Scripture: I Kings 18:1-19:18
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God is the only god we should worship.
- Students will learn that just like Baal, false gods like money, beauty and even power have no strength or value compared to God.
- Students will learn sometimes God shows himself to us in quiet ways like the whisper to Elijah.
- Students will compare different methods for effective gardening.
Guiding Question: How does God show Himself to us? How can students learn to garden effectively?
Materials: Watering can, sprinklers, mulch, plant seeds, paper cups (for planting, use garden if there is one at the church)
Procedure: Review the story of Elijah and Mt. Carmel. Remind students that God showed himself in a quiet way to Elijah and have students share what quiet ways they believe God could speak to them. Explain to students that those in Elijah’s time believed in false gods that they thought if they prayed to the gods, food would be given to them. They did not believe in the one true God who provides for us what we need in order to live and survive.
Explain that although God provides the things gardens need to grow food, He still expects people to do the work that needs to be done. Help students plant seeds. Discuss what they will need to do to keep the plants alive long enough to provide food. Encourage students to see if they can provide enough care for their seed to eventually produce food.
Have students share examples of any time that they have gardened before. Have students experiment with different methods of watering plants to discover pros and cons of each – sprinklers, drip hoses, watering cans (hand watering), using mulch and/or finding varieties of food plants that require less water to grow and produce food.
Additional Questions: How can we use homegrown plants and vegetables to provide the food and nutrients are body needs?
Supplemental Activity: Bring in homegrown vegetables, plants, spices, etc. and recipes that use those ingredients. Have the students cook different recipes using natural ingredients and explain how we can gro