If you can access the internet in your classroom (and everyone should be able to if they have a cellphone and a cable that connects to their tv), NASA has some great resources on their websites:

• https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ - The Gateway to Astronaut Photography.
• https://www.nasa.gov/multimedi...gegallery/index.html- Johnson Space Center Digital Image Collection

There are also some TERRIFIC videos on YouTube that show time-lapse movies of the night-time sky. Search: https://www.youtube.com/result...time+lapse+night+sky

The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1

You have set your glory in the heavens...

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 8:1

Creation

Computer Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will use the software in the Awesome Bible Stories series (from Sunday Software) to learn about the Creation story.

This software is now FREE to the Supporting Members of Rotation.org! Learn more about other free software. Discover a multitude of benefits to beoming a Supporting Member.

Comments:
The Genesis 1 story of Creation is one of the most beloved and quoted scriptures in the world. It is majestic and poetic. It is way beyond science, and attempting to interpret it or defend it as a scientific text does harm to the word. Doing so would be like treating a Matisse like a sheet of paint, or experiencing a sunrise with blinders on. Genesis 1 is a Hebrew poem in structure and style, but it is also more than that.

Genesis 1 is a song of love and joy—a "Creation Psalm" to be more precise. It's inspired to find it right at the beginning of scripture. Creation's primary purpose is to nurture our sense of awe, respect, and gratitude. That's the purpose of scripture too. What a great start.

Genesis 1 is meant to point us to God—to be inspired by God's loving care in providing us with a world in which to know him. Genesis 1 also reminds us that we have been given a special role as stewards. The earth is the Lord's! ...and he has made it for us.

This is the point of view and emotional tenor I tried to infuse into my interactive retelling of the "Creation Story" in Awesome Bible Stories.

I wish I could say there were other Creation Story software programs out there, but there aren't in this depth or quality. Maybe someday. That said, there are other ways to do the Creation Story in software and I mention them at the end of this post.

In this particular case, the software is the Bible study.

Leader Preparation:

• Download and explore the software.
• Print a copy of the Creation handout for students.
• Read the scripture and Awesome Bible Stories Teaching Guide to the software ahead of time.
  
  

Lesson Plan: Opening

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Tell them what you hope they'll learn today and how they will be learning it!

Ask what they already know about the Creation story.

Give them a copy of the Student Handout and show them what sections you want them to complete.

Dive into the software's retelling of the Creation Story, and remember to dive WITH them.

As you go through the animated story, examine and discuss the various study notes that explain concepts and vocabulary that the children may be unfamiliar with. Check to make sure they are completing the handout.

Pause when they get to the end of the main story. Have them join you for a quick discussion based on the questions in the handout (depending on your emphasis you may choose to focus on one question or another).

Go back to the software and have students work to create a "Creation Power Poem" using the software's "Gabby Talker" activity. Give them some instructions first.

The Gabby Talker Creation Power Poem onscreen instructions have several suggestions about what they might want to create. They will be selecting words from the story and dragging them onto a pallet, then playing them back for all to hear using Gabby's fun voice.

Let them experiment. And let them know they don't have to use complete sentences. It's a Poem! (I've had children pick just two or three meaningful words and have Gabby Talk repeat them over and over... "Good good good God God God". The words they choose and the way they order them are opportunities for the teacher to ask them "WHY" and "what" they were trying to express about God's Creation and creative power.

Tip: Sometimes their first "try" at making a power poem is less than stellar. Sometimes you just have to let them have their fun (they are excited!) and then ask them to do it again. Sit with them. Offer suggestions.

Closing

Have your student groups create a Closing Prayer in Gabby Talker. Ask them to put highlight what they think the key concepts are, and what they are most thankful for (you could split that into two Gabby prayers. Give them 3 minutes and then have them play it for all to hear. Remind everybody that they are prayers, then finish their Gabby prayers with one of your own praising God for the world he has created to inspire us, nurture us, and bring us closer to him.

After the Lesson Activity
Have the kids play the fun "7 Days of Creation" matching game in the software.

Psalm 8 contemplates the heavens and the glory that God has surrounded us with, and it wonders "who are we that God cares for us?"

Here's a reflection video on that "glory" set to the popular Train song, "When I look to the sky."

See our Psalm 8 forum resources for more "Creation contemplation" activities.

Writing Team Lesson Set: Psalm 8 ~ "When I look at your heavens" and Psalm 8 - When I consider the work of your fingers

The SunScool Bible App for Kids has SEVERAL terrific presentations covering the Genesis 1 Story of Creation.

The App is free, ecumenical, and can be downloaded for use on tablets, smartphones, Windows, and Mac!    Get the download link and look up the story you need in our Outline of all 170+ stories in SunScool. That page also includes app helps.

Here's a Snippet of Rotation.org's full Outline of the Bible App:

In the Beginning... - BibleTime

• A1-1 : God makes the world (L1, L2) God creates the world (L3) Creation (L4)
  Genesis 1:1-31; Isaiah 45:18; Psalm 24:1-2; Colossians 1:15-16;
• A1-2 : God makes animals and people (L1, L2), God creates man (L3) Completed   (L4)
  Genesis 1:27-31 - 2:1-9; Exodus 20:8-11; Psalm 103:14
• A1-3 : The first man and woman (L1, L2), Things Go Wrong (L3) The Coming of Sin (L4)
  Genesis 2:14-19 - 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-14, 18-19
• A1-4 : God's world is spoiled (L1, L2), The Results of Sin (L4)
  Genesis 3:7-24; Romans 5:12-21
  This story is not included in Level 3.
  A2-1 : Doing things God's way (L3) Cain and Abel (L4)
  Genesis 4:1-16; Matthew 23:34-35
  This story is not included in Levels 1 and 2.

Make "Word Clouds" or "Word Art"
using free online wordcloud generators

God's spoken Word is a creative word. Through his word, God calls into being and calls all of Creation "good."

Word clouds of scripture artfully arrange key words and phrases that students choose to represent the story and meaning/reflection.

You can create colorful wordclouds for printing, or create black and white word clouds that can be printed and further illustrated colored pencils or markers.

You can also print an image such as this one, and have kids add their own word/phrases with markers.

The shape of the cloud can also represent an idea, such as writing all the keywords in the shape of the word "Love" or "God" or "GOOD."

www.Wordart.com and www.Wordcloud.com are free online utilities that allow you to make and print your own Word Art. You choose the words, images/shapes, and colors. Each has its strengths.