LESSON TIME
1. Connecting: Explore different types of plants that God created.
God has asked each of us, including children, to take care of His creation. Wow! Help the children to understand what an honour this is. Motivate them by emphasizing what a huge honour it is that the all-powerful God trusts them that much! They are responsible! Taking care of our world is an idea that came out of Genesis. Not only did God give people authority to rule over and care for what He made, but He also created with such beauty and usefulness that everyone, including you and your children, can appreciate His marvellous creation.
Welcome your children as they come into class. As you smile at each child, you show that you care about him. Let the children know that they will learn more about God’s great creation today.
Invite the children to sit in groups of 3 or 4.
Option: If you do not have live plants to use, you can print and use the plant pictures included in this lesson. Download the files for these pictures at the bottom of this lesson.
I will give each group one plant or part of a plant. Your group will look at the plant and notice the characteristics of the plant so you will be able to describe it to the class. Use your imaginations, and as a group think of answers to these questions:
- If you were creating this plant, what would you name it and why?
- What is one way your plant is useful?
- How do you imagine this plant brings praise to God?
Give the children about 2 minutes to discuss their plants. Then allow 1 child from each group to share their answers to the questions. Clap for each group.
Teacher Tip: If you need help getting your children to settle down after an activity, use a signal such as clapping your hands, raising your hands and standing silently, a whistle, or a song. As you use the same signal over and over, your children will learn to quickly settle down.
There are so many different kinds of plants, and last time we talked about how God created everything. Only God can create things out of nothing, and He made them beautiful and useful on purpose.
2. Teaching: Hear how God created good things and come up with creative new ways to use creation items (Genesis 1:6–13, 26–29; Psalm 145:9–10).
We will learn more about God’s beautiful and useful creation in our Bible story about God’s wonderful world. Remember, this story is from the Bible, the only true story of creation.
Step by step, at God’s word, the world was created. God spoke and created water and sky. He created light and darkness. He called the light day. He called the darkness night. This was day 1.
God made a big space to separate areas of water under the space from other areas of water above the space. He called this big space the sky. This was day 2.
Then God gathered all the water into one place. The waters were called the seas or oceans. The dry ground that was left was called land. God saw these and said they were good.
Read Genesis 1:11 from your Bible if possible. This reinforces that you are teaching from the only true Word of God.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:11
God made the plants and trees to produce seeds as well as fruit. The plants and trees began to grow useful seeds and fruit. Each plant produced other plants just like it. Did the mango tree grow papaya? Did a tomato plant grow rice? No, the mango tree produced mangoes and the tomato plant produced tomatoes. Trees grew high in the mountains. Plants grew down by the lakes. The plants had fruit and seeds according to their kinds. They also displayed many beautiful colours. Trees and plants grew on the earth. Colourful flowers grew on the earth. Grass, flowers, and fruit trees covered the fields.
God saw all the trees, plants, flowers, and fruit. He said they were good. This was day 3. God created a useful and beautiful world.
- How did God make sure there would always be new plants?
After God had completed all of creation and made the first man and woman, He gave people a job to do—He put human beings in charge of caring for the world He had made. Listen to this verse:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
One of the things we can do is use things in creation to make new things. God gave us the creativity to do this because we are made in His image! Now we will do a fun activity about thinking of new uses for objects in creation. I will give each group the name of one object from creation. Your group will have 2 minutes to come up with 3 new ways to use it.
Divide the class into groups of 3. Assign an object from creation (see list below) to each group. The group has 2 minutes to come up with useful ways to use that object. Here is an example you could share: If you gave the word “stone,” the group might suggest these uses: (1) To build things; (2) To use as decoration in a garden; (3) To make a tool for planting seeds. After a few minutes ask one person from each group to share their object and the uses the group found for it.
Add words that are common for your area, do not use words unfamiliar to your children.
Here are a few words to get you started:
Rocks, Maize, Oranges, Oil, Reeds, Flowers, Feathers, Trees, Water, Coffee, Rice, Millet
Isn’t it amazing how many things God created! We could stay here all day naming things, and we would never come close to naming them all. I can tell you for sure that God was very pleased with everything He had made. Do you know how I know? The Bible tells me.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
3. Responding: Brainstorm ways to care for God’s creation.
Memory Verse
Listen to this verse that tells us what God feels for His creation. This is our verse for today.
The Lord is good to all. He shows deep concern for everything he has made.
Psalm 145:9
Reminder: All resources, including this Memory Verse poster, are available for download at the end of this lesson.
Have the children say the verse several times. Ask everyone to sit down. Then go around the group and point to different children. Ask them to pop up and say the next word in the verse. See how fast the children can do this. Suggest the children memorize the verse.
- Do you think we are caring for our world the way God wants us to? Why or why not?
After children have offered their thoughts, share the following:
Many people are not taking care of God’s creation. They pollute the water. They put dangerous chemicals into the earth. They throw trash on the ground so that flowers and grass are destroyed. They burn bushes, cut trees, and kill animals for no reason. They allow bad gases to be pumped into the air. People often make the beautiful things God made ugly.
- How do you think this makes God feel when we do not care for creation?
God created a useful and beautiful world. Each of us is a part of His world. That means we should do everything we can to take care of His beautiful world. Because we are part of what He created, we are also useful and beautiful. He has plans for our lives. He looks at each of us with delight because He knows our potential and He knows we are beautiful.
Most important, knowing all the care that God took when He created the world shows us how much He cares about the details of our lives too.
- How does it make you feel to know that God cares that much about the details of your life?
- What does this show you about God?
Answers might include that He is great, He is big, He is loving, He is creative, etc.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, allow the children to draw something from creation and work on the memory verse.
Reminder: All resources, including this Student Page, are available for download at the end of this lesson.
End of Option
Listen to this verse that comes after our memory verse:
Lord, all your works praise you. Your faithful people will praise you.
Psalm 145:10, NIrV
Let’s take a moment to creatively praise God for His creation, like this verse says to do. When I signal you by raising my hand, everyone shout out at the same time one thing you praise God for because of what you have learned today. It might be something such as “God, You are great!” or “God is powerful!”
Give the children a moment to think, and then raise your hand to signal them to shout their praises. Lower your hand to signal that praise time is over.
Ask the children to quietly hold out their hands as a signal that they want to receive the blessing you speak.
Teacher Tip: Some children are afraid of or uncomfortable with being touched. Before you give the blessing, tell the children that you will place your hands on their shoulders as you say the blessing. Let them know that if they are not comfortable with this, they can cross their hands over their chest. When you see a child with his hands crossed over his chest, place your hand above his head without touching him as you say the blessing.
Take the time to move around to each child if possible. If you have a very large class, ask another adult or the parents to help you give this blessing to your children. Put your hands on each child’s shoulders and pray this blessing based on Genesis 1:31:
Blessing: God created you and said it was good—very good! May you rest in the knowledge that He created you and loves you!
If you have time, share this song with your children to celebrate how great God is! Use this as your worship theme this quarter.
“How Great Is Our God” – https://youtu.be/vg5qDljEw7Q
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook. [email protected]. All rights reserved.
