Eating our way through the 10 plagues

***Full disclosure: we did not think of this really really cool activity to do, but we have done this for several years and our classes have loved it. We hope your classes love it, too.***

Eating through the 10 Plagues

We have taught this lesson to several groups of children over several years and we love teaching it. The children in our first grade class are in the summer between kindergarten and first grade when this lesson rolls around, and are super excited to eat food in Bible class. The teenagers and adults we made this for were also super excited and ate all our food right up.

These pictures are from the lesson we taught to teenagers and adults. We prepared for 50 people to eat the plagues. An endeavor like this takes alot of prep work and a team behind the scenes. Above, the ladies are preparing for plague 10.

 

This is what 10 plagues for 50 people looks like laid out on two 10-foot tables. 

We gave each participant his own plate and a bottle of water, just in case. Each of my four adult helpers had small plates or cups with the plague food in it. See, in the picture of the tables above, each plague number has four little plates above it, one for each helper. As Jeremy and Mike taught the lesson, the helpers circulated through the tables and passed out the plague food. Above, Mike gamely takes a bite of the first plague - the River Nile turns to blood. It's sardines in tomato sauce, ya'll. Seriously. 

Some of our participants...

When we taught the lesson with first graders, we emphasized that the plagues showed God's mighty power and ability to control everything. When we taught the same piece of scripture for teenagers and adults, we emphasized that God was using his power and strength to show the impotence of the Egyptian gods.

This lesson is powerful, but eating through the plagues needs to be accompanied by more discussion, drawing emphasis from the text based on age appropriate needs.

Of course, please be aware of food allergies. Before we teach this lesson, we send home a list of ingredients for parent approval. We do have to make changes occasionally because of food allergies, and parents have always been gracious and appreciative of the chance to protect their children while still allowing them to participate in a fun activity.

First Grade - 1 John 3:1 - February - Hide the Word

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. 1 John 3:1


Here is the one page of ideas for this verse.

The headband with heart ears is explained here. The headband here also has a cut up sentence on it for the children to sequence. Make sure you take lots of pictures of the children with their headbands on!!

Be sure you see heart things on sale, you stock up on all things hearts for use with this verse and other verses about love.

First Grade - 2 Timothy 2:22 - July - Hide the Word

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.



Here is the one page of ideas for this verse.

The playing card game is described more fully here. The kids seemed to really enjoy it.

The fill in the blank verse worksheet for download is here.

First Grade - 1 John 3:11 - October - Hide the Word

This is the message you heard from the beginning, we should love one another. 1 John 3:11



Here is the one page of ideas for 1 John 3:11.

The instructions and photos of the photo sequence memory verse game are here.

The instructions for the plaster hearts magnet are here. Be sure to NOT double the recipe, as for whatever reason it doesn't work well.

Here are the shrinky dink instructions.

First Grade - 1 Samuel 16:7 - September - Hide the Word

"Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7



Here is the one page of ideas for this verse.

You can locate the mirror and hearts information here.

The information about the x-ray lesson is here.

The ultraviolet bead lesson is so cool and is here. You can purchase the ultraviolet beads here.

The heart cookie cutter information and instructions are here.

First Grade - Matthew 5:44 - November - Hide the Word

"But I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44



Here is the one page of ideas for this verse.

The clothespin game is explained with pictures here.

The shrinky dink activity is explained here. We don't (yet) have the photos of the first grade doing it, so this is an older grade's verse, but the instructions are the same, of course.

This post here is the instructions and information about the wreath activity.

First Grade - 1 John 4:4 - June - Hide the Word

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  1 John 4:4


This is the one page of ideas for this verse.

See the sample here of the glow in the dark paint project. The verse is different, but the idea is the same. Please be sure you don't have the children paint every single word. That doesn't work well and will make everyone frustrated!

This is the photo of the mat with shapes for the children to match.

Here is a photo of the toilet paper tubes, also called the cylinder shuffle.

1st Grade - October - Hide the Word - 1 John 3:11 - photo sequence

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." 1 John 3:11

This is our mail-out game for October. The first year we trimmed the photos and mounted them on card stock (see sample above).  However, all the other years we have simply printed the photos and the kids love it just as much!

This game does take a little bit of planning.  About 3 weeks before the new month, bring your verse phrase cards and camera to class.  On the back write the name of the child who will hold each card.  Some years we even take a photo of Daesha and I holding a card! :)

The verse phrase cards are 8.5x11 sheets of paper with the verse phrases printed in a really large font.  Have the kids hold the verse phrase card in front of their belly and take their photo!

 Mail each child a complete set of everyone holding a verse phrase card.  Then they will put these photos in order.

1st Grade - Hide the Word - November - Matthew 5:44 - Clothespin Game

"But I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

 This is our mail-out game for the month.  It can be used for practically any verse in the Bible!  It is also cheap and quick to make!!!  To make, gather several wooden clothespins for each child.  You need to use an ultra-fine Sharpie to write on the clothespins.  Write a verse phrase on each clothespin.

