Preschool Leader Guide, Unit 1, Session 4

Teacher BIBLE STUDY

Following the flood, God wanted to have a fresh start. God commanded Noah in Genesis 9:1 to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This command echoes the one given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28. God intended the paradise of the garden to spread into the whole world, but sinful people had other desires. God always blesses in order to be a blessing to others.

Genesis 10 accounts for the nations that spread out in the land after the flood. (Gen. 10:32) As the people moved east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. This story continues the cycle of disobedience to God and a choice to sin that will be a constant reminder of our need for a Savior. In Genesis 11:2, Scripture indicates that instead of filling the earth as commanded, these people chose to settle. A single language enabled them to devise a plan to build a large tower into the heavens.

Read Genesis 11:4. The people’s motive was clear: “Let us make a name for ourselves.” God had commanded them to fill the earth, but the people didn’t want to be scattered. They didn’t believe God would give them what was good if they obeyed. They sought to obtain for themselves what they thought was good.

Babel, better known by the name Babylon, means “gate of the gods.” The people, trying to build a monument tall enough to reach into heaven, the dwelling place of God, succeeded only in separating themselves from God and from each other.

This week you have the opportunity to tell the kids you teach about God’s better plan: His plan not for people to reach up to Him, but His plan to reach down to people by sending His Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we couldn’t live and die the death we don’t want to die. That is the gospel. Pray that the kids you teach would have open hearts to receive it.

Session Title: The Tower of Babel Bible Passage: Genesis 11:1-9 Big Picture Question: What happens when people sin? Sin separates people from God and one another. Key Passage: Genesis 1:27 Unit Christ Connection: God knew we would sin, and Jesus, our Creator, came to redeem us and protect us from the wrath of God by suffering for us.

Small Group Opening (15–20 minutes)

Large Group Bible Study (10–15 minutes)

Small Group Activities (20–25 minutes)

Snack and Transition (20 minutes)

The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9

Do you remember what God told Noah’s family to do after the flood? Did God say to settle down and build a great city? No. God said to move out to different places and have many children. But what do you think the people did? They moved to a valley that looked good to them. They said to one another, “We are great. We do not want to be scattered over the earth. Let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. It will show how great we are.” The people were not doing what God had told them to do after the flood. They wanted to be as important as God. They were saying “Look how great we are” instead of “Look how great God is.” They wanted glory for themselves instead of God. But God is greater than anyone. Do you think the people could build a tower with its top in the sky? Do you think that even people who live today can use big machines to build a tower that tall? The tallest buildings in the world are very tall, but God can look down at them! God came down to look at the tower. God said, “If they are doing this, they will keep thinking up more bad things to do. We need to stop them. Here is what we will do. We will mix up their words.” When people tried to make plans, they could not understand what other people were saying. If one workman said, “Hand me another brick,” nobody else knew what he wanted. They had to stop building the city. Isn’t God smarter than people? He had such a great idea to stop the people from building that tower! Who else could have created many different languages? Families had to move away from each other to live with people they could understand. God made it so the people did just what He had told them to do after the flood. They were scattered all over the world. The city with the unfinished tower was called Babel (BAY buhl), or Babylon. It means “confused,” because the people were confused when they tried to talk to one another. Because the people chose to disobey God, their sin separated them from one another.

Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 1 • Session 4 3 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources God’s plan to be with His people is much better than the plan of those who built the tower. They were trying to reach up to God and make a great name for themselves. But God’s plan was to reach down to us and make a great name for Himself. The good news is that Jesus brings us to God and makes us friends again.

Christ Connection: Instead of glorifying God, people chose to ignore God’s plan and glorify themselves. This didn’t stop God’s plan to scatter the people and to form nations. Eventually one of these nations would become God’s chosen people. Through the nation of Israel, Christ would come to save the world.

• Prepare: Play the Welcome and Session Starter (15–20 minutes) unit song “You Are God Alone” in the Welcome parents and preschoolers; follow your church’s background. security procedures for signing in preschoolers. Direct • Set an offering each child to do the color key activity sheet. When several basket near the door. children have arrived, begin teaching them to say “hello,” • Post the allergy and talk about how people in different places speak alert if needed. • Set out a few different languages. favorite toys such as puzzles and blocks. Activity Sheet: Use a Color Key Explain how to use the color key. As children color, talk LOW about building big buildings before there were machines PREP like cranes, excavators, and bulldozers. It would take a lot of people and a lot of time. How would they get bricks to • “Use a Color Key” 1 per kid the top when the building got tall? • crayons, markers, or Say • We know that sin separates people from God because colored pencils God is holy. Sin also separates people from other people. You will hear about that in today’s Bible story.

Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 1 • Session 4 5 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Learn to say “hello” In today’s Bible story, people began to speak different • “Hello in Different Languages” languages. Practice saying hello in different languages. See • “This Is the Way We the hello sheet. Point on the map or globe to the countries Say Hello” (tune: “Mulberry Bush”) where some of these languages are spoken. • globe or world map Say • By the end of today’s Bible story, people had to learn (optional) to say hello to other people in different ways. Let’s sing ways to say hello in some other languages. [Sing “This Is the Way We Say Hello.” At the end of each verse, substitute the name of a language and say “hello” using the pronunciation given. For example: “… In the Spanish language. (Hola!)” If you have a map, point to the countries that speak the languages you are singing about.] Talk about ways to say hello without words. Practice other ways to communicate friendliness such as smiling, making eye contact, or shaking hands.

