Superstar

House lights up during announcements and countdown, then house lights down

Superstar Part 1

Written by John Cosper

Start with a greeting, announcements, and prayer by the VBS Director. Then play the Day 1 Concert video (from your video download).

Included when you buyDay 1 Concert video

Have choreography leaders/dancers run on to the stage as the countdown ends so they’re ready to lead!

The “Day 1 Concert Session” consists of:

After The Ten Commandment Boogie video, dancers run off stage. During the Go Fish greeting, the actors or puppets can prepare to begin the skit.

If possible, decorate the room like Egypt with pyramids, palm trees, sand, Nile River, etc.

K-1 Teachers: Please also use the preschool Bible Study lessons and coloring sheets as additional resources for modifications to this study.

Leader(Have children list some examples of people they think of.)

Those people may be popular and well known to others, but the Bible says that riches and fame do not make someone a star to God. In fact Jesus said in Mark 10:23,

Chances are if someone is rich and famous, they love to hear other people’s praise and are focused on how they look to others. God made us to bring Him praise and wants our focus to be on our relationship with Him.

There is no one who is smarter, more powerful, or more well known than God! He made EVERYTHING and He created you in HIS image.

Today we are going Backstage with the Bible to look at two groups of people. One group was the Egyptians who thought they had everything. The second group were called the Israelites. They were not rich or famous. They were actually slaves to the Egyptians. Even though they didn’t have possessions of their own, they were called God’s chosen people.

Let’s first talk about the Egyptians and what they had.

Leader(Children will look around room and list pharaohs, pyramids, etc)

Egyptians must have been very smart in math and science to build these pyramids. They must have had great teachers! The Bible says Moses, who was raised by the Egyptians, was “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” Acts 7:22

Egypt is located by the Nile River, which provides good soil for farming and raising cattle. They could also fish, grow fruits and vegetables, and hunt many animals that came to the river to drink. Papyrus plants grew there and they could use those to make paper, sandals, baskets, and even small boats.

Now let’s take a look at their slaves, the group of people called the Israelites. They came to Egypt because they had a famine in their land and needed food to raise their families. Egypt had plenty for them so they became slaves to the Egyptians in return for food, and to live in the land. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Exodus 1:8 and read about them. Remember from The Bible Book Bop we sang earlier, that Exodus is the second book of the Bible.

Moses, the man I talked about earlier who was very smart and was raised by the Egyptians, wrote the book of Exodus. He actually wrote the first five books of the Bible!

Has everyone found Exodus 1:8?

LeaderAt this time choose one volunteer to read Exodus 1:8-10 and another volunteer to read Exodus 1:11-14 after the first child finishes. If working with younger children, you will probably want to read the verse and have them follow along in their Bibles. Make sure to read directly from the Bible.

Even though the Israelites didn’t have any of the riches that the Egyptians had, the new king was still afraid of them. The number of Israelites kept growing bigger and bigger. The king, and other kings after him, made their lives miserable and worked the Israelites very hard for over 400 years!

Leader(You can have some of the children share their answer and reasons why. Examples might include that the Egyptians had wealth, plenty of food, and a great education. The Israelites were slaves and treated very poorly.)

I forgot to mention one more thing about each group. Since the Egyptians were rich, smart, and powerful, they didn’t think they needed God. It says in the Bible that although they knew God, they didn’t glorify Him or give thanks to Him. They worshipped other things such as animals, the river, and the sun. God punished them for their unbelief.

However the Israelites believed in God and after 430 years of being treated poorly and having nothing, God freed them from being slaves. He rewarded their families for their faith and hope in Him.

Money, land, and power could not save the Egyptians from God’s punishment. They had to hand over their silver, gold, and clothing to the Israelites. God also gave His chosen people a land of their own. In the end, they came out with great possessions!

Even though it may seem like the rich and famous have everything now, they may not be obeying God. God created you to praise Him and bring Him glory. You probably won’t be popular doing it. But God will remember His people and reward us later in heaven. The rewards He has for us will be much greater than money or fame!

Suggestions for different learning styles

LeaderFor visual learners, it would be helpful to have a group leader or older child create a list on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or easel.

EGYPTIANS

• Smart in math and science
• Great teachers, schools
• Rich
• Good soil for farming
• Plenty of food
• Plants to make paper, baskets, etc.
• Worshipped false gods (add this one later)

ISRAELITES

• Slaves
• Had to work hard
• Lives made bitter
• Used by Egyptians
• Believed in God (add this one later)

LeaderIn order to get the children to move, you may want to have them move to one side of the room if they choose Egyptian and the other side of the room if they choose Israelite. Give them the opportunity to change their mind later and see how many of them switch sides.

