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Something to think about before teaching:We need our daily bread, food, to live physically, however, we need Jesus, the bread of life, to live spiritually. Bread sustains life. Real life is found in a relationship with God which is made possible through Jesus.

constructing: putting together what God says about the name-Bible Story -Crazy Game Time -Imagine the Game Challenge

testing: applying the name-Game Invention Lab -Craft-Game-Bible Memory-Express Yourself -Snack-Trading Cards -Family Time

Each Lesson contains:

discovering: finding out about the name-Guess the Junk-Alex and the Junkyard Gang -Uncovering the Name-Discovering the Verse

Junkyard Gameslesson two: bread of life

Main Point: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the One necessary for us to have spiritual life.

Bible Verse: I am the bread of life. John 6:48

Bible Story: Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand, Jesus Teaching on Bread of Life, John 6

Kids will learn that Jesus not only gives us eternal life, but also gives us real life here on earth. That by daily “eating” of the bread of life, we grow closer to Him and become more like Him.

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discoveringguess the junkSupplies: Bicycle wheel

Preparation: Hide the bicycle wheel in the junkyard or place in a box.

Welcome to the Junkyard. This is where all the things that cannot be used in Imagination Factory ends up. The Junkyard is always open for people to come in and find things that they can take with them and reuse.

I am going to give you three clues about what our junk find of the day is. Let’s see if you can guess what it is. (Either show the box or indicate that the junk item is somewhere among the other junk items.)

Clue #1: It is made of rubber and metal. Clue #2: It is round. Clue #3: It is on something that kids like to ride especially when it is warm outside.

Answer: Bicycle wheel.

alex and the junkyard gangSupplies: bicycle wheel

Alex is holding the bicycle wheel, looking it over for defects. The Junkyard gang enters and stands with arms folded looking at him. Finally one of the members clears her throat. Alex looks up and jumps.

Alex: Junkyard gang! I didn’t see you there. I was deep, deep in thought. About this wheel. Why don’t you all just sit down right there while I tell you about this wheel?

This wheel is extremely important to a bicycle. Without it, the bicycle would be worthless. We need the wheels on the bikes so they move forward. The bicycle wheel is necessary for a bike.

Just think about what life would be like without any wheels. No cars. No bikes. No wagons. No wheelbarrows. Can you imagine what life would be like without the wheel?

Junkyard gang kid: Maybe cars would fly. And bicycles would

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float. Alex: Hm. Maybe. (Scratches his head.) Although we haven’t been able to do that so far so maybe not.

Well, that is my lesson today on wheels. People come in here all the time looking for a spare wheel for their bikes. I’m sure this one won’t last long. Why don’t one of you put this away for me? (He rolls it over to one of the kids.)

(The kids all jump up and form a huddle while someone talks. They start playing “keep away” with the wheel. They form a circle around Alex rolling the wheel back and forth across the circle trying to keep it away from him.)

Alex: What are you doing? This is not nice. Not nice at all. (Tries unsuccessfully to grab the wheel.)

Junkyard gang kid: But Mr. Alex, you are always telling us that there are things we can do in the junkyard if we just use our imagination. So we are using this wheel to play a game. It’s called “Keep it away from Mr. Alex.” Watch out!

Alex: I suppose I did. (He finally grabs the wheel, laughs and puts the wheel away.) But now don’t you kids need to get home and do your homework?

Junkyard gang groans and trudges out of the junkyard.

uncovering the nameSupplies: sign “Bread of Life”, round loaf of bread

Each week our name of Jesus is going to have a symbol to help us remember the meaning of the name. We will look at a picture that has part of the symbol up close. More of the symbol will be shown a little at a time. See if you can guess what the symbol is.

(This can be done by having the kids yell out answers, dividing into two teams with a captain or choosing two kids to play in front of everyone.)

The symbol is a loaf of bread. Our name today is “Bread of Life.” What do you think the sym-bol has to do with the name? (Give the kids an opportunity to guess.)

