Saturday, August 4, 2018

The King Saves (Week 6)

A week after the 2018 flood and the Lebanon Area Fair, many kids returned to Backyard Bible Club.  It was so nice to be outside again!


We made (of all things) rain bottles.  I know I should of had this craft and lesson last week.  The kids had fun stuffing water bottles with packing peanuts, colored bumpy pipe cleaners and colored pipe cleaners they wrapped around a pencil to make a spring.  Then they dumped 1/3 cup of rice into the bottles.  I had left over colored rice from a craft.  The kids enjoyed the colors.

I was very impresses with the kids singing this week.  And many, many kids earned lots of Bible bucks for saying the Bible Memory Verses.  It brings a smile to my face to hear the kids singing the Bible Verse Songs.

The Bible Lesson came from Genesis 6-9.  Noah walked with God just like his great grandfather Enoch.  This pleased God.  So God told Noah that He was going to send a world-wide flood because mankind had become so wicked.  Noah was to build a HUGE boat and load it with animals and food.  As Noah build this boat, he preached to anyone who would listen.  Unfortunately, no one listened to Noah.  So in the end, only Noah and his family - 8 people - were saved from the flood.  If only the people would have believed Noah and entered the door of the boat.  Likewise, the only way we can be saved from Hell is by believing that Jesus, God the Son, died for our sins.  

Today's Bible Memory Verse is Ephesians 2:8-9.  The song is by Faith Weaver.  I think is is called "It is by Grace".  

After snack time, we played water games!  Boy did the kids get wet.  

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Walking with the King (Week 5)







What a week!  Rain, rain and more rain.  Monday & Tuesday clubs were inside.  I spent Wednesday & Thursday trying to clean up a wet basement.  Finally Friday, the sun came out, but oh what a hot club that turned out to be.  Still God is good.  Had 49 kids this week in spite of the rain, heat and Lebanon Fair.








We made an easy craft this week.  It was a magnet with the week's Bible Verse on it (Colossians 1:10). After craft time, they could play with Legoes.  I had two large Lego bags.  I was told the orange bag had the cooler Legoes in it.






This week lesson we looked at Cain's family and Seth's family.  Seth was born to Adam and Eve after Abel died.  The kids quickly saw that even though Cain's descendants were very skillful, they also chose to reject God.  This was a contract to many of Seth's descendants who had a relationship with God.  We focused on Enoch who walked with God and was no more because God took him.  It pleases God when we walk with him.  I shared how when we walk with someone, we often walk and talk.  The same is true when we walk with God.  It is a time of communicating with God.  Another name for walking with God is having daily devotions or quite time.  Each kid received a small Gospel of John and a devotion guide for this book of the Bible.  I challenged them to begin to have daily devotions/quite time.

Game time was interesting this week.  When we could go outside, we played with the parachute.  The kids loved popcorn and sharks & lifeguards.  On the rainy days, we played mousetrap.  We got into groups of five.  Four received a mouse (ie. close pin & yarn tail)  They places their mice on top of a yellow foam square (cheese).  The mouse catcher rolled a dice.  If it landed on a 1 or 6, then the mice had to run before the mouse catcher caught them with  the trap (ie. cool whip container).  This is a fun rainy day game.

Next week, we will play water games.  So come prepared to get WET!

Friday, July 20, 2018

Approaching the King (Week 4)


Week 4 began with the kids signing in at the registration table and then heading over the the craft area to make sheep.  We had white sheep and red sheep, rainbow colored sheep and stripped sheep.  Each one turned out very cute.  This was a fairly easy craft.  The kids just had to attach the legs (clothespins) to the body and begin to wrap yarn around and around.  Some of the boys couldn't warp fast enough since they wanted to play gaga ball instead of make a sheep.  One boy did ask if we were going to study about the Lost Sheep!  I was excited to know that some of the kids were beginning to make the connection between the craft and the Bible lesson. After the kids are finished with their craft, they can go to the Lego bag or the gaga pit. 




Our Bible Memory Verse this week is Hebrews 9:22.  We played an activity called "Add-a -Word".  I split the kids into three groups.  The first group said, "Hebrews".  The next group said, "Hebrews 9."  The third group said, "Hebrews 9:22".  This continued until the whole verse was said.  

