Free Children's Ministry Curriculum Written by Sheryl Coats
Bugs Bugs and More Bugs
Hillbilly Days
Wonderfair
The Wacky Worship Workshop
The Celebration Medical Centre
The Celebration City Courthouse
Growing in God's Garden
The Armour of God
The Wild Wild West
Lesson One
Our new theme takes us into the meadow to discover mysteries about bugs. At the same time we will discover mysteries about our relationship with Christ. The puppet stage will be decorated with grass and flowers and bugs and anything else that gives the appearance of a meadow...a few fake trees and some artificial turf can really add to the effect.
To teach the children that:
Prayer is the key to our ministry. If we fail to prepare with prayer we have failed! As prayer sets the tone for our preparation, it also sets the stage for our program. It sets the kids off on the right step knowing they are in the presence of God.
Professor Knowitall is introduced and Ms. D Scover interacts with the prof to introduce the topic.
Ms: Hello My name is Ms. D. Scover and I am so excited to be here. We are going to be discovering some really awesome things about bugs in the next few weeks.
Prof: (interrupting) Excuse me! We all know that they are called insects and not bugs my dear lady.
Ms: Well, excuse me. I didn't see you walk in. Who are you?
Prof: I am professor Knowitall. I overheard you saying you are going to be learning about insects. I thought I might share a little of my tremendous knowledge with you.
Ms: that is great! Do you know a lot about bugs?
Prof: I am a learned scholar in the area of insects and it makes me very angry to hear you call them bugs.
Ms: I am sorry Prof. Knowitall. I will try harder to remember. We are getting ready to sing. Would you like to join us?
Prof: I am a busy man. I don't have time for childish singing. I have books to read and things to learn. I will see you all later.
Ms: (as the prof. Is leaving in a hurry) Oh but prof. Worshiping the Lord isn't childish...... Well I guess he does have a few things to learn, especially about God and having God first in your life. Well we will worship the Lord without him today and perhaps see if he will join us next week.
Singing is an important element of worship. Let's lead the kids into the presence of the Lord. They need to experience Gods presence. As we lead they will follow.
Take time before the offering to tell the kids about the team names (such as the Amazing blazing Ants or the Cool and Crazy Crickets)and team points. Designate a helper to stay near the board to record team points as they are earned. Once the names are established take offering using the scales.
(make sure to clear an area before church begins or plan to go outside) Each team will need three rolls of toilet paper. The object of the game is for the teams to each wrap six cocoons using all of the toilet paper they have been given. Once the cocoons are wrapped they must waddle over to the other side of the room where someone helps them to unwrap into butterflies. The first team with six butterflies wins.
(you will need a cool aid packet, pitcher, water, and sugar) As the kids are watching, begin preparing the kool aid without adding the sugar. This Kool-Aid looks like cool aid, but it doesn't taste very good. When we add the sugar it is changed into something delicious that most of us enjoy drinking. Something very similar happens when we believe in Jesus and make him the Lord of our lives. Without Jesus we are yucky like unsweetened Kool-Aid, but with Jesus we change into a new person that is kind and sweet and loving.
Prof. Knowitall enters as he hears your object lesson
Prof. Ahhhh haa!!! I see you are drinking some delicious insect Juice.
Ms. Well, hello prof. I didn't expect you to be back. I see you brought a great deal of books with you? Are you studying for something?
Prof. What do you mean? I know everything. I don't need to study anything!
Ms. Well, all those books. What did you bring them for?
Prof. These books are...um...for simple reading pleasure...just books about...um spiritual things, that's it, spiritual things.
Ms. Oh I see. May I look at them. I love to learn new things about God.
Prof. NO. You can't look at them. They are mine. All mine. I don't share with anyone. Brilliant people like myself don't need to share with others.
Ms. That sounds rather self centered.
Prof. Yes. Indeed. I do know everything you know. I can tell these bratty bug killers a thing or two about insects.
Ms. You are going to tell us something about insects?
Prof. That I am my dear. I am a brilliant professor of ornithology.
Ms. say what??
Prof. Oh never mind. Some people just don't share my brilliance. Anyways (reading from an encyclopaedia in his stack of books but trying to appear that he knows it already) I have made a fascinating discovery. There are some insectum which actually change physically. They mmmeetamorrfoze.
Ms. Metamorphisis. That means that they change into something totally different. Caterpillars do that.
