CONTENTS Page 2 Aim Page 3 Live2Give program explanations Page 5 Meet Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe Page 8 Hosting an effective program Page 9 Hall set up/creating the beach Page 11 Week One: Live2Give ‘Generous with Family’ Page 18 Week Two: Live2Give ‘Generous with Others’ Page 26 Week Three: Live2Give ‘Generous with God’ Page 34 Week Four: Live2Give ‘Celebration’ Page 35 Songs Page 40 Games Page 41 Additional ideas Page 42 Templates Page 57 Additional resources

Take a journey with Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe as they experience the adventure of a lifetime. Explore all the wonders and navigate around the obstacles that you need to

conquer in order to discover the hidden treasure.

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AIM Our aim is to engage the children in a fun and interactive program to give them an understanding of what a generous God we have, and how as his children, we can have a life where we can Live2Give for God. To provide leaders with an interactive program to engage the kids in the experience of the ‘Generous Giving Program’ in unison with the adult program. This program is designed to be suitable for children 5 to 11 years of age. To offer support to children’s workers throughout the territory by offering easy to run, effective resources that will educate, encourage and connect with the children with this idea of following Jesus example of generous living. The material will be in booklet form as well as on CD and on the planned giving web page. Each week, children will receive an interactive booklet to take home to reinforce their learning. The weekly material will include a page offering ideas and hints for parents (who would like to talk to their children about what they have been learning) and some fun activities to do with the whole family. The program is similar to a school holiday program or VBS. It offers a four week program (the fourth being a celebration) with the opportunity to go longer if desired. The program offers activities, stories, crafts, games, puzzles, ideas for setting up the hall and recipe ideas for special days. The children will be given the opportunity on the third week to thank Jesus for his generosity and take up the challenge to Live2Give generously as Jesus intended. The pledge card (provided in kit) may be presented to the children as a way of participating with the adults or can be done in their children’s meeting.

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EXPLANATIONS Live2Give kids is a four week program called ‘Bible Pirates—Finding God’s Treasures in God’s Word’. The first three weeks teaching kids about being generous—with their family, with others and with God—with the fourth week being in the form of a celebration (party). ACTIVITY STATIONS (activities or/and crafts) This is a time to connect one on one or two with the children each week. CONNECTING IN (all in together) Everyone joins in together for singing, games, stories and activities. Things that are more fun to do with a larger group. GOING DEEPER (small group) This allows time to discuss the story and the theme on a deeper and more personal level. RECONNECTING (all in together) Reconnecting is about tying everything together. It gives the opportunity for reflection on the desired outcomes for the day. This can be achieved through singing, games and prayer. Don’t forget to get the kids to fill in their treasure slip and place it in their treasure chest. CHOCKY CHALLENGE This is an activity, usually a game (just for fun) where there is the opportunity to win a prize. Chocky Challenge can be anything—it doesn’t have to fit with the theme but it can. Make sure if you have children with allergies to provide an option. PARENTS CONNECT Parent Connect is a ‘take home’ page designed to create conversation within the family. It provides an activity for the family to share. TREASURE CHEST During the first week each child will be given the opportunity to make their own treasure chest. Have some extras made up for children who are away or who can’t make one for themselves. Throughout the program this becomes a storage container for kids to place their treasure. Leaders are also encouraged to add to the treasure chest each week with stickers, treats, book marks, even a note to encourage and build up each child.

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KIDS BOOKLET The kids will be given a folder and each week will receive a booklet to place in it to take home. The booklets will have a similar look and feel to Kidzone magazines. They will be filled with activities, stories and fun facts to enjoy throughout the week. This will keep the children involved throughout the week as well as restate what they have learnt during the kids’ program.

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MEET PIRATE ALEX AND PIRATE ZOE

PIRATE ALEX AND PIRATE ZOE

Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe are free for you to use for the time of your program. To organise them please email planned.giving@aus.salvationarmy.org

Please follow all the instructions contained in the box the puppets arrive in.

Take care of the puppets while they are in your care, please keep them safe.

Anyone who puts the puppets on (or are working with your kids) must have a ‘Police Check' as well as a ‘Working With Children Check’. PLEASE make sure this is adhered to.

Please keep the puppets clean for the next person to use.

Suggestions for maximizing the use of Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe: Children’s segment in Church Church Announcements Kids church announcements Leading Kids Church story time/singing/chocolate challenge Pirate Alex and/or Pirate Zoe could just come and play a game with the kids. Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe could stay for five minutes or for the whole session or any time in between.

Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe are the Live2Give characters (puppet people). The story is: Alex and Zoe are kids who love dressing up and pretending they are pirates on an adventure, hoping to find treasure. They are inquisitive kids with good imaginations who enjoy exploring the beach and neighbouring areas.

We invite you to join Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe on their journey to discovering the truth that Jesus is the greatest treasure we can have. As your church kids journey with them they will unveil lots of hidden treasures.

Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe are available to you from your Planned Giving Consultant, DHQ or THQ Planned Giving Department. They come complete with instructions.

Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe will add a great amount of excitement and enjoyment to any kids’ program. We’re sure the adults will enjoy them as well.

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PROFILE FOR PIRATE ALEX AND PIRATE ZOE

PIRATE ALEX Age: 10 Family: Lives with his mum, dad, sister Zoe, 2 dogs, (Sammy and Rikki) 1 cat (Spencer), 1 budgie (Tweeter), and 2 fish (Splish and Splash). Address: 3 Bowden St, Sallville. A small beach town. School: Sallville Primary School Grade: 4 Teacher: Mr Hopkins FAVOURITE THINGS Food: Pizza and doughnuts Colour: Orange Hobbies: Sports, loves the outdoors—catching fish, climbing trees, swimming, exploring—he is really excellent on the X-Box/PS2 School Subject: Sport and outdoor education

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PIRATE ZOE Age: 9 Family: Lives with her mum, dad, brother Alex, 2 dogs, (Sammy and Rikki) 1 cat (Spencer), 1 budgie (Tweeter), and 2 fish (Splish and Splash). Address: 3 Bowden St, Sallville. A small beach town. School: Sallville Primary School Grade: 3 Teacher: Mrs Martin FAVOURITE THINGS Food: Lasagna, apple pie and ice cream Colour: Purple Hobbies: Beach volleyball, orienteering, reading, swimming School Subject: Science

HAVE FUN PLAYING WITH PIRATE ALEX AND PIRATE ZOE.

