old testament unit 7: joshua lesson 1: joshua explored the ...€¦ · next plane back home! i felt...

Unfolding God’s Story for TeachersSeveral years ago, my husband and I went on a mission trip to Haiti where our church supports an orphan village. Each plane we boarded was smaller than the last, and my faith seemed to follow a similar pattern! This was the first time I had flown internationally, and I was totally out of my comfort zone. By the time we landed, I was a total wreck! The language, armed soldiers, poverty, smell, devastation, and sense of darkness were overwhelming. I yearned to catch the next plane back home! I felt trapped, and every aspect of the week ahead seemed daunting. I didn’t think I could survive seven days! I faced a crisis of belief. Please read Numbers 13:1-33; 14:6-9, where the Israelites faced a mighty test of faith. God had promised to give them Canaan, but it would not come on a silver platter. God wanted to show them His power, His presence, and His provision as they claimed the land. They would have to fight but would not be alone. God’s command to scout out the land would give the spies the opportunity to literally touch, taste, smell, and see firsthand why it was called the promised land, a land

“flowing with milk and honey” (Num. 13:27). In their journey they saw the beauty and the beasts. The fruits were amazing, but the men were like giants. They believed the land would devour them. Everyone in the group except for Caleb and Joshua lost his focus. God knew that they would see the giants and the large cities. But He wanted them to believe He was bigger than what their eyes could see. God wanted them to believe they served a God who could—and would conquer. Yet sadly, that day the majority ruled, and the people did not go into the promised land. Many Israelites died, and the rest wandered in the wilderness for forty years. But Caleb and Joshua were rewarded for their faith. At the end of the forty years, Joshua led the tribes into the promised land. Caleb became a conquering warrior. Months before our Haiti trip, God had burdened me to go and teach our precious orphans about Him. With His words, “go and teach” on my heart, I made

the necessary preparations. These involved a passport, shots, pills, packing, and praying! His words drove my preparation. Yet when I began to face the “giants” after the trip began, I lost focus of why I was there and of the One who had sent me. God led me to Haiti for more than the children; He wanted to show me He was big enough! Every moment I prayed, because I couldn’t make it without Him. The experience with the children was beautiful, but the lessons of God’s faithfulness, protection, and grace were equally wonderful. I left Haiti with a sense of calmness and peace, knowing my God was able. Joshua said, “The LORD is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!” (Num. 14:9). Fears will come, our faith will be tested, but our God is bigger than the giants. They are as grasshoppers to Him.

Old Testament Unit 7: Joshua Lesson 1: Joshua Explored the Promised Land

1. God created everything.

2. People disobeyed God.

3. God chose a special people.

4. God sent Jesus to help us.

5. Jesus began the Church.

6. Jesus is preparing heaven for us.

God’s Unfolding StoryBible Story: Joshua Explored the

Promised Land (Numbers 13:1-33; 14:6-9)Bible Phrase: “Trust in

the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own

understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).Bible Truth: I can trust

God to help me do what is hard.

Arrival• Greet children at eye level and express how happy

you are to see them.• Be sure each child has a name tag and the security

measures of your church are followed.• Label all coats and personal belongings. Strongly

encourage children who have brought items from home, such as toys and books, to place them on a shelf while they are working with other materials. Assure children their items will be safe and they can take them home at the end of the session.

• Help each child make a choice where he or she would like to begin his or her Center Time.

Hour A

Lesson Plan

Suggested Schedule:

ArrivalCenters – 25 minutes

Clean-up Time – 5 minutesBible Story Time – 15 minutes

Craft Time – 10 minutes Snack Time – 10 minutes

Game Time/Dismissal

God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright © 2014 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT07 Lesson 1 Hour A

Center Time

Hom

e Living Center: Role Play

• Small rocking chair, sink and stove unit

and small table and chairs; plastic dishes,

child pots and pans; pretend food items;

doll, doll bed, and doll accessories• O

ptional: Bring some grapes from

home. A

lso bring figs and pom

egranates for the children to taste.W

hat to D

o: Be sure to post an allergy alert

sign for parents if serving the fruit. Hom

e living items

naturally encourage children to act out roles and activities they observe at hom

e. Encourage children to use the food item

s to prepare a pretend meal.

Link to the B

ible Sto

ry: Use both real and

pretend foods to explain that in today’s Bible story, M

oses chose 12 men to spy out the land

God w

ould give them. Express that the m

en found the land to be full of grapes, figs, and pom

egranates—and the spies brought som

e back for the people to see and enjoy.

