In the Beginning . . .

Growing into a Life of Faith

UNIT 2: LESSON 5:
Kids of
the Bible Miriam,
the Sister of Moses
Key God is with me.
Bible Concept
Summary
Exodus 2:1-10 KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS:
In today’s lesson chil- Each time you say the Key Concept during the lesson,
dren will learn about use the following motions: God [point up]
Moses, who was born is with me [point thumbs to self].
at a time when the
Egyptian Pharaoh felt
“The Great Kid Game” game board (see
threatened by the
Objectives instructions in Unit 2 Overview; the
number of Israelites game board will be used in Lessons 5-8)
KNOW WHAT:
living in Egypt. Out
Game piece with “sticky tack” or similar
Children will hear how God helped
of fear, Pharaoh temporary adhesive (will be used in
Miriam be brave and save Baby Moses.
ordered that all the Lessons 5-8)
SO WHAT:
5 Large gift bags of different colors,
Israelite baby boys be
killed. But Baby Children will learn that God can help stuffed with tissue paper and the items
Moses was saved. God them be brave. God is always with them. listed below (gift bags will be used in
protected Moses with NOW WHAT: Lessons 5-8):
a mother who trusted Children will participate in an activity to Silly Willy Bag with goofy smiley face
God and a compas- identify times and ways they can be brave. drawn on it
sionate princess who • Hat with a basket attached to it
found Moses in a bas- (add a baby to the basket to increase
ket in the water. The Spiritual Formation the silliness factor if you like)
family was reunited Courage Bible Story Bag with a picture of a
because Moses’ sister Bible on it
Miriam was brave • Large Bible storybook with Baby
enough to ask the
People Needed Moses pictures (Lesson 5 LG 4a—
princess if she and her Teacher, Helper Lesson 5 LG 9)
mother could help “Lalalalala” Bag with a few music notes
take care of Moses. Supplies drawn on it
• Piece of paper with name of song
(Labeled visuals below can be found in “Touch the Sky” (or other song you
the Lesson 5 Visual folder on the Fall plan to sing)
Bible Verse Quarter CDs.) Thinking Hat Bag with a silly hat

CD player drawn on it
“Be strong and

Music for singing • Fun hat (the Thinking Hat)
courageous.”
Sound Effects #1 CD (optional)
Joshua 1:6a • Folded paper with the following writ-

Large jar with lid (will be used in ten on it: Today you are going to think
Lessons 5-8) about a time when you felt afraid.

Game die (will be used in Lessons 5-8)

1 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
Question Mark Bag with question
Kids of marks drawn all over it
the Bible • Folded paper with the following ques-
tion written on it: When can you be
brave?
• 3 Question Mark pictures: Dog,
Rainstorm, Child going to bed (Lesson
5 LG 10—Lesson 5 LG 12)

Stool and easel

Brave paper (Lesson 5 SG 13)

Unit 2 Life Application game board (see
instructions in Unit 2 Overview; the
game board will be used in Lessons 5-8)

5 Two-sided “God Is With Us!”
game cards (Lesson 5 SG 14a—
Lesson 5 SG 18b)

Game piece (will be used in
Lessons 5-8)

Crayons

For each child:
• Key Concept sticker (Lesson 5 SG 19)
• Two-sided take-home coloring sheet
(Lesson 5 SG 20 and Lesson 5 SG 21)
• Snack

In Advance
Notes:
Recruit a Helper to operate the music and sound effects CDs.

Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing.
Song suggestions:
• Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching
• “Touch the Sky” (Touch the Sky CD)
• “God is Number One” (Touch the Sky CD)

Determine whether or not you will use the sound effects CD. If you prefer to not use the
sound effects, or to use only a few of them, look at each sound effect listed in the lesson
and determine if you will play the sound effect from the CD, say the words yourself, have
the Helper say them, read them from a piece of paper pulled out of the corresponding
gift bag, or omit the sound effect, and then modify the lesson accordingly.

Create “The Great Kid Game” game board and the Unit 2 Life Application game board
according to the instructions in the Unit 2 Overview.

Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows:
• Hang “The Great Kid Game” game board on a wall, place it on an easel, or lean it
against a box. You will use the game board for all the Unit 2 lessons.
• Place the game die in the large jar with lid. You will use this jar for all the Unit 2
lessons.
• Place the gift bags around your classroom. (Optional: place a few of the bags on
boxes or stools to add visual interest.) You will use these gift bags (and the boxes
or stools) for all the Unit 2 lessons.

