Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Program Videos.zip

Program Videos

Rules Video

2 min Countdown

Conductor Carl Act 3

Conductor Carl Act 1

Countdown Video

The Big Do

Preschool Clean Up Song

Big Point Video Short

Conductor Carl Act 2

Big Story Video

Title Slide Steam Whistle

3 min Countdown

Lionel is upset because he has to spend Thanksgiving with his cousins. He's upset because they mess up his stuff. Help Lionel replace his grumbles with "Thank you's."

Large Group

Countdown from 10

Rules

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter. The **Co-Host** is wearing a Turkey hat/costume.

**Host**
Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! I have a question for you. Do you know what special holiday we are celebrating this month? 

**Co-Host**
It’s not Christmas, and it’s not Easter. Do you know what it is? My hat/costume is a hint. 

**Host**
You’re right, it’s Thanksgiving. What do we usually eat on Thanksgiving? That’s right; we eat a big turkey. 

**Co-Host**
What sound does a turkey make? Gobble, gobble! Let’s practice our turkey sounds. Turn to a friend and say, “Gobble, gobble!” 

**Host**
Thanksgiving is a holiday that reminds us to say, “Thanks.” We can say thanks even when we don’t feel like it.

**Co-Host**
Even when someone takes the last yummy roll at Thanksgiving dinner? Wow, I definitely want to hear today’s Big Point so I can make that choice.

**Host**
Be sure to listen closely. Let’s stand and make a loud, “Choo-choo!” 



Welcome

Worship

**Host**
I thought that Lionel would be happy that his family is visiting. Is Lionel happy or upset? He’s very upset. 

**Co-Host**
What did Conductor Carl say that Lionel was doing? Did he say he was mumbling? Let’s talk softly. Did he say he was tumbling? Let’s roll our hands over and over like a tumbling rock. 

**Host**
Did he say he was bubbling? Let’s make bubbles with our mouths. What did he say? That’s right, Conductor Carl said Lionel was grumbling. 

**Co-Host**
What does it mean to grumble? (Pause) It means that Lionel was talking a lot about what he doesn’t like. What makes you want to grumble? (Allow for answers) 

**Host**
There are times that all of us feel like grumbling, but is that the right choice? No. Whenever we feel like grumbling, we need to remember our Big Point. Let’s practice it now.



Practice the Big Point and have the kids return to their pockets.

**Co-Host**
It’s hard to say thank you and grumble at the same time. Let’s try that. Say “thank you” and say the word “grumble” at the same time. Do that on the count of three. Use your fingers to count with me. 1, 2, 3.

(Try saying both phrases at the same time. Practice this several times.)

**Host**
If we want to show thankfulness, then we need to stop grumbling. Let’s try that now. I want you all to start saying, “Grumble, grumble” over and over. When I say, “Stop,” stop grumbling and say, “Thanks.” 

(Have the kids practice stopping several times.)

**Co-Host**
Good job! Let’s see if Lionel can stop grumbling.


Engage 1

**Host**
Why was Lionel hiding in the tree house? (Pause) That’s right; he was hiding from his family. 

**Co-Host**
Thankfully Engineer Kelly helped Lionel learn the Big Point. Let’s stand and say the Big Point, 


**Co-Host**
**Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!**

**Host**
We have lots of chances to choose to say “thank you” or to choose to grumble. 

**Co-Host**
Let’s use our imagination to pretend it is Thanksgiving dinner. What kinds of food do you eat at Thanksgiving? (Allow for answers) What is your favorite dessert? (Have the kids describe the food and pretend to eat it) Mmm, that sounds delicious. 

**Host**
What is something you do not like to eat? (Pause) What do you say when you see that yucky food on your plate at Thanksgiving? (Pause) When you see your favorite food on your plate, do you smile? Do you say, “Thank you” cheerfully? I’m sure you do. Let’s practice saying, “Thank you” now. Thank you. 

