Marshmallow Madness - Follow Jesus

Marshmallow Madness – 6 Week Series

OUTLINE

Week 1—GOD MADE ME SPECIAL
Key Point: God has a great design for your life.

Week 2—BUILDING ON THE RIGHT FOUNDATION
Key Point: Build your life on Jesus.

Week 3—RUN AWAY
Key Point: Keep sin out of your life.

Week 4—LISTEN UP
Key Point: Listen to God; He listens to you

Week 5—ANSWER THE CALL
Key Point: God’s Got a Call for Us All.

Week 6—GO!
Key Point: Share Jesus with those you know.

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 1—GOD MADE ME SPECIAL

YOU WILL NEED: Large marshmallows, lots of toothpicks and marshmallows of all sizes, including huge ones for the Get-To-Know You Toss, if they are available.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Set out everything that you’ll need for today’s lesson.
 There are several verses to share today. Have these already marked in your Bible because you’re going to need as much time as you can get today.
 Make sure you have enough marshmallows. Always have some extras for your kids to eat while you tie in the spiritual points.

Get Started

Get-To-Know-You Toss
Have your group sit in a circle. Say your name and then toss a large marshmallow to someone else. They will say their name and toss it to another person who hasn’t yet said their name. Continue until everyone has had a turn. Do it again in the same order. Then try to speed it up to see how fast your group can do it.

Read Psalm 147:4-5 from your Bible.

SAY: God counts the stars and knows them by name. His understanding is unlimited. He is almighty and He also knows your name. That’s how special you are to Him. He created you for a reason and today we’re going to create something too.

Marshmallow Sculptures
Using toothpicks and both large and small marshmallows see who can come up with the most creative sculpture. Give each student an opportunity to show and explain their creation to the class. Praise something about each kids creation and especially for any kind of spiritual application.

ASK: What is something that God cannot do? (Let the kids guess—Most will say that He can do anything, which is true but this is a play on words.)

SAY: God cannot make a mistake and God didn’t make a mistake when He made you. God made you special and God doesn’t make junk.

Read 1 Peter 2:9 from your Bible.

ASK: Who does this say you are?

SAY: You are chosen; royal; part of a priesthood—that’s means you are a minister before God, a holy nation, you are a person for God’s own possession—This IS who you are in Christ. This isn’t what you try to become. This is what you became the moment you were saved—a part of God’s family.

SAY: God made you special and has a special design, a special plan just for you.

Call up a volunteer to represent Jeremiah. Lead all the kids to say, “Hi, Jeremiah.”

Jeremiah was a prophet of God but listen to what God told him:

Read Jeremiah 1:5 from your Bible but first tell the kids that every time you say the word “I”, that’s God talking and for them to say, “That’s God!”

SAY: God had plans for Jeremiah’s life even before he was born and even before you were born, God had great plans for your life too. Follow Jesus in every way and you won’t miss a thing that He has designed for you.

If you have extra time…
Play the Get-to-Know-You Toss game again.

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 2—BUILDING ON THE RIGHT FOUNDATION

YOU WILL NEED: Lots of marshmallows—at least two bags per student and at least 20 toothpicks per student.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Make sure you have enough marshmallows. Always have some extras for your kids to eat while you tie in the spiritual points.

Get Started

Forehead Stack
Form your group into a couple of small teams. Have one team member lie down. The others will attempt to build the tallest tower possible on his or her forehead.

ASK : Why do you think your towers had trouble standing? (Because they were being built on a bad foundation. Nobody’s forehead is a great place for building anything. Plus, people tend to move and wiggle.)

SAY: If you are going to build a house, you must first lay the right foundation.
Then you build upon it, one step at a time. Did you know that 2 Peter 1:4-8 gives a list of Christian qualities that build upon one another? Of course, you must first have the right foundation, Jesus Christ.

ASK: What do you think I mean when I say that Jesus Christ is the right foundation?

SAY: Last week I told you that God has great plans for your life. Those plans begin with you accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. (This would be a great place for you to share your own salvation testimony, but keep it short and to the point of how Jesus “saved” you.) Then, once you have given your life to Christ, knowing God doesn’t stop there. You get to walk with Him and get to know Him better every day and He will build His life and into yours. Listen to these building blocks…

Read 2 Peter 1:4-8. The New Living Translation gives a good reading of these verses for kids:

So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)

ASK: What are some of the qualities that are mentioned here?