Prof. (Sounding indignant) Yes. They metamorfoze into butterflies. It is quite an incredible process by which the caterpillar spins a cocoon and goes to sleep inside. When it wakes up it has turned into a beautiful new creature called a butterfly.
Ms. You know professor knowitall, That is a great illustration of what God does in our lives when we believe in Jesus.
Prof. Ms. D scover, really!! You don't expect me to believe that God changes people into butterflies. That is an impossible improbability.
Ms. No, professor I don't mean we change into bugs. I mean that when we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives he begins to change us into a new creature. One that is loving and kind and Christ like. The sin is taken away and we are changed.
Prof. That sounds quite far fetched to me. I will have to go and do some investigating about that one. (He takes off in a hurry with his huge pile of books)
tell the story of Saul and Paul and being blinded by the light....
Memory Verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come."
Bobo Bumble has decided he doesn't like himself because he is always bad. He therefore wants to build a cocoon and change into a butterfly.
Bobo enters with toilet paper and glue and lots of stuff.
Ms. Hello Bobo. What's all that stuff for? You aren't going to tp my house are you? Bobo: Oh no! I would never do that. Well I would never let you see me with the toilet paper if I was going to do that. I am much smarter and sneakier than that.
Ms. Yeah you are pretty sneaky. So what is the toilet paper for?
Bobo: (begins to boo hoo and wail quite loudly)
Ms. What is the problem bobo?
Bobo: I just hate myself. I am soooo bad. I am sneaky and mean and no one could ever love me. No one loves bumble bees.
Ms. That's not true bobo. God loves you and I love you.
Bobo: I don't believe you. I am too bad. I want to be a nice gentle butterfly. Everyone loves butterflies. I am going to turn myself into a butterfly.
Ms. You can't do that.
Bobo: Oh yes I can. I have all these things and I am going to build me a cocoon and climb in and when I wake up I am going to be a nice butterfly. I heard the professor talking about it.
Ms. Oh, Bobo. Only caterpillars can change into butterflies. But I do know a way you can change from a mean and sneaky bumble bee into a nice and gentle bumble bee.
Bobo: You do?????
Ms. Yes, I do. You see the bible tells us that if we believe in Jesus and make him our lord then he changes us on the inside and makes us a new creation. Instead of having a heart full of sin, he fills our hearts with love and goodness.
Bobo: You mean that I will want to act nice when I ask Jesus into my heart?
Ms. That is right Bobo. Jesus takes the old mean self inside of us and replaces it with a new nice self.
Bobo: You mean I will never be mean again?
Ms. Well, you may still have times when you get angry but Jesus helps us to act differently.
Bobo: quick, what do I have to do? I can't wait any longer. I want Jesus in my life right now.
Ms. That is great bobo. Now is always the best time to make Jesus your lord. All you have to do is believe in Jesus and tell him how sorry you are for all the bad stuff you have done.
Bobo: That's it??? I don't have to do anything else?
Ms. That's all there is to it. And once you are a new creature in Christ he will help you to want to do good. Are you ready to pray?
Bobo: I have never been readier. Should I do it all by myself?
Ms. Sure. It is easy. Just tell Jesus you're sorry and ask him to be your lord.
Bobo: Ok...here goes. (Bobo prays sinners prayer) Wow I feel great! I am going to go tell my friends.
Ms. Ok Bobo. See you later.
Object lesson that ties into alter call
(you will need a hot dog, bun, and ketchup, mustard, relish)
How many of you like hot dogs? Ants love hot dogs and picnic food. I have here a hot dog. Some people like ketchup on their hot dog, others like mustard, others like onions or relish.
Talk about taking one of those things away.
Is it still a hot dog? What about if you take away the relish?..etc. It is still a hot dog. BUT if I take away the hot dog from the bun is it still a hot dog? No, now it is just a bun with ketchup.... Some people like to call themselves Christians but they don't have Jesus in their lives. They are like a hot dog with no hot dog in it. They aren't Christians at all.
When we ask Jesus into our lives it is like adding the hot dog to the bun. It changes what the bun is. It is no longer just a bun, it is a hot dog.
Once a life has Jesus in it is not longer an empty pitiful sinner but a new creation in Christ. Maybe you have been trying to fool people into thinking you were a Christian when you really don't have Jesus in your life. You can change that right now and God will change you. He will fill your heart with Jesus and make you someone new.
Snack: make marshmallow caterpillars
