A short introduction to the Bible story of Joseph meeting his brothers for the first time in Egypt.

Use this fun object lesson to teach on the Bible verse in Isaiah 43:25

In Isaiah 43:25 we read "But I wipe away your sins because of who I am. And so, I will forget the wrongs you have done."

Do you know UV Reactive Putty? You can use this as an object lesson. You can write with the included UV pen in the putty and you''ll see it change in colour. This means that you can write with the UV pen in the putty. You can write for example the things that you have done wrong in the putty and it will disappear after a minute.

This creates a very easy link to the Bible verse of Isaiah 43.25. Our sins will disappear very quickly from the putty, just as God has promised that He will wipe away our sins!

You can buy this UV Reactive putty here through Amazon.com and here through Amazon.co.uk

Have fun with it!

Use this fun object lesson to teach on the Bible verse in Isaiah 49:16

In Isaiah 49:16 we read "See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands." God has written our names in the palms of His hands.

Do you know UV Reactive Putty? You can use this as an object lesson. You can write with the included UV pen in the putty and you''ll see it change in colour. This means that you can write with the UV pen in the putty. You can write for example your name in the putty, but it will disappear after a minute.

This creates a very easy link to the Bible verse of Isaiah 49:16. Our names will disappear very quickly from the putty, but we may know that our names will be forever written in the hands of God!

You can buy this UV Reactive putty here through Amazon.com and here through Amazon.co.uk

Have fun with it!

Use this creative activity to teach about the story of the priest Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel

Zechariah is in the temple. Suddenly the angel Gabriel appears and tells him that he and his wife are going to have a baby. But wait a minute! That’s not possible! They’re both much too old! Can we trust what the angel Gabriel says?

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas.

What do you need: 

- an bottle of medicine or a pot of pills

What to do:

Use this creative activity to teach about the story of the priest Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel

In the temple in Jerusalem Zechariah is visited by the angel Gabriel. But who is he?

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas.

What do you need: 

- worksheet with the various illustrations of angels - download here: Angels-worksheet.pdf
- pens

What to do:

Use this creative activity to teach about the story of the priest Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel

Zechariah and his wife Elisabeth had prayed for a son. But nothing happened and now it’s too late. Now they’re too old to have children.

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas.

What do you need: 

- a beautifully wrapped present

You can use this as a children’s moment or an introduction to the story of the priest Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel in the temple

This idea is part of a complete Sunday School lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas. 

What do you need: 

- an old fashioned rotary telephone
- a modern mobile Phone

What do you do: 

An object lesson about looking at things through God's eyes

Do you know this optical illusion? It is a rabbit or a duck? Depends how you turn the picture. This optical illusion can be used as a short introduction to any Bible story in which Jesus or God acts completely different than expected!

What do you need:

A4 print out of the duck/rabbit illustration ( 6MB) download: duck_rabbit_magic_care.jpg

This illustration is special – if you hold it horizontally you’ll see a rabbit, and if you hold it vertically you’ll see a duck.

You show the kids the rabbit and ask them what they see - a rabbit!

Sometimes we can be so sure of ourselves. We think we know the truth and that we always see the truth, but sometimes God looks at things in a completely different way! 

Turn the rabbit ninety degrees and it becomes a duck! 

Today we are going to hear a Bible story in which God / Jesus acts completely different than expected! 

God is not far away from us. In Jesus He came so close…

A fun Christmas idea on God coming to us in His son Jesus. You can use this Advent idea at home or in your children’s ministry. 

Put a Lego figure into a small cup of water and put this into a freezer. Once it is frozen take it out and show it to the kids. Explain to them that when we celebrate Christmas we celebrate that God became like us. In Jesus He became a man. God is not very far away - show your hands and move them far away from the Lego figure in the ice. But through Jesus He has come very close – put your hands on the ice block.

By reading the Bible, praying and going to church we can grow closer to Him. This is what God wants for us, because He loves us so much. His love makes you warm. Shall we see if we can make this block of ice warm, so that it will melt. How can we do that?

How can you compare God's guidance with a cornflake?

To find out, you’ll have to watch this surprising TheDadLab video below. It is another one of his great, short videos on easy to do science experiments.

Just as the cornflake is pulled along by the magnet held above it. so we may know that God wants to guide us. He wants to lead us. In Psalm 23 David writes: "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake." (Psalm 23: 1 -3)

But does this work? Is it as easy as the pulling or pushing of a cornflake with a magnet? 