Print out the Baby Moses pictures and create the large Bible storybook that goes in the
Bible Story Bag by attaching them together at one corner using staples, or punching a
hole and using a brad or string. Attaching them at one corner only will allow for easier
turning of the pages. If desired, create a cover for the storybook using cardstock.

Print the fronts and backs of the five “God Is With Us!” game cards. (There are four iden-
tical cards per page—you need only one card from each page.) Copy corresponding fronts
and backs onto cardstock and cut them apart so you have five two-sided game cards.

Prepare the materials that will be given to each of the children. To prepare the stickers,
print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart
for easier distribution.

Print out the lesson and practice the teaching time.
2 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
Kids of Teacher’s Prep
the Bible READ EXODUS 2:1-10. The word “brave” has been redefined since September 11, 2001.
Now being brave also means going to work or school or boarding a plane even though you
may be afraid. For many, bravery has a new definition and has become an absolute necessity
in our lives. And yet, the source of our bravery has not changed in the least. God is still with
us and is still helping us. There is no problem, fear or worry so big that God cannot help us
be brave. He wants us to trust Him and tells us to “be strong and courageous.” That’s all. Do
not be so scared that you don’t live your life to the fullest. “Be strong and courageous.” This
week, think about one thing you are really afraid to do and share it with a trusted friend.
Then ask God to give you courage. Watch in amazement as He helps you step out and
accomplish great things!

Activity Stations
(20 MINUTES)
Choose which Activity Stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations
folder.

Creative Bible Teaching

(15 MINUTES)
[Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Invite kids to sit down.]

TEACHER:
Hello, friends! My name is _________ and I’m so glad you’re here! Today we are going to
play a really fun game and learn a lot of things about God! We are going to sing songs and
hear a Bible story as we all play a game together. It’s going to be so much fun! First, let’s
remember two special rules. Can you hold one finger in the air? [Along with kids, hold up one
finger.] Good job! Rule number one, be safe. Can you say that with me? Be safe! You can be
safe by sitting [name designated area.] Now hold two fingers up in the air. [Along with kids,
hold up two fingers.] Rule number two, be kind. Can you say that with me? Be kind! You can
be kind by sitting down so everyone can see and being quiet so everyone can hear. Great job!

Now we are ready to play . . .

[SFX 58: The Great Kid Game! (with music).]

TEACHER:
[Dance and clap. Invite kids to clap while staying seated.] Let me tell you how we’ll play the
game. We’ll start right here [point to Start Square on The Great Kid Game game board] and
go all the way to the end [point to the last square]. When we land on the “Lalalalala” [sing like
a musical scale] Square [point to square on the game board], then we know it’s time to sing
and we look in here [point to “Lalalalala” Bag] to find out which song we’re going to sing!

3 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
When we land on the Bible Story Square [point to square on the game board], then we get to
Kids of look in the Bible Story Bag [point to the bag]. And there’s a Question Mark Square [point to
the Bible square on the game board]. When we land on the Question Mark Square, we look in here
[point to Question Mark Bag] for the question we get to answer! We also have a Thinking
Hat Bag [point to the bag] that gives us good things to think about and a Silly Willy Bag
[point to the bag]. It always has something silly to give us! When we get to this square right
here [point to Finish Square], we win the game!

Teacher SEE TEACHER NOTE

Note: Let’s play our game! First we have to shake up this jar with our game die in it. Then when I
Regardless of what open the jar we will find out how many spaces we get to move. Can you help me [shake jar
number the die with die] shake, shake, shake the jar? [Kids pretend to shake the jar.] Shake it up high! Now
shows, say it shows shake it down low! Good job! [Open jar and examine die.] Oh good! We get to move two
the number indicat- spaces. Count to two with me. [Move game piece while counting.] One . . . two. We landed on
ed in the lesson. the Silly Willy Square! [Place game piece onto the Silly Willy Square.]

[SFX 59: Silly Willy: Yippee! You landed on me, Silly Willy! Get ready, because soon you’re
gonna look really silly.]

TEACHER:
Let’s open up the Silly Willy Bag and see what’s inside. [Remove tissue and look inside bag.]
There’s something really silly in here! [Reach in and take out hat with basket on top.] It’s a hat
and there’s a basket on top! Hey, there is a basket in our Bible story today! But Silly Willy,
what am I going to do with this silly hat?

[SFX 60: Silly Willy: It’s a hat, silly, so I’ll tell you what to do. Put it on your head and
count to two.]

TEACHER:
Well, I guess I’ll put it on! [Put hat on head.] Girls and boys, let’s count to two. One . . . two.
Silly Willy, how do I look?

[SFX 61: Silly Willy: You sure look silly! Good job, friends. You can move along in
The Great Kid Game!]

