Sneaker Juice | Be Careful Who You Listen To!
This is an object lesson that can help you teach your class about how we need to be careful with the voices we listen to!
The easiest way to know is to watch the explanation video located here: https://youtu.be/NGK92CHcWjo?si=AnfM96GdN7WII-Ji
Needed:
- A child’s sneaker (preferably with Velcro)
- Two small plastic cups (3–5 oz)
- Water
- Purple drink mix powder (grape Kool-Aid or similar)
- Scissors
- Optional: clothespin for your nose
Prepare this lesson before class by modifying two small cups. Cut the rim off one cup so that it will fit snugly inside another. On the second cup, cut a small hole in the bottom. When stacked together, they look like a single cup, but the hidden space between them will secretly hold the colored liquid. Pour a small amount of purple drink mix or liquid into the bottom cup, then place the cut-rim cup on top, concealing the liquid. Set the nested cups near your table, ready for the performance.
Begin by telling the children that you recently learned about a “new energy drink” that’s supposed to give people unlimited strength and excitement. Build suspense and curiosity by saying that it’s called Sneaker Juice. Act excited and completely convinced that this is a great idea. Borrow a sneaker from one of the children, pretending you just need it to “mix the ingredients.” Then, as you pretend to make the drink, play it straight—this is where the humor builds. Pour some water into the shoe, talking about how it needs to “soak up the flavor.”
After letting the kids squirm a bit, pull out the trick cups. Show the top one empty, keeping your fingers over the bottom so they can’t see the colored liquid. Explain that the water in the shoe is “ready,” then place the top cup into the sneaker. As you lift it out, tilt it slightly to reveal the colored liquid as if it came from the shoe. The kids will go wild. Act completely delighted with your new creation and tell them you’re about to drink it. Take a big whiff, recoil dramatically, and argue with yourself about whether you should drink it or not. When the kids yell “No!”, argue that “the guy who told me about it seemed trustworthy—he had two arms and a head!”
Finally, pretend to take a sip, gag, and react with disgust. Make it funny but not over the top. Once the laughter settles, shift into the teaching moment. Explain that what just happened is a perfect example of what happens when we listen to the wrong voices. The world is full of people, videos, and influences that sound confident, convincing, and “cool,” but that doesn’t mean they’re right. Not everyone who sounds smart knows what’s best for us. Just like that stranger’s advice about drinking Sneaker Juice, bad advice can look harmless at first but turn out to be dangerous or disgusting.
Tell the children that God gives us leaders we can trust—our pastor, our parents, our teachers, and His Word. When we listen to them, we don’t end up drinking “sneaker juice.” Use this to remind them that the Bible says in Proverbs 19:20, “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” It’s always wise to test advice by what the Bible says and by what godly people teach.Wrap up by saying that from now on, you’re done listening to sketchy strangers with weird ideas—you’ll listen to the right voices, the ones that lead you closer to God. This funny, over-the-top demonstration becomes a strong reminder that who we listen to determines where we end up.
*Tags: Be careful who you listen to, feet, right voices, shoes, sneaker juice, stinky shoes, wrong voices,