Feeding Forms

Creation for Kids in Church Camps

This game seeks to explore why fish have their mouths in different locations, some down below, some out front, and others almost on the top of their heads. You will need lots of golf balls (or another object that sinks) and lots of milk caps (or other objects that float) for this game.

Begin by showing pictures of fish with different types of mouths. You might use catfish as the representative of underside mouths, trout for directly in front, and sunfish as an example of the mouth being rotated more towards the top. Explain that the campers are going to imitate the fish and try to discover for what kind of food each fish is specialized by their unique mouth.

Next, divide the campers into three different groups. Ask one group to reach a consensus on how they will mimic the catfish, another the trout, and the last to mimic the sunfish. Each group should develop a rule of how they can or cannot use their hands to collect food during the game. For instance, the catfish should always have their hands at an angle less than parallel to the water’s surface, and the sunfish always above that angle.

After you have checked out each team’s strategy to make sure it follows the feeding form of that fish, move into the game. Throw 50 or more golf balls into the pool, making sure that they are spread out to avoid under water collisions. Instruct all of the campers to gather as many golf balls for their team as they can. Give the campers the go signal and let them work until all the golf balls have been found.

Before allowing any counting, throw lots of floating objects onto the pool and let the campers gather them with the same instructions. Be careful that each team keeps a separate pile for the food that they gather.

Instruct each team to count the number of golf balls and milk caps that they have collected. Ideally, if the teams have been following their self-imposed rules about how to imitate their fish, the catfish team should have the most golf balls, and the sunfish should have the most milk lids. Discuss the results and the lifestyle of each fish. Take this opportunity to introduce the idea of vocation. Focus on the uniqueness of each fish and how each fish has a particular niche in the lakes and streams that no other fish can fill. In the same way, each person fulfills a unique niche in God’s plan that no one else can do. There are pastors, teachers, mothers, and farmers who all fulfill God’s plan in unique ways and who all participate in God’s will.