Elementary Station LEADER MANUAL

Transcription

1 Elementary Station LEADER MANUAL c e R p i Sh Games

2 Day 2 Bible Point: When you worry Jesus rescues! Bible Story: Martha worries and complains. (Luke 10:38-42) Key Verse: The Lord comes to the rescue each time. (Psalm 34:19) Consider This w Luke 7:36-50 gives us a little background on Jesus friendship with Mary. Mary, a woman with a sinful reputation in her town, anoints Jesus feet with expensive oil, using her hair to wipe his feet. Her act of humility touches Jesus deeply, and he speaks to his host of her great love. (Mary repeated this act of servanthood and devotion in John 12.) w Some scholars point out that Jesus acted differently from the teachers of his day, in that he encouraged women to learn. In that culture, a student sat at the feet of his or her teacher. By sitting at Jesus feet, Mary assumed the posture of a student. w While it s not clear in the passage, some scholars suggest that the disciples were with Jesus at Martha s house. This would have required quite a bit of preparation and an additional expense for food and drink. w Every time you read about Martha, she s busy doing. When her brother Lazarus dies (John 11), Martha rushes out to meet Jesus. Mary stays inside, talking with other mourners. When Jesus returns to Bethany for Passover (John 12), Martha serves the dinner. Why It Matters As adults, we may wave off kids worries as small in comparison to the burdens we carry. But, surprisingly, kids worry about many of the same things you do. Today s kids are plugged in and very aware of the stresses and fears facing adults. As a result, kids have anxiety about things like their families, the environment, poverty, and violence. One study found that kids today are more worried than people who were hospitalized for anxiety in the 1950s! Yet Jesus reassures us repeatedly in Scripture not to worry. Jesus doesn t rescue us by taking away our difficulties, but he promises to bear them for us (Matthew 11:28-30). Today take every opportunity to help children cast their anxieties on Jesus, resting in his power and care. Help kids practice turning their worries over to Jesus and replacing worry with wonder as they watch him care for their every need.

3 2 y a D OPTION 1: Rescue Rings Supplies pool noodles (2 per Crew per rotation) large roll of brightly colored duct tape Music Tidal Tip If any children are uncomfortable with the noodle rings going around them, they can hold out their arms instead and their Crew mates can try to land the rings around their arms. low energy Before Crews arrive, make flotation rings with the pool noodles by taping two together at the ends to form a circle. Then stack the rings in a pile in your play area. Welcome Crews to a fun day at Ship Rec Games, and gather everyone near you so they can hear your instructions. Say: For our first game, let s start by using our imaginations. Close your eyes and imagine you re in an ocean. All you can see is water not even a speck of land in sight. There s no getting out of this ocean, and you have to work hard to keep your head above water! Even if you re a good swimmer, this is a reason to worry! Ask: hat would you worry about if you were alone in a W gigantic ocean? Take a few responses. Now imagine someone throws you a life preserver. It might look something like this. Hold up one of the pool-noodle rings. A life preserver does what its name says. It surrounds you, holds you up, and keeps you from sinking into the water. Even though you re not completely out of the water and the scary situation, that life preserver is there to help you even if the water gets rough. That s a lot like what Jesus does for us. When you worry Jesus rescues! Jesus surrounds us always, holds us up, and helps us stay strong even when things get really rough. Let s play a fun game to celebrate how Jesus rescues! 1. Have the Crew leader from each Crew grab a pool-noodle ring, and have kids get in their Crews. 2. Have Crews stand in circles with their Crew Leader in the center of their circle.

4 3. The person in the center needs a rescue! Each Crew member can take a turn trying to toss the pool-noodle ring (life preserver) so it lands around the person in the middle like human Ring Toss. 4. The first person in each round of the game to successfully land the noodle ring over the person in the center will be the next person in the center (after everyone has had a turn tossing in that round). 5. Encourage Crews to be creative with their tosses tossing with both hands, one hand, backward, and so on. Or they can make it more challenging by moving farther away from the person in the center. Play upbeat music while Crews play. When time is up, turn off the music and have Crews stack the pool-noodle rings the way they found them so they re ready for your next rotation. Then move to your next game.

