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In addition to your own inspired
and creative activities, you may want to consider
some of the following ideas.
Sunday School Superintendents and Teachers:
Either individual teachers or all classes
can participate in having students create
their own Bibles. See Sally Johnston's Swap
Shop idea.
You might like to continue the idea (from last
month) of creating a "People" style
magazine of Bible characters or you could put
together a newspaper with stories about the flood
written by different flood participants - Noah,
his family members, and one or two of the animals.
Ask students to interview Noah for a special article
on ship builders. Ask students to create their
own model ark and have pictures taken for your
news article. You might even include stories about
conditions on the boat from the animals' point
of view. There are no limits to the fun possibilities
for this activity. If you make multiple copies
of your newspaper, you can share them with the
adults in church, family, and friends. And an
extra copy can be tucked into each child's personal
Bible.
Talk with your teachers to come up with a theme
for the year. Our Sunday School theme for 2002
was God is All. For 2003 it is One God,
One Family, We are A L L God's Children. As
a take-home assignment, ask the pupils to create
posters on the "new year" theme to put
up around the Sunday School for each class to
have as a handy reference.
Teachers and Parents:
Teachers, ask the parents of your pupils to read
Bible stories to their children before tucking
them into bed at night. There are many good Bibles
for children at all age levels. If you are planning
to read the Bible through in a year, you might
want to buy a children's Bible and help your child
join you in the journey.
Bible for Toddlers (KJV) ages 2-4 Caren
Jurina (Illustrator) Publisher: Barbour Publishing
The Beginners Bible - Timeless Children's
Stories published by Zondervan is an excellent
beginning Bible for ages 4-7. They also have The
Kids Study Bible, King James Version (Ages
8-12), and Children's Bible, Beginner's
Bible Edition: New International Reader's Version
(ages 6 -10). For teens consider NKJV EXTREME
TEEN BIBLE and NIV REV TEEN STUDY BIBLE.
In preparation for the New Year, it is fun to
discuss goals for the year. This might include
becoming a better student of the Bible; praying
daily for one's self and others; making God one's
best friend; making a difference at home, school,
church, and in the community; character building;
and loving as Jesus loved.
January is dedicated to (a) discovering why and
how we study the Bible and (b) looking at Noah
and the ark in new ways. Below is a sample calendar
of what you might like to read and discuss each
week. There is a memorization verse for each week
as well. Work with your child and your students
to learn each verse. Discuss the meaning of the
verse and how it can be applied in everyday life.
Take time on Sundays in class and at dinner to
discuss how they can use or have already used
this verse in their lives.
Sunday January 5
Ask the students to recite this week's Bible verse:
II Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.
- What things do we want to leave behind?
- What is new about us everyday?
- How can we be "in Christ?"
- Explain a "goal" or "resolution"
to the younger children.
- Discuss goals for the New Year.
- Discuss spiritual goals for the New Year.
- How do spiritual goals support or hinder the
other goals?
In the section on Why
Study the Bible, there is a list of questions
to use in teaching Sunday School. Some are included
here.
Younger Classes - Talk about the Bible
- What is the Bible?
- How many sections are in the Bible?
- What are the sections or divisions called?
- What does "testament" mean?
- How many testaments are in the Holy Bible?
- How many books are in the Bible? (see "Why
Study the Bible")
- How many books are in the Old Testament?
- How many books are in the New Testament?
- Which stories are your favorites? Why?
- Which verses can you recite?
- Who are your favorite Bible characters? Why?
Start them on the project of learning the books
of the Bible. Next month we'll share a couple
of poems and a rap song to help learn the books
by heart.
Older Classes - Talk about the Bible
- What is the Bible?
- What is the purpose of the Bible?
- Why do you read or study the Bible?
- What is so important about the Bible?
- How many books are in the Bible?
- How many testaments are in the Holy Bible?
- How many books are in the Old Testament?
- How many books are in the New Testament?
- Can you recite the books in order?
- Why is it important to learn the names of
the books?
- What pneumonic devices can you employ to help
you remember them?
- Which stories are your favorites? Why?