LeaderIf time allows, have the children practice looking up the verses and take turns reading them. Leaders can assist the younger ones.

LeaderEnd in prayer

LeaderPrint the Day 1 take-home sheet from your curriculum download.

LeaderPrint the craft template from your curriculum download.

• Genesis 15:13
• Psalm 145:3
• Psalm 145:10
• Isaiah 43:7
• Jeremiah 1:5
• Luke 12:7

In the Bible lesson today, children will hear about how the Israelites needed to move to Egypt because of the famine. They will learn that the Egyptians were wise, rich, and had many resources. Although it seemed like they had everything, they chose not to give praise to God and instead worshiped false gods.

They will also learn that the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians and were mistreated for over 400 years. Despite being treated poorly and having nothing, the Israelites continued to praise God and in return, God blessed them as His chosen people.

The lesson emphasizes that riches and fame do not make someone a superstar to God. God created each person in His own image and our value comes from Him.

Today you learned that God made you in His image and that you are a superstar to Him. One of the verses you might have looked up with your leader is Psalm 145:10 which says,

God delights in the praises of His people. He loves when we sing to Him, read and recite Bible verses, and talk to Him in prayer. Praising God draws us closer to Him.

For our craft today you are going to design your very own concert poster. It will have a picture of you, the superstar, on it and our verse from today. Can anyone tell me what that verse is?

You can hang this concert poster in your room and when you look at it, remember that God made you in His image and loves to hear your praises. When your friends come over and ask about your poster, tell them! Share with them how thankful you are to God for creating you in His image and like no one else!

LeaderCraft leaders: Have fun and be creative with this! Include a variety of props for children to use in their pictures. Hats, feather boas, speakers and microphones will make some very snazzy portraits!

In the Bible lesson today, children will hear about how the Israelites needed to move to Egypt because of the famine. They will learn that the Egyptians were wise, rich, and had many resources. They will also learn that the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians and were mistreated for over 400 years.

Although it seemed like the Egyptians had everything, they chose not to give praise to God and instead worshiped false gods.

Despite being treated poorly and having nothing, the Israelites continued to praise God. In return God blessed them as His chosen people. The lesson emphasizes that riches and fame do not make someone a superstar to God. God created each person in His own image and therefore wants us to live for Him and give Him the glory and praise He deserves.

Today we will make gorp together using some special ingredients. Some items will represent things a rich Egyptian may have eaten like chocolate and dried fruit.

Other items will represent things that the poor Israelites may have eaten. Plain crackers, generic sugar-free cereal, and wheat cereal to remind us of the straw that the Israelites used to mix with mud to make bricks.

Make sure to have the children clean their hands before starting the snack. The adult helpers can either spoon the ingredients for the children or they can scoop their own into the cups. Supply appropriate sized scoops for each item of gorp. Also be sure to check for any allergies in the small groups before serving.

We included the karaoke option because many children finish their snacks early. Karaoke is a great way to fill this extra time and fits perfectly with the concert theme.

All you need is the Backstage with the Bible video download and a TV or screen to play it on. Your Technical Coordinator may be able to help you add a microphone as well, but this isn’t necessary to make this a fun option.

To access the karaoke videos, look for the Karaoke Videos in your Backstage with the Bible video download.

Have fun!

To be the first team to successfully complete the relay race.

Have the children line up in equal teams with the first person from each team standing behind the starting line. On the signal to begin, the first person will run down to the wardrobe closet and grab one article of clothing, put on their concert clothing item, and complete their best dance move in the mirror. They will then turn around and run back to their band. When they high five their band member to go next, they will move to the end of the line. The first team to be wardrobe ready and yell “It’s in the Book, huh” is the winner!

If possible, decorate the room like Egypt with pyramids, palm trees, sand, Nile River, etc.

We suggest having your music download ready to play ‘Superstar’ as the children arrive. Free play with your preschool children until your group has all arrived and is ready to go to the Concert Session along with the elementary age children. We suggest designating an area specifically for free play with toys set out in advance.

Hold the hand mirror in front of your face while saying out loud:

Mirror, Mirror, who do you see? I see ____________ looking at me.

Fill your own name in the blank and then pass the mirror around so that everyone in the group can have a turn.

LeaderIf you have a large number of preschoolers, split up into smaller groups for the sake of time and then join together again as a large group for the Bible Study.

Boys and girls, wasn’t it fun to look in the mirror? Did you see your special face? Did you know that God made you to be His special child? When God looks at you, He sees a superstar!

