ANIMAL TAILS - LESSON FIVE - THE EAGLE'S WINGS
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ANIMAL TAILS - LESSON FIVE - THE EAGLE’S WINGS
LET’S REMEMBER: Bible verse review - Job 12:7,8 - Luke 10:19 - Psalm 42:1 - John 10:10 - John 15:13
As a group, say the five verses the way they were taught in the previous lessons. Do this enough times to help the
group memorize the verses. Use the verses to review the previous lessons.
STORY: The Giant And The Eagle (a story from the Cree people)
Supplies: 3 paper bag puppets (eagle, beaver, giant - make them
with ideas from the illustrations on this page)
Long ago all the people and the animals in the land were giants.
(Put on the beaver puppet)
A huge beaver lived on top of a rock by a lake
(Put the giant on the other hand - beaver is afraid!)
and a giant person lived nearby. The giant loved to trap the beaver
and use it’s fur for clothing but he was afraid of the giant eagle who
was always watching for a chance to carry him off.
(Exchange the beaver for the eagle - giant is afraid!)
The eagle was so large he could easily carry off the giant who was as
tall as a tree and twice as wide.
(Put the braver back on your hand - It is dead)
The giant and his family got so hungry that the giant had to go outside to see if
the beaver was caught in the trap he had set earlier. Sure enough. The beaver
was caught lying in the trap.
(Put the beaver puppet onto the back of the giant)
Quickly the giant put the dead beaver and the trap on his back and headed home.
(Put the eagle puppet on your empty hand)
The ever watchful eagle saw his chance and swooped down, picking up the huge beaver and the giant as easily
as normal sized eagle would pick up two rabbits. He flew with the giant and the beaver in his talons to a tall mountain
thousands of feet above the valley where he had a huge nest and two young eagles to feed.
(Make the eagle puppet eat the beaver puppet - tear it in pieces etc)
Immediately he began to tear the beaver into pieces to feed to his young ones. But he kept the giant safe in the
nest to be eaten later when the beaver meat was gone.
In a few days the beaver was all eaten up so the eagle decided to kill the giant and eat him too. He flew into the
air and swooped down onto the giant with his huge talons.(Do this with the eagle puppet.)
The giant was ready for him and cut off the eagles talons with the sharp teeth of the beaver trap. (Tear of the talons of the eagle puppet.)
The eagle angrily flew into the air again. This time he attacked the giant with his powerful beak. But the giant was
also ready again and tore off the eagle’s beak with the beaver trap. (Tear off the Eagle puppet’s beak.)
After this, the Eagle had lost too much blood in the struggle and fell dead into its nest beside the giant. (Make the
eagle puppet fall beside the giant puppet)
The giant was very hungry by then so he killed the young eagles and ate them. But he wondered how he would
ever get back to his family who were waiting for him in the valley below.
(Make the giant bow in prayer.)
“Creator,” he prayed, “how can I get down from this mountain top to rejoin my family? They need me to hunt for
them. Please help me!” Then the giant got an idea!
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(Put giant inside the eagle.)
He tore open the giant eagle and crawled inside. He put his arms into the hollow bones of the eagle’s wings and
jumped off the mountain cliff that the nest was built on.
(Make the giant-eagle fly toward the ground)
What a flight he had. The giant’s heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst! His head hurt from being so
high in the air and his outstretched arms ached from keeping them out so wide for so long.
Down in the valley the giants family were worried about him so they began to pray to the Creator that he would
return home safely. They had no idea what had happened but could never imagine what was really going on as they prayed!
The giant in eagle’s wings finally came close to the valley floor and made a pretty hard landing. (Do this with the puppet.) But
the giant picked himself off the ground and limped home to tell his family all the adventures he had.
“My son,” said his grandfather after he heard the whole story, “It was not your cunning or your strength that saved
you but the strength of all our prayers. “
DISCUSSION: All About Eagles
Say: Eagles are pretty awesome birds. What can you tell me about them? (Use information pages provided in the les-
son plan to discuss interesting facts about eagles.)
Ask: What do you think the Creator wants to teach us through the eagles he has made?
Ask: In the story of ‘The Eagle And The Giant’, what was it that solved the giant’s big problem? (Prayer: his and others)
Ask: When you are in trouble what should you do? (pray)
Tell a story about a time you were in trouble and God answered your prayers.
GAME: Eagles Fly
The group should all stand facing the leader. Each child should have enough room to make full “flapping” move-
ments with their arms. The leader calls out “Eagles Fly” , “Owls Fly” , “Pigs Fly”...and so on. If the animal that is
called out really does fly, the children should continue flapping their “wings”. If the animal is one that does not fly,
then the children should stop flapping. If a child is caught ‘flapping’ when a non-flying animal is called, he/she is out
of the game. The winner is the last person still playing the game.
