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Pets and Pics
Grab
Camera
Walking shoes
Computer and printer
Stapler
Markers
Go
It’s time for a walk! Head out into your neighborhood with your camera and keep your eyes open for any creatures you can see, whether family pets or wildlife. Capture a photo of each animal, bird, or bug you encounter. Allow your daughter to be the photographer as much as possible.
Take your camera home and load the photos onto your computer. Print a copy of all the pictures you took today. Staple the pictures together to make a picture book. Work with your daughter to label each of the pictures. She can write what kind of animal or bug it is and even choose an imaginary name for each one. On the back of the book, write your names and the date.
Ask your daughter the following questions:
Which kind of animal did we see the most?
Which one was the funniest? Cutest? Ugliest?
Which animal would be the most fun to play with?
Most girls are complete and total animal lovers! It’s a wonderful thing, because they have a continually fresh appreciation for the variety of God’s creation. Share this passage with her:
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that move about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (Gen. 1:20–25)
God enjoys the living creatures of the earth too! He made them all and declared them “good.” He wants us to obey him by caring for the animals of the world. Take some time to thank God for the amazing creatures he has made.
Enter our children’s world. Be intentional about knowing more about who they are and what influences their lives.
Jay Payleitner, 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad
Dear God,
Your creation is incredible! Each living thing is an example of how brilliant you are. Thank you for giving us this world to enjoy. Please give us wisdom for how to be the best caretakers of your earth that we can be. Help us to stand up for creatures that can’t protect themselves. Help us, too, to be loving owners of the pets in our care. We want to live up to the responsibility you have entrusted to us. Amen.