DISCUSSION GUIDE

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A family of roaches -- Grandpa Lou,Grandma Nana, and grandson,Squiggz -- are vacationing in Floridawhen a hurricane threatens to ruintheir good time. Always one to makethe best of a bad situation, GrandpaLou takes the opportunity to tell thevery appropriate story of his exper-ience on Noah's Ark. One in a seriesof family friendly, hilarious children'svideos, The Roach Approach, Don’tMiss the Boat also featuresmemorable songs from MichaelMcDonald and Kirk Whalun.

This discussion guide touches ontopics that children often deal withand should learn at a young age –

courage, obedience, bullying,forgive-ness, purpose. Each topic iscomplete with thought-provokingquestions, related scriptures, andhelpful lessons. To supplement thelessons, clips from the movie havebeen chosen and are offered as avisual aid. These clips are availablefor download at www.foxfaith.comor may be shown through aspecially made DVD that you canrequest at the same website. Theseclips and the guide, used in Sundayschool classes, other small groupsor by parents, will provide you withthe opportunity to discuss situationsthat a child may experience as theyjourney towards adulthood.

For more information and additional Churchresource material, go to www.foxfaith.com.For more information and additional Churchresource material, go to www.foxfaith.com.

The Roach Approach, Don’t Miss theBoat! comes to you from WackyWorld Studios, one of the mostsought after companies in theindustry. The company is knownthroughout the world for its out-standing diversity in such areasas unique children’s ministries andthemed environments such as the“ET” ride at Universal Studios andthe “Rain Forest Café” in U.S. citiesand abroad.

The creator of the Roach Approachseries is Bruce Barry who is themagic behind Wacky World.

His creative genius has expandedto Bible stories since his conversionto Christianity in 1999. Now,Bruce’s talents have him involvedin a mission to reach kids for Christthrough his art and imagination.

The Roach Approach series iscritically acclaimed and approvedby the Dove Foundation for FamilyEntertainment. Featuring originalsongs by Michael McDonald, KirkWhalum and Natalie Grant whoalso plays the voice of Kate theButterfly.

ABOUT THE FILM We have an opportunity toaffect others. Who can you thinkof that you would like to encourageknowing more about Jesus? Whoin your life has influenced you?Parents? Friends? Pastor?

Lesson to Learn

Schnoz, the aardvark disobeysthe rules and pulls the plug,causing the ark to sink. Then, whileall the other animals are cryingand complaining, it’s Nan whohas the courage to take action. Inthe eyes of all the passengers, shewas just a lowly cockroach, butshe rescued everyone.

When God chose Noah to buildthe ark and give the world a newstart, he didn’t pick him becauseof his importance in the com-munity. Instead, he chose Noahfor a great task because he had aheart for God. We need to remem-ber that God has a purpose foreveryone and everything--nomatter how humble they may be.

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supplemented by clips from themovie you’ve either received ordownloaded online. These sceneswere specifically selected to helpyou set the tone and furnishcontext for your discussions,whether it’s in the home-setting,or the Sunday school class. Thereare also suggested scriptures foryour group to read. The videoclips, Bible reading, and questionsshould initiate conversation.

We suggest that you show thevideo to your class or study groupin its entirety, followed by dis-cussion, video clips, and Biblereading. Use the Discussionbooklet as your guide. Remember,this study can extend over severallearning sessions, if you choose.You’ll find that this process willprovide you with the opportunityto discuss situations that an indi-vidual may experience as theyjourney towards adulthood.Through this video and DiscussionGuide, we hope to equip eachchild with the tools they will needin the future.

The Roach Approach, Don’t Miss theBoat! is an entertaining story abouta six-legged family on vacation inMiami -- a family of cockroaches.Grandpa Lou, Nan and theirgrandson, Squiggz find themselvesfacing a hurricane that threatenstheir home. But that’s not all that’stroubling Squiggz. He’s upsetbecause his prayer during lunch-time out by the dumpster, causedlaughter from other roach kids.To take his mind off the ridiculeand the approaching storm,Grandpa Lou tells the story ofNoah and the ark, and how hewas laughed at too.

This video weaves the story ofNoah with the adventures of Louand Nan aboard the ark wherethe two honeymooned. What theyencounter are experiences thatchildren can identify with and learnfrom. Topics such as faith, courage,life purpose, and God’s plan areexplored in this hilarious scenario–one that everyone will enjoy.

