Unit 18 / Lesson 3
What Should We Do When We Grow Up?
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Teacher's Prep
Games
Speed Sketching
Every child needs a sheet of paper and something to draw with, e.g. pencil, pen, or crayon
Pantyhose Bowling
Watch this video to see the game concept
PANTYHOSE BOWLING!!! (FUNNEST GAME EVER!!!)Note, to make the game more sanitary and more ergonomically friendly, the children will not be putting the pantyhose on their heads for this game, but they will use their hands to hold the pantyhose up to their heads for the same effect.
Materials:
1 pantyhose (women's nylon) per five children
1 tennis ball per five children
Plastic water bottles -- three water bottles per group of five
Before the lesson, you will want to put a tennis ball into the bottom of each pantyhose, as you see in the video.
Limbo
You need a stick (like a broomstick, or a pool noodle)
Prepare some fun music to play during the game
If you are unfamiliar with the idea of Limbo, you can read about it here: https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/things-to-do/limbo/news-story/dd464cdb6f3f4e41f8e335b52d3d4e39
Main Activity (Teddy Bears in a Blanket)
Concept: children will make a very simple pastry that takes 10-12 minutes to bake.
Please watch this video for a full explanation of the baking activity:
You may want to show the children a short teaser video instead:
The full recipe and ingredients can be found at this website:
Intro
SLIDE 1
Gathering
How was your week?
SLIDE 2
Intro Game: Speed sketching
Instructions
Teacher: pass out pencils and paper to each child.
We'll start this point with a speed sketching game! It's really simple. You'll all get a sheet of paper. You will fold it into quarters, and I'll tell you what to draw. Then, you’ll have one minute to draw it as nicely as you can. We’ll play four rounds of this game.
Teacher: for four rounds, give them a word, and one minute to draw. At the end of the minute, have them share the pictures they drew.
Things to sketch
SLIDE 4
Zoo
SLIDE 5
Gorilla
SLIDE 6
Teddy Bear
Debrief
SLIDE 7
We played this game because it's about getting the right idea.
We only had a minute to draw, and our drawing didn't look exactly like the real thing. But, most of the time, we could tell what you were trying to draw, because you had the right idea.
And if you worked on your drawing for a really long time, you could make it look more and more like the real thing.
SLIDE 8
Well, real life is like that too. We all have ideas for what we do want to do. And, they might start off looking a bit silly. But, if we keep working on our ideas, they can become very close to the real thing.
Today we’re going to talk about one of the most important ideas we can think about.
Big Question
SLIDE 9
Today, our big question is: "What should we do when we grow up?"
Relevance
It’s an important question! A lot of people get the big idea wrong, and they get themselves into a lot of trouble. But, if we have the right idea, we'll be able to help a lot of people, and God will be very happy with us.
Big Idea
Here's the big idea we'll see in our Bible story today:
When we grow up, we should help people as much as we can.
1. We should help people with our power, and
2. We should help people with our things.
Bible Reference
That's what we'll see from the story of Nehemiah.
SLIDE 10
First let's take a few minutes to watch the story.
Teacher: play this YouTube video:
Nehemiah Rebuilds the Wall | Stories of the Bible, by Saddleback Kids
SLIDE 11
It helps to know that the king had given Nehemiah a job. The king had sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah’s job was to be the governor. That meant he was the boss for everyone in Jerusalem. Nehemiah was like a mini king who worked for the big king. And, the big king wanted everyone to listen to Nehemiah.
Let's read what Nehemiah wrote about the things he did.
Nehemiah 5:15-19 (CEV)
15 Each governor before me had been a burden to the people by making them pay for his food and wine and by demanding forty silver coins a day. Even their officials had been a burden to the people. But I respected God, and I didn't think it was right to be so hard on them. 16 I spent all my time getting the wall rebuilt and did not buy any property. Everyone working for me did the same thing. 17 I usually fed 150 of our own Jewish people and their leaders, as well as foreign visitors from surrounding lands. 18 Each day one ox, six of the best sheep, and lots of chickens were prepared. Then every ten days, a large supply of wine was brought in. I knew what a heavy burden this would have been for the people, and so I did not ask for my food allowance as governor. 19 I pray that God will bless me for everything I have done for my people.
Point 1
The first thing we learn from our story is:
We should help people with our power.
SLIDE 12
Game: Pantyhose Bowling
Instructions
We'll start this point with a game! This one's called Pantyhose Bowling. Let's watch this video to see what it's like:
Now to make it easier, we won’t need to put the pantyhose on our head, but we’ll be using our hands to hold the top end to our head.
Teacher: demonstrate how to knock over a water bottle with a pantyhose, using your hand to hold the top end of the pantyhose to your head.
Also this will be a relay race with teams of five people each.
So, when I'm done talking, we will split into teams of about five people each.
Each member on your team will have three water bottles to knock down.
After you knock down your three bottles, you can set up the bottles again for the next person, and then you’ll pass the pantyhose on to the next person for them to try.
And then when you've all knocked down three bottles, you win!
Debrief
SLIDE 13
We played this game because it reminds us how important it is to do our job. When it's our turn to knock down the water bottles, our whole team depends on us! So, we can't just run off and do our own thing! But, we need to concentrate and do our best to help our team.
And that's what Nehemiah did for his people too. Let's read the first half of our Bible passage again.
Bible Reference
SLIDE 14
Nehemiah 5:15-16
15 Each governor before me had been a burden to the people by making them pay for his food and wine and by demanding forty silver coins a day. Even their officials had been a burden to the people. But I respected God, and I didn't think it was right to be so hard on them.
SLIDE 15
16 I spent all my time getting the wall rebuilt and did not buy any property. Everyone working for me did the same thing.
