Introduction So you are preparing to direct a children s church program for preschoolers. Congratulations! The preschoolers who walk into your rooms are blessed that someone cares enough about them to invest their time in curriculum programming and scheduling, and well, you know all that it involves. Kidz Blitz is pullin for you, which is why we created the Kiddie Blitz brand for preschool-focused church products. Picnic, by Kiddie Blitz, not only has preschoolers in mind but the wonderful women and men who volunteer their time to work with them. Picnic is structured to offer a predictable lesson sequence because these little ones rely on predictability. And as the director, we can t always rely on volunteers to prepare early, so a predictable lesson sequence also makes for easy planning for class leaders. Content: Offers simple truths about God every preschooler should know. Theme: The Picnic theme encourages learning and playing in an atmosphere that small kids can relate to. The leader carries a kite in the air when starting the day s lesson and reminds kids that God is with them even though they can t see Him, like the wind that blows a kite through the sky. John 3:8. Segments: Each lesson includes several segments which can be used for large group or small groups without rewriting. ROOM DÉCOR: Room décor can be as simple as a couple of trees or as elaborate as a wall-to-wall nature and park theme. Seating is not necessary. Enhance the theme with blankets or checkered tablecloths spread out across the floor. If you prefer to use seating, we suggest picnic benches. Hang kites from the ceiling. Caution: do not allow strings to dangle or hang down. Attach cloud adhesives to the ceiling or high on walls. We suggest these online resources for large décor items: www.creativeforkids.com (Woodland theme adhesive wall decor) www.amazon.com (Ore Intl. Kids Indoor/Outdoor Picnic table) www.bizchair.com (Kids Park Bench, red, P257 by UltraPlay) www.bedbathandbeyond.com (Folding Picnic Table with Seats, $79.99) www.qualitytoys.com (Adult Bee Costume #356, $97.00) WHAT YOU WILL NEED: Each class will need the following items: 1. Picnic basket 2. Enough plastic fruit or Fruit Cards (provided) to allow one for each child 3. Fruit Loop Game spinner (1 provided) 4. Brown blanket, sheet, fabric roll or brown craft paper for ant tunnel 5. Benny the Ant (printed and mounted) 6. Zzzeke the Bee (1 provided) 7. Winston Squirrel (1 provided) 8. Music player for Fruit Loop Game 9. Craft Supplies
PROPS: Suggested retail options for class props. 1. Picnic Baskets: Metro Picnic Basket comes in 7 different colors (Bed, Bath, and Beyond $29.99) 2. Checkered Table Covers: Red and White Checkered Banquet Roll 100 feet (Oriental Trading IN-3/741 $17.99) 3. Pretend fruit: www.amazingproduce.com, Toys R Us stores, Wal-Mart stores PICNIC BASKET KIT: Everything needed for the lesson will be in the class picnic basket each week. The class leader will take out the prop needed for each segment. The props in the picnic basket include: The Object Lesson, The Fruit Loop Game, Winston Squirrel, and Snack LESSON THEME: An introductory sentence or 2 telling the teacher the purpose of the lesson. MEMORY VERSE: An age appropriate memory verse is used throughout each 4 week series. The memory verse will be introduced to the kids at the Ant Meeting small group segment in the ant tunnel. The Object Connection reemphasizes the verse. THE NUGGET: The Nugget is the point of the lesson in a simple phrase for easy memorization. It is repeated often and is in almost every segment. One Nugget is used throughout each 4-week series. Tell the kids the Nugget before they hear the Bible Story. BENNY the Ant: A printed Benny the Ant image is included in your packet. Use wood glue to mount the image to a paint stick. Each class needs a Benny for the Little Ants segment below. To make more Benny signs, use the file on your Picnic graphics CD. LITTLE ANTS: This segment transitions kids from small group to large group for the Bible Story. If large group/small group programming is not used, then this segment transitions kids from playtime to story time. Give an ant headband (instructions below) to each child and say, Benny the Ant wants to show us something. Please line up like ants and do what Benny does. Carry the Benny the Ant sign and tell them to follow you and Benny as you zig-zag around the room to the spot where they will sit for the Bible Story. Suggestions for ways to act like an ant: Wiggle your antennas when you talk Crawl on the floor in a line Use digging hands to dig a tunnel During clean-up time, carry a toy on your back ANTENNA HEADBAND DIRECTIONS: Use black metal headbands available at most craft stores and 18 black craft pipe cleaners. Each headband requires 1 metal headband and 1 pipe cleaner. 