252 Groups
252® Groups
Group Experiences for K-5th Grades
Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.
Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world.
Used by permission of Biblica.
Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®,
NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Statement of Faith
ABOUT GOD
God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so
everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is
righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s
at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.
ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable,
and authoritative.
ABOUT PEOPLE
People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls
short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has
sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants
an intimate relationship with each of us.
ABOUT SALVATION
That’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and
rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus
and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to
God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into
God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.
User Agreement
Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees
to tailor 252 Basics® materials to fit their unique leadership requirements,
locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However,
if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories,
learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles
and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal
guidelines we’ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources
are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing
entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by
other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this
material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US
copyright laws. ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. 252
Basics® and the 252 Basics® logo are trademarks of Orange and the
reThink Group.
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
Chief Executive Officer
Reggie Joiner
Creative Team
Kristen Ivy
Mike Clear
Elloa Davis
Elizabeth Hansen
Jessica McKee
Brandon O’Dell
Greg Payne
Phil Pierce
Dan Scott
Jon Williams
Contributing Writers
Sharon Carey
Kristy Hecht
Emily Meredith
Kelly Nishi
Julie Tiemann
Mike Tiemann
Editors
Elloa Davis
Dana Wilkerson
Illustrations & Graphic Design
Brian Bascle
Mike Davis
Joe Goode
Technical & Web Support
Hadley Brandt
Orange Specialists
Amy Grisham
Joy Bowen
Abbey Carr
Amy Fenton
Becky Kizer
Misty Phillips
Stephanie Porter
Courtney Templeton
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
1
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
Don’t Have a Cow
Bible Story: Don’t Have a Cow (golden calf) • Exodus 32:1-35
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, think about what’s true.
Memory Verse: “Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the LORD.” Psalm
27:14, NIrV
Life App: Patience—waiting until later for what you want now.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
GET READY
Prepare ahead of time for 2nd–3rd grade Small Groups this week:
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)
Early Arriver
 An offering container
 1-2 decks of playing cards (can be UNO® cards or Crazy 8’s)
 Spoons; 1 less spoon than number of kids in the Small Group
Truth About Cows
 Print the “Cow Fun Fact Cards” Activity Pages
 Painter’s tape
Catch On: Make the Connection (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)
* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. Activity #3 is particularly good
for children who need to move in order to stay engaged.
Picture the Story (application activity / review the Bible story)
 Print the “Story Cards” Activity Pages
Truth About God (application activity)
 Bible
 Painter’s tape
 White board with erasable marker (or butcher paper and marker)
Prayer
 White board with the review list of God’s truths from the “Truth About God” activity
Additional Resources:
 Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent CUE cards.
 Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent
CUE app. To find out more about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
2
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between PATIENCE and God’s character,
as shown through God’s One Big Story
There’s a phrase we say a lot in 252 Basics—it’s one of our three basics truths: “I can trust God no
matter what.”
This week, we’re discovering:
For week 2, we head over to Exodus 32:1-35 and find the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. Instead
of obeying God and waiting for Moses to come down off the mountain, the entire nation of Israel grew
impatient. They built a golden calf and began to worship it instead of worshiping God. Their lack of
patience had some severe consequences.
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, think about what’s true. It’s easier to wait when you
remember all the times God has helped you before. You can trust Him, knowing that He’ll help you wait.
Our memory verse is Psalm 27:14. “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the
Lord!” (NIrV) When having patience seems too difficult, the Lord will give us strength to wait.
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
3
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
Don’t Have a Cow
Bible Story: Don’t Have a Cow (golden calf) • Exodus 32:1-35
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, think about what’s true.
Memory Verse: “Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the LORD.” Psalm
27:14, NIrV
Life App: Patience—waiting until later for what you want now.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray that God would help kids know and remember what’s true about Him: that He
cares for us, that He loves us, that He would never leave us. Ask God to use these characteristics
about Himself to teach kids that they can have patience as they wait because they know God is with
them.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: An offering container, playing cards, spoons
What You Do:
Invite kids to put their offerings in the offering container as they arrive. The kids will play the card game
Spoons. To play, have the kids sit in a circle and place the spoons in the center (one less spoon than
number of kids playing). Shuffle the cards and deal four to each kid. Set the rest of the deck in front of
the dealer. The object is to get four of a kind in your hand, but you can never be holding more than four
cards. The dealer picks up a card and if he wants it, he puts it in his hand and discards a card,
facedown, to the kid on his left. If she doesn’t want it, she simply passes the card facedown to the next
kid. Cards are picked up and passed quickly around the table until someone gets four of a kind. When
someone gets four of a kind, he grabs a spoon from the center. Once a spoon has been grabbed,
everyone should try to grab a spoon. The player left without a spoon gets a letter in the word “WAIT.”
