Welcome

• Thank kids for coming.
• Just for fun, have kids high-five three of their friends.
• Make announcements.
• Introduce new kids.
• Celebrate birthdays by having kids say “happy birthday” in the voice of their favorite cartoon characters.
• Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: We’re spending a few months finding out the answer to this question: Who is God? Today we’ll discover that God is the Creator.

Share

• Tell kids your favorite thing about nature, such as hiking in the mountains and smelling the crisp air or relaxing on the beach and watching the waves crash.
• Have kids form pairs. Ask kids to tell their favorite thing about nature.
• After partners have shared, ask two or three kids to share with the whole group.

Summarize

            Open a Bible to Job 38, and say: There are so many neat things about the way God made the world. Today we’ll find out what God himself said about things he created. Let’s explore the Bible to see what God said. The Bible is God’s special book, written by God and about God so we can get to know our Creator. How cool is that! Let’s talk with him right now.

            Pray, thanking God for all he created.

Tip

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can choose your own worship songs from our Best Of Dig In Music DVD here. 

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Create

            Say: We’re learning today that God is the Creator. There was a man in the Bible named Job who was going through some really hard times. He wanted to ask God some questions about why things were so hard for him.

            God’s answer didn’t really explain why Job was going through hard times, but it did show how awesome and amazing God is as a Creator! Let’s see what God showed Job about all that he made—and why we can trust him.

            Assign each small group a passage from the list below, and give them the bookmarked Bible to find the verses. (If needed, you can combine or divide small groups to make six groups total.)

• Job 38:8-11 (sea)
• Job 38:12-15 (daylight)
• Job 38:31-33 (stars)
• Job 38:34-38 (rain/lightning)
• Job 39:19-21 (horse)
• Job 39:26-28 (hawks/eagles)

            Give each group a bag of random craft supplies. Set out the construction paper, pencils, scissors, tape, and markers where everyone can access them.

            Say: With your group, read your assigned passage. Then create something to show what God talked about by using all the craft supplies in your bag. If you want, you can also use construction paper, pencils, scissors, markers, and tape. But you have to use everything that’s in your bag. Be creative!

            Allow about eight minutes for groups to work. Then have groups take turns showing their displays and explaining what God made. As each group shares, read the matching fun fact:

• The Sea: Oceans are huge. If you took the tallest mountain, Mount Everest, and turned it upside down to put it in the ocean, it would still be far, far away from the bottom! Not only are the oceans huge, but we’ve only just begun to understand them. We’ve explored only 5-10% of the ocean, and scientists think there are thousands of species in the ocean that we don’t even know about!
• Daylight: Fun fact: It takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the light from the sun to reach the earth.
• Stars: God created a lot of stars. Scientists estimate there are one septillion stars (that’s a one with 24 zeros after it!) in the universe…and some scientists think that’s probably a low guess.
• Rain and Lightning: Lightning is big and powerful! Most lightning strikes are 2-3 miles long and have 100 million volts of power. That’s a lot!
• Horses: Horses run fast, around 27 miles per hour on average. The fastest horse ever could run 55 miles per hour! That’s really fast! And here’s another surprising fact: horses can’t vomit.
• Hawks and Eagles: Eagles’ wings are huge and heavy, so it takes a lot of energy to flap their wings. Instead, they catch air currents to soar and glide upon. One eagle was observed to flap her wings for only two minutes total in a whole hour of flying!

Say: God made all of these impressive, powerful things.

Ask: • What does that show you about God?

            • What’s something God made that really impresses you? Have kids share in their small groups first, and then ask a couple of kids to share with everyone.

            • What’s one thing you would create if you could make anything? Have kids share in their small groups first, and then ask a couple of kids to share with everyone.

            Say: God is the Creator. He made our whole world and everything in it. Even the things people make are made out of things God created. No one but God can create something out of nothing.

            I saw some creativity in you as you figured out how to use the supplies you were given to show what God made. You did an awesome job! But God’s creation is more incredible than anything we could make. After Job heard all that God had to say, he was amazed by God. He couldn’t think of anything else to say to God because he was so amazed by how God created everything and cares for his creation.

Take Care of Creation

            Say: We may not be able to create as well as God, but here’s something amazing about the role God gave us when it comes to creation.

            Read Psalm 8:3-8.

            Ask: • What does it mean to you that we’re in charge of God’s creation? Have kids share in their small groups first, and then ask a couple of kids to share with everyone.

            Say: God is the Creator. He made you and me, and he wants to partner with us to take care of his creation!

            Ask: • What’s one thing you can do to take care of God’s creation? Have kids share in their small groups first, and then ask a couple of kids to share with everyone.

            Say: God is the Creator, unmatched by anyone else. We can make things out of craft supplies or other things God made, but we can’t make something out of nothing. What we can do is honor God’s creation by taking good care of it!

Tip

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before class using the “download” button at the link provided, or purchase DVDs here. 

Discuss and Watch “Big and Small”

            Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator.

