Dirt, Ducks, and Da Earth

A Study of Genesis 1-12

Tiffany Gardner

Kari Kennedy

4-Week Series Week 1: Creation (Genesis 1-2) —>Mankind=apex of Creation

Week 2: Sin (Genesis 3-11) —>Noah: Experiential Storytelling

Week 3: Redemption (Genesis 12) —>Abraham’s Call

Week 4: Review (Genesis 1-12) —>What did we learn?

*Age Group: Grades 5 & 6

(Ages 10-12)

Felt Need: I need to feel valuable

and find my identity in God as part of His redemptive story.

Desired Outcome:

Students will embrace their value and identity in God

and will learn how to be a part of His

redemptive story.

Week 1: E xperiential

P articipatory

I nteractive

C ommunity

Week 1: EPIC Model *Setting: candles lit throughout room

—>create “Sacred Space”. Have them take shoes off before entering. —> Purpose: to recognize the power of God relating to creation. *Opening Video: Genesis 1: the Seven Days of Creation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1laNZP8YrU) with background music inspired by “The Story”: I Am (CREATION). *After video, have workers blow all the candles out to make the room completely dark.

Week 1: Experiential *Read Genesis 1:1-2 while in the dark. *Read Genesis 1:3-5. Have spotlights throughout room. Turn on all of them when God says, “Let there be light.” When He separates the night from day, have half of the room’s spotlights shut off. * Read Genesis 1:6-8. Have picture of moving water projected onto screen and when God separates the water, change the picture into sky and water separat-ed. (See powerpoint slide 2) *Read Genesis 1:9-10. Show the video of the water separating from the land. (see powerpoint slide 3)

Week 1: Experiential *Read Genesis 1:11-13. Have plants and fake trees placed around the room where students cannot see them. After reading Scripture, have the spotlight shine on the plants one by one. *Read Genesis 1:14-19. Cover the ceiling with black poster board that has holes in it and turn on the main lights when talking about the stars. For the moon, cover a spotlight with gray tissue paper and turn on spot-light when talking about moon. For the sun, use yellow paper and do the same thing as the moon.

Week 1: Participatory *Read Genesis 1:20-21. Have half of the students pretend to be birds (making bird noises) and have the other half pick a water animal to be and act like it. *Read Genesis 1:24-25. Have the students pick their favorite ani-mals and have them create the noises that animal would make and have them act like that ani-mal.

Week 1: Interactive *Read Genesis 1:26-29; 2:7, 22-23. (Have them discuss the following questions). —>God made you in His image. What does this mean or look like? —>You are loved and cherished by Him. He wanted you to be like Him. What does God do to show you His love? —>God loved you so much, He gave you His other creations to take care of. How are we to take care of creation? Give specific examples. —>If God created you in His image, He is your identity. You are His image. No matter what anyone says, it only matters what God says about you.

Week 1: Community *Have mirrors on tables and have them share with people in group how they would describe themselves. Then ask them (based on Gen. 1 & 2) how God would describe them and how He views them. *Set up stations (with pillows and jour-nals) around the room and have stu-dents split up for time of reflection. Have song “Identity” by Kutless play-ing in the background. Have students finish the following phrase: I was...but now… or I view myself as...but God views me as… Have a mic where they can share their completed phrase with everyone.

Week 1: Community *Have a bulletin board or cork board where students can cut out their phrases and tack it to the board as a reminder of their iden-tity in God throughout the series. Keep it visual for the whole series.

Week 2: Experiential Storytelling: Noah and

the Ark

Week 2: Storytelling *Mood of Story: Doomsday, Insecurity, Fear of Unknown, Nervousness, Panic, Judgment. *Physical Space: Cover half of the room in plastic or tarp. When students walk in, have water (misting) be blown onto them by fans (which represent wind). Have a worker act as “Noah”, telling them to get into the boat. Cover stage where only a small door entry is shown. Have a ramp leading up to entry. The stage is the “Ark.” Have inside of Ark really dry and warm to contrast the coldness and wetness of the storm. Put hay or straw inside Ark.

