Natural Conclusions from the Big Thicket: Scriptural Light from the Natural World for Adults to Share with Kids

By David F. Baker

From I Kings, we learn that Solomons wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all of the sons of the east and that [h]e spoke of trees of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. In parables, Jesus used natural objects to teach spiritual lessons. You can too! Whether you minister in an outdoor setting like a Christian camp, teach a Sunday school class indoors, or homeschool your kids, you can use your love of nature to teach Christian principles. Natural Conclusions contains over fifty natural illustrations from the Big Thicket region of Texas for you to use for your personal edification or with your ministry to children or youth.

Over fifty amazing natural facts

Corresponding character building with natural conclusions

Scientific terms

Natural history

Personal illustrations for children/youth

Reinforcing nature projects for children/youth

Adult study sections

Adult application sections

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490868653

David F. Baker

David Baker spent thirty years with the National Park Service and in volunteer ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship and Awana Clubs. He shares his commitment to Christ, creation and children using character illustrations from nature. David and his wife, Suzie, live in Texas and Colorado, where Dave finds natural conclusions in the Big Thicket National Preserve and in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Book preview

Welcome to Natural Conclusions

What Are Natural Conclusions?

Good question. The natural conclusions are parables. After reading a few natural conclusions, you’ll see that they are spiritual applications drawn from natural illustrations. You may get the feeling that they should be called supernatural conclusions. However, our human perspective tends to view mankind as natural and God as supernatural. Consequently, we don’t expect to see God in the normal everyday things of life. A more balanced and biblical view is that God is natural and mankind is subnatural. From that point of view, we should be able to see God in all things normal, and that is the foundation beneath these teaching resources.

Toolbox for Teaching Character

The natural conclusions binder is a toolbox for teaching Christian character from the world of nature. Each chapter contains several tools, including the following:

Index

Immediately following the title, there is a quick reference index that shows you at a glance what the chapter contains. The index will tell you whether a particular chapter will work in your teaching situation.

Awesome Fact/Natural Conclusion

The Awesome Fact is a brief statement of the natural phenomenon that the lesson is built around. The Natural Conclusion is a brief statement of the character principle that follows from the awesome fact.

Scientific Terms

My speech teacher often said, Understanding is the exception to the rule; misunderstanding is the rule. Scientific terms are defined in simple terms to minimize misunderstanding.

The Nature Story

This section contains the background information on the nature subject. This information will help students understand and appreciate the persona of the natural subject.

A Personal Story

The personal story provides a true-to-life example of how young learners can apply the natural conclusion of the lesson in a personal way.

Nature Project

The nature project is a suggested nature craft activity that can reinforce and extend the impact of the character lesson.

Each nature project has a Scripture verse imbedded in it somewhere. The Bible verse is written phrase by phrase to facilitate and encourage students to commit these key verses to memory.

There is a Bible verse imbedded in each craft activity. It is printed line by line to encourage and facilitate Scripture memorization.

Teaching by Example is the portion of each chapter that is intended just for adults. It’s a short study that will elevate the practical application of the material to an adult level.

The Bible tells us that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. That Scripture verse (Luke 2:52) identifies four basic areas of life that are universal: the intellectual area, the physical area, the spiritual area, and the social area. This portion is intended to help the adult teacher understand how to apply the character principles in a balanced way in each of these four basic areas of life.

Talking it over with the Father

This section is both a succinct summary of the overall lesson and a challenge to make a balanced personal application of the character principles a matter of prayer.

Using the Tools

Christian camps

Staff and cabin counselors can use natural conclusions to prepare nature classes, Bible messages, or cabin devotions. Camp directors can use the adult portions for staff training.

Sunday schools

Sunday school teachers can use natural conclusions to illustrate class lessons. The table of contents is a fast way to find chapters that address particular spiritual needs.

Home schools

Home-school parents can use natural conclusions to supplement science classes.

Parents

Parents can use the children’s portions of natural conclusions for either mealtime or bedtime devotions. With over fifty natural conclusions, there is sufficient material for weekly devotions for one year. Parents can use the adult portions for personal quiet time.

The Kingdoms of the Big Thicket

Fairy tales begin Once upon a time and end happily ever after. But the story of the Big Thicket is not a fairy tale; it’s a true story. We aren’t sure about either the beginning or the end of the Big Thicket, but the story in the middle is very interesting. Like any good story, the story of the Big Thicket is a story about kingdoms.

