In this Columbus Day themed Sunday school activity, a fun race will have students huffing and puffing to get boats to their “New World” as explorers of God’s will.
Sunday School Activity: Race to the New World
Materials Needed:
- 3 foam blocks
- 3 toothpicks,
- adhesive paper,
- large plastic tub
- water, scissors
- waterproof markers
Object of this Sunday school activity:
Have students race their versions of Columbus’ boats to see who can get to the New World first.
Introduction (teacher’s words):
In the fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus set sail with three boats called The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria, in search of the New World. It was a lot of work for him and his crews to find what they believed was God’s will for them.
Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and do a little huffing and puffing, and maybe we’ll see what it’s like to be explorers of God’s will for us!
Sunday School Activity Preparation:
1. Place strips of adhesive paper around the top edge of the plastic tub until the first five inches are covered.
2. Label one side “OLD WORLD” and the opposite side “NEW WORLD”. Cut the adhesive paper into small rectangles about six centimeters in width and four centimeters in length.
3. Fill the plastic tub with water about five inches below the top edge.
Sunday School Activity Instructions:
1. If possible, divide the class into three teams.
2. Hand each team a foam block and name each team after one of Columbus’ boats; The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria.
3. Take a toothpick and stick it upright into the foam block.
4. To attach the sail, stick the toothpick to the center of the adhesive paper.
5. Have each team designate a captain or if necessary, pick them yourself. Tell the three captains to kneel beside the plastic tub on the OLD WORLD side and to place their boats in the water.
6. Have them blow on their boat’s sails to make the boat sail across the water.
Whichever boat makes it to the NEW WORLD side first, wins. Repeat race with different captains if desired.
Closing (teacher’s words):
The Bible tells us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)”. Sometimes it’s not easy to discover your mission from God. You’ll have to huff and puff at times, but as Psalm 32:6 says about Him, “Let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not overtake him.”
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