Week 2: Storytelling *Advertise: Send students a rubber duck ahead of time with note saying something along the lines: “Just like bath time, only a little wetter, and a little smellier.” *Senses: will add texture to story —>Sight-water, Ark, lightning, Noah —>Sound-Thunder, rain pouring, animal noises —>Touch-water, hay in “Ark” —>Smell-poop smell in “Ark” representing animal smells, wood

Week 2: Storytelling *Symbols: Rainbow (seen after they ex-it the Ark). *Guide: Noah (in a way). Once every-one is in the Ark, Noah can tell story more (focusing on why God destroyed mankind). *Participants: Active *Response & Dialogue: Once in the Ark, students can share how they feel and how they felt when they were outside in the water (compare and contrast). For example: Ark feels safe; storm does not. Relate this to how sin is (not safe and not what is best for us): sin is the storm; God is the Ark that redeems us and keeps us “safe.”

Week 2: Storytelling *Creative Personal Expression: Have students draw their “storm” or “flood” (sin or circumstance they are facing) and draw how far the Ark (God’s safety) feels when they are in that sin or circumstance. *Worship Experience: Have time after drawing to reflect and present their “storms” to God and return to Him (as their Ark). Have them leave the Ark: rain stops and rainbow is shown as a symbol of God’s promise and His grace.

Week 3: Kimball’s Model-

The Call of Abraham: A story of

Redemption

Week 3: *When students enter, have them get into small groups —>Discuss: Tell something you did that no one expected you to do and describe how you felt after you did it. —>If you could change one thing about this world, what would it be? —>Do you think God has a specific age group for his redemptive plan? *Today we are going to discuss Abraham and Josiah: 2 very different people that God called to do His will.

Week 3: *Genesis 12:1-9—> read it. —>Abraham was called by God to help in the Redemption story. —>He did this by obeying God and being a part of the lineage through which Jesus would come. —>Abraham responded to God’s call immediately and left everything to follow Him. —>How are you responding to God’s call of redemption? Are you listening for His voice? Do you believe everyone has a part in God’s redemptive story? (Discuss in journal)

Week 3: *Read 2 Kings 22:1 —> Josiah making a difference in Judah; becoming king when he was eight. (tell this in story format) —>Even though Josiah was very young, he realized he could do the right thing and that he was a part of God’s redemptive story. *Nick Vujicic: video on YouTube (Nick Never Gave Up). —>Man with no limbs. *So, even though you are young, you can still make a difference for God. Even if all of the odds are against you, you are still capable of joining God’s redemptive purpose because that is what we are here on earth for.

Week 3: *Have students brainstorm ways they can serve in their community and help redeem the world. —>Examples: raking leaves, picking up trash at the beach, visiting older folks from the church, make cookies for people in the military or send them cards. *Have them formulate a plan to do it. —>Have them write it down and collect their ideas.

Week 4:

Review of Genesis 1-12

series

Week 4: Review of Week 1

*Create posters for each day of creation. Hide the posters around the church property and create a scavenger hunt for the students. Do not put the day of creation on the poster. Once the students find all of them, have them bring them back to the room and arrange them in the order of creation. *Reflect on what the greatest creation was (mankind) and have them do the “phrase” activity again by finishing the phrase: I was...but now… or I view my-self as...but God views me as… Have them reevaluate their phrases on the board.

Week 4: Review of Week 2

*After this, bring out their pictures of their “Arks” and have them journal if the ark (God’s safety and presence) is closer to them now, if it’s the same, or if it’s farther away. If it is closer or farther away: what made it move one way or the other?

Week 4: Review of Week 3

*Bring the group back together and remind the students of their ideas for redemptive outreach. *Bring out a globe and finger paint. —>Have every student dip the tip of their finger or thumb in the paint and place it somewhere on the globe. —>This is to symbolize our identity (fingerprint) and value is in God, but is also established through redeeming the world (globe) for Him. *Also have individual maps and have them do the same thing with the finger paint so they can take the map home.

Week 4: Wrap-up *After globe project is over, gather everyone in separate room and create “sacred space” again with candles and no shoes. —>Have all the students celebrate Communion as a community together. *End the series by everyone holding hands in a circle and saying “The Lord’s Prayer.”