Leader Guide
Game
- Sixteen empty paper towel tubes or twelve sheets of cardstock
- Optional: tape or stapler if making tubes from cardstock
- Scissors
- Sixteen marbles
- Two plastic bowls to hold marbles
- Two filled water bottles with lids capped tightly
- Six books or a 2x4x4–6-inch board. Or, any solid barrier for a divider—see description below
- Optional: masking tape or painter's tape
- Bible or Superbook Bible App
- See Isaiah Marble Game Illustration
Using the scissors, cut the paper towel rolls to a variety of lengths.
If using cardstock, roll sheets into tubes and tape closed, then cut to different lengths.
Create a playing area against a wall, making a barrier in the middle, and tape as shown in the diagram.
Put a water bottle that represents God on each side of the barrier, near the wall.
Set up an equal number of tubes on each side of the barrier in a staggered fashion, in front of and around each bottle.
You’re Going Down! Play a game to knock down objects with marbles.
In Large Group, you were asked to listen for the city that King Sennacherib returned to. What’s the name of the city? Nineveh.
Here's a bonus question not in our adventure today: which Old Testament prophet was sent to Nineveh to call the people to repent and turn to God? Jonah.
When the Assyrian army mocked God and threatened to attack, Hezekiah proclaimed that God was the only living God. Hezekiah put his trust in God alone to rescue Jerusalem—not in false gods! (See 2 Kings 19:17–19.)
In this game, you will work in two teams to roll marbles to knock over the tubes. The tubes represent idols. What do you think the bottle in the middle represents? God.
God will not co-exist with other false gods in our lives, so we must get rid of all the tubes, so only God remains standing. Remember, not one idol can remain standing!
Divide the children into two teams, which do not need to be equal. Mix up each team with older and younger girls and boys together. Have the teams line up behind the line. Teams play at the same time. Give the first player on each team four marbles to roll. Each player gets two chances to roll the marbles, one at a time, to knock over as many tubes as possible. After players roll, they must quickly retrieve the marbles for the next player, being careful not to knock over tubes in the process. The first team to knock over all of the tubes with the marbles wins. Play another round if time allows, or until all children have taken at least one turn.
Fast Play Option:
• Have two players on each team roll at the same time instead of one player on each team.
• Station two sixth-grade helpers or other volunteers near the camp to quickly roll the marbles back to the next player. The assistants can also stand the tubes upright for additional rounds until every child has had a turn.
Conclusion: Sometimes, before we realize it, we can begin to put our trust in people, things, or even in ourselves rather than God. God wants us to trust in Him alone. Unlike people or things, He will never let us down! Now, let’s learn more about the prophet Isaiah and how He predicted some amazing things—hundreds of years before they happened!