34. Colors In Nature

Materials Needed

• coloring book
• large selection of crayons
• colored candies (M&M’s) or fruit salad
• favorite outdoor setting (woods or park)

Setting The Stage

God provides us with variety and beauty. As his children we need to learn to notice and appreciate that beauty. One way to do this is in nature itself. So as you wander through the woods or a park, take time to enjoy each other, notice the colors and say “thank you” to God.

Project

Instructions: Choose a favorite trail through the woods or a place in a park. Bring the coloring book, crayons and colorful treats to eat. Enjoy your time on the walk, but also make it constructive by helping the children notice the different colors in nature.

Each time a new color is noticed:

• stop
• choose the closest color in your crayon selection that would match the color in the nature just seen
• let the child who noticed the color in nature fill in a portion of the chosen picture from the coloring book

The goal is to completely color the picture in the coloring book with the same colors that you saw in the out-of-doors while on your walk.

Treat Time (Candies Or Fruit Salad - Can Be Either)

Choose either option:

• When a new color is found and recorded on the page in the coloring book, everyone gets the same color of treat to enjoy until the next color is identified.
• At the end, when the page in the coloring book is completely filled, stop and review the beauty of the colors and enjoy a colorful treat at the same time.

Song

“Jesus Loves the Little Children”

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

When you are singing the colors, point to the colors that correspond on the page in the coloring book.

Prayer

Have everyone choose one of the colorful items they saw in nature and say “thank you” to God.