A Storm. (Matthew 8:23-27) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye, bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats.

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1 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Big Picture Overview Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. WEEK 1 A Boat Ride Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and try on a life jacket. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME BLUE PARACHUTE: Kids create a storm using a sheet. ART FOIL BOAT: Kids emboss foil. SNACK APPLE BOATS: Kids make a boat-shaped apple snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Kids hear a story while sitting in a boat made of blocks. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye, bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. WEEK 2 Going Fishing Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and eat a gummy worm treat. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) MUSIC SAIL YOUR BOAT: Kids sing a song to a well-known tune. ART FINGERPRINT FISH: Kids make fish with fingerprint scales. SNACK FISHY, FISHY: Kids eat a fish cracker snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Kids repeat the story in a rhyme. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. A Storm 167

2 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE Big Picture Overview WEEK 3 Taking a Nap Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and share a teddy bear. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME FISHERMAN: Kids play a jump rope game. ART CRAYON RUBBING: Kids make rubbings using crayons. SNACK PILLOW SNACK: Kids eat a cracker and frosting snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Kids pretend to take a nap like Jesus. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. WEEK 4 A Big Storm Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids experiment with sinking and floating items, and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and wave crepe paper streamers. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) MUSIC STORMY/PEACEFUL: Kids listen to music with many moods. ART STORMY VELVET: Kids paint with yarn on velvet. SNACK LOUD AND CRUNCHY: Kids eat a loud, stormy snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Kids make a storm with rhythm instruments. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. 168 Preschool Leader Guides

3 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Big Picture Overview WEEK 5 A Miracle Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids experiment with sinking and floating items, and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and practice wiggling and calming down. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME BLUE PARACHUTE: Kids create a storm using a sheet. ART CLAY PAINT: Kids make a painting with clay. SNACK WIGGLY WAVES: Kids share a gelatin snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Adult tells the story in costume. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. WEEK 6 Calm Again Gather (10 minutes) CENTER TIME: Kids experiment with sinking and floating items, and color Bible story pictures. CIRCLE TIME: Kids play with a Frisbee and pass a beach ball. PRAYER TIME: Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. Activate Faith (25 minutes) MUSIC SAIL YOUR BOAT: Kids sing a song to a well-known tune. ART FISH BATIK: Kids draw and paint. SNACK MELLOW MELONS: Kids eat a mellow melon snack. Open the Bible (10 minutes) A STORM STORYTELLING: Kids stay calm and quiet as they listen to the story. Send (5 minutes) GOOD-BYE TIME: Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. PRAYER TIME: Kids pray with fist boats. A Storm 169

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5 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Lesson At-A- Glance Chart Week 1 Lesson Focus: A Boat Ride Gather (10 minutes) Center Time Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. Circle Time Kids play with a Frisbee and try on a life jacket. Prayer Time Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. A Storm Coloring Page A Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water, water toys, towels, spoons, cups, pails, plastic boats, tarp or plastic tablecloth, blank paper, markers or crayons, water bottle with water Frisbee, life jacket Water bottle Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Kids hear a story while sitting in a boat made of blocks. Spark Story Bible Blocks or empty shoeboxes, blanket Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME Blue Parachute Kids create a storm using a sheet. ART Foil Boat Kids emboss foil. SNACK Apple Boats Kids make a boat-shaped apple snack. Blue bedsheet or blanket or parachute Heavy-duty aluminum foil, thin cardboard, pencils, newspaper, tape, thin copy paper Apples, sharp knife, pretzel sticks, cheese slices, cream cheese, plastic knives, small paper plates, cups, pitcher, napkins A Storm 171

6 Lesson At-A-Glance Chart Week 1 Send (5 minutes) Good-bye Time Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. Prayer Time Kids pray with fist boats. Family Pages Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. 172 Preschool Leader Guides

7 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Week 1 Gather (5 minutes) Center Time You may choose to set up one or both of these creative play centers where kids can play as they arrive in your classroom. Have helpers in each center to help children with the activities. Kids can stay in one center or travel to more than one. Set Up: Lay the tarp or plastic tablecloth where you want the kids to play. Putting the play center close to the water source makes both set up and cleanup easier. Put the pool or washtub on the tablecloth and put a little water in them. Put the toys in the water. Lay the towels where they will be readily available in case of spills. Help kids roll up their sleeves. Let the kids play and splash in the water. Jesus and his friends lived near a big lake. They spent time there fishing and enjoying the beach. Coloring Center Provide copies of A Storm Coloring Page A, blank paper, and markers or crayons for each kid. Be sure to write their names on their drawings before they move to Circle Time. A Storm Coloring Page A Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water Water toys Towels Spoons Cups Pails Plastic boats Tarp or plastic tablecloth Blank paper Markers or crayons Water bottle with water When all kids have arrived and have had time to participate in at least one center, let them know it s time for Circle Time. Since we are talking about storms and water, when I shake this water bottle, you will know that it is time for everyone to help clean up and get ready for Circle Time. Be sure to shake the bottle where everyone can hear it. Circle Time Show the kids your Frisbee. Have you ever played with a Frisbee? We re going to toss the Frisbee around, and when you catch it, we re going to say, [Name], welcome to the beach. Toss the Frisbee around until everyone had a turn. Hold up the life jacket. Where do we wear one of these? Allow time for kids to respond. On a boat, that s right! We always wear a life jacket when we go out on the water. Let s take turns wearing the life jacket. When it is your turn, tell us a little about a time when you went on a boat ride. If you haven t been on a boat, or you can t remember, you can tell us about a time you were at a lake or another place with water. Go around the circle trying on the life jacket and sharing stories. Frisbee Life jacket A Storm 173

