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 Two
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:
Maintaining order is important. It is important to review the rules on a weekly basis, both for the sake of new children and to remind the other children what is expected of them.
1. No illegal movement: Stay in your seat and keep hands and feet to yourself 2. No interference: Don't interrupt the lesson 3. Go for the touch down: Lets have fun!
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.
piggy penny comes in buzzing and flapping her arms and making quite a commotion.
Ms: Hello Piggy (Now louder because she hasn't heard) HELLO Piggy!
Prof: (interrupting) Excuse me! What are you doing????
Ms: Why hello Prof. Knowitall. I was just trying to get her attention. Perhaps if we try together we can get her attention.
Prof: Oh very well, anything to get her to shut that racket up.
Ms: On three.... One two three..(both call her name)
Prof: I am a learned scholar in the area of insectum and it is quite beneath me to have to be around the likes of this weird individual.
Piggy: Oh hello. I was just trying to talk to all the insects.
Prof. I am a busy man. I don't have time for all this nonsense. You cannot communicate with insects. Especially with all that racket. You will only scare them off.
Ms: I would have to agree. All that noise would scare even the biggest of bugs.
Piggy: Well how do bugs communicate?
Prof. (Quite irate) INSECTS! And they communicate in many ways. (Checking his books and reading quietly) Yes, they communicate in many ways and today I will teach you all about it.
Ms. This sounds fascinating.
Prof. Naturally. Some bugs ummm insects make sounds by stridulating!
Piggy: Say what?
Prof.: Umm uhh.. That means that that...(glancing at his books)
Ms. I believe that means that they rub one part of their body with another causing a noise.
Prof: Of course it does! What else would it mean? Anyone knows that.
Piggy: You mean like a cricket or a grasshopper do when they rub their legs together and it makes a chirping sound?
Prof: Yes, naturally. (Referring back to his books) Another form of insect communication is tapping.
Piggy: you mean there are tap dancing insects? Wow!
Ms. Not quite. It is more like morse code.
Prof. I was just about to tell her that.
Piggy: Are there any other ways that bugs communicate?
Prof: ARRRRGGGHH! How many times must I tell you they are not bugs??!?!? And ummm uhh (looking at his books) yes there are other ways that they communicate.
Ms. Let's not forget buzzing.
Prof.: Yes, some animals vibrate a part of their body causing a buzzing sound. (Looking at books) Bees vibrate their wings rapidly making the buzzing sound.
Piggy: You mean that they don't use their mouths?
Prof.: That is correct my dear.
Piggy: I know what I was doing wrong. (rapidly flapping her arms)
Prof: What are you doing??
Piggy: I am buzzing, just like a bee. Now I can talk to the bees.
Prof. My dear, insects communicate that way, not people and you are a people as best I can see.
Piggy: oh....you mean I can't communicate with bugs at all?
Prof: ARRRRGGGHHHH! I can't take it any more! (Runs out leaving behind his books)
Ms. Wait! Prof wait! I have something very exciting to tell you about communication.... Oh too bad. He left and he didn't get to hear about another form of communication.
Piggy: I want to hear about it.. Do you have a way I can communicate with bugs?
Ms. No, but I have something even more exciting. You see God made insects to talk in many unique ways, ants bang their heads, crickets rub their legs, bees use their wings, but he gave people a voice. He designed each with exactly what it needed to communicate. Even more exciting is that unlike bugs, we can use our voice to communicate with God.
Piggy: I can communicate with God? Wow who needs to communicate with bugs when you can communicate with God?!?!!?!?
Ms. Precisely my point. All we have to do is use our voices and we can talk to God.
Piggy: Oh I have got to tell the prof all about this. (Takes off without even saying good bye)
Take time before 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.
Well, while we wait for them to return why don't we take up our offering?
The prof comes running in with piggy.
Prof. What is this I hear about communicating with God?
Ms. Oh hello prof. I am glad you made it back. We are just getting ready to worship the Lord.
Prof. Sing???Again?? Didn't I tell you that I am a busy man and I have no time for childish things? I thought you were going to tell us about communicating with God.