Explanation
SLIDE 16
Governors back then had a pretty awesome job. The governor just told people what to do, and they all had to do it!
So, back then, governors told everyone to give them money and fancy food. So, governors could really enjoy themselves. Governors could spend all their time playing games and enjoying life, and everyone else would do all the work.
SLIDE 17
But, Nehemiah wasn’t like the other governors, because he respected God. He knew that if asked for everyone's money and food, everyone would have less money and food. And, he didn't want people to have a hard time.
SLIDE 18
So, instead Nehemiah did his best to help. He was there to build a wall so that his people could be safe. So, he used all of his power to build the wall. That was the most helpful thing he could do. And, it was the most loving thing he could do. And that's how he knew it was the right thing to do.
Application
SLIDE 19
We can learn from that! There are many people who want to have an easy job when they grow up. Lots of people just want to earn a lot of money, buy a lot of things, and have as much fun as they can.
SLIDE 20
But, Nehemiah shows us a better way. Nehemiah teaches us to ask: “what is the most helpful thing we can do for other people? And, what is the most loving thing we can do?”
And, the answer is different for everyone! The Bible tells us, God has given every Christian a special power to help others. Every one of us has a different power.
SLIDE 21
Nehemiah had the power to tell people what to do, and he used his power to build a wall to protect everyone. You probably have a different power. Maybe you're really good at making friends, or maybe you're really good with numbers. Or, maybe you're really good at art, or music, or science. Or, maybe you're good at helping younger kids. God wants us to use that power to help people.
SLIDE 22
If we focus on helping people, we might not have as much fun, and we might not be able to buy as many things. And, instead we might have to do some really difficult things. But, we will make a huge difference. And, if we focus on helping people, we'll probably make a lot of friends along the way. And, God will be happy with us. And He promises that He will someday give back to us everything that we gave up for Him. So, if we concentrate on helping people, we will be the happiest people in the end.
Discussion Question
Now let's pause for a discussion question. Here's a question that can help you figure out what power that God gave you:
What is something that other people don't like doing, but you don't mind doing?
Point 2
SLIDE 23
Moving on, our second point is:
We should help people with our things
SLIDE 24
Game: Limbo
Instructions
We'll start our point with a game of Limbo! It's a really simple game. We'll have two people holding a stick, and we'll all take turns walking under the stick.
The tricky part is, the stick will keep getting lower. So, you'll need to walk lower.
The way to walk lower is to bend your knees and lean back.
You can't touch the floor with your hands. If you touch the floor with your hands, or if you fall, you're out, and you can stand to the side and watch your friends to see how low they can go.
Teacher: try to do a demonstration with two volunteers to the side holding the stick.
Let's all form a line and give it a try!
Teacher: Volunteers should hold the stick in cupped hands so that it will fall easily if touched. Also, you may want to play music during the game
Debrief
SLIDE 25
We played this game because it's about how low you can go! The less space you need under the bar, the better you'll do in the game!
And, actually, real life is like that sometimes. If we need less things for ourselves, we can use our things to help other people.
Bible Reference
That's what Nehemiah did. Let's read the second half of our passage.
SLIDE 26
Nehemiah 5:17-19 (CEV)
17 I usually fed 150 of our own Jewish people and their leaders, as well as foreign visitors from surrounding lands.
SLIDE 27
18 Each day one ox, six of the best sheep, and lots of chickens were prepared. Then every ten days, a large supply of wine was brought in. I knew what a heavy burden this would have been for the people, and so I did not ask for my food allowance as governor.
SLIDE 28
19 I pray that God will bless me for everything I have done for my people.
Explanation
SLIDE 29
These verses tell us that Nehemiah was allowed to have the best food in the land. The king said Nehemiah could have different kinds of meat every day! But, Nehemiah knew how hard it would be for people to give up their animals.
SLIDE 30
So, he didn't ask for fancy meat for himself. Instead, he took care of other people. He used his things to help people. That way, he could feed 150 people every day! The people couldn't pay him back, so Nehemiah asked God to remember what he did, and bless him back.
Application
SLIDE 31
We can learn from that. A lot of Christians become really good at earning money when they get older. This is because we work hard, and we care about people, and we love wisdom. And, people like that can become really good at earning money.
SLIDE 32
And if you ever have money like that, you'll have the same choice as Nehemiah. You can use the money to buy really fancy things for yourself. Or, you can save money to help more people. One person with money can help thousands of other people! The other people might not be able to help you back, but God will remember, and God will reward you someday.
SLIDE 33
But, you don't need to wait until you're older. We all have things right now, and we can all use our things to help people. And, when we do, we can know that God is happy with us, and we will be happy with Him someday.
Discussion Question
Let's pause for a discussion question.
Can you think of a way you can help people with your things?
SLIDE 34
Conclusion
To wrap up this lesson, our big question today was: "What should we do when we grow up?"
The Bible teaches us that we should help people as much as we can.
1. We should help people with our power, and
2. We should help people with our things.
Because if we do, we can make a big difference, and God will be happy, and eventually we will be happy.
Main Activity: Teddy Bears In A Blanket
SLIDE 35
Teacher: before the main activity starts, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, lay out the equipment, and ingredients for the children to access easily. Ideally, a volunteer will do these things while you are teaching your second point.
And, now it's time for our main activity. Today we're going to make Teddy Bears in a Blanket! Let's watch a short video to see what it's about:
Teacher: play this YouTube video:
So, we'll be making a nice cozy bed for our teddy bear. And, it will remind us of our lesson, because today we learned about helping people. We can help people with our power, and we can help people with our things -- just like we will do for our teddy bear.
Teacher: create the pastries with the children, following the instructions here: