Day 1
Ready, Set, Go
Before Babel
Continent
South America
Bible passages
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 Pictures
Option 2—South American Fruit Samples
Teach it!
Part 1: Racing Through Genesis 1–11
Part 2: Puppet Pal—Obey Is the Way
Part 3: Small Group Time
Part 4: 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 mentioned 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, 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.) Hang up the world map. Get the bible clue ready by printing it, 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 ask a student to point to it, and turn the set panel to show the South America images if it didn’t start out 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 easy to complete the Option 1 or 2 challenges. It's designed that way so teams will earn the bible clue.)
•	Use fun names like Danny Dash, Airplane Annie, Top Speed Thompson, or Racing Ryan.  
•	The Bible and mounting putty or tape are mentioned just once a day but will be used throughout each day. 
•	Use your Bible often during the lessons, reading the verses and passages from there.   
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 test church kids really enjoyed 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).

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 country on their score card, which they should have. Any country is fine. Great job, racers! You’re right! The first book of the Bible, Genesis, records an amazing account involving fruit and the first two people, named Adam and Eve. Let’s check it out!
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 verses or passages in the Bible you will be using. Do this every day. 
Teacher 1: To start racing through Genesis, we’re going to check out what was first 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 2 holds up the creation cue cards at the right time, and Teacher 1 shares the info. 
•	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 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, one of each 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 this 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 while you’re talking.
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 in 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 pictures on the sin cycle poster as a reference for them to use.
Sin Cycle 3—The Flood (Genesis 6:5, 11–14)
Teacher 1: In the next chapter of the Bible, more time goes by—about 1,600 years or so after the beginning of time. 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, because of the great force of all the water bursting out from deep in 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. 
Teacher 2: Okay, let's move on to our next example. It takes place about 100 years 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 check in with our puppet pal, Speedy!
While they are putting away their Sin Cycles and Teacher 1 is collecting their writing implements, Teacher 2 can get behind the puppet stage.
Part 2: Puppet Pal—Obey Is the Way (5 minutes)
o	Puppet (girl or boy) in costume
o	Clipboard
o	Day 1 Puppet Script (2 copies) 
o	A piece of candy or a play food cookie, and tape
Pre-prep: Check Decorating Decisions for details about how to make the puppet stage. Tape one Puppet script inside the puppet stage, and place the other on the clipboard. Dress the puppet in a mini VBS T-shirt, a khaki vest, or travel clothes. Mini bandanas made from thematic fabric each day can be a fun addition. (Check YouTube.com/AnswersVBS to see a rain forest print for Day 1, a desert or camel print for Day 2, an African animal print or African patterned fabric for Day 3, a European print for Day 4, and a North American print for Day 5). Attach the candy or cookie to the palm of the puppet's hand.
Each day, the puppet pal will be used to teach or reinforce the lesson. It's always a favorite, so include it even if you have to cut something else. 
If you don’t have a teaching assistant or co-teacher, enlist someone (a team leader or other volunteer) ahead of time to work the puppet each day. If you’re alone, have the puppet come up from behind a suitcase with the lid flipped up, or just stand and work the puppet. 
You can use either a boy or a girl puppet. Use a consistent voice for the puppet all week. Speak clearly and exaggerate words and expressions. For instance, draw out certain words for emphasis, or make an exaggerated action for things like groaning, turning its head, or sneezing. Use your free hand to do things with the puppet’s hands or arms. For example, if the puppet is “thinking,” put the puppet’s hand on its chin. When the puppet is talking, make sure the mouth is open. (This is the opposite of what people often do!) In other words, the mouth should be open on most syllables. You don’t have to open very wide, which will help you move the mouth faster and more naturally. 
One teacher should be in front of the puppet stage, and one behind it, working the puppet. When the puppet comes up, hold your arm back and down and have the puppet take three steps up, getting higher each time, until the puppet is out and visible. When exiting, turn the puppet toward you and take three steps down until out of sight.
Teacher: Boys and girls, let’s see if we can get our puppet pal, Speedy, to come out. On the count of 3, let’s all call to him (her). Ready? 1, 2, 3—Speedy!
Puppet: Come up wearing or holding something you shouldn't have, like a piece of candy or a cookie. Hey, everybody! Watcha doing? 
Teacher: Well, the question should really be, what are you doing? How did you get that?
Puppet: Well, I . . . uhhh . . . mmmm . . . 
Teacher: Hmmm, Speedy, have you been doing something your mom told you not to do?
Puppet: Ummm . . . why do you say that?
Teacher: Because I heard your mom say not to do that, but here you are with it.
Puppet: No! I didn't do anything wrong. 
Teacher: Speedy, don't make it worse by lying. Tell the truth. God is truth and he wants us to tell the truth.  
Puppet: Hang your head and look sheepish. Okay, I admit it. I did take it.
Teacher: Do you know what that's called when you disobey your parents?
Puppet: What?
Teacher: Sin. Sin is when we don't obey God. I was just talking to the kids about sin. In fact, our verse today is about sin. Let's say it together, everyone!  Recite Romans 3:23.
Puppet: Well, I obey God! I just wasn't obeying my mom.
Teacher: You know, God says in the Bible that children are to obey their parents. So if you obey your parents, you're obeying God.
Puppet: Wow, I guess I blew it.
•	Gospel Opportunity
Teacher: Yeah, you sinned. We all do. That's the bad news. But the good news is God sent Jesus, his Son, to take the punishment for your sin. The punishment for our sin is death. Anyone who admits he sinned and believes Jesus came and died and came back to life to take the punishment for his sin can ask God to forgive him, and to make him a child of God. 
Puppet: Wow, that's better than good news—that's great news!
Teacher: It sure is! Boys and girls, if you want to hear more about this, make sure you talk to _____ this week at VBS! In the meantime, Speedy, you need to let your mom know what you did and tell her you're sorry. 
Puppet: Okay. I want to obey God, so I'm going to tell my mom the truth.
Teacher: Good move, Speedy. You do that, and we'll see you tomorrow!
Part 3: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
o	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.
1.	Have you ever been in a race? Take responses. Have you ever been to a different country? Take responses.
2.	Have you ever disobeyed a command from God, like lying or disobeying your mom or dad? Take responses. 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 don’t obey God’s commands? 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
3.	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 for you to hear more about it this week! (Leaders, you may want to share the gospel here.)
Part 4: Review Game Challenge (5–10 minutes)
Games are a big hit with this age group! They’re also a great way to cement in what you've taught. The test church kids enjoyed all of them.
Pre-prep: Choose an option below, both of which 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. 
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)
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 kind 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 hit 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 it with sand) or a Christmas tree base. Draw or make a circle about 5 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 swap out the questions for whatever day you're doing.
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
1.	Was the original world God created good or full of sin?
Answer: Good.
•	If playing with young primaries, you may want to make these questions Yes or No answers or multiple choice.
2.	Who were the first people to sin?
Answer: Adam and Eve.
3.	What is sin?
Answer: Not obeying God (or something to this effect).
4.	Who were Adam and Eve’s first two children?
Answer: Cain and Abel.
5.	What did Cain do when he got angry?
Answer: He killed his brother.
6.	Why did God send the flood?
Answer: All the people were sinning continually. Wickedness had filled the earth.
7.	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.
8.	How many years (approximately) went by between the flood and the tower of Babel? 10 or 100?
Answer: About 100.
9.	People have sinned since just about at the beginning of time. Yes or No: Do we sin now, and if so, what’s an example of a sin?
Answer: Yes, we sin now. Answers will vary as to an example: lying, stealing, disobeying parents, being unkind.
10.	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 them all, but know that these ideas are also on the back of the student guides. Send the student guides home each day as a fun review, and also to encourage the racers to do the practical ideas (the Go and Dos) 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, tape, 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 get to them. 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 
Note: You may want to learn a word or two of 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.
•	If short on time, practice saying the verse a few times together, making up motions.
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
•	Have someone help you look up John 14:15. If you love God, should you want to obey him out of love?
•	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 don’t go to bed without fussing. If you are a child of God, you can ask God to give you the strength to obey cheerfully and right away.
•	Ask your parent or guardian if they can remember ever disobeying their parents or teachers when they were 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 passages
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
Option 1—Puppet Pal
Option 2—Tower Talk
Part 2: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Chopsticks Challenge
Option 2—Janken (AKA Rock, Paper, Scissors)
Option 3—Speed Round
Part 3:  Small Group Time
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 mentioned 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 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 groups 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. There are currently 48 countries in Asia with over four billion people! Check this stat the year you're doing this VBS to be sure it's still accurate. That's the most people of any continent! And you know what? Every one of them needs to know 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). 
You may instead want to give the kids a bunch of cups (rather than just 10) and a time limit (one or two minutes) and see how many each group gets stacked in that amount of time.
Option 2—Language Challenge
Give each child a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Have each child write the word “hello” in Japanese (pronounced “kohn-nee-chee-wah”) using the “Hello” in Japanese Chart as a reference. 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 for Option 1
Teacher 1: Now, to complete your challenge and earn a spot 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 somewhere in Asia—perhaps in Iraq.
Teacher 2: Great job, racers! Leaders, circle a country on your race chart and let’s move on to hear more about the tower of Babel.  
Bible Clue for Option 2
Teacher 1: Now, to complete your challenge and earn a spot 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 Iraq.
Teacher 2: Great job, racers! Leaders, circle a country on your race chart and let’s move on to hear more about the tower of Babel. 

Teach It!
Part 1: Babel Rabble (5–15 minutes)
o	Puppet, clipboard, and Bible
o	Day 2 Puppet Script (2 copies)
o	Ziggurat Poster
o	Towers Around the World Poster
Option 1—Puppet Pal
This is the shorter of the two options (it takes about five minutes) and requires just the puppet supplies. The kids at the test churches got a big kick out of this script.
Pre-prep: Photocopy the Puppet Script  and tape one inside the puppet stage. Place the other on the clipboard.
Teacher: Let's all say, “Hey, Speedy! Are you there?” Do so.
Puppet: Come up. Hola! Bonjour! Shalom!
Teacher: Speedy, what in the world are you babbling about?
Puppet: Oh hi there. I'm just saying “hello” in other languages.
Teacher: Oh, cool, because that's what we're talking about today.
Puppet: That's fun!
Teacher: Yep. You see, from the Bible, we learn that about 4,000 years ago, something amazing—and confusing—happened.
Puppet: I know . . . meatballs started falling from the sky.
Teacher: Meatballs? From the sky?
Puppet: Okay, never mind. Um, how about . . . everybody started walking upside-down?
Teacher: That would be amazing and confusing, but no. Let me share from the Bible what happened. 
Puppet: I am all ears!
Teacher: Did you know there was a time on earth when all the people spoke the same language? 
Puppet: No way! 
Teacher: Yes way! And not only that, but they also lived in the same place, too. The trouble was that since they all spoke the same language and lived in the same place, they started thinking up bad ideas.
Puppet: Like peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches? Now that's what I call a bad idea!
Teacher: No, not peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches.
Puppet: Oh, you mean bad ideas like that sin stuff you were talking about yesterday?
Teacher: Yep, like that, when we don't obey God.
Puppet: Well, what did they think up?
Teacher: To build a city and a really tall tower that would reach way up into the sky.
Puppet: What's so bad about that? I love to go up high.
Teacher: It isn't necessarily wrong to build a tall tower. There are lots of them in the world. But the reason it was wrong for them is because God told them they were not supposed to all live in the same place like that, but were supposed to spread out all over the world.
Puppet: And they didn't obey God and went ahead and stayed together, building the tower and the city?

Teacher: Yes, they sinned. The Bible tells us a reason they built the tower was they wanted to make a name for themselves.
Puppet: You mean they didn't already have names? 
Teacher: No, Speedy, they had names. What I mean is, they wanted to become famous and make all their own decisions, rather than listen to God and do what he said. And they sinned in another way, too.
Puppet: Oh, no! What else?
Teacher: Well, as we talked about, God told them to have families and spread out all over the earth. The whole earth. But they didn't want to. They wanted to stay all together, so they started building that city and tower. Show the  ziggurat poster. The tower probably was in a shape like this, which is called a step pyramid, or a ziggurat. Let's say the word ziggurat together. Do so. The word ziggurat means “height, to be high,” so we know this would have been a tall tower. The height wasn’t the problem, though. It was the fact that they weren't supposed to be there building it. 
Puppet: Wow, that's bad! When God tells you to do something, you should do it, right?
Teacher: Right! God loves you and tells you how to obey him right here, in the Bible. Point to the Bible. He knows what's best for you to do because he loves you so much! So it's never a good idea to ignore what the Bible says and do your own thing.
Puppet: When I don't obey my parents, I get in trouble.
Teacher: Guess what? So did they! They got in trouble, and God changed the way they talked so they couldn't understand each other anymore.
Puppet: Keesha-boo-dum-dee-dum-fee-fo-fum!
Teacher: What?
Puppet: Keesha-boo-dum-dee-dum-fee-fo-fum!
Teacher: I don't understand a word you're saying.
Puppet: I was just wondering what it would be like if all of a sudden I spoke a different language.
Teacher: Oh, Speedy, you're so silly! But that's probably what it seemed like to them. Can you imagine talking to someone one minute and then the next minute you can't understand them?
Puppet: Crazy! So that's why we have French and German and Spanish and Russian and Chinese and Greek and . . . 
Teacher: (interrupting) Yes, Speedy, all the different languages today have come from the language families that started at the tower of Babel. But you know what's really interesting?
Puppet: Sharks. I think sharks are really interesting.
Teacher: That may be true, but what I think is really interesting is that even though people all over the world speak different languages and live in different places, we're still all related to each other. We're one big family! 
Puppet: Ha, ha, ha. You're trying to be funny.
Teacher: No, it's true. We may look a little different or speak a different language, but according to the Bible, we all came from Adam and Eve. They're our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great—
Puppet: Okay, okay, I get the idea.
Teacher: . . . grandparents! Whew! So you see, Speedy, we're just one great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great—
Puppet: Not this again!
Teacher: . . . great big family!
Puppet: So let me get this straight. I'm related to all the people in China?
Teacher: Yep! All 1.4 billion of them. This stat may change by the time you do this VBS.
Puppet: How about the people in India?
Teacher: Yes, India, too!
Puppet: Wow, this is amazing. How about . . . uhhh . . . people living at the top of the world?
Teacher: Well, if there's anyone living there, then yes, you're related to them. So you see, from the Bible we learn where all the different languages came from and why people live in all the different places around the world. It's because of what God did way, way back at the tower of Babel. In fact, we even find evidence around the world that the people from the tower of Babel spread out all over the globe, taking that knowledge with them about that tower. We see similar towers on every continent except Antarctica. Look at some of these! Show the Towers Around the World poster and comment on where they are all located, and how the Bible always helps us make sense of the world around us. Always start with the Bible!
•	Several test church teachers added some of the info from Option 2—Tower Talk into or after the puppet pal.
Puppet: Wow, I sure learned a lot today! I can't wait to go home and tell my family and friends! Adios!
Teacher: Adios, Speedy. Let's say, “Adios!” (which means goodbye in Spanish) to Speedy. Do so. 
Option 2—Tower Talk
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
This option takes longer (approximately 15 minutes) and requires some supplies, but is a hands-on activity that has more in-depth teaching woven in.
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 during class. You don't have to count the exact numbers of “people” and “bricks.” Figure out about how many fit into a teaspoon or an 1/8 cup, and then put a scoop into each bag.
Either have each person work alone or divide into small groups of 2–3 and hand out the supplies. If preferred, 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® or DUPLO® people and play bricks). If doing this, have the kids gather around the poster board. 
•	This option 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. Don't touch them yet.
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: Since we’re talking about the whole earth, let’s 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 midway 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 over on the east side to show were they started. 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. 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 weren't obeying God. How do we know nowadays 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: 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 drawing 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 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 country we call Iraq today. 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 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. Does it seem like God was 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 it says in verse 7. 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: Let’s write the word “goodbye” in 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 talk to each other at the tower of Babel. I’m going to say something in another language, and I'd like you to answer me back in that language. 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 the people 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 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 showing 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 pack up those supplies and check out this game that’s a favorite with kids in Asia!
Part 2: Review Game Challenge (10–15 minutes)
o	OPTION 1: Rope or tape for start and finish lines, chopsticks (1 pair per team), a bunch of cotton balls per team, and Styrofoam™ bowls (1 per team)
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. For Option 1, gather the materials and make a start and finish line. No materials or pre-prep are needed for Option 2.
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 fewer racers. Give each team their supplies and have them put the cotton balls on the floor at the start line and the bowl at the finish line. 
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)
No supplies or pre-prep are needed for this popular game 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 is correct 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. 
Note: Check p. 19 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day.
•	Teams can write their answers on dry erase boards.
Questions
1.	How many different languages were there before the tower of Babel event? 1, 100, or 1,000? 
Answer: 1.
2.	What was the name of the place where the people lived: Egypt or Shinar?
Answer: Shinar.
3.	Approximately how many years after the flood did the tower of Babel happen: 100 or 1,000?
Answer: 100.
4.	What else were the people building besides a tower: a fort or a city?
Answer: A city.
5.	Why was it wrong for the people to build the tower?
Answer: God told them to spread out all over the earth, and they clustered there together instead.
6.	Approximately where in the world was the tower of Babel: South America or Asia?
Answer: We don’t know for sure, but it was somewhere in Asia (in the Middle East)—possibly in the country we today call Iraq.
7.	What shape was the tower of Babel, most likely: a cube or a step pyramid (ziggurat)?
Answer: A step pyramid, or ziggurat.
8.	How did God stop the building of the tower?
Answer: He confused their language, causing them to move all over the earth.
9.	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.
10.	What’s the truth about men who lived in caves: were they smart or not smart?
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.
Part 3: 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.
