In the Beginning . . .

Growing into a Life of Faith

UNIT 1: LESSON 2

Creation Station

God Made Everything: Days 45

Key Concept
God made everything.

KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS:

Every time you say the key concept during the lesson, use these motions: God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides].

Bible Summary
Genesis 12 God created everything in six days, including light and dark, the water and the sky, the land and plants, birds and fish, animals, and His most wonderful creation: people. On the seventh day, God rested.

Objectives
KNOW WHAT:

Supplies
(Labeled items below can be found in the Lesson 2 Visual folder on the Summer Quarter CD.) CD player Music for singing The Beginners Bible Creation picture (drawn with crayons) Large paper pad or easel-size white board Easel Play Doh (yellow, red, and blue) Crayons Beret and smock (or bright, artsy clothing) for Teacher and Helper (optional) Flashlight or lamp (optional) Application pictures (Lesson 2 LG 1 Lesson 2 LG 4): Kids making a snowman Flowers Kid swimming Girl raking leaves Fish paper (Lesson 2 SG 10a, 10b) Bird paper (Lesson 2 SG 11a, 11b) For each child Key Concept sticker (Lesson 2 SG 12) Two-sided take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 2 SG 13 and Lesson 2 SG 14) Snack

Children will hear the whole Creation story. The focus will be on Days Four and Five, when God made the sun, moon, stars, seasons, fish to fill the water, and birds to fill the sky.
SO WHAT:

Children will learn that God made everything, including the sun, moon, stars, seasons, fish and birds.
NOW WHAT:

Bible Verse
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Children will participate in activities to identify things they do during the different seasons, and to identify a variety of large and small fish and birds. They will celebrate these things God has made.

Spiritual Formation
Celebration

People Needed
Teacher, Helper

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

In Advance
Recruit a Helper to operate the music CDs. The Helper has a number of lines during this lesson. Make sure your Helper is comfortable with this. Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing. Song suggestions: Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching God Made Me (Reach Up High CD) Seven (Touch the Sky CD) God is Number One (Touch the Sky CD) Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows: Designate one area or corner of the room as your teaching area. Set up props that will be used during the lesson and consider covering them with a sheet or a large piece of fabric to keep them from curious kids during Activity Stations. Also consider placing a line of tape on the floor to help keep kids out of the teaching area. For the lessons in Unit 1, the teaching area is Creation Station. Decorate the space as an artists studio. Place art supplies of all kinds on a small table or desk and paint, finger paint, or draw a splashy, bright-colored backdrop on butcher paper to hang at the back of the teaching area. Consider hanging some of the kids artwork from Activity Stations on the wall, as well. Color a creation scene on a piece of white paper for the Helper to show. Draw a creation scene on the paper pad or white board including sky, ocean, and land with plants, flowers, and trees. This will be a background for the Play Doh pieces. Prepare the Play Doh pieces in advance. You can shape them freehand or use cookie cutters. Place them in a bowl or container where you can easily pull them out, but make sure it is covered or sealed so the Play Doh doesnt dry out. Hide the Play Doh in or under something in the room. Prepare the materials that will be given to each of the children. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. Print out the lesson and practice the teaching time.

Notes:

Teachers Prep
REVIEW GENESIS 12. Can you remember drawing a picture of a house with a yard around it when you were a kid? If you were like most of us, you drew that same house and yard on many occasions. You might have drawn flowers in front of the house. And if you werent the best artist, you might have only drawn a single kind of flower. Arent you glad God is a better artist than we are? That His ability to create is perfect? The next time you are in your yard, stop and take a close look at a flower. Compare the one God created to the ones you used to draw. Both are precious to Him: one because it was drawn by His child, and one because it is an expression of His creativity. Gods ability to design different types of flowers and every other created thing is endless. Thank You, God, for the amazing world you gave us to live in and for being such a creative Creator!
2 Summer Quarter 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

Activity Stations
(20 MINUTES)

Choose which Activity Stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder.

Creative Bible Teaching

(15 MINUTES)

[Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Encourage kids to clap their hands along with you. Clap in a variety of styles like overhead, on your knees, on your belly, etc.]
TEACHER:

Hello, everyone! My name is _________________, and I am so excited youre here today. We are going to learn more about creation here at Creation Station! The word creation means to make something. Well be learning about everything that God made. Creation Station is a very fun place where we can come and make all kinds of neat things, like paintings and drawings. We also get to play games and sing songs. Lets all stand up and sing a song to God right now.
MUSIC

Song suggestion: God Made Me [Invite kids to sit down on the count of three. The Helper takes the colored creation picture up to the Teacher. The Teacher shows it to the kids.]
TEACHER:

Hi, everyone. Look what _______________ [Helper] colored for me! Its a beautiful picture. Its got all the things that God made. Lets all tell _________________ [Helper] thank you! [Kids respond.] This is a great way to remember the story of creation! Today were going to be learning more about it. God made everything in seven days. Lets count [hold up fingers as you count]: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven days! How many days? [Kids respond.] Today, well be using something special to help us tell the creation story from the Bible. But first, I need to find it! Let me see, where did I put it? Oh, I think I put it in here. [Look in or under something in the room.] Nope, not here. Let me try over there. [Look in a second place.] Oh, wow, theres the yo-yo I lost. But thats not what Im looking for, either. I think I know where it might be. [Look in a third place]. Ah, I found it. [Take out Play Doh]. Okay, I think were ready to get started. [Place Play Doh on the table]. Ill put my Play Doh here. _______________ [Helper], will you please stand here and hand me my supplies? Now I just need to bring out my Creation Station drawing pad. [Bring out paper pad or white board with pre-drawn creation scene and set it on the easel.] And we are ready to go! Heres my Bible for the Bible story. [Show Bible.] Click on your listening

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

ears, friends. Click! Click! [Tug on each earlobe.] Now lets put on our special eyes. Shookum! Shookum! [Hold hands to eyes, one at a time, shaping glasses.] * * * * * * *

In the beginning, there was nothing on the earth. The earth was empty and very, very dark. But, God had a plan! On Day One [hold up one finger] . . . friends, can you hold up one finger? _______________ [Helper], get ready. On Day One, God said, Let there be light. [Helper takes out flashlight and shines it on the teacher.] And there was light! God called the light day, and He called the darkness night. After God made the light, He said [pause and give a thumbs up], It is good. Say that with me: It is good.
HELPER:

On Day One, God made the bright light and dark night! [Turn off the flashlight.] *
TEACHER:

On Day Two [hold up two fingers] . . . friends, hold up two fingers. On Day Two, God made the beautiful blue sky. [Point to the sky.] He also made the water [point to the water] that comes from the sky and the water in the big ocean and the smaller seas. When God saw the beautiful blue sky and the oceans and seas, He said, [pause and give a thumbs up], It is good. Say that with me: It is good.
HELPER:

On Day Two, God made the sky of blue and water, too. *
TEACHER:

On Day Three [hold up three fingers] . . . friends, hold up three fingers. On Day Three, God made the land. [Point to the land.] God made all the plants, flowers, and trees that grow on the dry land. When God saw dry land with all the plants, flowers, and trees, He said [pause and give a thumbs up], It is good.
HELPER:

On Day Three, God made the land, plants, flowers, and trees. *
TEACHER:

On Day Four [hold up four fingers] . . . friends, hold up four fingers. On Day Four, God made a big, big light called the sun. [Helper hands yellow Play Doh sun to Teacher.]

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

TEACHER:

God made the big light of the sun to shine up in the sky during the day. He made the sun to keep us warm. [Stick the Play Doh sun on the pre-drawn picture.] And He made the sun to help plants, flowers, and trees grow. Friends, hold your arms up over your head and make a pretend sun. [Model for kids.] God also made the smaller light, called the moon, to shine up in the sky at night. And God made the smallest lights in the nighttime sky that twinkle, twinkle, twinkle. He called them stars. Friends, twinkle your fingers like stars. [Model for kids.] God also made the four seasons. Like winter, when its cold and we have lots of snow and make a snowman! And spring, when all the beautiful flowers start to bloom. Summer, when its hot, and we get to go swimming. And the fall, when all the leaves turn colors and fall down, down, down on to the ground, ground, ground. When God saw the sun, the moon, and the stars, He said [pause and give a thumbs up], It is good. Lets say that together: It is good.
HELPER:

On Day Four, God made the sun so bright and moon and stars at night. *
TEACHER:

On Day Five [hold up five fingers] . . . friends, hold up five fingers. On Day Five, God filled the water in the ocean with lots of fish. He made big fish and small fish. [Helper hands Play Doh fish to Teacher.]
TEACHER:

God made all kinds of different fish to swim in the ocean. He made turtles, starfish, seahorses, dolphins, whales, and octopuses. [Stick the fish on the picture.]
HELPER:

Look, I can make a fish face! [Suck in cheeks and wiggle lips.] Lets all give it a try! [Kids and Teacher make fish faces. Helper hands Play Doh birds to Teacher as Teacher mentions them.]
TEACHER:

On Day Five, God also made lots of birds. There were blue birds. [Stick on blue bird.] There were yellow birds. [Stick on yellow bird.] And there were red birds. [Stick on red bird.] All the birds were made to fly up in the sky. Lets all flap our wings like a bird. [Kids respond.] God made all kinds of birds to fly in the sky. When God saw the fish and the birds, He said [pause and give a thumbs up], It is good.
HELPER:

On Day Five, God made fish, big and small, and birds, one and all. *
TEACHER:

On Day Six [hold up six fingers] . . . friends, hold up six fingers. On Day Six, God made all the animals that live on the land. And God made something else on Day Six. He made
5 Summer Quarter 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

something very, very special. He made people! He made a man and a woman. When God saw the animals and the people, instead of saying, It is good, God said [pause and give a thumbs up], It is very good. It is very good.
HELPER:

On Day Six, God made the animals on land and a woman and man. *
TEACHER:

On Day Seven [hold up seven fingers] . . . friends, hold up seven fingers. On Day Seven, God stopped making things, and He rested. On Day Seven, God took a rest! Friends, lets take a rest. Lets stretch [stretch] those arms way up and out! Now, lets relax and rest. [Release a big sigh.] Good job!
HELPER:

That was fun! [Go to the CD player.]

TEACHER:

It sure was! The creation story is a great story! We learned that God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]! Friends, say that with me. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets say that together in our squeaky voices. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Now, lets try that in our low voices. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets stand up and sing to God!
MUSIC

Song suggestion: Seven [Invite kids to sit down on count of three. The Helper returns to the teaching area.]
TEACHER:

Friends, lets say our special words. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets go back over our fun creation poem and remember all the things God made. Ready? [Point to each section as you mention it. Hold up the appropriate number of fingers, and encourage the kids to do it with you.]
TEACHER AND HELPER:

On Day One, God made the bright light and the dark night. On Day Two, God made the sky [reach up high] of blue and ocean [make waves with your hands], too. On Day Three, God made the land, plants, flowers, and trees [pretend to grow like a tree]. On Day Four, God made the sun [make a sun with your hands] so bright and the moon and stars [twinkle fingers] at night. On Day Five, God made the fish [pretend to swim], big and small, and the birds [flap arms like birds], one and all. On Day Six, God made the animals on land and a woman and man. On Day Seven, God took a rest!

