Foundations of Faith
Sunday November 15, 2020
Lesson 9: God Knows Jonah Ran Away
Introduction to at home Sunday School
This site is set up to follow along as it is laid out with parent instruction and video links.
At home instruction w/full lesson supply list
Follow the content as it is laid out with optional links at the bottom.
Opening
- Bible
Talk-About Video
Core Bible Discovery
Bibles
chairs
blanket
Legos, blocks, or books
Craft
- 16-ounce plastic cups (1 per child)
- thumbtacks
- string
- scissors
- rubber bands (2 per child)
- stapler
- construction paper (in a variety of colors)
- transparent tape
- googly eyes
- ping-pong balls (1 per child)
- permanent markers
- dot stickers
- "Urpity Fish Instructions" handout (download here)
Music Video
Life Application Wrap-Up
Extras
Opening
Supplies
- Bible
Introduce the Lesson
Say: We’re spending a few months finding out the answer to this question: Who is God? Today we’ll learn that God is all-knowing. None of us are all-knowing, but there might be something you know a lot about!
Share
- Tell kids a fun fact about a topic you know a lot about.
- Have kids form pairs. Ask kids to share fun facts about topics they know a lot about.
- After partners have shared, ask two or three kids to share with the whole group. Thank kids for teaching you new things!
Summarize
Open a Bible to Jonah 1, and say: God is all-knowing. He already knew all the facts we just shared…and so much more! Today’s Bible story will show us something God knew, even though the person in the Bible wished he didn’t. We’ll see that we can’t hide anything from God—and there’s nothing we need to hide! The Bible tells us how much God loves us, and the Bible is completely true! So let’s talk with our all-knowing, loving God.
Pray, praising God for knowing everything.
Talk About Video
Kids watch a video and discuss the Bible point.
Discuss and Watch “Runaway Rodents”
Say: We’re learning that God is all-knowing. When the people in Nineveh weren’t obeying, God knew! When Jonah ran away, God knew! Let’s watch.
Watch “Runaway Rodents.”
Ask: • Why do you think Jonah ran away instead of going to Nineveh?
• How can you tell God knew where Jonah was?
• What are some things God knows about you?
Say: God is all-knowing. He knew exactly what was happening with Jonah, as clearly as we could see it in our video! There’s nothing we can hide from God. But God loves us and gives us second chances.
Craft
Kids make fish that can spit Jonah out.
Printable Instructions HERE.
Supplies
- 16-ounce plastic cups (1 per child)
- thumbtacks
- string
- scissors
- rubber bands (2 per child)
- stapler
- construction paper (in a variety of colors)
- transparent tape
- googly eyes
- ping-pong balls (1 per child)
- permanent markers
- dot stickers
- "Urpity Fish Instructions" handout (download here)
Make Fish
Show kids the sample craft you made. Give each child a cup and a ping-pong ball. Set out the remaining supplies to share, and have kids follow the directions on the "Urpity Fish Instructions" handout to make Urpity Fish.
- Use a thumbtack to poke a hole in the bottom of your cup.
- Cut a piece of string to be roughly 2 feet long.
- Poke the string through the hole in the cup.
- Cut four slits around the rim of the cup, evenly spaced.
- Stretch rubber bands over the cup, sliding them through the slits to make a plus sign.
- Tie the end of the string that’s inside the cup to the center of the rubber bands.
- Staple the rim of the cup above the rubber bands to close up the top of the slits.
- Decorate your cup to look like a fish. To make scales, you can cut small half-circles out of construction paper and tape them in rows around your cup. You can also add fins and a head with googly eyes. Younger kids can use dot stickers to decorate their cups and add the heads and fins you pre-cut.
- Draw a Jonah figure on your ping-pong ball using a permanent marker.
Try It Out
Say: When Jonah tried to run away, God knew where he was. God is all-knowing. God sent a fish to swallow Jonah and later had the fish spit Jonah back up onto the shore. Let’s see if you can get your fish to spit Jonah out.
Have kids follow these directions to get their fish to spit Jonah out. It may take a few tries to get Jonah to pop out, but working in pairs will help.
- Hold the cup in one hand and use the other hand to pull the string down as far as you can.
- Have a friend place your Jonah ping-pong ball right in the center of the rubber bands.
- Release the string and watch your fish spit Jonah out!
Talk About It
Ask: • What do you think it would be like to live inside a fish for three days?
• What do you think it would feel like to get spit up by a fish?
• Why do you think God caused this very unusual thing to happen to Jonah?
Say: God is all-knowing. Jonah couldn’t hide from him, because God knew where he was all along. But we don’t need to hide from God! He loves us, just like he loved Jonah even when Jonah disobeyed. He sent the fish to keep Jonah safe and to spit him back onto dry land.
Have kids use their Urpity Fish to tell the Bible story and Bible point to their friends and families.
Wrap up
Kids ask to get to know God more.
Ask and Listen
Say: We’ve been learning that God is all-knowing. He knows everything about you! We can never know everything about God, but we can always get to know him more. Let’s do that now.
- Pray: God, we’re going to listen to you. Tell us what you want us to know about you. We want to hear only your voice, not our own thoughts.
- Allow a minute or so for listening.
- Ask any kids who heard something from God to share what they heard.
- Pray: God, you are all-knowing, and you love us so much! Help us get to know you more. In Jesus’ name, amen.
EXTRAS!!!!!
ORLC YOUTH/Children's MINISTRY
Email: office@orlc-ak.org
Website: www.orlc-ak-org
Location: 18444 Old Glenn Highway, Chugiak, AK, USA
Phone: 907-688-2157