This week's theme: Grumbling

Goals: To teach the children that:

1. The Bible is our guide for living

2. God wants us be satisfied

3. God does not want us to be grumblers.

Opening skit:

The Swedish chef comes in to the room in his crazy manner, singing and flinging his utensils around. He excitedly chatters about the Chicken A La Banana that he is going to make. The leader tries reminding the chef that he needs to use the recipe book. He grumbles at the leader for pestering him. He grumbles about his chicken being too little and too ugly. His bowls are too big, his eggs don't land in the bowl when he throws them in the air and he grumbles that it's everyone else's fault. He grumbles about the smell of the onions. He steps on his bananas accidentally and grumbles about falling down. He grumbles about the mess. He can't find a thing that pleases him. As he tries to stuff the chicken with bananas, he gets frustrated and throws the bird aside and leaves grumbling.

The leader explains to the kids that grumbling is something that displeases God. He wants us to be satisfied and content instead of complaining about everything. The Bible is full of stories of people who grumbled. The Bible teaches us how to live successful Christian lives and please God.

Crazy Moose story: Cocoa the crazy moose pops out in the puppet stage. He tells the leader that he knows all about those stories. He has a great one to tell. He says he will be right back and comes up with a dish of pudding. He explains that the Israelites were wandering out in the dessert, probably like in some chocolate pudding cause if he was going to wander in a dessert he would want it to be chocolate of course. He tells the leader they were grumbling because they didn't have anything to eat, but he doesn't understand why they were grumbling because they could have just eaten the pudding. The leader explains that the Israelites were wandering in the desert, not the dessert and that they were hungry because they had no food. The moose is undaunted. He knows exactly what happens next. He goes back and gets a banana. He says that God heard their grumbling and so he poured down bananas from Heaven. The leader corrects the moose and explains that God poured down manna from heaven. The moose talks about the manna with the leader. The leader explains about manna and how the people gathered it and what they could do with it. Then she tells that the Israelites weren't happy though. They got tired of eating manna and started grumbling and complaining to Moses. The moose stops the story and runs back to get a nail. He explains that the Israelites wanted nails with their manna. No, No, No the leader explains that they wanted quail. Quail is a type of meat. They wanted meat like they had in Egypt. By this time the moose is frustrated and decides to listen to the story instead of telling it. The leader finishes the story and tells how God was angry at the people for grumbling. He said if you want meat I'll give you meat. I'll give you so much meat you'll be sorry you asked for meat. God gave them so much quail that it was three feet deep a days walk in every direction. The people still weren't sorry that they grumbled and so God made the meat to make the people sick and many of them died. (Numbers 11)

Cool Clyde's death defying double dare:

Exodus

Cool Clyde comes out to teach the memory verse. After teaching the verse he challenges the kids to his death defying double dare. This dare involves eating something really gross that he has cooked up. One child from each team comes up and takes the item out of Clyde's lunch bag, put it in their mouth and eat it and then recite the verse.

This week Cool Clyde is so excited about his lunch. It is heavenly like manna. He has banana marshmallow sandwiches. He can't say enough good things about his lunch. He is eager to share. He explains the rules and then dares the kids to come up and play.

Game

Dirty dish game: You will need a wash bucket and a rinse bucket for each team and a pile of dirty dishes (non breakable). This game is a relay game. The first player runs across the room, gets a dirty dish, washes it, rinses it and sets it on the dishtowel to dry and then runs back and tags the next player on their team. Play continues until one team has all their dishes washed.

After you play the game discuss:

1. How many of you like to do chores like washing dishes or cleaning your room?

2. How many of you have ever complained when your mom or dad asked you to do a chore?

3. How do you think it makes your parents feel when you complain?

4. What kinds of things we complain about?

5. How do you think it makes God feel when we complain?

Closing object lesson:

The Swedish fish comes up with a glass of rotten milk that has been sitting on his dresser all week. The leader and the fish talk about how offensive the rotten milk is. The fish wants to know how something so good could become so bad.

The leader brings out a glass of milk and some vinegar. She pours the vinegar into the milk. This will cause the milk to clabbor. Draw the spiritual parallel that when we complain it's makes life horrid just like horrid milk. Complaining is like adding vinegar to milk. Complaining sours life.

Tie the above object lesson into your closing as you challenge kids to honor God in all they do and with all they have.