TEACHER:
Thanks, Silly Willy! [Pick up game jar.] It’s time to shake! Shake with me! [Shake jar then
open lid and examine die.] Three spaces! Let’s count together. [Move game piece while count-
ing.] One . . . two . . . three. We landed on the Bible Story Square!

Do you know which one is the Bible Story Bag? [After kids point to the bag, take off the Silly
Willy hat, go to the bag, remove the tissue paper, and look inside.] I found the Bible storybook.
[Show Bible storybook.] Boy, this is a big Bible storybook! This book has special pictures
because some of the pictures have buttons. When we press the buttons we will hear a sound
from the Bible story. Today’s Bible story is about a little girl who was very brave. That means
she wasn’t afraid. I think we’re ready to hear our story. So let’s click on our listening ears.
Click! Click! [Tug on each earlobe.] And let’s put on our special eyes. Shookum! Shookum!
[Hold hands to eyes, one at a time, shaping glasses.] Good job!

4 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
[Sit on a stool and prop the book up on an easel so your hands are free to do the motions. Open
Kids of book to the first page.] Our Bible story is about a little girl named Miriam.
the Bible
[Turn to second page, the Baby Moses picture.] Miriam had a baby brother. His name was
Lesson 5 LG 4a
Moses. Moses was a tiny baby. Let’s pretend to hold Baby Moses. [Rock arms back and forth.]
Sometimes Moses cried, sometimes he laughed, and sometimes he went to sleep. Shhhh.
Let’s hear what Moses sounds like. [Press button on the Baby Moses picture.]

[SFX 62: Baby laughing.]

TEACHER:
Miriam and her mother loved Baby Moses. Give yourselves a great big hug. [Along with the
kids, hug yourself.] Miriam and her mom gave Baby Moses lots of hugs.

Lesson 5 LG 4a [Turn to the king picture.] But there was someone who did not like Baby Moses. There was a
mean king, and the king wanted to hurt Baby Moses. Listen. [Press button on the king
Lesson 5 LG 4b
picture.]

[SFX 63: King: I don’t like Baby Moses.]

TEACHER:
Was the mean king being nice? [No.] He wasn’t. The Bible says that Miriam and her mother
didn’t want the mean king to find Baby Moses. They loved Baby Moses. They wanted Baby
Moses to be safe and away from the mean king.

Lesson 5 LG 4b
[Turn to picture of Baby Moses in a basket in the water.] They decided to hide Baby Moses so
the mean king could not find him. So Baby Moses’ mom took Baby Moses and put him in a
basket. Then she put the basket into the water to float. The water had lots of tall grass all
Lesson 5 LG 5

around, and the tall grass hid Baby Moses so the mean king could not find him. Let’s hear
what it sounded like to be Baby Moses by the water. [Press button on the baby in the basket
picture.]

[SFX 64: Water.]

TEACHER:
[Turn to the picture of Miriam in the grass watching Baby Moses.] Miriam went to the water
and hid behind the tall grass. She watched Baby Moses to make sure he was okay. Let’s watch
Lesson 5 LG 5 Baby Moses float down the river just like his sister Miriam did. [Along with kids, put your
hand above your eyes and look into the distance.] We’re watching. We’re watching. We’re
watching Baby Moses. Say it with me. We’re watching. We’re watching. We’re watching Baby
Moses. And stop.

[Turn to princess picture.] Miriam saw a princess coming to the water. Listen. [Press the but-
ton on the princess picture.]

[SFX 65: Royal entrance.]

TEACHER:
The princess saw Baby Moses in the basket that was floating in the water. She picked up
Lesson 5 LG 6
Baby Moses. And Baby Moses started to cry. Well, Miriam was watching. Miriam saw Baby

5 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
Moses crying. She wanted to go help her brother. But she didn’t even know the princess. She
Kids of was probably afraid of the princess, but she did a brave thing.
the Bible
[Turn to picture of Miriam talking to the princess.] Even though Miriam didn’t know the
princess, she talked to the princess. Miriam knew God was with her. She walked right up to
Lesson 5 LG 7
the princess. Listen to what Miriam said. [Press the button on the picture of Miriam and the
princess.]

[SFX 66: Miriam: Do you want someone to take care of this baby for you?]

