: What do you think a miracle is?

+ Miracle or Not (Application Activity)

  • Supplies: None
  • Say: In today’s true Bible story, God made fire come down from the sky. It was a miracle—something amazing only God can do. Let’s play a game that helps us think about whether something is a miracle from God or not.
  • Directions: One at a time, read each item on the list below to the children. If it’s a miracle, the children should jump to their feet and shout, “God can do miracles!” If it’s not a miracle, they should stay seated and remain quiet as a mouse.
  • Items: Turning a walking stick into a snake. (Miracle—Ex. 7:8–10); Turning a river of water into blood. (Miracle—Ex. 7:20–25); Coloring a picture without EVER coloring outside the lines (Not a miracle); Making a donkey talk. (Miracle—Numbers 22:21–35); Lifting a BIG watermelon over your head. (Not a miracle); Making it dark for three days. (Miracle—Ex. 10:21–23); Drinking a full cup of juice without spilling any. (Not a miracle); Flying in a rocket ship to the moon. (Not a miracle); Dividing the Red Sea into two. (Miracle—Ex. 14:21–23); Making Jesus come back to life. (Miracle—Matt. 28:5–6)
  • Question: God can do anything. What do you think He can do for you?

+ Mixed-Up Miracles (Application Activity)

  • Supplies: “Mixed-Up Miracle” cards
  • Directions: There are two sets of cards: verb cards and noun cards. Spread the verb cards in one pile and the noun cards in another pile. Allow the children to take turns drawing one card from each pile. Read aloud the verb and then the noun. The combination will (most likely) create a mixed-up miracle. (Example: Healed bread from the sky) Ask the children if that sounds like something God really did. Continue until all of the cards are gone.
  • Say: God can do miracles, but those miracles seemed like they were mixed up. Let’s try to match them so they tell us about real miracles that God did.
  • Directions: Hold up and read one verb card at a time, then allow the children to decide which noun card goes with it. (See below for the answer key.) After each card is successfully matched, count to three and have the group say, “God can do miracles.”
  • Answer Key: Healed (made better) = a sick person; Divided (split) = the Red Sea; Stopped = a roaring lion; Raised (made alive) = Jesus from the dead; Rained down = bread from the sky

+ Bible Balance (Bible Memorization Activity)

  • Supplies: Tape (1 roll)
  • Today's Bible Verse: “With people (point to self with thumbs), this is impossible (make big “X” with arms). But with God (point up), all things are possible (two thumbs up).” Matthew 19:26 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).
  • Preparations: Using painters or masking tape, create a tape line on the floor approximately 10 feet long.
  • Directions: Practice the verse together several times. When ready, challenge the children to cross the balance beam while saying the verse and without stepping off. For each additional round have the children cross the balance beam using a different method from the list below.
  • Methods of Movement: Giant steps; Tiny steps; Backwards; Hop on two feet; Sideways; Bear crawl; Tippy-toes; Hop on one foot; Crab walk

+ Uh Oh Topher! (Bible Story Review Activity)

  • Supplies: “Uh Oh Topher” story review page (1 per group), Topher the Gopher character cards (1 per child)
  • Say: I’m going to read you today’s Bible story again, but there’s a little problem. Topher the Gopher got into the story and chewed up some of the words, then he replaced them with the wrong words. Listen carefully to see if you can hear the wrong words. If you hear something that is wrong, hold up your “Topher the Gopher” card, then say, “Uh Oh, Topher. That’s not right!” Then you can tell me what really happened in the story.
  • Directions: Use the “Uh Oh Topher” story review page to read today’s story to the children. The page will indicate in bold which words are wrong, followed by the right words. If necessary, help the children remember what really happened in the story.

+ I'm Amazed (Response to God Activity)

  • Supplies: GO! Home Guide (1 per child), markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a GO! Home Guide and some crayons or markers. The sheet will have a space for children to draw. Say to the children, “What do you look like when you are amazed? Draw a picture of it.” When finished, ask the children to show their pictures and share why they think God is amazing.
  • Say: When the people saw how God sent fire from Heaven, they were amazed. They probably looked a lot like our pictures. We’re going to say a prayer right now and praise God by telling Him why we think He is so amazing.
  • Prayer: Begin by asking if any of the children would like to pray. Allow any children who want to pray the opportunity to do so. When they’re finished, close the prayer by thanking God for doing amazing things for you and the children.