BIBLE VERSE: Exodus 19:14 - You saw how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.
Say: A long time ago God’s people were in big trouble. They were slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh treated them very
badly and even killed their babies so the people wouldn’t become too powerful. God’s people prayed and prayed and
then God did a wonderful thing! He worked a series of miracles that convinced the Pharaoh to let God’s people go
free. If we have given our lives to Jesus to be our Good Shepherd, we also are God’s special people. He will hear our
prayers if we are in trouble. If other people are treating us badly, we can pray to God and he will rescue us! This is
what God said to his people when he rescued them from Egypt, and this is what he says to us . . .
(Point to your eyes with both index fingers - then point toward your listeners) You saw
(fold your arms as if carrying and rocking a baby) how I carried you
(flap your arms like eagle’s wings) on eagle’s wings
(gather your arms to your chest) and brought you to myself
Help the group say the verse
PRAYER TIME:
Tell a story about a time when you (or someone you know) were being mistreated, you prayed and God intervened.
Ask the group if there are people who treat them badly. Pray for the situations that are disclosed. Children are usually
very open about their troubles but some may be intimidated because of group dynamics. You may wish to take each
person aside and ask them if they have situations to pray for.
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CRAFT: Coop Feathers
Supplies: For each person, 1 feather, 18” string or raw hide chord, black/white/yellow/red markers or beads.
Say: We are going to make the kind of feathers that warriors were given when they met their enemy face to face.
Feathers of this design are similar to those made and awarded for brave deeds in war. These were called Coup (proounced
“coo”) feathers. In this life we also do battle with our enemy who (just like the snake in the garden) wants to get us in trouble.
Ask: Who is our enemy? (Satan - remember the Snake and Wolf?) How can we do battle with our enemy?
(We can pray to God for help when we are in trouble.)
Say: We are going to put four colors on our feather to remind us of God’s help.
This craft can be made in two ways. You may use colored beads strung onto the stem of the feather or
you may used markers to decorate the feather with the four colors.
Black is for all the wrong things that our enemy has tricked us into doing
Red is for the blood that Jesus shed when he died for all the wrong things we have done
White is for how God sees us now that we are forgiven
Yellow is for our home in Heaven that Jesus is preparing for us.
A dab of glue is needed to attach beads to the feather stem. - Use black marker to color the feather edges.
- Finish with the string so that the feather can be tied to the crafter’s hair, clothing etc.
GAME: Spirals
Ask: What pattern do eagles use when they are flying high in the sky? (spirals/circles)
Say: We are going to play a game that imitates the fly pattern of eagles.
1. Gather group in a circle holding hands.
2. Choose one of the group to break hands with his neighbor and begin to walk around the circle on the outside,
until the group forms a tight circle, giving itself a big hug.
3. After a few minutes of this, the center person will crawl under the arms of all the others. This will make a lot of
confusion, but should eventually bring the group together as a line and then circle again.
SNACK: Fish Crackers
Ask: What do prairie eagles eat? (small mammals, fish, carrion) What is their favorite food on the west coast? (fish)
Say: Here are some fish crackers to eat while we talk about a part of the Bible that teaches us some lessons about
eagles and prayer.
BIBLE LESSON: Wings Like Eagles - Isaiah 40:28-31
Say: We have learned a lot about God this week.
Ask: What do you remember?
Say: One of God’s friends wrote this about him thousands of years ago. It is still true today.
Read: (from a Bible) Isaiah 40:28-30
Ask: Is it true that sometimes even young people get tired of being good? Is it true that even people who want to be
good trip and fall (do bad things)? What are some bad things you have done even though you really want to be good?
Say: It’s a good thing that our Creator understands us and wants to help us when we are weak or tired of being good.
Here is what he says to do in Isaiah 40:31.
Isaiah 40:31A - But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength.
When we are feeling weak it is pretty hard to trust God to help us. We need to learn that God will be there to help us
every time we need help. Let’s play a game that helps us to understand how hard it is to trust.
Trust Run
-Two lines of people facing each other with arms outstretched and staggered with person opposite.
- A runner begins several yards away and runs at a fast pace at the line.
- The people in the line must drop their arms as the person passes.
- The idea is for the runner not to flinch or slow down while the lines try to move arms at the last minute.
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BIBLE LESSON CONTINUED . . .
