Summer of Wonder - Fresh and Salt Water Creatures

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Each week during this Summer of Wonder, we will look closely at a different part of God’s creation, wondering at the beauty, science, and mystery of the world around us. This week, we are examining the creatures living in the water. 

Opening Meditation:

Today we’re going to start with a calming activity to get us ready to explore our topic today: “Fresh & Salt Water Creatures.” 

  • Find a spot on the floor and lie down.

  • Close your eyes, and notice your tummy rising and falling with your breathing.

  • Feel your muscles sinking into the floor beneath you. Let your body be as still as possible.

  • Imagine you are a joyful jellyfish floating in the water.

  • Now let your worries glide off your jelly body. Feel them slip away in the water.

  • Float freely through the sea - nothing in your way, nothing holding you back.

  • Maybe you want to imagine where Jesus could be in this imagination - floating alongside you? Enjoying other sea creatures? You might spend some time with Jesus in your imagination.

  • When you are done, rise slowly, taking your joyful jellyfish heart with you.

(from Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness , Focus and Calm)

Scripture: 

Here are some verses in the Bible that talk about fish and the creatures of the water. Let’s read them together and wonder about them.

Genesis 1:20-22, Psalm 104:24-25, John 21:6

Wondering:

  • I wonder if there are any fish in the lakes and rivers near us?

  • I wonder if you can name any of the creatures we might find in the lakes and rivers nearby? 

  • I wonder if you can name any creatures that live in the ocean?

  • I wonder what God thinks about all of the creatures that live in water?

Story: Over and Under the Pond

Activities:

  • How to Draw a Beta Fish - Learn to draw a realistic looking beta fish by following along with this video tutorial!

  • Moving Paper Fish activity or Moving Paper Shark - Create your own 3D movable fish or shark using paper and scissors!

  • Coloring Ocean Creatures - Choose from a wide variety of ocean creature coloring pages that you can print and color.

  • Video/Photo Project:

    All summer long on the Kids Wing Blog, we are celebrating this Summer of Wonder by looking closely at God’s amazing creation. We will be putting together a video at the end of summer of all the beautiful things we saw all summer, so any time you notice something interesting that God made, take a picture or a 3 second video, and send it to me! You can send that to my email lianna@sanctuaryic.org.

Song/Video Playlist

Lord, you created so many things!
    With your wisdom you made them all.
    The earth is full of the living things you made.

Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
    It is filled with all kinds of sea life.
    There are creatures large and small—too many to count!

Thank you God, for all the creatures of the water! Have a fantastic week of wonder, everyone!