High Wire

[]

September 18th, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders.

This Weeks Scope

Joseph in Charge
Bible Story: Joseph in Charge (Joseph Interprets Pharaohs Dreams) Genesis 41
Bottom Line: When the pressure is on, you can trust God is with you.
Memory Verse: Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5, NIrV
Life App: Trustputting your confidence in someone you can depend on.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Welcome Time
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
todays story.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray for any kids you know of who are struggling to perform well at school or in sports,
or struggling to succeed in general. Ask God to alleviate some of the pressure on these kids help them
see that Hes got their backs.
The Bible Story: Genesis 41 (Here for your reference if you need it!)
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the
river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven
other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the
cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep
again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single
stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sproutedthin and scorched by the east wind. The thin
heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a
dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.
Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said
to Pharaoh, Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and
he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream
the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a
servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving
each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I

was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was
quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before
Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said
of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Pharaoh, but
God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream I was
standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and
they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came upscrawny and very ugly and
lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat
cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they
looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good,
growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sproutedwithered and thin and scorched by
the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians,
but none of them could explain it to me. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dreams of Pharaoh are
one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are
seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The
seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads
of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God
has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout
the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be
forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered,
because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two
forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. And now let Pharaoh
look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint
commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of
abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain
under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for
the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country
may not be ruined by the famine. The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So
Pharaoh asked them, Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and
wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only
with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, I hereby put you in
charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on
Josephs finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him
ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, Make way! Thus he put
him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all
Egypt. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty
years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaohs
presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced
plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and
stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up
huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records
because it was beyond measure. Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by
Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, It is
because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my fathers household. The second son he
named Ephraim and said, It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. The
seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as
Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all
the Egyptians, Go to Joseph and do what he tells you. When the famine had spread over the whole
country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe
throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was
severe everywhere.
What You Need: blocks or other similar wood blocks
What You Do:
Stack up the blocks in the center of your small group area.
Let the kids take turns pushing a block out of the center (just as you would play Jenga) without
causing the whole tower to fall.
If it falls, restack and start play again. Try to play long enough so that each child has a turn.
Adaptation: If you have too many groups to provide a set of blocks for each, provide one or two
sets for each room. Place the towers at the front of the room and let kids come up to represent
their group as they take out a block. Try to move quickly so you give each kid the chance to take
out a block. Provide paper and markers for kids to draw with so they dont lose interest while
theyre not playing.
What You Say:
When it was your turn, did you feel a lot of pressure to get your piece out without making the whole
tower fall? [Transition] Lets see what kind of pressure Joseph had to face in our Bible story
today!
Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Activity #1
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Divide kids into pairs and then gather the kids to sit down in your Small Group area.
Take a moment to explain what the pressure is on means, in terms that kids this age can
understand. Tell kids they might feel pressure whenever they have to do something hard or
learn something new. That feeling they get when learning to tie their shoes or reading a new
word is like feeling the pressure of wanting to get that thing right.
Explain that youll read a pressure scenario and kids will pose their partner like he/she is
actually doing the thing in the scenario. (For example, for #3, a kid could put his partner in a
seated position and turn her head upward, as if looking at a server at a restaurant. Then he
could move his partners jaw up and down, as if shes talking.)
Instruct kids to switch roles each time.
Give kids ideas about how to pose their partner if they seem to have trouble coming up with
ideas. And remind the kids being posed to let their partner move them; dont stiffen up.
Scenarios
1. You are called to on to read something on the board in front of the whole class.
2. Youre up to bat in tee ball or coach pitch baseball.
3. Your mom encourages you to order your own food at a restaurant.
4. You have to take a skills test for your yellow belt.
5. You have to spell a word in front of everyone in the spelling bee.
6. You need to apologize to a friend that you hurt.
7. You lied about something and you need to confess it to your mom or dad.
8. Your teacher asks you to read your journal entry to the whole class.
9. You are called on to read a poem at the school assembly.
10. Everyone on your team has run the obstacle course; youre the LAST one to run and you
want to win for your team.
11. You are chosen to sing a solo in the talent show at school.
12. You are playing in your first piano recital.
13. Your teammate kicks you the ball because youre right in front of the goal.
14. Youre at the pool and all your friends are just jumping right in, so you do the same.
15. Youre on first base and the batter hits the ball right towards you.
What You Say:
Great job, everybody! Today were learning that [Bottom Line] when the pressure is on, you can
trust God is with you. You probably wont have to face a man as powerful as Pharaoh and interpret
his dreams, but you will face situations like these where you might feel like youre under pressure. Its
important to trust God in these situations and believe that you arent alone. God is right there with you
when you swing that bat or apologize or tell the truth or run that obstacle course. He is with you and He
loves you whether you win that yellow belt, read every word perfectly, or completely forget the poem
you memorized. No matter what pressure you face, God is on your side. He is your biggest
cheerleader. [Bottom Line] When the pressure is on, you can trust God is with you. And when you
remember that, it makes it easier to do the hard things!

Activity #2
What You Need: Ping-pong ball, small bucket or bin, masking tape
What You Do:
Help the kids look up Proverbs 3:5 and read it together.
Use the masking tape to mark a small starting line.
Place the bucket about two feet away from the starting line.
Line up kids behind the starting line. Let them take turns throwing the ping-pong ball into the
bucket.
If a child gets the ball into the bucket, she selects two people in the group to say this months
memory verse together.
If she misses, she picks someone to say the verse with her.
Repeat so that every child has a turn.
What You Say:
That was fun! Did you feel pressure to sink the shot when it was your turn? How about if you were
called on to say the verse? We all face pressure situations. But we can trust and depend on God. He
will guide and direct our steps if we choose to put our trust in Him. [Bottom Line] When the pressure
is on, you can trust God is with you.

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do:
Ask kids to think about one of the pressure scenarios from the game earlier. (Or choose a
couple to read again to the group. You could even make up a couple scenarios, depending on
what you know about your kids.)
Pray for the group, asking God to help them remember that He is with them, even when the
pressure is on.
What You Say:
Heavenly Father, you are an awesome, holy, BIG and powerful God. And yet, You know everything
about us. You know when we face situations where we feel pressure or when were scared about how
things will turn out. Help us to believe that You are with us, just as You were with Joseph. We love You.
In Jesus name, amen.