1.	Does anybody have a Little Tikes® workshop in their house? Have you ever built any interesting LEGO® creations or done any carpentry work? Do you enjoy building/creating things?
2.	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?
3.	How do we know what God wants us to do? Where do we go to find God’s commands to us nowadays? Does God ever change?
•	Gospel Opportunity
4.	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.
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. Remember to send home the student guides and challenge the racers to complete them! 
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 2 Memory Verse Poster
o	Tall Tower supplies—31 or more blocks (Jenga® blocks, wooden blocks, cardboard "bricks," or something similar)
Pre-prep: Gather the Challenge supplies and hang the Day 2 Memory Verse Poster. Cue 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 on top of the first 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. 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 living 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 heart for people who live in other countries and a desire to tell them about Jesus.
•	Ask your parent or guardian if they've ever been in a situation when it was hard to communicate with someone because they spoke different languages. What did they 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: Puppet Pal—Going to the Dogs
Part 3: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Ampe
Option 2—Rhythm Patterns
Option 3—Speed Round
Part 4: Small Group Time
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.
Visit answersvbs.com/irfaq for more information on one race/one blood and how we developed into different people groups with different looks and languages.
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 below. Watch the YouTube.com/AnswersVBS clip of “African Handshakes” and learn one or two if doing Option 1. Get the plantain chips if doing 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 child do so. 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 through his Son, Jesus Christ! 
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 Western 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, you may hand them their bible clue (also listed below).
Bible Clue
Teacher 1: To complete your challenge and earn a score on your card, you must correctly answer this 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
Part 1: Melanin Demo (10–15 minutes)
Begin this section and then do either Option 1 or Option 2 at the appropriate time. 
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 could 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 we can figure out what we might want to change. Sing “Jesus loves the little children” one time, and ask for ideas about what to 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
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
o	People Around the World Poster
After singing, move into either Option 1 or Option 2. 
This option takes longer and has more pre-prep, but it was a favorite with the test church kids!
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. 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. Then stir in the milk until the batter is smooth. Place the batter (without food coloring) in the 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 mel-anin. First, when you bake a cake, you need some basic ingredients. What do you think we need? Take responses, then show the Pictures of Basic Ingredients.
•	If your food coloring is not blue, substitute whatever color you are using every time it says the word “blue.”
Teacher 2: Chef Mel, let’s say we want to make a blue cake.
Teacher 1: The question is, how blue? The answer is—that 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. 
Do so and go from a 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 2: So Chef Mel, even though the cake mixes look different now, they all have the same basic ingredients. They just have more or less blue food coloring, which makes them different shades of blue. Our skin is like that, too. God made each of us out of the same basic “recipe.” But one ingredient he uses in differing amounts is called “melanin.”  
Teacher 1: Yes, yes! Melanin is part of what makes our skin light brown or dark brown. We all have skin that is shades of brown, some lighter and some darker. So we all start with the same basic recipe, and then God enjoys making each of us our own special person with just the right amount of every special ingredient he wants us to each have. God is the most wonderful Creator! You can apply this same idea to how 
we get different hair color, or eye color, or eye shapes. Hair color and eye color also have to do with how much melanin we have inside us.
Show the skin shades poster and comment on the fascinating variety of skin shades. See if they can identify who has more melanin and who has less.
Teacher 2: Right! Besides skin shades, the shape of our eyes can be different. 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: This idea can explain how tall we grow to be, if our ear lobes are attached or not, how long our fingers are, and other features of how we look. Before time began, God thought about you and exactly what amounts of ingredients he was going to put together to make special you! Psalm 139 says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Read Psalm 139:13–16. 
Teacher 2: Wow! That's a great reminder that 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're supposed to be, too. Show the People Around the World poster, and point to different pictures on the poster, then different kids as you say the following. God made every single person for his glory—this one, this one, this one, and you, and you, and you. Since God created us all and loves all people groups, we should also love and respect each person for the special creation they are.
 Teacher 1: And you know what else is cool? Do any of you ever put on sunscreen? Well, melanin acts like a natural sunscreen. People who produce a lot of melanin in their skin have a built-in sunscreen! So as people left the tower of Babel, the people with a lot of melanin who had a darker brown skin shade may have moved to hot and sunny countries because their skin didn’t burn as easily, and people with lighter skin that would burn easily may have moved to colder countries where there wasn’t as much sunlight to burn them. Isn’t that cool?
Teacher 2: It sure is! And it's amazing to think that events at the tower of Babel had a lot to do with the different languages and people groups found today!
  Teacher 2 should get behind the puppet stage.
Teacher 1: We're all unique people, but the Bible also tells us we're all related and part of one race—the human race. Recite Acts 17:26 together. That's huge to think about! Let's talk to Speedy about it!
Option 2—Crayons 
o	Brown crayons, paper, tape
o	Skin Shades Poster
o	People Around the World Poster
This is the faster of the two options. If you have more time, you may want to give each child a brown crayon and paper and let them do this activity along with you.
Pre-prep: Tape paper to a wall up front 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.
Teacher 1: One of the reasons we’re different shades of brown is 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 produce lots of melanin in our skin, so we’re darker brown. Color the next circle medium brown. Some of us produce a bit less melanin so we’re medium brown. Color the last circle light brown. And some of us produce much less melanin, so we're light brown. But no matter what shade we are, we’re still all brown. Show the skin shades Poster and comment on the fascinating variety of skin shades. 

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 who produce a lot of melanin in their skin have a built-in sunscreen! So as people left the tower of Babel, the people with a lot of melanin who were dark brown may have moved to hot and sunny countries because their skin didn’t burn as easily, and the people with lighter skin that would burn easily may have moved to colder countries where there wasn’t as much sunlight to burn them. Isn’t that cool?
Teacher 1: When they left Babel, they all took with them the knowledge of the one true God and what happened in the past, but that knowledge has changed over time. Many cultures have flood legends and legends about the tower of Babel, showing that they once knew the truth, but, sadly, many people groups have abandoned the truth, and now worship false gods. They need to hear the truth again about God's love for them!