5 OPTION 2: Food Defense High energy Before Crews arrive, use tape, chalk, or rope to mark a square playing area that s roughly 20 feet across on all four sides. Place a traffic cone in each of the four corners. Then place the basket of plastic food in the center of the play area. Say: Being shipwrecked together here at VBS, food is very important for our survival! Let s play a game where you ll have to protect food from the Food Robbers. 1. Invite three or more willing participants from the Crews to team up as the first Food Defenders. Their job is to protect the food in the center of the play area. They can move around to guard the food while everyone else the Food Robbers tries to take the basket of food. Food Defenders can tag a Food Robber only if he or she has the basket of food. 2. The Food Robbers will try to steal the whole basket of food not just one piece of food at a time and get it to one of the four corner cones of the play area. If a Food Robber takes the basket of food but is tagged by a Food Defender before the Robber gets to a corner cone, the food goes back to the center and the game starts over. 3. Clarify the rules if needed, and then divide everyone but the Food Defenders into four teams. Have each team choose a cone to be their starting place, and have the Food Defenders take their place around the basket of food. Supplies medium-size picnic-style basket several plastic food items such as grapes, apples, and oranges rope, tape, or chalk to mark boundaries 4 small traffic cones or other place markers photocopies of the Food Defense Wrap-Up Questions (1 per Crew) Music Tidal Tip The amount of Food Defenders you have for each round of the game will depend on the size of your group of Crews. If you have a large group (25 or more participants), allow about three or four Food Defenders. If you have a smaller group (15 or fewer participants), allow two Food Defenders. Adapt the number as you play so it s not impossible or too easy for the Food Robbers to take the food.

6 Field Test Finding Some of the Food Defenders at our field test decided to hold down the food basket to try to keep it from being taken. A clever move, but not very fair. If you see this, do what our Ship Rec Games leader did: Call a food foul and let the Food Defenders know they can t hold down the basket of food. 4. Sound a signal to begin the game, and play music during the game. 5. After the basket of food is successfully taken to a corner cone, you can invite new players to be the Food Defenders, move the basket back to the center, and play again. Play as many rounds as time allows. After your final round, turn off the music and have everyone gather and sit with their Crews. Give each Crew Leader a copy of the Food Defense Wrap-Up Questions to lead a quick closing discussion. Take this time to reset the game for the next rotation. Wrap-Up Questions: Food Defense Ask: Tidal Tip A fun variation for one of your rounds is to invite all of the Crew Leaders to be the Food Defenders and all of the kids to be the Food Robbers. Kids love taking on their Crew Leaders in games! hat did you worry about when you were defending W the food or trying to take it in the game? hy would it worry you in real life if you had very little W or even no food at all? Say: Not having enough food is a scary, real worry for a lot of people all over the world. One way Jesus helps people with this worry is by sending the help and care of other people. Jesus can work through you to help others through their worries and he can use others to help you with your worries too! When you worry Jesus rescues!

7 Bible Point: Day 3 When you struggle Jesus rescues! Bible Story: Jesus friends try to rescue him in the garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:39-54; Matthew 26:36-56) Key Verse: Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10) Consider This w In Gethsemane, Jesus struggled. Matthew 26:37-38 explains that he was anguished and distressed and his soul was crushed with grief. As he wrestles with what is to come, Jesus demonstrates that he experiences many of the same emotions and fears as we do. w In his struggles, Jesus turned to his heavenly Father for comfort and guidance. He also asked his closest friends to join him both physically and in prayer. w As Jesus friends tried to defend him, Jesus reminded them (and the guards) of God s awesome power. The thousands of angels Jesus spoke about would have been around 72,000! Jesus knew he didn t need protection by a handful of swords. w Under different circumstances, Judas kiss would have been a sign of respect and obedience from a student to a master. Judas turned a demonstration of honor into a sign of betrayal. Why It Matters Struggles are things that tie us up in emotional knots things we battle internally. Kids struggle with succeeding at school, choosing right from wrong, and understanding why parents fight or divorce. Even young children struggle with things like discipline, mastering new skills, and finding the balance between exerting their independence and relying on parents for help. No matter what issues kids are working through, Jesus saves them from struggle by providing comfort, guidance, and reassurance every step of the way. Today you can encourage kids with the truth that they don t face these struggles alone. Help kids rest in the loving hands of Jesus, allowing him to ease them through their inner battles.