TEACHER:
Do you think the princess was nice to Miriam? [Yes.] She was nice. The princess told Miriam
yes, she did want help taking care of Baby Moses. So Miriam ran home to get her mother.
Let’s make the sound of Miriam running. [Along with kids, pat your hands on your knees.]
She got her mother. She ran back to the princess, [along with kids, pat your hands on your
Lesson 5 LG 7
knees] and Miriam and her mother helped the princess take care of Baby Moses. Moses was
safe with the princess. [Close book and take it off the easel.]
Lesson 5 LG 8

That was a great story! God was with Miriam. God helped Miriam talk to the princess. God
was with her. Then the princess let her help take care of Baby Moses. God helped Miriam be
brave. We can be brave too, because God is with us.

Let’s say our special words together. [Slowly the first time.] God [point up] is with me [point
thumbs to self]. Say it in your loud voice. God [point up] is with me [point thumbs to self].
Say it in your low voice. God [point up] is with me [point thumbs to self]. We learned our
Bible story, so it’s time to shake our game jar and see where we’re going to move next!
Lesson 5 LG 8
Okay, here we go! Let’s shake it up and down, let’s shake it all around. [Shake jar then open
lid and examine the die.] One space! Count with me. [Move game piece while counting.] One.
Lesson 5 LG 9

We landed on the “Lalalalala” Square!

Every time we open up “Lalalalala” Bag, we’ll sing a song. But before we can sing our song,
we have to sing “Lalalalala.” [Clear your throat and then sing again as if you’re warming up
your voice.] Lalalalala! Sing with me. [Along with kids, sing “Lalalalala!” Then remove tissue
paper and look inside the bag. Pull out piece of paper and announce the song name.]

Song suggestion: “Touch the Sky”

MUSIC

Lesson 5 LG 9
TEACHER:
[Do the following motions with the kids.] Touch your nose, touch your ears, touch the top of
your head, and sit down. I’m glad we sang, “Don’t Forget.” I don’t ever want to forget that
God is with us. Let’s keep playing The Great Kid Game. Let’s shake our jar and see where we
will land. [Shake jar wildly and then open lid.] It’s a three! Count with me. [Move game piece
while counting.] One . . . two . . . three. We landed on the Thinking Hat Square.

[Remove tissue paper from the Thinking Hat Bag, take out Thinking Hat, and put it on your
head.] Let’s all pretend to put on our thinking hats. Ready? Neeeeer ding! [Reach hands
above head and bring them down as you put the hat on your head.] Let’s take a look inside the
Thinking Hat Bag and find out what we get to think about today. [Take out the folded paper

6 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
from inside Thinking Hat, unfold it, and read it aloud.] Today you are going to think about a
Kids of time when you felt afraid.
the Bible
Okay. Hmmm, one time I was afraid to go to sleep because it was dark in my room. And
remember in our Bible story, at first Miriam was afraid to talk to the princess because she
didn’t know her. Can you think of a time when you felt afraid? [Allow kids to shout out their
answers.] Good thinking! Remember when you’re afraid, God is with you. God will help you
be brave! [Take off Thinking Hat.] Let’s keep going in our game!

Let’s shake our game jar again. Everybody shake with me. [Shake jar and then open it.] Three
spaces! Count with me. [Move game piece while counting.] One . . . two . . . three. We landed
on the Question Mark Square.

The Question Mark Bag always has a special question for us and some pictures to help us
answer the question. Let’s look into the bag and see what our question for today is. [Remove
folded paper from Question Mark Bag, unfold it, and read it aloud.] Our Question is, “When
can you be brave?”

Look! There are pictures in here. [Show the Dog picture.] What is this a picture of? [Dog!]
Have you ever been afraid of a dog? [Allow kids to shout out their answers.] Sometimes we
are afraid of dogs. Some dogs can be big and loud and that can be scary. But who’s with us
all the time? [God!] God [point up] is with me [point thumbs to self]. If you think you can
be brave when you see dogs, pat the top of your head with your hand. [Along with kids, pat
Lesson 5 LG 10 the top of your head with the palm of your hand.] Great job! Let’s take a look at another picture.

[Show the Rainstorm picture.] What is this a picture of? [Storm!] Have you ever been afraid
of a storm? [Allow kids to shout out their answers.] Sometimes we are afraid of rain or thun-
der. The thunder can be loud and sometimes it can be really scary. But who’s with us all the
time? [God!] God [point up] is with me [point thumbs to self]. If you think you can be
brave when it rains, clap your hands. [Along with kids, clap your hands.] You’re doing great.
Let’s try one more.

[Show the Child going to bed picture.] What is the person in this picture doing? [Going to
bed!] Have you ever been afraid to go to sleep because it’s really dark in your room? [Allow
kids to shout out their answers.] Sometimes the dark can be scary. But who’s with us all the
time? [God!] God [point up] is with me [point thumbs to self]. If you think you can be
Lesson 5 LG 11
brave when it’s time to go to sleep, rub your tummy with your hand. [Along with kids, rub
your stomach with the palm of your hand.] Good job! We learned when we can be brave
because God is with us. Now we are finished with the Question Mark Bag.

