This is the fourth day of the week, Wednesday. We continue to discover the wonderful things created by our awesome Creator God!
Scripture for the day: Genesis 1:14-19
Theme: Just like the moon, we can reflect His love.
Scripture: Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us. Ephesians 5:1-2
Opening Gathering Time:
All the children meet together for singing and an introduction to today’s theme and scripture. During this time, we also had a guest scientist who had an interactive science demonstration that focused on something that God created on that day. Day 1 the scientist showed us some cool things about light.
Walk through Creation — God made the heavens and earth
Songs:
- Creation Song
- God’s Night Light
- I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
- He is the Light
- We Are the Light of the World
- This Little Light of Mine
Interactive Creation Story
Setting: On the stage we had a pop-up canopy with 2 sides up. It was here that we added the items that God created each day. After day 3 we have lights in and around the canopy, blue tarp for the ocean, blue plastic raised up for the firmament, grass for the land, trees and flowers.
Today we are adding the sun, moon, and stars. However we had a walk through creation and our Community room where we had the Gathering was Day 4 in the walk-through. So we already had the moon up on the canopy and the planets. We were going to have the sun, but it hadn’t come yet. It actually didn’t arrive until the 4th day — God’s timing is perfect! For the activity, as mentioned later, the kids added stars to our canopy.
Crew Leader Supplies: Stars for the children to put up
Leader Script:
Let’s review what God made each day of creation. What did God make on day 1? (light) What did He do on day 2? (He separated the waters, raising up waters for the firmament. He filled the huge expanse with air.) What did He do on day 3? (He separated the water and made land. He made grass, trees, flowers, and all other plants.)
God made a place for everything. He is a God of order and establishes all things. On day 1 God made light. He made night and day. On day 5 He made something for the day and something for the night. Do you know what He made? … Let’s read about it in Genesis 1:14-19.
What did God make for the day time? (The sun) Yes! God made the sun to show us time and seasons. Everyone stand up and face the sun (The sunshine prop.) Our world revolves or spins around. Spin around slowly. When your back is toward the sun it is night time. When you are facing the sun, it is day time. When you are just turning towards the sun, that is the sunrise. When you are turning away from the sun, that is the sunset. Spin one more time with me… Daytime… Sunset…. Night time… Sunrise… Daytime. Good. You may sit down. The sun tells us the time of the day. You will learn more about that at recreation.
OK I need a volunteer. I need you to walk around the sun. Our world also revolves around the sun. This shows us the time of year and seasons. It takes one year for the earth to go around the sun.
The sun shines on the earth and gives warmth. God shines His love on us. He loves us so very much! He made a beautiful world for us. He made the sun. He takes care of us. He brings healing, love, and joy. When we care for others we are sharing God’s love. We are sharing God’s joy, goodness, and kindness. Just like the moon, we reflect God’s love.
I need another volunteer. I need you to walk around our first volunteer who is the earth, just like the moon goes around the earth. The moon tells us the time of month. It takes about 1 month for the moon to go around the earth. You will learn more about that at the science booths. Thank you volunteers! You may return to your seats.
Activity: God also made the beautiful stars. You will learn more about those at the science booths, too. We need some stars for our Creation scene. Your crew leaders will pass out some stars (to the older kids, if you are choosing just some of the kids). You can bring them up to our scene while we sing our theme song. Attach them to the sides of the canopy and backdrop.
Theme Song
Science Presentation: Our guest scientist loves looking in space and has brought our local astronomy club to the kids club Adventurer Meetings or taken kids to our local observatory. She had lots of interactive demonstrations about the sun, moon, and stars.
Just a side note. Check out Louie Giglio’s presentation, “How Great is Our God” for inspiration about the vastness of the universe. Our God is truly awesome, amazing, greater than the great!
Dismissal for Stations: After the Opening Gathering, the children, with their Crew Leaders move to their designated activity station. Each of the 5 Groups go to one of the 5 Activity Stations. There are about 15 children in each Crew with an adult Leader and an assistant or junior leader. How many crews there are in each group depends on how many children there are. We usually have 2 crews in each group so that we have 2 adults in each group.
