This Object Lesson - Spinning Through Life - uses a paperclip and pencil to grab kids’ attention and gets them thinking about how God walks with us as we experience the ups and downs of life.
Click the image to watch. Runtime: 2:48
This time, our object lesson gives your learners the opportunity to consider situations good and bad and how Jesus is there for us in any circumstance.
Best for Upper Elementary through High School ages.
Suggested Scriptures: Isaiah 26:4; 43:1-3. Philippians 4:6. John 14:27. Philippians 4: 12-13.
The Object Lesson: Hold up a paperclip. Let everyone see it. Say something like this: “Paperclips are common in our world. People use them every day in their work or at school. And together with a pencil, a paperclip makes a great game spinner. Flick the paperclip to make it spin around the point of the pencil. Where it stops may be a good game move or a bad one: Jump Ahead Three Spaces; Lose Turn; Start Over. You get whatever the spin gives you, good or bad.
“As we go through our lives, we can face each challenge and circumstance alone without God, or we can let Him walk with us through the twists and turns of living. Christians go through all the good and bad things nonbelievers do, but we have the sure knowledge that our Lord is in control of any and all circumstances and that He will make sure we make it safely to heaven no matter what happens to us here on earth. If ever you feel like your life is spinning out of control, remember the lesson of the paperclip, and know that God is there for you. Make trusting Him your habit in good times and bad times.”
Activity Page: Spinning Through My Life. Give each small group a copy of the spinner activity page and a paperclip and pencil. The playing instructions are on that page. Encourage the kids to talk about ways a person’s faith in Jesus would impact the sadness, happiness, anger, love and fear represented by the five emojiis. This discussion can be in small groups during the activity or with the entire class after the activity.
To download our free PDF lesson plan, click HERE.
And if you have a Windows computer in your classroom...
In the demonstration video you’ll see an animation of the Activity Page spinner in action. If you have a Windows laptop or Windows PC hooked up to a screen your class can view, you can download and install our spinner. We call these educational computer apps Watchables.
The spinner is very easy to use. It’s available free HERE.
How to install the Spinner Watchable: Because Watchables are coded in gaming software that kicks out each Watchable as an .exe file, Windows Defender will likely show a warning. Click the "More info" notice on their window; that allows you to download anyway. Installation from there is super straightforward and only takes a few seconds. During installation, we recommend you choose "Desktop shortcut" and uncheck "Start menu shortcuts" (because these are to be used in a classroom situation, we recommend you choose to place the run icon on your desktop screen to be easy to find). The Watchables are lightweight and run on any Windows computer. Illustrated instructions HERE.