Teacher 2: Besides that, as people spread out all over the world, they formed different cultures. This means that the 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 from the tower of Babel.
Teacher 1: But just because we look somewhat different 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 produces different shades of brown, not different colors. Our skin shade doesn't make us members of different races. In fact, our physical differences are really quite slight. 
Teacher 2: 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 them have come every person who has ever lived. If the two of them had medium brown skin, it's scientifically easy to explain how a variety of shades from light to dark could have come about—even within one generation.
Teacher 1: When God put the “ingredients” in us that made us us, he started all people out with the same basic ingredients. We all have certain things in us that make us people. But then he uses some ingredients in each of us in differing amounts, such as the melanin, and that's why we may look a bit different from each other. For instance, 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. Some of us have lighter hair, some of us have darker. Some of us have blue eyes, some brown. Some of us have freckles, some of us don’t. It’s just a matter of the recipe inside each of us.
Teacher 2: This idea of a recipe inside of us also explains how tall we grow to be, if our ear lobes are attached or not, how long our fingers are, and other features of how we look. Before time began, God thought about you and exactly what amounts of ingredients he would put together to make special you! Psalm 139 says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Read Psalm 139:13–16. 
Teacher 2 should get behind the puppet stage.
Teacher 1: 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. Point to different people on the people around the world POSTER. God made this person, and this person, and this person, and this person—and God made you for his glory. He loves all people groups, and 
we should love and respect each person for the special creation they are. Let's talk to Speedy about some of this! 
Part 2: Puppet Pal—Going to the Dogs (5 minutes)
o	Puppet and clipboard
o	Day 3 Puppet Script (2 copies)
o	Lots of Dogs Poster 
o	Day 3 Animal Pal Poster
o	Dog Kind Poster
Pre-prep: Tape one puppet script inside the puppet stage, and place the other on the clipboard.
Puppet: Before coming up, a dog barking should be heard behind the puppet stage. The person working the puppet can do the barking without being seen. 
Teacher: Hey, do you guys hear a dog barking? Wonder what's going on.
Puppet: Pop up. Oh, hi! I was just feeding my dogs.
Teacher: How many dogs do you have?
Puppet: Well, there's Goofy Foofy. She's our silly little poodle.
Teacher: You named your dog Goofy Foofy? O . . . kay . . . .
Puppet: And then our Golden Retriever is named Funny Sunny. 
Teacher: Funny Sunny? Goofy Foofy? I guess you're into rhyming.
Puppet: And our Irish Setter is called . . . 
Teacher: Let me guess. Red Fred?
Puppet: No, silly! His name is Rusty.
Teacher: Okay, Rusty.
Puppet: And our Yorkie is named Hershey.
Teacher: Wow, you have a lot of dogs! How many was that, kids? Take responses—four.
Puppet: They're all so different. Two of them are big and two of them are little. One is golden colored, one is reddish, one is white, and one is mixed.
Teacher: I bet they're different in lots of ways. 
Puppet: Yeah, Goofy Foofy is always rolling around on the floor. Funny Sunny and Rusty have fur that gets all over the place. And Hershey always wants to sit on my lap.
Teacher: I'm so glad God invented the dog kind. There are so many different varieties of dogs, and they're all so fantastic. Show the Lots of Dogs poster. In the beginning, God put the recipe inside of the original boy and girl dogs to be able to make lots and lots of different kinds of dogs.
Puppet: Yeppers. 
Teacher: Take our Pup Patrol, here. Show the Day 3 Animal Pal poster. These dogs all live in Africa, but they sure don't look alike!
Puppet: I'll say!
Teacher: This one's called a Boerboel (pronounced “bore bull”). Point to the one on the far left as you are looking at the poster. He is gonna be a big, strong dog when he grows up. He has short, brown fur. And here's a Basenji (pronounced “ba sen gee”). Point to the middle one. Look at how his ears stick up! And then there's this white Coton de Tulear (pronounced “ co tawn day two lee er“). Point to the white one. Look how fluffy his fur is! All of these are African pups, but they sure look a lot different!
Puppet: I’ve heard that even the pups of wolves are part of the dog kind family! 
Teacher: True! A wolf seems different from a dog, but they are related. Even though these pups look different, they are alike in lots of ways.
Puppet: Yeah, they all like to be scratched between their ears, and they tilt their heads when we ask if they're hungry. And you know what else they all do?
Teacher: What?
Puppet: Spin around before they lie down! It's so funny! Spin around a little.
Teacher: Well, dogs do those same kinds of things because God made the dog kind. Show the Dog kind poster. From a great big dog like a St. Bernard to a tiny little dog like a Chihuahua, they're still dogs. And in the beginning, God made every other animal kind, too. Dogs produce more dogs, cats produce more cats, elephants produce elephants, and so forth. 
Puppet: How about people?
Teacher: People aren't like animals. We are made in God's image. Every person is unique in his or her own way because God made each person special, putting in just the right amount of every ingredient he wanted to. 
Puppet: Like melanin? 
Teacher: Like melanin. That's why it's so interesting to get to know people—we're all different in some ways. At the same time, people are people, and we're all alike in many ways, too. We all eat and sleep and sometimes feel happy and sometimes feel sad and create things and talk and learn.
Puppet: I have friends who look different than I do, but we all like to play together.
Teacher: That's great! We may look a little different, but remember, we're all people, and we're all related! Every person is part of Adam and Eve’s family. The Bible says in Acts 17:26 that God made from one man, Adam, every nation—every person in the world. That makes us all one race—the human race—and all related.
Puppet: And God loves all the people groups all over the earth, no matter what they look like or where they live.
Teacher: That's right. God loves people, and we should love people, too. 
Puppet: Well, this makes me want to go see my doggie woggies. 
Teacher: Oh no! Here he goes with the rhyming again! Okay, Speedy, go visit your doggie woggies, and we'll see you later! Let’s move to our game from Africa!
Part 3: 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 a little), 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 jumps three times, including the leader. On 3 (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 game, racers try to mimic the rhythm the teacher does.
To play: The teacher asks a question. If the class gets it right, they earn a chance to try a rhythm pattern. Each round is a different rhythm pattern. The teacher claps and/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. You can even have the kids make up rhythms.
