15. Creation

Materials Needed

• one white poster board
• multicolored food pieces (M & M’s, jube jubes or colored pasta)
• glue
• animal crackers (optional)
• children’s Bible (optional)

Setting The Stage

God has made our world a beautiful one, but sin can mess up God’s creation. We need to learn to take care of God’s world and thank him for the beauty.

Project

Together you are going to create a picture of the Garden of Eden. This picture will be made with small pieces of colored food. You will want to cut the jube jubes so they are more easily glued to the piece of poster board. It will make things easier if you sketch the scene and then assign each person to an area or item on which to work.

Suggestions for the food:

The animals can be animal crackers or you can design some using the colored food pieces.

While you are gluing the picture in place you can share with your children the story of the Garden of Eden. You may do this from a children’s Bible or by retelling the facts in your own words. If you choose to do the latter, the following details should be included in your story.

These details come from Genesis 1-3.

• The world was created in seven days (ask the children what it was that God created).
• The Garden of Eden was perfect. There was no pain, no crying and no sadness.
• God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden.
• There was only one rule. Adam and Eve were not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• One day Satan took the form of a snake and came to Eve telling her she would become like God if she ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• Both Adam and Eve ate the fruit. This was the first sin.
• Because they sinned they could no longer stay in the Garden of Eden.

When you are finished the picture and story, point out to the children how beautiful their picture of the Garden of Eden looks.

• Take the time to discuss the beautiful parts of creation we see in our world.
• Ask them to mention what makes our world less than beautiful.
• Help them see that it is sin that makes our world a mess.

Song

“God made the ______”

(use the tune of “God is So Good” or a chant style with a catchy beat)

God made the __ , God made the __ , God made the __ He’s so good to us.

Allow each child to call out a part of creation that they love when you come to the blanks in the song. This can be sung over and over until you have exhausted their choices.

Prayer

Thank God for his beautiful creation. Ask God to help you keep it beautiful. Older children can say sorry to God for their sins that can mess up this world.