*******************************************************
Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, August 19,
2000

From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders)

Date: July 15, 2,000

Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps
to teach the lesson, A NIGHT VISITOR
*******************************************************
Lesson Aim: Our angel watches over us.

Memory Verse: "We must obey God rather than men!"  Acts
5:29, NIV


GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - NIGHT VISITORS

Materials needed:
Face masks patterns to represent any nocturnal animals
such as:
Raccoon, owl, skunk, possum, mouse, cat, etc.
Brown paper grocery bags
Scissors
Crayons
Yarn
Glue
Felt pieces
Pictures of nocturnal animals

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Cut nocturnal animal face shapes out of the brown paper
grocery bags.  Cut out several of each kind of animal. 
Place the rest of the supplies out on a table for easy
access by the children.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Ask the children the following question.  "If you were
to spend the night outside, what kind of visitors might
you expect to see?"  Show the children pictures of the
different nocturnal animals as they mention them.  Help
them make a face mask depicting one of those animals. 
Talk about the differences between daytime and
nighttime animals.  What special features do nighttime
animals have that daytime animals do not have? 
(Eyesight, hearing, sleep patterns etc.) In our story
today Peter and John are again in prison.  In the
middle of the night they have a visitor in the prison. 
This is an unusual visitor with special features that
Peter and John don't have.  Let's find out what it is. 
GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIBLE STORY SHADOW BOXES

Materials needed:
(1) shoe box for each child (shoe stores will give them
away if you ask in time before they're pitched.)  Make
sure each box has a lid.
Scissors
Black construction paper
Glue and glue sticks
Picture of an angel for each child
 (can be xeroxed from quarterly)
Play-doh
Small gingerbread man cookie cutter
Small pipe cleaner for each child

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Each child's box represents the prison.  Cut a window
in the side of each box.  (The children will glue black
strips inside to represent prison bars.)  

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
1.  Give each child a shoe box.  For younger children,
cut out small thin strips of black construction paper
for them to glue crosswise across the window in their
box to represent prison bars.  Older children may be
able to cut out their own strips.  Use glue sticks.

2.  Roll out the play-doh.  Have each child use the
cookie cutter to make three men.  (Peter, John and a
guard).  Bend the Peter and John's legs and set them on
the floor of the prison.  Stand the guard up along the
side or at the back.  Make a special hat out of black
construction paper for the guard to wear as his helmet.

3.  Make the guard a spear.  Cut a small triangle out
of the black construction paper and glue it to the end
of a small pipe cleaner.  Fold the guard's play-doh
hand around the spear to hold it up.

4.  Give each child an angel to add to the scene.

The story is told as each item is added to the scene. 
Encourage the children to take their shadow boxes home
and share the story with friends and family members.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE PARACHUTE

Materials needed:
1 large sheet (queen size or bigger)
Bibles

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
There are no advance preparations necessary.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Show the children where the memory verse is found in
the Bible.  Repeat it together several times.  Place
all the children in a circle.  Give them each an edge
of the sheet to hold.  Have everyone flip the sheet up
into the air then run under.  Try it once so the
children understand what to do.  Then explain to them
that inside the sheet is the prison.  Once the sheet is
flipped up everyone must repeat the memory verse
together and run under before the sheet comes down.  If
that is successful, no one has to stay in prison.  If
the sheet comes back down before the memory verse is
completely said, everyone has to stay in prison under
the sheet until the count of 15.


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - LONDON BRIDGE PRISON

Materials needed:
None

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
There are no advance preparations necessary.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Choose an adult or another taller child to be the other
half of "London Bridge" with you.  Connect your hands
in an arch and close your eyes.  The remaining children
pass under the bridge and follow around in a circle
until you "catch" one and they are then in prison. 
They then answer one of the questions below in order to
get "out of prison".  Close your eyes again and
continue capturing children until the questions are all
used up or everyone has had a turn.
1.  If someone told you to stop praying, would you stop
or keep praying?
2.  If someone told you to stop talking about Jesus
would you stop talking or keep talking?
3.  If someone told you to stop going to church, would
you stop going or keep going?
4.  If someone told you to stop reading your Bible and
lesson paper would you stop or keep reading?
5.  If someone told you to stop singing Jesus songs,
would you stop or keep singing?
6.  If someone told you the pictures you colored about
Jesus were ugly, would you stop coloring them or keep
coloring them?
7.  If someone told you not to waste your money at
Sabbath school, would you leave your money at home or
take it to Sabbath school anyway?