Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Conductor Carl Act 2

Big Story Video

Conductor Carl Act 1

Rules Video

2 min Countdown

Countdown Video

Big Point Video Short

The Big Do

5 min Countdown

Preschool Clean Up Song

Conductor Carl Act 3

Title Slide Steam Whistle

Engineer Kelly invites kids to come over and play at the playground after school. They play jump rope. Unfortunately, Mia can’t jump the rope and she's really sad about it.

Large Group

Suggested Music For This Lesson:
 - Soft instrumental music for Big Story

Engage 1 Prep:  cut a large circle to use as your face. You can use posterboard, or you can purchase the cardboard cake rounds that cake decorators use. Make the face any realistic or fun color you like. The frown could be made out of posterboard or laminated paper. Attach the mouth to the face with Velcro or brads, so that you can turn the mouth into a smile or frown.



Engage 2 Prep: This 
uses the “Torn and Restored Heart Trick.” To prepare, cut two identically sized 
hearts out of red paper. One will be folded and taped to the back of the other, so that after you tear the first one, you can unfold it to make it seem as if the heart has been put back together. You can find a great tutorial video by Christian illusionist David Laflin here.


Engage 3 Prep: This engage 
uses the special bounce/no bounce balls science experiment. You can find 
these online by searching for them by name. They are made of special rubber that allows one to bounce and the other not bounce, even though they appear to be made of the same material.


Countdown from 10

Rules

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter dressed in overalls. 


**Host**
Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! Do any of you have baby brothers or sisters at home?

**Co-Host**
Babies can be lots of fun to play with, but sometimes they cry…loudly. Can you pretend to cry like babies?



**Host**
That was so silly. You sounded like babies, but you look like big kids. Let’s think of some reasons why babies cry.



Show the following slides and have the kids guess the reason why the baby might cry: hungry, burp, diaper change, tired, teething. Have the kids pretend to do some of the actions like rubbing their tummies, point to their teeth, yawning.


**Co-Host**
Babies aren’t the only people that cry. Sometimes we cry, too.

**Host**
That’s true. Sometimes we cry because we feel sad. Today we will discover that God can help us when we feel sad. Give us a big, “Choo-choo!” 


Welcome

Worship

For this Engage, cut a large circle to use as your face. You can use posterboard, or you can purchase the cardboard cake rounds that cake decorators use. Make the face any realistic or fun color you like. The frown could be made out of posterboard or laminated paper. Attach the mouth to the face with Velcro or brads, so that you can turn the mouth into a smile or frown.



**Co-Host**
Mia is so upset about not being able to jump the rope.

**Host**
Jr. Conductors, let’s stand and pretend to jump rope. When I say, “Jump,” jump as high as you can. (Have the kids practice jumping a few times) Great job. You can have a seat on your pockets. Have you ever tried to do something, but you couldn’t? You may feel sad when that happens. That’s why our Big Point is such good news. Let’s practice it. 



**Host**
**I Can Have Peace When I’m Sad!**



**Co-Host**
When we feel sad, we can still choose to be calm and peaceful.


**Host**
That’s because we know that God is with us, and He will help us. Let’s think of 
some things that might make a Jr. Conductor sad. Then we can think of ways that God helps us.


Play the following slides and talk about each scenario. When you read the scenario, turn the smile on the face cutout to a frown. Then discuss ways that God helps you. Turn the mouth from a frown to a smile. With each scenario, you can ask the kids additional questions or pretend to do things related to the scenario.



Scenarios
 - Someone you love gets sick – God can heal that person. He can comfort us. He makes us strong, not weak.
 - Your mommy or daddy drops you off at daycare or school – God is with us wherever we go. God can help us find friends and teachers who are kind. God can protect us.
 - You lose a special toy – God can help you remember. God can help you feel calm as you look for it. God can help you sleep, even without your special item.
 - You can’t do something you want to do – Examples: tying your shoe, playing a game, learning to read, etc. God gives us a mind to learn. He helps us grow. God gives us healthy minds and bodies. God gives us kind teachers and parents to help us.



**Co-Host**
Those things could make you feel sad, but now we know God helps us! I’m so glad we can have peace, even when sad things happen.

**Host**
Just because you feel sad doesn’t mean you have to give up or quit. You can keep going because God loves to help you. Let’s see if Mia will keep going.


Engage 1

This Engage 
uses the “Torn and Restored Heart Trick.” To prepare, cut two identically sized 
hearts out of red paper. One will be folded and taped to the back of the other, so that after you tear the first one, you can unfold it to make it seem as if the heart has been put back together. You can find a great tutorial video by Christian illusionist David Laflin.