Art Center: Stam

ping a Fruit PictureSup

plies:

• White construction paper

• Sponges in the shapes of fruits (or use real apples), w

ashable tempera paint, paper plates

What to

Do

: Print the Bible Phrase, “Trust in the Lord w

ith all your heart, and do not rely on your own

understanding” Proverbs 3:5, on each paper. Cut sponges

into fruit shapes or cut the apples in half. Invite preschoolers to press the sponges or apples into the paint and then on their

papers to make fruit prints.

Link to the B

ible Sto

ry: As preschoolers w

ork, talk about the Bible story for today. Express that M

oses sent out 12 spies to look over the land G

od w

ould give them. The spies found the land

to be full of beautiful fruits, and they brought som

e back for the people to see and enjoy.

Bible Learning Center: C

omparing Size

Supp

lies: • C

opies of Activity Page: C

omparing,

“Which O

ne is Bigger?” (Reproducible)• W

ashable markers or crayons

What to

Do

: Preschoolers should be instructed to look at the pictures in each row

and circle the biggest.

Link to the B

ible Sto

ry: Express to children these are pictures from

today’s Bible story. Com

ment

that Moses sent 12 m

en to spy out the land that G

od would give H

is people. Explain that the spies found all kinds of fruits, trees,

rivers, and large cities with thick w

alls all around. A

lso, the people they saw

seemed to be as tall as giants.

Block Center: Build w

ith Blocks• W

ooden blocksW

hat to D

o: Provide a sm

all carpet if possible. Blocks are best located in a

corner of the room aw

ay from the traffic flow.

Link to the B

ible Sto

ry: As children play

in the Block Center, listen for opportunities to

share part of the Bible story, say the Bible Phrase, or refer to the Bible truth of today’s lesson. Play a

counting game w

ith the blocks. Encourage children to try to stack 12 blocks w

ithout letting them fall.

Com

ment that M

oses chose 12 people to spy out the land that G

od wanted to give the Israelites.

Invite children to build a wall w

ith the blocks. Talk about the thick w

alls built around the cities in the land that G

od wanted to give

His people. Express that the tall, thick w

alls m

ade the Israelites afraid to go into the land.

God’s U

nfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, C

opyright © 2014 - SundaySchoolZone.com

OT07 Lesson 1 H

our A

Puzzle Center: W

ork PuzzlesSup

plies:

• Offer a variety of non-fantasy

wooden or cardboard puzzles for

children to work.

What to

Do

: Invite preschoolers to w

ork puzzles. Encourage children to finish puzzles before leaving the center. G

ive guidance rather than working the

puzzle for the child. Link to

the Bib

le Story: A

s children w

ork, look for opportunities in conversation to say the Bible phrase or to briefly tell the Bible story.

God’s U



OT07 Lesson 1 H

our A

Clean-up Time

Introduction• Show

the God’s U

nfolding Story Cube. Express

to the boys and girls that even though we find

many stories in the Bible, the Bible really tells

one big story, and all the little stories are a part of the big one w

e can call God’s U

nfolding Story. Tell children that each picture represents a part of G

od’s Unfolding Story. Turn the cube and talk

about each part of the story. (Refer to page 1.) Express that every story from

the Bible is from

one of these main parts in G

od’s Unfolding Story.

Today’s story is from the third part; G

od chose a special people.

• Express the following in your ow

n words. “H

ave you ever been afraid to do som

ething because it seem

ed too hard? Perhaps you would like to

ride your bike without the training w

heels but are afraid you w

ill fall, or you want to sled dow

n a snow

y hill but are afraid the sled will tip over.

Having help from

a parent, friend, or family

mem

ber makes us less afraid. O

ur Bible story is about a young m

an named Joshua. Joshua

believed God w

ould help him do som

ething many

others were afraid to do.”

Bible StoryJoshua Explored the Prom

ised Land

(Num

bers 13:1-33; 14:6-9)A

fter the Israelites left Egypt, they traveled to the land w

here God had prom

ised they would

live. Other people already lived in the land,

people who did not like the Israelites. W

hat w

ould they do? They would have to go to battle

to claim the land. M

oses told the people not to be afraid, because G

od would be w

ith them.

God told M

oses to choose 12 strong men to

spy out the land. This meant the m

en would go

quietly into the land, watch the people, and see

what the land w

as like. They would com

e back and tell w

hat they had learned. A young m

an nam

ed Joshua was one of the 12 spies.

Moses asked Joshua and the other m

en to find out everything they could about the people, the land, and its cities. Their job w

as going to be very im

portant. Q

uietly the men entered the land. W

ow!

There was so m

uch to see! Joshua and the other spies saw

huge clumps of grapes, bright red

pomegranates, and juicy figs. They gathered

some of the fruit to take to the other Israelites.

