Week 3: Animals

Week 3, Day 1:

Read Psalm 8 (NIRV here; Psalms for Young Children here).

Wonder about creation, using these prompts to get started:

• I wonder how you praise God?

• I wonder why God asked us to rule over the flocks and the herds; the wild animals and the fish in the ocean?

• I wonder how God feels about how we are doing our job?

• I wonder how the animals feel about how we are taking care of them?

• I wonder what God is asking us to do today for His creation?

• I wonder what you wonder about?

Color this picture as a response to the story.

Week 3, Day 2:

Learn what to do if you find an injured or abandoned animal in your yard. The Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn is part of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County; their website explains how to determine if an animal needs help and how to help it.

Build a den or a nest for yourself, using materials around your house -- cardboard boxes, blankets, pillows, whatever you think will work!

Week 3, Day 3:

Experience nature with all of your senses: find a place outside where you can sit for a few minutes. What do you see -- birds, squirrels, ants? What do you hear -- water, the wind, birds singing? What do you feel -- sunshine, a breeze, an ant crawling on your hand? And what do you smell -- grass, flowers, a skunk?

Reflect on what you just experienced. What do you think it would be like to be an animal and live outside? What did you notice that surprised you? Write or draw in your journal about what you noticed, or simply talk to God about how you experience nature.