Check p. 19 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day. 
Questions
1.	Yes or No: We are all one race. 
Answer: Yes. We are all the human race.
2.	Yes or No: We are all related.
Answer: Yes. We can all trace our family back to Adam and Eve, who are our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (you get the idea) grandparents.
3.	Recite today’s memory verse.
Answer: And he made from one man every nation. Acts 17:26
4.	What shade of skin did Adam and Eve most likely have? Light brown, medium brown, or dark brown?
Answer: Medium brown. It's interesting to note that Jesus was probably not light-skinned (as often pictured) but was most likely medium brown.
5.	What helps to determine our skin shade? It starts with an M!
Answer: Melanin. Melanin also helps to determine our hair and eye color.
6.	What color of skin do all people have in common?
Answer: Brown. We can range from very light brown to very dark brown.
7.	Give two examples of the dog kind.
Answers will vary.
8.	What does Psalm 139 say about you?
Answer: You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.
9.	Does God think people of one skin shade are better than people with another shade? Or people with one shape of eyes are better than those with a different shape of eyes? Or people who are rich are better than people who are poor? 
Answer: No! People are equal in the sight of God. And our physical features are all specially designed by God and are a beautiful reflection of his creativity.
10.	How should we treat each other, knowing we are all related and not different races?
Answers will vary, but with love, kindness, and respect. Much more on this on Day 5.
Part 4: 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.
1.	What shade of skin would you say you have? 
2.	Do you get sunburned easily? Why or why not?
3.	Do you have any friends from other countries? Have you traveled to other countries and met anyone from there?
•	Gospel Opportunity
4.	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, 
5.	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.
6.	How does God want us to treat people who are different than us? 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.
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 Africans sometimes balance things on their heads as a way to carry items. 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
•	With an adult, check out Genesis 10, which is named the Table of Nations. Those are your relatives listed there! It shows where people 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 this all goes 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 passages
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: Gospel Presentation
Option 1—Race of Your Life
Option 2—Puppet Pal
Part 2: Review Game Challenge
Option 1—Eiffel Tower Building
Option 2—Shove Ha' Penny
Option 3—Speed Round
Part 3: Small Group Time
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 outlined 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—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. For Option 1, gather the supplies and make the 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 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 by the time of your VBS), many of whom don't know about God and his love!
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 country 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 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 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: Gospel Presentation (5–15 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
Option 1—Race of Your Life
•	This option takes longer, but the test church kids were really focused and into it.
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 looks, such as the shade of skin or shape of eyes. 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 Directions" 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: 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 they were alive and growing inside their moms even before they were born.
Teacher 1: 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. In the book of Romans, we 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 great 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! 
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 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 in 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. You’re 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 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 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 Directions—Draw a Crown (Finish Line 1) and a Dead End (Finish Line 2)
Teacher 2: When we get to the end of our road through life, 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. Make sure they realize that as long as they’re alive, they have the opportunity to 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 it, let’s have you go with _____ (pastors, team leaders, teachers) now and they can help answer questions you may have. The rest of us are going to do a game challenge. Skip over to Part 2: Review Game Challenge.
Option 2—Puppet Pal
o	Puppet, clipboard, and Bible
o	Day 4 Puppet Script  (2 copies)
o	Day 4 Animal Pal Poster
This is the shorter of the two options and takes about five minutes.
Pre-prep: Tape one Puppet script inside the puppet stage, and place the other on the clipboard.
Teacher: So, boys and girls, we’re all related and all part of 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. So let’s imagine that every person is in a spiritual race through life. Let’s see if Speedy is around to talk to us more about this. Look down into the puppet hole and have the puppet come up at the same time. Bonk heads.
Puppet: Ouch! You just ran into me! I think you're better at running that race than finding puppets. 
Teacher: Yeah, thankfully, we've had fun racing and following directions.
Puppet: If you don't follow directions and road signs carefully, you may get in an accident.
Teacher: That's true. And, you know, it's important to follow God's directions, too. They'll help you with everything in life, not just driving.
Puppet: Where do you find God's directions? Are they on road signs?
Teacher: No, God's directions are in the Bible. He shares all important info in here. Point to the Bible.
Puppet: Like what? How to get lint out of your belly button? I hate how it gets stuck in there.
Teacher: Nope, not like that. I said important stuff, like . . . how he loves us.
Puppet: God loves you?
Teacher: Yep, he does. In fact, the Bible tells us that God loves the world so much he sent his Son, Jesus, from heaven so he could rescue us.   
Puppet: Why? Are we in trouble?
Teacher: You may not realize it, but every person is in trouble. That's because of sin, which we talked about a few days ago. Boys and girls, do you remember what sin is? Take responses: when we don't obey God’s commands. Recite Romans 3:23 together. Give a couple examples: lying, not being kind to your brother or sister, throwing a tantrum, whining, or not going to bed when you are supposed to.
Puppet: What's sin got to do with anything?
Teacher: Well, because we sin, we aren’t part of God's family. When we die, we won’t live with God in heaven. God is perfect, and he doesn’t allow sin into his perfect place.   
Puppet: Whoa! That sounds serious—even worse than getting in an accident!
Teacher: It is. But God's Son, Jesus, came to earth to give us a way for us to get safely to heaven. The directions for how to get to heaven are right here in the Bible.
Puppet: Like what? A stop sign?
Teacher: Well, God does want us to stop—to stop going our own way so we can follow Jesus instead. That is repentance and includes feeling sorry for our sin and turning away from it.
Puppet: Anything else?
Teacher: Yep. Then you tell God you believe he sent his Son, Jesus, to save you. Recite the memory verse, 1 John 4:14, together.  Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, never doing anything wrong and never sinning. He always obeyed God. But some people were mean to him, and they put a crown of thorns on his head and nailed his hands and feet to a cross.
Puppet: That would hurt. 
Teacher: It hurt terribly. But he let them do that because he knew we needed someone who had never sinned to take the punishment for sin, which is death. It would be like if one of these kids stole a cookie, but I took the punishment for it, even though I didn't steal the cookie.