Bible Crew Time:
Supplies: bright light, mirror, mud, Windex, cloths, Today’s Bible Crew Time Presentation
Crew Time Supplies: Quilt squares and fabric markers (draw directly on fabric) or fabric crayons (draw on paper and transfer to fabric with iron)
How many of you enjoy sunny days? … (Encourage kids to answer by raising their hands.) What do you enjoy doing in the sun? (Let kids share what they like to do. Include staff and share what you like to do.) The sun feels so good especially on cool days. The sun gives our body’s vitamin D to help strengthen our bones. It gives heat and energy and helps the leaves make food for plants thru photosynthesis. It is what our world rotates around. The sun is very important as it lights up each day.
What lights up the night? (The stars and moon) The stars are far, far away suns. They are bright and provide because they burning balls of gas. The moon doesn’t provide its own light. It reflects the sun’s light.
Just like the sun warms the earth, God warms us with His love. God is bright and provides His own light because He is Holy. God is glorious! God is love. God loves me. God loves you. He loves each one of us and everyone everywhere!
God’s Word, the Bible, says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God wants us to be with Him. After Creation, Adam and Eve sinned. Sin separates us from God. God said the consequence of sin is death. We all sin. We disobey God’s law Jesus took our consequence. But God wants us to be near Him. He made a way we can be forgiven. He took our punishment. He did not sin, but He died for our sins (Show picture). When we believe this and accept God’s gift we receive eternal life,
Jesus is God’s Son and came down to this earth to show us God’s love. How did He show us God’s love?
Jesus Gave it All – by Liberty University – 3.33 minutes –
God is glorious, full of light and love. (Have a bright glorious light)
We were made to be near God and share His love, (show mirror, reflecting light)
However, we sinned (put mud on mirror)
God sent Jesus to clean us up (clean off mud and shine with some Windex)
Now we can reflect God’s love to others. We reflect God’s love, when we are kind and show love to others. Just like the moon, we reflect God’s love.
Be like Jesus – Grow Up Like Jesus music video – 3:25 min. —
What are some ways we can be like Jesus and show His love to others? (Encourage kids to tell ways they can be kind and love others.)
Crew Time
Supplies: Quilt squares and fabric markers (draw directly on fabric) or fabric crayons (draw on paper and transfer to fabric with iron)
Make a (fabric or paper) quilt of (drawn) Love Just like the sun, God warms us with His love. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, we reflect God’s love by loving others. If possible have someone sew the kid’s pictures into a quilt to be given to someone in need. Kids can decorate their quilt square in 1 of several ways:
Have kids draw pictures of ways we can be kind and love others, write verses that tell how much God loves us or how we should love others, or decorate hearts.
Snack
Leader’s Script:
On day 4 God made the sun. Do you think we can cook with the sun? The sun is pretty hot! Is it hot outside today? When you are at the Science Booths you will have a chance to use a solar oven.
Note: We made the mini pizza and s’mores in the kitchen ovens.
Let’s see what could we bake in our ovens? I have chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows. What would that make? Right! Let make S’mores!
Over here I have English muffins, pizza sauce, and cheese. What could we make with those ingredients? Let’s make pizza!
Science Booths
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
“The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies show that his hands created them. Day after day they speak about it.” Psalms 19
The Science booth is one station area of 5 different station areas in the Creation VBS. At this station children can visit any or each of the 5 booths for as long as they want so long as everyone gets a turn that wants one.
Booth 1 – Reflection and Refraction
Connection: The moon reflects the sun’s light
Supplies: flashlights, mirrors, globe, objects
Activity A: Children explore shining light on the mirrors and bouncing light off them and onto different objects. Have a pegboard and mirrors on dowels so that they will stand up and be able to turn various ways. Have small objects for the light to shine on.
Activity B: One child shines the light on one side of the globe, a second child holds a mirror and tries to catch the light and reflect it onto the other side of the globe.