8 Prayer Time We re going to pass the bottle around the prayer circle and share a reason we are thankful to God for water. You can give the bottle a little shake when it is your turn if you want. Dear God, We thank you for the gift of water. We use water for so many things. Pass the bottle around. Amen. Water bottle from Center Time Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Set Up: Set the blocks or shoeboxes on the floor in a boat shape large enough for the kids to sit inside. Meet the kids outside the boat shape. Let s pretend we are at the beach with Jesus. Jesus wants to go fishing with us. Let s all climb in the boat. Give the kids a chance to settle in the boat. Can everyone fit? Does everyone have a seat? Encourage kids to participate with imaginative actions and appropriate facial expressions as you continue. Who wants to fish? Throw your lines over the edge of the boat. Here comes Jesus. He wants to go fishing with us. Make room for Jesus. Oh, Jesus looks so tired. He looks like he wants to take a nap. Help me spread this blanket so Jesus can take a nap. Spark Story Bible Large blocks or shoeboxes Blanket It is starting to get cloudy. Look up at the sky. Point upwards. It started out to be such a nice day, and now it looks dark and gloomy. The waves are getting higher and higher. The boat is starting to rock. What will we do? I can feel the rain. I am getting scared, aren t you? How can Jesus still be asleep? Why won t he wake up? Who can help us? Jesus can! I think we should shout to wake him. He can help us get safely back to shore. Shout to wake Jesus. Let s read in our Spark Story Bible to see what Jesus does when he wakes up. Who was on the boat with Jesus? (the disciples) Have you ever been on a boat? What was it like? 174 Preschool Leader Guides

9 Activate Faith (25 minutes) game: Blue Parachute Spread the blanket, bedsheet or parachute on the floor in the center of an open space. Let s all sit on the floor around the blanket. Everyone, be sure you can hold onto a piece of the blanket. Let s pretend the blanket is the lake and we are going on a boat ride. It s a nice day, and Jesus and his friends are going boating. Let s make some little ripples in the water. Wiggle your hands a little bit. We want to make little waves to help Jesus take a nap. He wants the water to be calm. Now let s make a storm. Make the waves a little stronger. And now let s make the waves really big. Let s stand up so we can make waves bigger than we are! Wow! What a big storm. Now Jesus will say to calm down. Hold your hands still. The storm goes away, just as Jesus asks. Blue bedsheet or blanket or parachute When I hold my hands up high, let s make big waves and when my hands are low, let s make small waves. Make your hands follow my hands just the way the waves obeyed Jesus hands! Continue to play until the kids tire of the game. art: Foil Boat Set Up: Cut the cardboard to the size of copy paper. Tear pieces of foil at least twice that size. Pass each kid a section of newspaper, a pencil, and a piece of copy paper. Have the kids draw a simple boat on the copy paper. Help them fold the aluminum foil in half. We re going to lay the foil on the newspapers and our drawings on top of that. Help the kids tape the foil so it doesn t move. Draw your picture again right over the lines you drew the first time. Draw gently so you don t tear the foil. When the kids are done, remove the tape and turn the foil over. Look at your boats now. They are bumped up. They look beautiful. I wonder if they look like the boat Jesus and his disciples sailed out on the lake. Help the kids set the foil on the cardboard and wrap the edges around to the back. We re going to tape the foil onto the cardboard so our boats will be protected. Heavy-duty aluminum foil Thin cardboard Pencils Newspaper Tape Thin copy paper A Storm 175

10 snack: Apple Boats Before serving any food, always check with caregivers for kids who have food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. Use the sharp knife to cut the apples in half and remove the core. Give each kid an apple, pretzel sticks, and a cheese slice. Pass out the plastic knives. Put a dab of cream cheese in the cored-out part of the apple. We re going to make boats out of our apples today. Use the knife to cut your cheese slice into a triangle. Poke the cheese slice into the pretzel to make the sail for your boat. You might have to help kids thread their cheese onto the pretzel stick. Poke your pretzel into the cream cheese. Can you make your boat rock like the boat rocked when the big storm came? Good-bye Time When we say good-bye, we re going to remind each other that Jesus is always with us. Put your hands together like you re going to pray. Now hold out your hands with your fingers and palms like this. Show kids how you hold your hands cupped together with fingers interlaced. Do your hands remind you of a boat? We re going to bump our boats against our friends boats and say, No matter what storms may come your way, Jesus is with you each and every day! Let the kids go around the circle and bump their boats against a couple of other kids or the whole circle if you have time. Let s keep our hand boats and use them to pray. Apples Sharp knife Pretzel sticks Cheese slices Cream cheese Plastic knives Small paper plates Cups Pitcher Napkins Prayer Time Keep your hands shaped like boats. We ll move our hands like boats rocking on the water as we pray. Let s pray together. Dear God, Thank you for being with us no matter what happens. Help us remember to lean on you. Amen. Family Pages 176 Preschool Leader Guides

