Materials
A large opaque cloth sack for each group of objects (a dark colored pillow case works fine), and a variety of objects that can be identified by touch. Alternatively you can get dark colored socks or even paper bags for smaller items.
Look through your house and collect a variety of objects. Some possible items you can use:
fruits– apple, orange, banana, grape, plum, nuts, rambutan, star fruit, lemon
office supplies– pencil, stapler, eraser, paperclip, pen, hole punch (avoid sharp items such as thumbtacks and scissors)
stuffed animals / beanie babies– Various stuffed animals you have around the house.
kitchen utensils– butter knife, spoon, fork, egg beater, spatula, ladle (Avoid sharp utensils)
tools– screwdriver, hammer, wrench, file, punch, plyers, level
small hardware– nails, bolts, nuts, washers, hooks, screw
money– various coins, various bank notes, credit cards
jewelry– ring, necklaec, brooch, tie-pin, earring
game pieces– monopoly tokens, poker chips, dominos, chess peice, dice, carrom seeds, marbles, jacks
toys– car, doll, marbles, miniatures
toiletries– soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo
nature– various leaves, stone, twig, flower, sand
sports– golf ball, ping pong ball, tennis ball, golf tee, soccer ball
computer– mouse, diskette, memory chip, keyboard
multimedia– vcr, audio, CD, MD disk, players, earphones
Dinner table items– cup, saucer, bowl, plate, pot, pan
Personal items– wallet, keys, ID card, belt, watch, glasses (use unbreakable ones)
OTHERS?
For added significance, place physical items mentioned in a Biblical story you are going to discuss inside a bag on its own. (For Example you could place gardner’s tools and a vine and branches in a bag when you wish to discuss John 15.)
Activity
1. Place the categories of items in separate bags. Place one item that doesn’t match with the others. (i.e. place an apple in with office supplies) Have youth/children use touch to identify the item that doesn’t belong. Award bonus points for also getting the category correct.
Variation
Place all the items in a single bag. You should have 5-20 items depending on the age of your group and the appropriate difficulty. If you wish to expedite this activity you might prepare several bags of identical items. Without looking inside the bag, have kids touch the items in the bag and then go back and write down all the items. Award kids who get them all correct or the most correct. This can be done as a subsequent activity to the first.
Application
Just as you identified by touch the presence of items that you could not see, we can identify the presence of God in the ways he touches our lives. Many times he uses other people to touch our lives. Even today, you may not see Jesus, but you know he is there and has other people to take care of you.
This document is a guide only. It contains general information and is not intended to represent a comprehensive checklist
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MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.