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A Baby by the River
Theme:
God's care and protection -- Proper 16 (21) Yr. A
Object:
Several baby items (bottle, blanket, sleeper, pacifier, etc)
Scripture:When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became
her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." Exodus
2:10 (NIV) Read Exodus 2:1-10
There are few things that bring more happiness than the birth of a new baby. For weeks before
the baby is born, the preparations are made. The parents make sure the baby will have
everything it needs. They buy clothes, baby bottles, little blankets to keep the baby warm, soft,
fuzzy pajamas for the baby to sleep in. After the baby is born, care is taken to make sure that
the baby has everything it needs to grow into a strong and healthy child. Good parents will do
everything they can to keep their baby safe.
Our Bible story today is about a little baby boy who was born in a very dangerous time. We will
see the amazing things his mother did to keep him safe and make sure he had every
opportunity to grow, learn, and have the best of everything in his life.
There was a new King in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph and how he and his people had
helped save the people of Egypt from starving to death. All he knew was that the Israelites were
very stong, and that they were growing in number, He was afraid that they were going to take
over his country.
"We must do something to keep the Israelites from becoming moreso numerous and so
powerful," the king declared. So he made them work very hard to try to crush their spirit. He
thought that if he made them work very hard, they would just give up. But the harder he made
them work,the stronger they became and the more their numbers increased.
Finally, the king issued a command to all of his people: "Take every newborn Hebrew boy and
throw him into the Nile River, but let the girls live."
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During this time, a woman had a baby boy. When she saw what a fine, handsome baby he was,
she hid him for three months.
As the baby got older, she couldn't hide him any longer, so she made a basket of tall grass and
covered it all over with tar to make it watertight. Then she put the baby in it and hid it in the tall
grass at the edge of the river. The baby's sister stood some distance away to watch and see
what would happen to him.
A little later the king's daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her servants walked
along the bank. Suddenly she noticed the basket in the tall grass and sent a slave girl to see
what was in it.
The princess looked in the basket and saw a baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for
him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
The baby's sister asked her, "Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"
"Please do," she answered. So the girl went and brought the baby's own mother. The princess
told the woman, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So she took the
baby and nursed him.
Later, when the child was old enough, she took the boy and gave him to the king's daughter,
who adopted him as her own son. She said to herself, "I pulled him out of the water, and so I
name him Moses."
What an amazing story of a mother's love for her child. We all know how Moses grew to be one
of the greatest leaders the people of Israel has ever known. And it all started with a little baby
hidden in the bulrushes down by the river.
Father, just as the mother of Moses watched over her son and protected him, you love and care
for your children. We thank you for your love and protection. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Group Activities (Crafts, games, songs, etc.)
Coloring Page
Crossword Puzzle
Decoder Puzzle
Word Search Puzzle
Worship Bulletin (MS Word)
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* Younger children may also read from The Beginner’s Bible, pp.92-97.
Interactive Group Activities
by Carol Williams
Sermon Title: "A Baby By the River"
Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10
MOSES LESSON: In all of the games today that use dolls, make sure to call the dolls,
"MOSES."
BABY RELAY: Divide children into teams and run relays to a small tub of water with a small
baby doll in it. Each team player will take the baby out of the water, dry off with a little
washcloth or small towel, wrap baby in a blanket and place doll baby back in the water for
the next player and run back to the team to tap the next classmate to run the same relay.
PJ RELAY: The children will divide into teams and run a relay to put the doll's pajamas on
the baby as quickly as possible, run the baby doll back to the next team member, who will
run to the table and take the pajamas OFF the doll and lay the doll and pj's back on the table
and run back to the next player who will run to the table and quickly put the pj's back ON
the doll baby. Continue until all the children have had either put the pj's ON or OFF the doll
baby.
WHO IS CRYING: The children can sit in a circle with one blindfolded child in the middle, or
a teacher or leader blindfolded in the middle of the circle. Then the children will take turns
"crying like a baby" for the blindfolded person to guess WHO IS CRYING. Let all children get
a chance to CRY for a blindfolded person. If the blindfolded person guesses who was crying,
then they will change places and continue to play as time allows.
