Great Lakes Discoveries

Children's Curriculum

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Teacher
Resources

Lesson 1

Bible Basis
Malachi 3:6a; Ecclesiastes 3:1

Memory Verse
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

Bible Truth
God does not change. God is always there for me.

Materials for the Whole Lesson

poster board, markers, something to hang up a poster, art for the Great lakes poster, glue, ant lion
and tiger beetle video, student activity sheet, ant lion and tiger beetle line drawing, tape, parent
take-home letter, tennis ball, toy, cotton ball, pillow, small box, stopwatch or a clock with a second
hand, paper, pencils, yardstick, yarn, mini Great Lakes scene, scissors, chairs, butcher paper

Getting Ready: Opening Activity

Materials: poster board, markers, art for Great Lakes poster (cut out ahead of time), glue, something
to hang up the poster
Have children sit around the poster board on which you have glued (or allowed them to glue) the various map pieces. Then have them color in the blue water of the Great Lakes and draw the boundary
lines for the states around the Great Lakes (especially Michigan). You will likely need to provide a U.S.
map for reference. Let them know that as the weeks progress, you will fill in this scene with Gods
amazing creations. Ask students about where their family goes on vacations. When national parks or
other outside wonders are mentioned, say: God makes so many amazing things for us to enjoy!
Keep the discussion light and exploratory.
When the coloring is completed, hang up the poster at the front of the classroom. Explain that you will
use this scene at the beginning of each lesson to help students review previous lessons. Thank them
Lesson 1: Does God Know When I Face Change?

for helping you create the poster. Say: The first creatures well talk about are ant lions and tiger
beetles. See what children know and let them guess what they might learn from ant lions and tiger
beetles. Say: Today the ant lion and tiger beetle will help us learn more about Gods unchanging
nature.

Hiking Around the Great Lakes: Video

Play the Lesson 1 video. Then ask your students the following questions:
1. How do ant lions change on the sand dunes of Michigan?
The ant lion is the name given to a species of insects when its at its larval stage. Eventually it
forms a little shell around it (called a pupa). Through metamorphosis, it changes into an adult
insect. The adults have wings and come out to fly in the evening.
2. What does the ant lion eat as larva, and what does it eat as an adult?
Ant lions catch ants to eat during their larval stage, which can last up to three years. Unlike the
insect-eating larva, the adult ant lions eat nectar and pollen from flowers.
3. How do tiger beetles that live on the sand dunes change?
Tiger beetles change dramatically from larva to adults. Baby tiger beetles live in the sand in perfectly circular holes that look like someone took a straw and poked a hole in the ground. When
its time, the wormlike larva turns into a pupa and then changes into the fast-running tiger beetle
adult that is seen on the sand dunes.
4. What does the tiger beetle eat as larva, and what does it eat as an adult?
Tiger beetles in the larva stage wait at the top of a hole, ready to grab unsuspecting insects that
walk by. When they find one, the tiger beetle larva will grab the insects and pull them down for
dinner. If the insect is much bigger than the larva, the tiger beetle will use two hooks that are on
its body to keep the insect locked into its hole. As adults, the tiger beetle uses its speed to catch
small insects and escape predators.
5. How might God look changeable at first glance? What does faith allow us to know?
Sometimes, God may look like he changes or like nothing is happening. But God is very busy.
Unlike the ant lion and tiger beetle that constantly change as they grow, through faith we know
that God never changes.

Deeper Exploration: Changing vs. Unchanging

Materials: butcher paper, markers, tape
Divide the class into four groups. Give each a large sheet of butcher paper. Have the first draw and
color an ant lion in the larval stage. Have the second group draw an ant lion as an adult. Have the third
group draw a picture of a tiger beetle as larva. Finally, draw the tiger beetle as an adult. (If they cant
remember exactly how each looked, they can use their imagination.) When the students are done,
hang these illustrations at the front of the classroom. Talk about all the changes between the
larva and the final insect. Have student volunteers circle the differences in each set of picLesson 1: Does God Know When I Face Change?

tures. Once your discussion is done, say: The ant lion and tiger beetle may change, but God does
not change. Thats why we know that he is always there for you and me.

