Shadows

Scripture: 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn God wants us to pray to him when we have problems.
  • Students will learn God can cause miraculous things to happen.
  • Students will learn pride can cause problems for us and for others.
  • Students will learn what makes shadows move.

Guiding Question: Why is regular prayer important in our relationship with God?

Materials: Dark room, flashlight, objects to move

Procedure: Explain to them, God does not always send us signs (like He did Hezekiah) to prove He will say “yes”, “no” or “wait” to our prayers. Rather, the sign we receive is the answer itself. Explain to students the importance of regular prayer. Tell them sometimes we forget we have prayed to God about something, because the answer to our prayers may not be immediate. When we get our answer, we may even forget to thank God for answering our prayers. (If time allows, it is good to review that when God answers “no” or “wait” we have to trust Him – even if we don’t particularly like the answer.)

Introduce the activity. Tell the students they are going to learn what makes shadows move. To create a shadow, turn off the lights in the room and close curtains. Shine a flashlight on an object and show that a shadow moves when the light moves (moving the flashlight) or when an object moves (moving the object as the light shines on it). Tell the students that if the sun is the light source, the shadow always moves in the same direction every day. For the shadow to go backwards as in the story, it would have been a miracle.

Additional Questions: How can students track shadows?

Supplemental Activity: Have students create a sundial by using a paper plate and taping a pencil sticking up through the center of the plate. Then have them take their sundials outside to see how they show the shadow.

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