Materials: poster board, markers, coin
Draw 12 circles on the poster board, different sizes and random locations. Print a letter in the center of each circle: A, D, E, H, I, J, M, N, O, Z. Place the coin on the board. Lead kids to take turns using a fingertip to flick the coin. A child may not move the coin and must flick it from wherever it last landed. When the coin lands touching a circle, the child will name a prophet whose name begins with that letter. Tell kids they hear about another prophet in today’s Bible story.
Live It Out
Game—Move to Answer
Materials: 1 large TRUE sign and 1 large FALSE sign
Tape the two signs on opposite sides of the room. Guide kids to stand in the middle of the room or game area. Ask a true/false review question about the Bible story. Tell kids to move to the answer they choose. Call on the group with the largest representation to answer. (If the larger group is incorrect, talk about the correct answer.) If the correct answer is false, lead kids to correct the statement.
Materials: air-dry clay, small craft sticks, beads, clay tools (optional)
You can purchase air-dry clay or make it. To make it: Combine 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup cornstarch, and 1 ½ cups cold water in a pan and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and continue to cook and stir until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from the pan and set aside; cover it with a damp towel and let it cool completely. Knead it until smooth. Store in airtight container. This recipe makes about 2 pounds of clay.
Talk about the Bible story. Give a child a small ball of clay. She can press the clay into a bone shape. She can use the tools to shape the clay and make lined designs in the clay. Craft sticks can also be used to shape and mark the clay. She can press beads in the clay for additional designs. Suggest kids print hope as part of their design. Tell kids to place their reminder in a place to air dry for several hours. Then they can place it in their gardens or on a desk in their rooms to remember that the Bible gives hope. Say the Life Point.
Introductory Activity – Look It Up
Materials: several dictionaries or devices with electronic dictionaries, large piece of paper, marker
Lead kids to talk about the word hope. Encourage them to give their own definitions. Guide some kids to find the word in different dictionaries and read the definitions. Work together to compile one definition. Print the final definition on a piece of paper and display it. Tell kids that today they will think about hope and what the Bible says about hope. Say that you will come back to the definition at the end of the session and see if the definition still applies or needs modifying in light of the Bible content.
Live It Out
Help kids find today’s Bible story in their Bibles. Ask a review question and lead kids to look in the Bible passage to find the answer. Each kid should point in his Bible where the answer is located. No one can answer the question until everyone has found it in the Bible. Encourage kids to work together and assist one another as needed. Call on a volunteer to answer the question and read the verse where the answer is located. Ask another review question and start the search again. Remind kids that the Bible gives people hope.
Craft—Magnet Bible Marker
Materials: paper strips cut 2 inches by 5 inches, self-adhesive magnet tape (2 pieces per kid), markers, gel pens, stickers, other art materials
Talk about the Bible story. Tell kids that the Bible gives people hope. Say that people should read the Bible regularly to understand God’s message for them. Tell kids they can create Bible markers to use in their Bible readings. Give each person a paper strip. Tell kids to fold their strips in half, meeting the short ends. Direct them to lay the folded strips on the table with the fold at the top and the two ends at the bottom. Lead kids to decorate their paper strips. They can print the Life Point, today’s Bible verse, or another message about the Bible on their strips. They can use the art materials to decorate the strip as they choose. When a kid finishes his Bible marker, give him two pieces of magnet tape. Tell him to unfold his strip, remove the backing from one magnet piece, and stick the magnet piece to near the bottom edge inside the marker. Help him place the second magnet piece on top of the first one and then remove the backing. Help him fold his marker back down, adhering the second magnet piece to the marker. Show kids how to fold the Bible marker around a page in the Bible and let the magnets stick together, holding the marker in place.