******************************************************* Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, October 6, 2001 From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date Completed: September 15, 2001 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, KEEPING A PROMISE ******************************************************* Lesson Aim: Lying doesn't solve problems. Memory Verse: "He delights in...(those) who are truthful." Prov. 12:22, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - COVER UP Materials needed: A blanket, sheet or other wrap that will cover up a Kindergarten child. (One for each child) WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Give each child a cover. Ask them what a cover is for. It is something that you put over something else to hide it from view. Sometimes we put a cover over us to keep us warm or help us feel safe. Sometimes we put a cover over an old piece of furniture to hide a hole or a dirty spot. When people do a cover-up it means they are hiding something that they do not want other people to know about. Have each child select a spot on the floor. Read the following sentences. If they think the child in the story is doing a cover-up or hiding something they don't want other people to know, they throw their cover over themselves and hide underneath. If they think the child is not doing a cover-up, they remain outside of their "covers". 1. Sara took cookies without asking mother. She was careful to leave the cookie jar right where mother had it, and she re-arranged the cookies so there did not look like there were any missing. 2. John forgot to come straight home from his friend's house like mother asked him to. When he got home he told her the truth, that he had dwaddled and played around instead of coming straight home. 3. Jean stole a baby doll dress and took it home the last time she was at Susan's house. When she put it on her baby doll the next time the girl's played together she told Susan that her mother had bought her dress just like Susan's baby had. 4. Bill cut his finger playing with a kitchen knife. He wrapped it up tight with tissue and tape. He knew mother would be upset if she knew how he had gotten cut. Three days later Bill had to go to the doctor's because he had an infection in that finger. He told his mother and the doctor that he hurt himself on something sharp outside. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - TRACKING Materials needed: Footprint or track patterns of various animals or reptiles (sidewinder snake, jackrabbit, raccoon, bear, frog, horse etc.) Piece of blue material WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Xerox and cut out footprints of 6-8 different animals or reptiles. Spread the piece of blue material on the floor. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Have the children gather around the piece of blue material on the floor. Have them imagine that the blue material is a water hole. Animals have to come to water holes to get a drink. When animals and reptiles move around you can tell where they've been by the tracks they leave. Pass out the tracks. Have the children lay them by or in the water hole and take turns guessing who's been there. God wants us to always leave tracks of truthfulness. Covering up our mistakes, hiding or sneaking are not the kind of tracks God wants us to leave. Show the children where the memory verse is found in the Bible. Have them look at the animal/reptile tracks around the water hole. They are to choose one without telling any of the other children what they have picked. Then they come to the water hole acting like that animal. They say their memory verse at the water hole and go back to their place. The rest of the children guess what they were and what kind of tracks were left. Remove those tracks from around the water hole. Continue the activity in this fashion until everyone has an opportunity to approach the water hole, say the verse and leave. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE: BIBLE STORY REVIEW Materials needed: 15 sheets of white paper Pen WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Draw a set of human footprints on each sheet of paper. Place the papers in a winding path fashion from one end of the room to the other. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Line the children up at the end of the set of footprint tracks. Ask them the following questions. When they answer correctly, they may advance the number of tracks indicated. 1. Why were the people in the cities of Canaan afraid? (Because they had heard of Israel's victories, and they were afraid Israel would attack them next.) ADVANCE THREE TRACKS 2. The Gibeonites showed the Israelites something that was moldy, so that they would think they had traveled from far away. What was it? (Bread) ADVANCE TWO TRACKS 3. The Gibeonites showed the Israelites something with holes in it, so that they would think they had traveled from far away. What was it? (Shoes) ADVANCE ONE TRACK 4. What did the Gibeonites do to the Israelites that was wrong? It is another word for not telling the truth? (Lied to them) ADVANCE FOUR TRACKS 5. What mistake did Joshua make? What did he forget to do? (Ask God about these people.) ADVANCE TWO TRACKS 6. What promise did Joshua make to the Gibeonites? (He promised he would not attack them or fight them.) ADVANCE THREE TRACKS 7. Did Joshua keep his promise even when he found out he had been lied to? (Yes) ADVANCE ONE TRACK 8. Did the Gibeonites learn to worship the true God? (Yes) ADVANCE ONE TRACK 9. Because they had lied to Israel, what did they have to do for punishment? (They became slaves, having to chop wood and carry water for the Israelites.) ADVANCE FOUR TRACKS 10. What is the best thing to do when you have a problem or a mistake to correct? (Tell the truth) ADVANCE TO THE END OF THE GAME ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - SHRINKING GAME Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Ask the children to imagine something with you. What would happen if every time they were untruthful they shrunk? What would they look like by the end of the day? Have the children stand in their place beside their chair. Tell them you are going to read them a story about someone's day. Every time they hear that person being untruthful, they are to get smaller. (Bend knees, fold arms in, tuck head in, crouch etc.) One morning I woke up feeling grouchy. When mommy put me to bed last night I told her I would go straight to sleep, but I got out of bed and played with some of my things until I really felt tired. When I came down for breakfast my mom had made me oatmeal. I hate oatmeal, so I stuffed it in my mouth but then went to the bathroom and spit it into the toilet. Mommy said she was proud that I had eaten such a good breakfast. My sisters and brothers went off to school. While mommy was putting the baby down for his nap I snuck into my sister's room and used some of her things in her bathroom. When mommy asked me what I was doing I said, "Nothing." When mommy asked me if I had done my morning jobs I said, "yes". I did all of them except feed the dog. I didn't want the dog to slobber all over me. When my sister came home from school, she wanted to know who had been in her bathroom using her things. I told her I had seen my other sister in there. She went to tell my other sister to keep her paws out of her things. When it was time to crawl into bed that night I was surprised at how big my bed seemed to be. I couldn't even reach the bottom rail. I wonder what happened to me! Make sure the children understand that they were using their imagination to do something that could never actually happen in real life. When they are tempted to tell a lie or cover over their mistakes, Jesus will help them speak the truth for He delights in those who are truthful.