8 Day 3 OPTION 1: Wreck Riddles low energy Before Crews arrive, place the flower leis on one or both of your arms so you can hand them out during the game. Give high-fives as everyone arrives, and welcome Crews back to Ship Rec Games! Say: For this fun game, you ll need to be awake and creative! Anyone need some coffee? Take a minute with your Crew to stretch, squirm, and shake out any sleepiness. Give Crews about 30 seconds, and then get everyone s attention again. You and your Crew are about to go on a brain-bending scavenger hunt! I ll call out some descriptions of things. Your Crew needs to find something you have with you right now that matches the description the more creative you get, the better! When you think you have the right thing, have one of your Crew members run to me to show me. The Crew that gets to me first with an item matching my description will get a necklace of island flowers. Point out the flower leis you re holding. You ll put each necklace you earn around your Crew Leader's neck to keep a count of how many you win. At the end of the game, the Crew with the most flower necklaces is the Wreck Riddle rock stars. Have Crews spread out some but stay close enough so they can hear you. Call out the following object descriptions one at a time. Examples are in parentheses to the right of each description. Allow Crews to struggle with the tougher ones for a while before giving hints; that s part of the point of the game! When a Crew gets to you with a correct or really creative solution to the riddle, give them a flower lei to put around their Crew Leader's neck to keep a tally of how many they win. Supplies 12 fake flower leis you can often find these at dollar stores or in the party supply sections of department stores Field Test Finding When asked to show two things that are heeled, some kids ran to our games leader to show her scrapes or bruises that had healed. She accepted the pretty adorable variation of what was expected for the Crew s responses. a ring you don t wear on your finger (earring) a face with two hands (wristwatch) three different pictures of presidents (money bills or coins) the all-time bestselling book ever (a Bible) a source of light (challenge Crews to not use a cellphone for this one) a device that can freeze time (a camera can be on a cellphone) a pair of the type of shoes Jesus wore (a pair of sandals) two things that are heeled (socks or shoes)

9 plastic money (credit or debit cards) pianos have a lot of them bring only two (two keys) one person with three pony tails (a Crew member with her or his hair tied into three pony tails) the beginning of food (seeds this one should be a struggle, and that s how the game is supposed to end) Have Crews count their leis. The team with the most can be cheered for as the Wreck Riddle rock stars! Lead everyone in cheering. Then gather everyone close for a quick wrap-up. Ask: What s fun or frustrating about solving riddles? hat makes you want to give up when you re struggling W to find a solution? Say: It can be frustrating and discouraging when we re trying to get something right and we just can t find the solution. In the game, one of the toughest riddles was trying to find the beginning of food, like seeds. Jesus shows us how to help each other through our struggles, and he s here to help too. Remember that when you struggle Jesus rescues! Supplies large paper plates (1 per person in each Crew, plus 1 extra for each Crew) green paper plates will help kids imagine the plates are lily pads pool noodles, ropes, or tape for marking boundaries Music photocopies of the Silly Lily Lagoon Wrap-Up Questions (1 per Crew) OPTION 2: Silly Lily Lagoon Medium energy Before Crews arrive, along one side of your play area mark the starting boundary of the lagoon with a 20- to 25-foot-long line. About 30 to 40 feet directly across from the first line, make another line to mark the other side of the lagoon. Enthusiastically welcome everyone back to Ship Rec Games if you haven t already. Say: For this next game, you ll start by coming up with a plan in your Crew. You ll need to think together to come up with your strategy for getting across the island s Gooey Lagoon. You don t want to end up stuck in the goo! 1. Explain that Crews will line up single file behind the starting line. They ll be given their lily pads for getting to the other side of the lagoon. 2. The rules for getting across are that while they re in the lagoon, everyone in their Crew has to be standing on a lily pad. They can t drag the lily pads along with their feet because the lagoon is gooey and sticky! But they can pick up the lily pads and move them where they need to step on them.

