Creation Kids - creative Christian curriculum for today's creative kids

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Just Jaguars
(God's Animals)
by Sandra Harris

Jaguars are ferocious terrorists in some respects, but they do have their good points, too. They have beautiful coats that we can admire. And it can certainly be said that they are not picky eaters! Use this trait to teach kids to be thankful for all that God has created.

Note: The next four lessons have a theme: our relationships to others. Jaguar teaches about our relationship to God and His creation. Kangaroo explores our relationship to our parents. Ladybug focuses on our relationship with other Christians. And Monkey teaches us about being careful in what we say to and about other people (relating to people in general). Each lesson talks about a relationship that “honors” someone else, so focus on defining this word so that children really begin to understand what it means to honor God and to honor others.

Characteristic: honoring all God made

Bible Verse: Everything God made is good. 1 Timothy 4:4

Concepts:

The jaguar is the largest cat of the Americas. They are usually found in Mexico, Central America and South America. The biggest ones are about nine feet long and weigh approximately 350 pounds. Although their coloring is very similar to that of the leopard, the jaguar is much larger.

Jaguars generally live in forests and in plains that have patches of forest. They are one of the few cats that like to swim. In fact, they are very good swimmers and often swim across rivers. The female jaguar gives birth to 2-4 cubs, and unlike other cats, the father stays with the family unit.

The jaguar is not a picky eater. Common foods for the jaguar include deer, large rodents, armadillos, alligators, turtles and their eggs, fish, tapirs, horses, cattle and pigs. Most farmers consider jaguars a menace because they kill livestock. However, jaguars do play an important role in nature by helping to keep things in balance so there aren’t too many of some kinds of animals.

The Bible tells us that everything God made is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is accepted with thanks to God (food, in particular). We should respect all that God has made and thank Him for it, even though we may not like everything. Every creature and every person was created by God and is very important.

Center Activities

Puzzles: Put out puzzles of animals, especially wild animals.

Manipulatives: Use plastic or stuffed animals and other items to create a jungle scene.

Art: Put out a variety of materials: papers, pens, crayons, glue, scissors, paints, staplers, collage materials, etc. Encourage children to create whatever they want. As they create, talk about how God made all things unique (one of a kind, no two exactly alike), just like their art projects are unique.

Science: Set up a table displaying many things from nature that children can examine. Include a magnifying glass (or an inexpensive pair of reading glasses of a low correction). Put out ink pads and paper so children can make fingerprints and examine them. Can they see the differences?

Craft: Jaguar Spots

Cut kitchen sponges into fourths. Give each child a piece of sponge and scissors to cut the sponge into the shape of a jaguar’s spot. Have children dip sponges in black paint, then make spots on yellow or orange paper. Optional: precut the orange paper into the general shape of a jaguar or of a jaguar’s head. Notice how everyone’s spots and patterns are different.

Story Time: Jaguar, the Mean Cat of the Jungle

Enrichment Ideas:

1. Tell the Bible story of creation found in Genesis 1. After God finished creating something, He always said, “It is good.” Try to remember this as you eat and play and work each day. Even the bee that can sting you was made by God. Something about the bee must be good. Can you find out what it is?

2. Have children cut pictures from old magazines to make a collage of things they consider to be good. Or, make a jungle collage.

3. Ask children to think of something or someone that they find hard to love. Discuss how that thing or person is important to God.

4. Read Leo Lionni’s Fish is Fish, about a fish who wishes it could be a frog and walk on land. The fish learns that it is best to be what he is.

5. Bulletin Board: Cut out a giant jaguar shape from orange or yellow paper and pin/staple to a green background. Have children cut or tear spots from black paper and glue or tape spots to the jaguar.

6. Do a compare and contrast study with jaguars and leopards.

7. Books to look for at your local library or bookstore:
Jaguars (First Reports/Animals), Darlene R. Stille (4-8)
Jaguar Talk, Vanessa Vargo (4-8)
Itza: The Boy Who Rode a Jaguar, Leonard Bernard (4-8)
Jaguar, Helen Cowcher (5-8)
Jaguar in the Rain Forest, Joanne Ryder (5-9)
Jaguars (Animals of the Rain Forest), Pat Lalley (9-12)
Jaguars (The Untamed World), Melanie Watt (9-12)

8. A poem to read:
Jaguar, jaguar,
With your beautiful coat,
I’d rather play with a billy goat.
Jaguar, jaguar,
You really hate man,
But still you fit
Into God’s plan. (author unknown – if you know the author’s name, please send me an e-mail)

9. Try out some new recipes using some new foods. Check out childrensrecipes.com for a wealth of ideas.