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TIPS FOR HOSTING AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM When your Planned Giving Consultant arrives at your corps for the survey component of your planned giving life cycle, it’s time to get your team together and begin planning your kids program. Talk to your consultant while they are at the corps, and get them to help you with your planning if needed. Be as creative as you like. Go through this booklet with your team. Designate jobs/don’t forget to use other people within the corps from time to time. Plan which resources you want to use. Set a time and date for your next planning meeting.

HAVE FUN! Start to build the theme and the excitement by promoting the program beforehand. Send out invitations to the regular children as well as those you may not have seen for a while. Put some extra invites in and encourage the kids to invite a friend. Don’t be afraid to try new things—give it a go. Involve other people from the corps where possible explaining to them it is only for this four week program. Ways people could help:

• Help with decorating the hall each week.

• Assist with craft activities,

• Commit to attending for 5-10 minutes dressed up as Alex or Zoe. Maybe they could do the announcements/tell the story/etc.

• Ask people to come and just ‘be’ with the kids

MAKE SURE ALL WORKERS HAVE HAD A POLICE CHECK AS WELL AS A WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK.

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HALL SET UP / CREATING THE BEACH MATERIALS NEEDED 1 table per group (divide the kids into groups which will remain that group for the four weeks). A2 sheets of paper for team names Blue Tac, stanley knife, blocks of foam, cardboard, paper, textas, pencils Sea creatures (plastic or stuffed) Tree template to create some trees to go around the walls Large empty boxes (washing machine/fridges etc) Wading pools (make a judgment call depending on the space available, age of children and the number of kids you have). Masking tape (enough to make a map outline around the area being used for the kids meeting) Green/blue/yellow plastic tablecloth or material: These will be used to place around the room to create beach look (palm trees, water, sand). Old newspapers to create palm trees (you will need one newspaper per two to three trees, depending on the thickness of the newspaper). Beach equipment: buckets, spades, beach balls, fishing nets

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CREATING THE BEACH Place masking tape around the hall in the shape of a beach. Cut the ends off the boxes and decorate them, either with paint or material (to resemble tunnels, bushes etc). Use boxes to make pirate ship or use as ‘crates’ or treasure chest. Decorate the walls with plastic tablecloths or fabric which can be hung on the walls to transform the room into a beach scene (green for palm trees, yellow for sand, blue for water). Cut the tablecloth into strips and hang from the door frames (like fly strips) to give the impression of walking through palm trees. Cut strips of yellow and green plastic or material into strips and hang them from the tables to give the impression of small islands or sandy mounds. Scatter toys on the beach or in the ‘water’. Pictures of sea creatures, shells and beach gear around the hall. Roll up several layers of newspaper and tape them shut. Then cut down the end several times and start pulling at the cut ends. Paint them so they become more palm tree like and place them around the room. Place the blue plastic tablecloth or material scrunched up to look like a beach and use the foam blocks for rocks or reefs. Hang fishing nets around the room. Keep these decorations up for the four weeks and add to them each week.

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WEEK ONE GENEROUS WITH OUR FAMILY

CONNECTING CHURCH Build the excitement for the kids program with the introduction of Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe. Explain they are special guests who are visiting during the Planned Giving Program. Interview Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe—ask them some basic questions (favourite food, book, TV show, hobby etc). Make sure the answers are relevant to the kids you have. Invite Pirate Alex or Pirate Zoe to do the children’s story. CHILDRENS STORY with Alex and Zoe MATERIALS Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe 1 bucket 1 teacup How much does God love us (hold arms out comfortably)—this much? (Encourage kids to show you how much God loves them. See who has the biggest stretch). What about this much? (Hold arms out as wide as you can) Encourage kids to show you how much God loves them—see who has the biggest stretch. See this bucket? Do you think it’s safe to say that God’s love for us would make this bucket overflow? (Wait for kids to respond) What are some ways that God shows his loves for us? (Encourage kids to respond) God gives us good things, creation; he helps us when we need him…that’s not all! God doesn’t just provide these and many other things for us, he gives us so much more than we could ask or imagine. He pours out his love on us fully and continuously. Our God is a generous God. Sometimes people think that God only loves them this much. (Pull out the tea cup) Ask: Why do you think people might think God only loves them this much? (Wait for kids to respond)

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Sometimes when things aren’t going to our plan, it’s easy for us to think or feel that it’s because God’s love for us is only this size. (Hold up teacup) But that’s not true! God is with us all the time, showing his love for us. And his love is much, much bigger than we could ever stretch out our arms; it’s bigger than the biggest cup or bucket—BIGGER than our biggest imagination or dream. Let’s hold on to the image that God loves us this much [hold up the bucket] so when you're feeling like God only loves you this much—[hold up the cup] you will imagine this bucket—and dip inside of it. Then give that first cup to someone else—when you go to dip in again you'll realise that God's love was already enough for you and someone else—see how God's love works? Sharing God's love allows you to see just how much God has enough love for all of us—and we can know that God loves each of us very much because his son Jesus tells us that he is like a never ending bucket of water—it never runs out—a never ending bucket of love that always has enough for everyone. But like water love is only good when it is shared. So let’s be generous in our love for God and for the people in our lives. That’s how we share God’s love and support with others. MAIN POINT We, as followers of Jesus, are called to live a life that reflects the generosity of Jesus. God generously supplies all we need. ACTIVITY STATIONS This is a great time for leaders to interact with the kids and enquire how their week has been. The activities below are suggestions. You may use whatever you have available, and you can use as few or as many as you desire. The amount of activities you provide will depend on the number of children in your group. Give the kids a choice to provide for those who are not fond of craft. IDEAS FOR ACTIVITY STATIONS Have an area set up with games and activities for the children to do as they arrive. Allow them five minutes into the time to complete the tasks. Board games: Guess Who/Uno/Barrel of Monkeys Large skittles Balance boards Playdough or plasticine

