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 Six
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!
We need to remember to seek Gods direction each week. The children need to see, know and experience the power of God each week. If we don't take the time to pray for our service throughout the week we are asking for a dead service.
Have puppets act out the story of the lazy grasshopper who played all summer.
MEMORY VERSE: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" Colossians 3:23
Ms. D: Has anyone seen the professor this morning? He promised to come back and teach us a few more things about BUGS!
Prof: (lounging in a beach chair with sun glasses, lemonade, Bermuda shorts, etc) Oh pickle puckers! I have decided I am not going to teach you anything else.
Ms. D:But prof. Knowitall, you promised!
Prof: Well, I changed my mind.
Ms. D: What about the kids??? They have been looking forward to learning about BUGS! (Yelling the word bugs to antagonize the prof)
Prof: BUGS??? Did you say BUGS????
Ms. D: BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! Yes I said BUGS!
Prof: Well, I don't care (trying to act like he doesn't care but really frustrated)
Piggy penny: Oh please professor knowitall
Prof.:It is much easier to sit here and do nothing. I am never going to read another book or teach anyone else anything at all.
Ms. D: You mean you are going to be lazy?
Prof: That is correct. I am going to live a bugs life. No work No worries. I have decided that insectum just buzz around and have fun and never have to work and I am going to
Ms. D: Oh do I have some interesting facts that you overlooked in your books prof.
Prof: Say what? Me miss something? Hardly! Why I am a brilliant prof. Of insectum. I know everything there is to know about insectum.
Piggy Penny: I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know! Naneenanee booboo.
Prof: Humff! A little pest like you knows something I don't know? I'd like to see that.
Piggy: I know that bugs are not lazy.
Prof: Of course they are. They just fly around from flower to flower eating nectar and having a good old time.
Ms. D: This is quite fascinating Prof. Why don't we look in your books and see what they say.
Prof: Yes. You go right ahead while I sit here and enjoy my ice cold lemonade.
Ms. D: My you are being lazy today. OK here goes (she begins to read from one of the books about the work habits of ants)
Prof: What???!!!?!!? Let me see that (grabbing the book away) I can't believe it! Insects are hard workers...they aren't lazy after all.
Ms D: You know prof. It appears that you made a mistake. It appears you don't know as much as you let on you do.
Prof: (beginning to sob) OH, I'm ruined. I am soo embarrassed. I will never be able to show my face again. One little mistake and I am ruined.
Ms. D: OH professor. It's ok. Now you learned something new. And I want to teach you something else that you probably don't know.
Prof: Surely you don't think I am dumb enough to have missed some other fascinating fact about insectum do you?
Ms. D: Well, prof. It is not exactly about insects
Prof: Let me guess...it is about God right?
Ms. D: You got it.
Prof: Hold it! Hold it!! I have told you before that I do not have time for this childish nonsense.
Piggy penny: Oh boy here we go again. Every week it's the same thing.
Prof: Don't even waste your breath trying to convince me to stay. (He takes off, then runs back to grab his lemonade and takes off again.)
Ms. D: I do wish the professor would stick around to learn these wonderful Bible truths.
Piggy Penny: You can teach me Ms D Scover
Ms. D: Well you see Penny, the Bible tells us that we need to work hard and not be lazy. We need to give God our best effort and that someday God will reward us for our hard work.
Piggy Penny: What do we need to do?
Ms D: We need to use the talents God gave us to help the church, to serve God and to lead people to the Lord.
Piggy Penny: wow! That is hard work.
Ms.D: It is important to remember that we do it because we love the Lord and that someday we will be rewarded in heaven.
Piggy Penny: That is something worth praising the Lord about.
Encourage the kids to worship with their whole hearts. Explain that half hearted efforts are useless. We need to show God how much we love him and worship is one way to tell him so they should sing out with all they have.
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.
Obtain a large bucket of individually wrapped bubble gum which represent bugs. The object of the game is to throw your gum into the bucket across the room (about 6-8 ft.) If the participants make it they get to keep the piece of gum. This will be an incentive to really try hard. (After the game tell each of the kids they may have a piece of gum after church) Explain that when something is important we give it our best effort. We should give God that same whole hearted effort when we serve him.
The clown comes in making a terrible mess. He is throwing trash on the floor, kicking chairs, wiping his boogers on the chair, etc. Stop the clown and enter a dialogue with him concerning being lazy and working for God. We should be diligent even in little things like keeping the church clean. He can boohoo and repent and clean up his mess.
The story of the three servants who were given talents to invest for their master.
BOBO the bumble bee comes in yawning wearing his pjs.
Ms. D: Bobo, you're still in your pajamas!
Bobo: Yeah, well (yawn) I just got up.
Ms D: don't you know how important it is to come to church?
Bobo: I was too tired.
Ms D: but weren't you supposed to help teach the little kids Sunday school class this morning?
Bobo: Yeah, I was supposed to but I changed my mind. I was toooooooo tired you know.
Ms. D Bobo! That is terrible. When you commit to do something for the Lord you are supposed to give your best effort.
Bobo: well, It was just a bunch of little snotty nosed kids. And besides didn't you hear me say I was tired? After all I was playing basketball until 2 o'clock in the morning and then I ate a late night snack of ice cream with ketchup and mustard and sardines with whipped cream on top.
Ms. D: That's terrible!
Bobo: Oh on the contrary, it was DELICIOUS!
Ms D: I meant that you stayed up so late that you couldn't give God your best effort, or in this case any effort at all
Bobo: come on cut me some slack Ms D.
Ms. D: I think the kids could teach you a thing or two (have the kids teach Bobo the memory verse)
Bobo: That's in the Bible?
Ms D: It sure is Bobo. God wants us to do our best at everything we do. We need to do it for Jesus.
Bobo: I feel terrible. I was so bad. What am I going to do??
Ms D: Maybe the kids have some suggestions (allow kids to tell bobo some things he could do such as apologize to the teacher he was going to help, ask God to forgive him, try harder next time, not stay up so late that he can't get up to go to church, etc)
Bobo: Oh thanks for your help kids. I don't know what I would do without you. I am going to go find that teacher now. See you all later
Ms. D: You might want to get dressed first Bobo.
Bobo: Oh yeah (snickers) almost forgot I was still in my pjs. Bye.
Bring out the lazy grasshopper puppet. Have the kids answer questions about the story at the beginning. Explain that God has made us each special and given all of us things that we can do for him. We need to not only love God with our whole hearts but we need to serve him with our whole hearts. We need to try our hardest to do what God wants us to do. We shouldn't be lazy Christians because there are things that need to be done and people who need to hear about the love of Jesus.
Ask the kids who have been acting like lazy Christians to come forward if they would like to make a commitment to God to serve him with their whole hearts and do his work. Have the workers pray for the kids who have come forward.
