A little mouse with big floppy ears sits in a glass cage in a pet store. He tries to get the attention of shoppers, but they either laugh at him or don't see him. Eventually he manages to get the attention of a boy with headphones on. Turns out that the boy under the headphones has the same kind of floppy ears as the mouse. They have found each other.

View the idea below...

Why does this film fit in with today's Bible story?

Our Bible story today is about the question, "What do you do with your talents?" This mouse uses all his talents to get the attention of the prospective buyer. He does not give up, but continues to persevere and eventually receives his reward.

Important questions:

It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:
- do I want to show this to the children?
- does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?

If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:

Lift the book

Supplies:
- bar of Toblerone
- wooden ruler
- book
- peanuts
- tape
- scissors
- toilet rolls
- balloons

Do:
Show the children a bar of Toblerone, a slat, and a heavy book.

Ask:
How can you lift this book with this ruler?

By using the bar of Toblerone as a lever you can do this.

Tell:
Today we're talking about using and growing your talents. we're going to watch a video about a mouse who tries to shoot a peanut, not a book. Will he succeed?

Ask:
How would you shoot a peanut?

Do:
Divide the children into small groups. Give each group a toilet roll, scissors, tape and a balloon. Have them make a peanut shooter out of this.

Ask:
How far can they shoot the peanut?

Do:
Divide the Toblerone among the children. You will need several bars with a large group!

Watch the video 'Mouse for sale' together

Make sure that you download the video on your laptop or pc before you show it to the children / teenagers. If you rely on the wifi in the premises, there is chance that the internet connection won't work.

You can download any YouTube video using:

www.safefrom.net
www.keepvid.com

Weakness or strength?

Tell:
The mouse was ashamed of his big ears, but these ears were his talents. With these ears he could attract the attention of the boy with the headphones. And precisely because of his big ears he was chosen. Sometimes our weaknesses may actually be our talents.

Ask:
- Who has ever experienced that you thought you were not good at something and you turned out to be good at it?
- How can you discover where your talents lie?