The land was indeed beautiful. It w

ould be a w

onderful place to live. But the spies also saw

the cities and the people. The men seem

ed to

be as tall as giants and very strong. They felt like grasshoppers next to the people. A

lso, the cities had thick high w

alls surrounding them.

So Joshua and the other spies came back to the

camp. The spies told M

oses and the people what

they had seen. They showed them

the fruits from

the land. Ten of them w

ere afraid and did not w

ant to go into the land that God had prom

ised to give them

. Joshua wasn’t afraid, because he

knew G

od would take care of them

. He told

the people, “Don’t be afraid, G

od will lead us

through the land.” The people decided not to go into the land, and G

od was not pleased w

ith their choice. Joshua w

asn’t either. He trusted G

od, and later G

od used Joshua to help the Israelites take the land that H

e had promised to give them

.

Talk Time

1. Show the teaching picture for today’s Bible story.

Here are som

e questions you might use as you

review. “What w

ere some of the good things

Joshua and the other spies saw in the land? W

hat m

ade most of the spies afraid? W

hich spy thought they should go and take the land? W

hom did

Joshua remind the people w

ould help them take

the land? Did the Israelites’ choice please G

od?”

2. Read the Bible phrase on the teaching picture. Say the phrase together, “Trust in the Lord w

ith all your heart, and do not rely on your ow

n understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Express to children that Joshua m

ight have been afraid when he

saw the large cities and the m

en who looked

like giants, but he knew G

od would give them

courage to fight and claim

their land.

3. Close the Bible Story Tim

e by inviting the children to join you in prayer. Ask G

od to help each one trust H

im and rely on H

im for help to do w

hat is right, even w

hen it is hard.

Bible Story Tim

eSup

plies: • Bible

• Teaching Picture “Joshua Explored the Prom

ised Land” (Reproducible)

• God’s U

nfolding Story Cube

(Reproducible/Cardstock)

Encourage preschoolers to

help at clean-up time.

Assign specific tasks for

preschoolers to do such as placing all the crayons in the

basket, throwing aw

ay the trash, gathering all the glue sticks,

etc. Guide children to the

Bible Story Time area.

Snack Time

Be sure to wash hands or use

hand sanitizer. Say a thank-you prayer to G

od for the snack. W

hen snack time has ended,

encourage preschoolers to help w

ith cleaning up.

Gam

e Time / Dism

issal I Spy

Supp

lies:• Teaching Picture, “Joshua Explored the Prom

ised Land” – (Reproducible)

What to D

o: First, play the game, “I Spy” using the teaching picture. C

hoose som

ething in the picture to describe. Begin the game by saying, “I spy som

ething that is…

.” Describe the object by its color, shape, or purpose. H

ave children guess w

hat you are describing. Next, broaden the gam

e to the classroom. G

ive children the opportunity to describe an object. Rem

ind children that in today’s Bible story, Moses sent out 12 spies to look over

the land and the people. Com

ment that even though the m

en were giants and the

walls of the cities w

ere thick and high, Joshua knew G

od would help them

take the land, even though they m

ight be afraid. D

ismiss children as parents arrive. Be sure to follow

the security procedures of your church.

God’s U



OT07 Lesson 1 H

our A

Craft Time: Spy G

lass Bible PhraseSup

plie

s: • C

opies of “Spyglass Bible Phrase” (Reproducible, 1 copy for every 3 children)

• Crayons or m

arkers

• Glue

• Colored construction paper or em

pty paper tow

el tubes – (1 per child)• Stickers – non fantasy

What to

Do

: Cut out each spyglass. If em

pty paper towel tubes are not

available, make cylinders from

the construction paper. Children should color their

spy glasses and decorate them w

ith stickers. Glue or tape each spyglass to the

paper towel tube or cylinder.

Link to

the B

ible

Sto

ry: Review the Bible Phrase w

ith the children. Remind

children that Joshua believed God w

ould help the people to claim the land G

od w

anted give them, even though they m

ight be afraid. Talk about things we m

ight not w

ant to do because they seem too frightening or too hard, such as: going to

school or to a new school for the first tim

e; riding a bike without training w

heels; m

oving to a new city; flying on an airplane; going to bed w

ithout a nightlight; getting shots at the doctor’s office; etc. Express to children that they can pray and ask G

od for courage to do the right thing, even if it is hard.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not

rely on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5







Craft: “Sp

yglass B

ible Phrase”

Instructions: Cop

y 1 sheet for every four children. C

olor the spyg

lass and d

ecorate with

stickers. Tape or stap

le the spyg

lass to a pap

er towel tub

e or pap

er cylinder.

OT07 Lesson 1 H

our A C

raft Time

God’s U



old testament unit 7: joshua lesson 1: joshua explored the ...€¦ · next plane back home! i felt...

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