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CONNECTING IN TREASURE HUNT Have a good number of cards with pictures/words of food and drink on them. Have enough for kids to have a few pictures each. Each child has to find the child who is holding their matching picture/word. See who can get the most cards. Pictures are easy to get off the internet, or cut out of magazines. SONGS The songs below will be the songs for the next three weeks. Begin to learn and teach them before the start of this program. Songs are taken from ‘God Made you Special’ VeggieTales CD or DVD and Dave Godfrey’s ‘Heavens’ No. 1 CD. ‘Ahrr! The Pirate Song’ is also available as an itunes download for under $1.00. Love your neighbour (VeggieTales Track 7) I can be your friend (VeggieTales Track 8) Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey Track 3) Your consultant will provide you with the specific resource and product information. CHOCKY CHALLENGE CRAFT—TREASURE BOXES Encourage each child to decorate a treasure box. Explain to the kids these will be used throughout the next three weeks to put ‘My Treasure’ slips and gems in at the end of each week. Then on the fourth week they can take them home. Kids church leaders will put surprises in the treasure boxes each week e.g.: word of encouragement, stickers, whatever you have available to use. Treasure boxes can be bought from Riot Art quite cheaply or use the template on page 43 to make your own. SUGGESTED DECORATING IDEAS Sharpie textas Foam letters Shapes, stickers, sequins, glitter, glitter glue, ‘Bling’—Gems/beads Leave a space for label with child’s name DON’T FORGET to place a label for the person’s name somewhere on the treasure box. If someone is away make sure you make one up for them for next week

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TEACHING (A.R.K – Acts of Random Kindness) MOVIE –Evan Almighty (3 segments) Leader Information: It would be good to have watched the movie or the segments provided beforehand. 3 segments Start: 4:35 – 6:28 ‘Dad look’ play Finish: 1 min, 53 sec ‘If it were me I would take all the help I could get’ Start: 30:35 ‘I don’t understand why you chose me’ Finish: 1 min, 15 sec ‘You build it, I’ll fill it’ Start: 1:23:28 – 1:24:50 ‘You did good son’ (1 min, 22 sec) Finish: 31:50 ‘The End’ Ask the children if there is anyone who has seen the movie. If yes—how do we change the world? (A.R.K – 1 act of random kindness at a time) CONNECTING DEEPER (Small group) FIRST CLIP Take note of the way Evan treats the dog and what the family prays for. Mention it again to the kids. Begin to focus on the importance of being generous with our family. SECOND CLIP This clip is about ‘God’ telling Evan that he can change the world—one act of random kindness at a time. Mention how ‘God’ treated the dog. Ask: ‘What might be one A.R.K that Evan can do?’ THIRD CLIP This process changed Evan, his attitude and his generosity to his family. He learnt what it means to Live2Give. The prayers the family prayed were answered:

• They were closer as a family • They were loving and caring for the dog who was part of the family • They now were spending time together (hiking) • Do you think Evan ended up being generous with his family?

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QUESTIONS What does being generous to your family look like? What are some things that you like to do/or like to do with your family? What are some A.R.K’s that you could do in your family? As you are sharing these questions, get the children to draw their families on a string of people. (Can purchase these from Riot Art or make them from the template on page 42). Write or draw something on each of the family members that you love about them. Encourage the children to share this at home. RECONNECTING (All in together) GAME—ISLANDS MATERIALS Plastic or card cut into large shapes. CD player CD for music AIM OF GAME Have someone controlling the music Instruct the kids to walk around the room until the music stops When the music stops the leader will call out a number and the kids have to try to get that many people on an island (plastic/card paper). Any island that does not have the correct number on it is out. The winner is the last person playing. HAVE A PRIZE FOR THE WINNER SONGS I Can Be Your Friend Love Your Neighbour (VeggieTales) Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey) PRAYER You may wish to invite a couple of the kids to say a prayer thanking God for their families. Have the leader then close in prayer.

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TREASURE CHEST Explain to the kids that each week they will get some things to place in their treasure chest. At the end of the three weeks they will have the hidden message. Have this week’s ‘My Treasure’ slip copied and cut out (from page 48), ready with a pencil to hand out to each child. Read out what it says to the kids and get them to answer the question. Cut out the gem (provided on page 49) for this week and get the children to place it in their treasure chest. Remind the kids to do some random act of kindness this week for someone in their family. This is one way we Live2Give.

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CONNECTING MATERIALS: Paper doll family (see template page 50) WHAT TO DO? Have enough ‘cut out’ people for each child to take a ‘cut out’ family home. Encourage kids to get their family to do the activity around the dinner table one night. BEING GENEROUS WITH OUR FAMILY Give each person around the table one of the paper doll families. Encourage each person at the dinner table to write one nice thing about each family member. On the other side of the paper doll family, choose at least one person in your family to write one nice (generous) thing they could do for the person the paper doll is to represent. Encourage each person to carry this act out (generously). Hold a discussion about different ways we can be generous with our family. Throughout the week continue to encourage each member of the family to help out. They could share things, play a game, read a young sibling a story before bed, pack up the dishwasher/do the dishes etc. There is a tear out version of this page on page 50 of this manual for you to give to each family as they are going home.

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WEEK TWO GENEROUS WITH OTHERS

HALL SET UP Add the things below to the scene from last week: Wading pools or shallow tubs Blue plastic tablecloth or material Use either one or more wading pools (if you have access) otherwise use low set tubs and place either blue material or plastic table cloth inside them to resemble water. Have some small rocks around the pool or if you need to improvise you could use some foam, or bean bags, cushions or even cut corrugated paper to look like rocks. As the kids enter the room, have them tackle the obstacle course as they did last week, only this week with the pool/s added. Get the kids to walk carefully across the rock pool.

