Unit 17 / Lesson 5
Finding The One
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Teacher's Prep
Games
Deal or No Deal
You can play the game at this website: https://kbhgames.com/game/deal-or-no-deal
If you have a PC with PowerPoint and not a Mac, you may want to download a different version of the game at the link below and get familiar with it. The downloaded version is better than the online version, but it is harder to use. Note, the PC version of the game works on PowerPoint but not on Google Slides.
Whichever version of the game you choose, you will want to be familiar with the controls of the game before the lesson starts.
Balloons Up
Materials: one balloon for each stuident. Have several balloons inflated before the lesson, so that they are ready to be deployed for the game.
Human Tic Tac Toe
See this video to get familiar with the game:
You will also want to play the video during the lesson, so you will need a screen.
You will need to set up 9 chairs in the middle of the room when it’s time to play the game. Sturdy but soft chairs work the best.
For an alternate game: If you don't have at least 8 people to play the game with, you can just play regular tic tac toe on a whiteboard, or another puzzle type game, or even try a simple jigsaw puzzle.
Three Legged Race
Materials:
A roll of duct tape and a roll of toilet paper (the toilet paper can act as a barrier to prevent the duct tape from damaging clothing or skin)
Scissors to cut the duct tape at the end of the race
If unfamiliar with the game, you can watch this video to see what it is like:
Main Activity (Ice Cream Floats):
Ice cream floats are a super easy dessert to make. See this website for instructions:
Ingredients:
Ice cream (Vanilla works well)
Soda (e.g. Sprite; root beer)
Optional toppings, e.g. whipped cream, sprinkles.
Cups and spoons
Note: if you have children who have dietary restrictions, you may want to provide alternatives. E.g. non-dairy ice cream, allergen friendly toppings (no peanuts), etc.
Intro
SLIDE 1
Gathering
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How was your week?
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What did we learn last week?
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We find our biggest mistakes in our thoughts, words, and actions.
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Intro Game: Deal or No Deal
Instructions
We will start this point with a game of Deal Or No Deal!
It’s based on a TV show. We will have a bunch of suitcases, and each suitcase will have a different amount of money in it. We play the game by getting rid of suitcases, and every time we get rid of some suitcases, the bank will call and offer us money instead of a suitcase. Then, we need to decide if we'll take the deal or not.
CLICK LINK
Teacher: play a round of the game.
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Debrief
We played this game because it's about finding a great prize. Some prizes were super awesome, and some prizes were super disappointing.
And, life is like that too. Sometimes we have choices to make, and if we make the right choice, it will be super awesome.
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But, if we make the wrong choice, it will be super disappointing.
Now, in the game, there was no way to know if a suitcase was good or bad. We just had to guess.
But in real life, when we’re making real choices, we don't just have to guess– because the Bible tells us how to make great choices!
Relevance
Our lesson today is about one of the most important choices that people make when they're older.
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Today’s lesson is about finding the right person to marry.
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Now, you might think, marriage is a long time away, and you're right!
But guess what? All of us are already thinking about marriage! Just about all of us watch TV and movies. And, we get all kinds of ideas for who makes a great husband or wife.
But, most of those movies and TV shows are giving us the wrong ideas! They won't lead you to the right person! But, the Bible gives us a better way.
And, if we keep thinking about the better way that the Bible teaches us, then one day when we're older we can find the right person, and it will be awesome.
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Big Question
So, our big question today is:
How can we find the right person to marry?
Big Idea
Our big idea today is: we should find someone who WORKS hard, SERVES people, and LOVES God.
Bible Reference
And we'll see these ideas in the Bible, at the end of the book of Proverbs.
So, now, let's read some verses from the Bible.
"Proverbs 31:10-11, 15-18 (CEV)
10 A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! 11 Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down.
(skip to verse 15)
15 She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants. 16 She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, 17 and she always works hard. 18 She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night.
Proverbs 31:19-23 (CEV)
19 She spins her own cloth, 20 and she helps the poor and the needy. 21 Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn’t worry when it snows. 22 She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful. 23 Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city.
