By Rev. Doug Forbes

Butterflies are a sign of new life and they are beautiful to behold! Your young people will enjoy naming the butterflies and they will serve as a reminder of the Biblical principal of changed lives.

For Magnetic Butterflies you need: Bibles, Bible concordances, thin craft wood, a saw, 5 butterfly patterns, bright tempera paints, brushes, google eyes, glitter, glue, a roll of magnetic tape, tacky glue and newspaper. (Sometimes you can purchase pre-cut wooded butterflies at a craft or discount store.)

Ask your students to use their Bibles and concordances to discover Bible passages on new life or Bible characters whose lives have been changed for the better by God. Allow time for each child to share his or her findings. Read II Corinthians 5:17 to your class and explain that when a person becomes a Christian God changes them for the better like when a common caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. The old bad habits can be broken and we become new creations. God makes us more and more like Himself each day. We can become kind, gentle, helpful and generous people filled with God’s great love for everyone! This could be the perfect time to pray with your class and thank Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins, ask Him to forgive our sins and make us members of His family.

Precut wooden butterflies for your class or buy them at your favorite craft or discount store. Instruct your class members to glue a piece of magnetic tape onto the back of their butterflies and write their names and II Corinthians 5:17. Encourage your students to creatively paint the front of the butterflies. You may wish to have your young people put a base layer of paint on the butterflies on the first week and then paint details the second week. Glitter glue can be used to enhance the children’s beautiful creations. Add google eyes and allow drying. You may wish to have your students make additional butterflies to use as gifts.

Send the butterflies’ home with the children and encourage them to explain the Bible verse and how God can make us new and better people.