10 3. G ive each Crew one paper plate per person, plus one extra to the last person in line. Give Crews a few minutes to come up with their strategy for getting across the lagoon then start the game. Any rule breakers will need to start over with a new strategy. Lead Crews who make it across the lagoon first in cheering on the rest of the Crews as they make it across. When everyone has finished, give each Crew Leader a copy of the wrap-up questions for a quick discussion with their Crew. Wrap-Up Questions: Silly Lily Lagoon Ask: hen we were planning how to get across the lagoon, W what made you think it might not be possible? Why did you or didn t you want to give up in this game? Say: This game wasn t so simple. We had to talk to each other to come up with a plan. We ll have times like this in our lives too; sometimes our plans will totally fall apart. But Jesus can see how everything will work out and has a good plan for your entire life, even the hard times. When you struggle Jesus rescues with an awesome plan for how your struggles will make you smarter, stronger, and more like him! Silly Lily Solution The solution to the game is to have the first person put a lily pad (paper plate) into the lagoon (beyond the starting line) and step out onto the lily pad. Then the next person in line will hand the first person his or her lily pad so the first person can lay it in front and step forward onto it. Crews will continue this way until there are enough lily pads in the lagoon for everyone in their Crew to stand on. Then they ll need to pass the extra lily pad up to the person in the front to step onto so everyone can then move ahead one lily pad. Then the last person in line will pick up the empty lily pad behind him or her and pass it to the front of the Crew line to continue the progression.

11 Bible Point: Day 4 s rescues! When you do wrong Jesu Bible Story: Jesus welcomes a criminal before dying and coming back to life. (Luke 23:26 24:12) Key Verse: Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Consider This w The criminal on the cross wasn t the only condemned man who received life and freedom on the day of Jesus death. Earlier, the crowds chose the release of Barabbas a convicted murderer over the release of Jesus. w The account of Jesus crucifixion in Matthew and Mark says that the accused men ridiculed and mocked Jesus. However, Luke notes that after Jesus offers forgiveness (Luke 23:34), one man has a change of heart about Jesus. w Isaiah 53:12, a prophecy about Jesus, includes the phrase He was counted among the rebels. This statement comes to pass as Jesus is crucified amongst criminals. Roman law at the time didn t demand death as payment for robbery, although the law did consider treason a capital offense. So it s possible that the criminals had been part of some insurrection. w At the time, Jewish society wouldn t have considered the news of the empty tomb very reliable, because it came from a group of women. Further, the men who heard the news thought it sounded like nonsense. Why It Matters While kids may not equate their wrongs with those of a criminal on a cross, the kids at your VBS readily admit that they ve blown it. Kids know they ve lost their tempers, lied, said unkind words, disobeyed parents, and broken rules. Those wrongdoings, or sins, create a chasm between us and a holy and perfect God our loving heavenly Father who desires a relationship with us. What a precious truth to realize that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to rescue us from our wrongdoings! Today you can help children explore the depth of God s love and the astounding sacrifice Jesus made to forgive our sin and restore our relationship with God.

12 4 y a D OPTION 1: Sea Turtle Travel low energy Before Crews arrive, set out a laundry basket for each Crew (spaced 3 to 5 feet apart) along one side of your play area. Put two beach balls in each basket. About 15 feet directly across from each laundry basket of beach balls, place an empty laundry basket. Welcome your Crews back to Ship Rec Games for another fun day! Say: I have a super fun challenge for you to move some beach balls from one side of our beach to the other but you ll do it sea turtle style! For sea turtles, it s not so much about speed as it is about smarts. 1. Explain that Crews will each choose a basket of beach balls as their starting place and their goal is to move all of their beach balls to the empty basket directly across from them without ever dropping a ball. 2. To do it sea turtle style, they ll all need to remain on all fours at all times. That means no using hands or feet to pick up the balls, and they have to figure out a way to carry the balls as a team to the empty basket, one ball at a time. 3. If a Crew drops a ball, they have to go back to the start and try again. 4. Once Crews succeed in moving both of their beach balls, they can clap their flippers together and cheer on other Crews to the finish. 5. When Crews have finished the first round, have Crews join with another Crew (or create teams of three Crews if your Crews are small), and give each team a Jumbo Beach Ball to move from the start to the finish. Now that they re sea turtle style experts, they can challenge themselves to move as fast as they can to the finish with their giant ball. Again, when a ball is dropped it means going back to the start to try again. Have Crews take their places, and start the game. Play music in the background while the game is in play. After the Jumbo Beach Ball round, turn off the music and sound a signal the end of the game. Have the Crews gather and sit around you for a quick wrap-up. Supplies beach balls (2 per Crew per rotation) Jumbo Beach Balls* (1 per every 2 or 3 Crews per rotation if your Crews have 4 or fewer people, you can use 1 per every 3 Crews; if your Crews have 5 or more people, it s best to use 1 per every 2 Crews) plastic laundry baskets (2 per Crew per rotation) you can use any kind of container that will hold the beach balls for each Crew Music

