Day 1
Ready, Set, Go
 Before Babel
Continent
South America
Bible passage
Racing Through Genesis
Genesis 1–11
ANIMAL PAL
Bo the Anaconda
Lesson Focus
As the race starts, we explore the beginning of the human race and why nobody has run a perfect race through life.
Apologetics Focus
We’ll explore the sin cycle and how the world got divided into continents.
Mile Marker Memory Verse
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 1 Refuel Challenge
Option 1—South American Fruit Picture
Option 2—South American Fruit Samples
Teach It!
Part 1: Racing Through Genesis 1–11
Part 2: Small Group Time
Part 3: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Trompo (Spin)
Option 2—Acertar a Moeda (Hit the Coin)
Option 3—Speed Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Just for Fun: Spanish Song—“Jesu Cristo Es el Señor”
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Genesis 1–11. 
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the purple pre-prep boxes.
Visit answersvbs.com/irfaq for more information on Genesis 1–11 and the breaking up of the continents.
Pray.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the gospel is presented in detail during Day 4, each lesson provides opportunities to share the gospel. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to which of these opportunities to use.
Introduce It!
o	Bible or children’s Bible
o	Costumes for teachers (see #8 on page 5)
o	Mounting putty or tape for hanging posters
o	World Map
o	OPTION 1: Fruit Poster, cut apart, and timer (smartphone works)
o	OPTION 2: South American fruit (see text) in bite-sized pieces, and wet wipes for cleanup
o	Day 1 Bible Clue
•	Be familiar with the lesson, but don’t memorize it. Place it on a clipboard to use as a reference. You can decorate the back of your clipboard (the side the kids see) with travel stickers.
Day 1 Refuel Challenge (5–10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Gather your trainer costumes, which you’ll wear all week. Choose an option below and prepare it as directed. For the Option 1 Challenge, cut the answer strips off the Fruit Poster and hang the poster and the strips (in random order). For the Option 2 Challenge, prepare the South American fruit. (See fruit suggestions below in the Option 2 Challenge.) Mount the world map on something sturdy, and hang it up or have it handy to hold up. Get the bible clue ready by printing it off, folding the bottom up about three inches, folding the top down about three inches to overlap the bottom, and putting an Incredible Race logo sticker or other sticker on to keep it shut. (See illustration.) Stickers (11-7-087) are available to purchase from AnswersBookstore.com. Or The Incredible Race logo stickers can be made by cutting and pasting the logo numerous times onto an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper and then printing it on sticker-backed paper. Read page 7 for an overview of how the Bible clues and challenges work with the race’s scoring system.
Depending on how you mounted your classroom set panels, either be prepared to turn the first day’s panel when noted, or already have the Day 1 South America collage showing when the racers arrive. (Most likely you will need to do it ahead of time unless you can turn it quickly.)
As the racers come in and get settled, say:
Teacher 1: Hola! I’m ___ and this is my assistant, ___. Welcome to Day 1 of The Incredible Race, where we’ll be exploring God’s love for the nations and racing around the world to different continents each day, learning about people all over the world who need to know of God’s love through Jesus Christ. Did you know there are over 2,000 times in the Bible that God talks about the nations? Every nation and people group is important to God! 
Teacher 2 or Teaching Assistant: Hola! We’re traveling today on our first leg of the race from here (point to where you are), to right here, which is South America. Show South America on the world map, or have a student point to it, and turn the set panel to show the South America images if it’s not already on the collage side. 
Teacher 1: The first thing you’ll do each day when you come here to the Refueling Station is to complete a challenge that earns you the daily Bible clue, so let’s check out today’s Refuel Challenge. Each team receives the daily Bible Clue once they successfully complete the Option 1 or Option 2 challenge. (You will notice it’s pretty easy to complete the Option 1 or 2 challenges. It’s designed that way so teams will hopefully always earn the Bible clue.) 
Option 1—South American Fruit Pictures
Give the racers one minute to try to match at least three names of South American fruits with their pictures. Once they complete the task of matching at least three, you may hand them their Bible clue (also listed below).
Option 2—South American Fruit Samples
Be adventurous and try a South American fruit—fresh or dried. (Check for allergies. If you’re sure allergies aren’t a problem, you may want to bring a fruit or food sample every day for the continent of the day. The kids at the test churches loved them!) Today’s possibilities: mango, pineapple, red banana, acai, yellow dragon fruit, guava, passion fruit, papaya, or coconut. If at least two racers in the group taste it, you may hand them their Bible clue (also listed below). 
•	You may want to use a fun name like Danny Dash, Airplane Annie, Top Speed Thompson, or Racing Ryan.
•	The Bible and mounting putty or tape are usually mentioned just once a day, but will be used throughout the day.
•	Use your Bible often during the lessons, reading the verses and passages from it.
Bible Clue
Teacher 1: You’ve just experienced fruits from South America. Now, to complete your challenge and earn a country to circle on your score card, you must correctly answer these Bible questions dealing with fruit:
Question 1: In the Bible, who ate a fruit when they were told not to? 
Question 2: What book of the Bible is this account found in? (Hint: It’s the first book of the Bible.)
Answers: Adam and Eve, and it’s found in Genesis.
Teacher 2: If they got it right, remind the team leaders to circle a South American country on their score card. Any country is fine. Great job, racers! You’re right! Now, let’s race through the first 11 chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and check out an amazing account involving some fruit and some people.
Teach It!
o	Creation Cue Cards, 1 set 
o	Sin Cycle supplies—paper plates, fasteners, and scissors, 1 Cycle per child (see Pre-Prep)
o	Thin markers or pens, 1 per child
o	Sin Cycle Poster, covered (see Pre-Prep)
o	Day 1 Animal Pal Poster
o	Day 1 Memory Verse Poster
o	Rodinia Poster
Part 1: Racing Through Genesis 1–11 (15–20 minutes)
Pre-prep: Prepare one set of creation cue cards and the children’s Sin Cycle supplies (as directed below). Cover the Sin Cycle Poster three-fourths of the way so only one quarter shows at a time. You will move this around to show sections 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the poster as noted in the lesson. The poster’s cover should be similar to the children’s Sin Cycle cover illustrated below. 
For a no-prep version of the children’s Sin Cycles, just give each child a paper plate. The racers will be drawing four scenes on the paper plate, but before the drawing begins, they will need to draw a vertical line from top to bottom, and another from side to side to divide the plate into four quadrants.
For the two-plate version, gather two white paper plates and a paper fastener per child. Put one plate on top of the other. Determine the center of the plates and, with the scissors, make a tiny hole through them that the paper fastener will go through. Cut out a quarter wedge from the top paper plate, allowing a little extra to remain at the V part of the wedge so it will hook into the paper fastener. (See illustration.) Put the top plate with the cut out wedge over the other plate and put the paper fastener through them. 
Bookmark the Bible passages or verses you will be using throughout the lesson. This goes for every day. 
Teacher 1: To start racing our way through Genesis, we’re going to check out what was going on at the beginning of time, which was around 6,000 years ago (approximately 4000 bc). Listen carefully, because every time we hold up a cue card, you’re going to say what’s on the card. Let’s practice. Do so, then begin. Teacher 1 shares the info and Teacher 2 holds up the creation cue cards. 
•	If you have time, volunteers can hold up the cue cards.
Hold up CUE CARD 1 (In the beginning . . . )
Teacher 1:  God created the heavens and the earth.
Hold up CUE CARD 2 (On Day 1 . . . )
Teacher 1: God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
Hold up CUE CARD 3 (On Day 2 . . . )
Teacher 1: God separated the waters above the earth from the waters below, and in between he placed the air that we breathe.
Hold up CUE CARD 4 (On Day 3 . . . )
Teacher 1: God made the dry land and the seas, and it was . . . 
Hold up CUE CARD 5 ( . . . good.)
Teacher 1: And God made the plants, and it was good.
Hold up CUE CARD 6 (On Day 4 . . . )
Teacher 1: God made the sun, the moon, and the  . . .
Hold up CUE CARD 7 ( . . . stars.)
Teacher 1: And it was good.
Hold up CUE CARD 8 (On Day 5 . . . )
Teacher 1: God made the flying animals and the swimming animals. And it was . . . 
Hold up CUE CARD 9 ( . . . good.)
Teacher 1: And God blessed them and told them to multiply on the earth.
Hold up CUE CARD 10 (On Day 6 . . . )
Teacher 1: God made the rest of the animals. And then, his most exciting creation of all. Drumroll, please.
Hold up CUE CARD 11 (Drumroll.)
Teacher 1: God made people in his image, man and woman. The first man’s name was . . . 
Hold up CUE CARD 12 (. . . Adam.)
Teacher 1: And the first woman’s name was . . . 
Hold up CUE CARD 13 (. . . Eve.)
Teacher 1: And God saw everything he had made and it was . . . 
Hold up CUE CARD 14 ( . . . very good!)
Sin Cycle 1—The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:1–7)
Teacher 1: But that’s not where it ends. Let’s use these Sin Cycles to draw the next part of the account.
Pass out the sin cycles and the markers or pens, 1 per child.   
Teacher 2: Show just the Adam and Eve picture on the sin cycle poster for them to use as a reference. Tell them to draw the picture in space 1 (the upper right) while you’re talking. God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden and told them they could eat fruit from any tree in the garden except from one tree. Fruit from that tree was a no-no from God. But guess what happened? Take answers.
Teacher 1: Right! Show the Day 1 Animal Pal poster. Bo our snake reminds us that a sneaky serpent came along and tempted Eve to eat the fruit God said not to eat, and she did. So did her husband, Adam.
Teacher 2: They had disobeyed God’s command. That’s called sin. Can you think of an example of sin? Take answers. 
Teacher 1: When Adam and Eve sinned, God placed a curse on his perfect creation as punishment, and the cycle of sin began. Every person from then on was born a sinner, including you and me! We, too, have disobeyed God. The punishment for sin is death and eternal separation from God’s goodness forever. Let’s say our Bible verse together. Point to the Day 1 memory verse poster and recite Romans 3:23. 
Teacher 2: People sin over and over again, like the turning of this wheel! So when you look at the first section of your wheel, you can think about that never-ending cycle of sin. This wheel isn’t a bicycle, or a tricycle, but a Sin Cycle! Let’s check out the next section of our Sin Cycle. Draw a picture in space 2 while we’re talking. Show the Cain and Abel picture on the Sin cycle poster as a reference for them to use.
Sin Cycle 2—Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1–8)
Teacher 1: The Bible records just one chapter later, in Genesis 4, the next episode we’re recording on our Sin Cycle. We find out that Adam and Eve started having kids, and their first two kids were named Cain and Abel. Read verse 1 and the first sentence of verse 2. 
Teacher 2: Verse 2 tells us Cain worked out in the fields and Abel looked after the sheep.
Teacher 1: When the boys grew up, they brought gifts to God called offerings. Abel brought a wonderful gift that God was pleased with, one of the firstborn sheep from his flock. Cain, on the other hand, brought an offering of fruit. God wasn’t pleased with Cain and his gift, which made Cain angry. God talked to Cain about it, but Cain didn’t accept God’s correction. Have your parents ever corrected you about something you did wrong, and you got angry? That’s an example of sin, just like Cain getting angry at God. It’s very important for us to listen to wise correction.
Teacher 2: Cain got so angry, he wanted to kill his brother, Abel. This was an extreme case of anger. 
Teacher 1: When Cain and Abel were in the field together, Cain rose up against his brother and killed him! This was the very first person to be killed, and it sure didn’t take long! The very first child born on earth killed his brother! Isn’t that incredible, in a bad way?
Teacher 2: Let’s finish that picture on our Sin Cycle and move on to 3. Show the flood picture on the sin cycle poster as a reference for them to use while you’re talking.
Sin Cycle 3—The Flood (Genesis 6:5–6, 11–14)
Teacher 1: In the next chapter of the Bible, some more time goes by—about 1,600 years or so after the beginning of time, until around 2348 BC. Listen to what people were doing by this time.  
Teacher 2: Read Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 6:11–12. Here we go again with the Sin Cycle! 
Teacher 1: Listen to what God decided to do. Read Genesis 6:13–14.
Teacher 2: So God decided to send a worldwide flood. He instructed one man who was still obeying him to build a huge boat called an ark. The man’s name was Noah. By faith in God, Noah built the boat, and he and his family and the land animal and bird kinds were saved. No other people got on the ark, and they all died because they were enjoying sinning more than obeying God. This is still the problem today—people love sin more than they love God.
Teacher 1: And as a cool side note, before the flood, the earth was most likely one jumbo continent that scientists have named Rodinia. Show the Rodinia poster. But it was at the time of the flood, due to the great force of all the water bursting forth from the depths of the earth, and underground volcanoes going off, that the land broke apart. Over time, the land eventually settled into the seven continents we know today. If you look carefully, you can see how the seven puzzle pieces that are the continents of today look like they could have fit together to make one jumbo continent. In fact, many of the continents even have rock formations on their borders that look like they fit together. And, with the land on earth now physically separated, it set the stage for what happened at our last section on the Sin Cycle, which we’ll hear more about tomorrow. 
