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Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, December 9,
2,000

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

Date Completed: November 15, 2,000

Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps
to teach the lesson, ONESIMUS GOES HOME
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Lesson Aim: Jesus will help us be forgiving to
everyone.

Memory Verse: "If you forgive men when they sin against
you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." 
Matthew 6:14, NIV


GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - RUNAWAY ROUND-UP

Materials needed:
Small can of food
Toothbrush
Small item of clothing
Dollar bill
Map
Comb OR brush
16 oz. Bottled water
Pair of shoes
Single bed sheet
Broom handle or stick of same size

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Spread the sheet out on the floor.  Fill it with the
items listed above.  Bring the corners of the sheet
together and tie the sheet to the broom handle or
stick.  This is a runaways suitcase.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Ask the children if they have ever heard of someone
running away from home.  Why would someone want to run
away?  Running away means leaving without telling
anyone.  It means leaving quickly and not planning to
come back.  People sometimes run away because they are
unhappy or mad.  They leave and go somewhere else
because they hope they will like it better somewhere
else.  When someone runs away, they cannot take hardly
any of their things with them.  That's because they do
not want anyone to know they are going.   Open the
sheet up on the floor.  Tell the children there are
things in the sheet that someone might pack and take
with them when they run away.  Give the children 1
minute to look at the items in the sheet.  Gather the
sheet back up.  A child who thinks they can remember
something that was in the sheet, must carry the runaway
backpack on their back around their circle of friends. 
When they return to you, they recall something that is
in the sheet.  If they guess correctly, that item is
removed.  Continue playing until the sheet is empty. 
Add other items depending on the size of your group.
In our Bible story today, there is a young man who runs
away from home.  GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE SONG

Materials needed:
Bibles
Music for the tune of Jesus Loves Even Me (Old Primary
songbook)

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Practice singing the memory verse to the tune of Jesus
Loves Even Me. 

If you forgive when men sin against you
Your heavenly Father will also forgive you
If you forgive when men sin against you
Your heavenly Father will also forgive you
I am so glad that God forgives me
God forgives me
God forgives me
I am so glad that God forgives me
He helps me forgive you too

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Show the children where the memory verse is found in
the Bible.  Teach them the song and sing it several
times together.


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE -CANDY CANE CRAFT

Materials needed:
Small candy canes
 (4-5 for each child)
 (only traditional red and white)
Christmas name tags
Tape
Ziploc bags (1 for each child; big enough for their
candy canes to fit easily into)

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Write the following verse on each Christmas name tag. 
Make each child 4-5 tags.


Hang this candy up on your tree.
It will help you remember God's gift is free
The red is His blood which forgives us our sin. 
And the white will remind you that He lives now within.
                     
WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Help the children select 4-5 candy canes and 4-5
Christmas name tags.  Roll pieces of tape and stick on
the backs of the name tags.  Have the children put them
on the candy canes.  Encourage them to take the candy
canes and share them with different families.  


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - FORGIVENESS GAME

Materials needed:
21 sheets of plain white paper
Marker
Spinner or one dice

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
On seven of the sheets of white paper print the
letters, F O R G I V E, one letter to a sheet. Starting
at one end of the room, lay the sheets of paper down in
a pathway fashion winding around until you reach the
opposite corner of the room.  Leave about one foot of
space between each paper.  Every third paper should be
a letter from the word, forgive, beginning with "F" of
course.

WHAT THE CHILDREN DO:
Have all the children line up at the beginning of the
pathway.  They take turns spinning or rolling the dice
and advancing the number of sheets of paper according
to what they spin.  Whenever they land on one of the
papers with a letter on it, they have to following the
below instructions.
F - John forgave his friend when he played a mean trick
on him.  Go forward 2 spaces.
O - Susan forgave her mother for hollering at her when
it was her sister's fault.  Go forward 1 space.
R - Dick forgave his little brother when he knocked
down his block castle.  Go forward 3 spaces.
G - Gordan forgave his teacher for making fun of him in
class.  Go forward 4 spaces.
I - Rita forgave her friend for losing her best yo-yo. 
Go forward 2 spaces.
V - Sharon forgave her sister for locking her out of
the bedroom.  Go forward 1 space.
E - Leslie forgave his dad when he said something
unkind to Leslie.  Go forward 3 spaces.

The game is over when all children get to the other
end.