+ Coloring Sheet (GO! Deeper Activity)

  • Supplies: Bible story coloring sheet, markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a Bible story coloring sheet and some crayons or markers. While the children are coloring, ask the following questions to help them go deeper into the story.
  • Question: How would you have reacted if you were with Elijah and saw fire come down from the sky?
  • Question: God made fire come down from the sky. What else do you think God could do?

(Due to copyright restrictions, the printable materials described in the activities above are only available to those who have registered for Our Savior’s Kids. To register your child(ren), click the button below)

CLOSING PRAYER

Dear God, you are so, so powerful. You can do anything. You made Jesus come back to life. Help me love and follow Jesus. Amen.

DURING THE WEEK

  • Read the account of Elijah in your child’s favorite Bible storybook.

  • Say this week’s Bible verse every morning with the actions (see above).

  • Read the account of the Elijah from the Bible in 1 Kings 18 with your child.

  • Do more of the activities above!


QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LESSON?

  • Leave them in the comments below!

October 11, 2020 - Lesson 2: Jehoshaphat Sings to God

Uh Oh Topher_Logo.jpg

Big Idea: I can praise God with singing.

Bible Basis: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

Key Verse: “Come (motion toward self with hands), let us sing for joy (cup hands around mouth) to the Lord (point up).” Psalm 95:1 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).


OPENING PRAYER

Lord, open now my heart to hear, And through your Word to me draw near. Let me your Word ever pure retain; Let me your child and heir remain. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BIBLE LESSON VIDEO

ASK THESE QUESTIONS:

  1. What is your favorite part of this Bible lesson?

  2. How can you praise God with singing?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Choose one (or more) of these activities to do with your child.

 

+ Worship Workout

  • Supplies: None
  • Directions: Have the children perform the fitness actions listed below one at a time while singing the first verse (chorus optional) of “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” When finished with the first action, sing the song again while performing another action. Continue until every action has been performed, then ask the children if they would like to make up their own actions.
  • Actions: Jumping jacks; Run in place; Hop on one foot; Sit ups; Reach for the sky, then touch ground; Hop on two feet
  • Say: Morning workouts are so good for you! And so is singing praise songs to God! Today we’re going to hear a story about some people who sang songs to God. We’re going to learn that we can praise God with singing.
  • Question: Do you have a favorite song to sing?

+ March and Sing

  • Supplies: None
  • Say: God loves when we sing praise songs to Him. When we sing songs to God, it shows Him that we love Him and we think He’s wonderful. Let’s play a fun game that helps us sing praises to God.
  • Directions: Play an upbeat praise song that is familiar to the children in your group. Encourage them to sing and dance along with the song. After 5–15 seconds, pause the music and shout, “Freeze!” The children must freeze in place. Count to 3 aloud then have the children shout the Big Idea together, “I can praise God with singing!” Repeat the above instructions until the song is over. If you want to add some variety, have the children use a different voice from the list below each time they say the Big Idea.
  • Voice List: Whisper; Holding their nose; Mouse; Silly voice; Opera voice; Space alien; Sleepy; Robot; Dinosaur
  • Question: How do you think it makes God feel when we sing praise songs to Him?

+ Bible Balance (Bible Memorization Activity)

  • Supplies: Tape (1 roll)
  • Today's Bible Verse: “Come (motion toward self with hands), let us sing for joy (cup hands around mouth) to the Lord (point up).” Psalm 95:1 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).
  • Preparations: Using painters or masking tape, create a tape line on the floor approximately 10 feet long.
  • Directions: Practice the verse together several times. When ready, challenge the children to cross the balance beam while saying the verse and without stepping off. For each additional round have the children cross the balance beam using a different method from the list below.
  • Methods of Movement: Giant steps; Tiny steps; Backwards; Hop on two feet; Sideways; Bear crawl; Tippy-toes; Hop on one foot; Crab walk

+ Uh Oh Topher! (Bible Story Review Activity)

  • Supplies: “Uh Oh Topher” story review page (1 per group), Topher the Gopher character cards (1 per child)
  • Say: I’m going to read you today’s Bible story again, but there’s a little problem. Topher the Gopher got into the story and chewed up some of the words, then he replaced them with the wrong words. Listen carefully to see if you can hear the wrong words. If you hear something that is wrong, hold up your “Topher the Gopher” card, then say, “Uh Oh, Topher. That’s not right!” Then you can tell me what really happened in the story.
  • Directions: Use the “Uh Oh Topher” story review page to read today’s story to the children. The page will indicate in bold which words are wrong, followed by the right words. If necessary, help the children remember what really happened in the story.

