There are a huge variety of uses for dumb rope, from spraying it on anyone or anything, to sending it overseas for our soldiers to spray on invisible tripwires, to playing tag. But who would have thought you could use it for a practical lesson on character building? Well you can. You can implement this lesson for Sunday school, an elementary class, or even a group of teens at home. It can even have an effect on a group of adults if you’re looking to provide an object lesson in how to hold your tongue.

Will need:

* A large table covered with a plastic tablecloth where everyone can stand or sit if they prefer. If there are too many to fit around a table, you can cover the floor of a large room with plastic, tarp, or an old sheet to protect the floor and make cleanup easier.

* Give each person in the group a can of silly string. Having several colors on hand to choose from is a good idea because of the visual effect it will create when finished.

* A $50 ticket. (Don’t worry, you’re not giving it away.)

How to play:

*Tell each person to get rid of all the silly string as fast as they can by sprinkling it on the table or covered floor. They have to stay within the limits, so as not to create a mess elsewhere. Have some fun.

*As soon as everyone’s silly string can is empty, or the designated time is up, place the $50 on the table in the middle of the whole mess of string and tell everyone whoever can get their silly string back in their can he gets the $50 first.

The lesson worth learning:

Only after they make several real attempts at refilling theirs, talk to them about how often we say things without thinking about the repercussions and how we can’t take back the words we say. At this point, you can add a few quotes on how to watch our words, or add a few Bible verses to drive home your point, and encourage everyone to remember that once words are “fired,” they are much more difficult, if not Impossible to push. them back where they came from.

You can ask them to keep a journal or talk about what they learned. You can also issue a challenge for the following week to get him to pay more attention to his own can of silly rope called a mouth.