BABY RUN: Children will take turns as teams to find the hidden baby dolls and RUN as
quickly as possible to the hidden baskets, wrap the doll baby and place in the basket and
back to the teacher as fast as they can with the basket and the baby doll.
BABY GUESSING GAME: Place as many baby items on a tray as desired, such as a pacifier,
bottle, baby food jar, spoon, blanket, clothing, etc. Cover the tray until all the children are
sitting in a circle or around a classroom table with paper and colors or pencils. Then show
the tray of items to the children for a few minutes and tell them to try and memorize as
many of the items on the tray, and then take the tray away. The children can either write
the names of the items (older children), or draw small pictures of all the items that they can
remember on the tray. Then give the children a red crayon or pencil to place an X over the
top of all the ones that they see on the tray as the teacher shows them the tray again! See
who remembered the most items. All the rest of the players will make a BABY CRY sound as
the game is over!
CLAY BASKET AND BABY ART: Give children modeling clay or play dough to form a basket
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and a baby to put inside the basket. If the baskets are big enough, give children a toothpick
to write MOSES on the clay baskets!
BASKET WEAVING: Give children thin strips of colored construction paper and let them
weave the strips of paper over and under the other strips of paper to form a woven mat.
Tape the edges to keep the strips in place and then curve the outside of the woven basket
and tape or staple a small handle to the sides to keep the form of a basket. Children can cut
out a round circle to be a baby's head, and tape a small piece of material to the bottom of
the circle as a blanket to be placed in their woven basket, to represent Moses.
MOSES ACROSTIC: Children can be given a piece of paper and markers with M-O-S-E-S
written down the left side of their paper. Use a different colored crayon or marker for each
letter, and thinking of words that would talk about God's LOVE and PROTECTION for Moses
or for us today.
CRYING CONTEST: Let children cry like a baby after telling today's story or during the story
part. Make sure to have this taped for children to listen to later!!
LOVE AND PROTECTION COLLAGE: Children will each have a large piece of paper, or a
poster board if the class works on this together. The teacher or a child will write in very large
and bright letters -- GOD'S LOVE AND PROTECTION in the middle of a circle on the paper.
Then children will draw or write words about God's love and protection for us or for Moses -words that they will think about to describe or show God's love and protection for us.
MUFFIN TIN BASKET: Each child can be given a cupcake/muffin paper/tin and children can
draw a very small picture of a baby (Moses) and color with markers and then tape or glue
the picture onto the bottom of the muffin paper, as Moses in the basket. This can be glued to
a blue colored recipe card and taken home to remember today's story of God's LOVE and
PROTECTION.
HAND COVERINGS: Children can each color a picture of Moses in the river inside a basket.
Then children can trace and cut out their hands out of brown or green construction paper.
Place the cut out hands over the picture of baby Moses and tape or glue the bottom part of
the hands to form the bulrushes in the river.
SING A SONG: MY GOD IS SO BIG
SHARE A SNACK OPTION 1: Each child can be given a teddy graham cracker and a piece
of fruit loop to wrap around as a blanket. The cracker could represent Moses and the flat
piece of fruit loop can be the blanket around baby Moses.
SHARE A SNACK OPTION 2: Wrap each child's snack or treat in a little piece of felt or cloth
pieces, to represent a baby blanket from today's story of Moses. Put a strip of baby inside
the blanket and treat with today's Bible verse on it for the children to remember today's
lesson.
Song: "My God Is So Great" - Traditional
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May be reproduced for Ministry Use
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Exodus 1:8-2:10
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May be reproduced for Ministry Use
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Each number represents a letter of the alphabet.
Substitute the correct letter for the numbers to
reveal the coded words.
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May be reproduced for Ministry Use
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Review Questions
linguistic questions
1. What is a Pharaoh? an Egyptian king
2. What does the name Moses mean? draw out
activity questions
1. Act out Pharaoh's daughter finding Moses.
2. Draw a baby in a basket.
3. Locate the Nile river on a map of Egypt.
emotion questions
1. What feelings led Jochebed to hide Moses for three months? love for
Moses and faith in God.