In the Bible we read about lots of people who hear his voice, know his will, are guided by angels. How does this work in our lives today?

Some questions to reflect on with the children:

How do you think God's guidance works?
How does God guide us?
Can you give an example?
How many people in the Bible do we know that were guided by God?

This is a great object lesson to reflect with the children on the theme of God's guidance in our lives.

It is fun and easy to do with the children. They can take turns to try and move a cornflake over the water.

Theme:

God's guidance, hearing His voice, knowing His will, choosing your own path

Needed:

- a magnet
- cornflakes
- a bowl of water

What on earth could be the link between cornflakes, a magnet and the star of Bethlehem?

To find out, you’ll have to watch this surprising TheDadLab video below. It is another one of his great, short videos on easy to do science experiments.

Just as the cornflake is pulled along by the magnet held above it, so the (three) wise men experience the pull of the star. It leads them towards Bethlehem, where they will worship Jesus and present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

"They went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Matthew 2: 9 - 10

This is a great object lesson to illustrate the Christmas story of the wise men following the star of Bethlehem.

It is fun and easy to do with the children. They can take it in turns to try moving a cornflake over the water.

Themes:

The Magi, the (three wise men, the (three) kings, the star of Bethlehem, God's direction

What do you need:

- a strong magnet
- fortified cornflakes (check the label to see how much iron each serving contains—the more the better!) 
- a bowl of water

You can create a magical moment by bringing a stick figure to life.

This is ideal for when you do a talk about:

Easter
As a visual demonstration of the resurrection of Jesus!

Creation 
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2: 7)

The raising of Lazarus  
Rrecounted in the Gospel of John (John 11:1-44), a miracle of Jesus in which Jesus brings Lazarus of Bethany back to life four days after his burial.

The raising of the son of the widow of Nain
Recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus arrived at the village of Nain during the burial ceremony of the son of a widow, and raised the young man from the dead. (Luke 7:11–17)

Being alive in Christ 
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ  (Ephesians 2:5)

Watch the two video's below to discover how you use this great object lesson!

Fun crafts idea

Of course you can also use it as a fun crafts idea, as shown in the video below!

How does it work?

As you can see in the videa all you need is a whiteboard marker and a flat, shiny surface. Use a whiteboard marker to draw a stick figure on a flat, shiny surface and drop a little water on it. Then you'll see the drawing slowly lift off the surface and become one with the watery bubble.

This is because the ink in a whiteboard marker, unlike a permanent marker, includes an oily silicone substance. Because oil sits on top of water so does this ink, which will also move as the puddle moves. By gently blowing on the puddle the stick figure will swish and dance around according to which way you blow on it.

The final product may look like an intricate optical illusion, but the stick figure comes to life thanks to only a whiteboard marker, some water and a shiny surface.

Themes:

The resurrection of Christ, raising of Lazarus, the resurrecrtion of Lazarus, the raising of the widow's son, creation of mankind, being made alive in Christ

What can you do with a ‘water from a stone’ gimmick?

A what??

A nifty ‘water from a stone’ gadget, which enables you to water your plants when you’re on holiday.

You can use it to tell the story of Moses in the desert, during which water came out of the rock! Or you could use it to talk about the words of Jesus: ‘I am the living water’…..

Themes:

Moses and the Israeiltes in the desert, water from the rock, thirst, living water.

Bible verses:

Numbers 20:1-29, Exodus 17:1-7, John 4

Where do I get one?

You can order the ‘water from a stone’ here

A cool science experiment with hydrogel beads about how we as Christians can be on fire for God by being filled by the Holy Spirit. 

In Ephesians 5:18 Paul writes: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” 

In this object lesson we’re going to use hydrogel beads and a hot frying pan to demonstrate to children that we as Christians can be on fire for God by asking Him to fill us with His Spirit.

Themes:

The coming of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, being filled with the Spirit, the power of the Spirit

Download:

You can download a complete worksheet which will help you to do the object lesson and teach on being filled with the Holy Spirit within your Sunday school lesson or kids ministry.

Download the PDF:     'Being filled with the Holy Spirit - an object lesson'

Take your audience around the world with this self working National Flag card trick.

This is a brilliant object lesson / gospel illusion. Ideal for school assemblies - with the opportunity to share facts about different countries - teachers love that!