The person with the least number of letters when your time runs out wins. If someone receives enough
letters to spell “WAIT,” he is out of the game.
2. Truth About Cows
What You Need: “Cow Fun Fact Cards” Activity Page, painter’s tape
What You Do:
Make a line with tape on the floor and have the kids stand on it. Fan out the “Cow Fun Fact Cards” in
your hand and have a kid select a card. Read the True/False statement and show the picture to the
kids. If they think the statement is true, they jump in front of the line and moo like a cow, and if they
think it is false, they jump behind the line.
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
4
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
The answers to the True/False questions are:
 The color red makes cows angry. True or false? (False: The color red doesn’t make bulls
angry. In fact, cows are red-green colorblind! In bullfights, it’s the motion of the cape that
draws the bull’s attention, not the color.)
 Male baby cows are called heifers. True or false? (False: They are called calves.)
 Cows can live more than 20 years. True or false? (True)
 A cow was a passenger on an airplane. True or false? (True: The first cow to fly in an
airplane was Elm Farm Ollie in February 1930. Incidentally, she was also the first cow to be
milked on an airplane.)
 The average domestic cow sleeps only about four hours a day. True or false? (True)
 Cows have horrible sense of smell. True or false? (False: Cows can smell up to six miles
away.)
 A cow drinks only a gallon of water a day. T or F? (False: A cow can drink about 30-50
gallons of water a day. That is about how much a bathtub holds.)
 All cows are females. True or false? (True: Males are called bulls or steers.)
 Cows must lie down to sleep. True or false? (False: Cows can sleep standing up)
What You Say:
“Cows certainly are amazing creatures, and we learned a lot about what is and isn’t true about cows.
[Transition] Let’s head to Large Group to see what cows have to do with our Bible story today.”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
5
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
* 1. Picture the Story (review the Bible story)
What You Need: “Story Cards” Activity Pages
What You Do:
Have the kids sit in a circle and place the story cards in the center of the circle. As a group, put the
cards in order. As you do so, discuss each of the events shown in a picture. Example questions for
discussion are listed below for each of the cards. If you have time, feel free to use the cards for a game
of charades. The actors in your group can select a card, act it out silently, and see if the group can
guess what card the actors are portraying.
1. Card #1 – Moses on the mountain with the tablets: Who went to the mountain with Moses
but stayed at the mountain base? (Joshua) What was written on the tablets Moses was
carrying? (God’s laws; the 10 Commandments)
2. Card #2 – Illustration indicating the passing of time: How long did the Israelites have to wait
for Moses’ return? (40 days) What is patience? (Waiting until later for what you want now)
Did the Israelites show patience? (No)
3. Card #3 – Angry people yelling at Aaron: Why are the people angry? (They are tired of
waiting; they wanted a god and they wanted it NOW)
4. Card #4 – Golden calf: What was the calf made of? (Gold jewelry collected from the
Israelites) Why did Aaron make the calf? (Because he was scared of what the people would
do, because he forgot all that God had done for them, etc.)
5. Card #5 – Aaron holding the calf above his head and the people dancing: Why are the
people dancing? (Because they are worshipping the golden calf; they replaced God with a
silly statue)
6. Card #6 – Moses with the tablets crushed on the ground: Why did Moses throw the tablets
on the ground? (Moses was angry because the Israelites had given up on God)
7. Card #7 – Golden calf engulfed in flames: Why is the calf in the fire? (Moses ordered the
calf to be destroyed)
8. Card #8 – People drinking with disgusted looks on their faces: What are the people
drinking? (The calf was ground up into powder and put in water, and Moses made the
people drink the water)
What You Say:
“You did a great job remembering the story. The Israelites and Aaron had a really hard time being
patient and waiting for Moses. They lost hope and forgot about everything that God had done for them.
