The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)

Lesson: The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)

The world had one language after the flood, and everyone spoke it. (Who was the man who built the ark and took his family on it to survive the flood?) The people moved east and settled in a large valley in Babylon. They decided to build a city for themselves using bricks instead of stones. They decided to build a tower that reached the sky.
The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, but saw that the people were more focused on building the tower and no longer worshiped Him. Instead, they were worshiping their own accomplishments. God was displeased, so He made new languages, and made everyone speak a different one (Do you know any other languages? Do you know anyone who speaks a different language?).
The people could no longer build the city or the tower. No one could understand what anyone else was saying. So they split up. They scattered all over the world. The unfinished tower became known as the Tower of Babel because all the people could do was babble at each other (What does babble mean?).

Review Questions:

1. After the flood, how many languages were there in the whole world?
2. Where did the people settle?
3. What did they decided to build?
4. How did God feel about the tower?
5. What did He do about it?
6. What did the tower become known as?

Word of the Day:

Babble: verb: to talk rapidly, foolishly, excitedly, or in an incomprehensible way

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for all the beautiful languages You gave us,
Grant us the grace to keep out thoughts on You
And not just our accomplishments.
Help us remember that You are responsible for our successes
And will help us through our troubles.
Amen.

Activities:

Cross Word
Word Search
Coloring Page

Craft:

Popsicle Stick Tower

The Flood and the Rainbow (Genesis 6-9)

Lesson: The Flood and the Rainbow, Genesis 6-9

After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they had many children and then their children had many children. (Do you remember why Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden?) It went that way for hundreds and hundreds of years. Then there came a time when people on Earth didn't know God, but God could see them. He didn't like what He saw.

The people were selfish and evil. They fought and did cruel things to one another. God was sorry He had ever made men and women to live on the Earth. (Can you think of anything these people might have been doing to make God so mad?) Now He was going to put an end to all people that He had made. But there was one man God wanted to save. His name was Noah and he was a good man that worshiped God and did good things.

God went to Noah and said, "I'm going to flood the Earth and destroy every single living thing on it. However, I want you to build a huge ark for yourself and your family. Bring two of every animal, from the tiniest to the largest, those that fly and those that crawl, onto the ark." (What are some kinds of animals that would have gone on the ark?)

So Noah started building the ark, just like God told him to. When he was finished, it looked like a large box. It was made to float, not sail and it was about three stories high and the length of one and a half football fields. (How long is a football field? [100 yards])It was big enough for all the animals, food, Noah, and his family. When the ark was ready, the animals walked in two by two, in pairs.

At last, Noah and his wife and their three sons and their wives went onto the ark. It rained for forty days and forty nights. The Earth flooded, and every single living thing was destroyed, but Noah's ark was well built. It floated on top of the water and was nice and dry inside.

Finally, it stopped raining, and God remembered Noah. He sent a lot of wind and the water started to go down. After a while, Noah sent out a dove. It came back with nothing. A few days later, he sent it out again. This time, it came back with a twig from an olive tree. This meant the flood waters were going away. Seven days later, Noah sent the dove out again. This time it didn't come back and Noah knew that the dove had found dry land and a tree to live on.

He opened the ark and let all the animals out. God made a promise to Noah, "I will never again use a flood to destroy life on Earth. Life will go on because of you and your family and the animals you took on the ark." A rainbow appeared in the sky, "Look at the rainbow. It's a sign of the promise I've made you." (What colors are in the rainbow?)

Review Questions:

1. What did God want to do to all the living things on Earth?
2. What made God want to do that?
3. Who did God choose to survive?
4. What did God have Noah build?
5. Who and what did God have Noah put on the ship?
6. How long did it rain?
7. What did God show as a sign promising that He wouldn't flood the world again?

Word of the Day:

Selfish: adjective: not considering others, caring only for one's own personal gain or profit

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for second chances.
We thank you for rain and rainbows,
For doves and olive branches,
And pray for You to guide us no matter which way the wind blows.
Amen.

Activities:

Word Search
Crossword
Coloring Page

Craft:

Paper Rainbows

The Snake in the Garden (Genesis 3)

Lesson: The Snake in the Garden, Genesis 3

Adam and Eve ruled over the creatures in the Garden of Eden, but the snake was very sneaky. He took Eve to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and asked her, "Why won't you eat the fruit from this tree? It tastes so good." (Do you know what the snake was doing? [Tempting Eve])

Eve answered, "God told us not to eat that fruit."

The snake climbed up into the tree and hissed, "But this is the best fruit in the whole garden. It will make you wise like God. How could that hurt you?"

Eve looked at the fruit. It looked so tasty. She wanted to be wise, so she ate some of the fruit. She gave some to her husband, Adam too. Adam knew he shouldn't eat it, but he did anyways.

Suddenly, Adam and Eve felt so ashamed and they hid from God. (Why do you think they were ashamed? [They had done something they weren't supposed to, now they knew what good and evil is so they knew they had done something very bad, etc]) When He found them, He was sad that they had not obeyed him. He was furious with the snake for tempting Eve into eating the fruit. He told the serpent, "I know you tempted Eve. Because you did that, you will slither on your belly and eat dirt for the rest of your life."

