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Crafts, Fun, Kids Ministry, Parenting, Small Groups, Sunday School

February 26, 2015

Science and the Bible: Lava Lamps and Moses

I love object lessons for teaching kids. Here is a science experiment for making a homemade lava lamp to help you in teaching the story of Moses and the burning bush. Also provided is a teaching picture and Bible story summary available to download here.

Before the Activity:

o What are some things that are very hot?

o What reminds you of fire?

o Today we are going to learn a story about how God spoke to Moses through a bush that was on fire but not burning up.

Items needed:

o Water

o Clear plastic bottle

o Vegetable oil

o Food color

o Alka Seltzer®

o Plastic funnel

Instructions:

o Fill the plastic bottle ¼ full with water using the plastic funnel.

o Fill the bottle almost to the top with oil.

o Allow the oil and water to separate.

o Add quite a bit of food color (use orange or red).

o Break the Alka Seltzer tablets into smaller pieces. Drop one or two into the water and watch the results. When the bubbling stops, you can add more tablets.

What happened:

o Oil and water don’t mix very well. The food color dropped to the bottom of the water, and the Alka Seltzer created carbon dioxide bubbles. Each of the bubbles carried some of the colored water, with them up on their trip. When the bubbles popped, the water dropped back through the oil.

Bible Story Connection:

o God Spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:1–4:17)

o Connection Point: This activity reminds us of a lava lamp. We know that lava is very hot, and that reminds us of fire. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush. The bush was on fire but not burning up, just like this activity looks like lava, but is not really hot. [This activity could be modified for use with other stones in the Bible that use fire.]

After the Story/Activity:

o Is the “lava” in the lamp really hot? Why?

o Was the burning bush really on fire? Why or why not?

o In life, sometimes things can look real even if they aren’t, like this lava. In the Bible, though, we know that it is all real. The Bible tells that the bush was on fire, but it wasn’t burning up. The bush was really on fire.

o Is this bottle hot? Do you think the burning bush was hot?

Jeff Land loves Life! That’s pretty great, because his job here at LifeWay is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Jeff loves his life which is so blessed by his amazing wife, Abbey, and their four sons, Reed, Nash, Will, and Tuck. A natural encourager and fun-lover, look for Jeff’s posts about teacher appreciation and game ideas. When not serving at work, Jeff serves 2nd graders at his church, First Baptist Church, Joelton, TN.

Crafts, Encouraging

February 3, 2015

February Teacher Appreciation

By Jeff Land

I come from a very talented family of crafters and artists. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of the talent, but I did get the desire to make things with my hands. We even have a secret facebook group where someone in our family challenges us to make something. This month, I took that challenge and turned it into a teacher appreciation idea for Valentines Day.

Start with a sheet of red copy paper. Trim the paper to make a square.
Fold the square in half to form a triangle. Crease well.
Fold the triangle in half again to make a smaller triangle. Crease well.
Fold the triangle in half one last time to make a smaller triangle. Crease well.
Unfold the paper to the original triangle made in step 2.
Place the triangle on a table with the longest side facing you.
Take the left corner and fold it up to the top corner. Do the same with the right corner forming a diamond shape. Tape the seams together with a small piece of clear tape.
Flip the paper over to the untaped side. Fold the top point of the diamond down a little above the two outside corners.
Flip the paper over to the taped side. Take the left point and fold down to make a small triangle point. Do the same with the right side.
Flip over. You should have a heart shaped pocket.

You can dog-ear the corners back a little to give it more of a heart shape, but I don’t think that is necessary. Also, since I’m not a purist, I used small pieces of tape to hold down any paper that wanted to flap up.

Inside you can place a giftcard and write a catchy saying on the outside.

I used a Starbucks® giftcard and a Chick-fil-a® giftcard for my samples.

Starbucks: Thanks a “latte”

Chick-fil-a: Thanks for being a part of our herd.

Burger King: Thanks for doing it God’s Way!

If budget is an issue, you can stuff the pocket with candies.

Sweetarts: You’re a sweetart!

M&Ms: Thanks for melting hearts for Jesus!

Party-favor size Play-Doh: You help mold hearts for God.

