Allow 10 minutes1. SET IT UP

Place the newspapers and empty bottles within easy reach of all kids. Say: I’ve collected a few things that I’ve fi nished using. What do you think I should do with them?

2. EXPLAINSay: We can take these things to a recycling center, but fi rst we can reuse them ourselves. I thought we’d play baseball today, but it would be silly for the church to buy equipment for everybody to play ball when we could just recycle things we already have. Plus, it wouldn’t really be safe to play baseball indoors, would it? Let’s use these materials to create our own indoor baseball equipment. Give kids a couple of minutes to make bats, balls, bases, gloves, and so on.

3. PLAY THE GAMEPlay a quick game of baseball, using the equipment the kids made.

4. DISCUSS • How is reusing these materials a way to respect

creation?

• What are some other ways you can respect God’s creation?

5. MAKE THE CONNECTIONSay: Recycling materials is one way we can respect God’s creation. God told Adam to take care of his creation, and God wants us to do the same. We respect God’s creation.

Recycle It! YOU’LL NEED old newspapers • 1 or 2 clean, empty plastic bottles • masking tape • markers

19Living Inside Out Upper ElementaryPermission to photocopy this page from Group’s Living Inside Out®: Wilderness Trail granted for local church use.Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

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• Welcome each child, and ask kids how they did with last week’s Daily Challenges.

• Ask what kids remember about today’s large-group lesson.

• Let kids share news or prayer requests, and pray with them.

• DISCUSSSay: With a partner, think of ways you can respect God’s creation. Allow a few minutes for discussion.

Allow 5 minutesOPENING

Upper Elementary Genesis 1:27-28; 2:8-15

Lesson

4Taking Care of God’s Creation

Key Verse

The Point

We respect God’s creation.

“Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters.”

—1 Peter 2:17

Allow 5 minutes

Allow 10 minutes

20 Living Inside Out Upper Elementary Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Living Inside Out®: Wilderness Trail granted for local church use.Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

Memory Maker

Living Inside Out Every Day!

DISTRIBUTEGive a copy of today’s “Living Inside Out Every Day!” handout to each child. Say: This paper has ideas for how you can live inside out this week. Let’s choose our Daily Challenges.

DAILY CHALLENGES™Read the Daily Challenges aloud. Have children circle the one they’ll do this week.

MAKE THE CONNECTIONSay: When we respect God’s creation, we show God how much we love him. Let’s thank God for his creation.

PRAYSay: God, thank you for creating all the amazing things we see around us. Please help us respect your creation each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

YOU’LL NEED Bibles • Bible Memory Makers®

1. SAY THE VERSEHand out the Bible Memory Maker canteens, and have kids look up 1 Peter 2:17 in their Bibles. Say: Let’s read the entire Key Verse, 1 Peter 2:17, together: “Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters.”

2. CHARADESSay: When we respect God’s creation, that includes respecting all the people he created, too. Let’s play Charades. We’ll take turns acting out ways to respect creation—and everyone else. Have children play the game, but with a twist. Everything they act out must incorporate the canteen in some way. Some examples to act out could be recycling a pop can, giving someone a drink, or watering a tree.

3. DISCUSS • Talk about how easy or diffi cult it was to come up with ways to

respect God’s creation.

• How can we show others how to respect God’s creation?

4. MAKE THE CONNECTIONSay: Respecting creation is a way to respect everyone. It’s sometimes hard to remember to respect God’s creation, but we know there are many ways to show respect. We respect God’s creation, and that includes respecting everyone in his creation, too!

5. SEND HOMEHave kids take home the Bible Memory Makers.

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Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Living Inside Out®: Wilderness Trail granted for local church use.Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

Daily Challenge®

Living Inside Out Every Day!

Choose a Challenge!Your child chose the marked challenge for the week. Help your child remember to follow through and live out his or her faith.

CHALLENGE 1With your parents, purchase a perennial plant or fl ower. Find a great spot in your yard, dig a hole, and plant it. Over the next few weeks, water it and watch it bloom.

CHALLENGE 2Ask your parents to help you volunteer your time at a local wildlife sanctuary, park, zoo, or humane society. You may want to ask the entire family to join you and make it a family event. While you’re there, talk about how amazing God’s creation is and what you can do to respect it.

CHALLENGE 3Look for opportunities in your school, church, or home to recycle. You could put out recycling bins and check them on a regular basis. Ask your parents to help you take the bins to the recycling center.

The Inside TruthGod created the entire world—plants, animals, mountains, and us! Your child learned that when God created the world, he asked us to take care of it and treat it with respect. When we take care of the earth, we respect God’s creation.

Do You Remember?Talk about these questions with your child:

• What are some things in God’s creation that you think are amazing?

• What are some ways you can show you respect God’s creation?

Upper Elementary Genesis 1:27-28; 2:8-15

Key Verse

The Point

“Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters.”

—1 Peter 2:17

We respect God’s creation.

Living Inside Out at Home

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Where Kids Dare to Live Their Faith 24/7

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Don’t forget your Bible Memory Makers®!Bible verses are reinforced with the Bible Memory Makers! Each Bible Memory Maker has the module’s Key Verse on it and is creatively used during small-group time. At the end of the module, every child will want to bring home one of these clever memory makers to share with their friends and live out their faith. Buy one per child for each of the three monthly modules. (Sold in packs of 5.)

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Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Living Inside Out®: Wilderness Trail granted for local church use.Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

Grabbing Garbage1. Tell neighbors and friends that your family is going to take

care of God’s creation by picking up trash around your neighborhood.

2. Ask your friends to help.

3. Hand out trash bags and gloves.

4. Form pairs, and take turns picking up trash and holding the bag as you walk through the neighborhood.

5. Talk about God’s creation and the things in it that you enjoy most.

Parents, choose “Home Tweet Home” or “Grabbing Garbage” to help reinforce what your child learned.

Home Tweet Home1. Wash out the milk carton with a small amount of dish soap.

2. Gather your family, and work together to create a birdhouse by following these steps:

Staple the top of the milk carton shut.

Draw a circle on the side of the carton, and cut it out.

Cut a smaller circle under the big one that’ll just fi t the dowel rod, and stick the dowel rod in the hole.

Decorate your birdhouse with the markers.

Attach a clothes hanger to the top of the birdhouse.

Hang the birdhouse outside your home.

3. Talk with your family about other ways you can respect God’s creation by helping take care of it.

You’ll Need

trash bags • gloves

You’ll Need

empty 1/2-gallon milk carton • stapler • scissors • markers •

2-inch piece of wooden dowel • wire hanger