Teacher 2: This next example takes place just 100 years or so after the flood. Show the tower of Babel picture on the sin cycle poster as a reference for them to use as they draw.
Sin Cycle 4—The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9)
Teacher 1: Now we’ve raced to Genesis 11, where the tower of Babel account is recorded. Remember, this is only about 100 years after the flood, around 2242 BC.
Teacher 2: Here we find the people sinning again. They began a building project that they shouldn’t have. Guess what they were trying to build? Take answers. 
Teacher 1: Yep! A tower. Now there’s nothing necessarily wrong with building a tower, but this time, they were disobeying God because he had commanded them to move all over the earth and not just gather in one spot, like they were doing. You see, after the flood, Noah and his family got off the ark. God told them something important: Read Genesis 9:1, 9:7. This was important because there weren’t any other people except the eight people coming off the ark. If they were going to obey God, they needed to have kids, and their kids have kids, and so on. Then all those people needed to spread out all over the earth, because God said to fill the earth. Sadly, once again, they didn’t obey God, and they all stayed together to build the tower instead.
Teacher 2: So tomorrow we’ll make a stop at the tower of Babel and find out lots more, but for now, let’s finish those Sin Cycles and race on!
Part 2: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
Day 1 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group leader
If small groups aren’t feasible in your setting, you can incorporate some or all of these questions into large group time and do them together as the teacher leads the discussion, or print off the Discussion Sheets and give them to the team leaders who can lead a discussion during snack time or any down time each day. These are good to fit in somehow and at some point in the VBS day if possible. 
Divide into small groups of 4–6 racers with a team leader in each group. (Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have.) Discuss some or all of the following questions from the discussion sheet. Any day a Bible passage is mentioned, help them look it up and read it together, or have it bookmarked and read it to them.
Have you ever been in a race? Take responses. Have you ever been to a different country? Take responses.
Have you ever disobeyed a command from God, like lying or disobeying your mom or dad? Leaders, you may want to share a personal example here from your life that is kid-appropriate. Do you remember what that’s called when we do something wrong? Pause for responses. Sin is disobeying God. It’s anything we think, say, or do that goes against God’s commands. We learn what God calls sin in the Bible. 
•	Gospel Opportunity
Is sin good for us or bad for us? Pause for responses. It’s bad. Even though sin may seem enjoyable at the time, it’s always wrong to go against God. But we’ve got the happiest news ever to share with you. It’s really, really, really, really good news! God has a plan to defeat sin, and it’s great news for each of you personally. I’m so excited to share more about it this week! Leaders, you may want to share the gospel here.
Part 3: Review Game Challenge (5–10 minutes)
o	OPTION 1: Tops, 1 per child (can be bought in bulk online)
o	OPTION 2: Dowel rod or broom handle, firm base (see text), painter’s tape or chalk, and coins (1 per child)
Games will be a big hit with this age group! The test church kids enjoyed all the various options throughout the week.
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. Options 1 and 2 are traditional games played by children in South America. Option 1 requires no pre-prep besides gathering the tops. Option 2 pre-prep is listed below. Option 3 requires no supplies or pre-prep.
Option 1—Trompo (Spin)
In this favorite South American game, kids see who can keep their tops spinning the longest. (There are variations of this game, and variations of what kinds of tops to use. A simple, inexpensive top for each child works fine for our version.)  
To play: Give each child a top. Ask a review question (listed below). On the count of 3 (you may want to count in Spanish), each child must shout out the answer. If they get it right, they spin their tops at the same time. (This will be on the honor system regarding if they got the answer correct.) The person whose top spins the longest wins that round. Ask another question and do the same. Continue on as time allows.
Option 2—Acertar a Moeda (Hit the Coin)
In this traditional Brazilian game, kids try to knock a coin off a stick. Their team will earn a turn to try to do so by answering a review question correctly.
Pre-prep: Gather a rod or broom handle that is 14–18 inches in height and put it in a firm base, such as a weighted gallon milk jug (empty it and fill with sand) or a Christmas tree base. Draw or make a circle about five inches around the base using painter’s tape or chalk. Place a coin on top of the rod. Divide into two teams. (Boys and girls is a good option.) Give each player a coin.
To play: Have the boys stand around one side of the circle and the girls on the other. The teacher asks a review question. The team quietly confers together, and on the count of three, each team shouts out their answer. (Or, they can tell their answer to the team leader, who will say it when the teacher asks.) If correct, the first player on each team (still standing behind the circle) tosses the coin at the rod, trying to knock off the coin that’s on the rod. If the player does, the team scores 5 points. If the coin on the rod lands outside the circle, the team earns 10 points. Play as time allows. The team with the most points at the end of time wins.
Option 3—Speed Round (for any day)
This version is not specifically geared toward the continent of the day, but it’s quick and requires no supplies. It works any day you need an easy, speedy choice. Just use the questions from the appropriate day. 
To play: Divide into two or more teams. Ask some or all of the review questions and give a point for every correct answer. The team with the most points at the end of time wins.
Questions
Was the original world God created good or full of sin?
Answer: Good.
Who were the first people to sin?
Answer: Adam and Eve.
What is sin?
Answer: Not obeying God (or something to this effect).
Who were Adam and Eve’s first two children?
Answer: Cain and Abel.
What did Cain do when he got angry?
Answer: He killed his brother.
Why did God send the flood?
Answer: All the people were sinning continually. Wickedness had filled the earth.
Yes or No: Did the earth originally have seven continents? If not, when did the continents break apart? 
Answer: No, the earth most likely didn’t originally have seven continents but one large one. The breaking up most likely occurred during and after the time of the flood.
How many years (approximately) went by between the flood and the tower of Babel?
Answer: About 100.
People have sinned since just about the beginning of time. Do we sin now, and if so, what’s an example?
Answer: Yes, we sin now. Answers will vary as to an example.
Why is sin bad?
•	Gospel Opportunity
Answers will vary: Sin separates us from God, who is holy and without sin. Sin makes God sad. Our perfect God can’t allow sin to go unpunished, but there’s good news! Jesus came and died on a cross and rose from the grave—to take the punishment for our sin.
Apply It!
o	Animal Pals maps, 1 per child
o	Day 1 Student Guides, 1 per child
o	Passports, 1 per child
o	Stamp for Passports
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. You won’t have time to do all of them, but these ideas are also on the back of the student guides. Send the guides home each day as a fun review, and also encourage the racers to do the practical ideas (the Go and Do sections) that apply the lesson to real life. They’re important!
Consider giving challenge bonus points for every Go and Do section they complete at home.
Pass out Animal Pals maps, one per child, or have the team leaders do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the passports (or have team leaders do so as the kids first arrive at VBS) and/or review the student guides. 
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
o	Memory Verse Music CD and player
o	Theme Verse Poster and Day 1 Memory Verse Poster
o	Vine on a Line supplies—green construction paper, marker, string or rope, and scissors
Pre-prep: For Vine on a Line, prepare the materials as described below in the Challenge section. Do the same for tomorrow’s verse and the theme verse if you think you’ll have time. Cue the memory verse song. Hang up the Day 1 Memory Verse Poster and the Theme Verse Poster.
Today’s Verse: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 
•	If short on time, practice saying the verse a few times together, making up motions.
Note: You may want to share a word or phrase from the verse in Portuguese, the most spoken language in South America, or in Spanish, another widely spoken language in South America. 
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 1 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Vine on a Line—Write each word of the verse on a separate construction paper leaf and put the leaves in order. Tape them to the string. Hang up the string. Each time you say the verse, take away one more leaf until you’re saying it with no leaves left.
Tomorrow’s Verse: “Its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:9
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. You may also want to practice the week’s theme verse, using the Theme Verse poster as a reference.
•	End each day’s Refueling Station lesson time with prayer!
Part 2: Go and Do
Look up John 14:15. If you love God, should you have a desire to obey him?
We can never obey God perfectly, so talk to God (that’s prayer) and thank him for sending his Son Jesus Christ, who is perfect and who forgives our sin when we repent.
Think of a command in the Bible you find hard to obey. God is kind, but maybe it’s hard for you to be kind to your sibling. God says to obey your parents, but maybe you don’t come right away when called, or go to bed without fussing. If you are a child of God, you can ask him to give you the strength to obey cheerfully and right away.
Ask your parent or guardian if he can remember ever disobeying his parents or teachers when he was your age. What should you do when you sin (disobey God)?
Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: How do I feel about my sin?
Just For Fun: Spanish Song
“Jesu Cristo Es el Señor” song and player (also available on Simple Songs CD—11-7-141)
Each day, there’s a song in a different language that coordinates with the continent of the day. Today’s song is “Jesu Cristo es el Señor.” Check it out on the Digital Resources and teach it to your kids!
Jesu Cristo es el Señor (Jesus Christ is the Lord) 
El Señor, el Señor (the Lord, the Lord)
Jesu Cristo es el Señor (Jesus Christ is the Lord) 
Gloria sea a el (Glory be to him)
Ya de mi vida es el Señor (of my life is the Lord—conveying the idea that Jesus is Lord of my life)
De su iglesia es el Señor (of his church is the Lord—conveying the idea that Jesus is Lord of his church)
Del universo es el Señor (of the universe is the Lord—conveying the idea that Jesus is Lord of the universe)
Gloria sea a el (Glory be to him)

Day 2
Hitting a Roadblock
At Babel
Continent
Asia
Bible passage
The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1–9
Animal Pal
Jamal the Camel
Lesson Focus
On this leg of the race,  we stop at the tower of Babel and check out the important and loving roadblock God provided there.
Apologetics Focus
We’ll learn about ziggurats and languages—where did they come from?
Mile Marker Memory Verse
“Its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:9
Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 2 Refuel Challenge
Option 1—Stacking Challenge
Option 2—Language Challenge
Teach It!
Part 1: Babel Rabble
Part 2:  Small Group Time
Part 3: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Chopsticks Challenge
Option 2—Janken (AKA Rock, Paper, Scissors)
Option 3—Speed Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Just for Fun: Japanese Song—“Juujika, Juujika, Waga Chikara”
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Genesis 11:1–9 several times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the purple pre-prep boxes.
For more information on the tower of Babel, ziggurats, and the development of languages, visit answersvbs.com/irfaq.
Pray.
Introduce It!
o	Bible or children’s Bible
o	Costumes for teachers
o	Mounting putty or tape
o	World Map
o	OPTION 1: 10 cups or blocks per team and a timer
o	OPTION 2: Pieces of paper and writing utensils, 1 per child
o	OPTION 2: “Hello” in Japanese Chart 
o	Day 2 Bible Clue
Day 2 Refuel Challenge (5–10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Choose which option you are doing and gather the materials. For Option 1, sort the cups or blocks into stacks of 10. For Option 2, post the “Hello” in Japanese chart. Get the appropriate Bible Clue ready.
Teacher 1: Kon’nichiwa! That’s Japanese for “hello!” Show the world map. Today, we’re traveling to Asia, where Japan and many other countries are. In fact, there are currently 48 countries in Asia! (You may want to check this stat the year you do this VBS to be sure it’s still accurate.) There are over four billion people who live in Asia, the most populated continent of the world. And you know what? They all need to hear about Jesus and his love!
Teacher 2: Let’s start off with our Refuel Challenge to try to get our Bible clue today!
Option 1—Stacking Challenge
Divide into groups of 2–4 racers for this fun challenge. See how fast each group can stack 10 cups or blocks into a tower or pyramid. Rules are that they have to stack one block at a time and everyone has to participate. At least one group has to get it done in under one minute to earn the Bible clue (also listed below). 
Note: You may instead want to give each group a bunch of cups and a time limit of one or two minutes. See how many they can get stacked in the time they have.
Option 2—Language Challenge
Give each child a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Have each child write the word “hello” in Japanese characters (pronounced “kohn-nee-chee-wah”), using the “Hello” in Japanese chart as a sample. At least two of the team members must get the writing done and pass inspection in under two minutes to earn the team’s Bible clue (also listed below).
Bible Clue If Using Option 1
Teacher 1: Now, to complete your challenge and earn a country on your score card, you must correctly answer this Bible question: 
Question: Your challenge had to do with building a tower. Genesis 11 talks about a tower we refer to as the tower of Babel. What does the tower of Babel have to do with Asia, our continent of the day? 
Answer: The tower of Babel was built in Asia—perhaps in the country of Iraq.
Teacher 2: Great job, racers! Leaders, circle a country on your score card and let’s move on to hear more about the tower of Babel. We’ll pass out some supplies and then continue.   
Bible Clue If Using Option 2
Teacher 1: Now, to complete your challenge and earn a country on your score card, you must correctly answer this Bible question: 
Question: Your challenge had to do with writing an Asian word. What do you think Asia has to do with the tower of Babel? 
Answer: The tower of Babel was built in Asia—perhaps in the country of Iraq.  
Teacher 2: Great job, racers! Leaders, circle a country on your score card and let’s move on to hear more about the tower of Babel. We’ll pass out some supplies and then continue. 
Teach It!
