Rotation.org Writing Team

Fiery Furnace and Lions' Den "Super Set"

Lesson Summaries

What's a Daniel "Super Set"?

From time to time, Writing Team Lesson Sets cover more than one specific story. We did it with the Exodus Water and Wilderness set and the Elijah and Elisha set, and have done it again with Daniel. The stories of the Fiery Furnace and Lions' Den are very similar in theme, story, and life application. Teaching them together will multiply their impact. Both stories also take place during "The Babylonian Exile," an important time in the history and faith of Israel. To help teach about that important period of time, we've included a "Journey Stations" lesson about it.

Whether you're using the Rotation Model or a traditional model for Sunday School, we recommend teaching at least two lessons from each story for better learning and retention, and three for each for best results (especially if you have irregular attenders).

This set includes three "workshop style" lessons for each story, a "stations Journey" lesson about the Babylonian Exile, and an outline for those who want to include lessons that use computers or tablets. Each lesson is broadly-graded, with numerous adaptation included for younger and older students, those with more or less class time, and those wanting a bit simpler lesson.

As always, we hope you will make your own creative adjustments. Please post your comments and  photos and suggestions to us at the end of each lesson!

Your Daniel Writing Team,
Luanne Payne, Amy Crane, Laura Loving, Dena Kitchens, Neil MacQueen, and Samantha Corcoran

Lesson and Resource Summaries

Scripture:
Daniel 3 (Fiery Furnace) and Daniel 6 (Lions' Den)

Memory Verses:
Daniel 3:17 "The God we serve is able to deliver us." (NIV)
Daniel 6:27 "He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." (NIV)

Daniel 3 and 6 Bible Background and Lesson Objectives

Why these stories are important to teach and what they say to today's kids whose faith and daily lives face their own kind of "fire and lions." This Bible Background is written for teachers and explains the connections between the two stories and life today.

Daniel 3 Fiery Furnace Art Workshop

We couldn't resist a "wax resist" watercolor activity about three of the Bible's greatest "resisters." Older students have the option to put themselves in the story. This lesson also features an artistic way of reading the scripture and some good song resources if you're looking for them.

Daniel 3 Fiery Furnace Shadow Drama Workshop

This innovative drama technique (a lamp with a bright bulb and a sheet!) is so simple and fun that your kids will ask to use it for other stories!  We've written a fun, faithful script to go with it and explained all you need to know about the shadow drama technique. And NO, the kids don't stand around reading from scripts! This lesson also includes a "shadow reflection" activity. (Did we mention "simple"?)

Daniel 3 Fiery Furnace Video Workshop

Don't ask us how many videos we watched for this lesson (it was a lot), just believe we picked the best, most faithful one we could find. It also happens to be very good, and free!   We added a quick opening game of "God Says" (like Simon) to introduce the Daniel 3 theme of obeying the voice of God rather than those of false gods.

Daniel 6 Lions' Den Art Workshop

How do you "shut the lion's mouth" today? This lesson answers it with a very clever mouth-moving lion paper collage. It's also probably the first-ever lesson that includes a board with nails sticking out of it   (for an object lesson about the "claws and teeth" of lions we face today). Some people might even say this lesson "nails it."
                     (Photographic evidence of bent nails in boards) 

Daniel 6 Lions' Den Drama Workshop

Yay! We did it again! Here's another Drama Workshop that has a really simple and funny way to dramatize the story, that doesn't require a stage and works for all ages. Quite literally, your kids will cheer and boo during this lesson, and point and scowl (hopefully at the right time in the script).

Daniel 6 Lions' Den Video Workshop

We're lucky if we find one good video that tells the whole story correctly, and we're blessed if it also includes life application. Our choice of video for this workshop DOES BOTH, and it's free. For discussion and reflection, we added a fun "Beach Ball Toss" game—which uses a discussion technique teachers can use again and again.

Daniel and the Babylonian Exile Journey Stations Workshop

This special "stations" journey from Jerusalem to Babylon introduces children to that period in Israel's history known as "The Babylonian Exile" or "The Babylonian Captivity." Daniel's stories take place in that Exile and have taught generations what it means to "keep the faith" in the face of false gods and bullies.

View this video summary and "Teacher's Perspective" on the Daniel's Journey Stations Workshop!

Daniel 3 and 6 Computer and/or Tablet Workshop Lesson Outlines and At-Home Follow-up

There are two great (and both free) software choices for those using computers or tablets as part of their Sunday School offerings for today's tech generation. Adventures with Daniel does a great job on the Lions' Den story (Windows only), and the SunScool Bible App covers both Daniel 3 and 6, with younger and older age presentations (available for iOS, Mac, PC, and Android). Luanne and Neil, two of our tech teacher gurus, wrote the lesson outlines.

Additional Daniel Resources: Storybooks, Songs, Videos, and More

Our Writing Team is full of Christian educators who over the years have used many Bible storybooks, sung the Bible songs, and shown a variety of Daniel videos to our kids. When we brainstorm, we usually end up with more than we can fit into our lessons, but we still want to recommend them to those who might need more. Come see and add your suggestions and favorites to the list.

Who is the Rotation.org Writing Team?

We're a collection of volunteers working with our professional Lead Writer and volunteer editors to produce truly creative and often innovative broadly-graded Sunday School lessons for the Workshop Rotation Model and traditional Sunday Schools.

All of us have extensive Christian education and Sunday School experience. Our work is collaborative, peer-reviewed, and overseen by Rotation.org's volunteer Board of Directors.

Team members brainstorm lesson ideas together and provide feedback for each other's lessons. We push ourselves to be innovative, to sift through and find the best resources, and to make sure our lessons are doable by all types of teachers, including those with modest resources.

All of our lessons are written for our amazing Supporting Members who are welcome to print or copy and modify our offerings, and share them with their teachers.

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