Puppet: That would be so kind of you!
Teacher: Yes, it was incredibly kind of Jesus. He loves boys and girls from every people group. Show the Day 4 Animal Pal poster. Look at our swans here. What shape do you see in between them? Yes, a heart! That's to remind us that God loves us more than we can imagine—enough to send his only Son to die on a cross and take the punishment for sin, which is death! But here's something really amazing. Jesus didn't stay dead! That's because he's God! They killed him and put him in a tomb, which is kind of like putting a dead person in a cemetery. But he came back to life! That shows God accepted his sacrifice for us.  Jesus provides the only way to live forever in heaven.
Puppet: One way—Jesus. Wow, I never realized how much he loves people! More than I love peanut butter and jelly.
Teacher: Way more.
Puppet: Or more than I love my Binky Bear.
Teacher: Way, way more. 
Puppet: Or more than I love going to my cousin's house for sleepovers.
Teacher: Way, way, way more. He loves people from every nation more than they can imagine.
Puppet: Wow . . . so if the boys and girls stop and ask God to forgive them, then believe Jesus died to take their punishment and rose from the dead, they can be part of God's family and go to heaven when they die?
Teacher: Yes! And when we believe that, it's like that yield sign. The yield sign tells us to let someone else go, right? Well, when we yield our lives to God, it's like we're saying, “God, you're in charge. You lead the way and I'll follow and do what you tell me to do in the Bible. I'll obey you, God, because I love you.” 
Puppet: So if the boys and girls admit they have disobeyed God’s commands, believe in Jesus, and want to yield their lives to him, what's next?
Teacher: Boys and girls, you can talk to God and tell him you want to be part of his family. If anybody has questions about this or wants to become part of God's family, make sure you talk to your leader or me today about that! Or you may want to have them go with a salvation counselor to talk about this. 
Puppet: Thanks for sharing that greatest news!
Teacher: Sure, Speedy. I love talking about our wonderful Jesus!
Puppet: Well, I think I’m going to go tell my friend Oskar (Oh-scar), who is from Romania, about this!
Teacher: Okay, Speedy. And come back and see us tomorrow!
Part 2: Review Game Challenge (10–15 minutes) 
o	Option 1—Eiffel Tower Building
o	OPTION 1: Paper and writing utensils, 1 of each per person, and Eiffel Tower Picture
o	OPTION 2: 1 long table and a few pennies
Pre-prep: Choose an option below and gather the materials. No pre-prep is needed for Option 1, and Option 2 needs a table set up.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Racers try drawing one based on the model picture, earning one line to draw for every correct answer. 
To play: Pass out paper (or use the back of your 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. At the end of the time, the person who 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. 
To Play: Divide kids into two teams (boys vs. girls) and give each team a penny. Ask a question. Each team shouts out their answer on the count of three. 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 at Shove Ha’ Penny, have the first person from each team stand at the end of the table with a 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 whose penny gets the closest to the edge without it falling off. If it falls off, the team doesn't get a point. Keep track of points, and the team that has the most points at the end of the time wins. 
Note: Check p. 19 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day. 
Questions
1.	What are the names of our very first relatives?
Answer: Adam and Eve.
2.	Yes or No: Are there four main races of people—Mongoloid, Caucasian, Negroid, and Australoid?
Answer: No, there is one human race.
3.	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.
4.	How many spiritual races are there? One or two?
Answer: Two—those who are part of God’s family and those who aren’t.
5.	Why did Jesus die on the cross?
Answer: To take the punishment we deserve for our sin.
6.	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.
7.	If you want to be part of God’s family, what must you do?
Answer: Stop and admit you need God, believe Jesus is the only way, and yield your life to him (or something in their own words that means the same thing).
8.	What does a person gain if he chooses God’s way?
Answer: Peace with God now and eternal life with God in the future (or something in their own words).
9.	What is the scene in heaven that we talked about that God shows us in Revelation?
Answer: There are people in heaven from every nation, tribe, people, and language. It’s going to be amazing!
10.	Recite today’s memory verse.
Answer: The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14

Part 3: 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.
1.	What do you think the coolest thing about being a Christian is while here on earth?
2.	Read Revelation 7:9-10 again. What do you think the coolest thing about heaven is from that scene in Revelation? 
3.	Why do you think many people choose not to follow Christ and go their own way instead?
4.	Have you thought about this for your own life? 
5.	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 of 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.
Apply It!
o	Optional: Gospel Bookmarks, 1 per child 
o	Day 4 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 team leaders can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS) and/or review the student guides. If giving out the gospel bookmarks, do so at the end of the time.
Part 1: Mile Marker Memory Verses
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
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 1 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 Europe (Italy). 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 all over the 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 that person for doing so.
•	Ask an adult if he is a child of God, and if so, how he became a child of God.
•	Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Have I ever admitted to God that I'm a sinner, believed in Jesus Christ, and received him as 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: Puppet Pal—Love and Kindness
Part 4: 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	Day 5 Bible Clue
o	OPTION 1: Timer (smartphone can work)
o	OPTION 2: Love in Languages Hearts, red copy paper, and pair of scissors 
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 each heart being cut 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 through Jesus, just like the rest of the world! God cares about every single 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 ten 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 floor and have them work together to match each language with its word. Answers include “love” in different languages spoken in North America, including 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 country 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—God is love. 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. Attach the Good Samaritan Poster to the wall.
Teacher 1: I'm going to read one of Jesus' many examples of love found in the New Testament book of Luke. Make sure you listen carefully, because you’ll be acting this out when I'm done. This example is about a person who was not accepted by others. You may have been in a situation when you weren't accepted. Maybe you were even bullied. Maybe you've seen a situation when someone wasn't accepted based on how they looked, 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. Point to the Good Samaritan poster when you get to the part about him.
•	If you want to involve everyone, 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 priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. No booing allowed.
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.
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 to put on. 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 well the Law, a part of the Bible they had at that time, 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 to put on. 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 to put on. 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.  
In addition, the comments below can be interjected by Teacher 1 at the appropriate times as you’re reading if you’d like.