Crafts, Fun, Kids Ministry, Parenting, Resources, Small Groups, Sunday School

January 27, 2015

Science and the Bible: Make Waves with Jonah

By Jeff Land

I love the story of Jonah and the big fish. I’ve always been intrigued by what it must have been like in the belly of the fish for three days. Here’s a fun science experiment that you can use with kids while teaching the story of Jonah. Download a teaching picture and Bible story summary here.

Before the Activity:

o Where are some places that you have seen “foamy” water?

o What Bible story do you think of when I say these words: storm, sea, foam, spit, throw up, and big fish?

o Today we are going to study the story of Jonah.

Items needed:

o Plastic soda bottle (16 or 20 ounce)

o ½ cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide (Available at beauty supply stores)

o 1 packet of dry yeast

o 3 tablespoons of warm water

o Liquid dish soap

o Food color

o Small cup

o Safety goggles

o Tray or pan

Instructions:

o Place hydrogen peroxide in the plastic bottle.

o Add food color and about a tablespoon of dish soap to the bottle and mix.

o Combine warm water and yeast and mix together for about 30 seconds.

o Pour the yeast in the bottle and step back.

What happened:

o This experiment created an exothermic reaction. This means that along with the foam there was also heat. The foam and heat were produced as oxygen bubbles were quickly created as the yeast mixed with the hydrogen and soap.

Bible Story Connection:

o The book of Jonah

o Connection Point: When water crashes around in the waves, it creates a foamy texture. We know that when Jonah was thrown off of the boat there was a great storm, so there were probably some “foamy” waters. Also, another point of connection with this activity is when the big fish spit Jonah up onto dry land. The foam shooting out of the bottle kind of reminds us of spit shooting out.

After the Story/Activity:

o What part of the story did the foam remind you of?

o What part of the story did the foam shooting out of the bottle remind you of?

o Do you think that Jonah really was in a big fish and spit up onto dry land? Why or why not?

Christmas, Crafts

December 10, 2014

Christmas Teacher Appreciation: Personalized Ornaments

By Jeff Land

No doubt, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love all of the lights, the colors, and the smells. It’s also a great time to show the people that you love how much you care about them by giving little gifts. Personally, I always prefer a gift that has meaning over a store bought gift.

About three years ago, as part of my gift to my team members, my wife and I started making a “Bible Studies For Life: Kids” ornament. I have loved this tradition. Each year, my wife will scour the pins of Pinterest looking for a cute ornament idea and this year I think she hit it out of the ballpark.

She found this great “pinecone” ornament made from pieces of paper. We decided that a great way to personalize it would be to use pages of our kids activity pages. Each member of my amazing team works on the activity pages, so these ornaments will have meaning for each of my team.

First, you need to purchase the supplies from a local craft store. We bought all of our supplies at Hobby Lobby.

Supplies:

Birch Leaf Paper Punch
White Styrofoam Eggs
Nickel Satin Pins
Extra Fine Glass-head Pins
Red Ribbon
Extra Pages from the curriculum your teachers use (Note: Use old curriculum, not what they are currently using)

Directions:

1. Use the Birch Leaf Paper Punch to punch lots of little leaves from the pages of the curriculum. LOTS of little leaves.
2. With the Nickel Satin Pins, attach individual leaves to the egg in rows. Start with the skinny end of the egg, with the leaves face down.
3. Apply as many rows as you want. The closer the rows the fuller your “pinecone” will be.
4. When you have completely covered the egg with paper leaves, attach a hanger of ribbon by making a loop and attaching it with a Glass Head Pin. My wife made a little bow for ours.
5. We recently had my team to our house for lunch and we placed the ornaments on our Christmas tree in our kitchen, and we let team members choose the ornament of their choice.

Enjoy!

Christmas, Crafts, Fun, Kids Ministry

December 3, 2014

Christmas Coloring Pages

By Jeff Land

It’s that time of year again. The Christmas trees are going up, radio stations have begun to play Christmas music, and the allure of hot apple cider gains a heightened status. I love Christmas. I love Christmas so much that our five Christmas trees have been up for about a month now.

Even though I love the sights and the sounds of Christmas, I have found that the thing that I love most about Christmas is getting to tell kids all about the wonder and excitement of that first Christmas day.

