Prior to class, purchase inexpensive spiral or composition notebooks for your teens (one per student). Back-to-school sales make these exceptionally affordable.

This step will help your students identify personal experiences that point to the Creator’s handiwork. First, place students into small groups (3-5 students each).

God has created everything in our universe and it all points to Him.  Some of the things God has created are so small that we can’t even observe them with the naked eye. They are microscopic and miraculous in their complexity. Other things are so large, we cannot grasp them. Our lives are surrounded by the evidence of a Creator, but we often overlook even the most obvious examples.

Read the following prompts to your groups, allowing enough time for everyone to share their answers with group members in between each question. If you choose, the leaders can share first.

• When have you experienced some natural phenomenon that took your breath away? Starting with the oldest person in your group, each person should share an experience. (These might be trips to natural wonders like caverns or mountains, experiences like star-gazing, or they can be miraculous events like the birth of a child, etc.)
• When you look at the natural world, is your first impulse to praise God for it? Or, do you simply ignore its complexity and beauty altogether? (It’s important to observe the world around us with spiritual eyes and not just practical ones.) 
• How can we increase our appreciation for what God designed? (Let students share ideas for developing awareness. Visiting parks and natural wonders, studying science diligently in school, taking time away to meditate on God’s creation, minimizing screen time, etc. are all ways we can become more aware.)

If you have a phone, take it out for a moment. This device might be the biggest barrier to recognizing God’s creative power in the universe. The confines of this small rectangular screen can absolutely prevent us from absorbing the awe-inspiring world God has made for us to enjoy.

Screen time is an inevitable part of the modern world. Challenge your students to do one of several things this week. First, instruct them to LOOK UP at the world around them, absorbing the big and small things that God has designed rather than staying glued to an artificial, virtual world. Secondly, encourage them to take at least one inspirational photo, print it off, and affix it in their notebook (hand out the notebooks as you make the challenge) along with any thoughts or insights about those designs that will encourage them to see God in the world around them.

If time and weather permit, consider taking your class outdoors and allow them to begin their photo shoots. Or, they might even want to take selfies and begin journaling about being part of God’s glorious creation. Anyone without a camera may simply record their responses to what they see.

Close in prayer, thanking the Creator for all He has given you.