Part 1: Babel Rabble (15 minutes)
o	12 x 12-in. sheets (approximately) of blank paper, 1 per person or group
o	Writing utensils, 1 per person or group
o	"People"—see pre-prep for possibilities, at least 10 per person or group
o	"Bricks"—see pre-prep for possibilities, at least 10 per person or group
o	Baggies
o	World Map
o	Ziggurat Poster
o	Day 2 Animal Pal Poster
o	“Cave Men” Poster 
o	Towers Around the World Poster
o	Goodbye Chart
Pre-prep: Gather the supplies. It’s okay if the sheets aren’t exactly 12 x 12. For the “people,” use beans, beads, buttons, straws cut up, or small pieces of pasta. For the “bricks,” use blocks, LEGO®, sugar cubes, or mini disposable soufflé cups (found online or at restaurant supply stores). 
Bag up the “people” and the “bricks” so you just need to hand a kit to each person or group when class time comes. You don’t have to count the exact number of “people” and “bricks.” Figure out about how many fit into a teaspoon or an 1/8 cup, then just dish out a scoop into each baggie.
Have each person work alone (this is preferred), or divide into small groups of 2–3 racers and hand out the supplies. Another option is to do this as a teacher-led demo using bigger versions of the supplies (one or two sheets of poster board, LEGO® people, and play bricks). If doing this, have the kids gather around the poster board.
•	This lesson has numbered cues as a helpful outline. “Teacher Talk” means it’s something the teacher is saying. “Student Direction” means that as the teacher is talking, the students are doing something.
1: TEACHER TALK—Intro
Teacher 1: We’re going to check out what the Bible says in Genesis 11 about the tower of Babel. It’s such a cool account! As we share, we’ll give you directions so you know what to do with your supplies. Leave them alone for now.
Teacher 2: In Genesis 11:1 it says: Read the verse. So from the beginning with Adam and Eve, everyone spoke the same language. Do any of you know how to say “hello” in a different language? Take answers. Well, at this time, there weren’t different languages! Everyone spoke the same language.
2: STUDENT DIRECTION—Write “North, South, East, West”
Teacher 1: Now, since we’re talking about the whole earth, let’s get out our papers and mark the directions on our map for north, south, east, and west. Anybody know where to put north? Take answers and have them mark it along the top of their papers, about halfway across. Continue on with east (along right-hand perimeter of paper about midway), south (middle bottom), and west (along left-hand perimeter about midway).
3: STUDENT DIRECTION—Move From East to Middle
Teacher 2: Verse 2 tells us the people decided to migrate, or move, from the east. So put your people (explain which item is acting as the people) over on the east side to act as the starting line. Do so. Now move them from the east to the middle-ish area of the page. Do so.
4: STUDENT DIRECTION—Write “Shinar”
Teacher 1: The Bible says: Read verse 2. Have them write “Shinar” in the middle of the page, and explain that we don’t know exactly where Shinar was, but we will mark it there for this activity.
Teacher 2: In verses 3 and 4, the Bible says: Read verses 3–4. Hmmm . . . did you catch that? Here they are, all together, plotting to build a city and a tower with its top to the heavens, and for what reason? Take answers. Right, to make a name for themselves, and so they won’t be scattered all over the earth! First of all, that’s prideful to want to do something so people think you’re great. That’s what making a name for yourself means—that people will look at what you do and think, “Wow, isn’t he smart? Or amazing? Or athletic? Or whatever?” We’re supposed to bring attention to God, not ourselves! Also, didn’t God tell them to fill the earth? Pause for answer. Are they obeying God? Pause for answer. Here goes that sin cycle again! They aren’t obeying God! This doesn’t mean people can never build a tower. It just means those people shouldn’t have built it because they weren’t obeying God! How do we know what God wants us to do and not do? Take responses—the Bible tells us how to obey God. God and his Word never change, and his commands for us never change. Remind them that John 14:15 shows us the heart behind obeying. Those who are children of God (those who have put their faith in Jesus for eternal life) love and trust him, and thus want to please him. They want to obey out of love for him; they aren’t forced to obey. It’s not about earning brownie points with God! Love God first, then obey, rather than obey to try to earn God’s love.
5: STUDENT DIRECTION—Build with Bricks
Teacher 1: Okay, grab your “bricks” and pretend to have your people start building the tower. Do so.
6: STUDENT DIRECTION—Draw City Around Tower
Teacher 2: Now that your people have built the tower, let’s draw a city around it. Do so. They can continue to draw as you move on.
Teacher 1: Let’s pause for a minute in the account and see if we can answer a couple questions. 
7: TEACHER TALK—Explain Where/When Babel May Have Been
Teacher 2: First, does anyone know where exactly in the world the tower of Babel was likely built? Take answers. Nobody knows for sure, but as we mentioned, we do know it was somewhere in the Middle East, which is a part of Asia, possibly in the modern country of Iraq. Show the tower of Babel on the world map. That’s why we’re visiting Asia today! 
Teacher 1: Anybody remember approximately how many years after the worldwide flood this happened? Take answers—approximately 100 years later. It sure didn’t take long for the world to get right back to disobeying God This is because each of us is born with a heart that wants to sin and do our own thing!
8: TEACHER TALK—Step Pyramid (Ziggurat); Miscellaneous Comments
Teacher 2: And if you’re wondering how big the tower was, we don’t really know. The Bible says it was a tower with its top in the heavens, so we can assume it was taller than the city buildings that were being built around it. There aren’t any remains left from the tower of Babel, although there is an account later in history of a tower called “Etemenanki” that many think was the tower of Babel. The tower is gone now, since it was made of bricks that would have fallen apart and a Greek leader had the remains torn down 2,300 years ago. The tower was probably a step pyramid, or ziggurat. Show the Ziggurat poster and have them say “ziggurat.” It’s a fun word that means “height, to be high.” 
Teacher 1: So, the tower of Babel may have been seven, eight, or more stories tall. At the time, that would have been a tall building and would have seemed like it was heading toward the heavens! We could say it was the first skyscraper!
Teacher 2: Do you think God was excited that they were building that skyscraper? Pause for answers. Let’s read what the Bible says: Read verses 5–6. So, does it seem like God is happy about this? Pause for answers.
Teacher 1: God knew that they were all together and getting themselves in trouble. So God, in his love, had a plan to protect them from getting themselves even further entangled in rebelling against him. This would also force them to spread out all over the earth, like he had commanded them.  
Teacher 2: Let’s see what roadblock God provided. Read verse 7. What does it say God did? Take answers. Yes, God confused their language. Interestingly, the word “Babel” means “to confuse.”
Teacher 1: And notice it says, “Let us go down . . . .” This is a reference to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all being involved in this.
9: STUDENT DIRECTION—Write “Goodbye”
Teacher 2: Okay, let’s write the word “goodbye” in some different languages in little word bubbles around our tower of Babel to remind us that God confused their language there. Show the Goodbye chart and have them do so.
10: STUDENT DIRECTION—Communication Challenge
Teacher 1: Now, let’s try a little challenge to see if we can communicate if the directions are in different languages. This will help us get a feel for how difficult it would have been to communicate at the tower of Babel. I’m going to say something in another language and I’d like you to answer me back. Do so. One suggestion is to say: “U hali gani?” pronounced “Oooo holly gone-y.” This is Swahili for “How are you?” Their answer should be, but most likely won’t be, “nzuri,” which means “good” or “fine.” Another possibility is to say: “Come ti chiami?” pronounced “Co may tee key ami.” This is Italian for “What’s your name?” Their answer should be, but probably won’t be, whatever their name is in Italian. Was it hard to communicate? Pause for answers. Can you imagine trying to complete a huge building project together, with lots of communication needed? It just wasn’t going to be possible anymore after God confused their language. 
Teacher 2: The Bible then says in verses 8 and 9: Read verses 8 and 9. Besides confusing their language, what else did God do to lovingly stop their disobedience? Take answers. Yes, he used the confusion of the language to cause the people to disperse, or move, all over the earth so they wouldn’t be able to work together anymore. This is like when the teacher separates two kids who are getting in trouble and makes one sit on one side of the room and the other on the other side. You may not realize it, but God disciplines his children for their good! Otherwise, we tend to get ourselves into all kinds of situations that aren’t good for us! As a child of God, I have a new nature but I still struggle with sin. Jesus helps me to obey him. So I am really thankful when someone else cares enough to help me obey, too. 
11: STUDENT DIRECTION—Scatter the People
Teacher 1: Let’s carefully scatter our people all over the map to remind us of God scattering the people. Put a couple in one place, a couple in another, and so on to represent the various families moving out together. Do so. 
12: TEACHER TALK—How They Moved/“Cave Men”
Teacher 2: The next question is this: How do you think they actually got to the various places around the world where they settled? Take answers. Point out places on the world map as you explain the following. Some of them probably walked. Remember that Asia is connected to Africa and Europe, so they could easily have made it there. Also, after the flood, the Ice Age occurred, which would have resulted in some land bridges appearing due to the water levels in the oceans going down a lot and exposing the land under the sea. Besides walking, some of them probably traveled on animals, perhaps something like Jamal the Camel here. Show the Day 2 Animal Pal poster. Animals like camels could have easily carried people and their supplies. And some of the people may have even built boats and floated to other areas. Remember, Noah and his sons were still alive at this time and would surely have taught people shipbuilding skills.
Teacher 1: When they moved, there wouldn’t have been houses and buildings yet. They built those after they settled. So they may have had to find simple places to stay in for awhile, like caves. Caves make a great shelter, and people have used them throughout history. Even today, there are people who make caves their homes, such as the people of a place in Australia called Coober Pedy. It’s hot above ground there, so it’s cooler to live in caves. Show the “Cave Men” Poster. After the tower of Babel, many folks lived in caves, but this didn’t mean they were not smart. Some people say man evolved—came from—ape-like creatures who did not have the intelligence of man and that these ape-like creatures lived in caves at times. But from the Bible, we know it is not true that people share an ancestor with apes. Instead, people are wonderfully created by God in his image, intelligent from the very beginning. So the people living in caves after Babel were people—very smart people—so smart, they figured out how to build a city and a tower! Caves around the world show us how smart they were as we find people’s beautiful drawings on the walls and remnants of tools and other items they made for temporary use.  
Teacher 2: As the people reached their new locations, which happened over hundreds of years, they began building and beginning their cultures. Of course, they took with them the knowledge of how they built the tower of Babel, which they would have passed down from generation to generation, and which would most likely result in building projects happening all over the place, based on the tower of Babel. So, as we might expect, it’s interesting to see how there are similar towers built by different cultures all over the world. They are on every continent except Antarctica. Show the Towers Around the World poster and discuss where each of them is located. This is just a handful of them. There are many more, and they serve as a powerful reminder that the Bible is true, and we should always start with God’s Word! 
Teacher 1: So as you can see, it was a fascinating time, and it actually matters a lot to us today, because it explains how people came to settle in various countries around the world, develop different cultures, and speak different languages. But more on that tomorrow! Right now, let’s race on!
Part 2: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
o	Day 2 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group leader
Divide into groups of 4–6 racers, with a leader in each group. Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Give the Discussion sheets to the leaders to do later if you don’t have time during class.
Do you have a Little Tikes® workshop in your house? Have you ever built any interesting LEGO® creations? Have you done any carpentry work? Do you enjoy building and creating things?
Can you explain why it was wrong for the people to build a tower at Babel, but why it may not be wrong for us to build a tower today?
How do we know what God wants us to do? Where do we go to find God’s commands to us today? Does God ever change?
•	Gospel Opportunity
Let’s look up John 14:15. Do so. Do you desire to please God and obey him? If you are a child of God because you’ve put your faith in Jesus, your desire should grow over time to love and please God. Pray and ask God to help that desire to please and obey him grow. If you don’t have that desire, be honest and pray about it. Teachers, you may want to elaborate on the gospel here, and help them see that over time, God will give true believers the desire to please him and obey him through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Part 3: Review Game Challenge (10–15 minutes)
OPTION 1: Rope or tape for start and finish lines, chopsticks (1 pair per team), a bunch of cotton balls, and styrofoam bowls (1 per team)
Pre-prep: Choose an option below and prepare the materials as directed. Option 1 requires gathering materials and making a start and finish line. Option 2 has no supplies or pre-prep.
Option 1—Chopsticks Challenge
In this traditional game that began in China, kids use chopsticks to carry small items like cotton balls from one bowl to another without dropping them. Their team will earn a turn to try to do so by answering a review question correctly.
To play: Divide the group into teams of five or less racers. Give each team their supplies and have them place one bowl at the finish line. Everyone lines up at the start line with a pile of cotton balls on the floor.
Ask a question and have each team confer about their answer. At the signal, have each team shout out their answer, or tell the answer to their leader, who tells you their answer. If correct, the first player on each team uses the chopsticks to pick up and carry cotton balls from the start line to the bowl at the finish line. Any that fall along the way or miss the bowl don’t count. Continue until time is up. The team that successfully transfers the most cotton balls by the end of the time wins.
Option 2—Janken (AKA Rock, Paper, Scissors)
•	Teams can also write their answers on dry erase boards.