Perfect for services - the chosen flag leads you seamlessly into dozens of different stories from the Bible.

And best of all the deck does all the work for you - leaving you to focus on your presentation and message. 

A great new productt from my friends at Mission Magic. . 

Do you know if something is alive or lifeless?

A wooden wonder to wow and win over audiences!

You show the children a long wooden stick, jointed at three points. This seemingly simple prop is used to tell many different stories, as the stick is formed into a wide range of clear, recognisable shapes. The pace picks up, as your switch effortlessly from shape to shape – telling entertaining stories, with memorable Gospel messages!

Children in particular respond well to visual aids, and the Story Stick allows you to bring any story to life – using either the x3 included routines OR making up your own stories and shapes!

A great new product from my friends at Mission Magic. 

This is a cool science experiment that you can use in a class room or Sunday school lesson

A rainbow is a symbol of hope. A symbol that God will keep his promises. So any time you are going to talk about hope, God's promises and God's faithfulness you can create this rainbow.

You can also use this experiment to tell the story of Noah and the rainbow.

But personally we also use this to talk about unity -  we are all different, but still one! 

And what do you think about the fruit of the Spirit? So many expressions of the same Spirit in different colours...

Watch the video below:

Any children’s worker can tell the parable of the Prodigal Son using  the Gospel magic trick of the Dean’s Box

For this you can use the Dean’s box magic trick. I bought mine very cheaply through Alibaba Express. The only problem was that it didn’t come with any explanation as to how the trick works. If you choose yours through Alibaba Express you can send me an email and I will send you a video in which I explain how the trick works. It looks great and it is very easy to do!

Ask two children to come forward as volunteers. Give them each a coloured rope to inspect. The yellow rope symbolises the father The red rope symbolises the son The red wooden box symbolises the house of the father.

The father reconciles himself with his son and they are united! The ropes are stuck together.

But how is this possible?

To explain this you need an energy stick from idea 198. You ask your two volunteers to take hold of the silver ending on the energy stick with one hand. Ask if you are allowed to touch their noses and when you do the energy stick will come alive. This will give a laugh. Especially when they are allowed to touch your nose with their other hand. You explain how the energy stick works with a small current of electricity that we cannot see or feel, but flows through us. It connects us. This is the same with Jesus. You cannot see or feel him, but he connects us with God.

Put the ropes back in the box, tie them on the top to the energy stick, pull the ropes and they are back together again. Amazing!

Make sure your two volunteers get a big round of applause before they leave the stage.

Watch the demonstration video

You can see me doing a full demonstration of this story and magic trick in the video below.

Who has ever written a letter? Who has ever received a letter?

What sort of letters were they?

Show a few examples of letters to the children:

- a love letter
- an instruction letter
- a thank you letter
- a reminder of an unpaid bill
- a long letter full of stories

Paul wrote letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, and to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Some scholars believe he also wrote the letter to the Hebrews.

What sort of letter are they do you think?

Themes: 

Letters in the New Testament, The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul,

Setting:

Children's Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, children's ministry, kid's time, children's moment in church, Messy church, youth work

The only object lesson you can do all over the world.

Really excited about this object lesson! Did you know you can use a balancing Soda Can to tell any Bible story about Jesus healing and restoring people? And the great thing is that you can find a Soda Can all over the world. Wherever you are, you can do this object lesson! 

Just think about the four friends and the paralyzed man or about Bartimaeus, the blind beggar.
But also about the story of Zacchaeus and the raising of Lazarus...

In the video below I demonstrate how you can use the balancing Soda Can to tell the Bible story in John 4 of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman near the well. This woman was like a empty Soda Can - totally empty, lying on its side, blown over by life. A woman who knows what it is to be judged by all the full Coke Cans in her village. The men and women who live such nobles lives and who pour their shame on this broken and emptied woman.

But then something amazing happens. Jesus offers her life to the full. He offers her Living Water. And this woman drinks it all. A miracle happens. She is filled with Living Water and suddenly there is a restored balance in her life.

An fun interactive idea to pay attention to Mother's Day during a children's moment in church

On Mother’s Day take a basket of random household objects with you for the children’s moment in the service. Ask a few children to come forward and choose an object. Ask them to give their own mum a compliment based on the object they have chosen.

For example:

- a bread knife – she makes the best sandwiches

- ear phones – she always listens to me

- a clown’s red nose – she makes me laugh

- a children’s book – she reads aloud to me every evening.