13 Say: You all did an awesome job getting into sea turtle mode, but I did see some do-overs when balls were dropped. Ask: Why did doing things sea turtle style make it impossible to move the beach balls perfectly? None of us can do things perfectly, and we ll all have times we mess up and do wrong like dropping the ball in the game. It s different in our lives when sometimes we mess up and we don t do what God says is right that s called sin. Sin means doing or saying things that God doesn t want us to or not doing the right thing. Ask: What s a do-over you wish you could have? Maybe you said something that really hurt a friend, or maybe you didn t do something a parent asked you to do. We all do wrong and sin, and it s not something we can fix on our own. The good news is that no matter how much we get it wrong, Jesus loves us. That means Jesus love doesn t depend on you being perfect. Doing wrong doesn t mean game over for you and Jesus. When you do wrong Jesus rescues with his amazing love!

14 Supplies plastic gallon-size jugs with handles (1 per person per rotation) like what distilled water are sold in at many stores; invite church members to save and thoroughly clean their used ones to donate to your VBS scissors tennis ball 2-inch-thick red ribbon (about 4 feet per person for half of the total Crew members per rotation) 2-inch-thick yellow ribbon (about 4 feet per person for half of the total Crew members per rotation) 4 traffic cones or other goal markers Music Field Test Finding This game was another field test favorite! OPTION 2: Landlubber Lacrosse High energy Before Crews arrive, cut the bottoms off the milk jugs so there s a wide opening for catching the tennis ball during the game (see photos in margin). Crew members will hold these catchers by the handles of the jugs. Then cut 4-foot lengths of both colors of ribbon and tie the ends of each length together to form a loop. These will be the sashes Crew members will wear to designate and keep track of which team they re on. Set up your lacrosse field by placing two of the cones spaced about 4 feet apart at one end of your playing area. About 40 to 50 feet directly across from your first goal, create a second with the other two cones. Set out the catchers, the sashes, and the ball so all are ready for the game. Gather Crews in the middle of your lacrosse field so everyone can hear your instructions, and give a warm welcome back to Ship Rec Games, if you haven t already. 1. Divide everyone into two roughly equal teams, and have a Crew Leader give one color of sashes to one team to wear and the other color to the other team. 2. Have another Crew Leader give everyone a catcher. 3. Explain that teams will be trying to score goals by rolling a tennis ball through the cones of the opposing team s goal. Point out the goals for each team. Then demonstrate how to roll the tennis ball from the catcher as teams will do when trying to score a goal a similar motion to rolling a bowling ball. 4. Invite a willing participant on each team to be the first Goalies their job will be to try to protect the goal and not let the other team score. They can scoop-catch the balls from the ground using their catchers. 5. Everyone else will start out on their team s side of the play area, holding their catchers (you can visually estimate the center line of the lacrosse field for starting matches of the game). 6. Teams will move the tennis ball by tossing and catching it with the catchers. With another Leader, demonstrate how to toss and catch the tennis ball with the catchers and how to scoop the ball from the ground with the catcher. 7. During the game, everyone can move all over the field, but once they ve caught the ball, they can take only three steps and then they have to toss the ball to another player on their team to keep the ball moving. (Once they ve tossed the ball, they re free to move again without counting their steps.)

