Growing Intimacy with God

This illustrates how a creationist view of creating life differs from the evolutionary view.  You can have kids help you measure and mix the ingredients to create life.

Items you'll need:

Two quart bowl or larger (preferably glass)
Mortar and pestle
Measuring cups
Metal or plastic mixing spoon
Water
Sugar
Chemical fertilizer
Multivitamin tablet

Today we are going to work on a special recipe.  This is the recipe to create life.  Scientists believe that long ago the right mix of chemicals came together on the earth in what they call a "primordial soup".  I have a bowl here.  Let's mix together the chemicals necessary to create life.

Hand one kid a mortar and pestle with a vitamin tablet.

Here, smash this vitamin tablet into a powder.  We'll need it later for our soup.

Now, let's put into the bowl the ingredients necessary for life.

First we need water.  All life on this earth needs water.  Please measure out and put 4 cups of water in the bowl.

Now we need carbon.  Carbon combines with water to form carbohydrates.  Sugar is a basic carbohydrate.  Please measure and put 1 cup of sugar in the bowl.

Next we need nitrogen and phosphorus.  Nitrogen is necessary to make proteins and phosphorus is needed for energy.  Chemical fertilizers have concentrated nitrogen and phosphorus.  Please measure out and put in the bowl one quarter cup of fertilizer.

Now we need minerals and trace elements.  Not much, but they have to be there.  Things like iron and calcium.  So let's add in one vitamin.

There.  Now we have all the basic ingredients for life.  Let's mix it up and see what happens.

Pass the bowl around with a large spoon and let several kids mix up the ingredients.

Is it life yet?

Maybe it needs more mixing.

Is it life yet?

Now add one sneeze.

A-a-achoo!

Now it is.