The first part makes sense. We have a loaf of bread and part of the name is Bread. However,

what does it mean to be the Bread of Life? Bread is sometimes called the staff of life. In many places, bread or a form of bread, is all that people have to keep them alive. Bread sustains life- meaning it keeps living things living.

Jesus, as the Bread of Life, sustains our life, too. He sustains our spiritual life. He gives us life by forgiving our sins and keeps giving us life as we continue to spend time with Him.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the One necessary for us to have spiritual life.

Options: Display: Place the symbol in the display. Make sure to print out the name “Bread of Life.”

discovering the verseRead John 6:48 together:

I am the bread of life. John 6:48

Let’s say the verse again with some motions to help us remember it.

I am (Point to the sky.)The Bread (Cradle a loaf of bread with hands.)Of Life (Hold hands to side with pointer finger pointing in and thumbs up-makes a L. Move the hands up to indicate all of life.)

Constructing Bible StoryJesus Feeding the Five Thousand, Jesus Teaching on Bread of Life, John 6

Supplies: 1 basket (hand held size), 3 fish (plastic or real), 3 individual loaves of bread (or rolls), 2 large baskets

One day Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples. A large crowd had been following Him after seeing Him heal the sick. Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward them. He asked Philip, a disciple, where they could buy bread to feed the crowd. Peter told Jesus that it would take too much money to feed that crowd. Jesus had other plans.

Andrew, another disciple, brought someone to Him that might help. We are going to make a “pic-ture” of what happened next.

(Pick a girl to come up front. Have her hold the basket with 3 fish and 3 loaves. Place two empty bas-kets beside her.)

Let’s see if we can figure out what might be wrong with this picture.

Here we have a girl. She is holding a basket with 3 fish in it and 3 loaves of bread. Next to her are two empty baskets. I will give you a clue. There are four problems with this picture. Can you guess what they are?

Let the kids take turns guessing what the problems are:

Girl: It was a boy.3 fish: There were 2 fish.3 loaves: There were 5 barley loaves. 2 empty baskets: There were 12 baskets full.

A boy brought his meal with him. Five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down. They did. Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. Then, He gave them to those seated. He did the same with the fish. An amazing thing happened. Everyone was fed. When they gathered up the leftovers, it was enough to fill 12 baskets. After Jesus fed the 5000 people, he withdrew to the mountain by himself.

Jesus performed a miracle. Jesus, the Bread of Life, gave bread to the people to satisfy their hunger. Is this what His name Bread of Life means? That He will give us food when we are hungry? When our stomachs are growling? Let’s find out what happens the next day.

The next day, the crowds found that Jesus and the disciples had crossed the sea. So they got into boats and followed Him.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” He was telling them that He realized that they were interested in the food, not so much in who He was. They had missed the signs tell-ing them who Jesus was: the Messiah, the Son of God, the One God had promised them.

They told Jesus that their fathers ate manna in the wilderness. This was bread that fell from the sky while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. God had sent this bread to them so they would be fed. He had taken care of them.

Jesus told them that the Father was giving them true bread from heaven. He was talking about Himself. True bread has a special meaning. It does not mean bread that helps our physical hunger, but rather something that will satisfy our spiritual hunger.

When we hunger after Jesus, the Bread of Life, we are given eternal life. This is the true bread. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever be-lieves in me shall never thirst.”

God sent manna from heaven for the Israelites to satisfy their physical hunger. God sent Je-sus from heaven for all of us to satisfy our spiritual hunger. When we believe in Him, not only are we given eternal life, which means we will live forever with Him in heaven, we are also given a full life here on earth.

We need food for us to live physically. We also need food for us to live spiritually. To live spiritually means the part of us that will live forever- our souls- are nourished and are grow-ing. Every day that we “eat” of the Bread of Life, He helps us to grow stronger. He gives us

strength to go through our day. He helps us to become more like Him.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the One necessary for us to have spiritual life.