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CONNECTING CHURCH with Pirate Alex or Pirate Zoe AIM Having God central in our lives helps us to experience the fullness of God’s generosity in our lives, which in turn we can share with those around us. MATERIALS 1 medium size rock 1 bowl big enough to hold the rock 1 bowl with water 1 small sponge Ask for a volunteer. Ask them if they would clean the table for you. Then hand them the rock, when they tell you that it won’t work, ‘oh yeah, silly me’. Place the rock in the bowl of water until it is covered, pull it out and try again. No doubt the child will tell you that it is impossible to clean the table with a rock—you need a sponge. Then hand them an old hardened cloth and ask them to clean the table (again it won’t be very effective). Finally, place the sponge in the water until it is wet through, squeeze it out a little and wash the table. This is what it was like for the man from our scripture. He couldn’t obey what he heard Jesus call him to do because he loved his money more than he loved Jesus. When we live how Jesus wants us to, that means when we allow Jesus to be the most important person in our lives, his love totally fills us (like the wet sponge). It is then we are able to Live2Give generously for Jesus. It is then that others can see his likeness in us... God’s generosity is contagious; soon you will see those around you beginning to Live2Give generously too.

Generosity rubs off on all those around us. It is contagious.

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MAIN POINT God is a generous God who pours out his abundant blessings on his children every day. To continue learning to Live2Give a life that reflects the generosity of Jesus.

This week let’s begin to learn how to live generously with those around us. Let’s be generous with those we meet each day at school, at church, at club, anywhere we meet with people. ACTIVITY STATIONS Don’t forget to use this time to interact with the kids. Ask questions about their week, How they went with trying to Live2Give.

Did they do at least one act of random kindness to someone in their family this week? What was it? How did it work? Do they think they might continue to do random acts of kindness? IDEAS FOR ACTIVITY STATIONS Set the activity stations up the same as last week or you may wish to use some of these suggestions: Board games Drawing Hula hoops Balance boards Play dough CRAFT—MAP Photocopy a map of your area and get the kids to find their house on the map. Then see if they can draw a line from the hall to their house.

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CONNECTING IN (All In together) SONGS I Can Be Your Friend (VeggieTales) Love Your Neighbour (VeggieTales) Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey) GAME—CHOCOLATE GAME

What you need: wrapped bar of chocolate that has been chilled in the fridge, a plate, knife and fork (fork for each child), some dressing-up items (pirate hat, scarf, eye-patch), dice

How to play: Put the bar of chocolate on the plate with the knife (each child can hold their own fork) and sit the children around it in a circle. Throw the pile of dressing-up clothes next to the chocolate plate. Give one child the dice.

Children take it in turns to roll the dice on the floor in front of them, passing it around the circle to their left. If a child rolls a six, they run and put on the dressing-up clothes and start to cut a piece of chocolate only using the knife and fork and only one piece at a time (they must finish eating the piece of chocolate before cutting another piece). That child keeps going until another child rolls a six, at which point they must co-operate in handing over the dressing up clothes so that the next child gets a turn.

DISCUSSION After the game you may want to invite Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe to come and share. Ask the kids about how generously God has provided for all of us. The earth produces all the things we need in which to survive. What are some of the things God provides for us? Food, shelter, family, pets, mountains, trees, friends, talents, money, animals, light, sunshine, rain… What should we do with these things, lock them away to keep them for ourselves, share them, look after them or waste them and take them for granted? (Think about how you felt when someone was getting to eat the chocolate in the chocolate game and you were missing out) How can we use the things God provides to show others we have chosen to Live2Give generously for him? Use them to help other people in any way we are able.

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CHOCKY CHALLENGE (This game becomes part of the teaching time) GAME—GOOD SAMARITAN The goal of the game is to be the first team with the injured person bandaged, with all the team sitting together at the end where the majority of the team began, with your hands in the air (apart from your bandaged person). Form teams of four. On one side of the hall choose one person from each team to lie on the floor pretending to be hurt. Give each team a supply of bandages and a cup of water. On ‘go’ teams are to race with their supplies to their hurt team member wrapping them up with the bandages, and then giving them their drink of water. The teams will have to work together to carry him or her back to the starting point. DON’T FORGET THE PRIZE GO STRAIGHT FROM THIS GAME INTO THE TEACHING TIME. CONNECTING DEEPER TEACHING (The Good Samaritan) Tell the kids the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). See page 53 This story is a well known one, if you can practice it at home throughout the week and tell it rather than reading it. QUESTIONS While the kids are working on their craft activity ask them some questions: How did you feel when you were helping the hurt person? Ask the person pretending to be hurt, ‘How did you feel while you were being helped’? How would you feel if you were hurt like the man in the parable and no one stopped to help you? What do you think Jesus meant when he said, 'Love your neighbour as yourself'? What are some of the things you could do to help others in need?

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CRAFT—Live2Give keys MATERIALS Key template (page 54) Card Scissors Glue Key chain Craft materials for decorating Textas Helping stickers Hole punch Print out key templates and glue onto fairly thick card x five per person. Cut the key shapes out. On the key shapes use a thick texta and write five different ways you could Live2Give generously. Here are a few—what can you come up with. 1. Be kind to all people 2. Share what I have 3. Tell people about Jesus 4. Do something nice 5. Use my talents to make someone happy Using the hole punch put a hole through the card in the appropriate place. Encourage the kids to decorate their keys. Join all the keys together with a length of keychain or wool.

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RECONNECT Remind kids to do some random act of kindness this week for someone at school, or where they play. This is one way we can show we Generously Live2Give. SONGS I Can Be Your Friend (VeggieTales) Love Your Neighbor (VeggieTales) Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey) TREASURE CHEST This can become part of the prayer time. Encourage kids to fill in the bottom part of the ‘treasure’ for this week (template on page 48). Anyone of the kids could then read it as part of their prayer, if they like, before placing it in their treasure chest. Cut out the gem (provided on page 49) for this week and get the children to place it in their treasure chest. PRAYER Encourage kids to pray for other people who may need it. This is a good time to suggest to kids to pray for anyone in the church who is unwell.