2. What feelings led Pharaoh's daughter to keep Moses? sympathy,
affection
3. How did Miriam feel when the Egyptians found Moses? probably scared
at first, then glad they would protect him
application questions
1. When God's law conflicts with man's law, who do we obey? (e.g.
Pharaoh's order to kill children vs. God's prohibition of murder). We
obey God.
2. How did God use the "enemy" to save Moses? only someone as
powerful as the Pharaoh's daughter could keep Moses from being killed.
3. How did God reward Jochebed for obeying and trusting in Him? He not
only spared her child, but used him to free the Israelites 80 years later.
fact questions
1. Who was Miriam? Moses' older sister
2. How old was Moses when he was sent down the river? 3 months
3. Who nursed Moses? Jochebed, his mother.
review questions
1. Why did Jochebed hide Moses? no Hebrew baby boys were supposed to
be allowed to live.
2. Why did Jochebed send Moses away? she could not hide (protect) him
any longer.
3. Why did Miriam follow Moses? to see what would happen to him.
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1. Miriam and Baby Moses Craft Stick Figure
What you will need:
Natural Wood Craft Sticks Mini Jumbo Craft Sticks Jumbo Craft Sticks Elmer's Tac 'N Stik
Reusable Adhesive
Card Stock (Heavy Paper) Low Temp Mini Glue Gun, Colored Pencils, and Scissors
How to Make the Craft Stick Dolls:
1. Before class print out the Craft Stick Doll Template (PDF Pattern) and glue craft sticks together to
match the template to make the craft stick body. You can use the regular-sized craft sticks or the
mini jumbo craft sticks for the arms. You will have to cut a jumbo craft stick with scissors to make the
head.
2. Print out the Clothes Patterns (PDF Pattern) onto card stock and cut them out. Cut slits in the
sandals just above the strap by folding the patterns in half lengthwise. Cut out the neck area by
folding the pattern in half lengthwise and then cutting out the triangle. Cut a slit in the head covering
pattern by folding it in half lengthwise and cutting through the fold.
3. To make the baskets cut slits around the outside of the pattern where indicated, and fold back the
tabs. Place glue on the tabs and then place the second pattern on top.
4. To make the baby fold the pattern in half lengthwise and cut the two curved lines. Use the
template on the clothes pattern to cut babies from mini jumbo craft sticks.
5. In class have your children color the patterns and slip them on the craft stick figure. Then have
them draw faces on the craft stick figures. Place the baby in the basket and place hang it on Miriam's
arm.
You can use these figures to act out the story and make the clothes so they can be removed and
replaced by other clothes using Elmer's Tac 'N Stik Reusable Adhesive.
Patterns on next pages
Printed with membership to Danielle’sPlace.com
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Moses in the Bulrushes
From the Kathy Ross book: The Jewish Holiday Craft Book
Here's a fun craft to go along a favorite bible store.
You need:

 Baby Food Jar
Scrap of Blue and Beige Felt
 Brown and Green Pipe Cleaners
 Tacky Glue
 Blue Glue
 Red and Black Permanent Markers
 Masking Tape
 Pompoms
 Scissors
Instructions:
Clean baby food jar. Remove label. Wrap a pipe cleaner around itself to make a tiny
basket about 1" long. Cut a tiny circle from the beige felt to be the head of the baby
Moses. Use the markers to draw a face on the felt circle. Glue the head at one end of
the basket. Cut a tiny blanket from the blue felt. Glue the blanket below the baby's head
over the rest of the inside of the basket.
Squeeze a 1/4" of blue glue over the inside bottom of the jar. Carefully set the baby in
the basket inside the jar on the blue glue. Cut six pieces of green pipe cleaner each
about 2" long. Stand the pieces around the baby basket to look like bulrushes.
Cover the top and sides of the jar lid with masking tape. Cut a circle of blue felt to cover
the cover of jar. Cover the sides and the top of the lid with tacky glue. Glue the blue felt
circle to the top and sides of the lid
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