Icebreaker Fishing (Junior)

Materials

• 4 x 4 x 4-in. white gift boxes, 1 per child
• Wooden chopsticks, 1 stick per child
• Light blue craft paint, amount varies
• Epsom salt, amount varies
• Fish Cards V. 1 (DVD-ROM or included as download below)
• Salmon-colored cardstock, 1 sheet per child
• Paper clips, 18 per child
• String or fish line, 18 in. per child
• Tiny ring magnets, 1 per child
• Pony beads, 1 per child
• Small glue dots, 3 per child
• Drinking straws, 1 for every 4 children

Tools and Basic Supplies

• Office paper cutter
• Scissors
• Transparent Tape
• Cotton Balls
• Black permanent marker
• Ruler
• Glue sticks

Pre-Prep

• Cut a 3-in. diameter hole in the center of each gift box lid.
• Cut each drinking straw into 4 equal segments.
• Cut string or fish line into 18-in. pieces. Then tie one end of each piece to a pony bead and the other end to a ring magnet, maintaining at least 14 inches between the bead and magnet.
• Mark a black dot 2 in. from the thicker end of each chopstick.
• Photocopy the Fish Cards onto salmon-colored cardstock. Then cut out the two-sided fish rectangles, one complete set per child.

Teaching Tie-In

Have any of you ever been fishing? How about ice fishing? In the Arctic, Inuits ice fish by cutting a hole in the ice. Then they put a fake fish on a line and lower it in the hole and jiggle it.

People in the Arctic work hard at fishing because fish provide a way to stay well fed.

In a similar way, it's important for us to have not only our daily food but also our daily spiritual food. Our spiritual food comes from reading the Bible. Just like we don't want to go a day without food, we don't want to go a day without our spiritual food. God has given us His Book so we can have His words to "eat." Read Jeremiah 15:16.

Today's craft is an Icebreaker Fishing game you can play with your family as you eat meals together. Take it home and put it on your table. It will be fun to play as you fish for icebreaker questions to answer together. But use it to remind you to read the Bible, too!

Class Time Directions

• Assemble the gift box.
• Dab a cotton ball into the light blue paint, then gently dab around the edge of the hole in the top of the box.
• Lightly sprinkle some Epsom salt onto the painted area. Then shake off any excess.
• Do the same thing (dab paint and sprinkle salt) along the base of each side of the box. Then set the box aside to dry.
• Take the chopstick and apply a glue dot over the black dot.
• Take string (or fish line) and press the pony bead (side with hole) onto the glue dot. Then run the fish line along the chopstick and secure it to the end of the chopstick with transparent tape. The rest of the fish line (with the magnet) should be hanging from the end of the chopstick like a fishing pole.
• Use two glue dots to attach the piece of straw vertically to the side of the box near the top. Place the “fishing pole” into the straw piece "holder" and set aside.
• Glue stick the insides of the two-sided fish. Then place a paper clip on one side and fold the other side over, pressing securely. Repeat for every fish.
• Place all the fish inside the box, and you’re ready to fish!

Tip Corner