 Then the kids sequence the clothespins to make the whole verse.  They can clip them onto a ruler, a wooden spoon, the edge of a folder or book.

1st Grade - March - Hide the Word - James 4:7-8 - Magnetic sequence

"Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:7-8

This is a great activity that can be used for practically any verse in the Bible!  It can be a mail-out game or in-class game.  There are two options of how to prepare this game...

Option 1 - Print words off computer onto cardstock to fit into punched shape size.  Then laminate cardstock with the phrases of the verse written on it.  Last, use punch to cut the shapes out of the cardstock. 

Option 2 -  Laminate blank cardstock then punch out the desired shapes.  Write the words on top of the laminated punched shape with a Sharpie.  This can be done with a variety of shapes.  The hand-held punches seem to work best.

 For both,  attach magnets to the back.  Have the kids put in order on a magnetic surface such as, file cabinet, cookie sheet, muffin tin, etc.

1st Grade - November - Hide the Word - Matthew 5:44 - Wreath

"But I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.: Matthew 5:44

This is a great in-class activity to have an application lesson for this verse.  Before class, the teacher cuts out the wreath from cheap paper plates.  Also tape the yarn for the hanger.  Die-cut enough hearts (or other shape) so that each child’s wreath is full.  (For Ellison die-cut, each child gets 5 hearts.)  Write the words for the verse on one heart for each child.  

In class, discuss verse and how as kids you can love your enemies.  Record their responses on a chart.  On the other 4 hearts, kids write their responses.  Glue all the hearts onto the wreath. 

1st Grade - February - Hide the Word - 1 John 3:1 - Headband

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God." 

1 John 3:1

Here's another headband!!! And this is one of my all-time favorite headbands to make with the kids!!!

Before class, make a cut-up sentence of the verse.  To make a cut-up sentence, either hand-write or print the verse off your computer.  Cut the verse into 2 word chunks.  Place one verse set in a baggie for each child.  Also, gather one sentence strip for each child.  Also make the antennae! To make the antennae, gather two pipe cleaners for each child.  Also cut-out 4 hearts for each child.  Tape the end of one pipe cleaner to one heart.  Then glue another heart on top of the pipe cleaner that is taped to the heart.

In class, give the kids their baggie of the cut-up verse.  Have them glue the words in order on the sentence strip.  A tip... fit and stapele the sentence strip to fit the child's head BEFORE sequencing the words.  Draw a pencil line at the temples after stapling it.  Have the kids glue the word cards inside the pencil lines... that way no words will be covered when the sentence strip is on their heads.  Once all the words are glued on, the teacher tapes the antennae at the temples on the inside of the sentence strip.

Make sure to bring your camera to class!  Take a photo of each child and a class photo to display on a bulletin board in the hall.  Make sure to hang a verse poster with your photos!

1st Grade - March - Hide the Word - James 4:7-8 - Balsa Wood

"Submit yourself to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:7-8

These balsa wood shapes are a new obsession of mine!  They come is all different shapes and sizes and are cheap! You can purchase them at Hobby Lobby. . Many shapes of wood are available, such as circles, hearts, stars, squares, peace signs and more.

Before class, buy the wooden shapes and gather fancy markers.  In class,  have the children write the verse on balsa wood.  You will want to note, the markers will usually run or bleed a little, so make sure the verse is short or there’s a lot of room. You need to make a sample before class so the kids can see the spacing.

The sample above uses glitter markers that resemble paint pens.  Before sending this home, you can affix magnets to the back or hot glue a ribbon loop at the top so the kids can hang their masterpiece!

1st Grade - April - Hide the Word -Proverbs 12:22 - Lego Stack-Up

"The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22

 This is an over-all HIT for the kids!!! Who does not like Legos?!?!?  In order to keep the cost down, we asked our Fa*eb*ok friends to donate old Legos or look for them at garage sales for us and it worked!  To make this game, write a verse phrase with a regular Sharpie on the side of the Lego.  For younger kids you can use Duplo blocks.  You may also want to number the sides or back so younger kids can self-check.  For computer people, you can also print the verse phrases on labels and stick to the blocks instead of hand-writing with a Sharpie.

 Depending on how many blocks you can collect will determine whether or not this is a mail-out game or a game that there is one set in your classroom.  The kids build the tower and repeat the verse several times.  As usual, sing the song and ask the kids what the verse means and examples of lying lips from the Bible and lips who were truthful from the Bible.

1st Grade - April - Hide the Word - Proverbs 12:22 - Lips on a Stick

“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.” Proverbs 12:22

This is an in-class activity.  Before class, die-cut 2 lips for each child.  Also gather 2 popsicle sticks for each child.  Cut at least 6 little strips for each child.  Tape the lips to the popsicle sticks.

In class, discuss the verse.  Have the kids label one stick “lies” and the other stick “truth.”  Brainstorm words we can say that are lies and record them on a chart.  Then brainstorm words we can say that are truth and record on a chart.  

