Jesus Christ created the earth as a
place for us to live and gain experience
by Melanie Day

If someone you love very, very much was going on an important journey, how would you help him prepare? You might give him a special gift to use while he was away. You would want the gift to be something that would show him every day how much you love him. It would be exciting for him to find the gift when he arrived at his destination. You would have to plan carefully. You might ask someone to help you prepare your special gift.
 

If you planned and prepared a special gift for someone you loved and he didn’t even take time to look at it, you would probably feel sad. If he never said thank you for the gift, you might think that he didn’t like it.
 

Heavenly Father has given us many different ways to enjoy his creation.  He has given us different senses.  As I read this poem, use your finger to touch the different parts of your body.  (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: I Live in a Beautiful World,” Friend, Apr. 1989, 14)

I have two ears, which let me hear.
I have a nose, to smell.
I have a tongue to taste the food
I like to eat so well.
I have some skin—it covers me
And lets me feel and touch.
I have two eyes, which let me see
The world I love so much.

Let's go over these five senses.

SMELL: Using our sense of smell, we're going to play "What's for dinner?"  Heavenly Father put many good foods upon the earth.  Use six or so film canisters (you can get them for free at any film place...I got some at Wal-Mart and Inkley's).  Inside the canisters, place various food samples that could be recognized by smell alone....like, banana, oranges, mashed potatoes (just go through your fridge : ) 

Have a child guess which vegetable you are planning to cook for dinner or which fruit you will use for dessert by smelling it. Several children could play the game at the same time, each with a different vegetable or fruit. Talk to the children about being thankful for these delicious foods Heavenly Father and Jesus created for us.

TASTE: I know that we don't have food in Primary, unless it is part of the lesson.  I consider this part of the lesson.  Choose two different food items (sliced banana, orange, etc. - be aware of any food allergies) and have three samples of each item.  Have three children come to the front of the room.  Have each child use their own hand to cover their eyes.  Have each child open their mouth, put in food sample and see who can raise their hand and tell you want it is.  Call up three different volunteers to do the second food sample.

TOUCH: Bring in different objects and put each item in a lunch sack.  Have a child close their eyes and put their hand in the sac and touch the object.  Using just their sense of touch, can they guess what it is?  Use objects that are soft (small stuffed animal), rough (sand paper), prickly (pineapple), or even cold (you could use a small bottle of water - just freeze it), etc.  Have them guess what each item is.  Explain that some people rely strictly on touch and even read with their fingers. 

SOUND: Next we have the gift of hearing.  Divide the children into groups by class. Assign each group to illustrate one phrase from the song “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, page 228). The Sunbeams could draw raindrops, the CTR's could draw butterflies, etc. Have the children cut these out and paste them on a large piece of paper to make a mural for the Primary room.

SIGHT:  To finish on a spiritual note, may I suggest something I often did in the mission field?  We did picture slideshows all the time.  This is really simple.  Gather all the pictures you can that relate to the creation.  Use GAK (Gospel Art Kit) pictures, nature pictures from calendars or church magazines.  Assemble them (there doesn't need to be any particular order).  Turn the lights off and sit in a place that everyone will be able to see you.  It may or may not work well depending on your lighting, but if it is dark enough, have someone use a flashlight and shine it on your pictures.  Use either your pianist to play "I am a child of God" or some of the prelude music in the back of the songbook, or using a CD player, use some calm and beautiful music while you go through the pictures one-by-one.  We did this a lot during Christmas time using pictures of Christ's life.  It is very powerful. 

SUMMARY: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created our beautiful world for us. The prophet Nephi wrote: “The Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it”. We can enjoy a pretty flower by seeing it, smelling it, and touching it. We can hear the pleasant songs of birds and the thunder in a storm. We can taste vegetables and other good foods that grow in the earth. When we understand and appreciate our magnificent senses, we are grateful to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we feel reverent.  All these things are for our own experience.  Share your testimony.

OTHER OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Creation Blocks (Christian Website)
Earth coloring sheet from the January 1996 Friend
 

SOURCES:

“Sharing Time: My Father in Heaven Loves Me,” Friend, Jan. 1996, 12