PrayerGive the kids an opportunity to pray and ask Jesus to be their Savior. Also, give the kids an opportu-nity to ask Him to “nourish” their spiritual life and help them to grow stronger and more like Him.

crazy game timeSupplies: car tire (optional), 3 hula hoops (embroidery hoops or anything round with the center empty), 3 pool noodles (if using a smaller round object find something that can be thrown through the middle of it)

Divide the kids into two teams. Choose a team captain.

It is now time to play “What Do You DO With an Old Tire?” I have a list of ten things that have been done with old vehicle tires. You will take turns trying to guess what is on the list. You each will have six turns. The team that guesses the most answers from the list wins. The team captain must give an official answer for your team.

Alternate between teams allowing them one guess each time. If they are correct, let them know.

What can you do with old vehicle tires?1. Make a tire swing2. Use it for a planter. 3. Make sandals.4. Use it for bumpers on a boat dock. 5. Make obstacle course.6. Make a sand box (tractor tires).7. Make a belt. 8. Use in an earthship (home made totally out of recycled materials).9. Create a sculpture. 10. Use in a playground to make equipment to play on.

A car tire is necessary for a car to move. The same with a tractor tire or a truck tire. Without it, it is not possible for the vehicle to do what it is made to do.

Jesus is necessary for our spiritual life. We were made to have a relationship with Him. We were made to worship Him and to glorify God. We cannot do what we were created to do with-out the Bread of Life.

We are going to use something similar to tires to play a game. I will need six volunteers. Three of you will be holders and the other three will be throwers.

Give a hula hoop to each holder. Give a pool noodle to each thrower. Have the holders hold the hula hoops to their side at shoulder level. Have the throwers stand about 15 feet (or less depending on age) from the hoop. After each unsuccessful throw, they may move closer. The winner is the person who gets the noodle through the hoop the farthest away.

What were each of you throwing the noodle through? You each had a target. You had a goal that you were working toward.

Right now physically you have a goal to grow taller and stronger. You want to grow into healthy adults. We should also have a goal spiritually. This goal is to grow to be more like Je-sus.

In order to reach out goal of being more like Jesus, we must grow spiritually. We do this by spending time in His word and obeying His word, by talking with Him and listening to Him, and by worshipping Him. Can you think of some other ways we can reach out goal of becoming more like Him?

Remember that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” John 6:48. He sustains our spiritual life. We just need to make sure that we are spending time with Him being nourished.

imagine the game challengeSupplies: various items shaped in a circle (hula hoops, embroidery hoop, wreath, bracelets), duct tape, string

Divide the kids into small groups of 5-6. Divide the supplies between the groups.

Have each team design a game that can be played with the items given. (They do not have to use all the items.) The game should reflect that Jesus is the Bread of Life and necessary for spiritual life.

When they have imagined and created the game, have them play it. They should pre-sent the game to another group and let them play the game. Afterward, they should be able to explain the object lesson behind the game.

testingBread Dough OrnamentSupplies: same supplies from Imagine the Game Challenge

Have the kids work individually to create a game that can be played by themselves. Encourage them to think of a game that would help them to explain to someone the difference between physical and spiritual hunger.

After creating the game, have them play each other’s games and have them explain their meaning to one another.

craft: Bread Dough OrnamentSupplies: white bread, white glue, rolling pin, plastic knives, yarn, sharpened pencil, scissors, ziptop plastic bag

Remove crust from white bread. Tear into pieces and place the pieces in a ziptop plastic bag.

Pour 1 tablespoon white glue into the bag for each slice of bread.

Knead the bag until smooth. Add more bread if sticky. Add more glue if dry.

If needed, knead dough until smooth and easy to mold.

Roll the bread dough out. Using the plastic knife, cut out a loaf or piece of bread. Make a hole at the top of the bread. String the yarn through and make a loop.

Using the pencil carve “Bread of Life” into the dough. Allow to dry.

Games: hula hoop relaySupplies: 2 large hula hoops

Divide into two groups. Have the groups stand shoulder to shoulder and hold hands. Give the hula hoop to the team members on the end of the line. The teams must pass the hula hoop down the line while

holding hands. First team to get the hula hoop down the line wins. Alternative game: Make an obstacle course using hula hoops, real tires or tire inflatables.

