Unit: Following Directions

Session Title: Joseph’s Early Life

Life Point: God has a plan for each person’s life.

Unit Verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Weekly Bible Verse: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Bible Passage: Genesis 37; 39

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Craft: Joseph and His Coat
Create Joseph’s coat to make the verse, Genesis 37:3.
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Game: Color Elimination
As the children arrive in class write down on small pieces of paper different things they are wearing and what color they are. For example, you can write white socks, blue pants, red dress, orange hair clip, red flowers on shirt, pink shirt with blue stripes, brown shoes, etc. You can also use the color of their hair and eyes. Put all the pieces of paper in a bag. Have all the children stand up. Give each child a turn to pick a piece of paper from the bag and then read what it says. If a child is wearing something that is picked from the bag, he or she has to sit down. Keep playing until only one child is standing up.
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Illustration: Box
God Has a Plan for You
Items Needed: An empty box
Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Application:
Let me show you all what I have today. What is it? It’s an empty box! What can you do with an empty box?
Well, let’s give this box a job. We can stand it up on its side and pretend that it is a refrigerator! But wait…if we really use it for that, then all the food we put in will begin to spoil and stink up the place.
OK, we can lay it flat, climb in it and use it for a car! But wait….I’m too big to fit in the box. I’d crush it! Besides, it has no wheels…we wouldn’t get very far.
I know! I’ll use it for a hat! But wait…the box is too big for my head, and it really isn’t very stylish. Hmm…..maybe this box just doesn’t have a job, or purpose.
But this box has to have a purpose it was made for something. It is best used when it is used as it was designed! You can put things in the box and store things in it. That is what this box was made for. It is only really of value to me if I can use it for what I designed it for!
This box is a lot like you and me. God says in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God has a plan for our lives. He has a job just for us! We might try to live our lives the way we want to, but we will only really be of great value to anyone when we are doing what God has planned for us. He has a very important plan for each of us, and God wants us to find it and fulfill it–all with His help, of course! When we discover what God’s plans are for us, we find great joy in being what God made us to be. As a matter of fact, we’ll find a lot of satisfaction in doing things we never dreamed of.
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Craft: God’s Plan Box
Kids will create a memory box to help them remember God’s plan for them.
Scripture: Psalm 33:11
You’ll Need: One box per child, wrapping paper, decorating supplies, and a Bible
Have kids cover their boxes with wrapping paper and decorate them with stickers, markers, or other supplies. Make sure kids leave their boxes so they can be opened. Encourage kids to use their boxes to store things that remind them of how God used challenging times to do great things in their lives. For example, they could put in a ribbon from a sports competition to re-mind them of the good that came from practicing hard.
After the boxes are made, read aloud the Scripture.

Ask:
• What does this Scripture say about God’s plans for you?
• What are the amazing things God has already done for you?
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Unit: We Are Family

Session Title: Jacob and Esau

Life Point: God wants people to treat family members with fairness and respect.

Unit Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Weekly Bible Verse: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32

Bible Passage: Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-45; 32:1-23; 33

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Game: Sweeper Relay
The PDF attached will explain how to play this game. You will need to look in the lower portion to see how to apply this to the story of Jacob and Esau.
Source: Super, Duper, Fun and Exciting, Absolutely Thought Provoking Bible Activities for Kids
Sweeper Relay PDF

Game: What’s Different
The PDF attached will explain how to play this game. You will need to look in the lower portion to see how to apply this to the story of Jacob and Esau.
Source: Super, Duper, Fun and Exciting, Absolutely Thought Provoking Bible Activities for Kids
What’s Different PDF

Craft: Sun Catcher
The PDF attached will explain how to make this craft. You will need to look in the lower portion to see how to apply this to the story of Jacob and Esau.
Source: Super, Duper, Fun and Exciting, Absolutely Thought Provoking Bible Activities for Kids
Sun Catcher PDF

Game: Oops
A great game to help students learn the memory verse for the week as well as teaching them about being kind and compassionate.
Source: Making Scripture Memory Fun

Unit: We Are Family

Session Title: Isaac the Peacemaker

Life Point: God wants family members to get along with one another.