15 8. Teams can also play defense by trying to catch the ball as players from the opposing team toss to each other. 9. Clarify any rules as needed, but kids will likely have played games like lacrosse or soccer with similar rules. 10. Have teams take their places on opposite sides while you take your place in the middle of the field with the tennis ball. To signal the beginning of the match, toss the tennis ball high in the air and sound a signal as you run from the field. The first person to scoop up the ball will get the game in motion. 11. Play upbeat songs while teams play. Sound a signal to pause game play. Goalies can swap places if they d like, you could mix up teams, or teams could switch sides of the field. Play as many rounds as time allows, and then turn off the music to end the game. Have a Crew Leader collect sashes. Everyone can place their catchers along one side of the play area. Then gather everyone around you for a quick wrap-up. Say: What a game! Whether you were the Goalie or out on the field, you all had something important to do for your team. Sometimes you were successful, and sometimes you weren t. In life, God has important things for us to do too things that God says are right. Sometimes we re successful in doing what God says is right, and sometimes we fail and do wrong that s called sin. Ask: hout out words that describe how you feel when you S hear the word failure. hen you fail, do you want to give up, or do you want to W try again? Why? We can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get things right, in a game or when we re trying to follow God. But no one gets it right all the time, and everyone sins well, everyone but Jesus! Don t give up! God sent Jesus to rescue us with his perfect love. When you do wrong Jesus rescues! Tidal Tip We found that when cleaning the gallon jugs for the game, using a little bit of either bleach or white vinegar helped keep the jugs from getting smelly. If you re concerned about injuries with the cut edges of the jugs, you can use duct tape to cover the edges and any potential sharp points. We didn t have any injuries at our field test, but it certainly doesn t hurt to be cautious. Field Test Finding A few times while kids played, they d get congested around one person trying to pick up or toss the ball. If it was taking too long to get the game going again, our games leader would stop the game play, pick up the ball, and toss it in the air again (like in the beginning of the game). It worked great!

16 Bible Point: Day 5 esus rescues! When you re powerless J Bible Story: Peter and John heal a lame man in Jesus name. (Acts 3:1-26) Key Verse: This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 1:19-20) Consider This w While Jesus followers proclaimed Christ, they were also Jews who took time to pray and worship God faithfully, according to their Jewish traditions. That s why we find Peter and John heading to the Temple to pray. w The Beautiful Gate where the beggar sat led into the court of the women. Because the beggar went there every day, it s likely that he found kindhearted people going into the Temple who willingly gave him alms or other money. w After being healed, the exuberant man walked through nine gates to reach the inner courts near Solomon s Colonnade! w Although Scripture doesn t explain much about the man s condition or lifestyle, we can assume that he had either friends or family members who carried him to the Beautiful Gate every day. Acts 4:22 reveals that he had been lame for more than 40 years, so we can suppose that his condition wouldn t likely be cured or resolved without divine intervention. Why It Matters The kids at your VBS understand what it s like to feel powerless in life s storms. They don t have control when a parent loses a job. They re helpless when friends move away. They feel incapable of helping solve so many of the huge problems around them. Today is a celebration of the power we have in Jesus name. Because of Jesus, we have the ability to comfort others. We can uphold people in prayers to a mighty God. In our weakness, God s strength can do powerful things. As you wrap up your time with kids, take the opportunity to empower them with reminders that we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

17 OPTION 1: Stretched to the Max Medium energy Have everyone gather near you and sit in their Crews. 1. Give each Crew enough paper bags for each Crew member to have one and then one more for gathering pieces torn from the other bags. 2. Have everyone tear a section from the top of his or her paper bag and put the torn piece into the Crew s extra paper bag. Each person can decide how big of a piece to tear away. 3. Have everyone place his or her prepared bag in front of himself or herself. 4. Explain that the goal of the game is to pick up their paper bags by standing up, bending over at the waist, and using only their mouths. Depending on how short they ve made their bags, this may mean some serious stretching to reach them. Have a Crew Leader demonstrate how to pick up a bag. 5. After Crews have tried picking up their bags for round one, have Crews play another two rounds and tear more from the top of their bags at the beginning of each round. Supplies paper grocery bags (1 per person, plus 1 extra per Crew) many grocery stores will donate these if you ask photocopies of the Stretched to the Max Wrap-Up Questions (1 per Crew) Music

