July’s B.I.G. Theme: Jesus Teaches Us With Stories
July’s B.I.G. Idea: We believe Jesus helps us know about God and understand how God wants us to live.
July’s Bible Verse: God cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, CEV)

Field Trip
Take your child on a field trip around the outside of your house. Look at the foundation of your house. What is it made of? What holds your house together?

Remind your child that Jesus told us a story about building houses (Luke 6:46-49). The house that lasted was the house that was built on something solid.

CraftCenter
Help your child paint a sheep mural to remember that Jesus is like the shepherd who loves and cares for every sheep (Luke 15:1-7). You will need: mural paper, watercolor paints, smocks, markers, cotton balls, and gluesticks.

Let your child use watercolor paints to paint a pasture scene on the mural paper, including grass, a stream of water, rocks, flowers, and trees. You can paint a sheepfold too.

When the paint is dry, glue cotton balls onto the scene to represent sheep.

GameCenter
Explain to your child that opposites are words that mean something completely different from each other. For example, in the Bible story of the two houses that were built on sand and on solid rock (Luke 6:46-49), wise is the opposite of foolish; and solid rock is the opposite of shifting sand.

Call out a word to see if your child can think of the opposite of that word. If your child gets it right, let him or her call out the next word. Here are some examples: light and dark, loud and soft, curvy and straight, and up and down.

GoodNewsCenter
Help your child spread the good news. You will need: white or beige construction paper cut into the shape of a seed, and markers or crayons.

Cut a piece of construction paper into the shape of a seed. Remember that the mustard seed grew and grew, until it became as tall as a tree, and birds came to its branches to build their home there (Matthew 13:31-32). Like the mustard seed, we can help God’s love grow. We can tell others the good news that “God cares for you.”

Help your child write this month’s Bible verse on the seed: “God cares for you.” Have your child turn the seed over and draw a picture of a plant, real or imaginary, on this side of the seed.

Have your child give the good news seed to someone.

BreakfastCenter
You and your child can make this fun breakfast. Instead of making regular pancakes, pour pancake batter into a plastic bag. Snip off one corner of the bag and pour the pancake batter through the hole into the pan. Let your child tell you what shape he or she wants. Does your child want a face, a flower, or a house? 

                                                                        

B.I.G. Theme: Wanted: Heroes for God
B.I.G. Idea: We believe that God will help us have the courage to do hard things.
B.I.G. Bible Verse: Be strong, and let your heart take courage. (Psalm 31:24)

June 6: David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
June 13: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-16, 20, 27)
June 20: The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)
June 27: Esther (Book of Esther)

Fire Safety Tip

Since your child is hearing about fire safety this month, try this experiment. When a fire starts, it creates a lot of smoke, which makes it hard to see where you’re going. And if the fire happens at night, it’s even harder to see.

So, can your child find his or her way out of your house with his or her eyes closed? No peeking allowed! Try the experiment with your child. Can you and your child find your way from the living room to the front door? Now try getting from your bedroom to the back door.

Courage Drawings

When your child is afraid, help your child draw a courage picture to remind him or her to be brave. On a large sheet of paper, have your child draw a picture of what makes him or her afraid. Make sure that the picture shows how God helps your child to be brave. Across the page, help your child write this month’s Bible verse: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage” (Psalm 31:24).

First-Aid Kits

Since burns can be painful injuries, be sure that your church’s first-aid kits have supplies in them for treating burns.

With your child, gather tubes of all-purpose moisturizing gel, burn cream, and aloe vera gel. Give these items to the person in charge of the first-aid kits, who can add the new supplies to the kits.

Remind your child of the story of the three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).

Rice Cereal Blocks

These treats aren’t just for eating. After hearing the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-16, 20, 27), help your child make rice cereal blocks, using the recipe below. Cut the snacks into small rectangles. On a piece of wax paper, let your child use 10 to 12 cereal blocks to build a Wall of Jericho. After building the walls, have your child knock them down and eat them.

3 tbsp. margarine

1 pkg. (10 oz.) regular marshmallows, or 4 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping, unheated

6 cups rice cereal

nonstick cooking spray

Melt the margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat. Add the caramel topping, stirring until well combined. Add the cereal. Stir until well coated.

Coat a 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, press the mixture evenly into the pan. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

Quarter Toss

To play this game, you need two players, plus a quarter and two balls. Here’s how you play:

Face each other on a sidewalk, with a sidewalk crack in between you and your child. Stand the quarter up in the crack. Take turns throwing your ball at the quarter. If someone hits the quarter, he or she gets one point. If someone knocks the quarter out of the crack, he or she gets two points. Play until someone reaches ten points.