Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hi, everyone! Today, we’re going to see the Superbook adventure called "In the Beginning". This story will teach us about creation and how sin entered the world. Who knows what sin is?

Sin is when we disobey God. And when we disobey, bad things can happen! So let’s think about that as we watch the beginning of our story today.

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (4.5 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Chris disobeys his father and causes an accident in the lab.

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Did Chris honor his dad by disobeying him?

No, he didn’t. What do you think the professor will do when he sees the lab?

How many of you think Chris will be in trouble for not obeying his dad? Children raise hands.

Today’s SuperTruth says, “I will honor God as my Creator and obey His Word.” God is our Creator. He made us. He wants good things for us. That’s why God wants us to follow His way—and His way is to obey.

Now let’s watch the rest of today’s Superbook video to see what happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution* (19 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to heaven, where they witness Lucifer’s fall and transformation into Satan. Later, in the Garden of Eden, they meet Adam and Eve, who give in to Satan’s temptation and bring sin into the world. The children learn the importance of obedience and that actions have consequences.

Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (6 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Video 8: Chris and Joy's Resolution (1.5 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Resolution

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Deuteronomy 28:2:

“You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.”

Now let’s say it again and shout “obey” in our loudest voices. Ready? Children repeat verse.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Dear God, thank You for creating us. You know what is best for us, so please help us obey Your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today in Small Group, you’ll play an exciting game called “Hit the Mark.” What does that mean? Well, you’ll find out. Have a great time.

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

What does sin mean? Disobeying God’s Word; purposely doing something you shouldn’t do, or not doing something you should do. 

One meaning of sin is literally to miss the mark—like shooting an arrow and missing the target. Why did God want Adam and Eve to obey Him by not eating the fruit on the tree? 

God had a perfect plan: He created Adam and Eve to have a warm and loving relationship with them. He wanted them to live forever in the beautiful garden with everything they could ever need. He knew that when they disobeyed, they could not undo what they had done, and sin would damage His perfect plan. The same is true for us. God wants us to obey Him because He knows what is best for us. He understands the problems that our disobedience and sin will cause. What can happen when we are disobedient? We can feel guilty, fear punishment, hurt someone, cause others to lose trust in us.

When you buy a new camera, it probably comes with instructions telling you not to get it wet. What would happen if you ignored the instructions and took your new camera swimming? 

God loves us so much that He created this big, beautiful world for us to enjoy! Since He is the Creator, He understands how everything will work the best—so He gave us a book of instructions. Hold up a Bible. What is it called? The Bible.

Our SuperTruth today is: “I will honor God as my Creator and obey His Word.” When we obey His Word, we can live much happier lives. 

Read Psalm 119:9,11:

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your word. I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. 

Discuss what it means to hide God’s Word in our hearts, and how that helps us not sin. When we disobey His Word, we miss the mark! Hold up child’s dartboard and “dart,” or show the image of a dartboard and dart. When we miss the mark, we let God down, and our actions may have consequences that we cannot even imagine. When Adam and Eve sinned, what was their punishment? They had to leave the Garden of Eden. Instead of living forever, they would eventually die.

Because they sinned, they brought death into the world. But God had a plan to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to forgive our sins and to conquer death! Today, we are going to play a fun game to show what it means to hit the mark. The mark is the same as a bull’s-eye. When you play darts, you score the most points by hitting the bull’s-eye right in the middle of the dart board. Instead of using darts, we will use beanbags. The goal is to try to throw them into the target hole. As Christians, the bull’s-eye or mark that we aim for is to honor God in all we say and do. The best way to do this is to be obedient to His Word. When we disobey God’s Word, we don’t honor Him; and we miss the mark. 

Divide the class into two teams—they do not have to be equal. Teams stand next to each other, in single file, behind the line. Place a pile of four beanbags—same color/number in each pile—on the line beside each team. 

Start the game with the first player on each team simultaneously trying to hit the mark by tossing a beanbag toward the box hole. Each player gets one toss. If a player hits the mark—bag goes totally in the hole, he or she runs to the back of the line, and the next player takes a turn. If the player misses the mark—bag doesn’t go in the hole, he or she must retrieve the bag, put it on the team’s pile, then run to the back of the line. 

