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“The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all
that is in it, you have founded them.”
(Psalm 89:11, ESV)
“In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1, ESV)
A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I spent the
majority of the day outside because it was just gorgeous- warm and sunny with a
crisp breeze. It was that kind of
day that continuously beckoned us outside, even if we tried to avoid it! Most days like that we would decide to
take a walk together as a family.
However, on this particularly inviting Saturday, I decided to do an idea
I created inspired by a previous article in Deeply Rooted Issue 1: Four Ways to Raise Creative Children (p.
83, 2014, Rogers). I decided that
on this day, my son who lives in a cookie cutter home in suburbia would get a
chance to explore nature around him.
Living in a suburban home shouldn’t be an excuse for me to not have my
child discover and explore on a regular basis. We grabbed a Mason jar, headed out the door, and began an
activity that we will frequently enjoy from here on out. We walked along the sidewalk in our
neighborhood, the same walk we have taken many a time with my son relaxing lazily
in his stroller, me walking briskly to escape the heat and “get our walk
in”. This time it was
different. This time my son walked
with us, and this walk was filled with treasures. It was no longer, “Oh see the pink flowers over there?”,
while breezing past, it was instead, “See that?! Wow! What is
that? What color is it? Go pick one of those and put it in our
jar so we can look at it more closely later!” A simple rock became a treasure. A stick? Oh,
forget about it! If you have boys,
you know that a stick is the BOMB!
We collected different colored leaves, flower buds, etc. On our walk we met a neighbor who
allowed us to pick one of his petite, purple flowers. We didn’t log a lot of miles, but we sure logged a lot of
memories. I hope that you, too,
will experience (no matter where you live) an adventure of your own with your
children- no matter the setting, treasure is there to be found!
One of the greatest parts of this activity is when you get
home and pour all the goodies onto your table for observation! This easily becomes at-home science,
mathematics, and Bible projects:
Science: You should ask your child questions about
the characteristics of each of his or her findings (i.e. color, shape, weight,
amount). He or she is using much
needed skills to observe and discuss with you the different qualities of each
item. You should also have him or
her compare items (i.e. “Which do you have more of, rocks or leaves?” “Which is heavier, the little flower or
the mulch?”)
Mathematics: Ask your
child to categorize his or her findings (categories could be as simple as
rocks, leaves, flowers, etc. to as complicated as red leaves, green leaves,
small rocks, large rocks, etc.).
If your child seems developmentally ready, have him or her create a
graph of his or her findings.
Bible: Emphasize the
importance of knowing that God created all things for our enjoyment and His
glory. With your child, look
through a concordance for verses about earth and creation. Take this time to read the story of
Creation in Genesis- reiterating how and when all of your child’s findings were
created by the Lord.
Have your kiddo take pictures of his or her findings or show
a friend! Get excited and he or
she will, too! The most important
thing to remember is to make it fun and focus on the fact that you are viewing
God’s creation. “Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with
whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17, ESV)
What You Need:
1. A Mason jar (Or some other sturdy container for the
different things you gather with your child)
2. Comfy shoes (Remember that you may be trekking over
grass, rocks, etc.- though it might be nice to whip those shoes off to feel the
grass between your toes!)
3. Time (This is the hardest to acquire, yet the most
important. You don’t want your
child to feel rushed. You want to
be able to meander along enjoying discussing all of your beautiful findings.)
4. A journal to draw and write down observations (optional
dependent on child’s age)
5. Graph paper and crayons for a mathematics graphing
project (optional dependent on child’s age)
6. Bible and concordance
As your children collect their treasures, you will soon find
that the treasure you receive is time
spent with them. “Behold, children
are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the
womb a reward.” (Psalm 127, ESV)
