Fall is the ideal time to teach children about nature—and about nature’s Creator.  While Christian schools can be straight-forward about referencing the Creator, most secular schools cannot.  Home-schoolers, parents, grandparents, and other care givers might want to use the following list of biblical truths as a guide to some good outdoor teaching this fall—maybe starting today! [Photo by Cali2Okie]

The Natural World:

1. It was created by God. (Gen. 1-2; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17)

2. It is owned by God. (Psa. 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:16, Psa. 104:24)

3. It is loved by God. (Psa 145:17 NIV; Psa. 36:5)

4. It is sustained by God continuously. (Gen. 8:22; Psa. 145:17; Psa. 104, Psa. 36:5-6; Matt. 6:26; Col. 1:17)

5. It was placed under man’s dominion. (Gen. 1:28; Psa. 8:6-8, Heb. 2:8, Psa. 145:13)

6. It was assigned to man for care and servant leadership. (Gen. 2:15)

7. It was altered by sin at the Fall. (Gen. 3:14-19)

8. It was altered again by the Flood. (Gen. 8-9)

9. It provides needs for all people throughout time. (Psa. 104:13-15; Matt 6:25-24; Zech. 10:1)

10. It is considered less valuable than people. (Matt. 6:26)

11. It has been redeemed by Christ. (Rom. 8:18-23; Col. 1:20)

12. It will be restored, reconciled to God, and unified at Christ’s return. (Isa. 11:6-9; Rom. 8:18-23; Col. 1:20; Eph. 1:9-10)

13. It will be assigned its destiny by God, not man. (2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 21:1)

Implications of these biblical truths:

We do not own the earth and can never ultimately “possess” any part of it. When we buy and sell land, we are only assigning temporary care to “owners” who are expected by God to use it carefully, frugally, and justly for His glory. We should not deliberately destroy the land’s capacity to do its assigned work: to produce needed elements (fruit, oxygen, water filtration, moisture, etc.) for the health and survival of all that depend upon it. Our task is stewardship, which acknowledges that we are accountable to the Master for the creation’s health and for how we use its fruit (profit).

Since it was made by God, is sustained by God, is loved by God, and will be restored by God, we must use it with reverent care and respect. We must always be thankful for our parents and their parents for their care of it and be careful to hand it on to our children and their children as little damaged and diminished as we can.

Our worship is of the Creator, not the creation. But, we must also remember that with the astronomical wonders above we “join with all nature in manifold witness to [God's] great faithfulness, mercy, and love!” Mankind is expected to establish communities and cultures upon the earth that use the land and its produce with as little waste and destruction as possible. All creatures are made by God and must be respected as His creation. When we use the earth’s produce, we do it with gratitude and with the understanding that all His creatures, beginning with—but not limited too—mankind, have a right to occupy and make use of their allotted portion of it. As much as possible we should attempt to treat the earth now as we will be expected to treat it at its restoration in the coming Kingdom.

While “our citizenship is in heaven,” we cannot forget, as T.S. Eliot reminds us, that such citizenship “is our model and type for our citizenship below.” Children need to know that the earth we see now is not like it was at the creation (because of the Fall, the Curse, the Flood, and the ravages of time), and it is not now what it will be at the restoration (the “peaceable kingdom” of shalom). Nonetheless, we also must show them how it still demonstrates to us the power, divinity, beauty, and awesome creative nature of God. For that reason alone, we should tend faithfully to our stewardship tasks.

Motivate children to think of their use of the earth as a creative school project that will be graded by the divine Teacher at the end.  And if children offer up their creative work as art to the Heavenly Father, they can know that regardless of how imperfect and simple it is, He will post it on His fridge.

See you outdoors!

Dean

[Acorn photo by Amanda *Bake It Pretty*]

[Discover other issues and ideas related to children and the environment on the "Wonder Kids" page accessed from the top menu bar---or here.]

Almost annually since 1991 I’ve made one or two treks “up north” to the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies northeast of Kalkaska, Michigan.  Last week was my first time this year.  Perched on a wooded hillside above Louie’s Pond, the institute has been providing environmental education for some fifty years—first as a youth camp, later as a boys’ science camp, and after 1980 as a provider of college-level courses.

Au Sable’s primary mission is to supplement the curricula of Christian colleges that typically do not have enough students to support the teaching of various specialized subjects.  So students from colleges all over the country can take these often hard to find courses at Au Sable in a short May session or two longer summer sessions and receive academic credit at their own college or university.  Here’s just a sampling of courses offered this academic year: winter stream ecology, conservation biology, environmental chemistry, and watershed stewardship. Even if they can obtain a similar course on their college campus, a number of students will take their classes at Au Sable because of small class size, the availability of field studies, and the accessibility of their professors.  It’s a wonderful place—a place that has made a life-changing difference in the lives of most of those who have taken classes there.