1. Take an uncut pipe cleaner and bend it at the center around the center of the headband. 2. Criss-crossing the pipe cleaner as you wrap, wrap it 3 times around the headband. 3. Aim the long ends straight up. 4. Bend the long ends into a circular swirl. BIBLE STORY: The Bible Story can be told in large group with a puppet stage or small group setting where the leader will hold the puppet and sit on the floor. Begin by introducing Zzzeke the Bee (puppet), saying, Hi, Zzzeke. I m so glad to see you. Zzzeke is a nice Bee who is often sad because he is misunderstood. He doesn t want to sting anyone or scare little children. He just wants to find a perfect flower to make perfect honey. He tells the Bible Story in first-person because he was there and saw the whole thing. He usually ends his story with, Bee-lieve in Jesus. (ZZZeke could be the puppet provided or an adult in a bee costume. See online resources in this introduction for costume suggestion.) ANT MEETING: Prepare by placing a large wadded brown blanket (or brown sheet or brown craft paper) on the floor where this segment will take place. When the Bible Story ends, line your ants back into an ant line and zig zag to where the blanket is. Announce the Ant Meeting is beginning please tunnel your way to the floor. Tell the ants to use digging hands as they sit down. When the ants are seated,
cover everyone with the tunnel. You are now in the ant tunnel, ready for the meeting. Talk about the Bible Story and what hard-working ants could learn from the story. After 3 or 4 questions about the story, tell the kids to put their hands in a pile together and say together, Ants work hard, think and be like ants. Hurray! Uncover the kids and move to the next segment. MUSIC: Kiddie Blitz recommends the following songs for praise time. These are songs all preschoolers should know. 1. Fruit of the Spirit song and video (Brentwood Kids Music) 2. Whoa, I Have Life (Little Praise Party album by YANCY) 3. My Best Friend (Little Praise Party album by YANCY) 4. Books of the Bible song (The Bigsby Show) 5. Joy (To Be Like Jesus album from Sovereign Grace Music) THE FRUIT LOOP (GAME): To prepare, stock the class picnic baskets with enough plastic fruit so that each child will have one. For example: if you have 15 kids, your picnic basket may contain 3 oranges, 2 apples, 2 lemon, 1 cherry, 1 grape bunch, 2 strawberry, 2 bananas and 2 limes. You may prefer to use the Fruit Cards provided. To make more cards, use the Fruit Cards file on your Picnic graphic CD. Children will sit in a circle around the picnic blanket. Pass the picnic basket around and have each child take a piece of fruit or fruit card. When the music starts the children pass their fruit to the left. Stop the music. When the music stops, the kids hold the fruit they have now. Spin the Fruit Loop Wheel. The kids holding the kind of fruit the arrow lands on shout out the Nugget phrase. Repeat the game a few times. OBJECT CONNECTION (SQUIRREL): Winston Squirrel finds the object lesson in the picnic basket. Winston takes the item without permission, so the leader reminds him that it does not belong to him and will have to be returned. The object connection is two-fold: it ties in to the lesson topic and also reminds kids that they do not take things that do not belong to them. PRAYER: Picnic s intimate setting provides a perfect opportunity to pray with the little ones. Each lesson allows time for the class leader to offer prayer over them. This may be the only time of the week some of them experience prayer. SNACK TIME: This is an optional segment, but in keeping with the theme, we suggest you incorporate this into your schedule. CRAFT: The craft suggestion includes a supplies list and instructions. JUST FOR FUN GAME: These Just-For-Fun-Games are Kiddie Blitz versions of Kidz Blitz approved games which can be used as time-fillers or as the closing segment. MEMORY VERSE MAGNETS: The take-home item is optional. Each memory verse for each series comes with a print-ready, magnet-size image. VistaPrint makes full color magnets at a rate of $19.99 for 50. The images are in the lesson file on your Picnic CD. As with all Kidz Blitz and Kiddie Blitz products, if you lose a lesson or CD, we will replace it for free.