Unit Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Weekly Bible Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Bible Passage: Genesis 26:1-6, 12-33

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Craft: Love my Family License Plate
Children will make a license plate that will remind them to love their families. On the pdf they show the word “forgive” but you could something like “love” or “luv my fmly” so it is more applicable to this week’s lesson.
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License Plate PDF

Craft: Love One Another Stained Glass
This craft is more involved but a good craft to help children remember to love one another even when their family and friends make them upset. Detailed instructions on the website.
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Craft: Peaceful Target
Make a target out of red and white construction paper. You could prepare the circles for the children to cut or have the children make their own circles. In the center of the target write “Peaceful Home” and the memory verse. Tell them to put this target on their refrigerator at home and use a magnet to mark how close their home is to a peaceful home.
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Craft: Family Team Player Pennant
Make a pennant either out of paper, foam or felt. The pennant could say something along the lines of “The (Last Name of the Child) Family Are Team Players.” Then you could add the memory verse below it. The child could then decorate the pennant and hang it in their house somewhere as a reminder to their family.
** You could also make jerseys the same way with the last name where it would be on the jersey.**

Unit: We Are Family

Session Title: The Sacrifice of Isaac

Life Point: God helps families to trust Him.

Unit Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Weekly Bible Verse: “’For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Bible Passage: Genesis 22:1-19

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Object Lesson: Box (maybe better for younger grades)
The website does a great job explaining how to do this object lesson and explaining how God has given us a purpose.
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Activity: Making Plans
This activity helps children think about the plans they already know about such as for the month or over the summer and then looks at the plans they don’t know about such as what they will be doing in high school or as an adult. I would say this is geared more for the older children but you could do it with the younger children as well. The attached PDF does a great job of laying the activity out.
Source: Making Scripture Memory Fun
Making Plans PDF

Game: God’s Loving Plans
In this game children will follow the leaders’ plans and find missing envelopes. It is a lot like a scavenger hunt and could be a lot of fun for the children. If you have a smaller class you could hide some of the envelopes in other places in Children’s Ministry Area but I would try to keep the majority of it in your room. The attached PDF will give you all the details of the game and how to set it up.
Source: The Humongous Book of Games for Children’s Ministry
God’s Loving Plans PDF

Snack: Bundle of Sticks
This is a fun snack to go along with the story. Basically just pretzel sticks tied together with a Twizzlers Pull and Peel. You could make them ahead of time or in class. Please make an allergy sign if you do this.
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Unit: We Are Family

Session Title: Abram and Lot

Life Point: God’s love helps people consider family members’ needs first

Unit Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Weekly Bible Verse: “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

Bible Passage: Genesis 13

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Activity: Circle of Love
Give each child a piece of paper and have them draw a circle on it and write “My Circle of Love” around the edge. Challenge them to make their circles larger by including someone who may have been shut out of their circle. Encourage the children to talk to their families about their circles of love and together think of a person to whom they have not shown love. Suggest that they write the person’s name outside the circle. Challenge the children to treat that person with love no matter how he or she acts, as Abram did for Lot, and see if by next week they can put the person’s name inside their circle of love. (If you use this activity, be sure to follow up next week to see if the children accomplished their goal.)
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Memory Verse Game: OOPS
Write the verse on the board. Then line the students up shoulder to shoulder. If you have a bigger class you might want to get them into two groups. The point of the game is to be kind to each other and let one person speak at a time. Anyone in the line can start the verse then the idea is to get all the way to the end of the verse one word at a time, but no one can say two words in a row, and no two people can say a word at the same time. If two people speak at the same time, we’ll all say “Oops!” and say the whole verse together and then start again. Play until the group gets it.
Source: Making Scripture Memory Fun

Game: Kindness Toss
The PDF gives you all the instructions on how to play this game.
Source: Big Book of Bible Games #2
Kindness Toss PDF