Then have the kids go back to their seats.  Distribute at least 6 strips to each child.  On 3 strips have the kids write lying statements.  On the other 3 strips, have the kids write truthful statements.  Then they glue the strip onto the correct lips, as a speech bubble.

The photos below are examples and your students will come up with other fabulous examples too!!!

1st Grade- April - Hide the Word - Proverbs 12:22 - Pool Noodles

"The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22

 You can usually purchase pool noodles at the Dollar Tree.  One pool noodles gives you about 48 slices.  Make sure you use a sereated knife when cutting the noodles.  I bought a cheap knife at Dollar Tree to use exclusively for this game!

Write the verse on the side of each slice using a regular Sharpie. Then the children sequence the slices. Make your tower no taller than 10 slices.  You can also get a dowel rod to stablize the tower.

First Grade - Hide the Word - May - Proverbs 12:18 - Roll the Blank Game

“Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” 

Proverbs 12:18

This is a GREAT in-class game that can be used for any verse from grade 1-5!  Talk about versatility!!! It is also super cheap and easy to make.

Before class, make the game board.  You have a few options… you can print it out on white paper and have the kids write with a pencil on the paper.  Or you can laminate them and then let the kids write with a dry erase marker so that you can use them from year to year. They could also be slipped into a plastic sleeve like you would use in a binder.  The you keep the cube and marker all in the same sleeve.

Purchase the wooden cubes at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.  For the first grade version, I used 1 inch cubes.  If the verse is longer, then you may consider larger cubes.  Write a verse phrase on each side of a wooden cube. 

To play the game,  the child rolls the wooden dice and writes the phrase he rolled in the appropriate blank on the worksheet. The child continues rolling until all the blanks are filled. If he rolls a blank he has already filled in, then roll again.

1st grade - August - Hide the Word - Proverbs 16:18

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."  Proverbs 16:18

My kids LOVED these cardboard building blocks!  We had several sets and still have hours of fun building forts. etc with them.  When I read this verse and it talked about falling, I immediately thought of a tower being knocked over.  So here was the finished product from that idea!

To make, get several cardboard building blocks.  They can be pretty price-y, so look at garage sales or ask your church if anyone has a stash they are not using any more.  On the side of each block, write a word or verse phrase.   I used a regular Sharpie.  It is a little hard to read, so I wish I would have used a broad tip Marks-a-Lot instead.

In class, give each child a block or two.  Go over the verse, then have them build the tower from bottom up OR build a "wall" along the floor.

This was a game our first graders played over and over and over...

1st grade - Hide the Word - August - Proverbs 16:18

• “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

This is a fun activity!  This is a mail-out game for first grade, but it can also be an in-class activity.  This top photo shows the master for the flags.  Divide your verse into verse phrases.  Create a table on your computer so that all the boxes are the same size.  Copy onto card stock. 

  Cut the boxes apart and tape them to a cut straw to create flags.  When cutting the straws, I was able to get 4 flags from one straw.  At our local grocery store that had a bag of 100 brightly colored straws for $2... we may never buy straws again! :)  I used scotch tape to affix the box to the straw.

To do this activity, you will need a tub of beans or rice.  The tub that we use is a sensory tub that I used with my boys when they were in pre-school.  It has white lima beans, black beans and heart confetti.  You can use any combination of dry beans and rice.  Make sure there is enough beans to be 2 inches deep in the container.  The container we used is an old tupperware pie holder.  It was a container I had and was not using.  Any air-tight container that is medium to large sized is fine to use.

In class (or at home), the teacher puts the flags into the bean tub in random order.  The kids then sequence the verse.  You can also just give the child the flags and have them put in the correct order from the beginning.

Make sure you sing and say the verse each time you build it!

Hide the Word- CD Labels

Hide the Word in Your Heart - Labels for the CDs

For each age level, we have created a CD of the memory verse songs. This has been very helpful for the teachers, parents, and students to learn songs to help write God's word in their hearts.

Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to post .wmv files to Blogger. If you're interested in hearing the songs, please comment on this post and we will get back with you.

Annually, we burn the songs for each age level onto a CD. Every child in the congregation receives the appropriate CD. In addition, every teacher receives the same CD so she can learn the songs along with the children. We burn these CDs at home, write the grade level on each CD, and pop the CD into a paper CD holder.

For the CD holder, we needed a song label that would list what song verses were on the CD in what order. We came up with Avery label 48863, a 2"x4" shipping label. You use Avery Template 5163 to create these. We simply print the attached PDFs onto the shipping labels, and stick the labels onto a paper CD holder.

We distribute these CDs to the children their first Sunday in the new grade level, which for us is in June. We usually make a few extras for students that may move in during the school year.

Two Year Old Labels

Three Year Old Labels

Four Year Old Labels

Kindergarten Labels

First Grade Labels
 
Second Grade Labels

Third Grade Labels
 
Fourth Grade labels

Fifth Grade Labels

Sixth Grade Labels