https://content.lessons.church/files/bundles/GkqX0op0HIC/Slides and Printables.zip?dt=1680218934148

Slides and Printables

https://content.lessons.church/files/bundles/y8Uw29Sj7-F/Program Videos.zip?dt=1649024533151

Program Videos

https://content.lessons.church/files/bundles/mCoQQZdgMfj/Slides.zip?dt=1665755979823

Slides

Engage 2 Step 7

Engage 2 Step 2

Herman and Rusty Act 2

Engage 2 Step 6

Engage 2 Step 3

Engage 2 Step 4

Big Story Video

Herman and Rusty Act 3

Engage 2 Step 1

Engage 2 Step 5

Herman and Rusty Act 1 

What will you do when you're world turns upside down? Will you join in or hold strong? This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading.

Upside Down Week 1

 I Will Go God’s Way!

Join Herman, Rusty, and their friends on an adventure of science and faith. Their hijinks will leave your kids (and volunteers) laughing as they deepen their understanding of God’s Word. Included are lessons for both large groups and small groups. Each week you will receive videos, graphics, coloring sheets, and more. The elementary lessons will correspond with the junior curriculum so that everyone in your children’s ministry will be on the same page.

Ark Kids Elementary

Engage 1  Slide

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/-9fyyZL6KCk/UD Elem L1 Engage 1 Slide.jpg?dt=1680214015162

Small Group Slide

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/-goedDl1oHB/peace-elem-l1-small-group-slide.jpg?dt=1664278485015

H&R Big Do Slide

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/0JC9D3t5reI/hr-big-do-slide.mp4?dt=1641302813167

1080p

2 Min Countdown

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/Av2IzqqrZ0R/2-minute-countdown.mp4?dt=1650886416203

Lesson Plan

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/bzL0rhGgW9F/UD Elem L1 Large Group.docx?dt=1680206325001

docx

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/bzL0rhGgW9F/UD Elem L1 Small Groups.docx?dt=1680206301982

Big Point Slide

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/F80TVVpbx6Z/UD Elem L1 Big Point Slide.jpg?dt=1680207774829

7min Countdown

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/ha3Y3N0SLN1/7 Minute Countdown.mp4?dt=1641302327713

Big Verse Slide

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UD Elem L1 Welcome Slide 1.jpg

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Welcome Slides

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/hnZLeYp0jO9/UD Elem L1 Welcome Slides.zip?dt=1680214594437

3 Second Countdown

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/K8eJ1f3sH41/h&r-3-second-countdown.mp4?dt=1634844234150

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/lUa3x5rE3tz/UD Elem L1 Yes Slide 1.jpg?dt=1680214799001

UD Elem L1 Yes Slide 1.jpg

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Yes Slides

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/lUa3x5rE3tz/UD Elem L1 Yes Slide.zip?dt=1680214771245

6min Countdown

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/qbvA0AQKvyQ/6 Minute Countdown.mp4?dt=1641302036043

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/tHAaSrTO52I/H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules.mp4?dt=1641302559818

Herman and Rusty Title

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/vAigrHh2axn/herman-and-rusty-title.mp4?dt=1641303078513

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Big Review Slides

https://content.lessons.church/files/lesson/WAbeNNe8MR7/wsdbiwBbrIu/UD Elem L1 Big Review.zip?dt=1680208806222

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

https://content.lessons.church/files/program/BVLAFRqSzX0/ZQfpqDQUm6z/hr-big-review-bumper.mp4?dt=1641302865046

To say that we’re living in a crazy world is a huge understatement! The kids in our ministries are growing up in a world that seems to be getting harder and harder to navigate. Wrong is called right; right is up to the individual; having a differing opinion is intolerant and logic seems to have gone by the wayside. However, our kids aren’t the first to experience this kind of world. Daniel and his friends were violently taken from their homes and thrown into a foreign world where literally nothing was familiar. Yet God was with them and they knew it. Daniel’s life gives us some time-tested principles that can help our kids realize that it is possible to live right-side-up in an upside-down world!!