A fun final act that will make people leave with a smile on their faces

This is probably one of my favourite magic tricks. I currently use it as an ending to two of my Christian children's theatre shows. I like it because it is so easy, but it always gives a 'wow' effect. 

Take the red umbrella out of the tube. When you open the umbrella you can show that it is a normal one. You close the umbrella and put it back into the tube. Now show eight different coloured silks to the audience. Then put them into a bag, and suddenly the bag changes into the top of the umbrella and all the silks have disappeared. Pick up the tube and pull the umbrella out. Now the top has been disappeared and instead of the top, the eight silks are hanging on the umbrella.

In your Christmas show you use this trick to answer the question: Who is welcome in the stable? Who can find a place of refuge with Jesus?

Watch the video:

In the video below I will show you how you can use this amazing act during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson.

You can buy your copy of the Magic Umbrella Deluxe through the site of Dynamite Magic.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this! It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

A spectacular act that is so easy to do it will surprise you!

The following act is all about the Magi arriving at the stable and giving their presents to Joseph and Mary. It is educational, fun and spectacular with some magic fire at the end of the act. And you know what? You can do this too. It is so easy...

The Magi arrived in Bethlehem and saw Jesus. They worshipped him and give him their presents. To demonstrate the giving of these three presents you use The Incredible Kettle and pour water in the first glass. Somewhere during the pouring the water turns red.

Who knows what the red present was? Incense!

Now you pour the second glass and to your surprise the water turns yellow. This yellow water is a symbol for the second present: gold!

And the third present?

Again you pour water in a glass. This time the water turns green: myrrh!

After pouring the water you lift off the lid, reach in and pull out a long (and bone dry) rainbow streamer! This streamer is a demonstration of the celebration in the stable.

To create a spectacular moment, take a piece of flash paper and light it! This will create a real flame in the air. The boys especially will love this!

You can finish this act with a dove pan and a large sponge cake. 

Watch the video:

In the video below I will show you how you can use this amazing act during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this! It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

Use the puzzle piece of the presents to introduce the story line of the Magi.

After completing the several different acts about the shepherds. take the fourth piece of the puzzle out of the folder. It's a picture of a present. You can talk about all the different presents that we hope to get at Christmas. Put this picture on the board and you are ready to start the following act: introducing the Magi.

Use the picture of the present to talk about the Magi who brought their own presents for Jesus: gold, incense and myrrh. It is important to ignore the hole in the middle of the puzzle. Just act like you haven't seen it and don't mention it yet!

This fourth piece of the puzzle helps you introduce the story of the Magi and their presents.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In idea 289 I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show

Any children’s worker can tell this story using the Gospel magic trick of the Joker Tube / Stratosphere

Ask a child to come forward as a volunteer and show him/her the Joker Tube and asks if he knows what order the colours are in a traffic light. Red at the top, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom. The child gives you the coloured balls and you put them in the right order into the tube. Then you start telling the story...

"Joseph and Mary have travelled a long way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s busy. Lots of people have come to register. Joseph looks at Mary. He knows that she can give birth any moment soon. It’s important for him to find an inn where they can stay.

He knocks on the door of the first inn he comes across. “Hello, do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look questioningly at the child and the child says ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up.

Joseph is confused. How can this happen? Mary trusted God. He trusted God and now there is no place for them to stay. No place where the son of God can be born? Joseph doesn’t understand. How is this possible?

Take the three balls out of the tube and put them back again in the right order.

Joseph starts to worry a little now. Quickly he rushes to the next inn. He knocks on the door of the second inn. “Hello, my wife is pregnant. Do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look again questioningly at the child and the child says again ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up again for the second time.

Joseph starts to panic. How can this happen? Will God desert them? Is God not to be trusted?

Take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: yellow first, then red and then lastly green.

Joseph knows he has one more opportunity. The last inn in Bethlehem. He runs as fast as he can and knocks at the door. “Hello, my wife can give birth any moment now. Please, please, do you have a room for us? Have mercy!”

You look questioningly at the child for the last time and the child says ‘no’ for the third time. You lift the covering of the tube and this time there are two red lights in your traffic light and the green light has disappeared. You’ll hear the amazement from your public and you use this amazement to focus on Joseph’s amazement.

