Surf Shack Session Three Bible Beginnings lmagination Bay Decorating Cards To illustrate the, God loves, encourage children to make cards for others. Gather a variety of items for this cardmaking activity. Have the children repeat the as they decorate their cards. Craft Tip! Create traditional Valentine-heart shaped cards. Creation Cove Watercolor Painting Provide watercolor paints and paper. Encourage children to paint with water. As the children are painting, tell them that Jesus was baptized with water. Share with the children that when Jesus was baptized, he saw a dove in the sky and heard a voice telling him that God loved him and that he was God s Son. Repeat the Pop-Up Verse for this session. Set their pictures aside to dry. Surf Shack Manipulatives Discovery Fun During each session, select one or two of these items as options for the children to use: wooden or foam puzzles large floor puzzles lacing cards plastic interlocking blocks matching card games/activities Surf Shack fun Lovely Designs Children stack various sizes and shapes of blocks into heart shapes. Suggest that children repeat their as they are stacking their blocks. Show children a design of a heart shape. Session lmagination Bay colorful construction paper crayons and markers watercolor paints recycled cut-up greeting cards Craft Theme Stickers (order from Cokesbury, item #9781501811845; package of 12 sheets) Creation Cove watercolor paints construction paper Surf Shack Manipulatives (See suggested ideas.) Surf Shack Fun various sizes and shapes of blocks paper heart or picture of heart
Session Snappy the Crab Puppet poster from Decorating Poster Pak (order from Cokesbury, item #9781501811685) red construction paper heart marker Gathering Time with Snappy Skipper: Welcome back to the Surf Shack! I m so glad to see you again. We re going to have a great day at VBS. (Snappy should begin humming or singing from outside the stage area.) Skipper: Hey, Surfers! Do you hear something? (Snappy hums/sings a little louder. Hooray, hooray, hooray! Oh! It s a good day!) It sounds like someone is singing. And it sounds like Snappy! Snappy: (popping out from behind the stage area) Hooray, hooray, hooray! Oh! It s a good day! Hello, Surfers! Hello to you too, Skipper (insert name here)! Skipper: Hello, Snappy, and hooray (mimicking Snappy s excited tone)! You re certainly in a happy Snappy mood today! Snappy: (holding a red construction paper heart) That s because I m having an amazing time at the Surf Shack! I love VBS! I love the music! I love the crafts! I love the games! I love the snacks! I love the stories! And I looooove the surfing! (Leader asks the children to share things that they have loved about VBS.) Snappy: Hooray! I love catching waves! Skipper: (Hold up today s Wave Words poster.) Today s are. Snappy: Hooray! Amazing! Yay! Skipper: Oh my, Snappy. You really do love it here at the Surf Shack. Today we are going to hear about God s love. Snappy: Hooray! Now that is amazing. I love hearing more about God s love!! Skipper: Me too, Snappy. Do you know what God loves? Snappy: What? Skipper: (pointing at Snappy) God loves you! And God loves you, and you, and you (Point to each child gathered). Snappy: Hooray! God loves all of us? Skipper: Absolutely! God loves all of us. And God sent Jesus to show us that love. We re going to hear all about it today. Snappy: What are we waiting for? Let s get going! Hooray! Skipper: Wow! That s a lot of love!! That reminds me Snappy: Is it time to catch a wave? Is it? Is it? Is it? Everyone: Amazing! (Snappy exits the stage area.) Skipper: Surfers! Time for fun! 36 Skipper: It is!
Music Time Before You Teach Gather supplies for Music Time. Session Songs Select songs that best meet your needs. Fun With Music Making Music with Water Play Leaders Cover the area with towels. Encourage children to add various amounts of water to the containers. Show them how to use plastic and metal mixing spoons as strikers to tap the containers. Ask children to listen to the various sounds that are being made during water playtime. Remind them of their Bible story and how Jesus was baptized with water. Children Fill containers with various amounts of water to test sound. Use wooden spoons as well as plastic and metal mixing spoons to tap containers and lids. Children comment on the various sounds they hear. Rhythm Activity This activity will illustrate the Wave Words, God loves. Use heartshaped paper and markers. Write a number between 1 and 7 on each heart; create more heart shapes than you have children so that no one is left out. Before the activity, place and/or tape the shapes on the floor. Ask the children to walk around the area. When you say,, children are to land on a heart shape. Call out a motion you want them to do. For example: hop, move your shoulders up and down, clap, pat your head, etc. Children are to do these motions the number of times it states on the heart shape. Ask them to say the as they move. Play as long as there is interest and time. Mission Time Mission Time will focus on handson ideas. There are several options. Look in the Mission Leader and select the ones that best fit the needs of your church. Session towels various sizes of aluminum and stainless steel bowls, stainless steel and aluminum pot lids, and plastic, metal, and wooden mixing spoons spray bottle filled with water different lengths of 90mm PVC pipe large plastic container water Music Leader Mission Leader Complete Music CD CD Player TV and DVD player (optional) Music DVD (optional) paper hearts markers masking tape tag board 37
Session Complete Music CD CD Player TV and DVD player (optional) Music DVD (optional) Bible Story Poster Get Ready heart shape template construction paper scissors (adult use) Experience the Bible Story Transition into the Bible Story lt s a Good Day Written by Matt Huesmann 2015 Abingdon Press Big smile, I m happy to be Feelin God s love shining down on me. Deeper than oceans and seas, Wider than the sky is your love for me. Breathe in, soak up the Son, Now shout praise to the amazing One! (Chorus) Look around and see, Look what God s done for you and me. Come on, shout and sing! Hooray, hooray, hooray! Rejoice! Today is the day: The Lord has made it in amazing ways. Watchin what you re gonna do, Speechless from the ways you faithfully move. Bible Story Poster Surfers, what do you see? I see, that s what I see. Next substitute the word see with think, then wonder. Talk about the poster. Once the Bible story has been told, review these questions once more. Get Ready Cut large heart shapes out of construction paper. Place the paper hearts throughout the room. God sent Jesus to show us love. God loves us very much. A heart shape is a symbol of love. Let s search for these heart shapes around our room. When you find a heart, hold it up and say. Everyone else should respond by saying Amazing! It s time for today s Bible story. Let s move to our story circle together. Breathe in, soak up the Son. I ll shout praise to the amazing One! (Repeat Chorus) Come on, shout and sing! Hooray, hooray, hooray! (Repeat) 38
Telling the Bible Story Our Bible lesson can be found in the book of Matthew. It is in the New Testament. Today s story is about Jesus. (Open your Bible to the book of Matthew. Point out the Old Testament and the New Testament.) Session I m going to need your help telling today s story. When you hear the word water, I want you to say Splish Splash and move your hands as if making waves. Let s practice. (Invite the children to practice saying Splish Splash. Show the children how to move their hands back and forth to make a splashing motion.) One day, Jesus and his disciples were walking next to the water (Splish Splash) of the Jordan River. Jesus saw his cousin in the water. (Splish Splash.) Jesus cousin was named John. John was baptizing people in the water. (Splish Splash.) Baptism is a special way God shows the world that we are part of God s family. When they came up out of the water, (Splish Splash) they knew that God loved them and were ready to serve God. Jesus needed John to baptize him so God could show the people love. Jesus walked out into the water. (Splish Splash.) John helped lower Jesus under the water. (Splish Splash.) When Jesus came up out of the water, (Splish Splash) something very special happened. The people heard God s voice fill the sky. God said, dearly love; I find happiness Jesus walked out of the water. (Splish Splash.) Bible All the people were amazed. Jesus was God s own son. God sent Jesus to the earth so that we would know how much God loves us. Jesus taught the people about God s love. He also taught people that they should love one another. Amazing! 39
Session Response Activity bottle of bubbles beach towels (one per child) Bible Scripture Treasures Have the Session Three Scripture Treasures ready for your Surfers. Respond to the Bible Story Response Prayer Thank you, God, for your son, Jesus. Thank you for showing your love for us. Amen. Response Activity Have a bottle of bubbles. Blow the bubbles. Encourage children to try to catch them. Ask them to repeat the as they catch the bubbles as well as the name of another surfer. For example, God loves (say the name of another child). When a surfer first gets on a surfboard, she or he lays down on the board and paddles through the water with her/his arms. (Invite each child to lay on the floor or on a beach towel and pretend to paddle through the water.) When a surfer gets ready to catch a big wave, she/he puts her hands on the surfboard and pops up. (Show children how to place their hands on the floor and how to pop up on their feet.) Then she/he stands all the way up and rides the wave. Surfers use their arms to balance as they surf. (Show children how to move their arms as they surf.) It s exciting when a surfer pops up to ride a wave. In the Bible, we read exciting words about God s love. Let s see if we can practice popping up to hear today s Bible verse. (Invite children to lay on the floor or on a beach towel and pretend to paddle through the water.) When I count to three, let s all pop up on our surfboards and listen for our. 1 2 3 Pop-Up! dearly love; I find happiness (Repeat the verse a few times. Have the children repeat after you. Allow the children to pop-up and recite the verse together.) Scripture Treasures See page 6 for more details. 40