I used small Skittles candy over a two week period to demonstrate the protective covering of God’s word in the life of a believer.
Week 1 – distribute a few skittles to each student. Ask for volunteers to place skittles around the edge of a paper plate so that you have five different colors around each plate. Then slowly add water to the center of the plate. The skittles should be placed so that the water begins to remove some of the color coating. Give the water a few minutes to work while encouraging the kids to share what they observe. Remind them that you will be asking for spiritual applications. They will be very observant and also come up with some profound spiritual applications. I draw the activity to a close by suggesting that the water represents the worldly temptations we all face. The dissolved coloring represents our own attempts to avoid temptation. And the mix of colors in the middle represents the result when we try to figure out how to live on our own.
Week 2: Prepare ahead of time by spraying some of the skittles with clear plastic spray. Start class by telling them what you did (spray some skittles with plastic), but then explain that the bags broke and the skittles were mixed up. Ask for ideas about how we can tell the two types of skittles apart. Then repeat the activity with the plate, skittles and water. The coated skittles will resist the action of the water, so that the color remains on them. Again, encourage observations and spiritual applications. I close by suggesting that the plastic coating is like daily prayer and can serve to protect us from the temptations of the world that we cannot resist on our own. Can others tell the difference between a believer who relies on prayer for a covering and one who tries to work it out alone?