Unit 1: Lesson 11 ISRAEL IN THE DESERT (General)

1) Welcome Activity:

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child
(sing to the tune of “The More we get together” )
Thank you God for (name)
For (name), for (name)
Thank you God for (name)
We’re glad (s) he is here!

3) Opening Prayer... ask God today to give us obedient hearts and to help us fight the temptation to grumble and complain

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: God works among his covenant people to prepare the world for the Savior. Hebrews 12:1&2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us… look to Jesus.” Tell them that they are going to hear a Bible Story again today that shows how God worked through Israel while they were in the desert. God brought the people out of Egypt with great and mighty wonders and parted the Red Sea for them to pass through. Now, God prepares the people to enter into the promised land. Are they happy and obedient to God? Let’s find out!


5) Bible Story: Today’s Story is about Israel in the Desert. Read pages 102-105 from the Read and Learn Bible (Scholastic).


6) Text: Today’s Text is: “And God spoke all these words, ‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Exodus 20:2

7) Craft:

• God Guides His People… Give each child one small paper plate. Have the children decorate the one side with cotton balls (this is the cloud by day) and the other side with strips of yellow/orange/red tissue paper flames (this is the pillar of fire by night). When the plate is decorated, give each child a clothes pin to clip on the bottom of the plate for a handle. Take some time to go on a pretend "march" through the desert. Act out marching, then stopping at night to eat and drink, then waking up in the morning to find manna, then marching again. As you march, use the sign and flip it from pillar of cloud to pillar of flame.
(photos coming soon)
• God Provides for his People… make a quail puppet from a paper bag. Cut small yellow triangle for a beak, a small black cirle (or buttons) for eyes and lots of brown feather shapes. Allow the children to glue and decorate the feathers as they wish. Have them glue the eyes and beak on the front flaps so that you can use it as a puppet. Today’s text can be glued near the bottom of the bag.

See this site for a picture:
http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/birdcrafts.html
8) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children
9) Going Home: Sing the closing together. Then, check to see if all the children have collected their crafts and coloring sheets before they go home. Say goodbye and tell them that you enjoyed learning about God together and were happy to have them today! You were, weren’t you?
(sung to the tune of The More we Get Together,
just like the opening song)
We love to learn together,
Together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
Also can be sung with: “sing” or “pray” or “work”
10) Optional Coloring Pages...
Gathering manna:
http://www.sermons4kids.com/manna-from-heaven-colorpg.htm
Quail:
http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/bible/quail.gif