Upside Down

Through the narrative of Daniel, this teaching aims to provide children with enduring principles that can guide them to live with integrity and faith in a world that often appears upside down, illustrating that with God's presence and guidance, they can n

Large Group Full Program

Countdown / Rules

This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading.

Question of the Day: How long can you hang upside down on the playground?

Engage 1 uses the Upside Down Challenge Game. This game can be purchased online or in a store and uses goggles that when worn make the world look like it’s upside down. You could purchase more than one set and make it a competition or allow kids to try on the same pair to experience it. If you can’t find the googles, then consider an alternative game such as hanging donuts off of a string and eating them without your hands underneath to visualize doing something backwards or eating upside down.

Leader

Welcome

The Host and Co-host are wearing lab coats. 

**Host**

Welcome to the Lab!

**Co-host**

Fun have to going are we.

**Host**

Huh?

**Co-host**

Me understand not you do?

**Host**

We have no idea what you are saying.

**Co-host**

I’m backwards talking, turning my sentences around. Was I that hard to follow? Really? Let’s see how well you guys follow this game. We will choose one Connector (volunteer) to stand in front of each section. Up on the screen you’ll see an easy word to unscramble, four letters or less.

**Host**

To make it harder, you’ll see the scrambled word has been flipped upside-down. The first team to unscramble the word and tell us the answer gets a point.

Have each volunteer stand in front of his or her section. Show the words. The kids and volunteers will attempt to unscramble them and be the first to run onstage and share the answer.



Words:

PU (Up)

LTEF (Left)

PNSI (Spin)

VMOE (Move)

EMSA (Same)

OG (Go)

WAY (Way)





**Co-Host**

That upside down backwards stuff was a little hard. I might stick to regular words.



**Host**

Sometimes our world feels a little backwards and upside down. What do you do when that happens? That’s what we’re going to discover today. Let’s see what they are up to in the lab today.







Hosts

Worship

Engage 1

**Co-Host**

Do you guys think that Skip is right? Should Ethel say, “Yes” to her friends just to make them like her?



**Host**

I agree, but have you ever had friends at school or in your neighborhood try to convince you to do something you knew was wrong?



**Co-Host**

I have, and it’s tempting to follow them. Doing the same wrong things that others do won’t help you have a better life. Things get messed up when you choose to live upside-down.



**Host**

As followers of Jesus, we want to live right side up. It all begins with following our Big Point. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.





**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.



**Co-Host**

You will count down from three and then read the Big Point.

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **I Will Go God’s Way!**



**Co-Host**

God’s way will always lead you to the right place. Of course, we learn how to walk God’s way by reading what God says in the Bible.



**Host**

That’s a wise choice. Living upside down is a recipe for disaster. That’s what we’ll discover in this next game.



**Co-Host**

We’ve chosen a couple of contestants to attempt the Upside Down Challenge. When they wear these goggles, this is what the world will look like.





**Host**

We’re going to see who can complete some different upside down tasks the fastest.







Play the game. The cards in the game will give you some great ideas of challenges that the kids can complete with simple items found around the house.





**Co-Host**

Those simple tasks were not so simple when everything was turned around.



**Host**

That’s why we want to live right side up, even if everyone around us is living upside down. The only way to do that is to live the way God wants you to live. Let’s see if Ethel can do that.

Engage 2

**Host**

This Skip and Ethel situation is getting worse and worse. Now she’s dressing and acting like him. Skip is a terrible example to follow.



**Co-Host**

Do you think she will get into big trouble? Ethel should listen to the Big Point and follow God. Let’s say our Big Point, 

**Co-Host**

 **I Will Go God’s Way!**



**Host**

Let’s turn to the Bible and learn how to do that by checking out the Big Verse.





**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.





**Co-Host**

Help us count down from three, and then you can read the verse.

