SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON: GENESIS 1 & 2

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By Apostle William Korir

Book of Genesis: Chapter 1 (Children's Version) In the beginning there was no earth or sky or sea or animals. And then God spoke in the darkness: “Let there be light!” And right away there was light, scattering the darkness and showing the infinite space. “That’s good!” said God. “From now on, when it’s dark it will be ‘night” and when it’s light, it will be ‘day’.” The evening came and the night passed and then the light returned. That was the first day. On the second day, God made the earth and over it He carefully hung a vast blue sky. He stood back and admired His creation. “That’s good too!” said God and the second day was over. The next morning God looked around and thought, “the earth needs to be a bit more organized.” So, He put all the water in one place and all the dry land in another. When He had finished that, God made plants to cover the land. Dandelions and daffodils appeared. All sorts of trees and grasses began to grow. “It’s looking great”, said God and that was the end of the third day. On the fourth day, God looked around and though, “the daylight still needs a bit more work and the night is just too dark.” So, He made the sun to light the sky during the day and the moon and stars to add a bit of sparkle to the night. He hung them in the sky and stepped back to look at his work. “This is coming along very well,” said God. The next day, God turned his attention to the water he had collected in the oceans. “I want these waters teeming with life!” As soon as He said it, it was so. In no time, there were millions of small fish darting through the shallow water and huge fish swimming in the ocean. God made birds, too. He sent them soaring through the air. “Ahh, that IS good!, “said God. The dusk fell over the water and the sky grew dark and that was the end of the fifth day. On the sixth day, God added creatures to the land. He made lions and tigers and bears. He made rabbits and sheep and cows. He added everything from ants to zebras to the land. But He still felt something was missing. So God added Mankind to enjoy and take care of all that He had created. God looked around and was happy with all He had made. After six days, the whole universe was completed. On the seventh day God had a nice long rest and enjoyed looking at all He had made. Book of Genesis: Chapter 2 (Children's Version) The Story of Adam and Eve... God took some clay from the ground and made the shape of a man. Then He breathed gently into the shape. The man's eye's opened and he began to live. God called him Adam. The Lord made a beautiful garden for him to live in. The garden, called Eden, was full of many wonderful things. Beautiful flowers grew everywhere. Birds sang in the trees, streams flowed through the valley and animals roamed across the fields. God made Man in His image to keep Him company and look after the world. God brought all the animals to Adam one at a time to be given their names. "Elephant", he would say, or "Tiger", or "Porcupine". But God felt sorry for Adam. "None of these animals is really like him," thought God, "he needs someone to share his life. Someone who cares for him and who he can care for." That night, God took a rib from Adam's side and made a woman. When Adam awoke the following morning, he found a wife, Eve, lying asleep beside him. Adam was so happy. He took her hand and she woke up. She looked up at him and smiled. God told the man and woman that it was their job to take care of their new home. God blessed them, saying, "All this is for you. Help yourself to anything you like. But never touch the tree in the middle of the Garden. That tree gives knowledge of good and evil. The day you eat its fruit, you will die." God did not mean that Adam and Eve would drop down dead the moment they ate the fruit from the tree. He meant that in time they would die with out His Spirit dwelling in them. One day, Eve was gathering berries for dinner when she heard a silky voice behind her. "Has God told you that you can eat the fruit from all the trees?" the voice asked softly. Eve turned around to see a snake talking to her. "God has told us we can eat all the fruit except for what grows on The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil," Eve told the serpent. "Oh come now, that's silly! I hardly think such a lovely fruit would do you any harm," the serpent lied. "God knows that if you eat from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you'll become just like God, and will be able to decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong." 