In our Bible story today we are going to look at another superstar. God had a special plan for this boy before he was even born, just like He has a plan for you!

Raise your hand if you have heard the true Bible story of Moses. Moses was born at a very sad time. A horrible ruler did not want any boys to be born because he was scared that he would be replaced.

However, Moses’ mom was very smart and listened to God. God told her what to do to keep Moses safe from harm. She put baby Moses into a basket that would float on top of the water and placed him into the river.

LeaderAt this time wrap the doll in the blanket and place the baby in the basket. If the room is decorated with the Nile River, place the basket by the river.

Moses had an older sister, Miriam, who kept watch on the basket to make sure Moses was safe. As she was watching him from her hiding place, the ruler’s daughter came to the river to take a bath. It was God’s plan that she would come to the river the same time Moses was floating by!

She found baby Moses in the basket and decided to take care of him. Miriam went to her and asked if she needed help caring for baby Moses. The ruler’s daughter did need help so Miriam ran to get her mom. Not only was baby Moses safe, but he was still able to be with his family!

Since Moses grew up as the adopted son of the ruler, he was very famous and important. He had the best teachers and was very smart. God used this to make Moses the leader of His people.

God wanted Moses to lead His people to a wonderful new land that God had for them. God told Moses what to say. Moses followed God because he knew that God had a plan for him and for his family.

Moses was one of God’s superstars. He made Moses in His image. We are also God’s superstars because we are made in His image too! Just like God had a plan for Moses, God also has a plan for you!

Let’s pray and thank God for making us superstars and for having a special plan for us.

Dear God,

We are so grateful that You made us in Your image. Thank You for making us so special! Thank You for bringing us here together today to learn more about You. I also want to thank You for - insert the children’s names*.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Leader*Preschoolers love to hear their name. It is a simple thing to do to make them feel special!

Ingredients Needed:

Additional Items Needed:

Today we are going to make a snack, called gorp, using some special ingredients. Some items will be things the Egyptians would have eaten. Remember they had smart teachers and were rich. They may have eaten expensive things like chocolate and dried fruit.

The other items in our snack are what Moses’ family would have eaten. They were the ones the ruler wanted to hurt. They were the Israelites and they did not have any money. They worked hard for the ruler and Egyptians. Plain crackers, generic sugar-free cereal, and wheat cereal remind us of the straw that the Israelites used to mix with mud to make bricks.

LeaderMake sure to have the children clean their hands before starting the snack. The adult helpers can either spoon the ingredients for the children or they can scoop their own into the cups. Supply appropriate sized scoops for each item of gorp. Also be sure to check for any allergies in the small groups before serving.

LeaderPrint the preschool craft template from your curriculum download.

Today you learned that God made you in His image and that you are a superstar to Him. God delights in the praises of His people. He loves when we sing to Him, read and recite Bible verses, and talk to Him in prayer. Praising God draws us closer to Him.

For our craft today you are going to design your very own concert poster. It will have a picture of you, the superstar, on it and our verse from today.

You can hang this concert poster in your room and when you look at it, remember that God made you in His image and loves to hear your praises. When your friends come over and ask about your poster, tell them! Share with them how thankful you are to God for creating you in His image and like no one else!

LeaderLeaders: Have fun and be creative with this! Include a variety of props for children to use in their pictures. Hats, feather boas, speakers, microphones, etc will make some very snazzy portraits!

Items Needed for Each Team:

Objective: To be the first team to successfully complete the relay race.

Instructions: Have the children line up in equal teams with the first person from each team standing behind the starting line. On the signal to begin, the first person will run down to the laundry basket and grab one article of clothing from the basket to add to their wardrobe. The preschooler will put on their concert clothes and run back to their band. When they high five their band member to go next, they will move to the end of the line. The first team to be wardrobe ready wins!

LeaderPrint the Day 1 coloring sheet from your curriculum download.

How many pens do you have lying around your house? Your parents probably have a bunch in different places like the office, the kitchen, and the bedroom. Pens like these are cheap. You can buy lots of them for only a few dollars.

Did you know that you could buy a pen - one pen - that costs over a hundred dollars? It's true! You can get pens in gold, silver, platinum, or other precious metals.

A fancy pen might write better than a regular pen for a while but what happens to that fancy pen when you run out of ink? It's no longer good for anything, is it? It's a golden, glittering piece of nothing.

Pens remind us that how we look on the outside doesn’t matter. It’s what’s inside that counts. If we know we are made in God’s image and we are important to Him, we can do great work for God! We are His superstar no matter what.