Lesson Theme: God formed the earth from emptiness - nothing. He spoke and suddenly there was light from total darkness. We are so used to having the light that we forget how great a gift it is. BEGIN Say to the kids, DARK THE NUGGET God does what no one else can do. Good morning kids! Find your spot on a picnic blanket (or bench). It s a great day for a picnic, but would it be as great if it were dark out? Probably not. I haven t been on too many picnics in the dark. Have you? We sure are lucky there is light for us to see at our picnic. Go ahead and stand to your feet and let s sing a couple of songs to God right now. MUSIC For this series, we recommend Hallelujah (your love is amazing) by Phillips, Craig and Dean. You can download it from a number of web sites or find it at your local Christian Book store. The song is great for creating motions that will help kids remember the lyrics and will remind them how truly amazing our God is. When the music stops, quickly bring ZZZeke the Bee in front of the kids and begin your Bible Story segment. WHAT 2 GET sunglasses copies of coloring page black construction paper scissors crayons tape flashlight blindfold CD player and music see the Introduction Manual for a complete list of items used in all Picnic series MEMORY Nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 (NIRV)
BIBLE STORY Introduce ZZZeke the Bee by saying, ZZZeke has a story to tell us. Don t be nervous, kids. ZZZeke is a very sweet Bee and tells the greatest stories. ZZZeke: Hi-kidzzzzz. Are all of you having fun at your picnic today? I love picnics. People always bring lots of yummy food to eat like sweet watermelon - Mmmmmm! I don t want to bother you and I certainly won t sting anybody! I came to your picnic to share a story with you. Leader: Okay, I can t wait to hear your story today. ZZZeke: I want everyone to look at the person next to you. Now look around at all the neat stuff in the room. Do you think we could see our neighbors and all the cool stuff in here if it were dark? We need the light, don t we? Leader: You re absolutely right, ZZZeke. ZZZeke: Well did you know light wasn t always here? In the beginning when God made the earth it was completely dark. Do you know how the earth got light? Leader: Um, someone flipped a light switch on? (laughs) ZZZeke: (laughs) No, that s silly. Kids, I want you to close your eyes really tight - no peeking! God said (uses deep voice) Let there be light! Kids open your eyes! And that quick, there was light in the darkness! Leader: Un-BEE-lievable! God just spoke and the earth had light?
(Bible Story continued) ZZZeke: Yep, God just spoke and there was light! Now that s not all; God made the sun to light the day and the moon and stars for the night! Leader: That is so cool, ZZZeke. ZZZeke: Our story reminds me that God does what no one else can do. Leader: Yes, God sure did when He created the sun, moon and stars! What you said is actually our Nugget today! Let s all say it together. Everyone: God does what no one else can do. Leader: That was a great story about God, ZZZeke. Thank you so much for buzzing over to our picnic today. ZZZeke: You re welcome! Remember kids, Bee-lieve in Jesus! LITTLE ANTS Give an ant headband to each child and say, I heard there is an ant tunnel nearby? Please line up like ants and we will go into the tunnel. Benny the Ant knows the way! Carry the image of Benny the Ant and have the kids follow you as you zig-zag around the room to the spot where they will sit for the Ant Meeting. Suggested ways to act like an ant: Wiggle your antennas when you talk Crawl on the floor in a line Use digging hands to dig a tunnel
ANT MEETING When the ants are seated, cover everyone with the brown blanket or drape the blanket over chairs to form a tent for the kids to sit under. You are now in the ant tunnel, ready for the meeting. Say, Thank you for coming to my ant tunnel, ant friends. You worked hard like ants to get here. Ants do everything with all of their strength. They carry pieces of food that are bigger than their bodies. That takes a lot of trying. Let s use all of our strength and say the nugget that ZZZeke told us about. Say together, God does what no one else can do! Say to the kids, ZZZeke told us an amazing story about how light came into BEE-ing. Questions to ask the kids: 1. Have you ever woken up at night and tried to walk somewhere without any light in the room? 2. Did you step on a toy or run into something? OUCH! It isn t easy to see without light. 3. Do you remember how God made light? 4. Do you remember the three things He made and put in the sky to give us light? Say, The Bible says in Luke 1:37 Nothing is impossible with God. Repeat the verse with the kids. Leave the ant headbands in the tunnel and travel with the kids like ants back to the picnic blanket for the Object Connection.