Way to Introduce the Lesson
Have biscuits (or cookies) for the class. Make sure that there are some biscuits that are crushed or broken. They should be obviously worse than the rest of the biscuits. Pass the plate to each child and let him/her choose one. Then discuss why they chose the biscuit they chose. Why didn’t they choose the crushed ones? “In today’s lesson, Abram and Lot had to make a choice. One got to choose first and he chose the ‘best’ thing. Let’s see what happens.”
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Craft: Get Along Cups
• Remind children of ways Abram and Lot got along. • Say: “We will make ‘Get Along Cups’ to take home. When you get along with your brother, sister, parents, and other family members or friends, you can get a bean from your parents to place in the cup. Try to fill your cup to show you are getting along with people.”
• Give each child a plastic cup and label. • Instruct: “Glue the label to your cup. Decorate your cup with the foam shapes and construction paper. Do not cover the label. Cut or tear pieces of construction paper to glue to your cup.” • Set materials on the table and allow children to decorate the cups.
• Give each child a Ziploc bag as they finish decorating. • Say: “Scoop 1⁄2 cup of beans into the bag to take home.” • Help each child close his bag and place it in the cup.
• Review: “When can you put a bean in your cup? (A: When I get along with someone) Who got along in our Bible story? (A: Abram and Lot) With whom can you get along? (Answers will vary.) With whom does God want us to get along? (A: Everyone)
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Craft: Family Team Player Pennant
Make a pennant either out of paper, foam or felt. The pennant could say something along the lines of “The (Last Name of the Child) Family Are Team Players.” Then you could add the memory verse below it. The child could then decorate the pennant and hang it in their house somewhere as a reminder to their family.
** You could also make jerseys the same way with the last name where it would be on the jersey.**

Unit: We Are Family

Session Title: Noah and His Family

Life Point: Family can obey what God tells them to do.

Unit Verse: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Weekly Bible Verse: “We will worship the Lord our God and obey Him.” Joshua 24:24

Bible Passage: Genesis 6:9-8:22

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Science Experiment: Rainbow in A Jar
This looks like a fun thing to do with the children and something they would enjoy watching you do. You may need to do it with 2 groups if you have a larger class so everyone could see. All the instructions are on the website.
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Craft: God’s Promises Rainbow Craft
As your class reads and learns about Noah’s ark, you can make this simple craft to help your children make some of their own covenants. They can be promises between them and God, or between them and their parents.
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Craft: Ark Paper Plate Basket
Don’t miss the boat on this amazing idea for learning about an essential part of the Bible. The Noah’s Ark Paper Plate Craft is the perfect way to learn about Noah, his ark, the animals, and the lessons behind the story. Paper plate crafts are inexpensive ways to get creative, and this frugal find is beneficial in more than one way. Kids can design their ark as they listen to you tell the story. You can even fill your craft project with animal crackers to make this a deliciously educational experience.
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Craft: Rainbow Ribbon Dancer
A fun craft for kids and they will love playing with it. All the instructions are on the website. (Disclaimer: Ideas is from a catholic website)
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Unit: God’s Amazing World

Session Title: Cain and Abel

Life Point: People should love others as they love themselves.

Unit Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Weekly Bible Verse: “Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.” Romans 12:10a

Bible Passage: Genesis 4:1-16

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Craft: Love One Another Stained Glass
This craft is more involved but a good craft to help children to remember to love one another even when their family and friends make them upset. Detailed instructions on the website.
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Object Lesson: Sin Will Touch Others (Older Kids)
A good object lesson but pretty mature so I would do with 2nd grade and older. Easy instructions and materials.
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Bible Story: Genesis 4 – A Murder Mystery
Here is another way to tell the story that will pique the kids’ interest. This is an activity for telling the story of Cain and Abel. You could do this in small groups, or if your class is small you could do it in one group.

Explain to the children:
A terrible tragedy has happened. The world’s first murder has taken place. It is our job to find out who did it and work out a suitable punishment for the murderer.