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CONNECTING This week we learned that we should love others as we love ourselves. We should always be helping those in need or those who need special support during difficult times. This week I am going to try and Live2Give generously for Jesus by treating others the way I want them to treat me. As you talk to your children about what they have learnt this week you could copy the pictures on pages 51 and 52 for them to use to make a card for someone who is sad, lonely or unwell.

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WEEK THREE GENEROUS WITH OUR GOD

HALL SET UP ADD THE FOLLOWING TO THE HALL DECORATIONS CAMP FIRE (use later for story) Have the fire ready to go but don’t turn it on until you are ready for drama. If you are concerned with the kids touching the ‘fake’ fire place it on a table. MATERIALS 1 large yellow plastic sheet / or material 1 large coffee tin 1 can opener 30 x 30 cm piece of orange or red silk Scissors Tape Red LED Christmas lights Small electric fan 4 to 5 empty paper towel rolls ***Only use LED lights for this, as they burn cooler and pose less of a fire hazard than traditional incandescent Christmas lights.

Lay the yellow sheet on the floor either under the camp fire or around it. The kids will be sitting on this later. (Representing sand)

Remove the top and bottom of the can with the can opener, and peel off the label if still attached.

Using scissors, cut the square of silk into four large triangles, (each with a 30 cm base) from the four sides of the square of fabric.

Tape the base of the four silk triangles to the inside walls of the coffee can to completely fill the cans interior. These will act as the flames.

Attach a string of red LED Christmas lights with tape to the inside of the coffee can just below the silk, and extend the plug end of the lights out the base of the coffee can. This will re-create firelight.

Set a small electric fan, such as a computer cooling fan or portable human cooling fan, to blow upward on a surface with at least 5 to 7 cm of space on the back of the fan to allow for airflow.

Arrange the coffee can on top of the fan, and plug in the fan and the lights. Lay the empty paper towel rolls around the coffee can to resemble logs. Unplug the fan and the lights when finished with the campfire.

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CONNECTING CHURCH CHILDREN’S STORY with Pirate Alex and Pirate Zoe MATERIALS Box of paper clips 3 identical prizes (e.g. candy bars) PREPARATION Before church, link paper clips together to form three chains. Have one chain using about 40 paper clips, another using about 20 and a third using about five. What you will do: During the class, you will ask for volunteers to help you with a boring project, and tell them that they will get a reward for their efforts. While the volunteers are working, the rest of the class can look up and read Matthew 20:1-16. Each volunteer will get a chain of linked paper clips. After the first volunteer is about half way finished unlinking the longest chain of paper clips, a second volunteer will help you with the middle-sized chain. When both are almost finished, you will ask a third volunteer to unlink the short chain of paper clips, each time offering the same reward. Most likely grumbling will occur from the first and second volunteer, which is part of the plan. What you will say: ‘I would like someone to help me with a very boring project. I have a bunch of paper clips, accidentally linked together. They are of no use to me this way. If someone will help unlink these clips, when finished I will reward you with this great prize.’ Show lollies and let them begin. When this first child is about half way finished say, ‘I have another bunch of paper clips all linked together, would someone else like to help me with these? I will reward you with the same prize.’ When the first two are almost finished, say, ‘I still have one more small bunch of paper clips linked together, would someone else like to help me with these, for the same prize?’ When all are finished, give each their rewards, and ask the following questions: 1. How did you feel when I first offered you a great reward to help me? 2. How did you feel when the next person got the same reward for doing less work? 3. (To volunteer number 3) How did you feel when you got the smallest chain of paper clips? 4. Everyone else, do you think what I did was fair? I know it does not seem fair, that someone who only did a little work got the same reward as someone else who did much more. Do you know Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is similar? You see some people receive Jesus when they are very young. They have a whole lifetime to work for God, by doing things like helping others, praying, or by teaching. Some people do not receive Jesus however until they are very old. They may only have a short time to serve him. Receiving Jesus early in life is like when (name of first volunteer) volunteered to help. S/He had a long time to serve.

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Receiving Jesus later in life is like when (names of second and third volunteers) volunteered to help. They were still able to serve the Lord, but not for as long. The reward is the same for everyone who receives Christ, no matter how old they are when they do. Having Jesus as your friend from when you are young is like having a best friend that you grow up with, you share the fun times, the sad times, and the hard times. When you grow together your relationship grows stronger because you know each other really well. This is the same with our relationship with Jesus. Having a strong relationship with Jesus from a young age means we get to experience all there is of Jesus—his love, joy, help, favour, and many more things for longer. AWESOME! Our reward is one day we will live with Jesus forever in heaven. MAIN POINT Jesus came that we might have life—the absolute best life. God desires that we Live2Give generously with our mind, our heart and our actions. God’s plan for us is to Live2Give generously with our family, with others and with God. ACTIVITY STATIONS

This is a great time for leaders to interact with kids, spend some time with them, chat and find out how the week has been.

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITY STATIONS Board games Drawing Board games Hula Hoops Balance boards Playdough

CRAFT—COLLAGE MATERIALS Magazines Poster paper Scissors Glue Textas Hand each child a magazine, a piece of poster paper, glue, scissors and a texta Explain to the kids they are to find pictures of things they like and make a pattern on the paper with it (It may be helpful to have a collage to show them).