About the Discussion Guide

With the Discussion Guide, parentsand teachers can lead their groupin discussion of subjects that toucha child’s life. The lessons are

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endangers her life. In the end,Nan saves the passengers fromdrowning and the ark fromsinking because of her heroism.

Questions

Nan is a lowly cockroach andin the eyes of others, may not seemas important as a kingly lion. But,she did a mighty deed. How wasNan used to save all the passen-gers on the ark? What were othermore prestigious animals on theship doing while it was sinking?Do you think God can use humblepeople to do great work? ReadI Corinthians 1:27.

God chose Noah to build theark so the world could have a newbeginning. Did he choose himbecause he was important, or wasthere another reason? ReadGenesis 6:8-9, & 22. What qualitiesdo you think God wants to seein us?

New FriendsIn this scene, the storm has passedand Grandpa Lou has just finishedthe story about the ark. Much totheir surprise, they have two

young visitors at their door whowant to talk to Squiggz. They thenproceed to tell Squiggz that theysaw him say his prayer at lunch-time, the day before. Squiggzadmits that it was embarrassing,but the kids tell him that they wereimpressed that he stood up for hisbeliefs, even though the other kidslaughed at him. In fact, the twovisitors say they’re encouragedto pray at lunch now too. And, ifit’s o.k. with Squiggz, they’d liketo sit with him at lunch tomorrow.As Squiggz says, “ Us roachesneed to stick together.”

Questions

When Squiggz prayed atlunchtime, the other roaches madefun of him. But, by standing up forhis beliefs, his actions had agreater purpose. What was it?When Squiggz eats lunch the nextday, he and his new friends planto pray. Do you think he will beembarrassed this time? Why not?

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Discussions

Once your group has watched TheRoach Approach, Don’t Miss theBoat!, you can reinforce thethemes and messages of the storyby showing them the video clips.These clips can be downloadedonline at www.foxfaith.com orshown through a specially madeDVD that you can request at thesame website.

You might start the study time bysaying something like this: “We’vewatched the story about thecockroaches and their adventureon Noah’s ark. Now we’re goingto watch a video clip that will helpus discover some ideas that wecan use in our own lives.” Then,after they have watched the clip,read the questions and scripturesthat will jump-start discussion.Remember, the amount of time youspend on this process is entirely upto you. Don’t feel like you have tohurry through a good conversationto finish all the scenes. The goal isto allow the group time to under-stand the principles that are setforth in the story.

COURAGE TO BEOBEDIENT

Not So CoolWith the hurricane approachingthe home where the Roach familylives, Grandpa Lou assuresSquiggz that God is in control. Butthat’s not all that is troubling hisgrandson. Squiggz is feeling sadbecause kids at the dumpstermade fun of him when he prayedbefore eating his lunch. GrandpaLou proceeds to tell him aboutanother person, a man namedNoah, who others ridiculed.

Questions

Have you ever prayed in publiclike Squiggz did and felt likeothers were watching you? Howdid it make you feel? Read theBible verse I Corinthians 10:31.Why is it important to pray, evenif we feel embarrassed?

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EVERYONE HASA PURPOSE

Who Pulled the Plug?Schnoz, the aardvark disobeysthe sign that says “Do NotRemove” and as a result, he pullsthe plug at the bottom of the ark.When the water comes rushingin, there is chaos. The lion, thesheep and the other animals cryand complain about what ishappening. But, the tiny cock-roach, Nan thinks quickly thencourageously puts the plug backinto the hole; a struggle that

kid has deep hurts that they’redealing with so they take out theiraggressions on someone else.Thankfully, God sees their heart,even though we look at them onthe outside and see ugliness.God’s love can heal their lives andfrequently, it comes through thecompassion of another person.When this opportunity exists, weneed to set aside our anger andhurt feelings as Lou did, to forgive.After all, God has forgiven us.

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If someone makes fun, orlaughs at you because of yourfaith in God, should you quitpraying or doing what God asksyou to do? Why not? Read thescripture Romans 1:16.

Noah BelievesIn the second scene, God tellsNoah that he plans to flood theearth and only save Noah andhis family, plus the animals. Godeven gives Noah the plans to builda huge ark. But having the faithand courage to do this task isn’teasy. Because Noah lives in thedesert, everyone makes fun of himfor building a boat. Until it startsto rain.