The team that hits the mark first—places all bags in the hole—with all of their bags, wins the game. Play again as time permits; all children should get at least one turn.

Note: This should be continuous, fast-paced action. Teams do not wait for the other team to retrieve missed beanbags. 

That was fun, wasn’t it? Our goal is to honor God in all we do and say each day. When we follow God’s Word, we show Him and others that we honor Him. Now sometimes, just like in this game, we miss the mark and sin. In fact, the only one in history who never, ever missed the mark was Jesus! But God loves us so much that He provided a way for our sins to be forgiven through His perfect Son, Jesus!

Teaching

Distribute scissors and a copy of the Telescope Pattern to each child, and have the children cut them out. Demonstrate how to roll side B under side A and secure with tape according to the pattern. When complete, the children will have an interesting reminder of today’s Superbook story to take home.

You made some pretty neat looking telescopes!

Who has ever used a real telescope?

What did you see?

Have you ever looked at the stars, the sun, or moon through a telescope?

Our wonderful Creator, God, made the heavens and Earth and all that is in them. And even more amazing, He didn’t lift a finger; He spoke it all into existence! Yes, creation was a totally hands-free operation! Our God is awesome! 

A telescope allows you to view something that is far away as if it were up close. You can see things in detail as you focus on them. Take a look around the room with your telescopes and see if you notice anything that you haven’t noticed before.

Allow children a minute to explore a bit. If you have an outside window, allow a few children at a time to use their telescopes to observe creation.

What did you see?

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

For the next two lessons, I want to challenge you to notice things about God’s creation that are especially interesting or exciting to you—and then take time to thank God for what He has made. You don’t need to use the telescope to look around, but place it in your room as a reminder to do this challenge. Before our next lesson, I want you to look for bugs or insects that God created. Try to observe them in the day and also at night. But be sure to go outside with a parent or older member of your family when you explore at night. Make a list of what you see. During your prayer time, remember to thank God for how wonderful and unique His creation is. Next time we meet, bring your lists to class, and we will talk about the things you observed and why you think they are special.

SuperVerse

Gather the children together in a circle. Talk briefly about the Bible being God’s Word and how it is divided into the Old and New Testaments.

Our story today comes from Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament. Genesis means “beginnings” because it tells about the beginning of everything—the universe, Earth, plants, animals, and people! Ask children to open their Bibles to Genesis and point out that it is at the beginning of the Bible. Today’s Bible verse is in Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Ask a child to locate Deuteronomy 28:2 and read it aloud. Give assistance if needed. 

Our SuperVerse today tells us that we will experience ALL these blessings if we obey God. That’s great, but what are the blessings that our SuperVerse is talking about? Choose five children to each read one verse each of the following passage. After each verse is read, pause and ask what the blessing of God is in the verse.

Deuteronomy 28:3–7:

³ “Your towns and your fields will be blessed. ⁴ Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. ⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. ⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. ⁷ The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!”

How many of you want to be blessed like that? 

I know I do! That was God’s purpose from the minute He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. All blessings were theirs, and they didn’t even have any enemies to defeat! Every animal and human lived in perfect peace and harmony!  

Now, let’s continue to learn our SuperVerse today so we can honor God and experience His blessings that we read about! 

Tell the children to close their Bibles. Pass the Bible you have marked - or the verse written on paper - to the child on your left with instructions to read aloud and remember only the first word of the verse before passing it to the next child, who then reads the next word. You may adjust the number of words to read and remember depending on the number of children in your group. Continue until the entire verse is read—one word at a time. Now close the Bible - or fold the paper - and have the children pass it along as they each say their words. If they forget their words, they may open the Bible or paper to the passage. The next time around, speed up the process just for fun! Finally, ask the children to say the verse all together, relying on individual children to prompt the words, if needed. Repeat as time allows.

Prayer

Each lesson, we will spend some time sharing our prayers with each other. Why do we pray? To honor God, to talk to God, to listen to God, to show we care for people we know, to ask forgiveness.

