Main Idea: God cares so much about the planet that when it went wrong it broke His heart.
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Game 1 (5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Game 2 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- Game 3 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 talk (10 mins)
- Love our Planet Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel – activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God – prayer (5 mins)
Setting the Stage: This series helps children understand their responsibility to be a good steward of the Earth. With the rise in interest in our environment and concerns for the world’s future, children and young people are more passionate than ever about sustainable living and looking after our world. Over four weeks we will explore the ways that we can practically help the Earth in a Biblical way, understanding why God cares so much about our planet and everything on it.
If you have the space, you could decorate your stage with maps, globes, animals, giant leaves, recycled materials, love hearts and other ‘caring for the environment’ props.
Supplies:
- Lots of recycling
- Masking tape
- 2 dish racks
- 6 bins
- Labels – paper, plastic, metal
- The Lorax
- Dominoes
- Table
- Glass
- Water
- Food colouring
- Globe
- 2 large world maps
- 12 inflatable globes
- 48 heart shaped post it notes
- Pintables:
- paper scraps
- Scissors
- Bowl
- Hot water
- Spoon
- Corn starch
- Foil
- Pencil
- Newspaper
- Glitter
- Embellishments
- Books
- Playdough or clay
- Lego or construction toys
- Prayer tent materials – cushions, bibles, fairy lights, cross, candles etc
- All PowerPoint games with some way of showing them (i.e. laptop and screen)
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board
GAME IDEAS:
GAME 1 GARBAGE BALL – 5 mins
Description: Team Game.
Supplies: Garbage items that can be thrown and not hurt anyone (ie paper balls, plastic bottles, etc), masking tape.
Details: Garbage Ball. Use the masking tape to make a line across the centre of the space. Place an equal number of the items to be thrown on each side of the line. On the signal, each side throws whatever it can get their hands on from their side of the line to the other side. The idea is that at the end of the time you don’t have any items on your side of the line! The winners are the team with the least number of items.
GAME 2 READY, SET, RECYCLE! – 5 MINS
Description: One on one Game.
Supplies: washed plastic containers, 6 bins, plastic, paper and metal labels.
Details: Ready, set, recycle! Hide lots of recycling around the space. Label the bins.
On the whistle the players need to run and grab the recycling and place them in the correct bin. Keep going until the timer runs out. The winner is the person to put the most recycling in the right bin!
GAME 3 CLIMATE TRIVIA – 10 MINS
Description: PowerPoint Game
Supplies: No supplies needed.
Details: Climate Trivia. Leaders shows the powerpoint slides of climate trivia and the children need to guess the answer!
1. How many plastic bottles are used in the UK every day?
35.8million bottles!
2. How many plastic bottles are recycled in the UK every day?
19.8 million. So on average, 16 million bottles aren’t being recycled, and end up in landfill or the ocean.
3. How long does it take for a plastic bottle to break down (decompose)?
On average, 450 years!
4. How do we know the climate is changing?
Scientists have been observing Earth for a long time. They use NASA satellites and other instruments to collect many types of information about Earth’s land, atmosphere, ocean and ice. This information tells us that Earth’s climate is getting warmer.
5. How does Climate change affect the Ocean?
The ocean covers about 70% of Earth’s surface. So, it’s not surprising that it plays a large part in Earth’s environment. As Earth warms, water in the ocean soaks up energy (heat) and distributes it more evenly across the planet. The ocean also absorbs carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere. The additional heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean can change the environment for the many plants and animals that live there.
6. What is the biggest cause of Air Pollution?
Burning coal/gas (“fossil fuels”) for energy
BIG VERSE: “The Lord placed man in the garden of Eden to tend and care for it.” Genesis 2:15
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Bible story and questions
Supplies: Bible,
Details:
Say: Over the last two weeks we looked at how God created the planet and put Adam and Eve in charge. Now we all know what happened next don’t we. Adam and Eve messed up. The people he had created were wicked and God became sad. Let’s read about this.
Read Genesis 6: 5-7
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Why was God’s heart broken?
- What had the people done to make God feel this way?
- Do you think his heart is broken today?
- How do you feel when something you created gets destroyed?
- Have you ever had to start again when something went wrong?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) HOW BAD CAN IT BE? – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: The Lorax from 51:24 – 56:36
Details:
Say: God’s heart breaks when he see’s how we have treated the earth. Sometimes we might think how bad can it be if we don’t recycle this bit of paper – does it really matter? Well that’s what Oncer-ler thought in the Lorax when he started destroying the forest creature’s homes. Let’s see what happened!
(Show clip)
2) DOMINO EFFECT – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: Domino’s
Details: Line up the dominos on a table or the floor.
Say: Our decision can affect other people – as we just saw in the clip from the Lorax! Just like if I push this domino (push domino) it knocks the next one and then the next one. So we might think that our actions don’t matter but they do! Our actions affect the environment!
3) ONLY ON EARTH – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: Glass, water, food coloring, globe.
Details: Fill the glass with water.
Say: We all know that our actions affect the environment. We might not see the effects immediately, but we can see the effects of others from 20 years ago. If I put a drop of food coloring in this glass (add a drop of food coloring) some of the water is still clear. But if we wait, over time eventually the whole glass is affected! So we need to be a voice NOW!
Our world is so beautiful but everything is balanced (hold up globe). God created our Earth with just the right air, temperatures, soil and water conditions needed for life. We need to all do our bit to keep the Earth in the way God created it!
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
LOVE OUR PLANET GAME – 10 MINS
Description: Team or individual game
Supplies: Bibles, 2 large maps (or one for each team), 12 blow up globes (or 6 for each team), 12 heart shape post it notes, pens.
Details: Print out the bible verses and place each one on one of the globes (making sure you have enough for each team). Give each team 6 post it notes and pens. Hang the large maps on the wall.
The children need to run and grab a ball then find the verse. Once found they write it on the post it note and then stick the post it note around the edge of their map on the wall. Keep going until all the scriptures have been found, written on post it notes and stuck on the maps! The team that finishes first is the winner!
Love our planet verses:
- Genesis 6: 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
- Jeremiah 2: 7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable
- Psalm 7: 11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.
- Hosea 4:3 Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away. - Isaiah 24: 5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws,
violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. - Romans 8: 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it
Then discuss the questions below.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Does God take care of the Earth today?
- Do you think that God is interested in the way we treat the Earth?
- Why should we care about the Earth?
- Pick one thing God created and talk about what you would do to respect it?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Encourage the children to think about the questions above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft.
Supplies: paper scraps, scissors, bowl, hot water, spoon, corn starch, foil, pencil, newspaper, glitter, embellishments, books
Details: ZOOM | Making Recycled Paper | PBS LearningMedia
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould something that you think breaks God’s heart
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build something in God’s creation that you think God cares for.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: Create a prayer tent space using cushions, lights, a cross and tent if you have one. Have some quiet music playing.
Details: Encourage the children to spend some time listening to God. Have some scriptures around to help focus them. Allow time to draw or write anything that they have heard.
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer/Encounter activity
Supplies:
Details: Ask the children to stand. Play some quiet music in the background
Say: Today we have been looking at how God’s heart was broken when the world he created went wrong.
Have a time of worship and during this time ask the children to spend some time saying sorry to God for the way that they have treated the planet.
Dear God, we are sorry for the way that we haven’t taken care of your planet. Help us to change and love the planet like you do. AMEN
CHALLENGE: For next week ask the children to share one difference that they have made in caring for the planet.
Download the ‘A World Gone Wrong’ Childrens Ministry Lesson on Genesis 6:5-7 title here.