- Who are your favorite Bible characters? Why?
- Which verses bring you comfort?
- How many verses of the Bible have you memorized?
- Why is it helpful to memorize Bible verses?
- Which translation of the Bible do you enjoy
reading?
Some of the above questions are used with permission
from That Ye May Teach the Children by
Joan K. Snipes.
Week of January 5-11
Memorization verse: Phil 3:13, 14 My brothers,
I do not consider myself to have fully grasped
it even now. But I do concentrate on this: I leave
the past behind and with hands outstretched to
whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal-my
reward the honour of my high-calling by God in
Christ Jesus. JB Phillips' The New Testament
in Modern English.
- What does this verse mean to you?
How do you set goals for yourself and accomplish
them?
- · Read Genesis 6: 11-8:17
Discuss Noah's qualities.
What does it mean: "Noah walked with
God?"
Sunday January 12
- Ask the students to recite this week's Bible
verse.
- Discuss the meaning of the verse.
- What does it mean to leave the past behind?
- What did Noah leave behind?
- Have the students tell the story of Noah.
If they don't know it, read it with them.
Younger Classes
- Discuss the qualities of Noah. We know he
walked with God. What a companion! What would
it be like to walk with God? Do we walk with
God today?
- The Bible also tells us that Noah found grace
in God's eyes. What does that mean?
- In Genesis we find that Noah was:
- Just
- Perfect
- Spiritually upright
- Genuine
- Inwardly entire and complete
- Obedient
- What other qualities do you see in Noah?
- What did Noah build?
- Why did he build it?
- List the directions for building the ark.
- What materials did Noah need?
- What kind of wood did he use?
- How long did it take Noah to build the ark?
Discuss size with the children. Figure out how
many churches the size of yours would fit in the
ark. (Just an approximate number.)
Give them some tasks. Move chairs, pick up something.
Are they listening? Are they obedient?
Talk to them about their OQ - obedience quotient.
How often are they willing to do what they are
asked?
Ask them to draw a smaller version of the ark
with one side off, so you can see the floors and
compartments. Ask them to build an ark out of
an old shoe box and bring it to class on January
19.
Older Classes
- Discuss the qualities of Noah. We know he
walked with God. What a companion! What would
it be like to walk with God? Do we walk with
God today?
- The Bible also tells us that Noah found grace
in God's eyes. What does that mean?
- Describe Noah's character. What kind of a
man was he?
- Would you want to be like Noah? Why or
why not?
- What do you like best about Noah?
- If God asked you to build a boat four and
a half football fields long in the desert, what
would you say?
- How would you handle the heckling of people
who thought it was a pretty dumb idea to build
such a huge boat in the desert?
- Could you stay with a task God gave you if
people made fun of you?
- Look at the materials and dimensions of the
ark.
- Calculate how long it would take you to build
the ark if you were working alone?
- What made the ark waterproof?
- What didn't God give Noah? (see Healing
Messages)
- Why do you think God omitted this item?
- Do you let God steer your life? Why or why
not?
- What else didn't God give Noah?
- Was Noah the only one asked to build the ark?
- Noah was probably the rocket scientist of
his day. Check out Teen Time and Dr.
Claudia Alexander's article. Dr. Alexander
is a rocket scientist. She has a launch this
month to land a rocket on a comet.
Assignment:
- This next week contemplate how you might save
the world from disaster.
- What does God require of us to save the world?
Week of January 12-18
Memorization verse: I Cor 9:24 KJV Know
ye not that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may
obtain.
- In what race are we all competing?
- Reread the story of Noah.
- List all the times he was obedient to God.
Sunday January 19
- Ask the students to recite this week's Bible
verse.
- Discuss the meaning of the verse.
- How does this relate to Noah?
- Was he in a race?
- What prize are you trying to win?
- Were you able to use anything from the story
of Noah to help you this past week?
Younger Classes
- Have the children show their arks.
- Where would the animals go?
- Where would Noah and his family stay?
- How many were in Noah's family?
- Take the list of qualities that Noah had and
write them on slips of paper.
