Kids On A Mission, Part 8: Madagascar

Join us this week as our “Kids On A Mission” series takes us to the weird and wonderful island-nation of Madagascar!  Holding the title as the most biologically diverse area on the planet, Madagascar perfectly points to the beauty and power of our Great Creator.  Throughout this week’s lesson, children will be introduced to the great need for God’s people to bring truth and grace to a world greatly influenced by the theory of evolution.

 Kids On A Mission:  Lesson 8

Madagascar

Note:  This lesson is rather long.  You might want to consider breaking it up into 2 days.

Purpose:

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

• Identify and describe several of the unique plants and animals native to Madagascar
• Locate Madagascar on a map and share some of the unique traits of that country
• Design a chart that explains some of the differences between Creation-based and evolution-based science
• Personally encourage a Creation scientist to continue to share truth and grace with the world

Materials Needed:

• Globe/Map
• Bible
• Computer
• Pen/Crayons/Paper/Glue/Scissors/Construction Paper
• Pictures of Madagascar online (I used Google Images):  the fossa, the giant leaf-tailed gecko, the sifaka, the gray mouse lemur, the giraffe-necked weevil, the brookesia chameleon, and the baobab trees
• Materials for craft:  toilet paper rolls, green construction paper, brown marker/crayon, tape
• Materials for activity:  handful of Legos, Tupperware with lid
• Materials for encouragement letter:  envelope and stamp
• Passport

Lesson Prep:

1. Prepare a “Baobab Tree” to show as an example for the craft that the children will be doing.  Using a brown marker or crayon, draw lines all over a toilet paper roll to make it look more “tree like.”  Then, cut several narrow slits about 1 inch long all around one end of the roll.  Crease them so that they will stay fanned out.  Tape one small, ripped piece of green construction paper to the tip of each “branch.”  It’s a pretty cute Baobab Tree.  🙂
2. Print out the coloring page from this link:  http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/bare-tree-1
3. Prepare the “Evolution vs Creation” chart that the children will fill out.  I designed it to be a fill-in-the blank style with 5 facts on each side.
4. Prepare the Passport pages.  I included a Madagascar map to color, a map of Madagascar with some facts to fill in, and the names of 3 unique animals that the children will draw a small picture of.
5. Spread out one blanket on the floor in one room of your house that will designate your Introduction Area.  Spread another blanket in another room that will designate your Lesson Area.  (Have these materials on hand.)

Introduction:

Gather children onto the blanket.

Teacher says:

• This is the last country that we are going to be traveling to!  We have explored and learned about so many neat places and so many wonderful people.  Does anyone have any favorite places we have learned about or games that we have played?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Because this is our final journey, we are going somewhere very special…so special that it’s actually a little weird!  Have any of you heard of the island of Madagascar?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Many of you have probably seen the funny cartoon movie named “Madagascar.”  That movie is so funny!  But you know what?  As funny as that movie is, the real Madagascar – the huge island right off the coast of Africa – is even funnier!  Madagascar is a funny place, with crazy animals and goofy trees!  We are going to learn all about the funny and weird island of Madagascar.
• Since Madagascar is an island, which means that it is completely surrounded by water, how do you think we can get there?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• Well, we are going to fly!  Spread out your airplane wings, turn on your engines, and let’s fly to Madagascar!  [Spread out your arms and make loud engine sounds as you lead the children all around the house and finally “land” on your second blanket.  Make it fun!]

Lesson:

Teacher says:

• Well, here we are!  The island of Madagascar!  Let’s start by finding out exactly where we are on the Earth.  [Point to Madagascar on your globe/map.]
• Madagascar is a huge island off the east coast of Africa.  It is the 4th largest island in the world!  It has really hot, rainy summers and cool, dry winters.  There are beaches and mountains and grassy plains and rainforests.  Madagascar seems to have it all!
• But what makes Madagascar so special – and so funny! – are the strange plants and animals that live there.  Madagascar is home to hundreds of plants and animals that you won’t find anywhere else on the entire earth!  Can everyone say the word “endemic?”  Endemic means that something lives in only one place, and nowhere else on the planet.  Many of the plants and animals on Madagascar are “endemic.”
• Now I am going to show you some pictures of some very strange animals and trees.  These animals and trees are unlike any other in the whole world, and they also have some really funny names!  We are going to have some fun trying to say the names of the animals and trees.
• [Pull up the pictures on your computer to show children.]
• First up, we have the fossa.  Can everyone say “fossa?”  The fossa is an animal that looks a little like a cat and a little like a mongoose.  They are small and like to hunt for other small animals to eat.
• Next is the giant leaf-tailed gecko.  Whoa!  Who thinks he’s a little scary looking?  This little lizard has some pretty amazing camouflage.  His tail looks just like a leaf and his skin can change colors to blend in with his surroundings.
• Next is the sifaka lemur.  Can you say “sifaka?”  This funny monkey has become famous for its dancing!  That’s right, this little lemur will stand on it’s back two legs and do a really funny dance.  He’ll skip and twist and shake with his friends, just for fun!
• Next is the gray mouse lemur.  He is so cute!  He is one of the smallest monkeys in the world, and comes out only at night time.
• Next is the giraffe-necked weevil.  Wow!  What a strange looking bug!  Can anyone guess why he is called the giraffe-necked weevil?  Even though they are a little scary looking, don’t worry.  They only eat leaves!
• The last animal we are going to look at is the brookesia chameleon.  This lizard is the smallest reptile in the world!  His entire body could comfortable sit on the tip of your finger!
• And the unique trees that we are going to look at are called the baobab trees.  Can you say “baobab?”  Look at these trees!  There are no other trees on earth that look like these!  What makes them so strange looking?  [Allow children time to answer.]
• [Show children the printout of the tree.]
• You know what I think is funny about the baobab tree?  [Turn the tree printout upside down.]  It looks like it’s growing upside down!  It looks like the roots are at the top of the tree and the branches must be growing underground.  What a creative Creator God is!  He made the island of Madagascar and filled it with dancing monkeys, tiny lizards, long-necked beetles, and upside down trees!

Craft:

Teacher says:

• We are going to make our very own baobab tree!  [Show children the example that you have already made.]
• The baobab tree has a very wide, very tall trunk with short, knobby little branches at the top that look like roots.  And on the tips of the branches grow a small clump of green leaves.  You are going to make your own baobab tree using a toilet paper roll and some green construction paper.  Your craft is going to show what a baobab tree looks like!
• [Pass out materials and assist children with their baobab tree craft.]

Lesson:

Teacher says:

• Now we are going to talk about something very important.  With all of the other countries that we have studied – like Uganda and China and Iceland – we spent time learning about the people who lived there and whether they have ever heard about Jesus or not.  Well, this time is a little bit different…because Madagascar is a little bit different.  We aren’t going to talk about the people that live there; instead, we are going to talk about a big, terrible lie that people all around the world believe.  And that lie is all about the funny and strange plants and animals that live on Madagascar.
• Let me tell you a quick story:  A long time ago, there was a man named Charles Darwin.  He was a scientist who studied animals.  One day, he boarded a ship that would take him on a 5 year journey around the world to study all different kinds of animals.  Doesn’t that sound fun!  But instead of all of the wonderful things that he explored and saw reminding him of how awesome God is, he began to believe a terrible lie…a lie that millions of people around the world believe today.  Today, we call that lie the Theory of Evolution.
• Evolution teaches that the earth and everything in it, and the whole universe and everything in it, was not made by God.  Evolution teaches that nobody made the universe, that there is no God and everything was all just a big accident.  The earth and trees and animals and oceans and rocks and people…evolution teaches that all of these things slowly formed from dust over millions and millions of years.
• A lot of our schools teach this.  A lot of smart men and women believe this.  And a lot of little kids hear that evolution is true and they believe it.
• But let me remind you of what God’s Word says:
• “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”  Psalm 24:1
  “And God saw everything that He had made, and it was very good.”  Genesis 1:31
  “For by Him all things were created, in Heaven anChard on earth.”  Colossians 1:16
• We believe that the Bible is true!  We believe that God made everything, that He loves the earth that He made, and that He made people in a very special way – in His image and with souls.  But so many people have been tricked by this terrible lie that is taught all over the world, and they do not believe in God.  Those are the people that we are going to be praying for today.
• Madagascar makes us think about the people tricked by evolution because it is one of the most important places in the world for evolution scientists.  They teach that the unique and funny animals on Madagascar only could have happened if the earth was formed slowly over millions of years.  But we believe that the unique and funny animals on Madagascar were created by a loving God!