No supplies or pre-prep are needed for this popular game played in Japan, used to help people decide everything from what they’re going to eat to who’s going to run an errand. School children sometimes play it hundreds of times a day.
To play: Divide into pairs. Ask a review question. Each pair confers and shouts out what they think the answer is (or tells their leader their answer, who relays the answer to you at the appropriate time). Each pair that answers correctly gets to play a round of Janken. Janken is played like traditional Rock, Paper, Scissors. The Japanese names are: guu (rock); paa (paper); and choki (scissors). 
After reading the review question and determining the answer, play a round with those who got the question right. The leader says, “1, 2, Janken pon!” On “Janken pon!” each person shows either the rock (a closed fist), the paper (a flat hand), or the scissors (two fingers forming a V). Paper covers rock, rock smashes scissors, and scissors cut paper. The player in the pairing who won gets a point. If it’s a tie, both players get a point. Players should keep track of how many points they earn in total. The player in each pair with the most points at the end of the time wins.
•	Check page 18 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day.
Questions
How many different languages were there before the tower of Babel event? 
Answer: One.
What was the name of the place, a plain, where the people lived?
Answer: Shinar.
Approximately how many years after the flood did the tower of Babel happen?
Answer: 100.
What else were the people building besides a tower?
Answer: A city.
Why was it wrong for the people to build the tower?
Answer: God told them to spread out all over the earth, but they clustered there together instead.
Approximately where in the world was the tower of Babel?
Answer: We don’t know for sure, but it was built somewhere in the Middle East, on the continent of Asia—possibly in the country we call Iraq today.
What shape was the tower, most likely?
Answer: A step pyramid, or ziggurat.
How did God stop the building of the tower?
Answer: He confused their language, causing them to move all over the earth.
What is one way they may have traveled to get to the new area?
Answers: They may have walked, ridden on animals, or sailed in boats.
What’s the truth about people who lived in caves?
Answer: They were smart, made in God’s image, and descendants of Adam and Eve—our relatives! Every person is made in God’s image and is a special creation. They were looking for temporary shelter while moving away from Babel.
Apply It!
o	Day 2 Student Guides, 1 per child
o	Passports, 1 per child
o	Stamp for Passports
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class.
Put a stamp in the passport (or team leaders can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS) and/or review the student guides.
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
o	Memory Verse Music CD and player
o	Day 2 Memory Verse Poster
o	Tall Tower supplies—31 or more blocks (Jenga®, wooden blocks, cardboard “bricks,” or something similar)
Pre-prep: Gather the Challenge supplies and hang the day 2 memory verse poster. Cue up the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: “Its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:9
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 2 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Tall Tower—Grab some blocks. As you put the first block down, say the first word of the verse. Put the second block down and say the second word. Continue on and see how high you can build and how far in the verse you get before the tower comes tumbling down. Try again and see if you can get through the whole verse. 
Tomorrow’s Verse: “And he made from one man every nation.” Acts 17:26
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Find Genesis 11:1–9 in a Bible. How many times is the word Babel used? Then read John 14:15 again. If you are a child of God, talk to God and ask him to help you love him and want to obey him more each day.
Do you know anyone who lives or has lived in another country? Tell them in person or by letter about the tower of Babel and the start of different languages. Compare how to say basic phrases like “Hi!” and “Goodbye!” and “How are you?” in your language and theirs. If they are missionaries in another country, thank them for serving God there.
If you are a child of God, talk to God and ask him to give you a desire to tell people who live in other countries (and even around you) about Jesus.
Ask a parent or guardian if she has ever been in a situation when it was hard to communicate with someone due to a language barrier. What did she do? How can we communicate God’s love to people in different cultures?
Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Do I know anyone who needs to know about God’s love? (Commit to pray for them this week.)  
Just For Fun: Japanese Song
“Juujika, Juujika, Waga Chikara” song and player
Today’s song is “Juujika, Juujika, Waga Chikara” in Japanese, an Asian language. It is sung to the tune of “Do Lord.” Check it out on the Digital Resources and teach it to your kids! 
Juujika, juujika, waga chikara 
(The cross is our power.)
Juujika, juujika, waga chikara 
(The cross is our power.)
Juujika, juujika, waga chikara 
(The cross is our power.)
Glory Hallelujah (Glory Hallelujah.)
Juujika, juujika, waga sukui 
(The cross is our salvation.)
Juujika, juujika, waga sukui 
(The cross is our salvation.)
Juujika, juujika, waga sukui 
(The cross is our salvation.)
Glory Hallelujah (Glory Hallelujah.)

Day 3
One Race, Many Nations
After Babel
Continent
Africa
Bible passages
The Table of Nations
Genesis 10; Psalm 139; Acts 17:26
Animal Pals
Pup Patrol
Lesson Focus
On leg three, we see how the human race developed into people groups with different languages, cultures, and physical features, but how we are still one race.
Apologetics Focus
We’re all one blood, one race, and God created each of us with our own special gene recipe.
Mile Marker Memory Verse
“And he made from one man every nation.” Acts 17:26
Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 3 Refuel Challenge
Option 1—African Handshakes
Option 2—African Food
Teach It!
Part 1: Melanin Demo
Option 1—Special Recipe
Option 2—Crayons
Part 2: Genetics Demo
Part 3: Small Group Time
Part 4: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Ampe
Option 2—Rhythm Patterns
Option 3—Speed Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Just for Fun: Swahili Song—“Yesu, Nukupenda” (“Oh, How I Love Jesus”)
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Genesis 10, Psalm 139, and Acts 17:26 a couple times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the purple pre-prep boxes.
For more information on one race/one blood and how we developed into different people groups with different looks and languages, visit answersvbs.com/irfaq.
Pray.
Introduce It!
o	Bible or children’s Bible
o	Costumes for teachers
o	Mounting putty or tape
o	World Map 
o	OPTION 1: No supplies
o	OPTION 2: Plantain chips, 1 per child
o	Day 3 Bible Clue 
o	Dark Skin Poster, cut apart 
Day 3 Refuel Challenge (5–10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Choose an option and prepare the materials as directed. Watch the YouTube.com/AnswersVBS clip of “African Handshakes” and learn one or two for Option 1. Get the plantain chips for Option 2. Get the bible clue ready.
Teacher 1: Jambo! That’s “hello” in Swahili, an African language. Today, we’re traveling to Africa, the continent below Asia. Show on the world map, or have a student show. Remember, we’re exploring God’s love for the nations in our race around the world, and the people in Africa need to know about God’s love, just like the people in Asia do, and just like the people everywhere do! There are over one billion people in Africa, many of whom don’t know about God’s love!  
Teacher 2: Tell your neighbor something that comes to mind when I say Africa. Do so. Africa sure is an amazing place! As the people moved out from the tower of Babel, they would have reached Africa pretty quickly. See where it is in relation to the Middle East? Show on the world map, or have a child do so. 
Teacher 1: So as we pick up where we left off yesterday, let’s attempt today’s African Refuel Challenge to get our Bible clue!
Option 1—African Handshakes
Handshakes in Africa come in numerous, interesting variations, depending on where you are in Africa. Teach the racers how to do one or two. Once this task is successfully completed, you may hand them their Bible clue (also listed below).  
Option 2—African Food
•	Plantain chips are eaten in other parts of the world, but are thought to have originated in West Africa and Southeast Asia. Plantains are a major food staple in Africa. 
Try a simple food from Africa such as plantain chips. (Check for allergies.) Bags of plantain chips can be purchased online or at select grocery stores. If at least two racers in the group taste them, their team is eligible to receive the Bible clue (also listed below).
Bible Clue
Teacher 1: To complete your challenge and earn a spot on your score card, you must correctly answer this Bible question: 
Question: What color would you call this African boy’s skin? Hold up the Dark Skin poster. 
Answer: The answer is not black, but brown (dark brown), so if they say black first, tell them you will give them two more chances to guess. 
Teacher 2: If they get it right, remind the team leaders to circle a country on their score card. Did you know the color of our skin has something to do with the tower of Babel? It’s fascinating stuff! Let’s check it out!
Teach It!
o	Dark Skin Poster and Light Skin Poster
o	“Jesus Loves the Little Children” song and player
Begin this section, then do either Option 1 or Option 2 at the noted time.
Part 1: Melanin Demo (10–15 minutes) 
Teacher 1: So we said that the African boy in the picture isn’t really black, but dark brown, right? Pause for answers. Let’s hold up this picture again and compare the person’s skin shade with the black background.  Hold up the dark skin Poster and do so. We can agree, then, that nobody is actually “black,” but very dark brown. In the same way, let’s look at this picture of someone who is what we may call “white” and compare the person’s skin shade with the white background. Hold up the light skin poster and do so. Is the person really white? Pause for answers. No, really we should say the person is very light brown.
Teacher 2: Actually, we all have the same skin-coloring pigment—brown. Some of us have very light brown coloring, some of us have very dark brown coloring, and the rest of us fall somewhere in between. There aren’t different skin colors. There are just different shades of brown.
Teacher 1: Have you ever heard the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children”? It’s true that Jesus loves all the children of the world, including you, and this is an awesome little song, but I wonder if we can change the wording a little bit. Let’s sing it and see if you can figure out what we might want to change. Sing “Jesus loves the little children” one time, and ask for ideas about change. 
Teacher 2: Right, we aren’t red and yellow, black and white. We’re brown. Let’s sing it again with this remix.
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world 
Shades of brown from dark to light, all are precious in his sight 
Jesus loves the little children of the world
After singing, move on to either Option 1 or Option 2. 
Option 1—Special Recipe 
o	Optional: Chef’s hat and apron for Chef Mel
o	Basic ingredients for a white cake (see pre-prep for more info)
o	Mixing spoon and bowls
o	Pictures of Basic Ingredients
o	Blue, red, or green food coloring
o	Clear punch cups (potentially 9)
o	Skin Shades Poster
This option takes longer and has more pre-prep, but was an absolute favorite with our test church kids. It was really impactful.
Pre-prep: Make the basic white cake batter ahead of time, but don’t bake it or put the food coloring in it. Use a boxed mix, or use the following ingredients: 1 c. sugar, 1/2 c. softened butter, 2 eggs, 2 t. vanilla, 11/2 c. flour, 13/4 t. baking powder, and 1/2 c. milk.  
Cream the sugar and softened butter together, then add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder in a different bowl, and add it to the creamed mixture. Slowly add in the milk, stirring until the batter is smooth. Place the batter (without food coloring) in the cups. 
Provide enough for three small cups of white cake batter per rotation, so if you have three rotations, you’ll need nine cups.
•	Remember to have enough for three small cups of white cake batter per rotation, so if you have three rotations, you’ll need nine cups.
Teacher 2: Now I’ve invited a special guest to share with us a bit more about our skin shades. Let’s welcome Chef Mel. 
Teacher 1: Hello, everyone! I’m Chef Mel and I’d like to show you how to make a cake, while we talk about a special ingredient called melanin. When you bake a cake, you need some basic ingredients. What do you think we need? Take responses, then hold up the pictures of basic ingredients and see how they did.
Teacher 2: Chef Mel, what if we want to make our cake blue?
Teacher 1: We would have to decide how blue. And how blue it turns out depends on how much blue food coloring we put in it. Let’s try it in different cups and mix it up to see how it looks. 
•	If your food coloring is not blue, substitute whatever color you are using every time it says the word “blue.”
Do so, and go from a clear cup with very light blue batter (only one drop of food coloring), to a cup with medium blue (2–3 drops of food coloring), to a cup with very dark blue batter (a lot of blue food coloring).
Teacher 1: Even though the cake mixes look different now, remember that they all have the same basic ingredients. They just have more or less blue food coloring, which makes them different shades of blue.   
Teacher 2: That makes me think of our skin, Chef Mel. Just like the different shades of blue, all of us have different shades of skin, too!
Teacher 1: True! God made each of us out of the same basic “recipe.” But one ingredient he used in differing amounts is called “melanin.” Each of us has melanin in our skin, and melanin is part of what gives our skin a light brown or dark brown shade. We’re all shades of brown, but some are lighter and some darker depending on how much melanin is inside our skin. Remember—we are all made with the same basic recipe, and then God enjoys making each of us into our own special person. God is the most wonderful Creator! Show the Skin Shades poster and comment on the beautiful, fascinating variety of skin shades.
Teacher 2: And you know what else is interesting, Chef Mel? Do any of you ever put on sunscreen? Well, melanin acts like a natural sunscreen. So as people left the tower of Babel, the people with a lot of melanin who had a dark brown shade of skin ended up mostly living in hot and sunny countries because their skin didn’t burn as easily, and the people with lighter skin shades that would burn easily ended up living in colder countries where there wasn’t as much sunlight to burn them. Isn’t that cool?
Teacher 1: When they left Babel, the people took with them the knowledge of the one true God and what happened in the past, but that knowledge has changed over time as it has been passed down through the generations. Many cultures have flood legends and legends about the tower of Babel, showing that they once knew the truth. Sadly, many people groups have abandoned the truth and now worship false gods. They need to hear the truth again about the one true God and his love through Jesus Christ for them!
