Welcome: Welcome to Backyard Club! Thank you to ____________ for allowing us to come today! We’re glad you’re here!
I have a project for you to work on right away. I need your help putting things into this container of water to see if they will float – stay on top of the water, or if they will sink – go to the bottom of the container.
Allow time to investigate. (5 minutes)
Great job testing the items in the water! Did any of the things surprise you? Did you think they would sink and instead they floated?
God keeps His promises! Yeah God! When you hear someone say “God keeps His promises!” you finish the saying by shouting “Yeah God!”
Let’s try it! God keeps His promises! YEAH GOD! God loves us so much, He keeps every promise He makes. God doesn’t forget.
Have a seat on my blanket. Today’s Bible story is about a time a man named Noah. Noah loved God and listened to him. Let’s listen!
Tell the Story: Noah Builds An Ark
Say: Here we go! You’ll need colored chalk to help tell today’s Bible story.
God told Noah to build an ark. An ark is a big, big boat with a roof on it. Begin drawing an ark.
So Noah did what God told him to do. His ark was very long and very wide and very high. It had lots of rooms. Noah and his family climbed into the ark. Draw Noah and his family walking up a ramp into the ark.
All the animals came too, they came two-by-two, male and female. Lions, giraffes, lizards, bears, sheep, and so on. Every kind of animal come onto the ark! Draw animals coming onto the ark.
Then God shut the door. Erase Noah and his family from the ramp, and erase the animals walking to the ark.
It rained. Draw raindrops.
And rained. And RAINED. AND rained. In fact, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, every day and every night. Draw water under the ark.
But Noah and his family and all of the animals on the ark floated safely inside. FINALLY, it stopped rained. Erase the rain, but keep the water under the ark.
The winds blew and sun shone. Draw the sun.
The water went away, and the ground was dry. Erase the water under the ark and draw dry ground.
Noah and his family and all of the animals on the ark stepped on the dry ground. Draw Noah coming out of the ark.
God kept all of them safe. Noah looked up and saw a rainbow. Draw a rainbow.
It was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. God told Noah “The rainbow is My promise to you. Each time you see a rainbow, remember how much I love you.” Draw a heart.
WOW! What a great story!
God keeps His promises! YEAH GOD!
God tells us in His Word:
The Lord Point upward Will rescue me Point to self And bring me safely hug yourself Into His heavenly kingdom Hold hands out, palms up, and raise upward 2 Timothy 4 Hold up 4 fingers on one hand Verse 18 Hold up1 finger on one hand, 8 on the other hand
Let’s say it again! Repeat 2 Timothy 4:18
God rescued Noah and his family and 2 of every kind of animal. What does rescue mean? It means to save.
We need to be rescued too, but in another way. We all think and do wrong things, that’s called sin. We need to be rescued from sin. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us. Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose again on Easter.
God keeps His promises! YEAH GOD!!! God’s promise is for ME!
You’ll need a garden hose, connected to a water faucet. Make sure kids have their back to the sun. As I operate this hose, keep your eyes on the water spray. Face the sun and use the nozzle to create a fine spray of water. Spray the water at a 45-degree angle to the sun. Adjust the spray until kids are able to see a rainbow form in the mist coming from the hose.
Did you see the rainbow we created? Cool!
The next time you see a rainbow in the sky after it rains, thank God for keeping His promises! GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES! YEAH GOD!
Let’s Play a Game! Two-by-Two Relay
Materials Bibles, index cards, marker
Lead the Game Noah showed his love for God by obeying Him and building the ark. The animals even obeyed by getting on board! Let’s play a game about the animals getting on board the ark.
What kinds of animals came on the ark with Noah? Write each animal students suggest on a separate index card. (You may also prepare cards ahead of time.) Mix order of cards and place in a stack.
The animals came onto the ark in pairs. Students line up in pairs. (If you have an uneven number of students, form one or more trios.)
Each pair of students takes a card and quickly decides an action to imitate the animal on their card (arms down in front of face like the trunk of an elephant, hopping for a rabbit or frog, etc.).
At your signal, each pair links arms and moves across the playing area in the manner chosen. When they get to the other side of the playing area, pair stands up and makes the noise of their animal and then returns to line in the same manner.
If you have time, shuffle the cards and play again so that each student gets a chance to imitate more than one kind of animal. Students change partners for each round of the game.
Discussion Questions 1. What animal would you most like to be? Why? 2. What animal did you have the most fun acting like? 3. Noah obeyed God by building an ark. What are some ways a kid your age can obey God?
God keeps His promises! YEAH GOD!
Rainbow Art
Supplies: Small containers for colored water Four colors of liquid water color Coffee filters – 1 per student Eyedroppers Newspapers or table cloths to cover tables
Pour water into containers, filling about ½ way. Put drops of liquid water color into containers – making sure the water is saturated with color. Cover tables.
Lead the activity: Fold your coffee filter in half and in half again like this. Show how to fold it, help those who need help. Using your eye dropper, squeeze some colored water into it. Gently drop the colored water onto your coffee filter. You don’t want it to be soggy with water, just use drops. Show how to do this. Add more color as you’d like to. Be careful not to make it too wet. It’s okay if the colors mix. When you’re finished, open it up and let it dry.
God keeps His promises! YEAH GOD!!!
Let’s huddle together and pray: Dear God Thank you for loving me and protecting me. Thank you for loving me on rainy days and sunny days. Thank you for loving me everyday. Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be my Savior and friend. I love You. Amen.
Blessing: May God, who is all around you, Beginning at the bottom of the circle, slowly pour his love upon you.make a large circle with your hands. Finish by bringing your hands down and wiggling the fingers to resemble rain.) And Jesus, his life a sacrifice,Slowly make a large sign of the cross. Then walk right there beside you.move your hands out to the sides. And may God’s Holy Spirit,Cross your hands over the heart. the one who lives inside you, keep you strong,Move to a “strong man” position. Then comfort, lead and guide you!cross your arms with the hands on corresponding upper arms to communicate comfort. Bring one hand forward with “lead” and the other with “guide” to complete the blessing.)