ASK: Are there any of these characteristics that you think are hard to have? Any that are easy?

SAY: These are almost like steps, like one thing leading to another, but always growing more like Jesus and building on Him as your foundation for life.

Tall Towers
SAY: We’re going to see who can build the tallest tower—This time using a solid foundation (by using tables or building on the floor). We’re also going to use some tools to help us. Not only can you use marshmallows but toothpicks as well.

ASK: God has given us tools to help us know Him better too. What are some of these tools? (The Bible, parents, church, godly friends, etc.)

Let the students work as individuals or in small groups to build the tallest towers possible. Quickly they will realize that the taller they go, the stronger and bigger their foundation needs to be. The same is true in life. You have to be strongly connected to Jesus to grow and do the great things He has planned for you.

ASK: What are ways you can keep growing closer to God? What tools can help you? How strong do you feel your foundation with Jesus is?

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 3—RUN AWAY

YOU WILL NEED: Marshmallows, marshmallows, marshmallows! At least one bag per student of either large or small; a box or container; a piece of tape dividing the “Push Away” game sides. This only needs to be as long as half your group on each side lined up.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Make sure everything is set out and ready and the verses in your Bible are marked and ready to read.

Get Started
SAY: Everybody repeat after me: “Keep sin (kids repeat) / out of (kids repeat) / your life!” (kids repeat)

ASK: What is sin? (Doing anything that is wrong?)

ASK: What are some examples of sin that you see at school?

Today I want you to remember…Repeat after me: “Keep sin (kids repeat) / out of (kids repeat) / your life!” (kids repeat)

Best Tooth Award
SAY: By taking a bite out of a large marshmallow, you can make it look like a tooth.

Let your students each have a turn at making a tooth. Have fun praising each and if you want, give a “Best Tooth Award,” and of course, what do they win…a bag of marshmallows (of a special flavor)…or you could just give them one big marshmallow. Have fun with this. You might even give the “winner” a tiny marshmallow instead, just for the fun of it.

Make sure that the kids don’t eat their “marshmallow teeth.” Instead ask your student to put all their marshmallow teeth into a box or container. You’ll need them again in a minute.

SAY: Let’s talk about someone who would like to sink his teeth into you…

Read 1 Peter 5:8-9 from your Bible

SAY: The devil is looking for someone to “devour.”

ASK: What do you think this means? (That the devil is looking for people who will fall for his tricks, who will fall into sin and temptation.)

SAY: Everybody repeat after me: “Keep sin (kids repeat) / out of (kids repeat) / your life!” (kids repeat)

Push Away
Divide your students into two teams. Using a piece of tape, create a boundary between the two teams. Instruct your students to sit down on their side of the line facing those on the opposite team, leaving only a couple of feet between the two teams. Pour out several bags of marshmallows between them. When you say go, they will try to push (not throw) the marshmallows onto the other team’s side. At the end of one minute, whichever side has the least marshmallows is the winning team.

ASK: What are things that God wants us to keep away from?

Read 2 Timothy 2:22 from your Bible.

SAY: Everybody repeat after me: “Keep sin (kids repeat) / out of (kids repeat) / your life!” (kids repeat)

ASK: So how can you resist the devil? How can you overcome temptation?

SAY: It begins by a simple decision that you want to follow Jesus and that He is more important to you than anything else. Then you can trust God’s Word and have confidence that God will give you the strength you need to fight against sin and keep it out of your life.

SAY: A while ago, you put your “marshmallow teeth” creations in this box (or container). Do you think you could pick yours out?

Let the kids try to pick out their “teeth.”

ASK: Are you sure that you’ve chosen the right marshmallow? Are you so sure that you would be willing to eat it? (Tell them not to do this—after all, they’ve been in a box!)

SAY: There’s a lot of things in life that you might not be so sure about, but with God you can have total confidence. His Word is true and His promises last forever. He is with you and He’ll never leave you, and if you follow Him, He’ll give you the strength you need to overcome sin and temptation. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

If you have extra time…

(1) Read Colossians 3:8-10 from your Bible. Discuss things that God wants them to keep out of their lives and then…

(2) Play the “Push Away” game again or talk about characters in the Bible who showed total confidence in God instead of giving into sin (great examples: Daniel facing the lion’s den; Shadrack, Meshack and Abindego facing the fiery furnace).