Teacher 2: As the family groups spread out all over the world, they formed different cultures. This means people in certain areas of the world, who spoke the same language and had similar shades of skin, developed their own interesting traditions and food preferences and ways of living. This all started from God confusing their language and scattering them at the tower of Babel. 
Teacher 1: But just because we may have different skin shades and speak different languages and do things in different ways doesn’t mean we are different “races.” Every person on the globe belongs to the same race—the human race. Remember—our skin is just different shades of brown, not different colors. Our skin shade doesn’t make us members of different races. There’s only one race, the human race, not a dark-skinned race, a light-skinned race, and or any other number of races.  
Teacher 2: Yep, we’re all one race, and what’s even more mind blowing is we’re all related! We all came from the very first people, Adam and Eve. Recite Acts 17:26 together. Adam and Eve were our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great . . . well, you get the idea . . . grandparents. They probably had a medium brown shade of skin. From Adam and Eve have come every person who has ever lived.
Teacher 1: If Adam and Eve had medium brown skin, it’s scientifically easy to explain how every shade from light to dark could have come about—even within one generation!
Teacher 2: Well, thank you for the demonstration, Chef Mel. Now let’s check out more about this. Skip over to Part 2: Genetics Demo. 
Option 2—Crayons
o	Brown crayons, paper, tape
o	Skin Shades Poster
Pre-prep: Tape paper to a wall and draw three blank circles on it. Remember to have two more sheets of paper to do it again for your second and third rotations.  
For a faster option, use a brown crayon to press hard to make a dark circle, then a bit lighter circle, and then a lighter circle still on paper to show the range of skin shades that comes from one brown crayon. Do the coloring as you say what follows.
Or, if you have a little more time, give each person a brown crayon and paper and let him color along with you. 
Teacher 1: The reason we’re different shades of brown is, in part, because every person has something in their skin (a pigment) called melanin. Let’s say that word together. Do so. Melanin is a brown color. Color the first circle dark brown as you say the next sentence. Some of us have skin that produces lots of melanin, so we’re darker brown. Color the next circle medium brown as you say the next sentence. Some of us produce a bit less melanin so our skin is medium brown. Color the last circle light brown as you say the next sentence. Some of us have much less melanin so our skin shade is lighter brown. But no matter what shade we are, we still all have the same skin-coloring pigments. Show the Skin Shades poster and comment on the beautiful, fascinating variety of skin shades. See if they can identify whose skin produces a lot of melanin and whose skin produces less melanin.  
Teacher 2: And you know what else is interesting? Do any of you ever put on sunscreen? Well, melanin acts like a natural sunscreen. People with a lot of melanin in their skin have a built-in sunscreen! As people left the tower of Babel, the people with a lot of melanin who were dark brown eventually ended up mostly living in hot and sunny countries because their skin didn’t burn as easily, and the people with lighter skin that would burn easily ended up living in mostly colder countries where there wasn’t as much sunlight to burn them. Isn’t that cool?
Teacher 1: When they left Babel, the people took with them the knowledge of the one true God and what happened in the past, but that knowledge has changed over time as it has been past passed down through the generations. Many cultures have flood legends and legends about the tower of Babel, showing that they once knew the truth. Sadly, many people groups have abandoned the truth and now worship false gods. They need to hear the truth again about the one true God and his love through Jesus Christ for them!
Teacher 2: As the family groups spread out all over the world, they formed different cultures. This means people in certain areas of the world, who spoke the same language and had similar shades of skin, started developing their own interesting traditions and foods and ways of living. This all started from God confusing their language and scattering them at the tower of Babel. 
Teacher 1: But just because we may have different skin shades and speak different languages and do things in different ways doesn’t mean we are different “races.” Every person on the globe belongs to the same race—the human race. Remember—our skin is just different shades of brown, not different colors. Our skin shade doesn’t make us members of different races. In fact, our physical differences are so slight that humans are only .2% different. That means 99.8% of what makes up people is the same!
Teacher 2: So, we’re all one race, and what’s even more mind blowing is we’re all related! We all came from the very first people, Adam and Eve. Recite Acts 17:26 together. Adam and Eve were our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great . . . well, you get the idea . . . grandparents. They were probably a medium brown shade of skin. From Adam and Eve have come every person who’s ever lived. If the two of them had medium brown skin, it’s scientifically easy to explain how every shade from light to dark could have come about—even within one generation! 
Part 2: Genetics Demo (10 minutes)
o	1 writing utensil and 1 piece of paper per child
o	Timer
o	Day 3 Animal Pal Poster
o	Dog Parents Poster
o	Dog Kind Poster
o	Offspring Poster
o	Lots of Dogs Poster
o	People Around the World Poster
Teacher 1: Let’s do a demo using dogs to show how this works. We could also use people or elephants or zebras or any other living thing that is part of the same kind, but we’ll go with dogs. People may look a bit different from each other, but they are all people, right? There is a big variety in the dog kind, like the dogs of our Pup Patrol here (show the Day 3 Animal Pal poster). But they’re all dogs, right? And they produce more dogs. We don’t see one kind of animal changing into a different kind of animal. Dogs don’t change into cats, do they? Sometimes people falsely claim people came from animals, and that idea is called molecules-to-man evolution. But from the Bible, we learn that people didn’t evolve from one kind to another. We were created as humans by God himself in his own image, and science confirms this over and over. We can easily change a little within a kind, such as having our skin vary in shades from dark brown to light brown. But that’s not the same as changing from one kind into a completely different kind. People can have differences in their appearance, but they’re still people. Dogs can look different, but they’re still dogs. Let’s do this little activity to see how that can be.
•	You can also choose to do this as a teacher-led demo instead of having each child do it.
Pass out the writing utensils and sheets of paper, one per person. Have them fold their paper in half. Show them the DOG PARENTS POSTER and have them write MALE, then ~ A a B b C c ~ along the top left side. Then have them write FEMALE, then ~ A a B b C c ~ along the top right side.
•	You may want to put each sheet of paper on a hard surface like a clipboard or piece of corrugated cardboard.
Teacher 2: We all have something called genes in our bodies. We don’t mean blue jeans. It’s a different kind of genes. Genes are kind of like the ingredients inside us that make us who we are. We all have the same basic ingredients in our gene recipe, but some of us have a little more of this ingredient or a little less of that ingredient, which makes us each look a little different. Now how this works is that the letters on the left side of the poster (under the male dog) represent a few of the genes inside a boy dog, and the letters on the right side of the poster represent a few of the genes inside a girl dog. When we combine the boy dog genes and the girl dog genes, all kinds of combinations can come about. Let’s do two examples, and then you can see how many you can figure out! 
Choose one A (either upper or lower case) to represent the boy dog and one A for the girl dog. Do the same with the B and then with the C. For the first example, choose all the uppercase letters so you end up with AA BB CC. Tell the kids to imagine that the combination would make a large, long-haired dog. Point to the St. Bernard on the Dog Kind Poster. Then do the next example under that one with all the lowercase letters (aa bb cc). Imagine that the combination would make a small, short-haired dog. Point to the chihuahua on the Dog Kind poster.
Now have the racers see how many different combinations they can come up with in a oneminute time frame. Write them on their papers. Have them count how many they have, and discuss what they got. 
Teacher 1: Wow, we got a bunch of different combinations, didn’t we? Show the Dog parents poster and offspring poster and comment on how, if we’re talking about just a few genes in one boy dog and one girl dog, there are still so many possible combinations. And that was just from these few genes we were working with. Each dog, or each person, has tens of thousands of different genes inside his or her body. So can you imagine how many different combinations you can come up with if you were arranging combinations with thousands upon thousands of different genes instead of just these few? The possibilities are really limitless! Show the Lots of Dogs poster and marvel at how many different dogs can come from just one girl and boy pair. Show the Dog Kind poster again and remind them that this is just a handful of the possibilities!   
Teacher 2: You can apply this same idea to people and how we get different hair color, or eye color, or eye shapes. Show the People Around the World poster. Hair color and eye color also are determined by how much melanin we have inside. Our eye shape has to do with how much tissue is around our eyes. Some of us have rounder eyes and some of us have more almond-shaped eyes. Those with a smaller amount of tissue around their eyes have rounder eyes and those with more have almond-shaped eyes. It’s just a matter of the gene recipe inside each of us.
Teacher 1: The idea of a gene recipe inside of us explains how tall we are, if our ear lobes are attached or not, how long our fingers are, and just about every other physical feature we have. Before time began, God thought of you and exactly what amounts of what ingredients he was going to put together to make special you! As the creative Creator that he is, he made a beautiful assortment of people on this earth. Each one is specially designed!  
Teacher 2: Psalm 139 says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Read Psalm 139:13–16. So if you ever feel like you’re not special or somebody is better than you, just remember that God cannot make a mistake. God cannot make junk. He made you valuable and beautiful and just like you’re supposed to be. And he made everyone else how they are supposed to be, too. Show the People Around the World poster.  Point to one of the guys on the poster. He made this person in his image! Point to one of the gals. He made this person in his image! Continue on with several more. He loves all people groups. And we should love and respect all people for the special creation they are, each being made in God’s image.
Teacher 1: Okay, let’s race on!
Part 3: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
o	Day 3 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group leader
Divide into groups of 4–6 racers, with a leader in each group. Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Remember: Give the Discussion Sheets to the leaders to do later if you don’t have time during class.
What shade of skin would you say you have?
Do you get sunburned easily? Why or why not?
Do you have any friends from other countries? Have you traveled to other countries and met anyone from there?
•	Gospel Opportunity
How are people the same? How are they different? Even though people may have different physical characteristics or come from different cultures, people all over the world are sinners in need of a Savior from sin, who is Jesus. Jesus came and lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead because he loves all people groups and calls every tribe and nation to know him and love him. He has taken the punishment for sin. Those who repent of their sin and believe in him can have eternal life. 
How does God want us to treat people who may be different from us in some way? We should treat people with love, kindness, and respect. At the same time, God’s Word is our standard, so as we show others Christ’s love, we may need to respectfully disagree with another’s belief system. The Bible tells us to speak the truth in love. That means to speak the truth, but do so with kindness and respect.
Part 4: Review Game Challenge (5–10 minutes)
Two traditional games follow that are played by children in Africa. Neither requires any supplies or pre-prep. Choose which one you’d like to play, and incorporate the review questions into the playing time as noted.
Option 1—Ampe
In this traditional African game, which we’re adapting, kids try to put their best foot forward—literally! 
To play: The leader asks a review question. Each person decides on an answer and shouts it out on the count of three. Every person who is correct gets to play a round of Ampe to earn a point. (This is on the honor system.)
To play Ampe, the leader counts to three as everyone (including the leader) jumps three times. On the third jump, each player puts one foot forward. If they put the same foot forward as the leader does, they get a point. If not, they don’t. Players should keep track of points on their fingers.
Option 2—Rhythm Patterns
Many children in Africa enjoy rhythm, singing, and clapping games. In this fun and easy game, racers try to mimic the rhythm the teacher does. You can also have kids make up rhythms. 
To play: The teacher asks a question. Players either tell the team leader the answer or on the count of three, shout out the team answer. If correct, they earn a point and a chance to try the rhythm pattern. Each round is a different rhythm pattern. The teacher claps or sings a rhythm pattern, and the kids have to repeat it back. It may be claps that are faster, slower, louder, softer, a certain number in a row, etc.
•	Check page 18 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day.  Or, if short on time, ask a question and have them stand if they think they know the answer.
Questions
Yes or No: We are all one race. 
Answer: Yes. We are all part of the human race.
Yes or No: We are all related.
Answer: Yes. We can all trace our ancestry back to Adam and Eve, who are our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (you get the idea) grandparents.
Recite today’s memory verse.
Answer: And he made from one man every nation. Acts 17:26
What shade of skin did Adam and Eve most likely have?
Answer: Medium brown. It’s interesting to note that Jesus was probably not light-skinned, but probably had a medium brown shade of skin, as well.
What is one of the pigments in our skin called that helps to determine the shade of skin we have?
Answer: Melanin. This also determines our hair and eye color.
What color of skin do all people have in common?
Answer: Brown. We can range from very light brown to very dark brown shades, but we all share the same skin-coloring pigments.
Give two examples of the dog kind.
Answers will vary.
What does Psalm 139 say about you?
Answer: You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.
Does God consider people with one skin shade better than others with a different skin shade? Or people with one shape of eyes better than others with a different shape of eyes? Or people who are richer better than people who are poorer?
Answer: No! People are equal in the sight of God. And our physical features are all specially designed by him and are a beautiful reflection of his creativity. 
How should we treat each other, knowing we are all related and not different races?
Answers will vary, but basically, with love, kindness, and respect. Much more on this on Day 5.  
Apply It!
o	Day 3 Student Guides, 1 per child
o	Passports, 1 per child
o	Stamp for Passports
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class.
Put a stamp in the passports (or have team leaders do so as the kids first arrive at VBS) and/or review the student guides.