One of the ways you can help keep the focus of Christmas on the birth of Jesus is by making sure that everything you do in your church classes is centered on Him. In order to do that a little more easily, your friends at The Gospel Project and Bible Studies For Life have provided you with some of their favorite Christmas-themed coloring pages. Feel free to download and use these with the kids at your church.

The Gospel Project For Kids
Jesus Was Born
Wise Men

Bible Studies For Life: Kids
An Angel Visited Mary
Jesus Was Born (A)
Jesus Was Born (B)
Wise Men

Crafts, Fun, Kids Ministry, Small Groups

November 6, 2014

Science Experiments: Bouncy Balls & Creation

By Jeff Land

My kids love those “super bouncy” balls that you can buy in machines at restaurants. Every time we go out to eat, they beg us for a quarter to use in the machines. I found this recipe for making homemade bouncy balls, and while they are certainly not “super bouncy,” they are fun to make. Some disclaimers I would add are to be VERY accurate on your measurements. I did this experiment with my boys and it was a flop. I did it with some adults and it was awesome, so make sure that you are the one doing the measuring! Connect the experiment to the story of God’s Creation with the plan below. A teaching picture and Bible story summary are available to download here.

· Before the Activity:
o Think about the days of creation. What are some of the first things that God created?
o Do you think that God meant to create the earth round? Why?
o Today we will study the story of how God created the world.

o Borax
o Cornstarch
o White or clear school glue
o Warm water
o 2 cups (Labeled “Borax” and “Ball”)
o Food Color and/or Glitter (optional)

o In the “Borax” cup, dissolve ½ teaspoon of borax powder in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Add food color to get your desired color.
o In the “ball” cup, add 1 tablespoon of glue.
o Add ½ teaspoon of the “Borax” solution to the “Ball” cup. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch but do not stir. Allow the ingredients to work together for about 15–30 seconds.
o Stir the solution together until it becomes too difficult to stir. Take the mixture out and knead and mold until it is a ball.

o This experiment requires you to use a polymer to create a chemical reaction with the borax. The polymer is found in the glue. The polymer attaches itself to the borax.

· Bible Story Connection:
o God Created the World (Genesis 1:1–2:23)
o Connection Point: In this activity, kids will get to create a ball. God also created a great big ball, the earth! God created a beautiful world, and kids can choose how they create their ball.

· After the Story/Activity:
o What connections do you see between making our bouncy balls and how God created the earth?
o Will our bouncy balls last forever? Will the earth last forever?
o Do you think that God was creative in the way that He made the earth? How?

Crafts, Kids Ministry, Sunday School

June 25, 2014

4 Quick and Easy Teacher Appreciation Ideas for July 4th

By Jeff Land

I can almost smell the barbecue smoking even now. The Fourth of July will be here soon and along with appreciating our freedom to live in the USA, it’s also a great time to show appreciation for your kids ministry leaders.

Here are four quick and easy ideas to do just that. Also included are these beautifully designed printables so that you can recreate them at home. All of the items used were purchased at my local Dollar General store and cost $1 or less.

1. Chocolate Freedom Bar.

Purchase regular-sized Hershey bars (with or without Almonds – don’t forget those with nut allergies!) and print as many of these great FREEDOM labels as you need. Wrap the labels around the candy bars and secure with double-sided tape.

Download Chocolate Freedom Bar printable (PDF).

2. You Are WANDerful.

I found these patriotic foam wands and immediately thought they would make a great gift for the Kings and Queens of your kids ministry area. Simply print these “wanderful” printouts, punch holes in the designated areas, and thread onto the wand.

Download You Are WANDerful printable (PDF).

3. Popping In!

Does anyone not like popcorn? There are many bagged varieties, so choose your favorite and print these new packaging labels and attach to the front of each bag. Your kids ministry leaders will be glad you “pop” in.

Download Popping In! printable (PDF).

4. See the TRUTH.

A $1 pair of goggles might not get a lot of use from your kids ministry leaders, but it can make a great visual reminder that your leaders are showing kids the TRUTH of Jesus Christ. Print the labels and attach to a pair of goggles.

Download See the TRUTH printable (PDF).

