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    • Today's Theme:
    God takes care of us no matter what happens to us.

     

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     Today's Story:

    		Joseph is sold as a slave to Egypt
    Genesis 37
    Optional Memory verse: Don't say, "I'll pay you back for the 
    evil you did." Wait for the Lord.  He will make things right.  
    Proverbs 20:22
          (International Children's Bible, New Century Version)

    • Prior to the  lesson, draw the Nile River and the Red Sea onto the bulletin board paper, as illustrated below:

    wpe2.jpg (9841 bytes)

     

    Materials Needed:
    		Promised Land Mat
    Joseph figure 
    		For his coat of many colors:
    		cut a scrap of colorful cloth into a rectangle about 7" x 1.5", (18 cm X 4 cm),
    add a snap, Velcro, or a small safety pin closure.
    Kind pharaoh figure (or a flip pharaoh who flips from a kind pharaoh to an evil pharaoh),
    Construction paper tent from last week's lesson,
    Plastic or wood camel figure, (optional),
    Plastic or wooden sheep figures (1 or 2)
    2 or 3 samples of spices (a cinnamon stick, some whole cloves, etc.),
    A penny or other coin,
    Small rocks or wooden blocks to form a well big enough to surround the Joseph figure,
    8 or 9 Fisher Price or similar type people, (or play dough to make your own),
    Masking tape
    The land of Egypt for the kids to  make in class. You will need the following materials:
    		A piece of bulletin board paper cut to about 3' x 4' (or several, paper grocery bags cut apart and taped together to make a large rectangle,
    Crayons: greens, blues, browns and tans,
    Sandpaper, (optional), and glue or glue sticks

     

    •     Note: Save this Egypt mat to use in subsequent lessons

    Craft: Story Prop Have the kids make the land of Egypt to be used in today's story:
    		Tell the children:
    		"For today's story we need the land of Egypt which is like a desert.
    The only place in Egypt where people could grow food was along the river."
    Have the kids color:
    		the river and the sea with blue crayons,
    the desert areas with brown and tan crayons. (Optional: Let the kids glue sandpaper in places to represent desert areas.)
    the grassy river bank with green crayons

     

    • Activity Game:  Play 'Simon Says', only use the words, "Caravan Take"
    		Explain that in Bible times people traveled in groups called Caravans to trade things and they often used camels to carry their loads.
    In today's game they are going to pretend they are a caravan.
    Because caravans traveled together, when 1 child misses, the whole caravan has to go back to the beginning.
    Give commands like:
    		'Caravan take' 3 big hops,
    'Caravan take' 5 trots,
    'Caravan take' 1 great big jump across a stream, etc.

     

    • wpe2.jpg (11541 bytes)

     

    Tell the story as you act it out with the figures. Have the children sit along the road and help move the figures to Egypt.

     

    • Telling the Story: Familiarize yourself with the story of Joseph's brothers selling him to Egypt as a slave.
    		Lay out the Promised Land mat  reminding the children that this is the land that God promised to give to Abraham's family.
    Add the Egypt mat as illustrated below.
    Use masking tape to make a road between them.
    Last week we learned about God's promise to give Abraham a son.
    Today we're going to learn about Abraham's great grandson, named Joseph.
    		Add Joseph figure to Promised Land,
    Joseph's father loved Joseph very much and gave him a special coat.
    		Add construction paper tent to Promised Land, 
    Add a Fisher Price type or play dough figure (near the tent) to represent Joseph's father.
    Wrap the scrap of cloth around Joseph to represent his coat and place him near his father.
    Joseph's brothers were jealous because their father didn't give them a special coat. 
    And they were mad that Joseph had dreams that meant that someday they would have to bow down to him.  
    They didn't like it when Joseph told them about those dreams.
    One day Joseph's brothers were watching their father's sheep in a field.
    		Put 2 or 3 Fisher Price type (or play dough) figures in another part of the Promised Land,
    Add some plastic sheep if you have them.
    There was an old, dry well nearby where the brothers were.
    		Let the children make a circle of blocks or stones to represent the well.
    One day Joseph's father sent Joseph to take some food to his brothers and to see how they were doing.
    		Walk Joseph toward his brothers,
    Joseph's brothers saw him coming and said, "Hey, Here comes that dreamer.   
    Let's kill  him.  Then we'll get rid of him forever."  
    So they grabbed Joseph, ripped off his coat, and threw him in the well.
    		Pull off Joseph's coat and put him in the well.
    While Joseph was in the well a caravan of traders came by.  
    They were on their way to Egypt to sell things.  
    They sold things like spices which were very expensive in Bible times.
    		Add camel, (if you have one), and 2 or 3 figures to represent traders.
    Show children the spices.
    The brothers decided to sell Joseph to the caravan traders instead of killing him.
    		Take Joseph out of the well and put him with the caravan.
    Have a trader give the brothers a penny.
    Poor Joseph was taken far away to Egypt.
    		Let the kids move the figures along the road to Egypt.
    But God was taking care of Joseph.  
    One of the king's most important helpers bought Joseph to be his servant.
    		Add the kind Pharaoh figure.