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 4—LISTEN UP

YOU WILL NEED: Yes, more marshmallows! A marker that will write on marshmallows; one blindfold for every two students; one small Zip-Lock bag for each student.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Pour a hundred or two hundred marshmallows in an area of the room. Leave enough room to walk through them but scatter them as if creating a mine-field.

Get Started

Let each student write his or her name on a marshmallow as they enter the room. Toss the named marshmallows in a box. You’ll need these later in the lesson.

Mine Field
Pour out hundreds of large marshmallows in an area. Have each student find a partner. One of them will be blindfolded and the other one, without physically touching them, will verbally guide them through the minefield of marshmallows. One touch to a marshmallow and the team is out.

(Option for Younger Children—Don’t pair the kids up. Instead, let each of them have a turn with you guiding them from the end of the marshmallow mine field.

SAY: Last week we talked about how God wants you to push sin out of your life.

Read Proverbs 4:20-27 from your Bible.

SAY: This passage begins with a “Listen closely” statement and ends by instructing the individual not to stray to the right or to the left. In other words, stay on the right path.

ASK—What are some ways that people stray from God? (They don’t listen to God; they don’t follow His Word; etc.)

ASK—What can you do to help keep yourself on the right path?

If none of the kids mention prayer, drop some hints or just come right out and say it, “Prayer is one way to keep close to God.”

ASK—How can you help others stay on the right path?

SAY: Prayer is one way you can help others and this week we’re going to give you a chance to pray for each other.

Grab the box that has the marshmallows with names on them in it. Let each student take turns pulling one out. (NOTE: Give each student a Zip-lock bag in which to put their marshmallow-prayer reminder.)

SAY—Put this marshmallow somewhere you will see it this week and every time you see it, pray for the person whose name is on it. Pray for them, even if you don’t know them well. God knows who they are and what is going on in their lives.

KEY: This week listen closely to how God want you to live and stay on His path. Then talk to God about your own life as well as your marshmallow prayer-partners for the week.

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 5— ANSWER THE CALL

YOU WILL NEED: Marshmallows…a candle, something to light the candle, a plastic fork for each student and one metal fork; a sling shot and a target.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Have everything you need laid out for today’s lesson.
 Have a lighter in a safe place where children can’t get to it but you can when you need it.
 Have a target ready for the “Target Practice” game.

Get Started
SAY: Anytime I say, “God’s Got a Call…”, I want you to say, “For us all!” Let’s try it: Leader: “God’s Got a Call…”/ Kids: “For us all!”

Do this a few times, then SAY: God has great plans for your life—just like I have some plans for these big marshmallows. In a moment we’re going to cook-up a few and eat them but first I want to use a marshmallow and this candle to tell you a story:

Burn, Baby, Burn
Put a large marshmallow on a fork and hold it over a regular household candle. It will ignited and begin to quickly burn black. (NOTE: This is an illustration to be shown to your students, not in which to have them participate.)

SAY: The fire immediately changed the marshmallow. And if I left it in the fire, it would eventually turn totally black and burn. It would be “consumed.” That’s what was so amazing about the burning bush that Moses saw in the wilderness—The Bible says that Moses went over and looked at it because it burned but it wasn’t consumed. In other words, it burned but it never burned up because it wasn’t burning on its own resources. It’s burning depended on God. Many people get “burned-out” in life but when you live a life that completely depends on God, He gives you the strength you need to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

Cook up some marshmallows for your student. Use the metal fork to cook the marshmallows and let each student pull if off by using their plastic fork.

SAY: Leader: “God’s Got a Call…”/ Kids: “For us all!”

SAY: God called Moses to a specific mission. This was part of God’s plan for Moses his whole life. It was part of what he was created for and God has created you for a reason too. He has great plans for your life and those plans begin by you giving your life to Jesus.

While you’re talking, take a marshmallow and put it in the flame. Let it burn and burn until it’s a ruined black mess.