- Discuss the qualities and let the children
put them into the ark.
- Example: Noah was patient. Put patience
into the ark.
- Noah was obedient. Put obedience into
the ark.
- Waterproof the ark with the qualities
that will make a perfect voyage.
- After Noah built the ark, what did God ask
him to do?
- Gather animals?
- How many?
- What kinds?
- Have the children draw pictures of the animals
or give them cut outs of animal pictures or
get stickers of animals from a teacher's school
store.
- Now have them arrange where they would
place animals in the ark to keep them safe
from bigger animals.
- Let them explain why they are placing
them on one of the three floors.
- Discuss safety
- What made Noah and his family safe?
- What made the animals safe?
- How long were they on the boat before it began
to rain?
- What would you do if you were on the ark?
- How long did it rain?
- How long did they have to stay in the ark?
(answers can be found in reading the Bible
Characters section.)
- What qualities would you need to live with
a floating zoo for a year?
- What kinds of activities did they have on
the ark?
- What challenges would you have living on an
ark with all those animals?
Please send some of your wonderful answers to
these questions to: BibleWise.com.
Older Classes
- Last week you were asked to contemplate how
you might save the world from disaster.
- What did you discover?
- What does the world need?
- How can you meet that need?
- What would it take to solve those
problems?
- Would you be willing to be the problem
solver?
- How might you approach the problems?
- What can you learn from Noah that
might help you?
- What does God require of us to save the world?
- What support do you find in the Bible
to answer this question?
- How long was Noah on the ark?
- Why did Noah stay on the ark after he knew
the ground was dry?
Week of January 19-25
Memorization verse: Rom 12: 2 Don't become
so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit
into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your
attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside
out. Readily recognize what he wants from you,
and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture
around you, always dragging you down to its level
of immaturity, God brings the best out of you,
develops well-formed maturity in you. Peterson's
The Message.
- What does the verse from Romans say about
peer pressure?
- Think about God's promise in Genesis 8:22-23.
- How important is a promise?
- How do you feel when people break their promises?
Sunday January 26
- Ask the students to recite this week's Bible
verse.
- Discuss the meaning of the verse with some
of the questions above.
- Have the students in the lower classes tell
the story of Noah. (They shouldn't need any
help.)
- What's the first thing Noah does when he gets
off the ark?
The new life started with spiritual worship.
God's response to Noah's prayer was a promise.
- What was God's promise?
- What sign did God give with the promise?
Included in Teaching the Bible is "Everything
I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's
Ark." While lighthearted, it opens the
door for discussion at all ages on what we can
learn from Noah's ark.
Younger Classes
- Have the students draw a rainbow.
- Did they draw a half circle or a full
circle?
- A rainbow is a full circle. If you are
high enough you can see it.
- Half a circle would not indicate the
full commitment of God's promise.
- How many colors in the rainbow?
- Is there anything significant about the
number 7?
- What are the colors? (red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet)
- Is it a rainbow if it is missing some
of the colors?
- Discuss the importance of keeping promises.
- What promises have you made?
- Have you ever broken a promise?
- How can you mend broken promises?
If you are making the Bible
from the Swap Shop for your class, put the
finishing touches on Noah and place the story
in their personalized Bibles.
Older Classes
- Discuss promises.
- What kinds of promises do you make?
- Do you keep your promises?
- What causes you not to keep your promises?
- Do you trust God to keep His promises?
Why or why not?
- What is the significance of the rainbow being
round?
- What lessons have you learned from Noah?
- Discuss what you learned from Noah's ark.
- How does Romans 12:2 help you deal
with peer pressure?
- Have you worked on answers to the tough questions
your friends might ask you?
- What are the "tough" questions?
- What Bible passages can help you have
the courage Noah displayed when challenged
by others?
Week of January 26- February
1
Memorization verse: Matt 6:33 KJV …seek
ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Why should we seek God first?
- What gets in the way of seeking God first?
- Noah certainly put first things first when
he left the ark. Can we do that?
- What exactly are the "things" that
are given to you?
- Start learning the books of the Bible.
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