• bell or countdown Transition to Bible story time video (optional) Use the procedure you have chosen to focus everyone’s Transition cue: attention on you. Announce that it is time for the Bible Ring the bell, flip story. Pretend your group is in a parade, walking to hear the the lights, or clap a simple rhythm for Bible story. As you walk, lead preschoolers in waving hello children to copy to to a pretend crowd. If you remain in the same room, take a gain attention. long, wandering path through the room to the large-group area. Designate a place for each child to sit, such as a carpet square, a chair, or a masking tape X on the floor. Each child needs his own space.

Large Group Bible Study Time (10–15 minutes)

Introduce the Bible story • “My God Is So Big” If you know the song, sing “My God Is So Big,” or sing or “You Are God Alone” “You Are God Alone”; hint that God will do something • blocks mighty again in today’s Bible story.

Tip: For safety Distribute one or two blocks to each boy and girl. Ask you may limit the them to stand and measure on their own bodies the height tower’s height to a of the tower they think they can build with the blocks. Let child’s chin level. them work together, placing one block at a time to build a tower in any way they choose. Say • Could you build a tower all the way to the sky? Our Bible story is about some people who thought they could do that. They lived in a place called Babel (BAY buhl). Sometimes that place is called Babylon (BAB ih lahn). The Bible story is called “The Tower of Babel.” Listen for what God thought about their tower.

• Bible Watch or tell the Bible story • “The Tower of Babel” video Tell the Bible story, making eye contact and varying your voice inflection to hold interest, or show “The Tower of Babel” video.

Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 1 • Session 4 7 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Review the Bible story Talk about the Bible story and view the timeline. Point • Key Passage Poster • Use the timeline to the events on the timeline as you ask the following from the Timeline questions. Map or Small Group Visual Pack. Say • Read the key passage and recall how God made • Big Picture Question people. (in His own image) Poster ••Look at the time line. What happened to the perfect world that God made? (Sin entered the world.) ••What did God do about all the sin in the world? (He sent the flood.) ••After the flood, did people spread out all over the world as God told them to? (They did not!) ••What happened when the people kept sinning? (Sin separated them from God and from one another; God gave them different languages.) ••What happens when people sin? Sin separates people from God and one another. ••Did God love them even though He had to punish them? (Yes. He is holy and He had to punish sin, but He still loved the people.) Practice saying the big picture question a couple of times or until most children can say it with you.

Tip: Do activities Return to small groups one of these ways: If you need to move to the room where activities are set • at the same time as a group up, go with the hand-waving parade. Explain the activities • in small groups that you have set up and how many children can work at each rotate through each activity activity. If you are giving choices of activities in centers, • set up as mention that the kids are learning to make good choices and centers, allowing that sometimes they will choose to wait if an activity table preschoolers to browse and choose is crowded. Ask the big picture question whenever you can in order to cement the Bible truth in children’s minds and hearts.

Tip: Select activities Small Group Activities Time (20-25 minutes) you can staff. • Limit the number who can work an Build a tall tower activity if necessary. Place blocks in the center of an open space so that builders • Ask the Big Picture Question. have equal access to them. Preschoolers can work alone or in groups to see how tall a tower they can build before LOW it falls over. (Normally, allow towers only as high as a PREP preschooler’s chin.) You might suggest adding blocks to make a wider, sturdier base. Or you might see how tall a • blocks tower could be built in one minute. • watch or clock with • The people were proud of the big tower they were a second hand Say (optional) building. It was more important to them than God was. That is sin. Nothing is more important than God.

Paint with interlocking bricks • tempera paint, 2 or Place a small amount of each paint color in its own pan. 3 colors • flat pan or plate for Demonstrate stamping the bumpy side of an interlocking each color brick into the paint and then stamping it onto the paper. • interlocking bricks such as Duplo® Say • The people wanted to build a tall and beautiful blocks building that would make them famous. They did not • paper talk with God about their plan.

Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 1 • Session 4 9 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Use a ramp Pretend that the block shelf is a tower and you must move • blocks • long block or sturdy stacks of blocks to the top of the tower to build with. Ask board to use as a how people did that before they had machines. Children ramp might build a long staircase, or they might think of a ramp. Prop up a ramp and slide blocks up the ramp. Say • The people in Babel thought up good ways to do what they wanted to do. But they did not obey God. That would have been better than building a tower. God caused them not to understand one another when they talked. They had to move away from the city as He had planned from the beginning.