God made Adam and Eve clothes from animal skins to cover themselves. He made them leave the garden to punish them. Life would be difficult for Adam and Eve, life in the Garden of Eden had been so easy and peaceful.

God sent angels to guard the gate with a sword of fire. No one would ever enter the garden of Eden again.

Review Questions:

1. What kind of animal tempted Eve?
2. What would happen if Eve ate the fruit?
3. Who did Eve give the fruit to?
4. How did Adam and Eve feel once they had eaten the fruit?
5. What did God do when he found them?

Word of the Day:

Temptation: noun: the desire to do something, even if it is wrong or unwise

Prayer:

Lord, grant us the strength resist temptation.
You know that we may stumble and fall,
But help us to get back up again,
And keep on the path You have made for us.
Amen.

Activities:

Word Search
Crossword
Coloring Page

Songs:

The Adam and Eve Song
Adam and Eve

Craft:

Snake Paper Chain

God's Garden (Genesis 2)

Lesson: God's Garden, Genesis 2

In the east, God planted a garden and He called it Eden. He made many kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers for the garden. The trees were beautiful, and full of fruit to eat. God took Adam, the man he had made, and put him in the garden to look after it. (What are some different kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers you can name? [Maple, rose, daisy, oak, etc]) (What are some foods that come from trees or bushes? [Strawberries, blueberries, bananas, nuts, etc])

In the center of the garden were two special trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam, "You must never eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but you may eat the fruit from any of the other trees in the garden. (Why do you think God didn't want Adam to eat from that specific tree?)

God saw that Adam was not happy being alone so He filled the garden with every kind of animal and Adam named them all. But non of those animals were a good partner for Adam, so God made a woman. Adam named her Eve. Eve is the English version of the Hebrew name Havva, which means "living."

Review Questions:
1. In which direction did God plant His garden?
2. What did He call this garden?
3. What were the two special trees called?
4. Which was Adam not to eat from?
5. Who did God make so Adam would not be alone anymore?

Word of the Day:
Havva: proper noun: Eve's name in Hebrew, close to the Hebrew word for 'living'

Prayer:

Lord, give us the ability to respect your creation.
From the tiny ants that crawl on the ground to the giant whales that swim in the sea,
From little flowers to tall trees,
From children to adults
Grant us the grace to nurture what you have made for us.
Amen.

Activities:

Crossword
Word Search
Coloring Page

Songs:

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Craft:

Garden of Eden Flower Pots

Creation (Genesis 1)

People have an attention span of about 30 seconds before their minds start to wander. Kids have even less time. I've taught first grade, I can barely get them to sit still for five minutes, let alone pay attention for very long. So, in my opinion, keep to the basics for the younger ones.

Lesson: Creation, Genesis 1

In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth. All was dark and empty. So God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Do you know what He called the light? And the darkness?) He called the light day and the darkness night. That was the first day.

Then God said, "Let there be bodies of water and a sky above them." And it was so. That was the second day. (What do we call the bodies of water? [Seas, oceans, lakes, rivers, etc])

On the third day, God said, "Let dry ground appear." (Do you know what he called the ground?) He called the dry ground land. And God saw it was good. He said, "Let plants and trees grow up all over the land. Give them seeds to make more plants and trees." And it was so. (What are some types of plants/tree that God made?)

On the fourth day, God made two great lights: the larger one to rule the day and the smaller one to rule the night. He also made the stars. He set them all in the sky to give light to the earth both day and night. (What do you think the two big lights are? [Sun and moon] Which rules the day? The night?)

Then God said, "Let the waters be filled with sea creatures and let there be birds with wings to fly above the earth." And that was the fifth day. (What are some sea creatures that you can think of? Kinds of birds?)

On the sixth day, God made animals to live on the land. He made sheep and cattle. He made creatures that move along the ground. (Can you name some animals that move along the ground? [Snakes, frogs, etc]) He made wild animals of every size and shape. (Can you name some wild animals? [Elephants, wolves, lions, etc]) And then He said, "Let Us make people in Our likeness and let them rule over the fish and the birds and all other living creatures." So He made man. He called the man Adam.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. On the seventh day, He rested. (Do you know what that seventh day is called? [The Sabbath] What day of the week is it for us? [Sunday])

Review Questions:

1. Can you name some of the things God made?

2. Do you remember what He made first?

3. Do you remember what He made last?

4. What are two of the lights He made called? Which one is brighter and rules the day?

5. What did He do on the seventh day?

Word of the Day:

Sabbath: noun: first day of the week, Sunday, the day God rested after creating everything

Prayer:

Lord, grant us the grace to respect and care for Your creation.
Bless all of your creatures as a sign of Your wondrous love.
Help us to bring healing to all of Your creation.
Help us to use our inventiveness to sustain Your gift of nature.
Amen.

Activities:

Crossword
Word Search
ABCs
Coloring Page

Songs:

He's Got the World in His Hands
Seven Days of Creation Song
The Creation Song

Craft:

7 Days of Creation Disks