Discuss

            Say: Let’s learn about nature! Today we’ll discover that God is the Creator. That means God made everything!

            Ask: • Tell about something you’ve made. Have kids turn to a partner to share. Then ask a few kids to share with everyone.

            Say: We know that God is the Creator because the Bible tells us about when he made everything. Plus, one time God talked to a guy named Job (pronounced “JOBE”) all about his creation. Let’s find out more about that.

Act Like Creation

            Open your Bible to Job 38, and show kids the words.

            Say: First, a little background about Job. Job was a really, really rich guy. He had a big family and a great life! Everything was going well.

            But then he lost almost everything. Most of his family died, along with his farm animals. And the buildings he owned also collapsed. He even got a skin disease that hurt really bad!

            As you can imagine, Job felt very sad about that. And his wife and friends didn’t help much! But Job kept praising God. He did have some questions for God. Job said he was a good person, and he wondered why he had all these bad things happen. Maybe you’ve wondered about that, too. Job wanted God to answer him!

            So God did. Let’s read and act out parts of what God said.

            Read Job 38:1-2. Have kids spin around to show what a whirlwind is like.

            Say: After this, God asked Job some questions. The answer to most of them was God is the Creator. After I read, I’ll point to you. Say “God is the Creator” as an answer to these questions. Then you can act out what God said.

            Read Job 38:4-5. Point to kids. Have kids pretend to measure the floor.

            Read Job 38:25-26. Point to kids. Have kids make a rainstorm by clapping their hands and stomping.

            Read Job 38:31-32. Explain that the names they heard are names of constellations. Have kids make their hands twinkle like stars.

            Read Job 38:39-40. Have kids roar like lions.

            Read Job 38:41. Point to kids. Have kids pretend to fly like ravens, which are a kind of bird.

            Read Job 39:5. Point to kids. Have kids say “hee haw” and pretend to be donkeys.

            Read Job 39:26-28. Have kids pretend to soar like hawks or eagles.

            Ask: • What do you think of God’s answer to Job’s question about why bad things happened to him even though he was a good person?

            Say: God didn’t really answer Job’s question directly. Instead, God showed Job that God is the Creator and that he’s so much bigger than we are! When we’re not sure why things are happening, we can just trust that God, who created everything, has a plan.

            Let’s see what Job thought of God’s answer.

            Read Job 40:3-5.

            Say: When Job realized how big and amazing God was, and that God is the Creator, he realized he shouldn’t question God’s plans. He was amazed by God!

Talk About Creation

            Say: There was another guy in the Bible who was amazed that God is the Creator, too. In Psalm 8, David wrote this.

            Read Psalm 8:3-4.

            Say: For David, looking at the stars showed him how big God is. And when he thought about that, he was amazed that even a God so big and creative would care about people!

            Ask: • What’s something God made that makes you feel amazed?

            Say: God is the Creator. We can be amazed by everything he made, and we can trust his plans.

Tip

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can choose your own worship songs from our Best Of Dig In Music DVD here. 

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Tips

• You may want to test this with your black markers ahead of time. Different marker brands create a different effect, and some separate the colors better than others.
• Direct kids to make one solid line but not to color very heavily with the marker. The ink will separate more quickly and more visibly if there’s less ink on the paper towel.

Start an Experiment

            Say: In the Bible, God talked to Job and reminded him that God is the Creator. In fact, the first words of the Bible are, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.” Let’s start an experiment with darkness like that.

• Form mixed-age groups of four kids. If you don’t have very many kids, you can do this experiment all together as one group.
• Hand each group a cup half-filled with water, a paper towel strip, and a black washable marker.
• Have kids make a line of black marker about 1 inch from one end of the paper towel. Then collect the markers.

• Demonstrate how to set the marked end of the paper towel in the water, so the ink isn’t touching the water. Rest the long end of the paper towel over the rim of the cup. Have kids do the same in their groups.

• Allow a minute or so for kids to observe.

Watch Colors Separate

            Ask: • What do you see happening with the ink?

            Say: As we watch the experiment, let me share another Bible verse with you. This is from the New Testament—the part of the Bible that tells us about Jesus. John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” When John says, “the Word,” he’s using another name for Jesus—God’s Son. Jesus was with God when God made the world.

            Now, back to our experiment!

            Ask: • What other colors are you starting to see on your paper towel?

            • What does this tell you about the black ink?

            Say: The black ink contains lots of colors. Say some of the colors kids are starting to see. Let’s think about this and what we’re learning about Jesus and God.