Our Bible Lesson was taken from Genesis 4.  Here Cain and Abel both tried to approach God.  Cain brought fruits and vegetables to offer to God, while Abel brought a lamb.  God accepted Abel's gift because Abel came the right way.  The kids learned that there is a right way to approach God - through a blood sacrifice.  For many, many years, you would have to bring an animal sacrifice to have your sins forgiven so that you could approach God.  But when Jesus died, he became that final sacrifice (1 Peter 3:18).  Thought who believe in Jesus (and his sacrifice) will be forgiven, but those who reject Jesus will not.  God rejected Cain's offering, but encouraged Cain to try again - God's way not his way.  Unfortunately, Cain refused to do what was right.  Instead, his pride, turned to anger, which turned to jealousy, which turned to hatred and finally he murdered his brother Abel.  Letting sin go unchecked grown until it controls you.  
Then it was snack time!  Monday morning, we had these delicious whoopie pies.  And of course water for everyone.  I always bring a bunch of character cups that the kids can choose to borrow for the morning.  
For games, we run relays using pool noodles. I had to tweak a few relays due to the wind blowing the noodles away.  Overall, we had a lot of fun.  See all the smiles!  





Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Art Contest

Each week in the Garden Gazette, there is a coupon, art or essay contest.  This past week was the first art contest.  The kids had to draw a picture of Adam naming the animals.  If they turned in their picture, they earned five Bible Bucks.  Here is some of the pictures that I received




Thursday, July 12, 2018

Sin Entered the King's World - Week 3



 Kids arrived with their wallets full of Bible Bucks.  More bucks were added as they said their Bible Memory Verses!  Had one student who already learned all SEVEN verses!!!  Way to go Britney M!  This week their Bible Memory Verses worth worth two Bible Bucks per verse if they remembered to cut out the coupon in last week's Garden Gazette.






Once the kids were signed in, they came to the craft table.  This week we made beaded snakes.  It is always fun to see everyone make the same craft, yet each one is so different.  I send a huge thank you to the Hebron Sewing Circle and Donna T for donating all the beads.

After they were finished with their craft, the kids could play gaga ball, nine square in the air and/or build with Legoes.






                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Then it was Bible Time.  Our Bible Memory Verse this week is 2 Corinthians 5:21.  We learned this to the tune of "Yankee Doodle".  Then we passes a small Bible around while we said the verse.  If a boy ended up holding the Bible when we reached the end of the verse, then the boys had to all stand an say the verse (with motions).  If a girl, then the girls had to say the verse.  It was funny to watch them as they tried to make sure the other team had the Bible at the end.                                                                                                                        
Today's Bible Lesson came from Genesis 2-3.  We looked into the reason God's perfect earth is no longer perfect.  By the end of the Lesson, the kids learned that sin has consequences - death: death of a relationship between us and God, physical death (as our bodies grow old and die) and spiritual death (our souls being thrown into the Lake of fire).  Yet, on the same day sin entered the world (and with it death), God began to revel His plan to save us from spiritual death.  He told Adam & Eve that someday a man (born from a woman) would come and defeat Satan (that serpent from the Garden) and therefore provide a way for our sins to be forgiven.    

This week during Group Game Time, we played a game called Hula Huts.  Each team had three members and six hula hoops.  One member played guard.  He had to try to deflect the balls from hitting his hula hut.  One member was the thrower.  He tried to throw the balls knocking down another team's hula hut.  The other member retrieved the thrown balls.  When your hula hut was knocked down, your whole team had to rebuilt it before returning to each person's position.  The kids really enjoyed this game.  Probably the funniest thing that happened during this game was when I emptied the balls onto the Campbelltown UC parking lot and they quickly rolled down the alley!  All my adult helpers were frantically chasing balls, while the kids played.  I only lost one ball at Campbelltown.  


Friday, July 6, 2018

The King Creates - Week 2




HOT, Extremely HOT!  That is how this week began.  Yet, the kids still begged to play gaga ball!  I definitely have some die hard gaga ball players in my clubs.  Instead of gaga ball, I had brought my Lego bag for the kids to play with after they completed the craft. Yes, I did promise the gaga pit will be back next week!






This week's the kids got to create their very own water bottle terrarium.  It was A LOT easier than last week's craft.  A huge thank you to my dad and my aunt Lilly for letting me take all their baby "Hens and Chicks" and for Donna T for giving me all those little cute bears.  The terrariums really got cute.   I got thumbs up from the boys for this craft.

After our theme song, we are learning our Bible Verses by singing them.  This week's Bible Verse, Hebrews 11:3, is sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell".  Many of the motions that we use are actually American Sign Language signs for the different words.  To help us review this week's Bible Verse, I had a choir director's wand (a dowel rod with ribbons attached).  If the director held the wand high, then the kids had to speak loudly.  If the director held the wand low, then the kids had to speak softly.  If the director waved the wand in a circle, then the kids had to speak fast.  If the director, held his hand palm out, then the kids stopped speaking.  I had many very good directors in the different clubs.