SAY: Sometimes people let things come into their lives that don’t belong. Just like I left this marshmallow in the fire too long and now it’s ruined, they end up with ruined lives. It’s impossible for me to fix this marshmallow. It’ll go in the trash. It would take a miracle for it to become white and good-tasting again. And it took a miracle for us to be forgiven, to know Jesus, to have eternal life and to be able to know for sure that we’ll go to heaven someday.

SAY: If you’re not sure that you’d go to heaven or you have questions about it, I want you to know that you can talk to any of our leaders today about how you can have Jesus in your life.

SAY: You see, our problem is sin. Let me show you what sin is like:

Target Practice
Let your kids take turns shooting large marshmallows from a sling-shot at a target drawn on a marker board or a bucket turned on its side, sitting on a chair, etc.

SAY: Sometimes we hit the target and sometimes we missed. But in life, we’ve all missed the target of God’s perfection.

ASK: Are any of us as perfect as God?

SAY: No, because we’ve all sinned.

Read Romans 3:23 from your Bible.

SAY: And because we’ve sinned, none of us deserve to know God or to go to heaven. But that’s why God sent Jesus.

Have students hold out one hand.

SAY: On the one hand, we’ve all done wrong things. None of us are perfect and none of us deserve to go to heaven.

Have students hold out the other hand.

SAY: On the other hand, God loves you so much that He sent Jesus, His one and only Son, to die in your place, to take the punishment for your bad things, to make a way for you to be forgiven and to spend eternity with God.

SAY: If you ever have any questions about this, please talk to one of our leaders.

SAY: Leader: “God’s Got a Call…”/ Kids: “For us all!”

SAY: And that call begins by giving your life to Jesus.

Pray that your students will give their lives to Jesus when the time is right and that those who are already saved will follow Jesus every day.

(NOTE: While presenting the plan of salvation, DO NOT ever lead your class in a group prayer. Always deal with children one-on-one and if you don’t have time to talk with someone who has questions about salvation, take them to the children’s office or another leader who is ready to share Christ.)

Marshmallow Madness
WEEK 6—GO!

YOU WILL NEED: Two pans of Jell-O with the same number of large marshmallows in each; a floor covering; and some paper towels

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
 Make sure that everything is ready for the “Beautiful Are the Feet” illustration.

Get Started
Beautiful Are the Feet
Reveal your pans of Jell-O with large marshmallows inside. Call up a volunteer for each pan and have them sit in a chair and remove their shoes and socks. (NOTE: You will want to have laid down some sort of floor covering such as a painter’s sheet.) When you say go, using only their toes, they will try to remove from the pan and set aside as many marshmallows as they can.

When the competition is done, have them remain sitting in their chairs with dirty feet…

SAY: God wants all of us to have “beautiful feet.” Let me explain what I mean…

Read Romans 10:14-15 from your Bible.

SAY: So when I say that God wants us all to have “beautiful feet,” I’m really saying that God wants us all to take the Good News of how Jesus saves to other people.

Let your volunteers wipe their feet and go to the bathroom to get cleaned up if necessary. While they are gone tell your kids how much you’ve enjoyed being with them over the past six weeks and…

ASK: What is your favorite marshmallow activity that we’ve done?

ASK: What is one thing we’ve talked about that you remember or that helped you?

Then, as your volunteers return, continue with the lesson…

ASK: What are some ways you can share Jesus with others?

SAY: You can share Jesus through your words but also through your actions. When you put others ahead of yourself, it shows the kind of love that comes from God.

Explain to your students the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet in John 13:5-20. He, who was Lord, became the servant of all and took the place of the lowliest servant by washing the disciples’ dirty feet. When we show this same kind of love and servant-like kindness through our actions, it shows people that there is something different about us…and what is different is that we know Jesus.

ASK: Who is someone this week you can tell about Jesus by serving or helping them in some way?

ASK: Who is someone this week you can tell about Jesus and what He means to you?

If you have extra time…
Give each student a large marshmallow. Have them bite in half and stick it to their foreheads and see whose marshmallow can stay stuck the longest. You can do this more than once, then tie in the following point:

SAY: Our desire through Marshmallow Madness was not just to have fun with sweets but to help you know and follow Jesus. These marshmallows won’t stick to your forehead forever but we want you to always stick to Jesus—Stick to following Him, growing closer to Him, knowing Him, and sharing Him.