LESSON 1

GOD'S CREATION

SCRIPTURE Genesis 1:1-2:4

LESSON FOCUS God was the Creator of all the world.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS VISUAL/SPATIAL Interpersonal Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] children's Bible

[] several sheets of light colored paper

[] pencils

[] scissors

[] light blue cloth cut and edged to fit altar

[] fabric glue

LEARNING AREA

[] space where children can sit inpairs

[] several large areas when children can draw, cut, and paste

LEARNING PROCESS

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning connects with VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as children listen to the creation story and "see" it in their imaginations. VISUAL/SPATIAL and INTERPERSONAL learning connect with VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as students share their images with their group, create a group image in their small groups, and describe their image to the entire class as they interpret what they see using felt pieces to make a "Creation" altar cloth or banner.

WARM-UP

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning: Invite the children to find a partner and sit side by side. Have them close their eyes and imagine a warm, sunny day. Ask them to imagine themselves walking along a path in a beautiful wooded area with flowers and trees all around them. The sun is shining through the trees and they can hear birds chirping as they walk along the path. Ask them to stop and pick up something from the path in front of them. Ask them to slowly open their eyes and blink three times.

Allow the children to take turns and tell one another what their "woods" looked like. What kinds of things did they see? What did they find on the path? What color was it? Encourage vivid descriptions.

Ask the children how this experience felt. Were they comfortable? Were they able to "see" things? Did they see in color?

LESSON

Explain to the children that you are going to read them a story about how God made the world. Ask them to listen carefully as the story is read, and to picture what they are hearing in their minds. Read the creation story slowly and with emphasis from a descriptive children's Bible. Allow the children time to create visual images of the story.

When you have finished reading, ask the children to again talk with their partner about what they saw. On a chalkboard or a piece of newsprint draw a "TChart" (see page 103) to record what the children saw or heard on each day of the creation story.

Divide the class into seven groups. Have each group select a day of the week, and make paper patterns of the things that were created on that day. Trace the patterns onto pieces of felt. Cut out each felt design. Invite each group, beginning with day 1, to glue their images onto the blue background cloth. As they work have them tell the story of what God created on their particular day. Decide if this creation will become an altar cloth for your church or a banner for your classroom or hallway. Finish the edges of the cloth according to its use.

VARIATIONS

Logical/Mathematical: Have students determine how the sequence that God chose built upon each day's creation. Ask them to create a chart of the daily creations.

Musical/Rhythmic: Have the students finish the rhythmic patterned story of creation that begins:

On the first day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, light, day and night and God said, "It is good."

On the second day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, a dome called sky and God said, "It is good."

On the third day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, earth and sea and all the plants and God said, "It is good."

On the fourth day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap....

Body/Kinesthetic: Have children act out God's creation for each day. Ask them to become light, day and night, sky, earth and sea, and so on.

Intrapersonal: Ask the students to think about what they might have advised God to add to or subtract from each of the days of creation.

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.

LESSON 2

NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD

SCRIPTURE Genesis 6:1-7:4

LESSON FOCUS God saves the world through Noah, his family, and all God's creatures.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS VISUAL/SPATIAL Body/Kinesthetic Logical/Mathematical Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] several sets of "sequence" pictures (three pictures of a sequence that can be photocopied

[] large sheets of paper (the backs of supermarket bags work well)

[] markers

LEARNING AREA

[] table space for children in draw large pictures

[] large floor space for children to walk through the story

LEARNING PROCESS

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning connects with LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL learning, BODY/KINESTHETIC learning, and VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as children hear the story of Noah and the Great Flood, make drawings depicting several aspects of the story, lay the pictures out in sequence, and walk through the story by explaining the contents of the pictures.

WARM-UP

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning: Invite the children individually, in pairs, or in small groups to put the pictures in sequence and tell a brief story about the pictures.

LESSON

Ask the children to tell you how they knew the sequence of the story from the pictures. Explain that you will now tell them a story of a time when God was angry with the world. Begin by asking the students to listen carefully to the story. When the story is finished, they will have an opportunity to do their own creating by making a large picture book of the story of...