OBJECT CONNECTION Object: sunglasses Sit in a circle on the blanket. Take Winston the Squirrel from the basket and quickly place him on your hand. Leaders: Hi, Winston! Come along on our picnic. Winston reaches in the basket and pulls out the sunglasses. Leader: Ummmm, Winston, you really shouldn t open our picnic basket without asking. Please give me back my sunglasses and don t take things without asking. Winston: I m sorry. What are the glasses used for? Leader: (puts on glasses) These are called sunglasses, Winston. I put them on when it is a sunny day. It makes it easier to see. Winston: Oh cool, I need to get a pair like those. Well, a much tinier pair squirrel size! Leader: Hey you know what? You shouldn t have opened the basket without asking, but you gave me an idea. When we see someone wearing sunglasses, it can remind us of our Nugget: God does what no one else can do. Winston: Yeah! That s right because He made the giant, bright sun to light up the day. How awesome! Leader: I know! We are blessed to have a God that is so amazing! Now who is ready for a picnic?
FRUIT LOOP GAME Bring out your picnic basket, fruit and the spinner. A class leader will operate the starting/stopping of the music and another leader will sit in the circle holding the basket. Give each child a piece of fruit from the basket. When the music starts the children pass their piece of fruit to the left. Stop the music. When the music stops, the kids hold on to the fruit they have in their hands. Spin the Fruit Loop Wheel. The kids holding the kind of fruit the arrow lands on shout out the Nugget phrase. Repeat the game 4 times or until the whole group has had a chance to say the Nugget. Reminder: the nugget is GOD DOES WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN DO. PRAYER and SNACK Pray aloud with the kids and thank God for creating light. Thank Him for making it easier for us to see by creating the sun, moon and stars and placing them in the sky. Turn out the light for today s snack time. Use a single flashlight in the middle of the picnic blanket for light. Talk about the dark and how thankful we are for the light God created.
CRAFT YOU WILL NEED: PICNIC COLORING SHEET FOR EACH CHILD; BLACK CONSTRUC- TION PAPER; CRAYONS; SCISSORS; TAPE Ahead of time use the template provided to make the dark flaps out of black construction paper. Create enough for each child to have one. Invite kids to come to the craft table to color the picnic coloring sheet. As they color go around the table cutting a slit in each picture along the dotted line. When they are ready, help kids to attach their black paper through the slot. Show the kids when they are finished that when the dark flap is down it is like night, but when the dark paper is up it is like day. God made the incredible sun for us to see! JUST FOR FUN GAME Musical Flashlight Goose STUFF TO GET: FLASHLIGHT; BLINDFOLD; CD PLAYER AND MUSIC Have all the kids stand in a circle. Ask one child to stand in the middle holding a flashlight. Blindfold the child and tell them that when they hear the music play, they are to spin in a circle while holding the flashlight out. When the music stops, the child stops spinning. Whoever the light is shining on must then run around the outside of the circle one time. Next round they get to be in the middle of the circle. Play as long as time allows.
LITTLE ANTS Say, Wrap it up... Ants! Let s do what we do best! Let s be hard working helpers! Give an ant headband to the children who would like one. Tell all the children to follow you as you zig-zag around the room cleaning up. Suggested ways to act like an ant: Crawl on the floor in a line Use digging hands to dig a tunnel During clean-up time, carry a toy on your back When clean-up is done tell the kids to put their hands in together and say Ants work hard, be like ants. Hurray! OPTIONAL Make memory verse magnets available to parents who would like one.