Questions

God asked Noah to build theark, even though he lived in thedesert. It probably seemed like aridiculous request. Read scripturesGenesis 6:8-9, 17-18. Why do youthink he went ahead and did it?Read Hebrews 11:7. What do weknow about Noah and his faith?

Noah continued to build theark in the desert for many years.During the time he and his familyworked on the boat, peoplelaughed at them. Read Hebrews11:1 & 6. How did Noah have thecourage to continue, even in theface of ridicule?

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confronted by Schnoz, his firstreaction is fear and anger. Thatchanges when he listens to Schnozand his concerns. Lou even finds itin his heart to forgive the aardvarkfor his earlier bullying tactics.

Questions

When Schnoz, the aardvark,approaches Lou, Schnoz is metwith anger. Why do you think Loureacted this way? What does theBible say about anger? ReadLeviticus 19:18.

Schnoz has been acting meanand bullying others because hehas been so unhappy. When theaardvark tells Lou his story andthen asks for forgiveness, whatdoes Lou do? Do you think it is easyto forgive someone who has hurtyou? Why? What does the Biblesay to do? Read Matthew 6:14.

Lesson to Learn

It isn’t uncommon for children toencounter someone who is a bully.When they do, it can be a frighten-ing experience. For instance, abully might force a child to giveup his lunch money; or a tough

kid may torment a young personwith unkind words or physicalabuse. Intimidation and fear arethe tools a bully uses to havecontrol and power.

Being the victim is often verydifficult and a child may find thatthey are too afraid to do anythingabout the person who is bullyingthem. In this story, Kate intervenedand stood up to the aardvark,even though Schnoz was muchbigger than she. This took a hugeamount of courage and goodcommunication, but the outcomewas rewarding. Whether a childwho is alone should be encour-aged to stand up to a bully isdebatable. But, they should bepersuaded to get help from aparent, a teacher or some othertrusted adult. Also, children asa group can influence a bully’sbehavior and should be quick tooffer help when they see a victimbeing intimidated.

Even though bullies may beaggressive and appear to beunfeeling, that exterior posturemay be just an act; an attitudethat makes them feel better aboutthemselves. Often times, a tough

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know is wrong, even thoughthe other kids say it’s okay.

When our behavior is differentfrom others, it might make themfeel uncomfortable. Sometimestheir reaction is to laugh at whatwe are doing. That is why it’simportant to have a deep faithin God, trusting Him in everything.We also need to pray all the time,and read the Bible. God promisesto give us the strength and thecourage that we need to livefor Him.

BULLYINGAND

FORGIVENESS

Gulp!As Grandpa Lou tells the storyof his and Nan’s adventure manyyears earlier, we find the newly-wed roaches on board the arkafter nearly missing the boat.Here they encounter a bullyingaardvark that captures Lou fordinner and has the same thingin mind for Nan. Fortunately,Kate, the caterpillar steps forwardand tells the aardvark, nicknamed“Schnoz,” that he should “do untoothers as you would have themdo unto you.” Convinced that Kateis right about his not eating theroaches, especially since he couldencounter the same fate withthe lions on board, he finally spitsout Lou. Schnoz leaves with awarning to the cockroaches thatonce the ark finds land, “thenall bets are off.”

Lesson to Learn

One of the things we face asChristians is that not everyoneunderstands our faith and trust inGod. Just like Squiggz and Noah,sometimes we are going to bemade fun of because of the waywe believe. Our belief may meanpraying before we eat, or goingto church on Sunday, or carryingour Bible to school. It may alsomean telling others about Jesus,or not doing something that we

Questions

Kate is very tiny compared tothe aardvark, so when Katestepped in to protect Lou and Nan,she was risking her own life. Whydo you think she went ahead andconfronted the aardvark? Readthe scripture Luke 10:27.

Have you ever encountered aperson who was mean to you, orwho was a bully? How did youfeel afterward? Knowing how youfelt in that situation, would youhelp someone who was beingbullied? Why or why not? Readthe Bible verse Philippians 4:13.

The Inside StoryIn the second scene, Lou is worriedthat Nan is so sick that she mightdie. Life looks bleak. Schnoz whohas overheard him, approachesLou to tell him that he understandshow he feels. Unknown toanyone, the aardvark has beenupset too.

Ever since boarding the ark,Schnoz has been sad that the love-of-his-life, Rosie, is missing fromthe boat. For him, life is miserablewithout her. When Lou is

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