Leader Guide
Optional Opening Game
- Round Balloons, one per child plus extras
- Plastic or disposable cups, one per child plus extras
- Painter's tape or masking tape
Place a line near one end of the room and the large box or container several feet away or at the other end of the room.
The workers who built the wall in Jerusalem had to carry heavy stones, wood and mortar to the workers who built the wall. Mortar is like glue or cement that holds stones or bricks in a wall.
Hold up a balloon. Let’s pretend that balloons are stones used to build a wall. You will need to carry the stones (balloons) to the other side of the room for Nehemiah’s workers to use.
It sounds easy, right? Well, there is one more thing I need to tell you about this game.
Hold up a cup and place the balloon on top. Your goal is to carry your balloon on the cup with only one hand. Your other hand must stay behind your back as you travel. Once you reach the other line, you will drop your balloon on the floor behind the line. Then the next player takes a turn.
Give a balloon and a cup to a child when it is time for his/her turn. If a balloon falls to the floor, players can use both hands to place it back on the cup and continue.
Have children cheer and encourage one another as each player takes a turn.
Play another round if time permits.
Optional: Call out different ways to travel as the children carry the balloons: skip, walk backwards, hop, walk sideways, etc. This will be quite a challenge. For this round, another option is to allow two players to take a turn at the same time.
Conclusion: It looked like you really had to watch what you were doing so the balloon didn’t fall before you finished. What do you think might have happened if you closed your eyes or looked at others while you balanced the balloon? It would have fallen.