St. Patrick’s Day Game: “Building a Rainbow” Relay Race

This post is from Mary Kate Warner from Christianity Cove.

Using the rainbow, which is symbolic both for Christians and celebrators of St.Patrick’s Day, students will begin to understand God’s use of them to remind us of His presence.

Materials:
•Chocolate Hershey bars, at least 12
•Tape
•Scissors
•Construction paper: one red, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, and one purple

Object:
Students will compete to be the first team to have all of their members successfully balance six chocolate bars on their forehead.

Preparation:
Wrap two chocolate bars individually in red construction paper, two in orange, two in yellow, two in green, two in blue, and two in purple. Separate the chocolate bars in two piles and arrange the colors in that order. The stacks will be known as “rainbows”.

Introduction:
Today we’re going to build rainbows, which are a big part of St. Patrick’s Day, symbolizing hope and prosperity. In Christianity, rainbows symbolize the promises of God. We’ll talk more about God’s promises after we play a game.

Instructions:
1.  If possible, divide class into two even teams and have them form    two straight lines five feet apart from one another.
2. The second person in each line will hold the stack of chocolate bars.
3. When you say “Go!” the first person in line will tilt their head back and they will be handed a chocolate bar from the second person.
4. They will then have to place the chocolate bar on their forehead.
5. After they get the first chocolate bar positioned, they will then be handed the next chocolate bar.
6. Repeat steps four and five until there are no more chocolate bars.
7. The student must balance the chocolate bars on their forehead.
8. After the stack is complete, they must remove each chocolate bar themselves.
9. Once they have removed all chocolate bars, they will go to the back of the line and the person who handed them the chocolate bars will then step up to take their place.
10.The next person in line will hand them the chocolate bars as they repeat the process.
11.If chocolate bars fall at any point in the game, students must begin stacking their “rainbow” again.
12.The first team to have all of their members successfully complete the balancing act will be declared the winners.
13.All students will receive a candy bar as a prize.

Closing:
Genesis 9:16 says, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth.”

After all of the rain, darkness, and hardship of the Great Flood, Noah saw a rainbow appear in the sky. And he knew it was a message from God about His protection, love, and loyalty.

Noah’s 40 days on the ark were probably filled with some anxiety. Some of the things we go through are scary too. But whatever God throws at us, He also gives us the strength to handle it. We may not have thought we could really balance six candy bars on our foreheads, but after a while we got the swing of it. The same is true when relying on God. It seems hard at first, but after He “balances out” a few promises in our life, it’s easier to believe for more help from him.

This is one of the reasons we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with rainbows. It helps us remember God’s willingness to help us in times of hardship.

Mary Kate Warner

Mary-Kate is a regular blogger at Christianity Cove.  You can often find her writing about Christian Parenting, Homeschool Teaching, Bible Study and Sunday School Activities, Faith and inspiring children to love God.  Follow her  at @SundaySchoolGal  Facebook & Pinterest.

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