December 1st - Looking After the Earth

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Today's Jesse Tree theme was Creation. We read the Genesis account at breakfast time, but B really wasn't in the mood to listen, so instead of starting the day with crafts, we got out into nature and took a walk.

The fresh air and exercise did us a lot of good. B calmed down; M slept most of the walk; I enjoyed being outside. As we walked, I talked about Creation with B and I was surprised to find that she had taken in quite a bit of the story at breakfast. She remembered that God made light first and then talked about Him putting a roof over the earth. She enjoyed pointing things out on our walk and telling me that God made them. We spoke about looking after the beautiful things God had made for us, and we fed the ducks as an example for her of being kind to animals.

What I found really lovely on our walk home was that B kept noticing litter and wanting to pick it up. She said she wanted to tidy up. It's sad that a three year old has more concern for God's earth than a great deal of older people. I shall encourage her in this desire to look after the earth, to be a good steward of creation. 

This year I was inspired by a conversation with one of B & M's godmothers and bought a pack of 25 paper plates, with the aim of doing one paper plate craft a day. They should be simple enough that if we're busy during the day, we'll still have time to do it. Today's project was to make an Earth. B coloured the plate blue and then cut out some green bits of paper to stick on. Nice and simple. 

Having scoured Pinterest for ideas this year, I happened upon the following idea: decorating numbers to tell the story of the order of creation. Last year B made a collage with bits and pieces of nature she had collected on a walk. This year she only found one leaf that she wanted to keep, so we couldn't duplicate that. Instead we used that one leaf as part of the numbers picture:

I'm so pleased I found this idea. B loved making it and she was able to tell Daddy what God made when he got home. Definitely a piece of art we'll be holding onto. 

My own challenge today was to think about in which areas of our life we are not using the earth's resources as wisely or carefully as we should. We are way too wasteful with food - I need to get better at using up leftovers and making sure to use what we have before buying more. Getting back into meal planning would really help with that. I need to make a concerted effort to switch off my phone charger when it's not in use too. 

What do you need to change to be a better steward of creation?