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
o	Memory Verse Music CD and player
o	Day 3 Memory Verse Poster
o	Balancing Act supplies—baskets or folded-up blankets, 1 per child
Pre-prep: Gather the Challenge supplies and hang the day 3 memory verse poster. Cue the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: “And he made from one man every nation.” Acts 17:26
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Day 3 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Balancing Act—Some people in Africa sometimes balance things on their heads to carry them. Get a basket or a folded-up blanket and put it on your head. Walk around balancing it as you say today’s verse. Try to get the verse done before the item on your head falls off!
Tomorrow’s Verse: “The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse.  
Part 2: Go and Do
Check out Genesis 10, which is called the Table of Nations. Those are your relatives listed there! It shows where Noah’s descendants went after the tower of Babel.
Talk to God and thank him for the special way he made you. You are one of a kind and are a precious creation of God, dearly loved by him. Thank him for creating each person all over this globe! 
Find out about some traditions, food preferences, and customs from another country. Isn’t it amazing to think we can all trace our ancestry back to the tower of Babel?
Talk to your parent or guardian and ask if she has ever been to another country or been friends with someone from another country. How should we treat each other?
Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself these questions: Do I see myself as a precious and dearly loved creation of God? Do I see all people groups as precious and dearly loved by God, as well?
Just For Fun: Swahili Song
“Yesu, Nukupenda” song and player
Today’s song is “Yesu, Nukupenda” in Swahili, an African language (“Oh, How I Love Jesus” in English). Check it out on the Digital Resources and teach it to your kids!
Yesu, nukupenda (Oh, how I love Jesus)
Yesu, nukupenda (Oh, how I love Jesus)
Yesu, nukupenda (Oh, how I love Jesus)
Kwani ulinipenda (Because he first loved me)

Day 4
One Way—Jesus
Babel and the Gospel
Continent
Europe
Bible passage
The Gospel and a Glimpse of Heaven
Revelation 7:9–10
Animal PalS
Agape and Phileo the Polish Mute Swans
Lesson Focus
On our fourth leg, we discover the need to yield our lives to God as he reaches out to all nations, tribes, and peoples with his love.
Apologetics Focus
God provides just one way to be saved.
Mile Marker Memory Verse
“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14
Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 4 Refuel Challenge
Option 1—Pancake Race
Option 2—Cheese Race
Teach It!
Part 1: Race of Your Life Gospel Presentation
Part 2: Small Group Time
Part 3: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Eiffel Tower Building
Option 2—Shove Ha’ Penny
Option 3—Speed Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Just for Fun: Bulgarian Song—“Bog a Dobar” 
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Revelation 7:9–10 a couple times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as mentioned in the purple pre-prep boxes.
Read “Leading a Child to Christ” found on the inside back cover of this guide.
Visit answersvbs.com/irfaq for more information on Jesus being the only way to heaven (not just one of many roads). 
Pray.
Introduce It!
o	Bible or children’s Bible
o	Costumes for teachers
o	Mounting putty or tape
o	World Map
o	OPTION 1: Pancake Race supplies—a timer, Styrofoam™ or plastic plates (2 per pair) and real or fake pancakes (play dough “pancakes” or small tortillas), 1 “pancake” per pair
o	OPTION 2: Cheese Race supplies—real or fake cheese wheels (1 per group—see text for more info) and (optional) a large cardboard box
o	Day 4 Bible Clue
Day 4 Refuel Challenge (10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. For Option 1, gather the supplies and make the real or fake pancakes. For Option 2, gather the supplies and make the ramp from the cardboard box. Get the bible clue ready.
Teacher 1: Bonjour! Does anyone know what language I’m speaking? Pause for answers. Yes, French! People in the country of France speak French. Show the world map. France is in Europe, which is our next continent on The Incredible Race. People in Europe need to know about God’s love for the nations, too! There are 50 countries and approximately 741 million people in Europe (check this stat at the time of your VBS), many of whom don’t know about God and his love through Jesus! 
Teacher 2: Let’s try our Refuel Challenge to get our Bible Clue for today. It involves a race done in Europe!
Option 1—Pancake Race
The Pancake Race is run on Pancake Day in the United Kingdom every year, which is also Shrove Tuesday, a day known in some traditions for indulging before Lent begins. Tradition has it that a lady was cooking pancakes when she heard the church bells ring on Shrove Tuesday back in 1445. She raced out the door and to the church with her frying pan. 
This option involves flipping pancakes. Divide into pairs and give each pair a “pancake” and two Styrofoam™ or plastic plates. On “Go!” everyone tries to flip their pancake back and forth from one partner’s plate to the other. It must flip in the air and be caught by the other partner. The goal is to successfully do so at least three times in one minute. As long as one pair successfully completes the challenge, everyone earns the Bible Clue.
Option 2—Cheese Race 
This option is reminiscent of a race from Gloucester, England that involves rolling cheese down a hill. Give each child or small groups of kids a real or fake cheese wheel. These can be Babybel® cheese wheels, a yellow sponge cut in a circle, Trivial Pursuit® yellow wheels, or a wheel made out of yellow play dough. They can see how far they can get the wheel to roll along the floor. Or make a ramp by propping up a large, flattened cardboard box, with one end a foot or more off the floor and the other end resting on the floor. Groups try to roll the cheese down the ramp and see how far it goes. To win, at least one person needs to get it to the designated spot the leader has decided on. (Do not make it too hard.) If someone does so, everyone earns the bible clue. 
Bible Clue
Teacher 1: To complete your challenge and earn a spot on your score card, you must correctly answer this Bible question:   
Question: Yes or No: Are we all related?
Answer: Yes. We know from the Bible that we all came from the first two people, Adam and Eve, and scientific facts confirm this. We are all one race, or one blood, as it says in some translations of Acts 17:26. Recite the memory verse together.  
Teacher 2: If they got it right, remind the team leaders to circle a country on their score card. Yay! You successfully completed today’s first race. All this talk about the word “race” makes me think of another kind of race—a spiritual race. Let’s check it out.
Teach It!
Part 1: Race of Your Life Gospel Presentation (15 minutes) 
o	One Race Poster
o	Race of Your Life Poster
o	1 dry erase marker and eraser
o	Race of Your Life Sheets, 1 per child
o	Markers or crayons, 1 per child
o	Day 4 Animal Pal Poster
o	One Way—Jesus Sign, Stop Sign, Yield Sign, Dead End Sign, Crown
Pre-prep: Laminate the race of your life poster and hang it up.
1: Teacher Talk—Mongoloid, Caucasian, Negroid, Australoid
Teacher 1: So how many human “races” are there? One. Right! There’s only one race, the human race, not lots of different “races” as people often say. Some will divide people into four main “races”—Mongoloid people (sometimes called “Asians”), Caucasian people (sometimes called “whites”), Negroid people (sometimes called “blacks”), and Australoid people (from Australia and the regions thereabout). But we should really get rid of the word “races” for describing people and instead use the term people groups, or ethnic groups. People groups (ethnic groups) live in different parts of the world, speak different languages, have interesting and unique cultural differences that are super cool and fascinating, and have some minor differences in physical features, such as the shade of skin or shape of eyes. But remember, we are all related and all part of one race—the human race, starting with Adam and Eve. Show the One Race poster and briefly discuss the picture.
•	This lesson has numbered cues as a helpful outline. Teacher Talk means it’s something the teacher is saying. Student Direction means as the teacher is talking and drawing/writing, the students are drawing or writing as well.
2: Teacher Talk—Two Spiritual Races/Pass Out Race of Your Life Sheets
Teacher 2: So there’s only one human race, but there are actually two spiritual races—those who are part of God’s family and those who aren’t. Because this difference affects us for all of eternity, this is actually the biggest and most important difference among all people, not where we live or what we look like. 
Teacher 1: So let’s imagine that every person is in a spiritual race through life. Let’s pass out some race tracks and something to write with, and then we’ll go through the race. 
Pass out the Race of Your Life sheets and markers/crayons and continue.
3: Student Direction—Write “Go!”
Teacher 2: Let’s start the race at the starting line. Write the word “Go!”  by the start line at the bottom of your race track. Teacher writes it with the dry erase marker on the laminated race of your life poster as the kids write it on their sheets. 
4: Student Direction—Draw a Cake
•	Mention that their lives really started when they were in their moms’ tummies.
Teacher 1: Okay, in the first block after the start line, which we’ll say stands for the day you were born,  draw a quick birthday cake. Teacher draws it on the race of your life poster as the kids draw it on their sheets. It goes in the block right after the START line. 
5: Student Direction—Write “Sin”
Teacher 2: After we’re born, we move along through life, going through some twists and turns. We all are born as sinners and we choose to sin. Remember Romans 3:23? Recite the verse together. Sinning can take many forms. God is truth and he tells us to be truthful, but maybe you lie to your mom or dad. God is good and tells us to be thankful for everything he gives us, but maybe when you eat, you fuss about your food. Those are just two examples. Let’s think of some more examples and write the word “sin” in each of the next spaces. Brainstorm together some examples of sin: bullying, jealousy, cheating on a test, gossip, talking back to parents, laziness, lying, etc. Then the teacher writes the word “sin” in each block on the race of your life poster as the kids write it on their sheets. Go until you reach the red block. Don’t write in it. 
6: Teacher Talk—Bad News—Sin/Hell
Teacher 1: Our sin causes a predicament for us. In the beginning, God said that the punishment for sin was death. And in the book of Romans, we again find that the wages, or payment, for sin is death. God is holy and perfect. He can’t allow sin in his presence, so our sin separates us from God. Because we’re sinful, we aren’t part of God’s family, and we won’t go to heaven when we die. When we die, we will be separated forever from God’s goodness in a terrible place called hell. This is a horrible situation to be in! But there’s really, really good news! God has a plan to rescue us!
7: Teacher Talk—Good News—Jesus (1 John 4:14)
Teacher 2: Enter: Jesus—the only perfect human ever to live. God sent his only Son, Jesus, to earth as a human baby. Jesus was fully God but also fully human. He came and lived a perfect life, never sinning even once. He died on a cross to take the punishment we deserved for our sin, and then he rose from the dead, showing that God had accepted his sacrifice. Jesus did all this because he loves you and wants you to be part of God’s family. Show the Day 4 Animal Pal poster. Agape and Phileo, our swans, are making a heart to remind us of God’s love for us. And our Bible verse today reminds us of that. Let’s say it together. Say 1 John 4:14.
8: Teacher Talk—Scene in Heaven (Revelation 7:9–10)
Teacher 1: We know Jesus is the Savior of people all over the world, from every people group, because at the end of the Bible, we get a really cool glimpse of a scene from heaven where we see people who are part of God’s family all gathered around God’s throne. Listen to what this says! 
•	This can be an opportunity to chat about how people can sometimes think of Jesus as light skinned (“white”) when in reality, he most likely had medium brown skin.
Teacher 2: Read Revelation 7:9–10. Isn’t that cool to think heaven will have people from every nation, tribe, people, and language? Wow, what a great reminder that since God treats people from different tribes and nations and languages with love and kindness, then while we’re here on earth, we should treat all people with love and kindness, too!  
9: Student Direction—Write “Jesus”
Teacher 1: Show the One way—Jesus sign. But to get to heaven, the Bible tells us Jesus is the only way. Many people groups have developed their own ways of trying to get to God, believing there can be lots of different roads to get to heaven, but from the Bible, we know that believing in Jesus is the only way we can go to heaven. Read John 14:6 and emphasize that it says “the” way, not “a” way. Teacher writes the word “Jesus” at the top of the one way—Jesus sign as the kids do the same.  
10: Student Direction—Draw a Stop Sign
Teacher 2: So back to your race through life. Okay, you’re just going along through your life until you find out the bad news about your sin and the good news about Jesus and what he’s done for you. Let’s draw a Stop Sign in the red block right at the fork in the road to represent hearing about this. Show the stop sign. Teacher draws it on the race of your life poster in the red block as the kids draw it on their sheets. 
11: Student Direction—Write “Sin” on Wide Road
Teacher 1: Now you have to decide which way you’re going to go. According to the Bible, most people decide to stay on the wide road, just doing their own thing and living how they want. That road off to the left, the wide road, leads to what the Bible calls destruction. Let’s write the word “sin” in the spaces on that part of the road, stopping right before the last space. Teacher writes it on the race of your life poster as the kids write it on their sheets.  
12: Student Direction—Trace the Cross and Draw the Yield Sign
Teacher 2: But some people, when they realize they’re sinners and are not part of God’s family, are so thankful for what Jesus did for them that they decide they want to live for God instead of living for themselves. In other words, they want to yield their lives to God. Show the Yield sign. They realize they don’t belong to God’s family and won’t go to heaven. They need to turn from their sin, which is called repenting, believe in Jesus and what he did for them by his death and resurrection, and ask to be his child. When you do that, it’s called becoming a Christian, or becoming part of God’s family. Let’s draw a cross in the gap in the road on the right side of the Y. That reminds us Jesus paid the price and made the way for us to be in God’s family. He’s like a bridge getting us from our side to God’s side. Teacher traces the cross on the race of your life poster as the kids trace it on their sheets. Then have them add in the yield sign on top of the cross. 