Ask the children the following questions:
1. What do we know about Adam?
2. What do we know about Eve?
3. Read Genesis 4:1-4a. What do we learn about Cain from this Bible passage? What do we learn about Abel?
4. What words describe what God is like?
Here are the suspects: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, God, A stranger

Give the children one clue each. They read out the clues in chronological order, but don’t show their clue to other children.
1. God was pleased with Abel’s offering.
2. God wasn’t pleased with Cain’s offering.
3. Eve loved Cain and Abel.
4. Adam and Eve had another son to replace the one who was murdered.
5. Cain said to his brother Abel, “let’s go for a walk.”
6. God asked Cain, “where’s Abel?” and Cain answered, “I don’t know, am I supposed to look after my brother?”
7. God said to the murderer, “You will never be able to farm your land again.”
8. The murder happened outside.

Children put all the clues together and work out the following:
o Who did it?
o Where did he or she do it?
o Why did he or she do it?

Ask children: What do you think the punishment should be?

Read Genesis 4:10-16:
o What was God’s punishment?
o What does this story tell us about God?
o How are we like Cain?
o How are we like Abel?
o Why do you think this story is in the Bible?
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Object Lesson: Cain and Abel’s Hearts
Half fill one clear glass with water. Half fill an identical clear glass with white vinegar. Tell the children that these glasses represent Cain and Abel’s hearts. (Point to the glass of water) Abel’s heart was good and he wanted to give his best to God. (Put a drop or two of green food coloring in the vinegar glass and give it a stir.) The green glass represents Cain’s heart. He was jealous of his brother and he didn’t give his best to God. Let’s see what happens to their hearts when they gave gifts to God. Ask one child to put a teaspoon of baking soda in the glass of water (nothing will happen to the water). Abel gave his gift and God was pleased. Abel felt good in his heart because he knew he had given his best. Now let’s see what happened to Cain’s heart. (Have another child put a teaspoon of baking soda in the green vinegar glass). As the water bubbles and boils talk about how jealousy made Cain’s heart upset and angry.
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Object Lesson: Candy Fairness
Using M&Ms or Skittles (or anything like it), divide in cups in different amounts. Pass out to kids but don’t let them see they are different. After you have passed out all the cups and the kids start to figure out that they are not the same, ask them about how they feel about everyone getting different amounts, talk about if it is worth getting really mad about. After discussing fairness and how it applied to the story of Cain and Abel see if the kids can work it out to make it fair for everyone to have the same amount. (Remember to post an Allergy Alert sign.)

Unit: God’s Amazing World

Session Title: Adam and Eve Sinned

Life Point: God knew that people would sin, so He planned to send the Savior.

Unit Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Weekly Bible Verse: “Be careful to do as the Lord your God commanded you.” Deuteronomy 5:32

Bible Passage: Genesis 3

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Object Lesson: Temptation
Dixie and I have done this in our class before and it seems to really make the students think about temptation. Bring in cookies, candy, any food item the students would be tempted and want to take. Set it on the table at the beginning of class and put a do not touch sign by it. Stu-dents will ask about it and you just tell them they can’t touch it. You can even play with them a little bit and find a reason to leave the room (don’t leave the children alone though) and see if any of them touch them. Talk to them at the end of the lesson about if they were tempted or if it drove them crazy that they could not touch the item.

Craft: Snake
Have students make a snake that they can hang and remind them to walk away from temptation. The website gives pretty good instructions. This is a good short and easy craft if you don’t have much time left. You could make this out of construction paper or foam and could use a number of things to decorate it. You could even have them write the verse on the snake. There is also a picture of a paper chain snake if you think that would be easier for your children.
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Craft: A Cord of Three (Older Kids Craft)
Have the children make a bracelet to remind them that through Jesus we are in communion with God. Make three different colored 12” pieces of yarn for each child. Tie a knot about one inch from the end and braid the pieces together. Explain that one represents God the Father; the second, God the Son; and the third, God the Holy Spirit. When there is about one inch left after braiding, tie another knot.
Explain to the children that as they wear their bracelets, they can remember that we have a free relationship with God because of the price paid by Jesus.
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Game: Tree of Right and Wrong (written originally for teens but can be used for 3-5)
Adam and Eve thought they had good reasons for eating from the forbidden tree, but they failed at discerning right from wrong. To help students learn how to make correct discernments, draw or paint a tree on plywood or paper and designate one half of it as “Right” and the other half as “Wrong.” Cut apples from construction paper and label each one with a behavior that needs to be defined as right or wrong. Have the students take turns picking the apples from a basket and deciding which half of the tree they should be placed on. Some of the behaviors can be an obvious, such as cheating. Also include behaviors where the correct response might not be clear to young people, or where they may think they have a good reason for doing some-thing questionable, such as covering for a best friend instead of getting them in trouble. En-courage students to discuss these tricky situations and guide them in searching the scriptures for guidance in discerning the correct response.
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Object Lesson: A Bite of Truth
Give each student an apple and tell them to enjoy a few bites then set it aside. Have them check the apple 15 minutes later and they will see that the inside has already started to turn brown. Present this as an analogy to Adam and Eve biting into the fruit and exposing the world to deterioration. Also compare it to our personal lives and how quickly they change and suffer when we open ourselves up to negative influences. Though simple, this analogy can make a memorable point.
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Unit: God’s Amazing World