**Co-Host**

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIrV) says, “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.”



**Host**

Jesus is the One who shows us how to completely and totally go God’s way. That’s why being a follower of Jesus is the most important choice you can make. 



**Co-Host**

When you follow other people, you want to follow those who are also following Jesus. If you choose to follow someone who’s not, then you’ll end up copying the wrong behavior.



**Host**

Let’s explore what that means. We’ve chosen two kids and one Connector (adult/teen volunteer). The Connector will stand on one side of the stage, one of the kids will stand on the opposite side, and the remaining kid will stand in the middle, facing their kid teammate.



**Co-Host**

When we say, “Go,” the Connector will make different movements that the kid in the middle must copy. But how? The kid who’s facing the Connector will have to copy what he/she sees, so his/her teammate can follow. But (**Host**) and I will be here doing something different. Watch your teammate, and only do what he/she does.





Have the Connector make different movements, such as exercises, walking in place, jumping, waving, etc. The kid on the opposite side of the stage must copy the Connector exactly, and the kid in the middle must copy their teammate. Have the team try to make perfect copies. Stand beside the kid on the far end and do the wrong movements to test the kid in the middle.







**Host**

Picking the right people to copy is important because copying someone living upside down will cause you to run into problems. We want to follow people who also follow Jesus.





**Co-Host**

By doing that, we can go God’s way and do the things that God’s Word says to do, even if others don’t make that choice. Let’s take a moment to stand and worship God.



Big Story

It’s hard to look forward to something great without Jesus. He gives us hope about the future, and that hope comes when we follow Jesus and believe in Him. We can know for sure that God has good things planned for our future when we say, “Yes!” to Jesus.



The first step to accepting this amazing gift is to say, “Yes.” If you have never said, “Yes, I want Jesus to forgive me, be my best friend, and I will follow Him for the rest of my life,” then today is your day! I’d like everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads, so no one is distracted. 







If you’ve already said, “Yes” to Jesus, you believe that He is alive, and you are His friend and follower, give me a thumbs up. If you’ve never said, “Yes” to Jesus before, and you want to say, “Yes” to Him right now, ask Him to forgive you, and tell Him you want to live your life differently, raise your hand. We’re going to pray all together. Those of you who are already friends and followers of Jesus can join in, too. Repeat after me, and let’s pray...





 Dear God,

I know everyone needs a Savior, 

and I know I can’t save myself. 

Jesus, I believe 

You are the Son of God.

I believe You died on the cross for my sins, 

and God raised You from the dead.





Right now, 

I say You are my Lord, 

my Savior, 

and the One who forgives me.

Thank You, Jesus, 

that You are my best friend and leader of my life

because I’ve said, “Yes” to You. Amen.



Later we’re going to meet in our small groups. If you said, “Yes” to Jesus for the first time, then you will go to that small group to talk a bit more about the awesome decision you made today. Let's see what decision Ethel makes.





Engage 3

**Co-Host**

Looks like Skip may have found out why living upside-down can have painful consequences.



**Host**

I’m glad that Ethel chose to go God’s way. It’s the same choice that Daniel made when he was forced to live in Babylon. Imagine how hard it was for him to do the right thing in such a mixed up world. Following our Big Point helped him succeed. Let’s say it together, 

**Host**

**I Will Go God’s Way!**



**Co-Host**

That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do. 





**Host**

Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example. Remember to have some fun with the game. Be creative and see if you can beat your parents.



**Co-Host**

Let’s play a giant game of follow the leader. Here’s how it will go: I want you to find a partner and link an arm with him or her. We’re going to lead you guys in doing different actions. You must follow everything we do, but make sure you don’t break the link with your partner. If you do, then you’re out.







Play the game, doing different actions that actions for the kids to follow. Make them active and require lots of movement to test their ability to hang on to each other.





**Host**

Great job! Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about why we want to go God’s way.

Small Group

Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following. 



