Noah and the Ark
Summary of Lesson Activities:
Uses the Noah's Ark Powerpoint & Amazing Expedition software.
- Students will understand that the story is in the book of Genesis
- To learn that Noah obeyed God
- To learn how baptism is like the flood story
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
- Preview the software.
- Have the computers on and the software running – Have software installed prior to class.
- Bibles TEV
- The Bible for Children by Walter Wangerin, Jr. ISBN 052911699-5
- Journals and pencils
- Headphones for each person for the game
- Power Point Presentation on Noah –
- Noah’s Ark Deluxe game loaded on each computer from cd and activated – popcap.com (this is just a matching game - see it played here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLMYhBLzTmo.
- CD-Rom “The Amazing Expedition Bible” (out of print)
- Journal Time sheets
- Crossword puzzle sheets available if the lesson runs
Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Greet the children warmly and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students every week who may not know you.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Bible Verse: Let’s say the Bible verse for this month together before we pray: “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 NRSV
Pray something like this: Heavenly Father, Thank you for coming to us today in your Word by giving us the chance to get to know Noah a little better. Help us to obey you as Noah obeyed. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
Say: This month we are studying the story of Noah. It’s a story about a man and his family who obeyed what God wanted them to do despite having other people laugh at them and make fun of them. Noah didn’t have an easy job, it was hard work but he kept building the ark even when I’m sure many time he felt like just quitting. What would have happened when the rain started had Noah quit building the ark? [everything on earth would have been destroyed.] Just think, had he quit building the ark, you and I would not even be here today!
Say: The story of Noah and his family takes four chapters in the book of Genesis. Let’s take a minute to look it up in our Bibles. Genesis 6:1 – 9:28. Rather than taking time to read the story from the Bible, a man by the name of Walter Wangerin, Jr. has written it in a shorter version especially for young people. (Read to students, pages 27-31, showing pictures as you read).
Power Point Presentation: Have the students take turns reading each slide.
Amazing Expedition Bible:
- A Deserts water supply (play button then stop button)
- Return (at bottom)
- Main menu
- Noah & the Flood
Take turns reading the story
Remove the cd’s from the drive carefully and put it away.
1. In Noah’s time, most people didn’t know or care about God. What happened to these people? (they were drowned in the flood)
2. How did God decide which people would be allowed on the ark? (Noah and his family were the only ones who believed in God and obeyed what He wanted them to do)
3. How many people were on the ark? (8)
4. How many animals of each kind were on the ark? (a pair of each species but 7 pair of the ritually clean species) [ritually clean animals were the animals that God had said were fit for people to eat]
5. After the flood was over and Noah and his family were back on dry land, God did something really special that we still have with us today. Who remembers what that was? (rainbow)
6. Why did God give us the rainbow? (as a covenant or promise that He would never again flood the earth like He did at the time of Noah.)
Say: When a baby is brought to our baptismal font in church, we ask that God pour out his Holy Spirit so that the one being baptized may be given a new life. We ask that God wash away their sin of those and that they may become a part of God’s glorious kingdom.
Think of the story of Noah...Before the flood, there were a lot of people doing bad things all over the world. There was a lot of sin. When God sent the flood, God washed the earth clean from all that sin. In baptism, God washes people clean of their sins.
God saved Noah and his family because they were faithful to God. God saves all the baptized believers.
God gave Noah a new life on a newly cleaned world. In baptism, we are given new lives as children of God. That was probably a very difficult time for Noah. He had to work really hard to prepare everything before the flood came. Then, when the flood did come he was shut inside the ark with only the animals and his family. Noah even lost his friends in the flood. But, God took care of him and his family. Even people who are baptized may have hard times. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us. In fact, he helps us get through these times like when he took care of Noah. God made a promise to Noah. This promise was that God would never again flood the earth. God makes a promise to people who are baptized, too. This promise is that baptized believers will be a part of God’s kingdom. The sign that God gave so that everyone would remember the promise made to Noah was the rainbow. Whenever you see a rainbow, you can remember that God will not let the rain fall forever because God promised not to flood the earth again.
Something special also happened to you on the day that you were baptized. You were also marked with the sign—the sign of the cross. This is God’s promise to you that you are God’s child. Just as God took care of Noah and his family, God has promised that He will take care of you.
At each baptism, Pastor Dean asked the children who came up for the children’s sermon to do something special every morning. Does anyone remember what that was? He asked you to remember your baptism every morning when you wash your face—remember that you are God’s child. Before you dry your face with the towel, why don’t you take a little bit of water on your finger and make a small cross on your forehead just like the Pastor did when you were baptized.
Begin by writing the bible verse for this month on top of the page. “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 NRSV I’m passing out a sheet of paper with a bunch of numbers and Bible verses on. Look up the verse in the Bible and write down what the number was.
Encourage the students to come back next week when they’ll have a new room and to bring a friend with them who does not go to church or to Sunday School.
Ask if anyone has any special prayer requests and incorporate that into the closing prayer. Remind the children to also remember those requests during the week during their prayer time.
End with a prayer.
Thank you Heavenly Father for sending your saving Noah and his family from the flood and for sending your Son, Jesus, who washed away our sins and promises us eternal life. Thank you for being with us as we follow you and as we, like Noah, seek to obey you.
Hear our prayers as we bring before you . . . . . . . .
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
There is a Noah’s Ark game on each computer. There are three different ways the students can play this simple game. Let them experiment—they may even want to play against one another for the highest score. I would recommend them using the headphones if you want any hearing left by the end of the month.
Lesson adapted from: Noah Lesson Set from Dove of Peace Lutheran, and Kirk of Kildare.
A lesson written by Diane from: Augustana Lutheran Church
St. James, MN
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