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CONNECTING IN (All In together)

SONGS I Can Be Your Friend (VeggieTales) Love Your Neighbour (VeggieTales) Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey)

CHOCKY CHALLENGE

GAME—FISHING MATERIALS Cut out fish from templates on pages 44 to 47 Lots of small magnets 20cm of wool or string (per fishing rod) Long pencil or ruler (1 per fishing rod) 1 paper clip per child Scissors Cut out as many fish as you want. Attach a paper clip to each fish. Divide the kids up into teams. Tie the wool/string to the pencil or ruler and tie a magnet to the other end. Each person in the team has a set amount of turns to catch some fish—the winning team is the one with the most fish caught. TEACHING—DRAMA

NARRATOR

PETER

JESUS

CHILD WITH LOAVES AND FISH

NARRATOR: Peter was one of the twelve followers Jesus had chosen to help him tell the world about God’s incredible love. Jesus called them his disciples. There was nothing special about these guys. They weren’t the smartest in their class—they probably didn’t even GO to class. They weren’t the biggest or the strongest. They weren’t star athletes, or ruggedly handsome, or movie stars (of course, they didn’t HAVE movie stars back then. That was mostly because they didn’t have movies!) No, these guys were just ordinary, most likely smelly most of the time, fishermen. What made them special was being with Jesus. It’s always that way. God takes the ordinary, and makes it extraordinary!

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Anyway, a few days before, Jesus had sent the twelve of them out into the nearby villages to heal the sick and to tell the good news that the Kingdom of God was near.

PETER: ‘It was AMAZING!’ Peter said to Jesus. ‘We could hardly believe our eyes!’ (Peter said), ‘People came to us who were sick—and we made them well!’ I think sometimes we forgot just who Jesus was.

NARRATOR: Of course they could do what Jesus sent them to do! Jesus had filled them with his power. He wouldn’t send them out to do something without giving them the power to do it, would he?

PETER: You do get tired travelling all the time, telling people about God and healing the sick. And people kept following us—especially the ones who all of a sudden can see and walk!

NARRATOR: So a huge crowd was following Jesus and his disciples hoping to see more miracles. But Jesus and his disciples were tired. They really needed to get away and get some rest. Finally, Jesus climbed to the top of a hill. He turned around, and welcomed everyone. Then he began to tell them some more about how much God loved them. And he healed many who were sick. The crowd around him grew and grew. Meanwhile, the disciples were getting nervous. The crowd was very large now, and it was getting past dinner time. There wasn’t a McDonald’s in sight. Well, there wouldn’t be for another couple of thousand years. It would be a little too late by then!

PETER: ‘What are we going to do?’ Let’s tell everyone to go home, they will be getting hungry and there is nothing to eat here.’

NARRATOR: Well, there WAS one small child who had five loaves of bread and two fish.

CHILD: ‘Oh, oh’.

NARRATOR: All of a sudden everyone seemed to be looking at him.

JESUS: Jesus said to Peter, ‘You can feed this great crowd of people!’

PETER: ‘ME?! How can I feed all these people! It would take me half a year to earn enough money to buy bread for all these people. And even then, it would only be enough for everyone to have just a little.’

NARRATOR: Jesus must have known something the rest of them didn’t. Just then Jesus saw the boy with the bread and the fish.

JESUS: ‘There,’ Jesus said, ‘there is enough food.’

PETER: ‘But, Jesus he has only five loaves of bread and two fish. There must be five thousand men here, plus their families. You can’t feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish!’

JESUS: ‘Ask the child to come here’ (Jesus wraps his arms around the little boy and smiles at him).

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JESUS: ‘Would you share your bread and fish with us, so we all can eat?’

CHILD: Sure (and hands the basket nervously over to Jesus)

NARRATOR: Five loaves of bread? And two fish? For all these people?! That can’t be possible! ‘This I have to see!’ the child must have thought to himself. The crowd gathered in groups, laughing and talking with each other and becoming friends. That’s how God likes it. Then Jesus took the bread, and he looked up to heaven and said,

JESUS: ‘Thank you, Father, for your great love and all your wonderful gifts, and thank you to (insert name) for giving his small gift so you can do BIG things with it!’

NARRATOR: Then Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples. They took the bread and began to hand it out to the people. They kept handing it out and handing it out—and the amazing thing was, there was always more to give. Soon, everyone in that huge, huge crowd had some bread and some fish, and not just a little. They all had all they could eat—and then there was still some left over. When everyone had finished eating Jesus said,

JESUS: ‘Now gather up what is left over, so that none will be lost.’

NARRATOR: And so the disciples did as Jesus told them. They filled TWELVE baskets with the left over pieces of bread!

PETER: Now, that’s what I call wonder bread!

NARRATOR: When the people saw this, they were amazed.

KIDS & NARRATOR: (Have either 12 baskets or 12 pictures of baskets for the kids to count). Let’s count and see how many baskets of food are left over after all 5,000 people were fed.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, 10, 11, 12.

NARRATOR: TWELVE Baskets leftover! Wow! What a miracle Jesus had performed right there before their very eyes! Two little fish and five small loaves of bread had fed over FIVE THOUSAND people with plenty of food to spare!

NOW let me tell you something even MORE AWESOME and more important than that!

The story shows that even when we only have a little, if we offer it to God he can use it to do BIG things. Even though we may not feel we have much to offer, when we offer it to God the Lord will be pleased and people will gain blessings through us. So don’t think because you are young you are unable to do things for Jesus because our story shows us that as long as we are willing, the Lord can use us as he did (insert name) to perform the miracle. Our little is lots when Jesus is involved.

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CONNECTING DEEPER (Small group)

Print out the pictures of people in helping professions from template on page 55 or find and cut out from magazines etc. pictures of people in jobs where they help others. Invite the kids to choose one or two of the professions.

Ask the kids:

- How do the people in the pictures you have chosen help others?

- What do you want to be when you grow up?

- What is it you like about the work they do?

- How do you feel knowing you can’t do it now, you have to wait until you are older?

- What are some of the ways you are able to help people now?

- How do you feel when you help someone?

(Insert name) enjoyed helping others. S/he really wanted to do something that would make a difference. She wasn't very big and she wasn't very strong; so many people didn't think there was much she could do. Some tried to discourage her and told her she had good intentions, but she should just wait until she was bigger.

Do you ever feel like that? Do ever feel like you want to help but aren't good enough or big enough?