**Co-Host**
When you see a food at Thanksgiving that you don’t like, do you make a grumpy face? Would your Thanksgiving dinner be as much fun if everyone at the table grumbled about the food? It wouldn’t. Show me what you think your mommy or daddy’s face would look like if he or she grumbled at Thanksgiving.

**Host**
Today’s Big Verse tells us that we can be thankful all the time. 




**Host**
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV) says, “Give thanks no matter what happens.” Does that mean we can be thankful even when we have a food we don’t like on our plate?

**Co-Host**
Yes! We can be thankful that God gave us food that will help us grow big and strong. Let’s pretend to grow up tall. Stand on your tippy toes and reach up high. Pretend you’re growing so tall that you touch the ceiling. Are you growing even bigger? How tall are you now? Are you taller than a dinosaur? Are you taller than a mountain? Let’s shrink back to our pockets.

**Host**
There are lots of reasons to say, “Thank you” every day because every day God shows us how much He loves us by taking care of us. We can always find a reason to tell God thanks. Let’s stand and say, “Thank You” to God with a song.





Engage 2

Big Story Slides - tg-ps-l2-big-story-slide-1.jpg

Jr. Conductors, let’s practice our Big Verse. Saying what’s in the Bible over and over will help you remember to make wise choices. I’ll say the verse, and you repeat after me. “I will give thanks no matter what happens.” (Repeat twice) Good job. You can practice saying God’s Word every day. Close your eyes, and I’ll pray.


Big Story

**Host**
I’m glad that Lionel remembered the Big Point. He used it when he felt like grumbling. Instead of talking about how he didn’t like it, Lionel said, “Thank you.” 

**Co-Host**
Let’s say the Big Point again. 


**Co-Host**
**Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!** I want to show you some pictures, and you tell me which one of the two pictures would taste better. 


**Host**
Thankful words are like food that is yummy to eat. Grumbles are gross like worms or mud. We want to be full of thankful words, not yucky words. 

**Co-Host**
Make sure that you say lots of thankful words every day and spit out those grumbles. Let’s say the Big Point again. (VFX: Big Point Video) Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks! 



**Co-Host**
**Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!**

Engage 3

1.	Let’s Practice our Big Point again. Hmm, did our Big Point say **Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks** or Don’t Say Thanks, Grumble? **Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks**

2.	What is the name of one of your cousins? What color hair does your grandma have? How tall is your grandpa? Show me with your hands. Why was Lionel upset today? **He didn’t want his family to visit**. Did Lionel grumble? **Yes** What did Lionel learn to do instead of grumbling? **Be thankful**

3.	Let’s stand and pretend to march. What was the name of the man in the Big Story who helped the Israelites march out of Egypt? **Moses** Did God help them leave the mean Egyptians? **Yes** Now let’s march in the desert. 

Big Story Slides - tg-ps-l2-big-story-slide-4.jpg

Is it cold or warm in the desert? What do you see on the screen? When the Israelites marched in the desert, did they grumble? **Yes** Did God keep helping them? **Yes**

4.	What’s your favorite toy to play with at home? Can you tell me what that toy looks like? How would you feel if someone broke your toy? You might feel sad or angry. Let’s think of one thing that we could thank God for, even if someone broke our favorite toy.

5.	Let’s pretend that we are stuffing our mouths with lots of bubble gum. Is bubble gum sticky? Let’s pretend it’s so sticky we can barely open our mouths. Should we fill our mouths with grumbling words or thankful words? Let’s pretend to dump in lots of thankful words.

6.	What does our Big Verse say? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV), “Give ______ no matter what happens.” Who can we say, “Thank you” to today?
a.	**Thanks**
b.	Grumbles



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

Hi, Jr. Conductors, today is going to be a great day here at the Train Station! Conductor Carl and his friends are discovering more about thankfulness today. We get to celebrate a holiday that is all about thankfulness really soon…who remembers which holiday is close? That’s right; it’s Thanksgiving! What is the bird called that we eat at Thanksgiving? Turkey! Does a turkey say “Moo?” (Pause) Does it, “Baa” like a sheep? (Pause) What does a turkey say? Gobble, gobble, gobble! Let’s get this train moving and find out more about what you and I should say! Let’s all give a loud, “Choo-choo!” 

