Seeds of Peace

Our daily devotional this morning was about Seeds of Peace (taken from '365 Bibles Promises for Little Hearts' by Phil A. Smouse). It is based on James 3:18.

All who plant the seeds of peace will grow a garden that is pleasing to God.

This verse came just in time for Spring when our garden is blooming with flowers and seedlings. One of our garden's pride and joy is the plum tree which is blossoming with pink flowers this week. Although we never get to enjoy the fruits because the birds get to them first, we always love looking at the pretty little flowers.

We try to teach our son, JD, to love his little brother (Baby J). So that when Baby J is sad or upset, he can shower Babj J with love to help lift up Baby J's mood. We told him, "It is like a wilted flower, you need to water it to help it blossom again." After hearing this, JD wanted to pick flowers from the garden. And so this activity was inspired by James 3:18.

Materials:

1. Paints (pink, maroon/ dark pink and brown)
2. Three paint brushes
3. Paper
4. Smock
5. Flower vase
6. Flower
7. Black marker

How:

1. Ask the child to observe the flowers. Talk about the branches (E.g. How many branch does it have? What color? Texture? etc.). Talk about the flowers and the leaves.
2. Allow him/her to touch, feel and play with the flower
3. Show him/her how the cut flowers need water so that it can stay alive. 4. Start with the black marker to draw the outline of the branches, the flowers and leaves. 5. When the outline is finished, start coloring with the lightest color paint (i.e. baby pink and move on to the darker pink and lastly the brown). Note: Guide the child to see where the colors need to go.

This kind of activity can help the child develop their pencil grasp, eye hand coordination, and observation skills.

Enjoy.