13: Student Direction—Write “Sins Forgiven”
Teacher 1: If you go that way in your life, your sins will be forgiven. Let’s write “sins forgiven” stretching across those spaces that are heading up. That doesn’t mean you never sin anymore. When you do sin, you are bothered by your sin and don’t want to continue disobeying God. You can confess your sin to God and ask him to help you to obey him. Teacher writes “Sins Forgiven” on the race of your life poster as the kids write it on their sheets. 
14: Student Direction—Draw a Crown and a Dead End
Teacher 2: When we get to the end of our road through life on earth, we end up at one of two finish lines. One will be wonderful and one won’t. Mark the good one (the green one at the top of the page) as Finish Line 1. Mark the other (the yellow one near the bottom of the page) as Finish Line 2. Teacher writes it on the race of your life poster as the kids write it on their sheets. Let’s draw a crown at Finish Line 1. Show the crown and draw it on the race of your life poster as the kids draw it on their sheets. Let’s draw a Dead End Sign at Finish Line 2. Show the dead end sign and draw it on the race of your life poster as the kids draw it on their sheets. Note: make sure they realize that as long as they’re alive, they can detour from the broad path to the narrow path—but they shouldn’t put it off!
15: Teacher Talk—Which Way?
•	Our test churches found this to be a powerful time when Christian kids began to share their own testimonies.
Teacher 1: This is the decision that is before you. Choose your way or God’s way for your life. It’s the biggest decision of your life. Being in God’s family doesn’t just make your life easy. There can be many hard times and bumps in the road on either track, but if you’re on God’s road, he will be with you, forgiving you and giving you peace through the good times and the hard times of life. And you will have the promise of eternal life with him. Being a Christian means you desire to love God and follow his ways for your life, which we find in the Bible, rather than your ways.
•	It’s wise to have two people with any children interested in salvation counseling. Plan to be in a quiet spot, but one that is still in the open where others can see you.
Teacher 2: If you want to hear more about this, let’s have you go with _____ (teachers, team leaders, pastors) now and they can help answer questions you may have. The rest of us are going to race on to our next activity.
Part 2: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
o	Day 4 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group leader
Divide into groups of 4–6 racers, with a leader in each group. Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Remember: Give the Discussion Sheets to the leaders to do later if you don’t have time during class.
What do you think is the coolest thing about being a Christian while here on earth?
Read Revelation 7:9–10 again. What do you think is the coolest thing about heaven from that scene in Revelation? 
Why do you think many people choose not to follow Christ and instead go their own way?
Have you thought about this for your own life? 
Do you know anyone who needs to hear the good news of Jesus? Encourage discussion of the many people groups around the world, and also friends and neighbors, who need to hear about Jesus. Telling others about Jesus starts right where we live, but we should also be faithful to pray and care for people all around the world.
Part 3: Review Game Challenge (10–15 minutes) 
Two games follow to represent Europe. Choose which one you’d like to play and gather the supplies. Incorporate the review questions into the playing time as noted. No pre-prep is needed for Option 1, and Option 2 just needs a table set up and a few pennies gathered.
Option 1—Eiffel Tower Building
o	OPTION 1: Piece of paper and writing utensil, 1 of each per person, plus Eiffel Tower Picture
o	OPTION 2: One long table and a few pennies
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Racers try drawing it based on the model picture, earning one line to draw for every correct answer. 
Directions for Play: Pass out paper (or use the backs of the Race of Your Life sheets) and something to write with to each person. Ask the first question. On the count of three, everyone shouts out their answers. If correct, they get to draw the first section of the Eiffel Tower. (Correct answers are on the honor system. Show the Eiffel Tower Picture.) Continue in like manner. At the end of time, see whose tower is the most complete. The person that has the Eiffel Tower drawn the most wins. 
Option 2—Shove Ha’ Penny
This is a favorite game children in England play in which they see who can shove the penny closest to the end of a table.  
Pre-prep: Set up the long table.
Directions for Play: Divide into two teams—boys vs. girls. Give each team a penny. Ask a question. Each team shouts out their answer. If both teams are right, the first round of Shove Ha’ Penny occurs. If only one team is right, that team automatically gets the point. To win, have the first person from each team stand at the end of the table with his penny. When you say, “Go!” the players from both teams shove their penny with the heel of their hand down the table. The winner is the one who gets the penny closest to the edge without it falling  off.
If it falls off, you don’t get a point. Whoever is the farthest without falling off gets the point for that round. Keep track of points, and the team that has the most points at the end of the time wins.
•	Check page 18 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day. 
Questions
What are the names of our very first relatives?
Answer: Adam and Eve.
Yes or No: Are there four main races of people—Mongoloid, Caucasian, Negroid, and Australoid?
Answer: No, there is one race.
Rather than the term “different races of people,” what is a better term to use to explain the differences among humans?
Answer: People groups, or ethnic groups. There are interesting people groups (ethnic groups) all over the world. We can enjoy and celebrate our different cultures and the minor differences in how we look. But we are related and all part of the same human race. We all need to know about Jesus and what he has done for us in paying for our sins.
How many spiritual races are there? What are they?
Answer: Two—those who are part of God’s family and those who aren’t.
Why did Jesus come and die on the cross?
Answer: To take the punishment we deserve for our sin.
Yes or No: Are there many roads (ways) that lead to heaven?
Answer: No—there is only one way to heaven, which is through repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus alone for eternal life.
If a person wants to be part of God’s family, what must they do?
Answer: Stop and admit you need God, believe Jesus is the only way, and yield your life to him.
What does a person gain if he chooses God’s way?
Answer: Peace with God now and eternal life with God in the future.
What is the scene in heaven that God shows us in Revelation?
Answer: There are people in heaven from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Awesome!
Recite today’s memory verse.
Answer: The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14
Apply It!
o	Optional: Gospel Bookmarks, 1 per child
o	Day 4 Sudent Guides, 1 per child
o	Passports, 1 per child
o	Stamp for Passports
o	Memory Verse Music CD and player
o	Day 4 Memory Verse Poster
o	Leaning Tower of Pennies supplies—pennies in groups of 14, 1 set per person or group
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. 
Put a stamp in the passports (or team leaders can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS), and/or review the student guides. Give them the gospel bookmarks if doing so, one per child.
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
Pre-prep: Gather the Challenge supplies and hang the day 4 memory verse poster. Cue the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: “The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14 
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 4 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Leaning Tower of Pennies—Gather 14 pennies (one for each word of the verse, plus one for the reference) and begin stacking them as you say a word of the verse with each penny. The catch is the pennies can’t be in a totally straight tower, but must lean a little like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is found in Italy (in Europe). Try to get through the whole verse before the Leaning Tower of Pennies topples over. 
Tomorrow’s Verse: “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Read John 3:16–17 and Psalm 96:3. What do these verses say?
Pray and thank God for sending his Son, Jesus. Thank him for loving you, and for loving people groups all over this globe! With an adult, take a prayer walk around your neighborhood and pray for those who may not know Jesus. 
Write a note to someone who has taught you about Jesus and thank them for doing so.
Ask an adult if he is a child of God, and if so, how he became one.
Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Have I admitted to God that I’m a sinner, believed in Jesus Christ, and received him as my Savior?
Just For Fun: Bulgarian Song
“Bog a Dobar” song and player
Today’s song is “Bog a Dobar” in Bulgarian, a European language. This is sung to the tune of “God is so Good.” Check it out on the Digital Resources and teach it to your kids.
Bog a dobar (God is so good.)
Bog a dobar (God is so good.)
Bog a dobar (God is so good.)
Tai dobar kam man (He’s so good to me.)
Day 5
Green Light—GO
Why Babel Matters Today
Continent
North America
Bible passage
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25–37
Animal Pal
Racer the Roadrunner
Lesson Focus
On the final leg, we learn that because God loves all people groups, we also ought to treat others with love and respect, not prejudice and judgment.
Apologetics Focus
We’ll talk about the importance of Christians loving others and fighting prejudice and racism.
Mile Marker Memory Verse
“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 5 Refuel Challenge
Option 1—Seeing Red
Option 2—Love in Different Languages
Teach It! 
Part 1: The Good Samaritan
Part 2: Treasure Hunt
Part 3: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—North America, South America
Option 2—Piñata
Option 3—Speed Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verse
Part 2: Go and Do
Just for Fun: Haitian Creole/French Song—“Bon Dieu Si Bon” (“God is so Good”)
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Luke 10:25–37 a couple times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the purple pre-prep boxes.
For more information on a Christian response to prejudice and racism, visit answersvbs.com/irfaq.
Pray. 
Introduce It!
o	Bible or children’s Bible
o	Costumes for teachers
o	Mounting putty or tape
o	World Map 
o	OPTION 1: Timer
o	OPTION 2: Love in Languages Hearts, red copy paper, and a pair of scissors
o	Day 5 Bible Clue 
Day 5 Refuel Challenge (5 minutes)
Pre-prep: Choose an option below and prepare the materials as directed. No pre-prep is needed for Option 1. Option 2 needs the Love in Languages Hearts printed on red paper and cut out, including cutting each heart along the middle line. Get the bible clue ready.
Teacher 1: Yow! That means “hey” if you’re in Jamaica, a country in North America. Show the world map. In fact, there are 23 countries in North America, including all of Central America, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Greenland, and the island nations in the Atlantic Ocean. And the people in North America need to know about God’s love, just like the rest of the world! God cares about every one of us!
Teacher 2: Let’s try our North America Refuel Challenge to get our Bible clue today!
Option 1—Seeing Red
In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, but it’s not just for couples—it’s for everyone. People buy red balloons and release them into the sky. They give gifts to people, write poems, and do many other expressions of kindness and love. In honor of love, team members should see if they can find at least 10 different things around the room that are red in 30 seconds or less. If they successfully do so, you may hand them the Bible clue.
Option 2—Love in Different Languages
Scatter the assorted heart pieces on a table or on the floor and have the racers work together to try to match each language with its word. Answers include “love” in French, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Inuit, Danish, English, and Cherokee. Once they match at least three of them in under one minute, you may hand them the Bible clue.
Bible Clue
Teacher 1: To complete your challenge and earn a spot on your score card, you must correctly answer this Bible question: 
Question: Love is universal. It’s not only found in North America, but also all over the world. But where did love first come from?  
Answer: God is love. Love comes from God. The Bible says in 1 John 4:19 that we love because God first loved us.    
Teacher 2: If they got it right, remind the team leaders to circle a country on their score card. Since God is love, and God shows his love to us in so many ways, including sending his Son to save us, wouldn’t it make sense for us to pass on God’s love to others no matter what they look like or what language they speak? Let’s check out an example from the Bible showing this.
Teach It!
o	Name Tags
o	Hole punch
o	Yarn or string
o	Pair of scissors
o	Good Samaritan Poster
Part 1: The Good Samaritan (15 minutes)
Pre-prep: Prepare the name tags by punching two holes in the top corners and stringing yarn through them, then tie them together so the loop will fit over a child’s head. 
Teacher 1: I’m going to first read one of Jesus’ many examples of love found in the New Testament book of Luke. Make sure you listen carefully, because you will be acting this out when I’m done. This example is about a person who was kind even though he wasn’t accepted by others. You may have been in a situation when you weren’t accepted or were even bullied. Or maybe you’ve seen a situation when someone wasn’t accepted based on how they looked, or because they had a disability, or because they weren’t athletic. Well, let’s look at this situation that happened during the time Jesus was on earth, about 2,000 years ago. 
Read or paraphrase the Luke 10:25–37 account.
Teacher 2: Now it’s time to act it out! We’ll need the following volunteers: a man who gets robbed, some robbers (the number can vary, depending on how many kids you want to involve), a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan, a donkey (can be two people), and an innkeeper. Choose them.
•	If you want everyone to be involved, have the “studio audience” be ready to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down after each scene to show whether they think it was a good or bad action of the robbers, the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. No booing allowed.
Teacher 1: I’ll act as the narrator and read the account, including Jesus’ words. _____ (Teacher 2) is going to be the lawyer who was an expert in the law. The rest of you who have parts, when you hear what it says to do, go ahead and do it.
Teacher 2: Before we start, let’s have our priest come up here. Take a bow. Do so, and give him his name tag. Do you know what a priest did back in the day? Take responses. He was a Jewish man who was in full-time ministry for God, kind of like a pastor today. He would have known the Law, the five books of the Bible Moses wrote, so he would have known God wants us to care for and love others.
Teacher 1: Now let’s have our Levite come up. Take a bow. Do so, and give him his name tag. Do you know what the Levites did back in the day? Take responses. Levites were also people who worked in full-time ministry for God. They cared for the temple of God, which is kind of like our church, and they would also have known God’s laws well.
Teacher 2: And let’s have one more come up—the Samaritan. Take a bow. Do so, and give him his name tag. A Samaritan was somebody who was not liked or thought well of by God’s people, the Jews. In fact, Jewish people thought they were better than Samaritans and wouldn’t talk to them or associate with them because they considered the Samaritans to be less important than themselves. 