11 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Lesson At-A- Glance Chart Week 2 Lesson Focus: Going Fishing Gather (10 minutes) Center Time Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. Circle Time Kids play with a Frisbee and eat a gummy worm treat. Prayer Time Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. A Storm Coloring Page B Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water, water toys, towels, spoons, cups, pails, plastic boats, tarp or plastic tablecloth, blank paper, markers or crayons, water bottle with water Frisbee, gummy worms Water bottle Open the Bible A Storm Storytelling Kids repeat the story in a rhyme. (10 minutes) Spark Story Bible Activate Faith (25 minutes) MUSIC Sail Your Boat Kids sing a song to a well-known tune. ART Fingerprint Fish Kids make fish with fingerprint scales. SNACK Fishy, Fishy Kids eat a fish cracker snack. Paper, washable ink pads, markers, pictures of fish, wet wipes Goldfish-shaped crackers, juice, cups, pitcher, napkins A Storm 177

12 Lesson At-A-Glance Chart Week 2 Send (5 minutes) Good-bye Time Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. Prayer Time Kids pray with fist boats. Family Pages Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. 178 Preschool Leader Guides

13 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Week 2 Gather (5 minutes) Center Time You may choose to set up one or both of these creative play centers where kids can play as they arrive in your classroom. Have helpers in each center to help children with the activities. Kids can stay in one center or travel to more than one. Set Up: Lay the tarp or plastic tablecloth where you want the kids to play. Putting the play center close to the water source makes both set up and cleanup easier. Put the pool or washtub on the tablecloth and put a little water in them. Put the toys in the water. Lay the towels where they will be readily available in case of spills. Help kids roll up their sleeves. Let the kids play and splash in the water. Jesus and his friends lived near a big lake. They spent time there fishing and enjoying the beach. Coloring Center Provide copies of A Storm Coloring Page B, blank paper, and markers or crayons for each kid. Be sure to write their names on their drawings before they move to Circle Time. A Storm Coloring Page B Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water Water toys Towels Spoons Cups Pails Plastic boats Tarp or plastic tablecloth Blank paper Markers or crayons Water bottle with water When all kids have arrived and have had time to participate in at least one center, let them know it s time for Circle Time. Since we are talking about storms and water, when I shake this water bottle, you will know that it is time for everyone to help clean up and get ready for Circle Time. Be sure to shake the bottle where everyone can hear it. Circle Time Before serving any food, always check with caregivers for kids who have food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. Show the kids your Frisbee. Have you ever played with a Frisbee? We re going to toss the Frisbee around, and when you catch it, we re going to say, [Name], welcome to the beach. Toss the Frisbee around until everyone has had a turn. Frisbee Gummy worms Hold up the gummy worms. Jesus wants to go fishing in our story today. Do you think he fished with worms? Let kids respond. Do you think he fished with GUMMY worms? I don t think so. As we pass the worms around, you can take one to eat. These worms taste much better than real worms, don t they? Who wants one? Pass the gummies around so everyone gets one. A Storm 179

14 Prayer Time We re going to pass the bottle around the prayer circle and share a reason we are thankful to God for water. You can give the bottle a little shake when it is your turn if you want. Dear God, We thank you for the gift of water. We use water for so many things. Pass the bottle around. Amen. Water bottle from Center Time Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Have the kids settle down in a circle for story time. Say the following rhyme like the Lion Hunt rhyme. Tap your knees and have the kids repeat after you. Do what I do and say what I say after me. Start tapping your knees in rhythm before you start the rhyme. Get the kids tapping, too. We re going fishing. (We re going fishing.) We re not afraid. (We re not afraid.) Gonna catch us a big (Gonna catch us a big) Whopper! (Whopper!) Spark Story Bible Keep tapping your knees and continue repeating the words with the kids. Got our fishing poles out. And our bait buckets, too. Gonna catch us a big Whopper! Jesus comes along. James and Peter, too. Gonna catch us a big Whopper! Waves coming up. Rain starts to fall. The storm looks like A big whopper! Lightning crash! Thunder rolls. Jesus is taking a quiet nap. 180 Preschool Leader Guides

15 How can he sleep? We re all afraid. The boat s gonna tip. Let s wake him. Jesus can help. He ll know what to do. The boat s gonna tip! Let s wake him. Jesus stands up, Asks what s wrong. Holds out his arms. Calls out, Be still! The lightning stops. The thunder quiets down. Jesus is King of the world! We re sailing back to shore. We re not afraid. We know we re safe. We re with Jesus! Where did the disciples go to catch some fish? (on the lake) Why do you think they asked Jesus to go with them? Accept all answers. Activate Faith (25 minutes) music: Sail Your Boat Sing this song to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Sail, sail, sail your boat, on the deep blue sea. We ll have fun and catch some fish. Just you wait and see. Sail, sail, sail your boat on the big wide lake. Jesus wants to take a nap. Shh, so he won t wake. Rock, rock, rock the boat, here come wind and waves. How can Jesus sleep through this? Can our lives be saved? A Storm 181