Let’s shake the jar and move along. [Shake jar wildly.] Shake with me! [Shake to side.] Shake
it to this side. [Shake to other side.] Shake it to this side. Now [shake over head] shake it up
over your head! Great job! [Open jar and examine die.] Two spaces! Let’s count together.
[Move game piece while counting.] One . . . two! We did it!

[SFX 67: Celebration music.]

TEACHER:
Lesson 5 LG 12
Good job! We got to the end of our game. Yahoo! And we learned that God [point up] is
with me [point thumbs to self]. This is so much fun let’s stand up and sing one more song!

7 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
Kids of
the Bible
Song suggestion: “God is Number One”
MUSIC

Life Application Activity

(10 MINUTES)

TEACHER:
Ready? One, two, three, and sit. Great job. What was the name of the little girl who was
brave?” [Miriam.] Miriam was brave, she was not afraid. Who did she talk to? [The princess.]
Miriam knew that God was with her. What did we learn? God [point up] is with me [point
thumbs to self]. We are going to play one more game called the “God Is With Us!” game. It
will help us remember that we can be brave because God is with us.

[Place the Unit 2 Life Application game board in the middle of the kids. Hold the five game
cards in your hand, and place the game piece on the “Start” space.]
t
ar
St We are going to play a game. We will start at the beginning of the game [point to the “Start”
space] and go to the end of the game [point to the “Finish” space]. When we land on these
pictures [point to the five pictures on the board], we will stop and do what is on our matching
Lesson 5 SG 14a
game card. [Show game cards.] When we move our game piece [show game piece], we will
count squares. Let’s play our game.

[Move the game piece around the board as the kids help you count. Stop at each of the pictures
and read the matching card.]

START CARD:
Lesson 5 SG 15a Count to three as I move the game piece.

SILLY WILLY CARD:

Do a funny dance while I count to 10. [Along with kids, do a funny dance.] 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-
9-10. Freeze! Let’s sit down. Now count to four as I move the game piece.

BIBLE STORY CARD:

What was the name of the baby in the Bible story? [Moses.] Let’s pretend to rock Baby
Lesson 5 SG 16a Moses. [Along with kids, cradle arms and rock them back and forth.] Baby Moses was put into
a basket in the water so the mean king wouldn’t hurt Baby Moses. But then a princess took
Lesson 5 SG 13
him out of the water, and Miriam did a brave thing. What did Miriam do? [She talked to the
princess.] And then Miriam and her mom helped the princess take care of Baby Moses. Now
let’s count to five as I move the game piece.

HOUSE CARD:
When do you feel afraid? Show the Brave paper [it shows three pictures: thunderstorm, child
going to bed, and a spider]. These are pictures of times when we can be brave at home. Tell
me what you see. [Allow children to respond.] Are you ever afraid of the things in the pic-
tures? Remember you can be brave because God is with you. Now let’s count to two as I
move the game piece.
Lesson 5 SG 13

8 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5
 UNIT 2:
SPECIAL WORDS CARD:
Kids of Let’s say our special words together in our squeaky voice. God [point up] is with me [point
the Bible thumbs to self]. Now let’s say them in our quietest voices God [point up] is with me [point
thumbs to self]. Now let’s count to three as I move the game piece.

Good job! We won the game! What did we learn today? God [point up] is with me [point
thumbs to self]. Let’s talk to God and thank Him for being with us. When we want to talk to
God, we can pray. [Lead the children in the following finger play.]

Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.]

Lesson 5 SG 17a Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.]
Give a little clap. [Clap hands.]
Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.]
Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.]
Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.]
Special
Words [Invite the children to repeat after you as you pray.]
Dear God,
Lesson 5 SG 18a Thank You for being with us.
Thank You for the Bible story.
Thank You for our snack.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Snack and Coloring Activity

Go
d is
with m
e. (15 MINUTES)
This is the time for you and the children to build community. A great way to let the kids know
you care about them as individuals is to ask them questions about themselves.

GIVE each child a snack to eat.

GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack.
Lesson 5 SG 19 TELL kids: You can be brave, because God is with you.
GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up.
ASK each child the following question and affirm children individually:
God is with me.
• What was your favorite part of the game?
• What is your favorite song to sing?

Baby Moses (Exodus 1-2:10)

Lesson 5 SG 20

9 Fall Quarter © 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher’s Guidebook / Lesson 5