Session Title: God’s Plan for People

Life Point: God made people in His own image.

Unit Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Weekly Bible Verse: “So God created man in His own image.” Genesis 1:27

Bible Passage: Genesis 2:4-24

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Craft: Patterned Paper Self Portrait
Using different patterns of scrapbook paper in similar colors children will create a collage self-portrait. You are going to need to cut the pieces in to smaller pieces before class for the younger students but the older grades can do it themselves. I would also have maybe a template of a boy and girl for the younger students so they don’t get intimidated by drawing a picture of themselves.
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Craft: Adam, Eve, and Me Necklace
The instructions are pretty well explained in the PDF but this craft is creating a necklace that has a mirror on it (made of aluminum foil) and then on the back the saying “God created Adam, Eve, and Me.” The templates for the circle are also in the PDF.
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Adam Eve and Me Necklace PDF

Game: In God’s Image
I am adapting this game from the PDF. Basically pick a token out of the bag, it will either say hands, mouth, feet, or ears. When you pull it out you will have children act out and tell you ways they can praise God using that body part. Example would be, you pull out hands and the students could say clap while singing, helping someone pick up something they dropped, making a card for someone who is sick, etc. It helps the students to think about how God made them and what they can do with what God has given them.
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Craft: God Made Me Special
This is a pretty easy craft. The details are on the website below. We have boy and girl cutouts for the die cut which is located in the Preschool Resource Room.
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Unit: God’s Amazing World

Session Title: God Created the World

Life Point: God wants people to take care of the world He created

Unit Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Weekly Bible Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Bible Passage: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): Click here

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Craft: Creation Numbers (All Grades)
Using the template to create numbers that look like what God created each day. You can use the same materials they suggest or come up with your own idea. You may want to get use a Ziploc bag for each child to keep their numbers in. This craft requires lots of copies and cut-ting.
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Craft: Creation Book (All Grades)
You will need the larger pieces of construction paper and you may need to play with how to get 8 pages (7 days and a cover) from one piece of paper. My suggestion would be to cut the paper in half lengthwise and glue them together then do an accordion fold to make 8 pages. You can either do the numbers and words for them (younger grades) or have them write them. I like the circle for the drawing on the pages but you don’t have to do that.
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Game: Creation Bean Bag Toss (All Grades)
You will need 7 things to throw bean bags into like hula hoops or buckets and then many bean-bags. Attached is a bunch of pictures to tape to the bean bags and they are trying to throw the bean bag into the correctly numbered bucket. I don’t know how many bean bags we have but you may need to be creative with things you could put the pictures on and throw into the buckets. I think this would be a very fun and interactive game at the beginning as kids are coming in and something that is easy to join in on.
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Creation Bean Bag PDF

Game: Rhyme Matching Game (best for 1st and 2nd Grade)
Watch the You Tube video from the website below and she explains the game and the rhyme. I am pretty sure you could find die cuts for all the different days if needed.
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Creation Snack Mix
You could do this as an in class snack or as a snack for the kids to take a share with someone after class. The labels are below and it has all the ingredients on it. If you choose to do this make sure you have the allergy alert sign up with all the ingredients. This is something I think children will really enjoy!
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