Review with the kids how the tire is necessary to different kinds of transportation vehicles. Talk about how Jesus is necessary for our spiritual lives.

bible memoryI am the bread of life. John 6:48

Supplies: resource page of verse, glue, paper, scissors

Divide kids into groups of 3-5.

Kids cut the letters out of the resource page. When complete they place all the letters in a pile up-side down and mix. Each one draws 24 letters without looking. The goal is to arrange the letters on their paper to make the verse. They should work together to trade letters they do not need for ones they do need. It will take cooperation for everyone to be able to complete their verse. Glue letters on the paper.

express yourselfSupplies: Copy of questions for each small group

1. What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?2. How is the Bread of Life different than the manna that came from heaven?3. What does it mean to be spiritually hungry?4. How does Jesus fill our spiritual hunger?5. Why is Jesus necessary for us to have a spiritual life?6. What does it mean to be continuing eating from the Bread of Life? What does that look like for someone to do this? (Think about spending time with Jesus, etc.)

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snack: rolls with flavorSupplies: Rolls in the shape of a loaf of bread (round), butter, different flavor jams, butter knives, plates

Have the kids cut their rolls in half. Have them experiment with different kinds of jam or butter on their roll.

Review what the name Bread of Life means.

trading cardsSupplies: printed card for each child, markers or crayons (optional)

Name: Bread of LifeSymbol: Loaf of bread

Verse: I am the bread of life. John 6:48

Give each child the card. If using the coloring cards, use markers or crayons to decorate them. Go over the verse together and review the symbol.

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Supply List

guess the junk: ☐bicycle wheel

alex and the junkyard gang: ☐bicycle wheel

uncovering the name: ☐sign “Bread of Life” ☐round loaf of bread

bible story: ☐1 basket (hand held size) ☐3 fish (plastic or real) ☐3 individual loaves of bread (or rolls) ☐ 2 large baskets

crazy game time: ☐car tire (optional) ☐3 hula hoops (embroidery hoops or anything round with the center empty) ☐3 pool noodles (if using a smaller round object find something that can be thrown through the middle of it)

imagine the game challenge: ☐various items shaped in a circle (hula hoops, embroidery hoop, wreath, bracelets) ☐duct tape ☐string

the game invention lab: ☐same supplies from Imagine the Game Challenge

craft: ☐white bread ☐white glue ☐rolling pin ☐plastic knives ☐yarn ☐sharpened pencil☐scissors

game: ☐2 large hula hoops

bible memory: ☐resource page of verse ☐glue ☐paper ☐scissors

express yourself: ☐copy of questions for each small group

snack: ☐rolls in the shape of a loaf of bread (round) ☐butter ☐different flavor jams ☐butter knives ☐plates

trading cards: ☐printed card for each child ☐markers or crayons (optional)

Junkyard Games

family discussion:1. What is the difference between being physically hungry and spiritually hungry? Can you give an example from the Bible story today?2. How did God feed the Israelites in the wilderness? How did Jesus feed the five thousand? 3. How does Jesus as the Bread of Life feed us today?

family imaginative thinking:Act out the different ways people in the story were fed. Use Frosted Flakes for the manna, rolls for the feed-ing of the five thousand. What can you use to symbolize Jesus feeding us spiritually?

family game:Make an obstacle course for bicycles. Ride your bikes and end with the obstacle course. Why is the wheel necessary to ride the bike? Talk about how Jesus is necessary for spiritual life.

Main Point: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the One necessary for us to have spiritual life.

Bible Verse: I am the bread of life. John 6:48

Bible Story: Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand, Jesus Teaching on Bread of Life, John 6

express yourself

Supplies: Copy of questions for each small group

1. What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?2. How is the Bread of Life different than the manna that came from heaven?3. What does it mean to be spiritually hungry?4. How does Jesus fill our spiritual hunger?5. Why is Jesus necessary for us to have a spiritual life?6. What does it mean to be continuing eating from the Bread of Life? What does that look like for someone to do this? (Think about spending time with Jesus, etc.)