**Co-Host**
Mia is really sad. I’m glad that Inspector Nigel visited the park so that he could talk to her. He helped her learn the Big Point. Let’s practice singing the Big Point again, 



**Co-Host**
**I Can Have Peace When I’m Sad!**



**Host**
Inspector Nigel shared an important verse from the Bible with her. 



**Host**
Psalm 34:18 (NIrV) says, “The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken.”



**Co-Host**
When someone feels sad, we sometimes say they have a broken heart. Put your hand over your heart and feel it beating. (Demonstrate placing your hand over your heart) Our heart doesn’t actually break when we’re sad; it still works. That phrase just means that the person feels really sad. 

**Host**
Have you ever felt really sad? Show what kind of face you make when you feel sad. What kinds of things make you sad?


Allow the kids to answer. Give them some examples to begin with to get the conversation started. Examples: sad because you had an accident, sad when you have to say goodbye, someone said a mean thing to you, you were left out by older kids, etc. With each suggestion the **Host** tears part of the heart, according to the directions, until the heart is torn apart.


**Host**
This heart is all torn apart.

**Co-Host**
Let’s think of some of the ways God helps us.


Allow the kids to suggest answers but give them some examples to begin or as necessary for the illusion. Examples: God loves us, God forgives us, God can help us remember who the Bible says we are, God is kind to us, God never leaves us, God wants us to be part of His family. With each example, the **Host** unfolds the heart that had been taped to the back of the torn heart to reveal the restored heart.



**Host**
It looks so much better! God can heal a sad heart.

**Co-Host**
That’s why we can have peace, even when we feel sad.

**Host**
God is close by when we feel sad, and He cares for us. I think that this is a great time to stand and worship Jesus, who loves us.




Engage 2

Big Story Slides - peace-jr-l3-big-story-slide-.jpg

I’m glad that we have friends at church who can help us when we are sad. Let’s practice praying for our friends. Everyone, touch the shoulder of the person next to you. Quietly pray for that person and ask God to help them when they feel sad. (Pause) Thank you for praying. Now I will pray for all of you. (Pray)



Big Story

This Engage 
uses the special bounce/no bounce balls science experiment. You can find 
these online by searching for them by name. They are made of special rubber that allows one to bounce and the other not bounce, even though they appear to be made of the same material.


**Co-Host**
Mia did such a good job jumping rope.

**Host**
I’m glad that she didn’t give up. She found peace because of God’s help. Let’s all practice our Big Point again, 



**Host**
**I Can Have Peace When I’m Sad!**

**Co-Host**
Elijah was sad and thought that he was all alone, but he wasn’t. Who was with Elijah? (Pause) That’s right; God was there.

**Host**
You can tell your family about Elijah when you do the Big Do this week. 

**Host**
Make a list of some good things that God has done for you with your family. When you feel sad, look at the list and remember everything God has done.



**Co-Host**
Do you like to play with bouncy balls? They are so much fun. I’m going to choose two Jr. Conductors to help us play with these bouncy balls. 



Choose two kids help. Show the bounce and no bounce balls.


**Host**
They look the same. Do they feel the same? Go ahead and try bouncing them.



One ball bounces and the other lands with a thud.


**Co-Host**
Let’s switch and try it again.


**Host**
They look the same, but they aren’t. They are different on the inside. We’re different, too, because of Jesus. When we say, “Yes” to following Jesus, His Spirit comes to live inside us.



**Co-Host**
That makes a big difference. When we feel sad, we have someone to help us 
bounce back and choose peace. To help you remember, we’re giving each of you a bouncy ball with a face on it. When your parents pick you up, show it to them and let them know that you can have peace no matter how you feel.


**Host**
Let’s say our Big Point once more, 



Engage 3

 - Did our Big Point say I Can’t Have Peace When I’m Sad or **I Can Have Peace When I’m Sad?**

 - Let’s pretend to play on a playground. (Pretend to do different activities like sliding, swinging, running, climbing, jumping) Who had trouble learning to jump at the Train Station? **Mia** How did she feel when she couldn’t jump? **Sad** Did Mia quit, or did she learn how to jump the rope? **She learned**

 - Stand up. Reach your arms to the side and spread out so that you can’t touch anyone with your fingertips. Move a little farther. Now squeeze close together. You can sit down. Psalm 34:18 (NIrV), “The Lord is ______ to those whose hearts have been broken.”