Proverbs 31:30 (CEV)
Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised."
Point 1
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The first thing we see from our Bible verses is:
We should look for someone who WORKS hard
SLIDE 12
Game: Balloons Up
Instructions
Let's start this point with a game! We'll call it “Balloons Up”.It's a pretty simple game. We'll start in a circle, and I'll toss a balloon into the circle. We'll all try to keep the balloon from touching the ground by hitting it. You're free to move around, so you don't have to stay in the circle. The only catch is, you can't hit the balloon twice in a row before someone else hits it. So, you all need to work together to keep the balloon up.
When there's only one balloon, you'll find it pretty easy. So, I'll keep adding balloons and we'll see what happens. Remember, you want to keep all the balloons up, and you can't hit a balloon twice in a row.
If a balloon touches the ground, we'll stop, and we'll start with one balloon again. We'll see how many balloons we can manage at the same time.
Teacher: It is probably best to call out the number of balloons as you introduce new balloons, as a way of keeping score. Also, you may want to discuss strategy between rounds -- for example, you may want to break them into sub-groups, and each sub-group can handle their own balloons. Or, you may want to spread them out across the floor for a kind of zone coverage. Play as long as time and interest allows.
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Debrief
We played this game because it makes us depend on each other. We need other people to help us keep all the balloons up! If our friends get lazy or distracted, they'll let the balloon drop. But, if they try their best, you can keep a lot of balloons together.
And, life is like that too. We want to be partners with people who try their best. So, the Bible encourages us to find someone like that.
Bible Reference
SLIDE 14
Let's read from the Bible again.
Proverbs 31:10-11, 15-18 (CEV)
10 A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! 11 Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down.
(skip to verse 15)
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15 She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants.
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16 She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, 17 and she always works hard.
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18 She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night.
Explanation
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So, here is the first thing we learn about a great wife. She works hard and tries her best, and people can depend on her.
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Now, do you think men need to work hard too?
Yes! The rest of the book of Proverbs teaches men to work hard. And, when we read the rest of the book, we can see, this whole lesson is for both men AND women.
Application
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So, if you ever want to find someone to marry, you'll want to find someone who works hard and gets things done.
And, you'll need to work hard too, or else that person probably won't like you. Hard working people like other hard working people.
Discussion Question
SLIDE 21
Let's pause for a discussion question.
Who is someone you know who always tries their best?
Point 2
SLIDE 22
Moving on, our second point is:
We should look for someone who SERVES people.
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Game: Human Tic Tac Toe
Instructions
We'll start this point with a game called Human Tic Tac Toe.
For this game, we'll need a bunch of chairs in the middle of the room, so everyone, please go to the side. I'll set up some chairs while you watch the video on how to play.
Teacher: play this video:
Instructions for teacher:
Follow the instructions in the video
Set up nine chairs in the middle of the room.
Have all the children find a partner that is about as fast as them.
One partner joins team X, and the other partner joins team O
Teams number off so that when you call a number, one person runs to the chairs.
Before each round, each person not on a chair has to be touching a wall.
In the original instructions, only one team gets to sit down per round. For a less competitive game, both teams can sit down per round. That will make it easier for those who are slower.
An important to detail to explain:
There are three chairs that are closest to your wall. You can sit on those chairs, but you can't win by having three in a row on those three chairs. You need to have three in a row another way.
Our second race will be a bit more complicated. Your goal is to touch all four chairs. And you can touch the chairs in any order you want. You can go around the room one way, or you can go around another way, or you can go in a zig zag.
Once you touch all four chairs, you win!
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Debrief
We played this game because it's about being part of something bigger. None of us can win by ourselves. But, we need to do our best for our team, and we need to make things easier for our friends. And, real life is like that too.
Bible Reference
Our Bible passage talks about someone who helps other people. Let's read some more about the awesome person you want to end up with:
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Proverbs 31:19-23 (CEV)
19 She spins her own cloth, 20 and she helps the poor and the needy.
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21 Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn’t worry when it snows.