 The woman looked at the fruit and thought how tasty it looked. She thought how wonderful it would be to be as wise and powerful as God. She believed the serpent's lie and ate the fruit. She felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She fidgeted and wondered what was wrong with her. Suddenly she realized that she was feeling guilty -- she had disobeyed God and knew she'd done something wrong. Eve hurriedly picked some more fruit and took it back to Adam. They ate the fruit and sat in gloomy silence. As soon as they ate the fruit a change came over Adam and Eve. They became unhappy and fearful of God. Adam and Eve heard God calling them. Without thinking, they dived into the bushes, but God knew where they were. When God asked them if they had eaten from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that He had told them not to touch, they blamed each other for their sins. God was sad that Adam and Eve had disobeyed them. He told them that they had to leave the Garden of Eden, "From now on you'll have to scratch a living from the soil. You'll need to make clothes and grow food. Nothing will come easily -- not even childbirth. And one day, you will die." God Made Me Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan. Visit the Garden of Eden Section for further ideas (including a snack recipe) to supplement this or purchased plans. Introduction: No matter what their faith, parents and caregivers struggle every day to instll a sense of self confidence in their children. As Christians, we are blessed with the knowledge that God made each and every one of us. We are special because we are children of God. This knowledge will help our children throughout their entire lives -- it is a message that should be reinforced constantly. As well, preschoolers and early primaries begin to notice that they can do some things better than their peers and vice versa. It will be good for your children to realise that God has made each of them different and unique. Each is special in God's eyes and yours. The message: God made me. God loves me. Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson. Send the God Made Me Take Home Sheet home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week. It includes a poster at the bottom that the children can color and hang on their wall or refrigerator. Preview of the lesson: Some people like to do craft time first and story time second and some like to switch it around. I like the first option, myself. Always consider offering a Mini Book (preschool-Kindergarten version), Mini Book (Kindergarten-Grade School version), Story Sequencing Cards, Colouring Pages or Printable Activity Sheets for children who aren't interested in participating in the group activity (or if you get done the group activities very quickly and need something to fill in the spare time). Everyone has a need for "alone time" once in awhile. Also, sending home the mini books, story sequencing cards, colouring pages or activity sheets with the Take Home sheet provides parents with much needed help in reinforcing the lessons. You can make a nice little booklet each week with the take home sheet on top -- I promise that most parents will appreciate the effort! Description Time Allotted Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags. Have the children use crayons, markers, yarn and whatever other materials (such as wiggly eyes or buttons) you have available to personalise their name tag. Sing the Learning our Names song 10 to 15 minutes Self Portrait tags, yarn, crayons, markers, safety pins or tape. Craft time! Preschool thru Grade 1: Giant People. Take a large piece of paper (you can buy it in rolls, relatively inexpensively). Have the children trace each other on the paper. Have the children use crayons, markers, yarn and buttons to personalise their images. Have the teacher write "God made _____" in large letters across the top of the images. Hang them up in the church or the classroom. An alternative craft idea is to provide similar collage materials but to let them draw themselves on a piece of construction paper. This is a less expensive option. Grade 2 and 3: Make picture frames. There are many ways to make your own frames. You can use recycled cardboard (old cereal boxes), popsicle sticks, craft foam or paper templates. 15 to 30 minutes depending on your adult/child ratio Preschool thru Grade 1: large roll of paper, glue, crayons, markers, yarn, buttons, etc Grade 2 and 3: popsicle sticks, glue, markers, paint, stickers, stamps, etc Bible Story Time: Preschool: You can read an abbreviated version of the Garden of Eden story, but I like reading the God Made My face rhyme a number of times for this age group. (read it once, then read it a second time showing the actions, then read it a third time doing the actions with them) Kindergarten and Grade 1: Read the Children's Version of the Adam and Eve story. (or read from your own store bought children's bible) Grade 2 and 3: it's tough to know when it's the right time to start readings from the Bible, but if the children have been read a children's version of the story in the past, I believe this is a good age to introduce the King James (or your preferred) bible reading. 10 minutes Our mini books [1] [2], Story Sequencing Cards, or Colouring Pages can be distributed to the children so they are able to read along. Print the pages, staple them together in order and let the kids know when to turn the page. The handouts can be taken home to colour in. Closing: Optional: depending on the time remaining, allow the children to brainstorm about some of the things God did to make each of us special. Reiterate the "God Made Me" message. (different colour eyes, hair, skin, skills, etc) Preschool and Kindergarten: I am Special song (with actions) Grade 1 thru Grade 3: The Adam and Eve Song (you can hand out the words or hang them up somewhere. The verses are very repetitive, so the kids will catch on to them easily) Standard ending song: for example We love to learn together, together, together We love to learn together And give thanks to God. substitute "learn" for sing, pray, etc (to the tune of The More We Get Together) God Made Our World Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan. Visit the Creation Section for further ideas (including a snack recipe) to supplement this or purchased plans. Introduction: Why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from? Why do dogs bark? These are all questions that every young child asks. Preschool thru Grade School children are constantly discovering God's creations as they explore the natural world. And we can help them discover the loving creator God who made it all. In the beginning, there were no blue skies, no cuddly babies or barking dogs. There was nothing at all. But then God began to create. God spoke and out of nothing came the sun, the moon, the earth, the mountains, the valleys, the plants and the animals. God's loving hands created everything around us. The message: God made our world. Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson. Send the Creation Take Home Sheet home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week. It includes a poster at the bottom that the children can color and hang on their wall or refrigerator. Suggestion: One viewer suggested creating a small 8 1/2 x 11 inch frame using a piece of construction paper as matting. Cut 2 inch strips of cardboard (old cereal boxes work well!). Glue the strips around the outside of the construction paper as a frame. Allow the children to paint, rubber stamp or use stickers to cover the frame. Put two brass tabs through the construction paper. Each week, when the children bring home and complete their Take Home sheet they can add it to their frame. The brass tacks allow you to pile the sheets together to look at over and over again (and they save fridge space!) God bless you, Sarah, for taking the time to share your ideas! Preview of the lesson: Some people like to do craft time first and story time second and some like to switch it around. I like the first option, myself. Always consider offering Mini Book, Colouring Pages or Creation Printable Activity Sheets for children who aren't interested in participating in the group activity (or if you get done the group activities very quickly and need something to fill in the spare time). Everyone has a need for "alone time" once in awhile. Also, sending home the Mini Book, Colouring Pages or Creation Printable Activity Sheets with the Take Home Sheet provides parents with much needed help in reinforcing the lessons. You can make a nice little booklet each week with the take home sheet on top -- I promise that most parents will appreciate the effort! Description Time Allotted Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags. Sing the Learning our Names song 5 minutes Sunshine name tags, marker, safety pins or tape. Craft time! Preschool: Make pet rocks. Have a jar of rocks for the children to sort through. Let them choose their favourite. They can then paint it, cover with glitter, add wiggly eyes, etc. to create their own pet rocks. God made our world - God made rocks. Kindergarten and Grade 1: Creation Mobile. How you do this depends on the size of the group. My preferred method is to give each child one of the mobile pieces to make. When the mobile is all put together, hang it up in the church or classroom. Grade 2 and 3: Tissue paper earth suncatcher. Provide each child with white glue, green and blue tissue paper and a margarine or ice cream container lid (depending on how large you want your earth to be). Squeeze white glue onto the container lid to cover it completely with a thin layer (it takes a fair amount of glue, so if you have a large class, you'll want to keep the lids small). Rip the tissue paper free hand into continent and ocean shaped pieces. You may want a picture or globe of the earth available for them to refer to. Gently lay the pieces onto the glue. Squeeze another thin layer of glue over top. 15 to 30 minutes depending on your adult/child ratio Preschool: rocks, tempra paint, glitter, wiggly eyes Kindergarten/Grade 1: See creation mobile craft instructions for the templates and materials list. Grade 2 and 3: green tissue paper, blue tissue paper, margarine or ice cream container lids, glue (can be watered down 1/2 and 1/2), popsicle sticks for spreading the glue. Bible Story Time: Preschool: You can read a very abbreviated version of the creation story, but I really like reading the Of All the Creatures Rhyme a number of times for this age group. (read it once, then read it a second time showing the actions, then read it a third time doing the actions with them). You can also try the Creation Felt Board activity (if you have a felt board) Kindergarten and Grade 1: Read the Children's Version of the Creation story. (or read from your own store bought children's bible). You can also try the Creation Felt Board activity (if you have a felt board) Grade 2 and 3: it's tough to know when it's the right time to start readings from the Bible, but if the children have been read a children's version of the creation story in the past, I believe this is a good age to introduce the King James (or your preferred) bible reading. 10 minutes Our mini books or Coloring Pages can be distributed to the children so they are able to read along. Print the pages, staple them together in order and let the kids know when to turn the page. The handouts can be taken home to color in. Closing: Optional: depending on the time remaining, allow the children to brainstorm about some of their favorite things that God has created. Write them down on a white board (or similar). Reiterate the "God Made Our World" message. Preschool: God made trees rhyme (I've done it in the past to the tune (ish) of Frere Jacques). That allows you to say the line and them to repeat it. Kindergarten thru Grade 3: Creation Song (you can hand out the words or hang them up somewhere. The last two lines are the same in every verse, so the kids will catch on to them after a verse or two) 5 to 15 minutes Words to: God made trees Creation Song standard ending song: for example We love to learn together, together, together We love to learn together And give thanks to God. substitute "learn" for sing, pray, etc (to the tune of The More We Get Together)