+ Praise Jesus (Response to God Activity)

  • Supplies: GO! Home Guide (1 per child), markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a GO! Home Guide and some crayons or markers. The sheet will have a space for children to draw. Tell the children to draw a picture of Jesus. While the children are drawing, ask them what they love about Jesus so much.
  • Say: The Bible says that Jesus is God. When we sing praises to God, we’re also singing to Jesus. Let’s say a prayer and tell Jesus all of the things we love about Him.
  • Prayer: Begin by asking if any of the children would like to pray. Allow any children who want to pray the opportunity to do so. When they’re finished, close the prayer by telling Jesus some of the reasons shared by the children as well as the reasons why you love Him so much.

+ Coloring Sheet (GO! Deeper Activity)

  • Supplies: Bible story coloring sheet, markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a Bible story coloring sheet and some crayons or markers. While the children are coloring, ask the following questions to help them go deeper into the story.
  • Question: Why do you think King Jehoshaphat and the people of God sang praise songs to God?
  • Question: How does it make you feel when you sing praise songs to God? Why do you think you feel that way?

(Due to copyright restrictions, the printable materials described in the activities above are only available to those who have registered for Our Savior’s Kids. To register your child(ren), click the button below)

CLOSING PRAYER

Dear God, You are so wonderful. I love you so much. Thank you for giving us Jesus. We praise you for Him. Amen.

DURING THE WEEK

  • Read the account of Jehoshaphat in your child’s favorite Bible storybook.

  • Say this week’s Bible verse every morning with the actions (see above).

  • Read the account of the Jehoshaphat from the Bible in 2 Chronicles 10 with your child.

  • Do more of the activities above!


QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LESSON?

  • Leave them in the comments below!

October 4, 2020 - Lesson 1: The Temple is Built

Uh Oh Topher_Logo.jpg

Big Idea: I can praise God with music.

Bible Basis: 2 Chronicles 5

Key Verse: “Come (motion toward self with hands), let us sing for joy (cup hands around mouth) to the Lord (point up).” Psalm 95:1 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).


OPENING PRAYER

Lord, open now my heart to hear, And through your Word to me draw near. Let me your Word ever pure retain; Let me your child and heir remain. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BIBLE LESSON VIDEO

ASK THESE QUESTIONS:

  1. What is your favorite part of this Bible lesson?

  2. How can you praise God with music?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Choose one (or more) of these activities to do with your child.

 

+ Jingle Jam

  • Supplies: Jingle bells (2–3 per child), pipe cleaner (1 per child)
  • Directions: LGive each child 2–3 jingle bells and a pipe cleaner. Show the children how to feed the end of the pipe cleaner through the loop on the jingle bell. Bend the pipe cleaner into a circle and twist the ends together to form a handle for the bell. When finished, shake your bell to a rhythm, then ask the children to copy you. Next, encourage the children to take turns leading the group in a rhythm of their own.
  • Say: Wow! That sounded so pretty! God loves it when we praise Him with musical instruments. In today’s true Bible story, the people of Israel praise God with instruments too. We’ll hear all about it in just a little bit.
  • Question: If you could play any musical instrument, what instrument would you want to play?

+ Praise Shakers

  • Supplies: Paper plate (1 per child), rice or beans (½ cup per child), markers, stapler, music player.
  • Say: God is so, so good. His love for us never ends. And because of that, we can praise God with music. Let’s make some musical instruments that we can use to praise God.
  • Directions: Give each child a paper plate and some markers. Encourage the children to draw a praise picture to God on the bottom side of their plate. Next, pour ½ cup of rice or beans onto the plate, fold the plate in half and staple the outer edges together. Be sure to use enough staples so that rice or beans don’t fall through the seam. When finished, play an upbeat praise song that is familiar to the children. Have the children dance and shake their shakers while singing along. When finished, sit down and ask the question below.
  • Question: Why do you think God deserves our praise? In other words, what’s so special about God?