     - **Close**

      - Far Away

 - Let’s run in place. Run fast like someone is chasing you. Let’s climb up a mountain. Who ran away from a mean queen in the Big Story? **Elijah** Did Elijah feel sad and alone? **Yes** 

 - Turn to someone and whisper, “Hello.” Try to whisper softer. “Hello.” Try it even softer. “Hello.” Who spoke to Elijah in a whisper? **God** Did God tell Elijah that he wasn’t alone? **Yes** Will God help you when you’re sad? **Yes**

 - What did Conductor Carl tell us to do in the Big Do?
**Make a list of good things God has done**

Big Review

Clean Up

Midweek / Classroom

Begin by splitting the kids into the desired number of small groups. Small Group Leaders, take a few moments to welcome your group. 



Small Group Split

Leader enters dressed as a Train Conductor.


Hi, Jr Conductors! Welcome to the Train Station. I’m so happy we are together today! Can you show me a big smile? Those are great smiles. Use your fingers and push your smile down. (Make a sad face) Oh no, do I look happy now? How do I look now? (Pause) Yes, I look very sad. Let’s use our fingers to push our mouths back into a smile. Sometimes we feel sad, and we might even cry. Today we will find out how God wants to help us when we feel sad. Let’s go to the Train Station to find out more! Everyone, say, “Choo-choo!” 


Jr. Conductors, I’ve got a fun song about being happy that we can sing together. But first I want to show you the motions, so that we can all have fun and do them together.   



Teach the kids simple motions by saying the lyrics and pointing in, out, up, down, and then clapping during the rest. 



That was a lot of fun! Sometimes we don’t feel happy. Let’s find out what the Bible says about the times when we feel sad.  
 


Icebreaker

Mia is so sad because she’s having a hard time jumping the rope. Have you ever tried to do something, but you just couldn’t? (Pause) That does feel sad. That is why our Big Point is such good news. Let’s practice it together, 

We might feel sad when someone is sick, when we lose our special toy, or 
when we miss our mommy or daddy. God has said that He will help us feel calm and peaceful, even when those things happen. When we feel sad, we can remind ourselves that God is always with us and will help us. When we do that, He will help our hearts to be at peace. 

In your small group, you will see what happens when we fill our hearts with sadness. Turn around to your small group leader! 


Prior to small groups, fill one of the heart balloons with helium, tie it to a long string, and tie the string to a balloon weight. At small group time, bring out the helium balloon on the string and the empty balloon. Ask everyone to tell you something that makes them sad. As they do, fill the empty balloon up with air. After it is filled, tie the balloon. Show how the balloon that was filled with the sad things doesn’t float. Then show the helium filled balloon. Explain how the helium balloon is like when we fill ourselves with true things about God, how He never leaves us, He will help us, and He loves us. Those things bring us up out of sadness.


I’m so glad that when we fill our hearts up with true things about God, it helps us have peace. Just because we are sad doesn’t mean we have to give up or quit. We can keep going because God loves to help us. Let’s see if Mia will keep going.



Mia is really sad. I’m glad that Inspector Nigel visited the park so that he could talk to her. He helped her learn the Big Point. Let’s sing it together again, 



Inspector Nigel shared an important verse from the 
Bible with her. Psalm 34:18 (NIrV) says, “The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken.”

When someone feels sad, we sometimes say they have a broken heart. Put your hand over your heart and feel it beating. (Demonstrate placing your hand over your heart) Our heart doesn’t actually break when we’re sad; it still works. That phrase just means that the person feels really sad. God can heal a sad heart. 

In your small group, you will put a puzzle together while you think of ways God heals sad hearts. 


You can buy heart puzzles from Amazon or download a coloring sheet and cut the pieces out. 

Pass out the heart puzzles to all the kids and have them break it apart. Put it back together, and as you put down each piece, think of a truth about God could help make a sad heart happy again. Here are some examples: God loves us, God forgives us, God can help us remember who the Bible says we are, God is kind to us, God never leaves us, God wants us to be part of His family.


I’m so thankful God heals our hearts. You can have a peaceful, healthy heart for your whole life! Now let’s listen to a true story from the Bible about how God helped a man who was sad. 


When Elijah was sad, God reminded him that there were other people who loved God, just like Elijah. I’m glad that we have friends at church who can help us when we are sad. Let’s practice praying for our friends. Everyone, hold the hand of the person next to you. Quietly pray for that person and ask God to help them when they feel sad. (Pause) Thank you for praying. Now I will pray for all of you. (Pray) 


Mia did such a good job jumping rope. I’m glad that she didn’t give up. She found peace because of God’s help. In our Big Story, Elijah found peace when he discovered that he wasn’t alone. Who was with Elijah? (Pause) Yup, God was there.



The Big Do this week will help you follow the Big Point. Make a list of some good things that God has done for you with your family. When you feel sad, look at the list and remember everything God has done.

I’m so glad you came to the Train Station today. I had lots of fun with you! Let’s say our Big Point one last time, 


Peace Week 3

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Large Group Instructions

Large Group Instructions