            Ask: • How can this discovery remind us of Jesus and God at creation? Welcome kids’ questions and insights as they think and make deeper discoveries about Jesus being present at creation.

            • What can this remind us about Jesus being with us today?

            Say: God is the Creator. And his Son, Jesus, was right there with him when God created the heavens and earth. Jesus and God are the same but different. It’s kind of like how that one black mark had different colors in it. Jesus is with us today, too!

Pop Up and Praise God

            Say: Today we’re praising God because God is the Creator. When we praise, we say nice things about someone or something.

            Ask: • What’s something nice someone has said about you? Give a short example from your own life, then welcome a few responses. If kids struggle to think of examples, shower the group with a few compliments right now.

            Say: Like your friends praised you, we can praise God. You see, prayer isn’t just about asking God for things. We’re also praying when we’re praising!

            The word hallelujah means “God be praised.” We sing that word in praise songs, and we read it a lot in the Bible. Today, as we pray, let’s shout “Hallelujah!” and say nice things about God.

            Here’s what we’ll do: We’ll make popcorn praise! Everyone will crouch down low, like this. Crouch down, with feet on the floor, ready to jump up. Allow time for kids to crouch down, too. Now we’ll praise our way around the room. When it’s your turn, pop up and praise God for different things in nature he has made. You could shout things like “Praise God for butterflies!” “Praise God for mountains!” or “Praise God for sharks!” Then crouch down again. If you aren’t sure what to say, just shout, “Praise God!”

            After someone praises God, we’ll all clap and shout, “Hallelujah!” Then it’ll be the next person’s turn. We’ll “pop” and praise all around the room.

            Shout the first praise, and have kids respond with “Hallelujah!” Then motion for the next person to go. Help direct kids when it’s their turn. If time allows, “popcorn praise” around the room again!

            Say: We praise God for all these things. And we praise God because God is the Creator. Hallelujah!

Tips

• It may take a while for kids to find the Bible verse. That’s okay! This activity is primarily about building Bible navigation skills.
• If you have a lot of non-readers, have some picture Bibles on hand for them to flip through as older kids look up verses. They won’t look for anything specific, but they can look at the pictures to practice paging through Bibles.

Explore Isaiah 42:5

            Say: God reminded Job that he created everything. God is the Creator. Let’s see what the Bible says about the things God created.

            Make sure kids all have Bibles. Younger kids can sit with older kids so they can observe the skills of using their Bibles even before being able to read.

            Say: Our Bible verse is in the book of Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 5. Let’s find the book of Isaiah. That’s in the Old Testament—which is the first part of the Bible. Open your Bible kind of near the middle. Allow time.

• Point to the book of Isaiah on the poster so kids can see the name and what books come before and after it.
• Mention that the chapter numbers are the big numbers, and help kids find the big 42 in Isaiah.
• Mention that the verse numbers are the small numbers, and help kids find the small 5 in Isaiah 42.
• When everyone has found the verse, ask someone to read Isaiah 42:5 aloud.

            Say: God is the Creator. He gave life to everything we see—even us.

Breathe Deep

            Say: The verse we read said God even gave us the breath we breathe. We don’t think about our breathing much, so let’s take some time to think about it now. Direct kids to spread out around the room and sit down.

Say: Pay attention to the air going in and out of your lungs as we take some deep breaths together.

• Encourage kids to each take a deep breath in as you slowly count to five, and then slowly exhale as you count to five again.
• Have kids take four or five breaths in this manner.

            Say: It’s good to relax and take some nice deep breaths sometimes. But we don’t usually pay this much attention to our breathing. Let’s try something that makes us pay attention to it.

• Ask kids to stand up and have them do 15 jumping jacks.
• Encourage kids to run in place as you count slowly to 20.
• Direct kids to touch the floor and then jump as high as they can 5 times.

            Say: Raise your hand if right now you’re paying a little more attention to your breathing than you usually do. Pause.

            Ask: • Why do you think that is?

            Say: We usually only notice our breath when it’s hard to breathe—like when we exercise!

            Ask: • What are some other things in God’s creation that we don’t always notice?

            • What makes us notice those things? If kids have trouble getting started, suggest things such as the sun beating down on you on a hot day or a really strong wind during a storm.

            Say: We don’t always notice the things God created. But God is the Creator. Like Job, we can be amazed by God and realize he’s a lot bigger than us!

Tip

• WARNING! Don’t just print and distribute! Here’s why.

Older Kids: Do an Activity Page

            Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator. He made everything! I’m going to give you one minute to look at a picture and try to memorize it. It shouldn’t be too hard—it’s all things in nature that you’ve seen before.

