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
God's Protection
God's Miraculous Protection--Daniel the lion tamer God's Miraculous Strength--Samson the strongest man on earth God's Miraculous Provision-- Elijah and the widows never ending oil and flour...magically appearing out of thin air. God's Miraculous Healing Power--Elijah raises the widows son from the dead. Power unmatched by any other. God's Grace--the greatest miracle of all-- the death and resurrection of Jesus God's Grand Finale--the great disappearing act--Elijah taken to heaven
The set: set up the room like a circus. Make a big top out of crete paper on the ceiling. Hand balloons all over the room. Make a back drop of a ticket booth, animal train, circus acts, etc. Use your creativity to make the room as bright and lively as possible.
This week: Daniel the great lion tamer teaches us about God's miraculous protection.
To teach the children that:
It is important to maintain control in the classroom. When some kids get out of control it leads to chaos for all the kids. Be firm and consistent and loving at the same time. It is important to remember that we are a team. When one of us is teaching the rest of the team needs to be attentive to the children so that misbehaviour does not become a problem. Sitting with the children lets them know that they must behave, but also helps them see that someone cares about them.
1. No illegal movement: wild animals need to be caged but boys and girls need to behave...stay in your seat and keep your hands and feet to yourself. 2. No interference: clowns are crazy but boys and girls can have fun without misbehaving...don't interrupt like the clowns or cause a commotion. 3. Go for the touch down: Lets have fun praising the Lord as we discover some of the magnificent miracles of God.
This is the most important part of our prep time. Please take time to pray for our service during the week. We are more than just a program or a babysitting club. We are here to share the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ with children who may some day be used by God beyond what you and I could ever imagine. Pray for God's anointing in our service and mention kids by name as you pray this week. You'd be amazed at what God will do when we pray!
We also need to take time to pray before each service. The kids need to know that this time belongs to God and that it is a sacred time as well as a fun time.
Characters needed: ring master, Lion tamer, two clowns, (the rest of the crew will be made up of puppets)
Clown skit: One clown will be chasing the other clown with a large super soaker. The one being chased will be screaming for help. They will run around the chairs several times and the clown will lightly spray water onto the kids. The one being chased will then try to hide behind the ring master. The ring master can scold the bad clown and take away her weapon. Then he can explain that bad things sometimes happen but that we serve a miraculous wonderful God who will protect us if we are faithful to him. He can then show the clowns out so they stop disrupting the lesson.
Ring master can then introduce the great Lion tamer. The lion tamer should come out with a chair and whip in hand. A lion puppet appears in the puppet stage. He can carry on for a few moments showing off his great skills, then can abruptly stop and turn and ask the children if they would like to know how he got into the lion taming business. He can act and tell the story of Daniel and the lions den as if he is Daniel.
Ring master: There you have it ladies and gentlemen! You have heard with your very own ears of the miraculous protection of our awesome God! This story is real! You can look it up for yourself in Gods holy word the Bible.
Bible lady comes out...Yes boys and girls. This story is true. Recorded in the pages of your bible in the book of Daniel chapter six. There you will discover that God protects his children, even when it requires a miraculous intervention.
She can then teach the bible verse to the children using a spinning wheel--(the wheel has a portion of the verse on it. If the volunteer can guess what blank it goes in they receive the prize listed under the portion of the verse.)
Psalm 32:7 "you are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble"
Grande the gorilla is behind the stage crying hysterically. The ring master notices and calls him up.
RM: Hello. Who are you? I don't believe we've met before.
Grande: OHHHH booo hoooo...I'm (sniff, sniff) I'm Grande (loud wailing)
RM: Why are you crying so loudly Grande? Are you lost or something?
Grande: OH NO (still crying and sniffling) but I might get lost.
RM: you might get lost???
Grande: Or even worse, I might not make any new friends here at the wonderfair circus...or I might fall into the lions cage...
RM: You might fall into the lions cage??
Grande: Yeah, I just got a new job here at the circus and my cage is right next to the lions cage and I might get eaten...
RM: you might get eaten???
Grande: (Wailing loudly again) or even worse I might slip on a banana peel and land on a slobbery cotton candy and get it squished up my nose and get a slimy sucker stuck in my beautiful fur...ohhhh boo hoooooo.
RM: Hold it hold it hold it!!!! That is a lot of maybes. You know Grande, the bible tells us that we don't need to worry if we trust God. He will take care of us and protect us.
Grande: You mean I will never get hurt if I trust God?
RM: well, you see Grande, God knows what is best for us. He promises that he is control and everything that happens to us is for our good. Sometimes bad things will happen, but God will always be with us and good will always come of those things. Sometimes we don't realize that God is there protecting us.
(Read footprints in the sand)
Grande: That is awesome. Well, I am off to tell the lion about God's protection.
Obtain a box with a lock. Have the clowns come in with the box and a ton of keys. The clowns want to get the treasure that is in the box even though it doesn't belong to them. Give several kids keys (that don't work) and have them attempt to open the box along with the clowns. The lion tamer can come out with the right key and ask the clowns what they are doing with her treasure box. They stutter about blaming everyone else. The lion tamer can then bring out the right key. Before he opens it she can tell the children that this box is like our life. If we give God our heart then he keeps it safe from harm. Just like the lock protects the treasure in the box, God protects our hearts which is his treasure. You can fill the box with treasure like candy necklaces or gum balls (jewels) and distribute them after church.
(have lights going around the puppet stage to make it look lively) Have a clown trying to convince a puppet to do something foolish like walk across a high wire blind folded holding a chair. They can discuss, argue, etc until the ring master breaks in to tell them that God still expects us to think things through and not act foolishly. God protects us in time of need but not in time of foolishness. Part of being faithful to God involves listening to his voice and obeying his instructions. God protected Daniel because Daniel was taking a stand for what was right not because Daniel was being stupid.
Ring master can close... well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls today you have seen the extraordinary, the marvellous and the miraculous! You have learned that we serve an awesome God who protects us when we are faithful to Him. Are there any of you here who would like to give your hearts to God? Distribute hearts. Have kids write their names on a heart and place it in the box as a symbol that they are giving their hearts to God and are going to trust him for the miraculous protection he gives.
Copyright 1998, Sheryl Coats