Booth 2 – Place in Space
Have globe, large light (sun), and a shiny ball (moon) [or various types of balls to represent moon]. Kids demonstrate how the earth rotates around the sun and revolves to make day and night. Also demonstrate how the moon rotates around the earth. Try to position the globe and moon in such a way to show the phases of the moon (light on the moon)
Booth 3 — Moon phases
Supplies: moon phases turn dial activityp2, moon phase demo, markers,
Activity: Children look at the moon phases and make their own moon phase dial according to given directions.
Moon Phase Demo Option 1: Demonstrate moon phases — see picture — earth moves in arc; flashlight shines thru plastic sun disc; moon is on left Teachers Pay Teachers
Moon Phase Demo Option 2: Moon phase viewer.
Supplies: large piece of cardboard, 8 golf balls, black permanent marker.
Preparation: Color each golf ball 1/2 black and leave 1/2 white. Cut a large circle in the middle of the cardboard so that a child can stick their head up through the hole and easily turn around. Glue the golf balls around the circle several inches from the edge so that all the black sides are facing the same edge of the cardboard and they are equally spaced around the circle.
Activity: A child puts their head through the hole in the cardboard and by slowly turning around sees all the phases of the moon.
For a variation of this option and more options check out Angela’s post.
Booth 4 – Sun-prints
Supplies: sun-print paper, natural objects, pan of water, sunshine
This booth needs to be stationed by a back door. Children and staff will be going in and out.
Activity: Each child chooses some natural objects to put on their sun-print paper and take them and a sun-print paper outside. Place the objects on the paper and wait as directed. When the time is up, finish the print by placing it in a pan of water, as directed on the packet.
Booth 5 – Star Bright
Star Constellations – Draw (copy) a constellation by drawing stars (or put on star stickers) onto dark paper; Poke holes in a paper to be placed on the end of a paper towel tube; Have Oat containers with constellations poked on the bottom & hold up to the light to see the constellation (Have the sides decorated with the constellation picture and name.
You can get a copy of constellations to use here: Constellations circle cards. You may want to enlarge or reduce the size depending on whether you want them to just cover a flashlight, towel tube, or oat container.
Place card stock with holes for stars in constellations over a flashlight and shine into a dark box. — see Full of Great Ideas blog
Twinkling Stars – Show why stars twinkle – put aluminum foil stars on cardboard; place a glass bowl of water on top the cardboard & stars; turn off lights & shine a flashlight through water; tap glass to make water move & see twinkle
Booth 6 — Solar Oven
Have several solar ovens done so the kids can see them work. Get a some s’mores and pizza from the kitchen staff and demonstrate how the solar oven works. We had the teen leaders eat these samples because the kids already had theirs at snack time.
You may also want to have the supplies for additional ovens which the children can work on together or make their own.
Directions:
Make sure the cardboard pizza box is folded into its box shape and closed.
Place the piece of notebook paper in the center of the lid of the box and trace its outline on the lid. Put the piece of paper aside.
Carefully cut the two long edges and one of the short edges of the rectangle that you just traced on the lid of the box, forming a flap of cardboard.
Gently fold the flap back along the uncut edge to form a crease.
Wrap the underside (inside) face of this flap with aluminum foil. Tape it on the other side so that the foil is held firmly. Try to keep the tape from showing on the foil side of the flap. The foil will help to reflect the sunlight into the box.
Open the box and place a piece of black construction paper in so it fits the bottom of the box. This will help to absorb the sun’s heat.
Close the box, roll up some newspaper, and fit it around the inside edges of the box. This is the insulation that helps hold in the sun’s heat. It should be about 1 to 1 ½ inches thick. Use tape to hold the newspaper in place, but only tape it to the bottom of the box, not the lid.
Cut two pieces of plastic wrap an inch larger than the flap opening on the box top. Open the box again and tape one piece of plastic wrap to the underside of the flap opening. After taping one side, BE SURE TO PULL THE PLASTIC WRAP TIGHT, and tape down all four sides so the plastic is sealed against the cardboard. Then close the box and tape the other piece of plastic wrap to the top of the flap opening. Again, be sure the plastic wrap is tight and tape down all four edges to form a seal. This creates a layer of air as insulation that helps keep the sun’s heat in the box.