The Bible lesson was taken from Genesis 1:1-2:3.  We discovered that not only did God create "Heavens and the Earth", but He made it beautiful, organized and down right AMAZING!  With the creation of light, God gave us colors - and not just one color, but lots of colors.  When God created the sky/atmosphere on day 2, He set up the water cycle.  On day 3 as God created the land and plants, He also created a way to clean the air we breath.  We looked out how putting the sun and moon in the sky gave us days, years and months.  On day 5, God created the birds, like the eagle which He gave incredible eye sight, and the sea creatures, like the clown fish which He gave the ability to produce a skin protectant that keeps it safe while it swims among the sea amomen.  We saw the vast collection of land animals God created on day 6:  pigs, dinosaurs, spiders, frogs, lions, ants, giraffes, cows, snakes, dogs, etc.  Then we looked at God's final creation: US!  It was only mankind that God created in His image (male and female).  We are like God in our ability to think, plan, and create.  We can have relationships with others and Him.  Finally, we are made to worship (love someone/thing with our entire being).  God deserves our worship because He is the Creator King!  



Then we gave thanks to God for creating water that we can drink on these HOT, HOT days and for giving us Watermelon (S Annville Group), Cherries (Jonestown Group), Cupcakes (Campbelltown Group), and Crackers (Newmanstown Group).  Now it was SNACK Time!



Finally, we concluded our club with some water relays/games.  It felt so good to get wet, even on Friday, when it rained during club! 
























Saturday, June 30, 2018

The King Has Spoken - Week 1

Week 1 @ BBC got off to a great start!  Sixty-two kids join this years Backyard Bible Clubs.  After sign in, they could play gaga ball or sew a game bag.  The game bag was a little difficult for many of the kids.  We had a lot of tangled yarn.  Had to rip out and re-sew a number of times.  BUT, everyone eventually FINISHED a bag!  Yeah!
This year's theme song is "The Bible Train Express".  It is a cool song.  As we sing the Books of the Bible, it sounds like a train is leaving the station, traveling down the tracks, and arriving at another station.  Hopefully, we will all learn the books of the Bible before summer ends.  


This week's Bible Memory Verse was 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  We threw the Memory Verse Action Die to review the verse.  The kids loved when the dice landed on "Fast forward while marching."  I always needed at least three breaths to say the verse! 








Our Bible Lesson was taken from Jeremiah 36.  The Lord told Jeremiah to write His words down on a scroll.  But when King Jehoiakim heard the Lord's words, he cut the scroll into pieces and burned it!  (Oh, No!)  Even though the king tried to destroy God's words, God made sure His words were preserved (protected from loss).  He did this by having Jeremiah write a new scroll. 

We learned that the Bible is God's true message to us.  The Bible shows us who God is and what He requires from us.  Therefore we must believe it and respect it. 


 We played a review game called "The King says." When a kid answered a question correctly, he earned 1,000 points AND got to choose a King Says card for more points.  If his team completed the command on the card, they earned more points. 

We also had snacks and played octopus tag and/or wrist band tag.  I didn't get any pictures of group game time this week.  I must find a new photographer since my one from last year got married in June. 

This kids received their first sticker for their wallets.  (see below)  Each week, they will receive a new sticker. 

Had a good first week.  I am looking forward to next week, when we will play a lot of water relays!  It is suppose to be an extremely hot week here in PA. 




Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Are you ready for some Backyard Bible Club?!?


Summer is a time for going to the pool, playing with friends, eating hot dogs, and going to. . .

What is Backyard Bible club?  It is a summer Bible club for kids entering Kindergarten through 6th grade.  Each Backyard Bible Club meets once a week for seven weeks throughout the summer.  Come as many times as you can.
Each day at club, you will. . .
·  make an amazing craft,
·  sing songs,
·  learn a Bible verse,
·  listen to a Bible lesson,
·  eat a snack,
·  play games,
·  earn Bible bucks and
·  Have an opportunity to purchase items at the club store. 

This summer we are going to learn all about God: The Creator King! 


Week  1: The King has Spoken!
Week  2: The King Creates.
Week 3: Sin Enters the King’s World
Week 4: How to Approach the King
Week 5:  Walking with the King
Week 6: The King Saved
Week 7: The King Judges