Earth Day: Caring for the Gift God Gave Us
/Scripture: Genesis 1
In the very beginning of the Bible, we learn that God made the world and everything in it, and blessed it. Then God looked over everything God had made; it was so good, so very good!
This week, on April 22nd, we will celebrate Earth Day. We remember that the earth and everything in it is created by God and is good, and we think of ways we can help take care of this gift.
Story: When God Made the World
Last Sunday was Easter. Often at Easter when we talk about Jesus dying and God making Jesus come alive again three days later, we compare this story to the life of a butterfly. A butterfly has long been a symbol of hope, transformation, and resurrection to people who follow Jesus.
We can consider Monarch butterflies again this week as we prepare for Earth Day, because they are one of many creatures today that are in danger of extinction. But the good news is that we can help!
This Amazing Monarch Butterfly video, from National Geographic for kids, explains what is so amazing about Monarchs.
Save Our Monarchs
Did you know that Milkweed plants are the only source of food for the monarch caterpillar? But these plants are rapidly disappearing, due to the loss of their habitat. Milkweed plants don’t have many places to grow because people have developed the land for more buildings, houses, and cities, and also because of the widespread spraying of weed killer on fields and lawns.
We want to help monarchs now, and we can do it by helping milkweed plants! The Save Our Monarchs Foundation is dedicated to saving the monarch butterfly by planting more milkweed. You can order seeds from their website, or receive free seeds with a small donation (below).
NOTE: You can receive FREE SEEDS by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Save Our Monarchs | P.O. Box 390135 | Minneapolis, MN 55439 Please include a $5 donation with each request.
Prayer:
Activity:
If you feel inspired by the monarchs, you can try this Easy Paper Butterfly Craft to make your own paper butterflies! Watch the video to see how to do it. You can pause the video as you complete each step if that is helpful.
Here is a coloring page of some of the beautiful plants and creatures God created. There are so many different living things!
More fun resources to celebrate the earth all week!
There are so many things we can do to celebrate God’s creation and learn about how to take care of it. We made a big list of things you might enjoy, but you don’t have to do them all today!
Todd Parr reads us his book aloud, The Earth Book. (3 minutes)
Jack Johnson & Friends sings the song, The 3 R’s. (2.5 minutes)
Home Nature Activities from Johnson County Conservation, such as Nature Mandalas
Tons of nature activities with instructions from Discover the Forest
TEDx Talk: The Butterfly Effect: Saving the Migratory Monarchs (15 minutes)
The Life of the Monarch Butterfly video (15 minutes)
Earth Day Playlist, a collection of YouTube videos about the Earth to teach and inspire
Happy Earth Day, friends, and thank you God for the gift of creation!