How is this possible? Why has God deserted them? Why? It wasn’t easy for Joseph to marry a pregnant Mary. Everyone in the village had spoken of their shame. But he did it, because he trusted God and now this. How can it be?

And then someone, we don’t know who, shows love and compassion to Joseph and Mary. God does care for them. Someone has a place for them in a stable.

You take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: In the stable is some straw: the yellow ball. There is a small manger: the red ball and some blankets: another red ball.

That night Joseph and Mary discover that they can trust God. He does take care of them. That the night the traffic light in Bethlehem turns...

You lift the cover away from the tube.

Green!! Green for Joseph and Mary. Green for us all."

Tthank the child who helped you and make sure he/she gets a round of applause. Then go straight into the end of the Cut and Restore trick and ask the girl who took care of your rope and knot to come forward and demonstrate the birth of Jesus Christ this way. Immanuel - God coming down to earth.

To demonstrate this you keep the rope vertical and move your hand down from the top to the bottom. When you reach the knot half way down the rope you move the knot down as you keep talking about God coming down from heaven.

Ask the girl to open her hands and slowly let the knot drop into her hands. Jesus is born in the stable and I ask her to take care of Jesus. She can keep the knot as a symbol of Jesus being born. Before she leaves the stage make sure she gets a around of applause.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

Watch the demonstration video

You can see me doing a full demonstration of this story and magic trick in the video below.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this Gospel magic trick. It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

Use the puzzle piece of the candle to introduce the story line of Joseph and Mary 

After your own act about trusting using slush powder it is time to take the second piece of the puzzle out of the folder. It's a picture of a candle.

Put the second picture on the board; you can use the candle to talk about the dark times that the people of Israel were living in. Hundreds of years ago God had made a promise that the people walking in darkness would see a great light, but they couldn’t see anything yet. God still seemed very far away. The Romans were an occupying force that used brutal force to suppress the Israelites. There was lots of poverty. It was a dark time to be living in.

This second piece of the puzzle helps you to introduce the story of Mary’s meeting with the angel. 

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In idea 289 I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show

Any children’s or Sunday school worker can do this! You don’t have to be a professional to do this show!

You can start your Christmas show with the presentation of the Christmas Puzzle.  In total the show lasts about an hour, but of course you can make the show longer or shorter if you want. You can use a sketchboard / wooden board and velcro to stick the pieces of the puzzle onto the board.

Tell the children that the postman came to bring a parcel that didn’t fit through the post box, so he had to ring on your doorbell. You don’t know what is in the parcel. That’s exciting! Let’s have a look.

Take out the first piece of the puzzle. It's a picture of a Christmas tree. Put the first picture on the board and you are ready to start with your first act on the theme of trust.

In my case this is a ventriloquist act with my puppet Harry, but I have created another easier act for you.

The five pieces of the puzzle provide the main story line within the Christmas show. It helps you to tell all the individual stories and to combine them into one big story.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In this idea I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show.

Living life to the full, because Jesus restores the balance in your life

In John chapter 4 Jesus meets the Samaritan woman near the well. This woman was like a empty Coke can - totally empty, lying on its side, blown over by life. A woman who knows what it is to be judged by all the full Coke cans in her village. The men and women who live such nobles lives, who pour shame on this broken and emptied woman.

But then something amazing happens. Jesus offers her life to the full. He offers her living water. And the woman drinks it in. A miracle happens. The woman is filled with water and suddenly there is a restored balance in her life.

What are the traits of a good shepherd?

Children are going to practice with being a shepherd by taking care of a Faunarium with snails in it.

What do you need:

- a small faunarium
- wet earth
- small dish of water
- a few garden snails

What do you do:

We bought a small faunarium through Amazon. We placed a layer of wet earth on the bottom of the faunarium and a small dish of water. I found 3 or 4 snails in our garden with their shells on. These snails can temporarily live in the faunarium. Make sure they get some chalk and some lettuce or other vegetation.

The children can take in turn the faunarium home for a week to take care of the snails. They only need some fresh water and some vegetables. In this way the children can practice being a shepherd.

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Psalm 23 and the Bible passage in John 10: 11-18 on Jesus being the Good Shepherd.

This creative activity will help the children in your Sunday school lesson, youth ministry, Bible lesson, VBS, kidmin, children’s church or children’s ministry to reflect on this powerful Bible passage.