Have you ever felt the temptation that Ethel felt to go along with the crowd, so they will be your friends? How did it go? What did Ethel learn? **She learned that going along with crowd and doing the wrong thing can lead to a bad outcome.**

How do you think Daniel felt when he was forced to move hundreds of miles away? How would you feel if an army forced you to move to another country? Why was it difficult for Daniel to follow God there? **They worshipped other gods and tried to get Daniel to eat food that God had told him not to eat.**

How did Daniel handle the challenge? **He asked permission to eat only veggies and water for ten days. He trusted God to help him.** If kids at school make the wrong choices, how could a kid still follow God?

What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? **Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example.**

Small Group Leader

Big Review

Play optional game music. Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question.

- Our Big Point says I Will Go _____ Way!

    - **God’s**

    - My

- Who did Ethel try to copy?

    - Herman

    - **Skip**

- Who was forced to move from Jerusalem to Babylon?

    - Abraham

    - **Daniel**

- In Babylon, the people worshipped ______ Daniel.

    - The same God as

    - **Different gods than**

- The king tried to force Daniel to eat the foods that went against God’s law.

    - **True**

    - False

- 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIrV), “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of ______.”

    - **Christ**

    - Others

- Daniel and his friends asked to only eat and drink _______.

    - Meat and Juice

    - **Veggies and Water**

- What happened at the end of Daniel’s challenge?

- Why is it important to go God’s way instead of following what other people do?

- What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? 
**Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example.**

Large Group Abbreviated

"Yes Prayer" slides are available in the lesson download.

**Host**

Welcome to the Lab!

**Co-host**

Fun have to going are we.

**Host**

Huh?

**Co-host**

Me understand not you do?

**Host**

We have no idea what you are saying.

**Co-host**

I’m backwards talking, turning my sentences around. Was I that hard to follow? Really?

**Host**

Well, yes!

**Co-Host**

That upside down backwards mixed up stuff is a little hard. I might stick to regular words.

**Host**

Sometimes our world feels a little backwards and upside down. What do you do when that happens? That’s what we’re going to discover today. Let’s see what they are up to in the lab today.

**Co-Host**

Do you guys think that Skip is right? Should Ethel say, “Yes” to her friends just to make them like her?

**Host**

I agree, but have you ever had friends at school or in your neighborhood try to convince you to do something you knew was wrong?

**Co-Host**

I have, and it’s tempting to follow them. Doing the same wrong things that others do won’t help you have a better life. Things get messed up when you choose to live upside-down.

**Host**

As followers of Jesus, we want to live right side up. It all begins with following our Big Point. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **I Will Go God’s Way!**

**Co-Host**

God’s way will always lead you to the right place. Of course, we learn how to walk God’s way by reading what God says in the Bible.

**Host**

That’s a wise choice. Living upside down is a recipe for disaster. 

**Co-Host**

That’s why we want to live right side up, even if everyone around us is living upside down.

**Host**

 The only way to do that is to live the way God wants you to live. Let’s see if Ethel can do that.

**Co-Host**

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIrV) says, “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.”

**Host**

Jesus is the One who shows us how to completely and totally go God’s way. That’s why being a follower of Jesus is the most important choice you can make.

**Co-Host**

When you follow other people, you want to follow those who are also following Jesus. If you choose to follow someone who’s not, then you’ll end up copying the wrong behavior.



**Host**

Picking the right people to copy is important because copying someone living upside down will cause you to run into problems. We want to follow people who also follow Jesus.

**Co-Host**

By doing that, we can go God’s way and do the things that God’s Word says to do, even if others don’t make that choice. 

**Host**

Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example. Remember to have some fun with the game. Be creative and see if you can beat your parents.

**Co-Host**

That sounds like fun!

**Host**

It sure does! Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about why we want to go God’s way.