Today Conductor Carl and his friends are learning to say, “Thank You!” Do you think you could help them? Oh, good! One way we can help is by learning to say, “Thank you” in different languages. We speak English, but in other countries, words sound different. 

Practice saying the words with the kids and have them repeat them several times. You can add extra words if you have time. 

In Mexico they say “Gracias” (GRAH-syahs) when saying, “Thank you.” In France you say, “Merci.” (MEHR-see) If you were in Japan, you would say, “Arigato.” (ah-ree-GAH-toh) In China they say, “Xie xie” (she-eh she-eh). 

Everyone, turn to your small group and tell them one of the new words you learned. Now let’s see if everyone at the Train Station is saying, “Thank you!” 


Icebreaker


Lionel was upset that his family was visiting. What did Conductor Carl say Lionel was doing? Yes, he said Lionel was grumbling. That reminds me of our Big Point. Let’s practice it together. 

**Don’t Grumble; Say Thanks!**



When something doesn’t happen the way you want, you might feel like 
grumbling. Everyone, say, “Grumble, grumble, grumble” in a mad voice. Grumble, grumble, grumble. But it isn’t a wise choice to grumble when we are upset. When we grumble, we aren’t practicing being thankful. Thankfulness is what is pleasing to God. We have to be careful to keep our mouths filled up with “Thank yous,” and not grumbles. In your small group you get to play a silly game that shows what happens when your mouth is full of the wrong things! 


To play this game, the small group leader puts two marshmallows in their mouth and then speaks. The group must guess what the the small group leader is attempting to say. Overexaggerate your voice so it sounds like your mouth is really full. Say funny sentences like, “Conductor Carl has stinky socks” or “I like to eat green eggs and ham.” When time is almost up, take the marshmallows out and talk about how they couldn’t understand you very well because your mouth was full. 

Whose small group leader sounded funny with marshmallows in their mouth? (Pause) When we have something in our mouth, it is hard for good words to come out. That is why we want to keep the grumbles out of our mouth, so we can put thankfulness in it! Let’s see if Lionel has learned our Big Point. 


Why was Lionel hiding in the tree house? (Pause) That’s right; he was hiding from his family. Thankfully Engineer Kelly helped Lionel learn the Big Point. Let’s say the Big Point, 

**Don’t Grumble; Say Thanks!**

We know our Big Point is true because it comes from the Bible. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV) it says, “Give thanks no matter what happens.” That means we can be thankful all the time! Let’s make our arms go round and round, like they will never stop. We don’t ever have to stop being thankful! That is such great news! 

In your small group you get to talk about what you can be thankful for in hard 
situations. Everyone turn to your small group leader and listen closely!



Read the scenario found on the back of the pictures to the kids and help them come up with things the child in the picture could be thankful for. 


Who was able to find a way to be thankful in each situation? Good job! We are going to hear a true story from the Bible about some people who grumbled. Let’s turn our listening ears on so we can learn from them! 



The Israelites didn’t say, “Thank You” enough for all that God had done for them. We can learn from them and make a wise choice to say, “Thank you” and not grumble. Everyone close your eyes and think about one thing you are thankful for. (Pause) Now quietly tell God, “Thank You” for it. (Pause) Great job! Now I will pray for you. (Pray)



I’m so glad that Lionel learned our Big Point! He said, “Thank you” when he felt 
like grumbling. 

For the Big Do this week we are going to have fun saying, “Thank you” and not grumbling. On your way out, you will get popsicle sticks. Write your family’s names on the popsicle sticks, and every time someone says, “Thank you,” that person gets to put one in a jar. But if they grumble, that person has to take one out. At the end of the week, you can see who said, “Thank you” the most! 

Our Big Do will help us follow our Big Point and honor God. Let’s say it one more time, 



Thanks & Giving Week 2

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Large Group Instructions

Large Group Instructions