Noah
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this module is to introduce the Old Testament. In kindergarten, you will go over the story of Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, and the Tower of Babel. This lesson will introduce the story of Noah and the ark and learn the obedience of Noah towards God rewarded him with his life and his family's life.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes
Guide the children in singing "Who Built the Ark?" Ask the children what their favorite animals are? Would those animals be easy to take care of on an ark?
Who Built the Ark?
Refrain:
Who built the Ark?
Noah, Noah
Who built the ark?
Father Noah built the ark
Old man Noah built the Ark
He built it out of hickory bark
He built it long, both wide and tall
With plenty of room for the large and small
Refrain
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes
Memory Verse
"So Noah did all the Lord God commanded him." (Genesis 7:5)
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes
After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they had many children. After generations, their children filled the Earth. But these people forgot about God, they did not walk with God and try to please Him. Only Noah and his family were righteous. Noah's family included his wife, their three sons: Ham, Shem, and Japheth, and their wives. They prayed to God everyday and did all the things God asked them to do. Most importantly they did not go out nor became friends with the other people who did not know God. The other people continued to do bad things all the time. God did not like what these people were doing, so He decided to start fresh. He would flood the world and begin again with a new generation. But Noah and his family would be safe in the...ask the kindergartners if they remember how God saved Noah's family...the ark
God gave Noah very specific directions on how to build this enormous boat (ark).it is different from a regular boat; it has no balconies, no upper deck to stay outside of it. It had only one window and one huge door. Noah and his family built the ark together. The ark was about one and a half football fields long (longer than a big park) and higher than a four-story house. His neighbors laughed at him, what was Noah doing building this huge ark in the middle of the desert? Most of these people had never even seen a lake before, why would he need a boat at all
But Noah did not mind the talk of his neighbors, there is only one Person he needed to listen to that is...ask the kindergarteners who that is...our Lord
So Noah and his family obeyed the Lord and finished building the ark, although it took them many many years to finish. Then they packed all the food they would need and God helped to gather all the animals, a boy and girl of each kind of animal. And God Himself shut the huge door of the ark. Ask the kindergarteners what happens next.
The flood The rain clouds opened and the fountains of the deep broke up and the whole world filled up with water. It did not stop raining for forty days and forty nights. There was so much water that it took one hundred and fifty days for the water to dry up.
The ark finally rested on top of the mountains of Ararat, but Noah did not know when it would be safe to leave the ark. So he sent out a raven, but the raven came back because it did not find a place to rest. He also sent out a dove, but the dove also came back. So he waited a week and tried to send the dove again. That night the dove returned with an olive leaf He waited another week and sent the dove again, this time it didn't come back Ask the kindergarteners why they think the dove did not come back. It found a place to make a new home, that means it was safe for everyone to leave the ark too.
So every living creature left the ark and started new families to fill the earth again. Noah and his family built an altar to the Lord to thank Him for keeping them all safe. The Lord promised that He would never flood the world again and set the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of that promise.
(You can show the video or use pictures taken from the video to help illustrate the story to the children. Pictures are attached to the lesson below.)
LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes
Noah and his family were rewarded for their righteousness and obedience. Noah's family shows us how God always keeps His promises. They had to wait a long time to build the ark before the flood finally came, but they trusted God's promise of salvation. They obeyed His every Word and saw everything He promised come true. Sometimes it seems like a long time before we see God keep His promises to us, but we must keep being obedient and righteous, and God will give us every good thing.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes
Have the kindergarteners take a close look at the icon of Noah and his family in the ark. Ask them what they see, some things to bring to their attention...
- Sizes: Noah is the largest part of the icon because it was his righteousness that saved his family, size goes by importance rather than scale in icons
- Multiple events are happening at the same time in this icon: the dove approaching with an olive branch, the animals leaving the ark in pairs, and the rainbow in the sky. Icons tell the whole story, instead of a select scene of a story.
ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes
Option I - Coloring page
- Materials: page, coloring material, pencils
- Have the students color the picture, found attached below. Make sure they each have their name on their paper.
Option II - Ark Puppet
- Materials: page, blue construction paper, two craft sticks, safety scissors, glue, coloring material, marker
- Color and cut the ark from the page found attached below. Fold the ark puppet along the dotted line and glue a craft stick to the bottom. Cut blue construction paper to have waves and glue a craft stick to the bottom. Have the kindergarteners hold the water puppet in front of the ark puppet as they retell the story. Have the kindergarteners write their names on their craft sticks with markers.
SERVANT RESOURCES
- Noah's Ark, College Level lesson for preparation, Coptic.net
- Number of Animals in the Ark, suscopts.org
- Noah's Ark Cartoon, 3 min (good summary but shows Noah shutting the door instead of God)
- Noah's Ark Cartoon, 25 min
- Old Testament Books Song (Missing Deuterocanonical books: Tobit and Judith from history books, Wisdom and Sirach from poetic books, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees from prophetic books, and the Prayer of Manasseh)
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
Review the story of Noah and the ark with your children. Be sure to read the Bible with your child every day. Setting up routines to read the Bible together reinforces the importance of the Bible in our lives. During the week, you can quiz your child by naming a Bible character and asking them if they belong in the Old Testament or the New Testament.