16 Waves, waves settle down, Jesus says, Be still. Rain and thunder all obey. No more drops will spill. Sail, sail, sail the boat right back to the shore. We were frightened everyone. But we re okay once more. We will follow him wherever he may go. Jesus is the King of all. We do love him so. art: Fingerprint Fish Set Up: Cut simple fish shapes from the paper. Use a light-colored paper so the ink shows. Show the kids the fish pictures you brought. Jesus and his friends, the disciples, were going fishing. These are some pictures of fish I found. Look at all the different colors fish can be. There are big fish and little fish. There are fish with stripes and with polka dots. You can make a fish with lots of colors today. We re going to use our fingers to make our designs. Show the kids how to use the ink pads to make fingerprints on their fish. You can put many fingerprints together to make bigger designs. Let s see how many different colors and designs you can make with your fingers. Use the wet wipes to clean fingers. Paper, light colored Washable ink pads Markers Pictures of fish Wet wipes snack: Fishy, Fishy Before serving any food, always check with caregivers for kids with food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. Pour juice for everyone. Have kids help pass out the snack items. Give everyone some goldfish crackers. Jesus and his friends were out fishing when the big storm came up. Do you think they caught fish like these? No! They were fishing for real fish. But we can think of Jesus and the disciples fishing on their boat while we eat our fishy snack. Does anyone want more fish? Goldfish-shaped crackers Juice Cups Pitcher Napkins 182 Preschool Leader Guides

17 Good-bye Time When we say good-bye, we re going to remind each other that Jesus is always with us. Put your hands together like you re going to pray. Now hold out your hands with your fingers and palms like this. Show kids how you hold your hands cupped together with fingers interlaced. Do your hands remind you of a boat? We re going to bump our boats against our friends boats and say, No matter what storms may come your way, Jesus is with you each and every day! Let the kids go around the circle and bump their boats against a couple of other kids or the whole circle if you have time. Let s keep our hand boats and use them to pray. Prayer Time Keep your hands shaped like boats. We ll move our hands like boats rocking on the water as we pray. Let s pray together. Dear God, Thank you for being with us no matter what happens. Help us remember to lean on you. Amen. Family Pages A Storm 183

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19 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Lesson At-A- Glance Chart Week 3 Lesson Focus: Taking a Nap Gather (10 minutes) Center Time Kids play with water and color Bible story pictures. Circle Time Kids play with a Frisbee and share a teddy bear. Prayer Time Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. A Storm Coloring Page C Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water, water toys, towels, spoons, cups, pails, plastic boats, tarp or plastic tablecloth, blank paper, markers or crayons, water bottle with water Frisbee, teddy bear or other stuffed animal Water bottle Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Kids pretend to take a nap like Jesus. Spark Story Bible Bathrobe, slippers, teddy bear or other stuffed animal, pillow, blanket Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME Fisherman Kids play a jump rope game. ART Crayon Rubbing Kids make rubbings using crayons. SNACK Pillow Snack Kids eat a cracker and frosting snack. Jump rope Thin copy paper, crayons, double-sided tape, thick paper or cardstock Graham crackers, white whipped frosting, plastic knives, pitcher of juice or water, cups, napkins A Storm 185

20 Lesson At-A-Glance Chart Week 3 Send (5 minutes) Good-bye Time Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. Prayer Time Kids pray with fist boats. Family Pages Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. 186 Preschool Leader Guides

21 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Week 3 Gather (5 minutes) Center Time You may choose to set up one or both of these creative play centers where kids can play as they arrive in your classroom. Have helpers in each center to help children with the activities. Kids can stay in one center or travel to more than one. Set Up: Lay the tarp or plastic tablecloth where you want the kids to play. Putting the play center close to the water source makes both set up and cleanup easier. Put the pool or washtub on the tablecloth and put a little water in them. Put the toys in the water. Lay the towels where they will be readily available in case of spills. Help kids roll up their sleeves. Let the kids play and splash in the water. Jesus and his friends lived near a big lake. They spent time there fishing and enjoying the beach. Coloring Center Provide copies of A Storm Coloring Page C, blank paper, and markers or crayons for each kid. Be sure to write their names on their drawings before they move to Circle Time. A Storm Coloring Page C Washtub or small plastic swimming pool with water Water toys Towels Spoons Cups Pails Plastic boats Tarp or plastic tablecloth Blank paper Markers or crayons Water bottle with water When all kids have arrived and have had time to participate in at least one center, let them know it s time for Circle Time. Since we are talking about storms and water, when I shake this water bottle, you will know that it is time for everyone to help clean up and get ready for Circle Time. Be sure to shake the bottle where everyone can hear it. Circle Time Show the kids your Frisbee. Have you ever played with a Frisbee? We re going to toss the Frisbee around, and when you catch it, we re going to say, [Name], welcome to the beach. Toss the Frisbee around until everyone has had a turn. Hold up the teddy bear. Jesus was so tired when he went on the boat ride that he fell asleep and took a nap. When I get tired, I like to sleep with my teddy bear. We ll pass my teddy around. When teddy gets to you, share something you like to do when you get tired. Go around the circle sharing. Help kids who can t think of anything. You all do such a nice job of sharing. It s fun to learn about each other when we share. Do any of you have teddy bears? Is Jesus with you when you get ready to sleep? Frisbee Teddy bear or other stuffed animal A Storm 187

22 Prayer Time We re going to pass the bottle around the prayer circle and share a reason we are thankful to God for water. You can give the bottle a little shake when it is your turn if you want. Dear God, We thank you for the gift of water. We use water for so many things. Pass the bottle around. Amen. Water bottle from Center Time Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Put on the sleepwear. Encourage kids to participate with imaginative actions and appropriate gestures and facial expressions. Oh! I am so tired. I think I need a nap. This reminds me of the time Jesus went out fishing with his friends. Let s pretend to go fishing with the disciples. We re so comfortable on our boat. The waves are gently rocking, rocking, rocking. I am getting sleepy. How about you? Yawn and stretch. Let s yawn and stretch like we re getting sleepy. Lay your pillow on the ground. I am so sleepy. Let s all take a nap. Where is my teddy bear? Pick up teddy bear and pretend to nap. Encourage kids to do the same. Spark Story Bible Bathrobe Slippers Teddy bear or other stuffed animal Pillow Blanket All of the sudden a storm comes up and starts rocking our boat. It gets wilder and wilder but we still sleep. We are so tired. Finally, the disciples wake us up. They are so scared. They are worried the boat will tip over. Jesus, help! Jesus wakes up. Yawn and stretch. He says, Why are you shouting? What is the matter? The weather has gotten a little wilder. What do you think Jesus can do? Can Jesus help us? What will he be able to do about a big, big storm? Jesus puts out his hand and tells the storm to be still. Let s read our Spark Story Bible to see what happens when Jesus tells the storm to be still. What was Jesus doing when the storm started? (taking a nap) How do you think Jesus slept through such a noisy storm? 188 Preschool Leader Guides

23 Activate Faith (25 minutes) game: Fisherman Choose one kid to hold the jump rope and spin the rope slowly in a circle on the floor. We re going to play fisherman. The person with the jump rope is the fisherman. We re going to be the fish. The fisherman wakes up all the fish who are taking a nap by saying, Wake up, little fish! Then the fisherman will spin the rope and we ll say a rhyme and skip over the rope. Jump rope We are little fish, as happy as can be. Swimming in the middle of the deep, blue sea. The fisherman will try, but he won t catch me! When we finish the rhyme, we ll all try to skip over the rope. It the rope touches us, we re caught. After you are caught, you can sit down on the side of the play area. The last little fish to be caught will be the next fisherman. art: Crayon Rubbing Set Up: Cut small fish shapes out of the thicker paper. Tape them on the work surface with the double-sided tape. Do you think Jesus was a good fisherman? Do you think he would be able to catch lots of fish? Let kids respond. While Jesus was taking a nap, the disciples were trying to catch lots of fish. We re going to make a picture of lots of fish. Show the kids how to make a rubbing of the taped fish shapes by putting the thin paper on top of a fish shape and coloring over the edges. Encourage the kids to use many colors and to move their papers around to fit lots of fish. It does not matter if the fish overlap. Let them have fun making lots of fish. Thin copy paper Crayons Double-sided tape Thick paper or cardstock snack: Pillow Snack Before serving any food, always check with caregivers for kids with food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. Pass everyone a cracker and other snack supplies. Pour drinks from the pitcher. Put a blob of frosting on each cracker. If this cracker was a bed, our frosting would be like the pillow. Who took a nap in our story today? (Jesus!) That s right. Jesus was so tired, he took a little nap. I wonder if he had a pillow. Maybe he scrunched up his jacket or something to lay under his head. I hope he had something comfy to help him sleep. Let s use our knives to spread our pillow frosting all over our crackers. Yum! Graham crackers White whipped frosting Plastic knives Pitcher of juice or water Cups Napkins A Storm 189

24 Good-bye Time When we say good-bye, we re going to remind each other that Jesus is always with us. Put your hands together like you re going to pray. Now hold out your hands with your fingers and palms like this. Show kids how you hold your hands cupped together with fingers interlaced. Do your hands remind you of a boat? We re going to bump our boats against our friends boats and say, No matter what storms may come your way, Jesus is with you each and every day! Let the kids go around the circle and bump their boats against a couple of other kids or the whole circle if you have time. Let s keep our hand boats and use them to pray. Prayer Time Keep your hands shaped like boats. We ll move our hands like boats rocking on the water as we pray. Let s pray together. Dear God, Thank you for being with us no matter what happens. Help us remember to lean on you. Amen. Family Pages 190 Preschool Leader Guides

25 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Lesson At-A- Glance Chart Week 4 Lesson Focus: A Big Storm Gather (10 minutes) Center Time Kids experiment with sinking and floating items, and color Bible story pictures. Circle Time Kids play with a Frisbee and wave crepe paper streamers. Prayer Time Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. A Storm Coloring Page D Washtubs with water, plastic tablecloths or tarps, coins, hardware pieces, rocks, cotton balls, paper clips, bottle caps, plastic bottles, paper, corks, seeds, packing peanuts, wood pieces, towels, blank paper, markers or crayons, plastic bottle with water Frisbee, crepe paper streamers Water bottle Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Kids make a storm with rhythm instruments. Spark Story Bible Rhythm instruments (or pots, pans, and spoons), water bottle from Center Time Activate Faith (25 minutes) MUSIC Stormy/Peaceful Kids listen to music with many moods. ART Stormy Velvet Kids paint with yarn on velvet. SNACK Loud and Crunchy Kids eat a loud, stormy snack. CDs with variety of music, CD player Black velvet, many colors of yarn, glue, thin cardboard, tape Carrots, celery, pitcher of water, cups, napkins A Storm 191

26 Lesson At-A-Glance Chart Week 4 Send (5 minutes) Good-bye Time Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. Prayer Time Kids pray with fist boats. Family Pages Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. 192 Preschool Leader Guides

27 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Week 4 Gather (5 minutes) Center Time You may choose to set up one or both of these creative play centers where kids can play as they arrive in your classroom. Have helpers in each center to help children with the activities. Kids can stay in one center or travel to more than one. Set Up: Fill the washtubs with water. Set them on the plastic tablecloths or tarps. Let the kids play with the items you brought. Encourage them to predict whether the items will sink or float. How many times did they predict correctly? Give them various things to find out. Count how many items float. How many sink? Are there any items that sink and float? Does it matter if they are upside down? Can you make a floating item sink if you stack other items on top of it? Encourage kids to experiment and discover. The disciples were worried that their boat would sink when the storm came. Jesus kept it afloat by stopping the storm. Coloring Center Provide copies of A Storm Coloring Page D, blank paper, and markers or crayons for each kid. Be sure to write their names on their drawings before they move to Circle Time. When all kids have arrived and have had time to participate in at least one center, let them know it s time for Circle Time. Since we are talking about storms and water, when I shake this water bottle, you will know that it is time for everyone to help clean up and get ready for Circle Time. Be sure to shake the bottle where everyone can hear it. A Storm Coloring Page D Washtubs Plastic tablecloths or tarps Coins Hardware pieces Rocks Cotton balls Paper clips Bottle caps Plastic bottles Paper Corks Seeds Packing peanuts Wood pieces Towels Blank paper Markers or crayons Plastic bottle with water A Storm 193

28 Circle Time Show the kids your Frisbee. Have you ever played with a Frisbee? We re going to toss the Frisbee around, and when you catch it, we re going to say, [Name], welcome to the beach. Toss the Frisbee around until everyone has had a turn. Pass everyone a crepe paper streamer. There was a big strong wind during the storm. Let s wave our streamers as if a big wind is blowing. Wave your streamer if you like going on boat rides. Wave your streamers if you like storms. Wave your streamer if you think storms are scary. Wave your streamer if you like to take naps. Wave your streamer if you love Jesus. Pause between statements for kids to respond by waving their streamers. Continue to ask questions, having the kids wave their streamers in response. Ask about things they like, things related to the story, and even silly things to make sure all kids get to wave their streamers. Frisbee Crepe paper streamers Prayer Time We re going to pass the bottle around the prayer circle and share a reason we are thankful to God for water. You can give the bottle a little shake when it is your turn if you want. Dear God, We thank you for the gift of water. We use water for so many things. Pass the bottle around. Amen. Water bottle from Center Time Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Pass the instruments (or pots, pans, and spoons) out to all the kids. Let s try our instruments to see what they sound like. When you see me shake my water bottle, stop immediately. Let the kids play the instruments for a few minutes. Shake your water bottle when you want them to stop. We know that Jesus and his friends are going to the beach. They want to go out in a boat fishing. Jesus is kind of tired. After while, he takes a little nap. The disciples continue to visit and fish. I wonder if they are catching anything. Spark Story Bible Rhythm instruments (or pots and pans and spoons) Water bottle from Center Time All at once, the sky turns gray. The rain begins to fall quietly. Play your instruments quietly. Drip. Drip. Drip. Soon the rain falls harder. DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! The lightning crashes and the thunder booms. Make your instruments play really loudly. Make a really big noise like the storm. The disciples are very scared. They are afraid the boat will tip. Why is Jesus still sleeping? Do you think they should wake him up? They do wake him up. He asks why they are afraid. He stands up, raises his arm, and says, Be still. The storm 194 Preschool Leader Guides