Jesus wants you to know that it doesn't matter how big or how small you are; he wants to use you in an awesome way. He doesn’t need to wait until you’re BIG, he can do BIG things through you while you are small. The same as he did with the child who shared his lunch and with his five loaves and two fish, Jesus could feed 5,000 people. What an adventure the boy had. What an adventure, his being obedient and giving his all to Jesus meant that Jesus could feed 5,000 people. Is that the kind of life you think you would like to live—not just when you are big—but right now today? You can Live2Give for Jesus. Who thinks they would like to do that? Wait for kids to respond. Let the kids know how you have enjoyed sharing with them in the connecting deeper group. Bless the kids with a word of encouragement for each one of them. Then pray with your group before you return to Reconnect.

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SONGS I Can Be Your Friend (VeggieTales)

Love Your Neighbour (VeggieTales)

Ahrrr! The Pirate Song (Dave Godfrey) TREASURE CHEST Encourage kids to fill in the bottom part of the ‘treasure’ slip (found on page 48) and place it in their treasure chest. Cut out the gem (provided on page 49) for this week and get the children to place it in their treasure chest. RECONNECT/FINALE

Invite the kids to come back and sit around the camp fire. Follow on the conversation from the connecting deeper group. Ask the kids if they want to Live2Give for Jesus and live a life full of adventures with him. (Wait for response)

Read what the pledge card (this is provided in your kit with a template also found on page 56) says to the kids, so they understand what they are signing. Invite those who would like to make that decision to take a pledge card and write and sign it.

PRAYER Dear Jesus, thank you for giving each of us something that we can give back to you. Help us to give cheerfully knowing that, no matter how small the gift, you can turn it into a miracle. In you all things are possible. You can turn anything into a miracle. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

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WEEK FOUR CELEBRATION

PARTY DAY Over the past three weeks we have been learning how to Live2Give generously, with your family, with others and with God. God is an extravagantly generous God who wants to give us the best life we can possibly have. Today we are going to celebrate all God has done for us, plus all he will do for us, and through us. Continue the journey of living our life for him with all we are and all we have and in all we do.

• Today is designed to be a fun day. A day of celebration and FUN! If you don’t operate your program in alignment with the church service you could make this a family time.

FOOD IDEAS

Mini burgers called ‘Buccaneer Burgers’

Banana Fruit Boats—banana with chopped apple, grapes, rockmelon

Sandwiches—cut into fish shapes

Sword-shaped cocktail sticks threaded with grapes, cheese or sliced fruit

Mini hotdog ships—make sails by threading toothpicks through triangular shaped pieces of paper

Pirate ships—half a baked potato with a small pirate flag threaded on a toothpick

—party pies, sausage rolls with a small pirate flag threaded on a toothpick

Chicken nuggets (treasure)

Honey comb (gold)

Cannonballs—scoops of chocolate ice cream

Fish crackers

Gummy sharks in blue jelly

Chocolate gold coins

Treasure chests made from rectangular biscuits, iced and decorated with lolly ‘jewels’ (see kids’ booklet number 2)

GAMES

Choose some of your favourite games.

HAVE A GREAT PARTY

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SONGS

I CAN BE YOUR FRIEND VeggieTales: God made you special album Have you ever seen a boy with funny clothes? A girl with braces on her teeth or freckles on her nose? Some kids call them odd balls, some kids call them weird Is it my imagination or does aunt Ruth have a beard? God makes lots of people in all colours, shapes and sizes He loves them very much and what we need to realise is: That calling people names because they're different is wrong Instead we need to look on them in love and sing this song [chorus] I can be your friend I can be your friend Any day in any weather We can be friends and play together Ya we’re all pretty different some are skinny some are stout But the inside is the part were supposed to care about Aye! that’s why we have feelings that are very much the same So instead of saying weirdo I think friends a better name [chorus] I can be your friend (la la la) I can be your friend (la la la) If your hair is red or yellow We can have lunch I’ll share my jello I can be your friend (la la la) I can be your friend (la la la) It's okay if we are different, we can still play and I can be your friend! I can be you friend *fades*

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LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR VeggieTales: God made you special album

Junior: He has a shoe, and I have a pot But when we look deeper there's more that we've got. God made us special, and now I can see If you're special to Him then you're special to me! Love your neighbour When someone helps you then you'll understand When you love your neighbour, Loving means lending a hand! All: If you see someone who's hurt or in need, Maybe it's time to perform a good deed. And when you've finished you'll find that it's true, When you make them feel better, you'll feel better too! Junior: Here, let me help you. Larry: Thank you! Larry and Junior: Oh, love your neighbour Larry: When someone helps you then you'll understand Larry and Junior: When you love your neighbour, Loving means Junior: Lending a hand!

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AHRRR! THE PIRATE SONG by Dave Godfrey Ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrr You lookin’ for my treasure Ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrrr, ahrr You searchin’ for a clue Well my treasure ain’t down here, Jim Lad My treasure’s up above Safe from sneaky pirates, just like you I used to have a chest of ancient treasure With golden coins too valuable to measure It was the most amazing sight ‘Til someone nicked it in the night Much to my annoyance and displeasure! Ahrrr But now I’ve brand new treasure, just for me And rust and thieves will gain no victory My heart is set on things above I’ve gained the riches of his love In Heaven, then, is where my treasure be! Ahrrr

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WE’RE THE PIRATES WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING VeggieTales

We are the pirates who don’t do anything We just stay at home and lie around And if you ask us to do anything We'll just tell you we don’t do anything Well I’ve never been to Greenland And I've never been to Denver And I’ve never buried treasure in St. Louie or St. Paul And I’ve never been to Moscow And I’ve never been to Tampa And I’ve never been to Boston in the fall We're the pirates who don’t do anything We just stay at home and lie around And if you ask us to do anything We'll just tell you we don’t do anything And I’ve never hoist the main sail And I’ve never swabbed the poop deck And I’ve never veer to starboard 'Cause I never sail at all And I’ve never walked the gangplank And I’ve never owned a parrot And I’ve never been to Boston in the fall 'Cause we're the pirates who don’t do anything We just stay at home and lie around And if you ask us to do anything We'll just tell you we don’t do anything Well I've never plucked a rooster And I'm not too good at ping ball And I’ve never thrown my mashed potatoes Up against the wall And I’ve never kissed a chipmunk And I’ve never gotten head lice And I’ve never been to Boston in the fall.

