A World of Thanks

To encourage children to be thankful for all God's creation and to see the need for caring for it

The children will express appreciation for the beauty of creation.

• Globe (optional)

• Invite the children to take a nature walk with you to appreciate God's gifts of creation.
• Suggest that this be a quiet walk. They may talk softly to you or to each other but should limit their talking to pointing out their discoveries.
• Ask children to be aware of things that need their special care.
• After the walk, invite the children to sit in a circle on the floor. If you have a globe, you might place it in the center of the circle. Ask children why they think you put the globe there (to make them think of the whole world that God created).
• Say: Let's give God a world of thanks for all the gifts he has given us. Go around the circle, encouraging children to thank God for something specific that they saw on the nature walk.
• Conclude with a discussion of the opportunities the children saw for ways that they could care for the environment.

Nature Smart, People Smart

Encourage children to be especially aware of seasonal changes in nature since your observations and discussions about creation. Make sure to have permission from your catechetical leader to take the children on a walk.