More Discoveries: Unchanging

Materials: chairs, tennis ball, toy, cotton ball, pillow, small box, stopwatch or a clock with a second
hand, paper, pencils, yardstick, yarn, student activity sheet, markers
Before class, use the yardstick to cut five six-foot lengths of yarn. During class, break the large group
into five small groups. Give each group one item (tennis ball, toy, cotton ball, pillow, or small box).
Ask one person in each group to stand on a chair and hold the yarn length so that one end touches
the floor. Ask a second person to stand on a second chair and drop their object from the top of that
string. Ask a third person to say start and stop for when the object starts to fall and when it hits the
ground. Ask a fourth person to record the start and end times of the dropped item from start to stop.
Each group should repeat this exercise at least five times so everyone in the group has taken turns in
the various roles. When done, call the class back together. Let them marvel at how closely the times
are for each object dropped. If there is time, try causing all the objects to drop at once. Explain that
gravity is something that is on our Earth. It is the same pull for everything. It doesnt change. Discuss
other things that dont change, such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west or our breathing air. When done, say: Gravity shows us how some things are constant, just as God is constant.
He does not change. He is always there for you and me.

Heading Home: Closing

Materials: Great Lakes poster, line drawing of ant lion and tiger beetle with the lessons Bible Truth
written on it, scissors, tape, markers, mini Great Lakes scene, student activity sheet
As you draw this lesson to a close, pray for your students aloud: Dear unchanging God, our lives
never seem to stay the same. Just as the ant lion and tiger beetle constantly change when they
grow, so do we. Our bodies change. Our ideas change. Our emotions change. Thank you for
being one person who doesnt change. You are so amazing and trustworthy. We can know that
you are always there for us because you do not change. Thank you.
Pass out the mini Great Lakes scene that looks just like the poster you have hanging at the front of the
classroom. Say: Hang this sheet in a place where you will see it so you can go over your memory
verse each day. This week, ask God to show you how good it is that he doesnt change. Because
he doesnt change, he is always there for you. Attach the line drawing of the ant lion and tiger beetle
to your poster. Point to the Bible Truth printed on it. Have the class say the second half of the Bible
Truth with you: God is always there for me.
As children wait for parents, they can color the ant lion and tiger beetle on their activity sheet, cut out
the illustration, and tape it to their mini Great Lake scene. If time is left, they can color their mini Great
Lakes scene. Anything they dont finish can be completed at home. As children leave, say: [childs
name], God does not change. No matter what happens to you this week, he will be there for you.

Lesson 1: Does God Know When I Face Change?

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Illinois
Indiana

Michigan

Ohio

Ontario

New York

Pennsylvania

God is always there for me.

Parent Letter

Lesson 1

Today we used an ant lion and tiger beetle to teach your child that God does not change. The point
was that he is always there for his children. The video your child watched concluded:
When you get worried about things changing in your life or around you, remember that God is
unchanging. He is loyal, faithful, and always there for you, no matter what.

The childrens memory verse for this week is: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows
(James 1:17). If you go over it with your child daily, the practice will help him or her to learn it well.

This week, your child brought home a Great Lakes scene with an ant lion and tiger beetle taped to it.
Help him or her find a place to hang it so they will see it daily. Over the next eight weeks, children will
bring home activity sheets and pictures related to the Great Lakes to add to this scene. Each picture
will have a memory verse on it. The picture will also be used as a reminder of our weekly Bible Truth.
This week, children learned that God does not change. God is always there for me. When you point
to the ant lion and tiger beetle that your child has taped to this sheet, ask him or her to repeat the
second half of this Bible truth: God is always there for me.

Let your child know that unlike the changing ant lion and the tiger beetle, God does not change. He
is always there for his children.

Lesson 1: Does God Know When I Face Change?

ACTIVITY

LESSON 1

Object Start Time (seconds) Stop Time (seconds)

1. Tennis ball

2. Toy

3. Cotton ball

4. Pillow

5. Small box

Lesson 1: Does God Know When I Face Change?

Every good and perfect

gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of
the heavenly lights, who
does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).