Of course, as a former college instructor and adjunct professor, I enjoy visiting Au Sable when the students are present.  It’s always an encouragement to me to see the enthusiasm and dedication of both the students and the visiting professors—many of whom hold respected professorships in major universities in the United States and Canada.  The students would be the first to tell you that although they are housed in a beautiful setting, the courses they’re taking definitely are not what we used to call “crip courses.”

The value of the education they receive is reflected in the fact that many Au Sable students have gone on to become college professors themselves.  One of those students, Garrett Crow, has in fact come full circle.  As a student at Taylor University in 1963, he came to Au Sable Trails in the summer where he taught outdoor education to the boy campers.  He went on to gain his PhD. at Michigan State University and had a long and successful professorship at the University of New Hampshire, from which he recently retired.  This summer finds him back at Au Sable guiding graduate students in directed research projects.

The philosophy of the Au Sable Institute is one that I give a hearty “amen” to:

The board, faculty, and staff confess that God is exclusive owner of all and that human beings are trustees of that over which they have responsibility.  The task and responsibility of human beings is that of stewardship; stewardship is the responsible care and use of the Creation and all its creatures.  Stewards of the Creation must have ecological awareness and knowledge.  They must know and understand the interrelationships between living creatures and their environments.  They must know the nature and impacts of its use by human beings.  Stewards of the Creation must have knowledge and skills for acting responsibly in the sustaining, renewing, and preserving of the Creation and its rich diversity.

Also take a look at the more comprehensive overview of this philosophy found in “The Au Sable Idea.”

See you outdoors!

Dean

When I was three—in 1945—my dad helped to form Camp Michawana in central West Michigan.  This was the camp that was first begun in the late thirties by Lance Latham, the founder of AWANA clubs.  Dad continued on the board for at least thirty years, staying with it long enough for me to eventually join him on the board—which I considered a great joy and honor.

Bible camps were a vital part of my education and my spiritual formation from age three until my senior year in high school (by which time I was counseling).  Part of my love for the outdoors and God’s creation came from my camp experiences.  But I have to confess that learning about the natural world in those camp settings was mostly by osmosis: it’s what I was able to soak up unintentionally.  Thinking back on those experiences, I find it disheartening that there was virtually no deliberate outdoor education offered, and as I recall, nothing was ever said about the natural setting of these camps as a “revelation of God.”  Certainly nothing was taught about our being good stewards of God’s creation.  In those days the outdoors was seen by the vast majority of Christians as little more than a collection of “natural resources” that we had a right to use in whatever way we wished.

It wasn’t until I visited Timber-lee Christian Center decades later that I had first-hand experience with a camp that incorporated outdoor education as a part of its camp curriculum—a program instituted in large part by outdoor educator and fellow creation-care advocate Mike Manke.  Yesterday I surfed on over to the Christian Camp and Conference Association Website and learned that there are at least 165 Christian camps and conference centers listed there that offer outdoor education.  That’s great!  But that’s still less than 20 percent of the 900 camps and conferences that are members.  And that’s sad.  It’s my feeling that every Christian camp and conference center should have some sort of outdoor education as a part of its program.  They offer the ideal setting to teach about both of God’s “two books”: the Bible (His special revelation) and the creation (His general revelation).  Read the post about “God’s Two Books” from November 1 here.

If you or the young families in your life have never sent a child to a Christian camp, this is the right time of the year to make plans to do just that.  Check out the camps that are members of the CCCA or those that are a part of the denomination you are affiliated with.  And I would encourage you to find one that incorporates Bible based outdoor education as a formal part of its curriculum.  If you already have a favorite camp and it does not have outdoor education, why not send them a note or email and request that they add it to their program.

You might also send them these links to our RBC Discovery Series booklets on “Celebrating the Wonder of Creation” and let them know that they can order these in bulk as handouts or for small group Bible studies dealing with the theology of nature:

• Celebrating The Wonder Of A Tree
• Celebrating The Wonder Of Creation
• Celebrating The Wonder Of Soil
• Celebrating The Wonder Of The Wilderness
• Celebrating The Wonder Of Water

NOTE TO GRANDPARENTS: One of the most important things you can do for your grandchildren is help send them to camp.  If the parents can’t afford it, you might be able to help them financially.  That would be a gift better than a dozen toys!

See you outdoors!

Dean

There are several new ideas on the “Wonder Kids” page
from the pages of Richard Louv’s book,
Last Child in the Woods.
Take a look.

It’s our desire to see the “Wonder Kids” page become a sort of community for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers where there is a good deal of idea sharing.  We have added a response box at the bottom of the “Wonder Kids” page where you can suggest ways to help children learn about God’s creation and develop a biblical worldview regarding the care of creation.

Click on the “Wonder Kids” menu item at the top of this page, and when you get there, scroll down to the bottom to find the comments box where you can make these suggestions.