Leader Guide
Optional Opening Game
- Dove Page
- Paper Plates, 2 per child
- One beige or brown bed sheet, bath towel, table cloth or rug (substitute a color if necessary)
- One blue bed sheet, bath towel, table cloth or rug (substitute a color if necessary)
- Glue or glue stick
- Painter's tape or masking tape
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Optional: green crayons or markers
Make one copy of the Dove Page for each child in color or black and white.
Optional: If using black-and-white copies, color the branch green.
Cut out the two dove circles from each page.
Place the face (front) of two plates together and use four tape strips to attach the plates together to make a throwing disc.
Glue a dove image on the back center of one plate. Glue the image of the dove with an olive branch on the center of the opposite side of the disc. The disc will have a different dove on each side.
Repeat for each disc.
Lay a blue sheet on the floor to be the water.
Lay a brown sheet (land) on the floor about ten feet from the blue sheet.
Write the name of each child on a dove throwing disc.
Noah, his family and the animals stayed in the ark during the flood. When the rain stopped, Noah sent a dove from the ark to look for dry land. Noah did this two times. The second time, the dove returned with an olive branch because it found dry land. In this game, you are going to pretend you are Noah.
Hold up a dove throwing disc and show children the image. You will send this dove to find land by tossing it to the brown sheet. Demonstrate how to toss the disc to land.
Hold up the dove throwing disc and show children the image with the olive branch. Then you will send the dove with an olive branch back to the ark in the water by tossing it to the blue sheet. Demonstrate how to toss the disc to the ark in the water.
You will work together as a team to score as many points as you can. You score one point each time a disc touches the land or the water.
One player at a time takes a turn. Each player stands at the edge of the blue/water sheet and tosses a disc toward the brown/land sheet. A point is scored if any disc part touches the brown/land sheet.
Players then move to the brown/water sheet and toss a disc toward the blue/water sheet.
Players will work as a team to score as many points as possible.
Play for a certain number of turns for each player or for a set amount of time. Play additional rounds to try for a higher score.
Optional:
· Increase or decrease the throwing distance as desired. Add sheets, towels, tablecloths or rugs to increase the “ark” or “land” areas to make the game easier.
· For an added challenge, the dove with an olive branch must land face-up on the blue sheet, and the dove with no olive branch must land face-up on the brown sheet to score points.
· Give a dove plate to each child to take home with his/her name on it to remember the story of Noah’s obedience and that God protects us and always keeps His promises.
Conclusion: Noah obeyed all of God’s instructions before and after the flood so his family and the animals were protected by God.