Unit: Learn and Tell 

Session Titles: Saul Told About Jesus

Life Point: People need and can receive God’s salvation
Unit Verse: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Weekly Bible Verses: “Repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out.” Acts 3:19
Bible Passage: Acts 9:19-31

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): http://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/leaderextras/by-age-group/

Craft: Saul to Paul Mask
Easy craft to do for younger grade. All instructions and template on website.
Click here for more information.

Activity: Name Transformer
To start this activity – let children first be silly and transform their own names, using ONLY the letters that are in their names but switching the letters around to make a silly name. Then tell children about Saul’s name being changed to Paul after he met Jesus and let children make a banner that will hang over their shoulder with a name that might describe a child of God — such as Faithful, Christian, Believer, or ideas from our lesson today.
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Activity: Blindfold Drawing
Have the kids be blindfolded and then ask them to draw different things. Some can be hard and some easier. The kids will have a great laugh looking at what they drew but will also understand what its like to be blind.
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Craft: Paul in the Basket

What you will need:
Snack-Sized Paper Plates
Scissors
Hole Punch
Yarn
Colored Pencils
Card Stock (Heavy Paper)

What to do:

1. Cut paper plates in half. Place to halves top side to top side to form a basket, and glue them together. Punch holes around the edges.
2. In class have your children color the “baskets” and then thread yarn through the holes leaving about one foot of yarn on each side of the basket. Tie the ends together over the basket.
3. Have your children draw and color a picture of Paul and place it in the basket.
4. Use the craft to act out the story.

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Game: Basket Relay
Cable car challenge…this activity can be conducted using a few methods depending on number of students and available resources. Have students work in partners or teams, and explain that their job is to transport as many (stuffed toys, balls, balloons, whatever you choose) from one side of the room to another (or open space outdoors if better).

However, they must move the items using a basket and a rope. They can rig up a pulley system, stand on a chair, lower from one angle to another, however they opt to do, but must use the baskets. For younger students, hold a relay race where kids run back and forth filling baskets with items. After the game, gather kids students and explain that in today’s story they will hear about a person who took a ride in a basket!
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Unit: Learn and Tell 

Session Titles: Jesus and the Woman at the Well 

Life Point: God has a plan for every person
Unit Verse: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Weekly Bible Verses: “I know the plans I have for you… plans for your well being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Bible Passage: John 4:1-30

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): http://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/leaderextras/by-age-group/

Craft: Cup of Living Water
White Paper
Paper 9-oz. Party Cups
Crayons or Colored Paper
Scissors
Hole Punch
Blue Card Stock
Yarn

What to do:
Before class cut water drop shapes from blue card stock so that they fit inside the cup. Make enough water drops so each craft has enough to write one word of the verse on each water drop.

1. Punch holes at the top of each water drop.
2. In class have your children string the water drops in order on the string tying each water drop to the string before they add another water drop.
3. Have your children color the cup and write the Bible verse on one side. Punch a hole in the bottom of the cup and string the yarn through the hole. Tape the string to the bottom of the cup.

Click Here for more information.

Craft: Woman at the Well Spinning Craft
This craft is going to be better for 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th graders because it is semi-complicated. All the instructions as well as the printables are on the website. It is pretty cool but will be time consuming so plan accordingly.
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Game: Running on Thirsty (Could be Messy)
Teach children about the woman at the well from John 4.
For this game, every child will need two cups (one with water, one without) and a drinking straw.
Have kids stand against one wall, and give each child a straw. Place cups with water on the ground near each child while placing empty cups on the floor about 10 feet away. Demonstrate how to hold water in the straw by dipping it in the cup, plugging the top with a finger, and lifting the straw. On “go,” give kids 60 seconds to see how much water they can transfer to their empty cups using only their straws.

When time’s up, read aloud John 4:7-10.
Then say: Talk about a time you were really thirsty and how you quenched your thirst.
Read aloud John 4:11-14. Say: The woman drew water at the well, just like you drew water with your straws. Jesus, though, talked about a different kind of water.

Kids love our Sunday School resources!
Ask:

• What “water” do you think Jesus talked about?
• What kinds of “thirsts” do you think Jesus’ water could quench?

Hold up a cup of water and say: Just like the water the woman got out of the well, the water in this cup will run out but Jesus’ living water never runs out!

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Craft/Food: Refreshing Treat
Let each child choose a bottle of water or juice and give them a long piece of paper and markers to write and decorate the bottle with JESUS GIVES US LIVING WATER. Tape their piece of decorated paper onto the bottle to remember today’s lesson.
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Illustration: Crackers and Water (Older Kids)
I need four volunteers to come upfront for a cracker eating challenge. If you want to be picked, you have to like crackers.