Chart:

[Show children the chart that you have prepared.]

Teachers says:

• You are going to fill in this chart that tells you all about the differences between Evolution and Creation.  Fill in the blanks as I read the sentence in each box:
  1. Evolution teaches there is no God; God’s Word teaches there is one true God.
  2. Evolution teaches the universe happened by accident;  God’s Word teaches God created all things.
  3. Evolution teaches people are not special; God’s Word teaches God made people in His image.
  4. Evolution teaches we should protect the earth at all costs; God’s Word teaches we are to work and care for the earth.
  5. Evolution teaches belief in God is foolish; God’s Word teaches belief in God is wisdom.
• Do you see how different evolution and God’s Word are?  Do you see now how dangerous of a lie evolution is?  A false science has been created that is turning millions of people away from their own Creator!

Activity:

[Set the Legos and tupperware in front of the children.]

Teacher says:

• We are going to play a game that is going to show you that there is absolutely no way that the universe and the earth could have just accidentally made themselves.
• I’m going to put this pile of Legos in the box and put the lid on top.  Let’s sit in a circle and pass the bucket around.  Every time it comes to you, give it a couple of hard shakes.  We are going to keep passing it around and around and shaking it until we have finished singing the song “Jesus Loves Me.”  And then we are going to look in the box and see what happened to the Legos.
• [Pass box around and sing song.]
• Ok, let’s get ready to look inside the box!  Who thinks that all of the shaking made the Legos bump together in just the right way to build a car?  Who thinks that all of the Legos bumped around and turned into a tower?  Who thinks that maybe just 2 Legos bumped against each other and stuck together?
• Let’s see!  [Show the Legos inside the box.]  Well, look at that!  It’s still just a pile of Legos!  Do you think that if we had shaken it just a little while longer anything would have been built inside this box?  No!  It would never happen!  And in just the same way, evolution is impossible.  Dust floating around does not accidentally bump into each other and start forming planets and animals and people.  Everything in our universe had to be made by God, just like a Lego car has to be built by you.

Activity:

Teacher says:

• There are some very brave and kind and wise men and women who are in a tough battle.  They spend their time teaching that what God’s Word says is true: that God created everything we see.  These people are called creation scientists, and sometimes it isn’t very easy to do what they do.  A lot of people are against them, a lot of people are angry at them, and a lot of people want them to stop teaching that evolution is not true.
• So we are going to write them a letter!  We are going to encourage them to keep teaching the Truth and to never give up.  We are going to tell them that we are so thankful that they are studying the earth and the Bible very seriously so that they can prove to the world that God’s Word is true.
• Let’s get started!
• [Pass out paper and pens and guide children in writing an encouraging letter to a creation scientist.  Here is the address of a recommended organization:]
  Answers In Genesis
  PO Box 510
  Hebron, KY 41048

Conclusion:

Teacher says:

• We have learned a lot today!  Madagascar and funny animals and strange trees and evolution and creation scientists…whew!  You all did a wonderful job and worked so hard!  Let’s end by praying for the creation scientists who are working hard to share a message of Truth in a world so influenced by the theory of evolution:
• Our powerful and holy Creator, we believe that you are in control!  We are so thankful to have been made by You and loved by You.  We pray for creation scientists all over the world, that they would be good and faithful teachers of the Truth.  Please allow what they teach to be allowed into schools and into the hearts of leaders.  Change our world, Lord!  And make yourself known!  We love you so much.  Amen.

Previous “Kids On A Mission” lessons:

• Lesson 1:  The World
• Lesson 2:  China
• Lesson 3:  Portugal
• Lesson 4:  India
• Lesson 5:  Iceland
• Lesson 6:  Easter Island
• Lesson 7:  Uganda

Lauren Souers

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am the wife of one fine man and the momma of four (huge) young children – three boys and one princess! I love all of them. I mostly clean up messes and feed people all day, and it’s really fun to write about it. Jesus is the rock of my family – we love and serve a mighty King! I hope you leave here full of hope that “tired” can be good.