Draw a key passage picture • paper for drawing • markers or crayons Play the song “In His Own Image” in the background as • people stickers such you do this activity. Review the words of the key passage as the My Family verse and print them in large letters on a page for each kid. Stickers, Mi Familia Stickers, Family Suggest circling the word God, drawing a man and woman Times Stickers, figure near the word man, and the same for the words male Here’s My Family and female. Stickers, I Love My Family Stickers, Kids will enjoy adding people stickers (no fantasy or Faces Stickers, figures) to their pages if you provide them. available online at www.lifeway.com Say • God created people in His own image. But the people (optional) sinned. ••What happens when people sin? Sin separates people from God and one another. ••Jesus makes us friends with God.

In the Beginning 10 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Play an opposites game LOW Gather children for an opposites game. PREP Say • God said to spread out and settle down. The people did not spread out. They built a city. The people did the opposite of what God said. Let’s play an opposites game. You do the opposite of what I say. For example, if I say “touch that wall” [point to a wall], what would the opposite be? (Touch the opposite wall.) If I say “touch your toes,” what would the opposite be? (Stretch to the ceiling.) If I say “take three steps toward me,” what would the opposite be? (Take three steps backward.) Give these directions and then make up other directions like them. 1. Stretch like a tall tower. 2. Touch that wall [point to a wall]. 3. Take two baby steps. 4. Take two backward steps. 5. Say your name loudly. Say • Good job. The game is over. Please sit in a circle.

Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 1 • Session 4 11 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Snack and Transition (20 minutes) • countdown video (optional) Signal or count down to the time for completing the • cheese cubes activities. (optional) Take a bathroom break and wash hands before the snack. • any square-shaped crackers or cookies Recruit helpers to set the table. Remind children to wait • paper napkins; until everyone has received a snack before eating. paper cups • water Ask for a volunteer to thank God for the snack, or you • Post the allergy pray briefly. alert , listing snacks Say • Today’s snack looks like building blocks. Make a for parents to see. design with the snack food before you eat it. Show me what you made!

Transition After kids finish eating and throw away their trash, they • journal page • crayons may read a book, work a puzzle, color the Bible story • books and puzzles coloring page, or draw or write in their journal. Suggest • Bible story coloring page drawing a picture on the journal page that helps recall the Bible story. Follow church security rules when parents pick up their kids. Tell teachers arriving for a following session what they need to know about kids who are present.

Key Passage: Genesis 1:27

Session 1: God Created the World and People Genesis 1–2

Session 2: Sin Entered the World Genesis 3–4

Session 3: Noah and the Ark Genesis 6:5–9:17

Session 4: The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9

Session 5: Job Job 1–42

UNIT 1 • Session 4 • Preschool Big Picture UNIT© 1 2012 • Session LifeWay Christian4 • The Resources. Tower of Babel In the Beginning © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. QUESTION TM OK TO PRINT In the Beginning So God created man in His own image; . . . He created them male and female.

Genesis 1:27

UNITUNIT 1 1• •Key Session Passage 1-5 Poster• Preschool (HCSB) KeyKey Passage Passage © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. TMTM © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. InIn thethe BeginningBeginning OK TO PRINT POSTERPOSTER HCSBHCSB 14 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources So God created man in his own image, . . . male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27

UNITUNIT 1 1 • • Key Session Passage 1-5 •Poster Preschool (KJV) KeyKey Passage Passage © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. TM © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. In the Beginning OK TO PRINT POSTERPOSTER KJV KJV 15 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources Today your child will be tasting/touching/sniﬃ ng

Please notify a teacher if your child should not participate in this activity.

Instructions: Print this poster, or laminate it and reuse it throughout the quarter. Use a dry erase marker to ﬁ ll in the necessary information when bringing food, animals, things to smell, or nature items that might cause allergic reactions. Display the poster where parents can see it when they arrive with their children.

UNIT 1 • SessionUNIT 1 1 • •Preschool Allergy Alert Bible Study © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. TM © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. In the Beginning OK TO PRINT In the Beginning 12 20 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

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Use a Color Key Instructions: The Tower of Babel might have looked something like this one. Color it according to this key:

• one dot—blue •• two dots—yellow ••• three dots—red other spaces—your choice 4/2/12 9:11AM UNIT 1 • Session 4 • Preschool Activity Pages In the Beginning “Hello” in Diﬀ erent Languages Instructions: Sing these words to the tune In Spanish “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush.” Hola! - O-la - rhymes with “cola” but with no “h” sound

This is the way we say hello Say hello, say hello. In Swahili This is the way we say hello Jambo? - JAH-mboh means “How are you?” In the English language. (Hello)

Sing the song, substituting the name of each In Japanese language for “English” when you teach the way Konnichi wa - konnichi wa (pronounced ko-KNEE-chee-wah; daytime or afternoon) to say “hello” in that language. For example: “In the Spanish language.” (Hola!) In French Bonjour - BONE-zhure

In Hebrew Shalom - means “hello,” “goodbye,” “peace”

In Hindi Namaste - NAH-mah-stheh--make the “th” sound like in think

In Hawaiian Aloha - ah-low-ha

UNITUNIT 1 • 1Session • Session 4 • 4“Hello” • Preschool in Different Bible Study Languages © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. TM © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. In the Beginning OK TO PRINT In the Beginning 8 UNIT 1 • Session 4 • The Tower of Babel © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. TM TM OK TO PRINT In the Beginning