Ms. But we are going to communicate with God. We are going to sing...
Prof (interrupting) Well, call me when you are done with all this childish singing and I will return to hear what it is you have to say about communicating with God. Good bye and good ridens. (He takes off in a great hurry)
Ms. But professor....oh bother he left without realizing that singing to God is communicating with him. When we sing to the Lord we are telling him how much we love him.
Piggy: well I guess we will have to worship the Lord without him again.
Ms. I guess so. Perhaps we can get him to stay next week.
Singing is an important element of worship. Let's lead the kids into the presence of the Lord. They need to experience God's presence. As we lead they will follow.
(make sure to clear an area before church begins or plan to go outside) Inflate several balloons and draw on them to make them look like bugs. Have the kids form a circle on their knees. The object of the game is to keep all the balloons in the air. If one hits the floor it is dead and must be left there. Play until all the balloons are dead. Then ask the children how it felt when one hit the floor. Talk about how friends can let us down, but Jesus never lets us down. We need to share our lives with Him and pour our hearts out to him. Prayer is a wonderful part of our relationship with Christ.
(obtain a telephone, beeper, cordless phone, cell phone, etc) Use these items to show how prayer is like talking to God on a telephone. However, unlike the telephone he never gives us a busy signal. He is always available...we don't have to wait till we find a phone booth or wait for him to call us back after we page him (like with a beeper)
Tell the story of Elijah and the sacrifice at Mt. Carmel or the story of him praying that it wouldn't rain for three and a half years.
Memory Verse
"If my people will pray and obey I will hear them from heaven." 2 Chronicles 7:14
Bobo Bumble has a mega phone, cordless phone, and is using a microphone. She thinks that she needs these things in order for God to hear her prayers.
Bobo enters with the things mentioned above
Ms. Hello Bobo. What's all that stuff for?
Bobo: (using the megaphone and talking very loudly) I am practicing.
Ms. Oh Bobo, are you going to be in a play?
Bobo: Oh no! I could never do that. I am too scared to get up in front of people. Why ,once the Sunday school teacher wanted me to sing in front of the whole church all by myself!
Ms. And did you?
Bobo: No way hosay! I mean Ms. D... I could never do that.
Ms. That's too bad cause you sing so nice. So what are all those things for?
Bobo: Well, I heard you saying that we can communicate with God. So I went and got all this stuff.
Ms. You don't need all those things to talk to God Bobo
Bobo: Oh yes I do. I need them so he can hear me cause I am a scardy bee and talk real soft. I want to make sure he doesn't miss my prayer requests...they're very important you know.
Ms. Oh, bobo, God can hear you without all those things. You don't need a telephone or a megaphone or even a microphone. He hears everything even if we only pray quietly in our heads.
Bobo: NO KIDDING??? You can't be serious
Ms. Yes, I am serious. The bible tells us in second chronicles that if we pray and obey then God will hear us from heaven.
Bobo: You mean that it doesn't say we have to yell or use any kind of a phone?
Ms. Nope! We just have to pray and obey!
Bobo: Wow I like that. I can be my quiet self and he will still hear me. I can talk to God!
Ms. It is exciting isn't it? I love talking to God.
Bobo: Do I have to say anything special?
Ms. Just talk to him like you talk to me. Tell him how you feel and what you need and tell him how much you love him and that is all there is to it.
Bobo: I can tell him anything?
Ms. Sure. Anything you want and he will hear you.
Bobo: Ok...well if you will excuse me I am going to go pray now...
Ms. Ok Bobo. See you later.
(you will need enough pennies for each kid to take one home) Wishing well (perhaps make one from card board) Talk to the kids about what a wishing well is and how people throw pennies in them in hopes of having their wishes come true. Ask what the difference is between wishing for something and praying about something. Sometimes we spend a lot of time wishing for stuff, but we never bother to ask God about it. Call for the kids to make a commitment to pray daily. Send each child home with a penny to remind them that prayer is more than a wishing game, it is a part of a friendship with Christ.