Details written directions & pointers:
Recreation
Leader Script:
Today we are studying about the 4th day of creation. What did God make? (sun, moon, stars). Just like the moon reflects the sun’s light. We reflect God’s love.
Ongoing Activity —Sun Dial
Make a sun dial and mark where the shadow lies each half hour when a new group comes.
Supplies: a paper plate, a new, tall sharpened pencil, and a short stubby sharpened pencil
Preparation: Make a hole in the center of the plate. Push the tall pencil through this hole and into the ground. This pencil will cast the shadow that will determine the time. Make a hole in the side of the plate. Place the short pencil in this hole. This pencil is just to hold the plate in one place. It should be pushed down so it’s shadow is very small or not existent and does not interfere with the other shadow. Mark where the shadow is when VBS starts and write the time at the end of the line near the edge of the plate.
Activity: When each group comes have one representative draw a line right where the shadow is at that time and write the time at the end of the line near the edge of the plate. At the end of the day you should have 5 lines and 5 times. Tomorrow you can look at the sundial and know when it is time to go to the next activity. For more description see Rookie Parenting
Game 1— Rotation
Supplies: different size ball, 1 large ball to be the sun
Have a large ball to be the sun in the center. Everyone makes a circle around the sun. Choose 1 player to be the beginning of the circle. Give them a ball to pass to the next player. Players pass the ball around the circle. Level 2: When the ball gets part way around the 2nd time, introduce another ball to be passed around. Level 3: Keep introducing more balls of various sized to be passed around the circle. Players must quickly pass a ball to the next player and turn around to be ready for the next ball to be passed to them.
Debrief: How was this game like our solar system? … Our earth and the planets go around the sun.
Game 2 – Is it a Reflection?
Each child has a partner or 2. Take turns being the leader. The leader does a crazy move. The other child(ren) reflect or copy what the other person does.
Debrief: John 5:19 says “But Jesus answered, “I assure you that the Son can do nothing alone. He does only what he sees his Father doing. The Son does the same things that the Father does.” Jesus followed God’s example. He did what God does. We should follow Jesus’ example. We act like He acts. Jesus loved and cared for others. We should, too.
Game 3—Musical Orbit
Supplies: chairs in a circle, a CD player, a music CD (you could use Christy Semsen’s Creation Sensation CD)
Played like musical chairs, a Moon or planet is placed on the back of each chair, music is played, and the child that is without a chair is out. For younger children, I like to make a second circle with the chairs taken out so those who get out may continue to play. Another option is to have the one who lands on the moon, stand in the center and say the theme, “Just like the moon, we reflect God’s love”.
For more instructions see Bright Hub Education
Game 4—Star Catchers
Mark two lines 30 feet apart. Select two or three children to be the star catchers. All other children are the stars and must line up on either line. The star catchers will stand in between the two lines. To start the game one of the star catchers must say “Star light, Star bright, How many stars are out tonight?” All the stars must take off running from the line they are on to the other line. If a star catcher tags a player, he is out of the game. The last player tagged by a star catcher wins the game and gets to pick the star catchers for the next game. This game is from ehow.com
Craft
There are so many options having to do with space, but we wanted to focus on the sun and the moon. There are many do it yourself paper crafts that can be done, but I happen to like craft kits from Oriental Trading. The kids enjoyed choosing whether they made the moon and star headband (which is long enough to fit even the older children) or the cute sun magnet.
You may choose to choose a different craft, as another option.
Closing Session
During this time we reviewed the songs and theme we did at the opening session. We also handed out the items that the children did that day, a newsletter about what we did that day, and a gift to help them remember the theme.
Today’s gift: A reflective mirror paper with glow in the dark moon and stars attached along with the verse and theme for the day.
Just like the moon, we reflect God’s love
Activity Array 