For example, there’s a shady kingdom. It’s a place where beech trees, magnolias, and loblolly pines grow so tall and so thick that the sunlight doesn’t reach the forest floor. The ground is covered with fallen leaves instead of flowers.

Then there’s a weird kingdom: the cypress slough where massive trees grow in standing water and live to be one thousand years old.

Another kingdom is about murky floodplains. This is a drab land that floods a lot. Huge oak trees live in them, but most wildflowers do not.

One kingdom is a dense jungle that east Texans call the flatwoods. In the damp flatwoods, thick stands of palmetto blades stick up under shady oak trees.

Even though southeast Texas gets fifty-five to sixty-five inches of rain each year, there’s a very dry kingdom in the Big Thicket: the sand hill. The abundant rainfall drains right through the sandy soil. Desert plants like cactus and yucca grow on the sand hills, which have been left behind by winding rivers.

The most beautiful kingdom is the land of the wetland savannah. This kingdom blooms with colorful wildflowers almost all year long. The savannahs grow more flowers than trees because they are moist and sunny.

Because so many kingdoms meet in southeast Texas, the Big Thicket is a wonderful place to learn about lands in other states.

Because so many different kingdoms occur so close together in the Big Thicket, this land is a wonderful place to learn about the King.

Touch Me Not!

Bitterness Touch Me Not Poison Ivy

Character Principle: Bitterness

Nature Item: Poison ivy

Grade Level: Upper elementary, middle school

Scientific Terms

The Nature Story

Poison ivy is so common in the Big Thicket that it is routine for rangers to start nature hikes by pointing it out.

Poison ivy is not all bad. There are at least four good things about it. First, it is a winter food source for songbirds. Second, it is pollinated by honeybees, and they use its nectar to produce nonpoisonous honey. Third, it is so good at controlling erosion that the Dutch use it to stabilize the dikes in Holland. Fourth, because it can cling to vertical surfaces, it is used as an ornamental to decorate brick walls.

In spite of these good things, poison ivy remains highly poisonous. We should think of it as a dangerous drug: Just say no! Hikers need to be able to do two things. First, they must be able to identify poison ivy. Each leaf has three leaflets. Rangers teach visitors to remember the rhyme Leaves of three, let it be. Second, hikers must be able to choose to go around it.

A Personal Story

All week long Hannah had been the big topic of conversation among the camp counselors. From the first day of camp, she had plotted pranks against the boys’ cabins. By week’s end, her pranks had grown into lies that had hurt several of the boys very deeply. To make matters worse, the boys had launched a retaliation effort that was directed not only at Hannah but at all of the girls in camp. Hannah had said all along that boys were no good, and now their actions were backing up her charges. The camp counselors were spending all their time and energy on one squabble after another, and no one really understood why the campers were divided into two warring camps.

But on Friday afternoon, the last day of camp, a very sad camper shuffled into the camp director’s office. As the screen door closed behind her, the camp director asked, Hannah, is there something wrong? Is there something I can do for you? Hannah replied, Can I stay at camp another week and work for you? Please, can I? The surprised but very experienced camp director replied, Hannah, is there something wrong at home that you would like to talk to me about? Well, there was, and for the next hour, Hannah spilled out the story of the abuse that waited for her at home.

The director did get special permission from the authorities for Hannah to stay on an extra week as a hired hand. She spent a lot of time cleaning out dirty cabins, plus a generous amount of time with the camp director cleaning up a bitter life. After a few days, she was able to ask God to help her get over her bitterness toward her father, and by week’s end, she had written several letters to campers asking forgiveness for the bitterness that she had had toward all boys.

Before Hannah left to go home, the director gave her a plaque with these words burned into the wood: Hannah means ‘grace,’ suggesting ‘full of grace.’

Nature Project

Time Commitment: ½ hour

Make a touch me not planter. Select a rectangular planter from a garden supply center. You’ll need a small, nonpoisonous ivy plant and a post for it to climb on. Set the ivy plant and the post on one end of the planter box. On the other end, position a small doll (or a stuffed animal), reaching out toward the ivy. Place a small signpost near the ivy that says,

Bitterness—Touch Me Not!

—Hebrew 12:15

Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you,

for as it springs up it causes deep trouble,

hurting many in their spiritual lives.