18 In the final round, they ll sit down cross-legged to pick up the bags with their mouths and then stand back up, all with their hands clasped behind their backs (they can t use their hands to help them get up). Do your best to demonstrate the techniques for both rounds. Play music as Crews play the game. When Crews have finished their rounds, turn off the music and have Crews sit in a circle. Give each Crew Leader a copy of the wrap-up questions to lead a quick discussion. Wrap-Up Questions: Stretched to the Max Ask: What was fair or unfair about the techniques we had to use to pick up bags in the game? Say: Flexibility and strength made a big difference in this game! Stretchy, springy, and strong people had a much easier time! But we re all good at something What are other things you re really good at? Tidal Tip Some adults may not be able to pick up their bags, and that s okay it ll be helpful in the discussion at the end! What are things you can t do no matter how hard you try? We all have different abilities, and that means sometimes things won t be fair and you ll feel powerless. Sometimes you ll be able to do things quickly and easily those things won t stretch you much. Sometimes you ll struggle your abilities will be stretched and that s when you learn and grow. And sometimes you ll be stretched to the end of your ability, and that s okay. Everyone has limits. When you re powerless Jesus rescues because he made you to be exactly who you are with all the things you can and can t do.

19 OPTION 2: Bop It or Drop It High energy Before Crews arrive, use the traffic cones to mark four corners of a large, rectangular volleyball court that s big enough to hold all of the Crew members at each rotation roughly 40 feet by 20 feet. Lay a line of pool noodles, rope or tape across the middle of your play area (the volleyball net ), splitting the 40-foot length into two halves. (If you ll have more than 30 in a rotation, duplicate your play area and supplies.) Welcome everyone back to Ship Rec Games, if you haven t already. Say: Today we re talking a lot about feeling powerless, when things are tough or don t come easily. Ask: Tell about something you struggled to learn how to do because you felt powerless to do it, but love now that you know how, such as learning to ride a bike. Share an example from your own life to help get everyone thinking and sharing. Supplies 6 or more beach balls Jumbo Beach Ball* 8 to 10 pool noodles, long rope (about 20ft), or tape 4 traffic cones or other boundary markers spray bottles of water (2 for each of your Crew Leaders Music

20 Field Test Finding This game was a big hit at our field test and was filled with a lot of laughs and fun! Tidal Tip Bop is a highly official term all shipwrecked people use when breaking into a spontaneous game of beach volleyball. Okay, maybe we made that up. But that s our official term for bump-passing the ball back and forth like in traditional volleyball. Field Test Finding When our games leader tossed the Jumbo Beach Ball into play, the kids screamed with excitement! The big ball adds big fun to the game! It also helped to have Crew Leaders move to the perimeters of the volleyball court to help with keeping the Jumbo Beach Ball in bounds. Say: See, when things aren t easy and we feel powerless, it s not always bad it might be that God is making us stronger during the struggle. It s a helpful reminder that When you re powerless Jesus rescues by bringing something good or fun out of the struggle! 1. Divide Crews as evenly as possible into two teams, and have teams each choose a side of the volleyball court you created. Have them gather at the center line with you so they can hear the rest of your instructions. 2. Explain that the goal for the two teams is simply to bop the ball back and forth over the line without the ball hitting the ground. 3. Have Crews spread out on the two sides of the court, and toss a beach ball to one of the teams to begin the game. If the ball falls to the ground or goes out of bounds, Crews can simply start over and bop the ball into play again. 4. At 30-second intervals, toss another beach ball into play, and keep adding until there s one ball per Crew in play (or more for a bigger challenge). Let the chaos play out for another 30 seconds after the last ball is added, and then sound a signal to stop the game. 5. Have teams switch sides and repeat the game play to see if teams are able to improve their volleys as the number of balls increases. And this time, add the Jumbo Beach Ball for extra fun and challenge. 6. While teams are volleying, have Crew Leaders gather around the court and squirt water above the heads of everyone playing for a refreshing cool-down in this high-energy game! After the second round, gather everyone around you for highfives to celebrate a struggle that was actually a lot of fun!

21 Extra Time Filler Games Change Game - Similar to the group think game, have one person leave the room. Everyone in the group changes something (take left arm out of sleeve, take off a shoe, stick one hand on your hip), and the person outside has to come in and figure out what is different. Questions for discussion afterward: Do we overlook details in God's Word? How can we notice the small details that can make a big impact on our life? Group Think While one person leaves the room, the rest of the group picks a trigger word or phrase something everyone will fear and how they will react (or overreact) when the volunteer returns and starts asking questions to figure out the word. Some biblical examples: leprosy, the plagues or the great flood.

22