Week 3: Moses Trusts God

Hot and Sticky + Snakes and Parachutes + Watermelon and Icees +  Moses and the Israelites + And lots and lots of kids = Week 3 of Backyard Bible Club 2020

This week we made Popsicle snakes.  The kids did a great job decorating their snakes and then putting them together.  I love seeing how each one decorated their snakes so differently.  

After the kids finished their snakes, they could play gaga ball, 4 square in the air, with legos, PVC pipes (or as one kid calls them ABC pipes) or with the plastic animals.  Even though it was very hot this week, they sure like to play with their friends!  

During Bible Time, we sang our 7 Bible verses.  This week's verse was Proverbs 3:5-6.  For our Memory Verse Game, I would have one kid "put their nose to the wall"  Two actually obeyed!  Then another kid would point to a word in the verse.  We would repeat the verse clapping for the selected word.  Then the kid with "his nose to the wall" would try to guess the skipped word.  

I used the story sticks to share with the kids how Moses and the Israelites had to decide if they were going to trust God when life got hard (Exodus 4-6).  At first the Israelites trusted God when He told them that He was going to free them from slavery.  But when things got worst instead of better, they were quick to blame Moses, God's spokesperson.  In contrast, when the situation didn't go like Moses had expected, the when right to God with his concerns.  He choose to trust God. I told the kids that the decision to trust God is a daily decision.  It is easy to trust when things are going right.  But do they trust Him when life seems to crumble?  This was a good lesson for them and me.  

Then it was snack and game time!  When one of the other boys saw the parachute laid out, he commented, "Parachutes!  That is a first grader game."  But he and the others sure seemed to enjoy the parachute games we played!  

Week 2: Moses is Called

God never gives us a job without giving us the tools necessary to complete the task!  That was the theme of this week's club.  And God showed me that principal in real life by sending 86 kids to BBC this week!  I realized after the Wednesday morning club, there was no way I was going to have enough supplies for the craft for the final group that was to meet that evening.  So on the way home I stopped at Dollar Tree to purchased the traveling mugs needed.  I was panicking because the first time through the store, I didn't see any.  But on the second tour of the store, I found just enough mugs hidden behind some other stuff!  

With paint and sharpie markers the kids made burning bushed on their travel mugs.  I love how each one has the same supplies, but each mug turned out very different.  

The Bible Lesson was taken from Exodus 3-4.  We covered the first 80 years of Moses life.  As a prince in Egypt, Moses was trained how to govern people, to read and write Egyptian, and many other things.  As a shepherd in Midian, Moses learned how to survive in the desert.  Both these experiences were going to help him do the task God had given him:  lead the people out of slavery, across the desert and into the Promise Land.  It was a HUGE job, and Moses needed a lot of convincing, but in the end he headed to Egypt.  

For the review game, we played WET HEAD.  Yes, it was as fun and it looks!  And yes, the wear DOES get a very wet head.   

Then it was time for WATER GAMES!!!!  We did a number of water relays and then finished with the favorite game: Drip, Drip, Drop!  

Week 1: Moses is Born

What an amazing week!  Monday began with 42 kids showing up to Backyard Bible Club: S Annville!  Although the kids were great, I have decided to begin a club on Tuesdays (9:30 - 11:30 am) in North Annville (1490 N SR 934, Annville, PA).   I am hoping some of kids move from Monday's club to Tuesday's club.  This way, I can keep encouraging the kids to invite friends, get to work more individually with the kids and just keep my sanity!  

Then Wednesday arrived with BBC: Newmanstown in the morning and BBC: Jonestown in the evening AND the knowledge that our daughter Katelyn was being induced! When I got home from Jonestown, I was met by my husband with a HUGE smile and a picture of Trinity Rose who had finally made her appearance.  

So what did we do in BBC this week?  Well the kids weaved baskets, then had a chance to play gaga ball, build with Lego or PVC pipes.  

Then it was Bible Time!  We began to learn 7 Bible verse songs.  Then, we discussed things that we worry about.  I was able to share how I was worried about Katelyn and her delivery and the desire to have a healthy grand child.  Then we looked at 1 Peter 5:6-7.  This verse challenges us to throw our worries to God and let Him take care of them.  It was great being able to pray with the kids about my worries over Katelyn.  We played a game called "crazy stands up" to help them learn this verse.  

I used story sticks to re-tell an event in history about a family who had a HUGE worry.  The king has ordered that their baby boy be thrown into the Nile River (Exodus 1-2).  We discovered God's incredible plan to save the baby from certain death.  

Finally it was snack time!  I laughed over one child who exclaimed, "I hope it is not cherries and cheese nips this year!"  

We played all kinds of pool noodle relays and concluded with noodle hockey.  

It was a great week!  I am looking forward to the next one.  

One Week until BBC 2020 Begins!

Are you ready?!?  I am getting really, really excited for this year's clubs.  This week I was making yarn balls for the first craft.  Then, I was gathering all the pool noodles so that we can play some noodle games.  I restocked the club store.  Then yesterday, I began to practice this year's songs and I read the Bible scripture text.  Finally, I looked at pictures from BBC 2019.  We had SO MUCH fun last year.  

So if you haven't already done so, please pre-register by clicking here: https://forms.gle/Dvb2UA1hDN3wqPaM8