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 many 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 be like a pastor coming along. Is this good that a pastor doesn’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 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: What is something we can learn from this account? 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 who 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 have a different shade of skin and we think people with that shade are better 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. 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: The priests and Levites often looked down on Samaritans and other people who looked or acted different than they did. And you know what? We still act like this today. Sometimes, we look at people and make judgments about them just based on what they look like. 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 and 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, 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 often acted, we see over and over in the Bible how Jesus interacted with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Jesus loved people, 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
If really short on time, skip this section and incorporate a few verses into the puppet show where noted with ***.
Pre-prep: Gather the supplies. Cut out the hidden hearts and hide them around the room. (If time and weather permit, you can even hide them outside.) For a faster option, put out a pile of them as the kids 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 (if they want to—never force a child to read in public).
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 hearts as they can. Or, rather than hunt for them, try the idea mentioned above in the pre-prep.  When you come back together, have at least a few people read the hearts with verses and discuss. 
You may want to give each a heart-shaped candy. (Check for allergies.)
•	One test church taped the hearts to the heart-shaped candies.
If time, divide 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.
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 and his love through Jesus and to help people! 
Remember to rehide the hearts before the next group needs them.
Part 3: Puppet Pal—Love and Kindness (5 minutes)
o	Puppet and clipboard
o	Day 5 Puppet Script (2 copies)
Pre-prep: Tape one puppet script inside the puppet stage, and place the other on the clipboard.
Puppet: Pop up. Hey, everybody! What’s going on? 
Teacher: Hi, Speedy! We were just saying that because God loves us so much, we also need to love one another.
Puppet: Hey, I just learned a Bible verse about that from 1 John 4:11! 
Teacher: Let's say that verse together, boys and girls. Do so.
Puppet: But I don't know. It's kind of hard to love that kid who looks so different than me.
Teacher: Some people may look different than you, or wear a different type of clothes, or live in a different country and have different ways of doing things, but they're precious people made by God in his image. God wants us to treat them with love and kindness.
Puppet: Do you know any other Bible verses that would help me remember that?
Teacher: Well, we talked about the one that says, “love one another.” There are many, many verses that remind us to love one another***. And the Bible also tells us to not base our thoughts about people on how they look on the outside, but to remember God looks at their hearts—who they are on the inside. That verse goes like this: Read 1 Samuel 16:7.
Puppet: So I shouldn't judge someone when they look different than me?
Teacher: Nope. 
Puppet: What about if they wear different kinds of clothes or eat different kinds of foods or just live in a different way than I do? 
Teacher: You should treat every person with love and kindness, regardless of what they look like or eat. And you can try to find ways to help them when help is needed. 
Puppet: What if somebody drops groceries out of their grocery bag?
Teacher: Boys and girls, what can you do if somebody drops groceries out of her bag? Take responses.
Puppet: What if someone's hands are full and can't get the door open?
Teacher: Boys and girls, how can you help if somebody can't get the door open? Take responses.
Puppet: What if I'm playing and my little sister is crying?
Teacher: Boys and girls, how can you help? Take responses.
Puppet: What if I want to pick on (bully) someone who is smaller than me?
Teacher: That's just wrong. It’s sin. No bullying!
Puppet: What if . . . 
Teacher: I think we get the idea. We can ask God to help us to always be ready to treat everyone we meet each day with love and kindness. And to see everyone as an image-bearer of God.
Puppet: I'm going to go help my mom put away the groceries right now.
Teacher: Sounds great, Speedy! Let's say goodbye to Speedy. Do so.
Part 4: 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 or 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: The racers have to get at least 10 questions correct (or however many, based on the time you have) before the teacher hits the piñata. Go 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 takes a whack at the piñata while the other teacher holds the broom handle. Make sure the kids are far away and completely out of range of the swinging stick.  
Note: Check p. 19 for the super simple Option 3 that can be used any day.
Questions
1.	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.
2.	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.
3.	True or False: In Jesus’ day, many Jews thought they were better than Samaritans because they were fully Jewish.
Answer: True.
4.	True or False: If a person is prejudiced, he thinks he’s better than another person for some reason. 
Answer: True.
5.	Yes or No: Does God approve of prejudice?
Answer: No.
6.	Yes or No: We should treat others with God’s love and kindness.
Answer: Yes.
7.	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.
8.	True or False: Our very first relatives were Adam and Eve.
Answer: True.
9.	Yes or No: You are related to the person you’re sitting next to.
Answer: Yes. 
10.	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.
11.	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.
12.	True or False: There was only one language spoken before the event at the tower of Babel. 
Answer: True. 
13.	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.
14.	Yes or No: One way people could have traveled to other countries from the tower of Babel is by boat. 
Answer: Yes. Boats, walking, and riding animals like Jamal the camel could all have been ways of getting to other places.
15.	True or False: The tower of Babel happened about 1,000 years after the flood.
Answer: False. It was about 100 years after the flood.
16.	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. 
17.	True or False: God made the genes in your body combine to make each of you uniquely and specially who you are. 
Answer: True.
18.	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.
19.	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.
20.	Yes or No: The scene in heaven described 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 have team leaders do so as the kids first arrive at VBS) and/or review the student guides. If doing so, pass out the Revelation 7:9 bookmarks and Exploring God's Word Bible studies during this time. 
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 up 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”? Do a search online for “Bible verses that say 'love one another.'” How important do you think this is to God that we love one another?
•	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.
•	Check answersvbs.com/irkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Am I going to be a person who shows respect and kindness to all people?
Just For Fun: Haitian Creole/French Song
“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.)
Bon dieu si bon (God is so good.)
Bon dieu si bon (God is so good.)
Li si bon pou mwe (He's so good to me.)
Li Seigneur mwe (He is my Lord.)
Li Seigneur mwe (He is my Lord.)
Li Seigneur mwe (He is my Lord.)
Li si bon pou mwe (He's so good to me.)
Vini encore (Coming again.)
Vini encore (Coming again.)
Vini encore (Coming again.)
Li si bon pou mwe (He's so good to me.)