Where in the World?

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July 24th , 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 6, 7, and 8 year olds.

This Weeks Scope

Rocked the Boat

Bible Story: Rocked the Boat (Paul shipwrecked) Acts 27:128:10
Bottom Line: The story of Jesus changes how I see my problems.
Memory Verse: Gods grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesnt
come from anything you do. It is Gods gift. Ephesians 2:8, NIrV
Life App: Faithbelieving what Jesus did can change me.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Welcome Time
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
todays story.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray for the kids who are in particularly hard situations right now. Ask God for wisdom
to know what to say to these kids to encourage them that Jesus story should change how they see
their problems. Ask God to help you give gentle encouragement that makes kids feel hopeful about
their situations because of what Jesus did for them.
What You Need: Offering container
What You Do:
Invite kids to place their offerings in the container.
Discuss the Bible story with your kids: Acts 27:128:10 I am paraphrasing, but if you have anything to
add or verses you want to read feel free too! If I got anything wrong, I apologize!
These verses are about Paul. He was captured and traded over to an army officer named Julius. They
were traveling by boat and it was difficult. The wind was horrible, which made their journey longer. Paul
warned them that this journey would be a disaster, but Julius did not listen. The wind continued to carry
them further away from their destination. The wind was violent and they had to put their sail down. We
took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw cargo overboard. On
the third day, they threw the ships tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars
appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
(Acts 27:18-20) After this, Paul told the men to have courage. An angel from God told Paul they would
all be safe. He was right, they arrived safely on shore. When they arrived, Paul was bitten by a snake.
However, it didnt affect him and because of this, the people on the island didnt think he was a bad
man. They encouraged the people on the island. Have them keep this story in mind throughout small
group.

Activity #1
What You Need: Shipwreck Activity Page, beanbag
What You Do:
Place the Shipwreck cards on the floor then ask kids to stand a few feet from the cards.
Designate one area of the room as the SHORE and another as the WATER.
Choose a child to toss a beanbag onto a card then turn the card over and read it.
If the statement on the card has nothing to do with the Bible story, the player yells,
SHIPWRECK! and all the kids run to the water area of the room. If the card accurately
describes something in the story, kids run to the shore.
What You Say:
Paul is a great example of the way God can bring something good from even the most difficult
situations. Paul was a prisoner, shipwrecked, hungry, cold, hated, and alone. All of that should have
made him discouraged and angry. The problems Paul faced were not something he would have chosen
After all, who wants to be on a sinking ship in a wild storm?! But he knew that God was with him. He
knew that Gods plan, even when it was hard, was the best plan for his life. God used Pauls situation to
help bring other people to Jesus.
When were going through tough times, we can believe that God will get us through them. Looking at
our situations that way changes how we respond to the hard parts of life that happen to us or those we
love. If we pray and invite God to help us, we will be able to say, [Bottom Line] The story of Jesus
changes how I see my problems just the way Paul did.

Activity #2
What You Do:
Ask kids to tell you some of the things they do each day, such as eat breakfast, get dressed,
play, and so on.
Explain that you will name an event (see the list below), such as eat lunch, and then youll ask
the kids to act out that action for 10 seconds.
Next, share something that might happen during that activity that would suddenly change
everything, such as finding out that your sister is sick, which means you cant go to Grandmas
on the weekend.
Invite the kids to show their reaction to this Good Day, Bad Day scenario, but limit their actions
to a specific body part. For example, Show your reaction using only your face (feet, hands, one
leg, eyes, etc.).
Discuss ways God can help us during those hard times. For example, a parent or friend
encourages or comforts them, someone who has faced a similar problem comes to help, or
people pray for them.
Encourage kids to come up with additional Good Day, Bad Day scenarios.
Situation
You are eating breakfast.
You are swimming with friends.
You are in bed.
Your aunt is taking you to dinner at your favorite
pizza place.
Youre having a picnic in your friends backyard.
Your team wins by 10 points!
You are eating a snack.

Problem
You find out your sister is sick, so you cant go to
Grandmas.
You run to the other side of the pool. On the way
you trip over someones towel and fall. You get
hurt, so you have to go to the doctor.
You hear a weird sound and get scared.
You get a flat tire.
It starts to rain, so you get soaked and cant have a
picnic.
Your dad calls and says he wont be home before
you go to bed, so you cant tell him about your
terrific day.
You drop and break one of your moms favorite
dishes.

What You Say:

Some days are easy, but some days are hard. God helps us through it all. Thats one of the most
important reasons we can trust Him. We never know when a day will be perfect or when it will turn into
a shipwreck. But we do know that God is with us in it all. When we remember that [Bottom Line] the
story of Jesus changes how I see my problems, we will see our bad days as opportunities to trust
Him and to learn how to pray for His help. When we feel sad, upset, or afraid, we can look back on the
way God helped us in other situations. We can also look at the way He helped people like Paul and
others. Then were better able to face our own bad days. Plus, it helps us understand how others feel
when they face similar situations.

[Make It Personal] (Tell a kid-friendly version of time in your life when you felt shipwrecked
when you felt discouraged, afraid, or alone as you faced a problem. Who or what encouraged
you the most? How did that hard situation help build up your faith in God?)

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: Paper, markers

What You Do:
Gather the group in a circle and give each kid a marker and sheet of paper.
Help half of the kids trace their left shoe print onto the paper.
Help the remaining kids trace their right shoe print.
Instruct kids to write a short prayer inside their footprint. They can ask Gods help to walk Gods
way this week, tell Him about someone they know who needs Jesus, thank Him, or write about
a difficult situation they are facing.
When finished, invite those who are willing to share their prayers to create a path of footprints
by placing the papers on the floor.
What You Say:
Kids who believe in Jesus want to live like Jesus and walk like Jesus. That was true of our Bible story
guy, Paul. He knew that [Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how I see my problems and he
wanted others to know it too. Lets ask God to help us follow in Jesus steps this week the way Paul
did.
(As you close in prayer, include the concerns and praises that the kids wrote on their shoeprints.) Dear
God, thank You that Jesus showed us how to love and follow You. Please help us to follow in His
footprints this week, especially when we face hard days. We know that You always have the best plan
even when we dont understand it all. We love You. Amen.
Lead your kids to large group.

Thanks for reading the curriculum and preparing for this weekend's services. We really appreciate that. For
this reason, please text Nate @ 920.213.1367 and let him know that you saw this note to receive a special token
of appreciation from Pathways Kids!