Ask: Was it was easier to trust some people in the line than others? Why? How do we learn to trust God? (Prayer -
answered prayer builds trust)
Isaiah 40:31B - They will fly as high as eagles. (eagle flying - photo #1)
An eagle learns to soar by using thermal currents of air. These warm air patterns are created by the surrounding terrain.
They will spread their wings and their tail feathers and let the wind carry them to new heights, then glide down to
catch another upward thermal. Soaring saves an eagle energy because it does not have to flap its wings as often.
- When I think of wings, I consider them to be a symbol of our wings of faith.
- Faith is a heart condition where we stretch out and reach toward God when we pray,
- While the winds of His Spirit holds us afloat.
- When we flap our wings of faith, we are vigorously exercising our faith through prayer.
- And when we soar, we are resting in our trust in the Lord and letting Him carry us amidst the surrounding terrain.
- The Lord teaches us through faith, how to rise above difficulties and hindrances in our life. We learn how to rise
high enough to gain His perspective on what is below.
Isaiah 40:31C - They will run and not get tired. (eagle dancer - photo #2)
The First Nation tribes that perform the Eagle dance believe that the eagle has the ability to move about between
heaven and earth. They performed the Eagle dance when there was a need for God to help them. Historically, the
Native people performed the dance for a variety of reasons, including curing a sickness. They traditionally believed
that the eagle has the supernatural power to transport prayers to God.
Just as an eagle dancer may get tired when dancing, we also can get tired of praying to God for the things we need.
God’s timing to answer our prayers is not always “right now”. It is hard for the dancer to keep going until the dance is over.
It is also hard to keep praying till God answers. But God’s answer to prayer is worth it.
Isaiah 40:31D - They will walk and not grow weak. (eagle walking - photo #3)
A young eagle is not very skilled at flying and their wings are not very strong. They often have to stop flying to rest.
To start flying again they have to walk to a place that has a good updraft to start them off. On the ground, eagles
walk in an awkward, rocking gait. It is tiring and takes time away from hunting. Many young eagles grow weak from
lack of food the first year of their lives.
God knows what we need. He knows when we need food or shelter or peace in our homes. He has promised that if
we walk with him, we will not grow weak like a young eagle. We will always have enough. He is our good Shepherd
and will take care of us when we ask him to.
ANIMAL TAILS REVIEW
Invite parents and friends to come to your final meeting. Serve refreshments and display the crafts everyone
has made during the five lessons. Gather the kids together for a small presentation.
Ask: What were the five animals we have been learning about? (let the kids tell about them)
GAME: Animal Tails (play with the whole group)
- Each person is given the name of an animal you taught about with approximately three-five people having the same animal.
- Spread the group across a field, court, classroom, etc.
- No one is allowed to tell another which animal he is. At the signal each person makes the noise of the animal that
he has been given.
- The first group to find all of their animals and sit down are the winners. (perhaps give out a prize?)
Ask: What lessons do we learn from each one? (say the Bible verses together that go with each animal)
Pray for the group that they would learn the lessons from the animals that the Creator gave us.
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eagle info #1
eagle info #2
eagle info #3
eagle photo #1
eagle photo #2
eagle photo #2
You saw how
I carried you on
eagle’s wings
and brought
you to
myself.
Exodus 19:14
journal page10journal page11
SUPPLY LIST Crafts, Games and Stories a pad of construction paper scissors for several people markers crayons approximately 35 pieces of card stock or heavy paper paint and paint brushes (optional) white glue a ball of string or rawhide chord (18”/person) stickers (optional) a flashlight a water gun (optional) a rubber snake a needle and thread fur or fake fur fabric strips of cloth for each person (optional) a bandana or scarf may be used a newspaper or bundle of flyers a package of balloons a paper lunch bag for each person (and a few extra) 4” by 5” magnet sheet for each person Avery mailing labels (#08168) -1 for each person a white feather for each person a black,white,red and yellow bead for each person (optional) Snacks Lesson 1 - gummy worms or rice crispy snakes (ingredients: rice crispies,marshmallows,margarine,vanilla) Lesson 2 - chocolate covered raisins (deer droppings) Lesson 3 - wolf paw cookies(ingredients: round cookies,chocolate chips,butterscotch chips) Lesson 4 - buffalo chips (Ingredients: white sugar, butter, evaporated milk, package instant butterscotch pudding mix , cooking oats) Lesson 5 - fish crackers Tips Print out 1 copy of each page for the leader. Multiple copies only need to be printed for the crafts and journal pages. To save money print most pages in black and white. Please contact Ellen: pathfindersbibleadventures@gmail.com with any questions or comments.
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