Have you ever felt the temptation that Ethel felt to go along with the crowd, so they will be your friends? How did it go? What did Ethel learn? *She learned that going along with crowd and doing the wrong thing can lead to a bad outcome.*

How do you think Daniel felt when he was forced to move hundreds of miles away? How would you feel if an army forced you to move to another country? Why was it difficult for Daniel to follow God there? *They worshipped other gods and tried to get Daniel to eat food that God had told him not to eat.*

How did Daniel handle the challenge? *He asked permission to eat only veggies and water for ten days. He trusted God to help him.* If kids at school make the wrong choices, how could a kid still follow God?

What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? *Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example.*

 - Our Big Point says I Will Go _____ Way!

    - **God’s**

    - My



 - Who did Ethel try to copy?

    - Herman

    - **Skip**



 - Who was forced to move from Jerusalem to Babylon?

     - Abraham

    - **Daniel**



 - In Babylon, the people worshipped ______ Daniel.

    - The same God as

    - **Different gods than**



 - The king tried to force Daniel to eat the foods that went against God’s law.

    - **True**

    - False



 - 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIrV), “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of ______.”

    - **Christ**

    - Others



 - Daniel and his friends asked to only eat and drink _______.

    - Meat and Juice

    - **Veggies and Water**



 - What happened at the end of Daniel’s challenge?



 - Why is it important to go God’s way instead of following what other people do?



  - What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? 
**Play a game of follow the leader, and then talk about why we want to follow Jesus as our example.**

Midweek / Classroom

Lab Wars Prep: choose two to three words that the Small Groups can unscramble. They can be random, or they can pertain to the lesson. Then write each letter of the words on a separate sheet of paper and place them in an envelope. Make sure you just put one word in each envelope. 

For younger groups you could have them unscramble a simple sentence or our Big Point. 



Hey guys, welcome to the Lab! Have you ever gone to school or church with your shirt on backwards? That has happened to me before, too, and I felt so embarrassed! Sometimes our world feels a little backwards and upside down. But thankfully God wants to help us live right side up in an upside down world. Let’s stand and worship Him!





Lab Wars

You guys did a great job worshipping God! It’s now time to break up into your small groups. Go ahead and turn to your small group leaders now. 

Small Group Leader

Use these two minutes to introduce yourself to your kids and go over the rules you have for your group. This will set the expectation and show the kids clear boundaries, setting your group up for success. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond. 





It’s time for Lab Wars! During Lab Wars we battle it out, team against team, until one group stands victorious. Everyone gets to play in tonight’s battle. Each Small Group has an envelope, and in it are some letters that will spell out a word. It’s your job to unscramble the word. When you have it complete, your Small Group Leader will send one person up to slap my hand and tell me the correct answer. Ready? Let’s play! 



Play optional game music.



Play the game. If time allows, play two to three rounds. 



Congratulations to the winning team! They unscrambled those words lightning fast! It’s a lot easier to read when all the letters are in order. When our world feels all mixed up and out of whack, what do we do? I wonder if our friends in the Lab know the answer to this question. Let’s watch.











Have you ever had friends at school or in your neighborhood try to convince you to do something you knew was wrong? I have, and it’s tempting to follow them. Doing the same wrong things that others do won’t help you have a better life. Things get messed up when you choose to live upside down. As followers of Jesus, we want to live right side up. It all begins with following our Big Point. I need a Small Group to help me countdown to reveal what it is. 



Let’s all say it together, **I Will Go God’s Way**! Living God’s way helps us to live the right way. When we don’t, everything feels upside down and backwards. Let’s turn to our Small Groups to do an activity that illustrates this very thing. 

Upside Down Week 1: I Will Go God’s Way!

Large Group Full Program

Large Group Full Program Instructions

Countdown / Rules

Welcome

Engage 1

Engage 2

Big Story

Engage 3

Small Group

Big Review

Large Group Full Program Instructions

Countdown / Rules

Welcome

Engage 1

Engage 2

Big Story

Engage 3

Small Group

Big Review

About Ark Kids Elementary