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

Life Application Activity

(10 MINUTES) TEACHER:

Great job, friends! Lets play a game that will help us learn more about the things God made on Day Four and Day Five. Were going to need some pictures to help us. [Helper shows four Application pictures and sets them up on the easel or tapes them on the wall where the kids can easily see them.]
TEACHER: Lesson 2 LG 1

Okay, everybody. Take a look at our four pictures. Im going to give you some clues. When you know the picture Im taking about, I want you to shout it out real loud! Heres the first one. Ready? You do this in the winter when there is snow on the ground. What is it? [Make a snowman.] Thats right! Good job. [Point to picture.] We make snowmen in the winter. Lets pretend to make a snowman. First the body. [Roll a big ball.] Then the head. [Set another ball on top.] And the eyes and the mouth. [Stick them in.] Good job. God made the snow in winter. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets try another one. In spring, you plant these in the ground, and they grow and grow into something very pretty. What are they? [Flowers]. Good job! [Point to picture.] These are some flowers. Flowers grow in the spring. Lets pretend to grow like a flower. [Start low and grow up high.] Good job. God made the flowers that grow in the spring. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides].

Lesson 2 LG 2

All right, that was great! Lets do another one. You get to do this when its hot outside, and you want to cool off, and you need your bathing suit! What is it? [Swimming.] Good job! [Point to picture.] We get to go swimming in the summer. Lets pretend to swim. First, well dog paddle. [Model.] And now well do the backstroke. [Model.] And now lets splash everyone! [Model.] Good job! God made the water we can swim in during summer. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets try one more. What picture am I talking about now? You do this in the fall when the leaves fall down, down, down to the ground. What is it? [Rake leaves.] Good job. [Point to picture.] We rake leaves in the fall. Lets pretend to rake. Pull those leaves in with the rake. [Model.] Now lets heap them in a pile. [Heap up an armload.] And now lets jump in them! [Jump.] Good job, everyone! God made the leaves in fall. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets sing a song to God!
MUSIC

Lesson 2 LG 3

Song suggestion: God is Number One [Invite kids to sit in a circle and do the following activity, if time allows.]
TEACHER:

Good singing, everyone! We are going to do a counting activity now. You will all get to help me count.
Lesson 2 LG 4
7 Summer Quarter

[Show the children the Fish picture. Read the text on the back and help the children respond.]
2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

FISH PICTURE

1. God made fish. Lets count the big fish. [Point and count the fish with the children.] How many big fish do we see? [Three.] 2. God made fish. Lets count the baby fish. [Point and count the fish with the children.] How many baby fish do we see? [Five.] 3. God made everything in the water. Do you see the octopuses? Lets count the octopuses. [Point and count the octopuses with the children.] How many octopuses do we see? [Two.] Show the children the Bird picture. Read the text on the back and help the children respond.
BIRD PICTURE

Lesson 2 SG 10a

1. God made birds. Lets count all the birds in the picture. [Point and count the birds with the children.] How many birds do we see? [Seven.] 2. God made birds. Lets count the birds in the nest. [Point and count the bird with the children.] How many birds in the nest do we see? [One.] 3. God made birds. Lets count the birds that are flying. [Point and count the birds with the children.] How many birds flying do we see? [Two.] [Make sure that every child has a chance to help count.]
TEACHER:

Good job! God made the fish and birds. God [point up] made everything [reach arms forward and move them out to the sides]. Lets pray and thank God for everything He made right now. [Do Open them, close them. Children will say the finger play with you and repeat each line of the prayer after you.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Give a little clap. [Clap hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.] Dear God, Thank You for making the sun, moon and stars. Thank You for making fish and birds. Thank You for our snack. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Lesson 2 LG 11a

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2

UNIT 1:

Creation Station

Snack and Coloring Activity

(15 MINUTES)

This is the time for you and the children to build community. A great way to let the kids know you care about them as individuals is to ask them questions about themselves.
Go

de everyth ma in
g!
The Beginning (Genesis 1)

Lesson 2 SG 12

GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two: Do you have a fish or a bird at home? What was your favorite part of the Bible story?

God made everything.

Lesson 2 SG 13

Summer Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 2