Celebrate Curriculum
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This curriculum is suitable for children's ministries, family devotion, and neighborhood outreach.
1. Conduct Celebrate Our Creator Events
Ask the children to name their biggest hero. Then ask them who made that hero.
Explain that God, through Jesus, made everything that lives - even their hero. And discuss that he also made everything we need to live on.
Explain that we're going to Celebrate God as Our Creator, our hero. And, explain that we need to remember that every perfect gift is from above.
If it's an Earth Day event, explain that this Earth Day we choose to honor God - our awesome creator, provider, sustainer and savior. Not a made-up "Mother Nature," not some "Father Time," but our real Creator, our awesome God.
Explain that we're going to Celebrate Our Creator who made each of us with a purpose. Because we didn't just evolve. And, we aren't just a result of big bang.
Next, have the children think of the many things God made.
Encourage them to think about all the living creatures; the food we all need to live on; beautiful flowers; mountains, lakes, rivers and forests; the world itself with all the stars, planets, suns; and even our oceans and the ground beneath us teaming with fish, insects, and more.
Suggest that these amazing creations make God, including Jesus the second person of our triune God, our real hero.
Read selected verses from John 1: 1-12; Isaiah 40: 25-26; Psalm 8: 1-8; and Psalm 136 verses 1-9 & 23-25; James 1: 17-18; Psalm 3:5; and Genesis 1-1; Genesis 1:1-2:3. 3.
2a. Next, sing or play worship songs related to God as our creator and as an awesome God worthy of respect.
Consider getting song sheets or CDs of the following creation oriented songs.
1. He's Got The Whole World In His Hands
2. Jesus Is My Superhero
3. Indescribable
2. Jesus Is My Superhero
3. Indescribable
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3. Conduct Celebrate Our Creator Activities
3a. Experience God's Design Through Gardening
Select seeds from either vegetable or flowering plants that have brief germination periods. Fill cups with potting soil. Following the directions on seed packs, prepare the soil for inserting seeds.
In advance of this session, consider ordering Celebrate Our Creator material to really get the troups excited from within the Gift Shop merchandise section in this website.
Now, help the children insert seeds and provide instructions for watering and care.
Describe for the children that God made the soil with nutrients, and He provides the sunshine and water to help seeds grow.
Reflect on the fact that the same seeds you're using now came from the original 6 days when God made the earth.
Reflect on how awesome a design it is that keeps reproducing year after year and keeps providing for all our nutritional needs.
Also, bring in a bouquet of cut flowers to circulate among children so they can see, smell and feel the amazing designs in the diversity of flowering plants.
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Fill additional cups with cut up sections of various fruits and distribute the cups to have them taste God's awesome design in food.
Describe the seeds you plant can ultimately grow into fruits or vegetables, all of varying color, texture, and of course taste.
Explain that we need a variety of fruits and vegetables to live and that God's design and creation provides all we need to be healthy and productive.
Remind the kids God didn't have to make taste and taste buds, but in his loving care, he made awesome tastes and taste buds to experience those tastes.
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Play a creation video - we've used ones from Moody Bible Institute. Focus on visuals and story segments that depict animals, plants, stars, etc. Observe and comment on the awesome design of these animals.
Or, take a Celebrate Our Creator field trip to a local zoo and experience God's awesome creation first hand and up close.
If you do take a trip, consider ordering a Celebrate Our Creator bumper sticker.