Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity—Secret Handshakes
Materials: no materials needed
Talk about ways people say hello or good-bye. What do people do? (wave, fist-bump, shake hands, hug, etc.) Group kids into pairs or threes. Each small group can come up with an elaborate way to say good-bye. They can shake hands, spin around, slap hands together, etc. in various combinations. After groups create their handshakes, they can show them to the rest of the group. Tell kids that they will hear a story today of what happened when Jesus told His disciples good-bye and returned to heaven.
Live It Out
Game—Collision Ball
Materials: tape, 2 balls of different colors (or one ball marked with a star)
Make a tape line at each end of the game area. Tape the midline of the game area, too. Designate the “scoring ball” by color or by marking a star with marker. Set the scoring ball on the midline. Place the other ball (the kicking ball) on one end of the play area.
Group the kids into teams. Gather teams at the end of the game area with the kicking ball. Tell them that the far line is the goal line. Ask Team 1 a review question. If the team is correct, a player can kick the kicking ball and try to hit the scoring ball, making it roll over the goal line. If the scoring ball does not cross the goal line, both balls stay where they land. Ask Team 2 a review question. If the team is correct, a player kicks the kicking ball from where it stopped, trying to knock the scoring ball across the goal line. Award 1 point for each correct answer; award 5 points if the goal line is crossed. After the ball crosses the goal line, reset it on the midline and place the kicking ball back at the starting line to continue the game.
Craft—Windsocks
Materials: card stock (4-by-11-inch pieces), markers, staplers with staples, lengths of crepe paper or ribbon, smaller pieces of card stock, hole punches, yarn, wide tape
Invite a child to make a windsock. He can write the Life Point on a piece of card stock. Help him roll the card stock so that short sides overlap and staple to create a cylinder. He can punch two holes on opposite sides in the top of the cylinder and use yarn to make a hanger. Help him cut lengths of ribbon or crepe paper and staple along the bottom of the cylinder (so that the ribbon hangs down from the card stock). Hold a windsock by the hanger and move it back and forth to flutter in the breeze. Tell kids they can hang their windsocks outside and see them blow in the wind.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity—Book Search
Materials: Bibles, letter cards (A, S, C, E, N, S, I, O, N)
Mix the cards. Guide kids to choose cards and find books in the Bible that begin with the chosen letter. Continue for several minutes. Then guide kids to arrange the letters to form a word. Tell kids that they will hear about the ascension today.
Live It Out
Game—Write It Down
Materials: pencils, paper
Group kids into three groups. Ask a review question. Lead each group to write down its answer for the entire group. Teams should stand when they have finished their answers. Call on a group to give its answer. Tell kids to sit and ask another review question. Talk about the Life Point.
Craft— Hanging Life Point
Materials: paper plates, scissors, hole punches, yarn, markers
Review the Bible story. Talk about the Life Point. Tell kids that it is important to remember that Jesus is coming back to earth. Lead a kid to cut paper plates into pieces and print a word of the Life Point on each piece. He can punch a hole in the top and bottom of each piece and use lengths of yarn to tie the pieces together; leave space between each word as you tie them together. Tie a length of yarn in the top hole for a hanger. Tell kids to hang their hangers from the ceiling in their rooms. When they look up (like the disciples did), they can remember that Jesus is coming again someday.
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