            Ask: • What’s your favorite thing God created?

            Say: Those are all amazing things God made! Let’s watch a video with a lot of things God created…maybe you’ll see your favorite thing!

            Watch “Big and Small.”

            Ask: • Which part of creation in the video was most amazing to see?

            • What can the big parts of creation show you about God? What about the small things?

            Say: Big and small, God made it all! From the tallest mountain to the tiniest microorganism, God is the Creator of our universe…including you!

Combine DNA

            Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator. He made the moon and the stars, all the animals, and even the weather. But let’s explore something really cool about how God made you.

            Every cell in your body is made up of something called DNA. DNA is like a code God wrote to make you you. DNA is made up of four chemicals, and scientists refer to them by their initials: A, C, T, and G. Those are the four letters that make up the code of who you are. DNA is something scientists study a lot.

            But how many different combinations can you really make with just four letters? Let’s see.

• Give each child four index cards and a marker.
• Each child will label the index cards A, C, T, and G.
• Then have kids work together to put all their index cards in one line.
• Kids can rearrange the cards to make different combinations of the four letters. They can start by just making a line in their small group, then work together as one whole group.

Talk About It

            Ask: • How many different combinations do you think there might be with our cards?

            Count the number of kids in your group and multiply by four. Then say: We could make a ton of different combinations with our letters—and we had only [fill in number] letters to work with. Did you know that each cell in your body is made up of three billion of these letters? That’s a lot of possible combinations!

            And your body has around 37.2 trillion cells. So when you combine all those cells together, that makes you you! God made you with a very detailed code. That’s why you’re unique!

            Listen to what David wrote about how God made people.

            Read Psalm 8:3-5. Then have small groups discuss these questions.

            Ask: • What amazes you about the DNA code we just explored?

            • David was amazed at how God made people. How does exploring DNA change the way you think about how God made you?

            Say: Here’s another amazing thing about your DNA. All those letters are arranged together in a twisted strand—kind of like the line you made with your index cards. If you could take all the DNA strands in your body and stretch them out end to end, it would stretch to Jupiter and back 10 times! That’s how detailed the code is that God put in you. Sometimes you may feel small or unimportant, but remember how God made you so incredibly complex that your DNA could stretch that far. God is the Creator, and he put a lot of detail into his creation!

Tip

• You can purchase downloadable music and other items to enhance your DIG IN program here. 

Impersonate Weird Animals       

            Say: Today we’re talking about how God is the Creator. Let’s see what insights we can gain about creating by doing a little creating ourselves!  

• Have small-groups share six index cards and a couple of pencils.
• For their first card, ask small groups to agree on the name of an unlikely animal: one that’s extinct (dodo bird, brontosaurus), not native to your area (kangaroo, penguin), or fictional (unicorn, ankle-biting snark). Each group will make two different cards. Collect these cards and put them in a stack.
• For the second card, ask groups to write a way to move (running, dancing, hopping). Each group will make two different cards. Collect these cards and put them in a separate stack.
• Have groups write on the third card an “-ly” adverb—a word that describes an action (boldly, happily, loudly). Again, each group will make two different cards. Collect these cards and put them in a separate stack.
• Line kids up side by side against a wall.
• Explain you’ll mix and match the cards to describe the way kids will cross the room. For instance, you might say “boldly juggling unicorn,” and that’s what kids will impersonate as they move to the far wall. Continue sending them back and forth as a different animal each time.
• If kids don’t provide many intriguing terms to string together, here are a couple of options to have handy: Silently Swimming Tasmanian Tigers, Happily Toe-touching Panda, and Blindly Backstroking Wooly Woodpecker.
• If you’d like, play music as kids cross the room.
• To keep this high-energy, don’t allow much time between rounds. Keep kids moving!

Talk About It

            Have small groups gather to discuss these questions.

            Ask: • How did it feel being on the spot to instantly “create” an animal?

            • Which of the animals you acted out do you most wish was actually around? Why?

            • God included a lot of variety when he made animals. What does that show you about him?

            Say: Our silly creatures had a lot of variety—but not as much as God’s creation! He made everything from a platypus to an axolotl to a cuddly puppy. God is the Creator, and all the variety shows just how creative he is!

To use this feature, please ask your DIG IN Director to create a One Room classroom. For instructions and tips on creating a classroom for at-home lessons, click here.

Not available for this age level.

Set It Up

            Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator. But not everyone believes that.

            Ask: • What other ideas have you heard about how the world came to be?

            Say: Sometimes it seems like science and faith don’t get along—like maybe if we want to believe in God, we have to ignore science. And if we want to believe science, we have to say God didn’t create everything.

            But can we believe in science and God? Yes! God’s the one who made science, and we’ll explore how science matches up really well with what God said about creation. Let’s dig in to that.

Make Airplanes

            Say: Let’s start by making paper airplanes!

            Distribute paper, and let kids try to make the best paper airplane they can. Most kids will know a way to make them, but if any kids need help, have the kids who seem confident in airplane-building show others what to do.