Jeff Land loves Life! That’s pretty great, because his job here at LifeWay is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Jeff loves his life which is so blessed by his amazing wife, Abbey, and their four sons, Reed, Nash, Will, and Tuck. A natural encourager and fun-lover, look for Jeff’s posts about teacher appreciation and game ideas. When not serving at work, Jeff serves 2nd graders at his church, First Baptist Church, Joelton, TN.

Crafts, Encouragement, Fun

June 3, 2014

Free Downloadable Father’s Day Cards Your Kids will Love

By Jeff Land

I love Father’s Day. It’s always a fun day in my house since I have four loving little boys. I have an amazing dad and I’m thankful that God blessed me with such a caring father.

It’s always great to have a Father’s Day craft for kids and this year, we’ve created three cards that you can download and let your kids color for their dads.

1. There’s Something I “mustache” You!

To add a little more interest to this card, I took a piece of bow-tie macaroni and painted it and added to the front. I really like the result, but if you are pressed for time and don’t have time to make fresh bow-tie macaroni (or run to the grocery store which is what I did!) it’s perfectly fine without it.

Download Here

2. 100 Grand

Purchase some mini 100 Grand candy bars and give one to each kid. Simply have them color their cards and then tape the 100 Grand candy bar where noted on the printout. Dads will love this sweet-treat of a Father’s Day card.

Download Here

3. A Good Father

This card is super simple. Just print, fold, and let your kiddos color. Dad will love the artwork of his kids!

Download Here

Crafts, Encouragement

May 7, 2014

A Handful of Mother’s Day Ideas

By Jerry Vogel

Mother’s Day is one of those special occasions that can baffle dads and teachers when it comes to helping kids prepare something unique for Mom. Be careful to keep the activity simple and totally the work of the child. The overriding purpose is that the activity/project provide for an emotional touch by their child’s own “hands.” Consider one or more of these:

Encourage children to “make” with their hands the Mother’s Day gift of their choice. This can include drawings, paintings, pottery…most anything made by the children’s hands, NOT the teacher’s!
Invite children to “write” with their own hands a love note. Some of Mom’s most treasured keepsakes can be handwritten notes and letters. Suggest that the child decorate an envelope in which to place the note. Including one of Mom’s favorite Bible verses is a meaningful addition.
Provide an opportunity for the child to create a project with his/her handprints. These can be traced handprints, cutout silhouettes of hand prints glued onto paper or card stock with additional drawings/dates/notes or even handprint impressions on plaster of paris molds.
Help the child gather the necessary ingredients for a surprise breakfast, snack, or meal. Many kids will like to create and cook up a special treat for Mom.
Plan a week full of “secret” acts of kindness. Kids can make a list of one action a day the week before Mother’s Day to show love. Suggest that the child place a note with an “I love you” expression or a Bible verse close to the spot of kindness — cleaning his/her room, a small vase of hand-picked flowers, a cold bottle of water with a note, making a bed, watering plants, and so on.

And don’t forget Mom’s absolute favorite … a hug for no reason at all!

Jerry Vogel serves as a Childhood Ministry Specialist in LifeWay Church Resources. He is married to Janie and has four children and twelve grand kids. Jerry is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church and teaches preschoolers there. He is committed to enriching the lives of those who teach kids as well as making eternal investments in the lives of children.

Crafts, Fun, Sunday School

May 5, 2014

Mother’s Day Coloring Pages

By Stacey Means

Moms love personal gifts. Whether they’re handwritten notes, handcrafted artwork, or homemade cookies, gifts mean more when time and energy are expended. Help kids celebrate Mother’s Day with the coloring pages below. After the kids finish coloring, encourage parents to hang this priceless artwork on their refrigerators and remember how blessed they are to be mothers.

Download Mother’s Day Coloring Page. (PDF)

Download Best Mom Coloring Page. (PDF)

Science and the Bible: Lava Lamps and Moses

February Teacher Appreciation

Science and the Bible: Make Waves with Jonah

Christmas Teacher Appreciation: Personalized Ornaments

Christmas Coloring Pages

Science Experiments: Bouncy Balls & Creation

4 Quick and Easy Teacher Appreciation Ideas for July 4th

Free Downloadable Father’s Day Cards Your Kids will Love

A Handful of Mother’s Day Ideas

Mother’s Day Coloring Pages

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