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» Wisdom
Bird Brain
Tell Aesop’s fable about the crow.
A crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a pitcher of water and tried to stick his beak in it to get the water. Since there was only a little water left in the pitcher and he couldn’t reach it, he wondered how to get the water. Finally a thought came to him and he took a pebble and dropped it into the water – then another and another and another. Over and over he dropped pebbles into the pitcher until at last he saw the water rise to the top and he was able to quench his thirst and save his life. (Moral: Little by little does the trick.)
You may think of the owl as a wise creature but a crow is considered to be very intelligent.
Did you know…
that the crow has the largest brain relative to body size of any bird?
that crows can communicate well – they can mimic the sounds of other animals and they learn to associate noises with events, especially with distribution of food?
that they can learn to make and use tools – a biologist reported how crows used twigs to dig out insects from trees and then saved the twigs to be used again?
Ask:
What is wisdom? (it is knowing the right thing and applying it – doing it)
David said in Psalm 119:72 that God’s law was better than riches.
How could God’s laws be better than lots of money? (it helps you know how to live, how to get to heaven, how to get along with others, how to be happy, how to please God, etc.)
Rock School
Play “rock school” while waiting (to have the tires rotated or while someone finishes choir practice or just about anywhere). All you need is a small rock or coin. Every one starts at the same spot – in kindergarten. (This is especially great to play on stairs as they can move one step each time.) Each time put the rock in one hand (behind your back so they can’t see) and let the first person guess which hand holds the rock. If he guesses correctly, he moves to the next “grade.” If he misses, he stays in the same “grade” and the next person gets a turn. Take turns guessing and moving until someone graduates (from sixth grade or the grade you set as the final one).
Going to school is supposed to help you learn to be wise. You learn facts to make you smarter and you learn other skills – like how to get along with others and how to act in certain situations. You want to keep learning God’s ways so you will be wise.
Choices
Play choices. Stand in the middle of the room and tell the kids you will give them two choices. They will go and stand on the side of the room to indicate their choices.
(If you like _______, go the left side, pointing to the left. If you like ________, go the right side, pointing to the right.)
pepperoni or cheese pizza
chocolate or vanilla ice cream
playing video games or board games
riding your bike or cleaning your room
vacation at beach or the mountains
singing or drawing
math or history
Say something like this:
Some choices in life don’t really matter – like if you eat chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Many choices do matter. We all need God’s wisdom to make good choices. Where do you find God’s wisdom? (in the Bible) Proverbs is a book in the Bible written by Solomon, one of the wisest men to live.
Read some Proverbs about wisdom. (Some good ones are Proverbs 1:5, 14:16, 15:20, 17:28, and 21:20)
Knowing and Doing Right
The Bible story is about the ten young ladies--five had oil in their lamps (to be able to see where they were going) and five had none so they were not ready. The first five were wise. They made a wise choice to get the oil and be ready when the bridegroom came for them.
Wisdom is knowing what is right and doing it. The first five were wise; they knew what to do and they did it.
Ask:
• Why do you think the other five were not ready? (maybe they thought they had plenty of time, maybe they were lazy, maybe they didn’t care, etc.)
• Can anyone share about a time when you were not diligent and ready? (Be willing to share your unwise mistakes, if appropriate. Maybe you missed a deadline because you put off working on a project; maybe you missed a chance to share about Jesus; maybe you were worried or unhappy because you did not believe God’s Word.)
Fire Drill
Plan a fire drill. Reassure the kids that the smoke alarms work, but it is important to be ready in case of a fire. Practice getting to the nearest exit from different places in the house. It is wise to be prepared and ready in case of a fire.
Ask:
How can we be wise and prepared for Jesus’ return? (invite Jesus into our hearts, do the right things, tell others about Him, etc.)
Read 1John 2:28 (And now, little children, abide in him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.)
We can have confidence (and be glad) at His coming if we are doing the right things. We don’t need to be ashamed unless we are doing wrong things.
Daily Proverb
King Solomon is called the wisest man who ever lived. He recorded many proverbs in the Bible. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs just as there are 31 days in many months. Read the chapter aloud after dinner that corresponds with the day of the month. (For example, on May 18, read the 18th chapter of Proverbs.) Ask your kids to listen and find one wise saying.