(Choose four volunteers)

(Optional – During the competition, play a countdown video from freecountdowns.net. Another option is to play upbeat background music.)

(Get out the box of saltine crackers. Have preteens stand near the box. Place four bottles of water near the crackers.)

The four of you are going to race and see who can eat the most saltine crackers in two minutes. Whoever completely swallows the most crackers wins. You might notice the water bottles near the crackers. Well, you can’t have any water. Sorry. The rest of you in the audience, your job is to cheer for all four of them. Make some noise.

Ready, set, go!

After the competition congratulate the winner.

Say – I have a question for all four of you. What does your mouth feel like right now? (Get responses) How thirsty are you? (Get responses) What would you think if I said you couldn’t have any water till after church? (Get responses) Well, that wouldn’t be fair of me, would it? I can see you’re very thirsty, so each of you, go ahead and take a bottle of water to drink. Enjoy! You can go back to your seats now.

[Volunteers return to their seats]

**Please play this game carefully.  I would suggest you have to finish one cracker before you can go to the next one so they do not stuff too many crackers into their mouths and get choked.**

Unit: LEARN AND TELL

Session Titles: Jesus and Zacchaeus

Life Point: People can love others like Jesus loves them
Unit Verse: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Weekly Bible Verses: “Let us love one another because love is from God.” 1 John 4:7
Bible Passage: Luke 19:1-10

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): http://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/leaderextras/by-age-group/

Craft: Finger Print Tree
You can print off a trunk or have the students draw a trunk and branches. Then have students finish the tree off with fingerprints. Then you can either have the verse printed out or have them write it at the bottom of the page. The tree will remind them of Zacchaeus and remember to love people who are even hard to love at times.
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Craft and Book: What if Jesus came to my house?
Ask the children to draw pictures about what they would do with Jesus if he came to visit their house, just like he went to Zacchaeus’ house.  Share and discuss the drawings.  If time allows, you may want to share the book If Jesus Came To My House by Joan Gale Thomas.  The story ends with the little boy realizing that Jesus probably won’t come to his house in human form, but that he can serve others in honor of Jesus.
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Object Lesson: Magnets
Bring two magnets that repel on one side and attract on the other side. Have the magnets face the repelling side. Try to slide the magnets together. As they repel, share how most people feel like this towards people who are unlovable. Now turn the magnets so that they attract. Explain that Jesus wants us to love the unlovable and pray for those who want to hurt us. Show the kids how the magnets stick together.
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Game: Heart Run
You can illustrate the need to love others, including enemies, by placing hearts, cut from construction paper, on one end of the room. Members of each team take turns running to the hearts, taping one on to their shirts and running back. The team that completes this relay first wins. You can use this race to discuss how the students may not like everyone on their team but they had to work together to win.
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Craft: The One Who Unites Hearts
The site has the pattern for the craft as well as how to do it. You could print the memory verse on the hearts or on the cross.
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Unit: HELP OTHERS

Session Titles: The Rich Young Ruler

Life Point: People are responsible for their choices and can choose to obey God
Unit Verse: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Weekly Bible Verses: “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.” Joshua 24:24
Bible Passage: Luke 18:18-23; Matthew 19:16-26

Extras from LifeWay (GREAT Ideas Here): http://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/leaderextras/by-age-group/

Object Lesson: Treasures
On the website there is a video that explains this awesome object lesson. You will find these Frixion pens at Walgreens, Walmart or Staples by all the other pens.
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Craft: Rich Young Ruler Story Line
The website below has great instructions for this. I don’t know why they say to use light blue paper. You could really use any color but I would recommend the larger construction paper cut in half lengthwise for each child.
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Game: Variation of Red Light, Green Light
Try playing this game to help the kids see how they cannot have 2 leaders in their life. Play a game like “Red Light, Green Light.” However, pick 2 people instead of 1 to be the leader. Now it is really hard to follow both leaders and do what both want. The kids will become frustrated. Talk about how the same thing is true in our lives. We cannot have 2 leaders in our life: God and _____. The rich man had money as the other leader in his life.
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Craft: Heart Treasure Chest
Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your Heart will be also.”
Take Brown piece of paper Fold paper in half long ways. Unfold. Fold the paper so the bottom 2/3 are larger to the top 1/3 which will be the “lid” to your chest. Unfold again and in the middle segment is where the heart is cut out. Then write out the verse. I let the kids decorate the chest. I also read about the merchant seeking a fine pearl and it being like the Kingdom of Heaven. Then gave them a faux pearl on clear cord:
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