29 stops immediately. Shake your water bottle to make the kids stop playing their instruments. The thunder stops. The lightning stops. The rain stops. The waves quiet down. The sun comes out. Jesus is amazing! Even the rain, even the wind, even the waves listen to Jesus. Wow! You made a really loud storm! Thanks for helping me tell the story. It felt like we were really in a storm. Let s read the rest of the story in our Spark Story Bible. What happened while Jesus took a nap? (a big storm) How do you think the disciples felt during the storm? Activate Faith (25 minutes) music: Stormy/Peaceful Set Up: Find different kinds of music. Include some kids music and some classical music. Find some music that might suggest storms or wind or rain, as well as calm and soothing music. We re going to listen to some music today. I want you to tell me what kind of weather the music makes you think about. Does it sound stormy or calm? Play several snips of different kinds of music. Try having the kids lie down to listen until they get used to concentrating on the music. If kids need to move after this calm listening time, encourage the kids to stand up and dance to the music. CDs with variety of music CD player art: Stormy Velvet Set Up: Cut the cardboard to your desired size for a painting and cut the velvet so it is a bit larger than the cardboard. Pass out the cardboard and velvet pieces. We ve been talking about a big storm. What does this black velvet make you think about? Let kids respond, assuring them there are no wrong answers. The black velvet reminds me of the stormy skies above Jesus and the disciples. We re going to paint on the velvet, but we are not going to use paint. We are going to use glue and yarn. We re going to paint the stormy skies. You can paint something else if you wish, or you can simply paint a design. I can hardly wait to see your stormy velvet paintings. When we re done, we ll set our paintings aside to dry before we attach them to the thicker cardboard. Black velvet, enough for 1 piece per kid Many colors of yarn Glue Thin cardboard, 1 piece per kid Tape Help the kids make lines of glue and then lay the yarn on top of the glue. Encourage them to use lots of glue to make sure the yarn stays in place. It is also possible to put glue in a larger shape and to fill that shape with yarn. Kids can outline cloud shapes or sunshine shapes. They can make letters or simple random designs. A Storm 195

30 snack: Loud and Crunchy Before serving any food, always check with caregivers for kids with food allergies. Provide an alternative if necessary. Set Up: Cut the carrots and celery into thin sticks. Pass each kid some vegetable sticks and water. Let s enjoy our vegetable snacks. Oh, my! This is the loudest snack ever. It is so loud in here it sounds like the storm on the lake! Crunch your snacks as loudly as you can! I can hear everyone crunching. What a good storm sound you all are making. It sounds just like thunder! Carrots Celery Pitcher of water Cups Napkins Good-bye Time When we say good-bye, we re going to remind each other that Jesus is always with us. Put your hands together like you re going to pray. Now hold out your hands with your fingers and palms like this. Show kids how you hold your hands cupped together with fingers interlaced. Do your hands remind you of a boat? We re going to bump our boats against our friends boats and say, No matter what storms may come your way, Jesus is with you each and every day! Let the kids go around the circle and bump their boats against a couple of other kids or the whole circle if you have time. Let s keep our hand boats and use them to pray. Prayer Time Keep your hands shaped like boats. We ll move our hands like boats rocking on the water as we pray. Let s pray together. Dear God, Thank you for being with us no matter what happens. Help us remember to lean on you. Amen. Family Pages 196 Preschool Leader Guides

31 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Lesson At-A- Glance Chart Week 5 Lesson Focus: A Miracle Gather (10 minutes) Center Time Kids experiment with sinking and floating items, and color Bible story pictures. Circle Time Kids play with a Frisbee and practice wiggling and calming down. Prayer Time Kids pass a water bottle and give thanks. A Storm Coloring Page E Washtubs with water, plastic tablecloths or tarps, coins, hardware pieces, rocks, cotton balls, paper clips, bottle caps, plastic bottles, paper, corks, seeds, packing peanuts, wood pieces, towels, blank paper, markers or crayons, plastic bottle with water Frisbee Water bottle Open the Bible A Storm Storytelling Adult tells the story in costume. (10 minutes) Spark Story Bible Adult bible time costume Activate Faith (25 minutes) GAME Blue Parachute Kids create a storm using a sheet. ART Clay Paint Kids make a painting with clay. SNACK Wiggly Waves Kids share a gelatin snack. Blue bedsheet or blanket or parachute Clay in several colors, Styrofoam trays, texture items (toothpicks, plastic knives and forks, coins, paper clips) Blue gelatin, bowls, spoons, napkins, pitcher of juice or water, cups A Storm 197

32 Lesson At-A-Glance Chart Week 5 Send (5 minutes) Good-bye Time Kids say good-bye bumping fist boats. Prayer Time Kids pray with fist boats. Family Pages Visit for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to explore this Bible story with the kids you are leading. You will also find 6 Coloring Pages to use during Gather Time and a downloadable Family Page for this rotation s story filled with ideas for families to use to explore this story and live out their faith at home. 198 Preschool Leader Guides