—Hebrews 12:15

(Children’s Living Bible)

Teaching by Example

We may allow ourselves to harbor ill will against someone who has hurt us because we feel that our bitterness is justified. However, the Bible tells us not to allow a root of bitterness to spring up, because it will defile many. This is so potentially damaging; we can’t allow our feelings to dictate our course of action. We need some clear thinking when feelings of bitterness well up within us. Let’s lay out the consequences in a chart.

What is the name of someone that I am currently bitter toward?

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What do I feel like doing to them? 38327.png

What could I choose to do for them that would edify them instead? 38456.png

Talking It over with the Father

Father, help me to just say no to the bitterness that I feel toward 38459.png . Help me to change my negative feelings into positive feelings.

Insects for Lunch!

Capturing Insects for Lunch Sundew

Character Principle: Capturing

Nature Item: Sundew

Grade Level: Middle school

Scientific Terms

The Nature Story

Try to imagine a place where the carnivores are tiny plants instead of large animals. There is such a place in the Big Thicket! In the spring, there can be hundreds of carnivorous sundew plants growing on the Sundew Nature Trail, yet visitors might not see them because they are so small. The sundew plant lies flat against the ground and is about the size of a dime. The upper surface of the leaves is covered with stiff hairs, and there’s a dewdrop on the end of each hair. The dewdrop is aromatic (smells good to insects). It’s also sticky so that insects that are attracted to the plant can be captured by its glue. The same dewdrop is also an enzyme that can digest captured insects.

Even though it’s stationary, the sundew can capture insects that can crawl and fly. As such, it’s an excellent role model of capturing.

A Personal Story

The sun was setting on a mild fall day. The youth group was into their favorite outdoor game: capture the flag. The two flags weren’t actual flags but tennis balls tied in old socks. The opposing teams were closely matched, and for the past ten minutes, the game had been a stalemate.

Victor, one of the two team captains, decided to drop back from the front line for a while and relieve one of the players guarding the flag. Suddenly, the opposing team launched a frontal attack. While Victor was fending off one attacker, another one penetrated the flag area and made a grab for the flag on the run. But the flag pulled out of his hand and he was tagged and sent to prison. From the prison, he protested that the flag was tied down. When Victor checked it out, he discovered that someone had in fact tied the team flag to a tree root. Recognizing the injustice of the situation Victor untied the flag and tossed it, on the run, toward opposing players near the centerline. Having corrected an injustice, he charged untouched between two defenders and across the centerline. He raced with long strides deep into enemy territory. Though hotly pursued, he faked a rescue attempt from the prison and snatched the flag up from the ground. Back at the centerline, opposing players had also picked off his team flag and were dodging back and forth with it toward the centerline. Being hard pressed by defenders, and with time slipping away, Victor heaved the flag toward the only open player on his team. It wasn’t the prettiest pass, but it was close enough for a diving catch and a roll across the line, a split second before an opposing player ran the other flag across the line!

Victor was totally out of breath as his teammates piled on him. After the euphoria quieted down, one of his teammates approached him. I was the one who tied the flag to the tree root. It was cheating, and I’m sorry I did it. Thanks for capturing the flag, Victor, and thanks for capturing our honor as well.

Victor (meaning conqueror, suggesting victorious life)

Nature Project

Time Commitment: 1 hour

Make a sundew plant pincushion! Living sundew plants look like tiny pincushions, so why not make one? To start with, you can stitch a cloth beanbag and stuff it with straw or you can buy a pincushion. Next, use a green paint pen to draw a rosette of about eight spatula-shaped leaves on the cushion. Note: if you’ve never seen a real sundew plant, you might find an enlarged photo in a wildflower field guide.

Cut out a poster board base that is a couple of inches larger than the cushion. Write the verse below on the bottom edge of the poster board. Use a hot glue gun to attach the cardboard base to the cushion.

Stick a box of round head pins into the leaves painted on the pincushion. Glue a toy bug on top of one of the pins.

Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy

and every imposing defense

that men erect against the true knowledge of God.

We even fight to capture every thought

until it acknowledges the authority of Christ.

—2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (Phillips paraphrase)

Teaching by Example

Unless we are in the military, we may not have a good visual grasp of capturing, but it might help to contrast the concept of capturing with the concept of being captured. Take a look at this chart and see if it helps you identify areas where you have ground to capture.

Talking It over with the Father

Father, take captive the areas in my life where I have been captured by the world.

Sharp Turns

Change Sharp Turns Bat

Character Principle: Change

Nature Item: Bats

Grade Level: Middle school