Themes:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the church as a flock

Create an unforgettable experiment for your Sunday school class

Did you know that you can create the most beautiful colour effects, even a rainbow, in a bowl of milk? The only things you need for this is a bowl of milk, different colours of food colouring (liquid) and a drop of washing up liquid.

This is not just a really fun craft, it is also a cool science experiment that will appeal to both the girls and the boys in your Sunday school class or your children’s ministry.

You can combine this experiment with several Bible stories or Christian themes:

The story of creation - creating something that is beautiful  (Genesis 1)
The story of Noah and the rainbow – creating a rainbow in the milk (Genesis 9:8-17)
The story of the Bethlehem star – creating a star in the milk (Matthew 2: 1-12)|
The theme of light conquering darkness – this works really well if you use lots of dark colours in the milk.
The theme of the cross – maybe it is an accident, but most of the effects in the video below change into a cross.

Demonstrating the love of God through a melting heart of ice

How can we demonstrate the power of Gods love to our children in the church or within our family? How can we make something so beyond our understanding visual and tactile during a Sunday school lesson or as visual aid during a sermon? God's love is so amazing. Can we help our children and teenagers to experience a little bit of it?

Maybe you can use the melting heart of ice.

Discover more below...

It is very easy to do. You take a large silicone heart mould, fill it with chicken wire, add water and leave it in the freezer for 48 hours. After two days you take it out of the freezer and you got yourself an heart of ice.  You attach a wire to it, hang it from the ceiling and place a container underneath. 

During a Sunday school lesson, a sermon or during family meeting at home a you create a moment of silence. Hopefully the only thing you'll hear is the water dripping down from the heart of ice into the container.

This melting heart of ice is a brilliantly simple illustration to show that God’s love can melt the hardest of hearts. His love can break through to the hardest hearts. And God's tears are like the drops of water  that flow from this heart. 

Use it as a creative prayer opportunity

It is important not only to show this melting heart of ice, but also to give everyone the opportunity to feel this melting heart for themselves. We all know someone who is in great need of God's love. As you touch this melting heart of ice and as you feel the drops of water you can pray for this person. Maybe it is you. Then you can pray for yourself or ask someone else to pray for you.  

Something that any Christian children's or youth worker can do

In the video below we will demonstrate how you can tell any Bible story that contains a problem and a solution with this cool science experiment. As you can see in the video, it is slightly different from idea 248. 

If you click on the following links, iodine, ironing spray, and sodium thiosulfate, you will automatically be linked to a site where you can order these products. 

Themes:

Iodine and sodium thiosulfate reaction, miracles, any Bible with a problem that needs to be solved

Watch the video below:

Probably one of the best object lessons of all time

We think that this toy is maybe one of the best object lessons of all time. You can buy it for a few dollars or pounds on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk

It works very simply.

Invite a few children to come forward. Ask them to stand in a circle and hold hands. Take the energy stick in your right hand and take the hand of the child on your left. Leave the circle 'open' by not taking the hand of the child on your right. Then ask the child on your right to also take hold of the other end (the silver end) of the energy stick. When they do this, something amazing happens. Lights go on and you hear a funny noise. What's happening?

There is a small current that you don’t feel and that you can’t see. This current flows through the whole circle as long as everyone is holding hands. It connects through the circle of hands to the other side of the energy stick and then the electrical circuit is complete.

But how can use this in different ways within your kids ministry?

Multiple uses within Christian ministry

Some of the teaching points that you can make using the energy stick are...
- the importance and power of unity
- everybody belongs to the group
- everybody is important
- if one part of the body suffers, we all suffer
- the power of the Holy Spirit
- the existence of God
- God’s amazing love that flows through us

There is hope to be found in the names of God

In this video we use the rainbow of snow experiment to illustrate to children the wonderful names of God.

This video is part of a series of seven which demonstrate the different stories and themes you can illustrate with the rainbow of snow.

The complete series covers the following themes:

Idea 162.  Demonstration video with links to webshops
Idea 163.  Rainbow of snow – the promises of God
Idea 164.  Rainbow of snow – the story of the Jesus calming the storm
Idea 165.  Rainbow of snow – the names of Jesus
Idea 166.  Rainbow of snow – the diversity of the church
Idea 167.  Rainbow of snow – the fruit of the Spirit
Idea 168.  Rainbow of snow – the names of God

(This video was first recorded for the Dutch website. Therefore the audio is not in sync with the video. Our apologies for this.)