Too bad they didn’t remember our memory verse for the month. Can anyone tell me what it is? (Pause
for responses.) That is right! [Apply] We need to wait on the Lord and not lose hope. We must
remember to think about what’s true. We can trust God no matter what, because He is always
there for us, even when we are tired of waiting. [Impress] When you think you can’t wait, think
about what’s true.”
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
6
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
2. Truth About God (application activity)
What You Need: Painter’s tape, Bible, white board and erasable marker (or butcher paper and marker)
What You Do:
Just like in the Plug In activity, the kids are going to play a True/False game. However, instead of
learning the truth about cows, they will learn some truths about God. Make a line with painter’s tape on
the floor and have the kids stand on it. Read one of the statements below, and if the kids think the
statement is true, they jump in front of the line, and if they think the statement is false, they jump behind
the line. After the kids answer either true or false, read the passage from the Bible to determine if the
statement is a truth about God.
Note: Be sure to read the verse directly from the Bible. It may help to bookmark the verses before Small
Group time. The verses below are from the NIrV.







Jesus is with you always, even when it is hard to wait for what you want now! True or false?
(True: Matthew 28:20 – “And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.”)
God is strong! True or false? (True: Jeremiah 50:34 – “But I am strong and will save them. My
name is The LORD Who Rules Over All.”)
God is perfect. True or false? (True: 2 Samuel 22:31 – “God’s way is perfect. The word of the
LORD doesn’t have any flaws.”)
You should trust God no matter what, except when the situation totally doesn’t make sense to
you. True or false? (False: Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding.” There will be times when the decisions made by your parents,
coaches, teachers, etc. require you to wait and the waiting doesn’t make sense. Sometimes you
have to just trust God and not depend on your own understanding.)
You can talk to God about ANYTHING! True or false? (True: 1 Peter 5:7 – “Turn all your worries
over to him. He cares about you.” Psalm 68:19 – “Give praise to the Lord. Give praise to God
our Savior. He carries our heavy loads day after day.” God cares about you so much that He
wants to hear about everything you want to tell Him. He wants to you to tell Him what scares
you or makes you super nervous, the things you love and make you happy, your favorite TV
show, and what is going on with your friends and family. He wants you to tell Him everything.)
God loves only those who believe in Him. True or false? (False: John 3:16 – “God loved the
world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but
will have eternal life.” God loves the WORLD; He loves everybody! When we are trying to be
patient and friends are driving us nuts, it is so important to remember this truth. Jesus died for
the world, because God loved the world!)
God always answers prayers with a yes or a no. True or false? (False: Think about our memory
verse, Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the LORD.”
While we want an immediate answer to prayer, sometimes God answers our prayer by asking
us to wait. For the times we don’t want to wait for what we want now, it is so important to
remember our memory verse and wait for the Lord.)
Review the truths by writing them on a whiteboard or butcher paper:
 He is always with us
 He is strong
 He is perfect
 We can trust Him no matter what
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7
252 Groups



March 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 2-3
We can talk to Him about anything
He loves the world
He asks us to wait
Note: Keep this review list to use in the Prayer activity.
[Make It Personal] Share a Bible verse with the kids that helps you remember God’s truth.
Maybe it is one of the verses in the lesson.
What You Say:
[Apply] “When you think you can’t wait, it is important to think about what’s true, and what God
says is ALWAYS true! Reading the Bible and memorizing what God tells us is an important way
to learn about His truth and when we know what God says, it will help us be patient and wait for
His plan for our life. [Impress] When you think you can’t wait, think about what’s true.”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: The review list of God’s truths from the “Truth About God” activity
What You Do:
Read the list of God’s truths from the “Truth About God” activity. Tell the kids that you are going to pray
some of these truths.
What You Say:
“God, You are perfect. There is nothing stronger than You! Your love is so great! You love and care
about everyone in the world. We are so thankful You are always there for us, and we can trust You no
matter what. We know that You always hear us. Help us remember that when there are times we’re
having a hard time waiting, we can think about what is true about You and trust You to help us get
through the time of waiting. In Jesus’ name, amen.
[Apply] “When you need the strength to wait on God, pray to Him! Think about all the things He
has done, and thank Him for those things. [Impress] When you think you can’t wait, think about
what’s true.”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up.
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8