            Distribute activity pages facedown. When you say, “Go!” kids will flip them over and try to memorize everything about the picture while you time one minute. When time is up, have kids flip the papers facedown again.

            Ask: • How many stars were in this picture? (none)

            • What was the whale doing? (swimming with its mouth open)

            • Is there an owl? (yes)

            • How many frogs were there? (2)

            • There’s a flock of smaller birds flying in the sky. How many birds in the flock? (6)

            • Which of these animals was not in the picture: a giraffe, an elephant, a hippo, or an alligator? (alligator)

            • How many trees were there? (13)

            • There’s an animal peeking out from behind a bush. What kind of animal? (bunny)

            • So what do you think? How easy or hard was this quiz?

            • Why did you struggle to memorize everything about the picture?

            • What can that show you about how Job felt when he tried to understand all that God had made?

            Say: When Job had questions for God, God talked about all the things he’d made. And as Job realized that God is the Creator, he also realized God is a lot bigger than he could understand! This picture had too many details to memorize in one minute, and God has too many details for us to understand in a whole lifetime!

Younger Kids: Color a Coloring Page

            Distribute the coloring pages and crayons. Say: God told Job about so many things he’s made! God is the Creator, so let’s color a picture of his creation.

            Allow time for kids to color. If you have star stickers, kids can add those to the sky.

            When kids finish coloring, three-hole-punch their pages and put them into binders, if desired.

Tip

• If you have more than 10 kids, designate two walls and make two groups of kids who will do the activity simultaneously. For really large groups, have multiple kids tape their pictures at once, saying the verse for each group of kids that comes up.

Talk About God’s Creation

            Say: In our Bible story, God reminded Job that God is the Creator. Let’s learn a Bible verse that tells us something about that!

            The Bible has two main sections: the Old Testament, which tells about before Jesus was born, and the New Testament, which tells about after Jesus came. This verse comes from the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms.

            Psalm 8:1 tells us, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.” Let’s say that together! Lead kids in saying the passage with you a few times, repeating one phrase at a time until kids feel comfortable.

            Say: The word majestic is a way to describe someone special, like a king. When we say God’s name fills the earth, it’s like saying, “When I look at what you’ve made, I want to praise you!” This whole psalm talks about how God’s awesome creation—all the things that fill the earth—shows us how special God is.

            Ask: • What are some of your favorite things God made?

            • How can things like [some of the things kids named] show us that God is amazing?

Make a Creation Mural

            Say: God is the Creator. His creations show us how powerful, creative, and incredible he is. Thinking about creation helped Job realize he could trust God even though he didn’t understand what was going on. Let’s praise God as we make one big creation picture.

• Hand out paper and crayons.
• Let kids quickly draw anything in nature they’d like.
• Designate a wall where kids will add their pictures, one at a time.
• One at a time, kids will tape their pictures to the wall, in the place that creation would go. For example, if a child drew a bird, he or she would tape the picture up high. A picture of a dog would go near the ground. (If kids can’t reach where their picture should go, you can help hang the pictures.)
• As kids hang their pictures, they can tell everyone what they drew.
• Each time a child adds a picture, everyone will say the verse together like a joyful praise as they watch the creation picture take shape!
• When everyone has added a picture, cheer the verse together one more time.

Tips

• Some of your younger kids may not be great spellers. Make sure this game is free of judgment! If James thinks “cherry” starts with the same sound as his name, that’s okay!
• Younger kids may also not be great at sorting out what’s God-made versus man-made. If Cora says “computers,” avoid the temptation to correct her. Instead, you could say something like “God made the people who made computers!” or “God made everything computers are made out of!”

Play a Name Game

            Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator! God told Job about a lot of things he made like whales, deer, ostriches, and stars! Wow! Let’s see if you can name things God made, including each other!

• Have kids sit in a circle. (If you have a big group, form circles of no more than 10 kids.)
• Kids will go around the circle and say their names, along with something God made that starts with the same sound. For example: Alligator Ava, Jackrabbit James, Stars Sarah.
• Kids will repeat the creations and names that came before them before adding their own. If anyone is struggling to remember something, the group can help them.
• Kids can go around the circle several times and think of new things to add to their names each time, but if the list gets long, you can reset the game so they don’t have to repeat everything that came before.
• For an added challenge, have kids come up with motions that go with their names (such as Jackrabbit James hopping) that kids also have to repeat.
• Let the game keep going as long as needed to fill time until parents begin to arrive.

            Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.