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(spoken) Huh? What are you talking about? Whats a rooster and mashed potatoes have to do with being a pirate? Hey, thats right! We are supposed to sing about pirate-y things. And who's ever kissed a chipmunk? That's just nonsense! Why even bring it up?

Am I right? What do you think? I think you look like Captain Crunch. Huh? No I don't! Do too. Do not! You're making me hungry. Thats it! You're walkin' the plank. Says who? Says the Cap'n, thats who! Oh yeah? Ay Ay, Cap'n Crunch! hehehehe Arrrgggghh Yikes! And I’ve never licked a spark plug And I’ve never sniffed a stinkbug And I’ve never painted daises On a big red rubber ball And I’ve never bathed in yogurt And I don’t look good in leggings (You just don't get it.) And we’ve never been to Boston in the fall! (spoken) Pass the chips! Who's got the remote control? Here it is! Time for Heraldo. It's definitely time for Loch Nech. Ohh…I don't like this show. Hey look! I found a quarter!

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GAMES Swab the Deck – Set up a start and finish line with an obstacle course of ‘piratey’ things between each. Using a broom the children sweep the balls around the obstacle course. You might vary this activity, by having treasures along the way that they have to pick up. Treasure Chest Toss – Set up a series of treasure chests, wooden boxes, or baskets at different distances and assign each a point. Line the little pirates up and give each a set number of plastic or chocolate gold coins. The goal is to get as many points as possible by tossing the coins into the containers. After the game is finished, equally distribute the coins to each child and have them put them in their treasure chests. Cannonball Attack – Mark two ships on the ground out of tape. Divide the pirates into two teams and give each team plenty of cannon balls (crumpled newspaper secured by black electrical tape, or painted Styrofoam balls). Let the attack begin. The goal is to get as many balls on the other teams ship before the time runs out. Treasure Hunt – A pirate treasure hunt can be indoors or outdoors depending on your facility. Clues can be written down, drawn or photographed. Each clue can be set up as part of a jig saw shape. When all are found they make a map (example map on page 59) which leads to the buried treasure full of goodies to share. Clues can be simple or complex depending on the age of the children. The treasure can include bible promises to put in their little treasure chests. Cannonball Blast – Tie inflated black balloons (cannonballs) to each child’s ankle. The children have to ‘explode’ the other pirates cannonballs without having their own popped. X marks the spot – A pirate twist on the traditional ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ party game. Make a large map and add an X to mark the treasure spot. Blindfold the pirates, spin them around and have them try and place a treasure chest sticker on the X. The closest Treasure chest wins.

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ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Matthew 6:19-24 in the Bible talks about not building up your earthly treasures, but focusing on the eternal treasures that will remain into eternity. Young children can have difficulty grasping this concept. Activities and crafts can be used to help children understand what this means and helping them to be able to focus on what is important in life. Read more: Bible Activities & Crafts on ‘Where Your Treasure Is’ in Matthew | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8045920_bible-activities-crafts-treasure-matthew.html#ixzz29KAkrEtN

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TEMPLATES

Paper people (week 1):

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Treasure chest:

Enlarge to size required (suggested A3) Glue onto card Cut out Put together Decorate as you choose

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Fish:

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My treasure:

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Gems for treasure chest: Cut out jewels and glue on to thin card. Give one gem to a child each week to place in their treasure chest as a link between the story in class and the message in the story that appears in the kids’ booklet each week.

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CONNECTING (week 1) PAPER DOLL FAMILY WHAT TO DO? As you are sitting around the table having dinner, pass the paper family around the table and encourage each person to write something encouraging about each person. On the other side of the paper doll family each person is to choose one person from around the table and write one nice (generous) thing they could do for that person during the week. Encourage each person to carry this act out (generously). Hold a discussion about different ways we can be generous with our family. Throughout the week continue to encourage each member of the family to help out. They could share things, play a game, read a young sibling a story before bed, pack up the dishwasher/do the dishes etc.

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CONNECTING (week 2) This week we learned that we should love others as we love ourselves. We should always be helping those in need or those who need special support during difficult times.

This week I am going to try and Live2Give generously for Jesus by treating others the way I want them to treat me.

As you talk to your children about what they have learnt this week perhaps they could cut out the pictures below and use them to make someone who is sad, lonely or unwell a card.

TAKING CARE OF OTHERS SHOWS I AM LIVING GENEROUSLY FOR JESUS!

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Story (week 2):

LUKE 10:25-37 THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN 25 ‘Just then a religious scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I

need to do to get eternal life?” 26 He answered, “What's written in God's Law? How do you

interpret it?” 27 He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer

and muscle and intelligence —and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”

28 “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you'll live.” 29 Looking for a loophole, he asked,

“And just how would you define 'neighbour'?” 30 Jesus answered by telling a story. “There

was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by

robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. 31

Fortunately, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled

across to the other side. 32 Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the

injured man. 33 A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's

condition, his heart went out to him. 34 He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his

wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable.

35 In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take

good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back. 36

What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbour to the man attacked by

robbers?” 37 “The one who treated him kindly,” the religious scholar responded. Jesus said,

“Go and do the same.”’

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Keys:

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Connecting deeper images—professions (week 3):

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Pledge card:

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Pirate Alex:

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Pirate Zoe:

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Map:

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Treasure chest:

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Make a pirate hat: Using the template as a guide cut out a pirate hat and decorate front of hat using shapes cut out of white paper. Decorate with sequins or feathers if you like. Cut a long thin strip of card measured to the circumference of the child’s head (headband) and staple it together. Staple the hat to the headband.

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Make a parrot: Colour and cut out parrot pieces and glue to a cardboard roll. http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mparrot2.htm

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Make a pirate patch: Cut out patch and glue it to thin card. Once the glue has dried completely thread hat elastic or ribbon through the holes as a tie to secure around child’s head.