Begin reading Luke 10:25–29, having Teacher 2 read the words of the lawyer and Teacher 1 read everything else. Then, as you continue to read verses 30–37, give the volunteers instructions if needed as they act out what you’re reading. Hold up the Good Samaritan poster as you get to the part about him. 
The comments below can be interjected by Teacher 1 at the appropriate times as you’re reading.
The lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” This is a key question in this passage. The word “neighbor” means “someone who is near” or “someone you know.” This limits it to only certain people, but Jesus shows in this account that we are to love not just those we know, but everyone. 
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was known for being very dangerous. It had lots of twists and turns and was a favorite place for bad guys to hide out.
The first person who comes along after the robbery was the priest. This would sort of be like a pastor coming along. Is this good that a pastor didn’t show love and kindness?
The next person to come along was the Levite. Remember, he too was in full-time ministry. He too should have shown love, but didn’t.
The last person to come along was the Samaritan. Samaritans were not thought well of by priests and Levites. They were looked down upon because they were partly from Jewish heritage, but not fully Jewish. They also had some different religious ideas. Those who were born fully Jewish thought they were better than the part-Jewish Samaritans.
The Samaritan may not have known God’s laws like the priest or Levite did, so the Samaritan would have been the least likely to realize he should show love—but he’s the one who did! He saw somebody who needed help, and he did the right thing—he helped him.
The Samaritan went over and above the call of duty. He cared for the man’s wounds, put him on a donkey, and took him to an inn (like a hotel). He paid the innkeeper with his own money and asked the innkeeper to care for the man. He even promised to come back and repay the innkeeper for whatever it cost to care for the hurt man.  
Teacher 1: So what is one way we can live out this story Jesus told? Take responses, and based on what they say, say something like the following.
Teacher 2: God loves us and wants us to love others, not just in words, but in deeds. During our day, if we see somebody needing help, we’re supposed to help them, no matter what they look like or where they live or what language they speak.
Teacher 1: The priest and the Levite didn’t want to become unclean and weren’t willing to help the man who had been robbed. Many times the Bible records actions of these supposed “religious” people that weren’t loving at all. This is because they weren’t truly part of God’s family. In fact, the Jewish people often acted with prejudice toward others, including Samaritans. Prejudice means we think we’re better than someone else. Maybe we think we’re richer than someone, or smarter, or have what we think is a better job, or more talent. Maybe we think our schooling is better than others. Maybe we have a different shade of skin and think people with that shade are better somehow than people with a different skin shade. There are many reasons people are prejudiced (think they’re better than others), but God shows us that prejudice is sin. Read Philippians 2:3–4. God is kind and loving and wants us to be kind and loving. Prejudice is not kind or loving. Prejudice can also lead to wrong actions toward others, like slavery, for instance. 
Teacher 2: Prejudice is a sin that causes us to favor people who look and sound like we do and look down on those who don’t. The priests and Levites often looked down on tax collectors, Samaritans, and other people who looked or acted different than they did. And you know what? We still often act like this today. We’re programmed to look at people and make judgments about them just based on what we see or hear about them. We get caught up in judging people by their looks. God tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart. God wants us to show love, kindness, and respect to all people, regardless of what religion they follow, what shade of skin they have, how rich or poor they are, how young or old they are, what country they live in, or if they have a disability. They’re our relatives, after all, each made in the image of God. And when we say something against someone else, it’s as if we’re saying it against their Creator God. Read James 3:8–10. 
Teacher 1: In contrast to the way the priests and the Levites acted, we see over and over in the Bible how Jesus interacted with people of different cultures and backgrounds. He loved them, cared for them, listened to them, and acted to help them.  
Teacher 2: Jesus is our perfect, good example of how we’re supposed to treat others. And, as we show kindness, we need to be sure to share that the greatest need anyone has is their need for Jesus and his salvation. Can anyone think of an example of unkindness or prejudice? Take responses and discuss. You may want to share an age-appropriate personal example of a time you experienced prejudice or saw someone being treated poorly just because of their skin shade or how they looked or acted. God helps us to grow in love and kindness. After we receive Christ as our Savior, we should want to spend time in his Word, praying and continually asking him to help us to become more like Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Also, loving others doesn’t mean we necessarily agree with or go along with every choice they make, such as worshipping a false god, or clearly violating God’s commands laid out in Scripture. For instance, God says Jesus is the way to heaven. We can’t agree that all religions can lead us to heaven. We must always look to God’s Word to know his standards for right and wrong on issues, and at the same time, treat others with respect and kindness even as we disagree with them. 
Teacher 1: Besides showing others kindness and love, this lesson teaches us something else. We learn that none of us can perfectly keep all of God’s commands, even though we may try. The lawyer knew he couldn’t by the way he replied. The “religious” people couldn’t, even though they knew about Jesus. All of us need Jesus to save us, to forgive us when we fail, and to help us live with love and kindness toward others.
•	Gospel Opportunity
You may want to share the gospel here. We are sinners—we can’t work our way to heaven by being good. We can’t save ourselves. We must admit our sin, believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment for sin on our behalf, and yield our lives to him. Then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can grow to love others as God does. Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives—it’s not something we can generate in our own sinful hearts. 
Part 2: Treasure Hunt (10 minutes)
o	Hidden Hearts
o	Day 5 Animal Pal Poster
o	Pair of scissors
o	Timer
o	Optional: Heart-shaped candies, 1 per child
Pre-prep: Gather the supplies. Cut out the Hidden hearts and hide them around the room. Or, if you need a faster option, just throw a pile of them out to the kids as they are sitting there, and tell them to each get one. Explain that you will choose children who get back to their seats and sit quietly to come up and read their hearts.
Teacher 1: Now we’re going to go on a treasure hunt to find some other verses about how God wants us to treat each other. The Bible is filled with verses about this because it’s a big deal. Let’s check out just a few. 
Directions: Give the racers 2–3 minutes, and have them race to find as many of the Hidden Hearts as they can. When you come back together, have a few people read the hearts with verses and discuss. Or, rather than hunt for them, try the idea mentioned above in the pre-prep.
•	One test church taped the hearts to the heart-shaped candies.
You may want to give each person a heart-shaped candy. (Check for allergies.) If time, have them break into small groups and give them a couple minutes to brainstorm practical ways to show kindness and love to others. Challenge them to think of at least three ideas. Then come back together and have them report on it. 
Wrap up by showing the Day 5 Animal Pal poster with Racer, and remind them that God wants us to be on the lookout for ways to “race” around to share about God’s love through Jesus and to help people. 
Note: Remember to rehide the hearts before the next group needs them. 
Part 3: Review Game Challenge (10–15 minutes)
Two traditional games follow that are played by children in North America. Choose which one you’d like to play for the end of the week review, and incorporate the questions into the playing time as noted. Option 1 requires no supplies or pre-prep. Option 2 supplies and pre-prep are listed below.
Option 1—North America, South America
In this adapted game (not the typical version), racers will go to either one side of the room for “yes” answers (which will be “North America”), or the other for “no” answers (which will be “South America”). 
To play: Ask a question. Have the racers go to either North America or South America, depending on what they think the answer is. Tell them if they’re right.
Option 2—Piñata
o	OPTION 2: Piñatas (1 per rotation—see pre-prep for more info), broom handle, something to attach piñata to broom handle, items to put in the piñatas (candy or stickers), "stick"—yardstick, smaller dowel rod, or pool noodle 
This is a favorite game associated with Mexico in which kids try to hit and break open a piñata with candy, stickers, or small toys inside. In our version, it will be a teacher demo, unless you have a very large space in which to safely have the kids try to break it open. 
Pre-prep: Make and fill three simple piñatas—one for each rotation. Use a large brown grocery bag stuffed with newspaper. Put stickers or candy (nothing with nuts) in with the stuffed newspaper. Use duct tape or packing tape to close off the end. Attach to the broom handle. You may want to pre-cut the piñata so it will split open when the teacher whacks it.
To play: In this game, the racers have to get at least 10 questions correct before the teacher can hit the piñata. Roll through the questions quickly and keep track of how many are right. They work as a whole group to answer. Once 10 questions are answered correctly, the teacher hits the piñata while the other teacher holds the broom handle. Make sure the kids are far away and completely out of range of the stick. 
•	Check page 18 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day. 
Questions
Yes or No: Is this verse quoted correctly? If God so loved us, we also ought to love other Christians.
Answer: No, that’s not exactly what the verse says (even though it’s true that we should love other Christians). The verse says: If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Yes or No: Loving our neighbor means to love just the people who live by us.
Answer: No. Jesus means everyone, regardless of skin shade, country, religion, etc.
True or False: In Jesus’ day, many Jews thought they were better than Samaritans because they were fully Jewish.
Answer: True.
True or False: If a person is prejudiced, he thinks he’s better than another person for some reason. 
Answer: True.
Yes or No: Does God approve of prejudice?
Answer: No.
Yes or No: We should treat others with God’s love and kindness.
Answer: Yes.
True or False: There are four main “races” on earth—Mongoloid, Caucasian, Negroid, and Australoid. 
Answer: False. We are all one race—the human race.
True or False: Our very first relatives were Adam and Eve.
Answer: True.
Yes or No: You are related to the person you’re sitting next to.
Answer: Yes. 
True or False: There is only one spiritual race.
Answer: False. There are two—those who belong to God’s family and those who don’t.
True or False: After moving from Babel, people lived in caves, but they weren’t unintelligent “cave people.”
Answer: True. People did live temporarily in caves as they traveled away from the tower of Babel, but they were very smart, were made in God’s image, and were part of our family—the family of Adam and Eve.
True or False: There was only one language spoken while the people built the tower of Babel.
Answer: True.
True or False: God confused the language of the people during the time of the flood.  
Answer: False. God confused the language during the tower of Babel event.
Yes or No: One way people could have traveled to other places as they left the tower of Babel was by boat.  
Answer: Yes. Boats, walking, and riding animals like Jamal the camel could all have been ways of getting to other countries.
True or False: The tower of Babel event happened about 1,000 years after the flood.
Answer: False. It was about 100 years after the flood.
True or False: We have different colors of skin.
Answer: False. We all have the same skin-coloring pigment—brown. We produce different amounts of melanin which results in different shades of brown in our skin.
True or False: God made the genes in your body combine to make each of you uniquely and specially who you are. 
Answer: True. We should appreciate and celebrate our differences, loving each other and treating others with respect, while realizing we are all still people, loved by God.
True or False: The first sin on earth happened when Cain killed his brother Abel.
Answer: False. It happened in the garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve.
True or False: People began sinning almost at the beginning of time, and that has continued with every person sinning ever since.
•	Gospel Opportunity
Answer: True. The Bible says all have sinned. The only way to be cleansed of that sin is to admit you sin (repent) and ask Jesus to forgive you, to believe he came and died on the cross to take the punishment for your sin, and to know he rose again, showing he is God’s perfect Son who won the victory over sin and death. 
You may want to explain the gospel here in more detail, or share your own testimony.
Yes or No: The scene in heaven shown in the book of Revelation shows us there will be people of every nation, tribe, people group, and language there.
Answer: Yes! Hallelujah! 
Apply It!
o	Day 5 Student Guides, 1 per child
o	Passports, 1 per child
o	Stamp for Passports
o	Optional: Revelation 7:9 Bookmarks and Exploring God’s Word Bible studies, 1 of each per child
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. 
Put a stamp in the passports (or team leaders can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS), and/or review the student guides. Pass out the Revelation 7:9 bookmarks and Exploring God’s Word Bible studies if doing so.
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verse
o	Memory Verse Music CD and player
o	Day 5 Memory Verse Poster
o	Draw It! supplies—paper and markers
Pre-prep: Gather the Challenge supplies and hang the day 5 memory verse poster. Cue the memory verse song.
Today’s Verse: “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Day 5 Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Draw It!—Draw the verse in a way that will help you remember it!
Part 2: Go and Do
How many verses in the Bible can you find that have the phrase “Love one another”? With an adult, do a search online for “Bible verses that say ‘love one another.’” How important is it to God that we love one another? 
If you are a child of God, talk to God and ask him to help you love and respect others, and to treat all people with kindness. 
Think of an act of kindness you can do for someone today and do it in the name of Jesus! If you made Kindness Cards during craft time, use those for ideas.
Brainstorm with your parent or guardian ways you can show love, respect, and kindness to others who may be of a different people group than you as you share about Jesus.  
Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Am I going to show respect and kindness to all people? 
Just For Fun: Haitian Creole/French Song
o	“Bon Dieu Si Bon” song and player
Today’s song is “Bon Dieu Si Bon” (“God is so Good”) in Haitian Creole/French, two North American languages. Check it out on the Digital Resources and teach it to your kids!
Bon dieu si bon (God is so good.) 3x
Li si bon pou mwe (He’s so good to me.)
Li Seigneur mwe (He is my Lord.) 3x
Li si bon pou mwe (He’s so good to me.)
Vini encore (Coming again.) 3x
Li si bon pou mwe (He’s so good to me.)