How many Biblical truths can you communicate with a rainbow of snow?

Below is a video demonstrating how you can easily make the rainbow of snow yourself.

To do this you need a large pot of Instant Snow (you can order it here) and food colourings (you can order these here).
For safety reasons I have used edible colourings, but you can also use non-edible colourings.

This video is part of a series of seven which demonstrate the different stories and themes you can illustrate with the rainbow of snow.

The complete series covers the following themes:

Idea 162.  Demonstration video with links to webshops
Idea 163.  Rainbow of snow – the promises of God
Idea 164.  Rainbow of snow – the story of the Jesus calming the storm
Idea 165.  Rainbow of snow – the names of Jesus
Idea 166.  Rainbow of snow – the diversity of the church
Idea 167.  Rainbow of snow – the fruit of the Spirit
Idea 168.  Rainbow of snow – the names of God

Introduction:
How many stories about water in the Bible do you know?

- the story of Noah and the water that kept pouring down (Genesis 6)
- the story of Hagar and Ishmael sent away (Genesis 21)
- the story of Eliezer meeting Rebekah at the well (Genesis 24)
- the story of Isaac digging wells (Genesis 26)
- the story of Jacob opening the well for Rachel (Genesis 29)
- the story of the bitter water at Mara (Exodus 15)
- the story of Moses hitting the rock (Exodus 17)
- the story of Moses hitting the rock twice (Numbers 20)
- the story of Elisha healing Jericho's waters (2 Kings 2)
- the story of the healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5)
- the story of Jesus meeting the lady at the well (John 4)
- the story of Jesus healing the paralysed men at the the pool of Bethesda (John 5)
- the promise of the river of life  (Revelation 22)

Did you know that you can tell all thes above stories (and many more) using the Lota Vase? 

In the video below I will show you how I use the Lota Vase to tell some of these stories.

So far I have used the Lota Vase:

Idea 148 - To demonstrate God's unending and overflowing love
Idea 149 - To tell the story of the prophet Elisha and the widow’s oil 
Idea 150 - To teach children on how they can spiritually grow
Idea 151 - To show children the importance of developing their talents
Idea 152 - To tell the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow at Zarephath
Idea 153 - To teach children about Jesus' promise of living water
Idea 154 - To tell any story in the Bible about flowing water

Watch the video:
Underneath I will also show you where you can buy your own version of the Lota Vase.

An ideal object lesson for baptisms

You show a large silver bowl that is empty. When you turn it upside down nothing comes out. When you pick it up again and start tip it up, water will pour out of it!

Something from nothing, liquid from mid-air! This can be repeated again and again, with the vase continually filling with water.

Being able to produce water from nothing time after time makes this trick ideal for telling different Bible stories, such as:

- Moses getting water from a rock (Num 20:11)
- the widow's endless jar of oil  (2 Kings 4:4)
- Jesus being baptised (Matt 3:13). 

It is an ideal object lesson for baptisms.

You can also colour the water with red food dye and use it to symbolise the blood of Jesus that was shed for all.

Where to buy

You can buy your own sets of Lota Bowls here on Amazon. 

Rocky Raccoon and the ZigZag trick

We are always looking for new ways to tell Bible stories. One of these ways is through the use of Rocky the spring puppet. 

Rocky is very easy to bring him to life. Spring animals are puppets that consist of a large spring covered with fur. You hold the spring raccoon in one hand, moving the head with your thumb and first finger. It gives the animal a very realistic effective, and it's not uncommon for people to mistake it for a live animal!

In the video below we will show you how you use Rocky and the ZigZag trick tol tell the Bible story of Jesus healing the paralysed man who was lowered through a hole in the roof made by his four friends.

Themes: 

Jesus has the power to forgive sins, Jesus forgives sins, Jesus heals the paralysed man, finding new ways to bring people to Jesus, perseverance, don't give up, friendship, Jesus puts us on our feet

Buy your own spring puppet:

There are several places where you can buy your own spring puppet. You can buy them for example on Amazon. 

If you are looking for the ZigZag trick that we use 'to cut Rocky into three parts' have a search on Google.

Use this powerful object lesson to demonstrate what it means to have faith

You take an seemingly empty cup. You fill the cup with water. When you turn the cup upside down, no water comes out.

How can this be? It is not because of the cup, but because of what is in the cup. It is a very easy Gospel magic trick that we will explain below.