+ Clap Along (Application Activity)

  • Supplies: None
  • Say: In today’s true Bible story, the people of Israel praised God with music and singing. God loves when we praise Him. Let’s play a game where we clap for God and shout praises to Him.
  • Directions: This is a “repeat-after-me” game. Step 1: Create a simple beat to clap to. It could be something like this: clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. Encourage the children to repeat it after you. Step 2: When finished clapping, shout, “The Lord is good!” Encourage the children to repeat. Step 3: Clap the same beat from step one. Encourage the children to repeat. Step 4: When finished clapping, shout, “His faithful love continues forever.” Encourage the children to repeat. (See below for a quick-guide.) For each additional round, let the children take turns creating the beat. If the children become comfortable enough, consider adding some foot stomps to the beat..
  • Quick Guide: Clap a beat (Children repeat); Shout, “The Lord is good!” (Children repeat); Clap a beat (Children repeat); Shout, “His faithful love continues forever.” (Children repeat)
  • Question: How do you think it made God feel when we were singing and clapping to Him?

+ Bible Balance (Bible Memorization Activity)

  • Supplies: Tape (1 roll)
  • Today's Bible Verse: “Come (motion toward self with hands), let us sing for joy (cup hands around mouth) to the Lord (point up).” Psalm 95:1 (extend hands like you’re holding a book).
  • Preparations: Using painters or masking tape, create a tape line on the floor approximately 10 feet long.
  • Directions: Practice the verse together several times. When ready, challenge the children to cross the balance beam while saying the verse and without stepping off. For each additional round have the children cross the balance beam using a different method from the list below.
  • Methods of Movement: Giant steps; Tiny steps; Backwards; Hop on two feet; Sideways; Bear crawl; Tippy-toes; Hop on one foot; Crab walk

+ Uh Oh Topher! (Bible Story Review Activity)

  • Supplies: “Uh Oh Topher” story review page (1 per group), Topher the Gopher character cards (1 per child)
  • Say: I’m going to read you today’s Bible story again, but there’s a little problem. Topher the Gopher got into the story and chewed up some of the words, then he replaced them with the wrong words. Listen carefully to see if you can hear the wrong words. If you hear something that is wrong, hold up your “Topher the Gopher” card, then say, “Uh Oh, Topher. That’s not right!” Then you can tell me what really happened in the story.
  • Directions: Use the “Uh Oh Topher” story review page to read today’s story to the children. The page will indicate in bold which words are wrong, followed by the right words. If necessary, help the children remember what really happened in the story.

+ Praise Picture (Response to God Activity)

  • Supplies: GO! Home Guide (1 per child), markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a GO! Home Guide and some crayons or markers. The sheet will have a space for children to draw. Tell the children to draw a praise picture for God. It can be anything that tells God, “I love you.” While the children are drawing, ask them why they love God so much.
  • Say: Today we learned that we can praise God with music. We can also praise Him with our drawings. God loves the pictures you drew for Him. Let’s say a prayer to God and tell Him all of the reasons we love Him.
  • Prayer: Begin by asking if any of the children would like to pray. Allow any children who want to pray the opportunity to do so. When they’re finished, close the prayer by telling God some of the reasons shared by the children as well as the reasons why you love Him so much.

+ Coloring Sheet (GO! Deeper Activity)

  • Supplies: Bible story coloring sheet, markers or crayons
  • Directions: Give each child a Bible story coloring sheet and some crayons or markers. While the children are coloring, ask the following questions to help them go deeper into the story.
  • Question: GIf you were at the temple with the people of Israel, what instrument would you want to play for God?
  • Question: The people of Israel sang, “The Lord is good. His faithful love continues forever.” What do you think is so good about God?

(Due to copyright restrictions, the printable materials described in the activities above are only available to those who have registered for Our Savior’s Kids. To register your child(ren), click the button below)

CLOSING PRAYER

Dear God, There is no one like you! You are so, so good. Your love for me never stops. And I praise you for that. Amen.

DURING THE WEEK

  • Read the account of Solomon Building the Temple in your child’s favorite Bible storybook.

  • Say this week’s Bible verse every morning with the actions (see above).

  • Read the account of the Building of the Temple from the Bible in 2 Chronicles 3-6 with your child.

  • Do more of the activities above!


QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LESSON?

  • Leave them in the comments below!