Introduce the children to the Praise Prayer. During this type of prayer, instead of asking God for something, we offer prayers of thanksgiving and praise for who God is, what He has done, and what He can do. Since we are talking about creation today, let’s go around the circle and take turns offering a Praise Prayer for something God has created. If you wish to pass, simply say, “Praise God!” Let’s remember to honor God as our Creator and promise to obey His Word! 

Drama Activity

Genesis tells us that when God created the world, He saw that it was good! He took pleasure in His creation, and He wants us to enjoy it, too. Now let’s do a skit about the Garden of Eden.

Ask three children to come up front and pretend to be Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. All the other children should pretend to be any kind of animals that they choose. As you tell the story, pause to have the children act it out. 

Ready?

• Adam and Eve are very happy living in the Garden of Eden. 
• They like to lead all the animals around as they skip in circles … 
• Jump over big rocks … 
• Swim in the river … 
• Dive deep down underwater …
• And hold their breath as they point to ten different fish. 
• Adam, Eve, and the animals like to climb really high trees … 
• And imitate the silly monkeys! 
• They also like to reach up to pet the giraffes’ heads … 
• And get on the camels to take some very bumpy rides. 
• One day, Satan sneaked into the Garden disguised as a snake. 
• First he swam through the river … 
• Then slithered over a rock … 
• And then up a tree. 
• Oh, no! Is that the tree God told Adam and Eve not to eat from?
• The animals nod their heads five times—yes! 
• The serpent waves and smiles at Eve … 
• Then points to the fruit on a high branch … 
• And rubs his tummy to show how good that fruit tastes.
• The animals wonder what Eve will do, so they scratch their heads five times with one hand.
• Oh my, Eve is reaching up as high as she can … 
• And she gets on her tip-toes to pick a piece of that fruit! 
• Look! She is taking a bite—no, bigger than that—a huge bite! 
• Now she goes over to Adam and holds out the fruit to him … 
• And she smiles and rubs her tummy to show how good it is.  
• The animals wonder what Adam will do, so they raise their eyebrows up and down while scratching their heads with both hands.  
• Oh my, he’s taking a bite—a really huge bite, too!  
• Adam, Eve, and all the animals run and hide before God comes back to the Garden.

Have the children clap for the performance and sit down. God knew what was best for Adam and Eve, so He did not want them to sin and eat from the tree. God gives us His rules because He knows what is best for us, too. Does God love us when we make mistakes or sin? Yes.

What should we do when we disobey God? Ask for His forgiveness; learn from our mistakes; pray for His help to be obedient in the future. 

Discussion

Genesis tells us that when God created the world, He saw that it was good! He took pleasure in His creation, and He wants us to enjoy it, too.

What animals do you think are the funniest or the most amazing?

Here is something interesting to think about. Raise your hands if you think that people have discovered everything that God created on Earth.

Why or why not?

Where do you think some creatures may still be hiding?

I don’t think we will ever discover all the cool creatures God made, and the biggest hiding place is the ocean! The deepest part of the ocean is over 6 miles deep! Imagine the creatures God has placed there, and we don’t even know they exist! 

Now listen to this: In 2013, a new mammal species was discovered in Ecuador. It is the first new mammal to be discovered in 35 years in North or South America. Its name is the olinguito—“oh-lin-GHEE-toe”. The olinguito weighs about 2 pounds and is 2½ feet long. Yes, people are still discovering some awesome things that God created long ago!

Photograph of Bassaricyon neblina “Olinguito” taken in the wild at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador.

Craft

We learned in Genesis that God is the master Creator. Can you imagine what it would be like to simply speak things into being—to be able to make something from nothing?

No one but God can do this. We can only make things out of the resources God has placed in the universe. 

God created the animals, but He allowed Adam to name all of them. Let’s have some fun today and use the creativity that God placed in us all. We are going to make our own creatures and, like Adam, name them, too! 

Divide the class into groups of two or three children. Large classes may require larger groups. Distribute the modeling dough to each group and give them a few minutes to make their creations. Each group must also name their creation and list on paper at least three unique characteristics about it, such as diet, abilities, habitat, etc. Allow each group to display their named creation to the class and read their list. 

