Leader Guide
Tossing Game
- Forty sheets of scrap paper—about 20 sheets each of two different colors; OR you may use 20 sheets of white paper for one set, then 20 sheets marked with a marker or crayon for the second set
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Two bed sheets folded in half, or two beach towels
- Whiteboard or chalkboard
- Marker or chalk
- Sixth grade helpers to read scripture and keep score
Cut paper sheets in half and then crumple each one into a ball. You should have 40 balls of each color. Keep the two sets separate.
Place the bed sheets or towels on the floor about 8–10 feet away from each other near one end of the room.
Place one set of 40 paper balls near one end of a sheet/towel, and the other set of 40 paper balls near the other end of the same sheet/towel.
Have a sixth grade helper read Jonah 1:3–5a:
But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
Stand on one sheet or towel as you speak. Today in our game we are going to be sailors on Jonah’s ship traveling to Tarshish. Point to the bed sheet or towel. That’s what I’m standing on right now! A storm has come up and we need to throw cargo overboard to lighten the load so it will ride the waves better! In the Bible story, the crew threw the cargo into the sea where it was lost forever. However, we are going to play our game a little differently. We will try to save our cargo by throwing it on the island over there. Point to the other sheet or towel. Now, that doesn’t seem too difficult does it? No!
Oh, I forgot one thing; you cannot face the Island. You must turn your back to the island and throw the cargo backward over your shoulder. Each piece of cargo that lands and stays on the island scores five points for your team! Each piece of cargo that touches the island but rolls off gets one point for your team. Are you ready to sail?
Divide the class into two teams. One player from each team stands on the sheet/towel—ship—next to a pile of balls, with their backs to the island. Shout: “Lighten the load!” Both players begin to toss the cargo balls one at a time over their shoulders. The assistant will tally the score immediately on the board as the game progresses. The round ends when one player runs out of cargo, regardless of how much cargo the other player has left. Play more rounds until all players have taken a turn. The team with the most points wins.
Should Jonah have been on the ship to begin with?
Why do you think God sent the storm?
God sent the storm to get Jonah’s attention and let him know it wasn’t possible to run and hide from God. He gave Jonah a second chance to complete the mission to go to Nineveh.