33 PRESCHOOL LEADER GUIDE A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Week 5 Gather (5 minutes) Center Time You may choose to set up one or both of these creative play centers where kids can play as they arrive in your classroom. Have helpers in each center to help children with the activities. Kids can stay in one center or travel to more than one. Set Up: Fill the washtubs with water. Set them on the plastic tablecloths or tarps. Let the kids play with the items you brought. Encourage them to predict whether the items will sink or float. How many times did they predict correctly? Give them various things to find out. Count how many items float. How many sink? Are there any items that sink AND float? Does it matter if they are upside down? Can you make a floating item sink if you stack other items on top of it? Encourage kids to experiment and discover. The disciples were worried that their boat would sink when the storm came. Jesus kept it afloat by stopping the storm. Coloring Center Provide copies of A Storm Coloring Page E, blank paper, and markers or crayons for each kid. Be sure to write their names on their drawings before they move to Circle Time. When all kids have arrived and have had time to participate in at least one center, let them know it s time for Circle Time. Since we are talking about storms and water, when I shake this water bottle, you will know that it is time for everyone to help clean up and get ready for Circle Time. Be sure to shake the bottle where everyone can hear it. A Storm Coloring Page E Washtubs Plastic tablecloths or tarps Coins Hardware pieces Rocks Cotton balls Paper clips Bottle caps Plastic bottles Paper Corks Seeds Packing peanuts Wood pieces Towels Blank paper Markers or crayons Plastic bottle with water Circle Time Show the kids your Frisbee. Have you ever played with a Frisbee? We re going to toss the Frisbee around, and when you catch it, we re going to say, [Name], welcome to the beach. Toss the Frisbee around until everyone has had turn. Jesus talked to the wind and the waves. We re going to play a little game. You are going to be the wind and the waves. You ll wiggle around until I put my hands up like Jesus did. When you see my hands go up, you ll freeze and be still just like the wind and the waves were still. Play for a few minutes. If you have time, see if one of the kids wants to be the person who puts his or her hands up and down. Frisbee A Storm 199

34 Prayer Time We re going to pass the bottle around the prayer circle and share a reason we are thankful to God for water. You can give the bottle a little shake when it is your turn if you want. Dear God, We thank you for the gift of water. We use water for so many things. Pass the bottle around. Amen. Water bottle from Center Time Open the Bible (10 minutes) A Storm Storytelling Come into the story circle wearing the costume. I remember a day when I fished with Jesus. He loved to be out on the water. I think he felt close to God out there. Do you feel closer to God when you are outside? I know I do. Anyway, we were Jesus friends going fishing together. Jesus was a little bit tired from talking to all the people, healing people, and teaching. He took a nap. Spark Story Bible Adult Bible time costume It was a fine day out with our friends. We were kind of quiet so Jesus could sleep. The boat gently rocked. The sun went under a cloud. There was a little wind. The waves got bigger and bigger. There were more and more clouds and bigger and bigger waves. It was looking like a storm. We did not want to bother Jesus. We waited too long. The storm was so big and came so quickly that we were surprised. We started to get more and more scared. Would Jesus ever wake up? It got so rocky on the boat that we thought it might tip. I thought we should wake him. So we did. And he was not worried at all. He did the most amazing thing. He reached out his arms like this. He said, Be still to the waves. And they were. They were still at once. Jesus saved the day. We were not afraid anymore. And we were not afraid again when we were with Jesus. Jesus is always with you, too. You don t have to be scared because you are not alone, either. Jesus is always with you. What did Jesus do to the storm that was so amazing? (He stopped it.) What do you think the disciples felt like after Jesus calmed the storm? 200 Preschool Leader Guides

35 Activate Faith (25 minutes) game: Blue Parachute Spread the blanket, bedsheet or parachute on the floor in the center of an open space. Let s all sit on the floor around the blanket. Everyone, be sure you can hold onto a piece of the blanket. Let s pretend the blanket is the lake and we are going on a boat ride. It s a nice day, and Jesus and his friends are going boating. Let s make some little ripples in the water. Wiggle your hands a little bit. We want to make little waves to help Jesus take a nap. He wants the water to be calm. Now let s make a storm. Make the waves a little stronger. And now let s make the waves really big. Let s stand up so we can make waves bigger than we are! Wow! What a big storm. Now Jesus will say to calm down. Hold your hands still. The storm goes away, just as Jesus asks. Blue bedsheet or blanket or parachute When I hold my hands up high, let s make big waves. And when my hands are low, let s make small waves. Make your hands follow my hands just the way the waves obeyed Jesus hands! Continue to play until the kids tire of the game. art: Clay Paint Pass each kid a tray and some clay. Jesus surprised his disciples with a miracle when he calmed the storm. Miracles are so amazing because something unexpected happens. We re going to draw with clay today. That is kind of unexpected, although it s not a miracle! What do we usually draw with? Take time to hear kids responses about crayons, markers, paints, and other art supplies. Pretend your tray is the frame. Flatten out some clay and make a picture with it. Please ask friends to share different colors so your paintings will be colorful. When you have made all your flat shapes and put them together on your tray, we ll use these tools to add texture to your art. You can use many things to make texture in clay. You can even use your fingernails. I know you can think of other things that would make good texture on your art. Let the kids experiment with putting texture on the clay. If the texture doesn t satisfy, roll the clay out and start again! Clay in several colors Styrofoam trays Texture items: toothpicks, plastic knives and forks, coins, paper clips A Storm 201