Why call it gospel magic, and not just a trick?

Because you can use this trick to explain to children, teenagers and adults what it means to have faith:

You ask a child, teenager or adult to sit on a chair. You fill the cup with water and you promise them that you will turn the cup over above their heads, but that no water will come out. They don't even have to blink their eyes. Can they trust you? It is hard to trust when everything inside you screams the opposite.

This is what faith is. 

You can combine this trick with stories in the Bible where people had to show great faith before the miracle happened.  Stories like the building of the ark, Abram sacrificing his son, Moses in front of the Red Sea, the fall of Jericho, etc, etc.

Themes: 

Trusting, having faith, unbelief, doubt

What do you need:

The stuff that you will need to do this trick is called 'Slush powder' and you can buy it through our friends at Mission Magic or here on Amazon. 

Using a Matryoska doll to teach in your Sunday school lesson

Another beautiful and powerful object lesson. that you can use to explain the Biblical truth of the (Holy) Trinity to children, teenagers and adults.

How do you do this in a way that they can see it and understand it?

Several images to explain the Trinity

Of course you can use the image of an egg: "The Trinity is like an egg. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg."

Or the image of water: "The Trinity is like water. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. Just as water changes forms so too is the Trinity."

Or the image of a three-leaf clover: "The Trinity is a like a three-leaf clover. There are three different cloves that represent the three different persons of the Trinity."

But did you know that you can also use a Matryoshka doll / Russian doll to very easily and visually explain the truth of the Trinity to them?

You can use the Matryoshka doll not only to teach them about the Trinity, but it is also a beautiful example of us being safe in Christ and secure in God the Father.

Watch the video below:

Such an easy, but powerful object lesson

This is a simple object lesson which uses a big pencil to discuss five of the beautiful aspects of living life with God. It will help the children in your Sunday school lesson, youth ministry, Bible lesson, VBS, kidmin, children’s church or children’s ministry to reflect on this following themes: outside / inside, God’s leadership, God’s correcting presence in our lives, forgiveness, bearing fruit.  

What do you need:

- a big pencil

What do you do:

There are a lot of things a pencil can teach you. You will need a large pencil.

1. There is a hand that directs the pencil:
   Just as a pencil, we only are able to create the most beautiful things when directed by someone’s hand, Gods hand. Thankfully, God wants nothing more but to hold us and lead us.
   
   
2. A pencil needs to be sharpened:
   God wants to sharpen us. With his Spirit he wants to work in our life and shape us more and more into his image.
   
   
3. A pencil trace can be erased:
   When we make a mistake and do things we regret, we can ask God to forgive us and he will erase all our sins.
   
   
4. A pencil is all about the inside:
   There is black lead inside the pencil. In the Bible (1 Samuel 16:7) there is a text that states that where people look at outward appearance, God looks at the core, the heart. He knows that our real purpose and talent lies on the inside, just like a pencil.
   
   
5. A pencil leaves a trace:
   If we lay our lives in Gods hand, our life will leave an incredible trace. Through us, God can create the most beautiful picture of himself.

        Source: Paolo Coelha (2009) Like a river. Amsterdam Singel Pockets.

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Jonah waits in vain for the destruction of Nineveh

Jonah has finally done what God asked of him. After he got spat out by the huge fish, he went to the town of Nineveh. He told the people in the city that God would destroy the city unless they repented, and then he went to sit on a hill just outside the city to watch the show. He’s quite looking forward to it - what a show it’s going to be!

In the meantime in the city of Nineveh, the inhabitants are repenting. God sees this, and spares the city.

Jonah doesn’t realise this, and waits....and waits.....and waits..
It’s getting too hot. But what’s this?

During the night God makes a large bush grow, so that Jonah can sit under it.
What a blessing! But what’s this?

During the night God sends a worm that eats the bush and causes it to die.
Jonah is furious!

And then he gets the lesson.....

Themes:

Jonah is waiting for the destruction of Nineveh, Jonah and the miracle tree, God sent a worm, Gods goodness and compassion

Video:

In the video below we show you how you can illustrate this story using the worm mix.

Before you try this yourself, it’s helpful to watch the introduction video in which we show you how to prepare the worm mix.

Most of these ideas are members only. To give you an indication of the quality and content of our material we have made a number of ideas available for free - see below.

To get access all the ideas you can become a memberfor only $25 per year. Click on the button on the right for more information.