Did you have fun with this?

You know, I believe God had fun creating all the different species of animals and giving them such unique characteristics. I think He also must have delighted in watching Adam name all of the animal kingdom. And He enjoys seeing you use your special creative gifts, too! 

Remember our challenge for the next two lessons: notice God’s wonderful work of creation, and also take time to praise Him for what He has done!

Object Lesson

Sit down on the floor with the bottle of water, soap, and bowl in front of you. Place a small dab of soap on the end of one of your index fingers; rub it all around your finger tip. Have kids sit on the floor so all can clearly view the object lesson.

In our Bible story video, God made the Garden of Eden perfect. Let’s say this bowl represents the Garden of Eden and Earth. There was no sin or evil. Pour the water slowly into the bowl as you talk. 

Earth was filled with God’s presence. He poured out His love and peace on Adam and Eve. The animals were gentle and calm. We saw in the video that even the lions were like kittens!

Then the devil tempted and tricked Adam and Eve. They listened to the serpent and disobeyed God’s Word. Start sprinkling the pepper into the water. 

Sin came into the world.

Today, we are all surrounded by sin in the world. Pour more pepper in for a continuous thick layer. 

We may be tempted by things in the world, or from the devil, or from our own minds. But God tells us, as Christians, that even though we are in the world, we don’t have to do the evil things that the world does. Shortly before Jesus died, He prayed for His followers—and that includes us! He prayed in John 17:15:

“I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.”

You see, God doesn’t want us to be overcome with the evil and sin of the world. When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God places His Holy Spirit in us. Hold the finger covered in soap up for the children to see. This finger represents a Christian who is filled with God’s Spirit. Dip and hold your finger in the bowl—the pepper will quickly disperse. 

The Holy Spirit leads and guides and empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to God and separate from the evil ways of the world around us. As long as we ask God’s Spirit to help us choose to follow and obey God, we can live a pure life, pleasing to Him.

This is important for all of us. God wants us to be involved with people who do not know Him—but He does not want them to influence and control us. Instead, God wants us to influence them! We want to live our lives in a way that honors God so that others will choose to serve Him, too!

Action Game

Tell the children that if you say “Adam says,” they must immediately do what you say. However, if you give a command without saying “Adam says,” they should remain motionless and silent. You may choose to have children sit down if they miss a command, but be sensitive to children who get upset easily or have special needs.

Suggested commands with or without saying “Adam says.”

Ready?

• Scratch yourself like a monkey.
• Swing your trunk like an elephant.
• Crow like a rooster.
• Puff your cheeks like a blowfish.
• Gallop in place like a zebra.
• Roar like a lion.
• Buzz like a bee.
• Flap your wings like a hummingbird.
• Open your mouth like a hippo.
• Neigh like a horse.
• Crawl like a crocodile.
• Snarl and swipe your paws like a bear.
• Stand on one leg like a flamingo.
• Laugh like a hyena.

Craft/Game

Let’s make some beautiful fruit for the Garden of Eden!  Distribute a fruit pattern to each child, along with pencils, markers, scissors, and tape. Have them cut out their fruit, color and decorate it, write their names on the front, then put tape on the back. If time is short, you may skip cutting and decorating the fruit—simply have them put their names on the front and tape on the back.

When we disobey God’s Word, we miss the mark! Now let’s play a game that shows how easy it is to miss the mark! One at a time, blindfold the children, spin them around three times, and have them try to place their fruit on the “target twig.” The closest fruit wins.

Memory Game

Let’s get to know each other better while we think of some things God created.  Going around the circle, ask each child to say his or her name followed by something special God created that starts with the same letter or sound. Go first to show them what to do. For example: My name is Brenda. Explain: My name starts with a “B,” so I’ll choose an animal that starts with that letter. God created me, and God created bears. Each child then says, “My name is _____. God created me, and God created _____.”

Go around the circle again and have the first child say your name and item: Brenda, bears, followed by the child’s own name and item. Kristin, koalas. The next child continues the pattern: Brenda, bears; Kristin, koalas; then adds his or her own name and item, and so on. How far around the circle can you go before someone forgets one of the previous names or items?