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22 She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful.
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23 Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city.
Explanation
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The woman in our passage serves everyone. She serves the poor, and she serves her family. She also takes care of herself. And, she also helps her whole city. The Bible says her husband is a leader in the city.
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Back in Bible times, the leaders of the city didn't earn any money. So, the woman in our Bible passage did her job so that her husband could serve everyone in the city. He couldn’t do his job without her. So, when the woman did her job, she was really serving everyone.
Application
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Jesus told us, the greatest people are the people who serve everyone. So, if you want to marry someone great, you should find someone who serves.
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Discussion Question
Let's pause for a discussion question.
Can you think of a person who is really helpful to everyone?
Point 3
SLIDE 33
Our third point is:
We should look for someone who LOVES God
SLIDE 34
Game: Three Legged Race
Instructions
We'll start our point with the three-legged race!
Let's watch a video to see what it's like:
Teacher: play the first 30 SECONDS of this video:
Some of you have played this before.
All of you will have a partner, and one of your legs will be taped to your partner's leg, so that you can only move that leg together if you walk forward.
Your first job is to find a partner and then we'll tape your legs so you can walk together. You can practice a bit. Once we're all ready, we'll try two different races.
Instructions for teacher:
Fasten legs together as seen in the video at the top of this lesson plan. In the absence of special velcro bands, you can use duct tape in multiple layers, and for sensitive clothing or skin, you can put tissue paper as a barrier to prevent damage. Give the class some time to practice.
For the first race, line everyone up and have them race from one wall to the other.
For the second race, set up four chairs towards the corners of the room.
Our second race will be a bit more complicated. Your goal is to touch all four chairs. And you can touch the chairs in any order you want. You can go around the room one way, or you can go around another way, or you can go in a zig zag.
Once you touch all four chairs, you win!
At the end of the game, praise the children for their efforts, cut up their duct tape bands and have them sit back in a circle.
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Debrief
We played this game because it's a bit frustrating! You're tied to someone who's different from you, and it's really hard to think like a team together. The second race was even harder, because you had to decide where to go.
But, can you imagine being partners with someone who didn't want to go to the same place? One person wants to go left, and the other person wants to go right. That would be really frustrating!
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And marriage is like that too. Marriage is frustrating for everyone, because anyone you marry will be different from you.
But it's important to agree on the most important ideas, or else it will be extra frustrating.
Bible Reference
SLIDE 37
Let's read our last Bible verse:
Proverbs 31:30 (CEV)
Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised.
Explanation
SLIDE 38
This verse tells us the most important thing to look for in a person.
The most important thing is, they need to honor the Lord. Some people are really good looking, but that's not as important. And some people are really charming. “Charming” means they've got a cool personality so everyone likes them. But, a cool personality is not as important.
People become less beautiful when they're old, and they become less cool when they're really old. But, a person who honors the Lord becomes more and more awesome.
Application
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If you find a person who really loves God, you can count on them to become amazing.
They'll become kind, wise, and powerful. They'll take care of you, and they'll respect you. And, if you can honor the Lord too, you'll have the greatest life together.
Discussion Question
SLIDE 40
Let's pause for a discussion question.
A person who honors the Lord will become like Jesus. What's your favorite thing about Jesus?
Conclusion
SLIDE 41
Let's wrap up our lesson by going over the big ideas again.
Our big question today was: How can we find the right person to marry?
It's an important question because we're all getting ideas all the time for who makes a good husband or wife, but a lot of ideas are wrong.
So, the Bible tells us what to look for. We learned that we find someone who WORKS hard, SERVES people, and LOVES God.
Main Activity: Ice Cream Floats
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And now it's time for our main activity. Today, we are making ice cream floats! Ice cream floats remind us of our lesson because they're about putting together two things that are really different, but they're better together. And a good marriage is like that too.
Teacher: make ice cream floats with the children