Leader Guide
Relay Game
- The Birth of Moses Basket Game—four pages
- Cardstock—eight sheets
- Black construction paper—five 9” x12” sheets
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Glue sticks—two or three
- Painter’s tape or masking tape
- Table
Make two copies of each of the four pages in The Birth of Moses Basket Game.
With the scissors, ruler, and pencil, measure and cut each construction paper sheet into eight 1½” x 9” strips. You may stack the sheets and cut through all of them together to save time.
Tape the four pages of The Birth of Moses Basket Game together on the wall to make a large basket for Team 1. This should be at a height on the wall where the smallest child can reach the top of the basket.
Repeat this process several feet away, making another basket for Team 2.
Put the table about 8–10 feet from the wall, positioned between the baskets.
Mark or tape a starting line about 20–25 feet from the wall.
Divide the black strips into two piles, and place a pile near each end of the table for each team.
Put a glue stick next to each pile of strips.
Note: For larger classes, use additional baskets, strips, and glue. Create additional teams, so all children take at least one turn.
No Sinking Allowed! Play a game to waterproof Moses’ basket.
Moses’ mother put him in a basket made of papyrus reeds, which are not waterproof. Why didn’t it sink? Children answer.
She covered it with tar or pitch, making it waterproof so that it would float. This is what our game is based on.
Divide the children into two even teams—one player on a team may need to play twice. Each team forms a single file line behind the starting mark. Walk to the baskets as you explain.
These baskets need to be waterproofed, and I think you are just the ones to do it! I have brushes and buckets of tar for you to use—well, let me think about that! Tar is very smelly, sticky, and messy. I don’t think your parents would be very happy if you came home with tar all over your hands and clothes.
Display a few strips. I have a much neater idea! These black strips represent tar. The object of our game is to waterproof your team’s basket by covering the whole thing with these tar strips as quickly as possible! I will announce how you will travel to the table. I might say something like walk, tip-toe, skip, walk backward, shuffle, or hop on one foot.
Hold up a glue stick. You will quickly apply glue to one side of a tar strip, leaving the glue stick at the table. Walk to your team’s basket and place the strip in between any set of lines, then return to the starting line, and the next player will take a turn.
The first team to completely waterproof their basket by covering it with tar strips wins.
Start the game and announce how you want the players to travel to the table, changing the method as often as possible. Continue this way until one team completely waterproofs their basket. Make sure everyone has had a turn before stopping the game.
Conclusion: Moses was safe in God’s care, just like we are. Now, let’s learn more about how God keeps us safe.