            Then have a paper airplane throwing contest. You could also challenge kids to get their airplanes to land on a certain point or to fly for a certain length of time.

            Ask: • Why do you think paper airplanes fly?

            Say: Long before there were paper airplanes—or real airplanes—God made birds. Listen to this.

            Read Job 39:26-27.

            Say: God made a scientific principle called aerodynamics. That’s a fancy way to describe the wind currents that allow birds to fly. Much later, humans used this principle to create airplanes! But it was all based on God’s creation of aerodynamics—his perfect design that allows birds to fly. God is the Creator of aerodynamics, which is an important principle of science!

Control Tissue Tides

            Say: Here’s something else science teaches us: the moon controls the tides. Even though the moon is far away and doesn’t really seem like it would be connected to the ocean at all, it’s the gravitational pull of the moon that controls how far the tides come in. And here’s what God said about that.

            Read Job 38:8-11.

            Say: God perfectly designed the moon to control the tides. The moon is like his remote control telling the waves to stop and come no farther. Pretty cool! Let’s try it with some moon balloons and tissue tides.

            Have kids inflate the balloons and tear up scraps of tissue paper. Then have kids rub the balloons on yarn (or their shirts if they are wearing sweaters or fleece) to charge them with static. Kids can then use the balloons to pull the tissue-paper “tides.”

            As kids work, ask: • How does this remind you of the moon and the tides?

            • Knowing that God made the moon to control the tides, what does that tell you about God?

            Say: God is the Creator, and he made the moon—which isn’t even on the earth—to control the tides. Amazing! God created aerodynamics and the gravitational pull of the moon to work just right for birds and tides. That’s pretty cool!

            Ask: • After all we’ve explored today, how can science help you see God more?

            Say: Science and God don’t have to complete. God made science, and when we study science, we can learn more and more about just how special God made his creation. God is the Creator.

Tips

• You can purchase downloadable music and other items to enhance your DIG IN program here. 
• While kids are creating statues, it’s hard for them to see what other groups have created. If you have a small number of groups, consider taking phone photos of statues to show kids. But don’t post the photos to any social media site without parental permission!
• If you have four or more groups, designate one group as “observers” for each round, letting them enjoy seeing the creations of their friends.

Pose Like Animal Sculptures

            Say: Today we’re talking about how God is the Creator. Let’s see what insights we can gain about God’s creation by doing a little creating ourselves.

• Form groups of two to four kids.
• Explain that small groups will use their creativity—and their bodies—to pose like an animal within 60 seconds. Every group will create the same animal.
• The only rule: Everyone in the group must be part of the statue.
• Animals to call out could include elephant, spider, two-humped camel, eel, vulture, kangaroo, cobra, and flamingo.
• If you’d like, play music as kids pose.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What was most fun about creating your sculptures?  

            Say: Creating something—a poem, song, model airplane, cupcake—can be lots of fun.

            Ask: • Call out things that you enjoy creating.

            • Do you think God had fun while he created the world? Explain.

            Say: The Bible doesn’t say if God had fun creating the universe, but it seems like he must have because he created, created, and then created some more. God is the Creator—he created everything!

Make Stargazers

            Dim the lights, and place your sample craft on top of a flashlight. Turn on the flashlight, and point it at the ceiling to shine a constellation. Set out the supplies and handouts to share, and have kids follow these directions to make stargazers.

• Trace the bottom of a cupcake liner onto black construction paper.
• Cut out the circle, and glue it to the bottom of the cupcake liner.
• Place the cupcake liner upside down over the mouth of a cup.
• Use a thumbtack to poke holes in the cupcake liner. You can make up your own constellations or copy the ones from the handout.
• Repeat, making a few different constellations.

            If you’re able, let kids take turns using the flashlight to try out their constellations.

Talk About It

            Ask: • Tell anything you know about constellations or stars.

            • Share about any constellations you just made up for your stargazers.

            Say: God is the Creator, and he made all the stars in the sky. It’s pretty cool that when God talked to Job, he named some constellations we can still see today! And David wrote about how the stars made him feel.

            Read Psalm 8:3-5.

            Ask: • What thoughts come to your mind when you look at stars?

            Have kids take their stargazers home and shine a flashlight through them to show their friends and families that God is the Creator.

Draw and Thank

• Give each child an index card, and set out markers to share.
• Tell kids they have two minutes to draw something God created on their card. It could be a tiger, a leaf, a flower, a cloud, or anything else that comes to mind.
• After two minutes, have kids hang all their index cards together in one big group collage on the wall.
• Stand with kids facing the collage, and tell kids to shout out some of the things they see on the collage when you pause your prayer.
• Pray: God, thank you that you are the Creator. Thank you for making everyone in this room. And thank you for making… Pause and let kids finish the prayer. When kids stop calling things out, conclude the prayer with: In Jesus’ name, amen.
• Thank kids for coming, and encourage them to come back next week.

            Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.