Help kids celebrate that they are a new creation in Christ with butterfly rice crispy treats. A fun, hands-on Bible lesson!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV
New Creation in Christ
It is a wonderful truth that once we believe in Jesus, confess him with our mouths, and repent of our sins, we are saved eternally in Christ.
No longer are we the sinful people who have rebelled against God. We become God’s children, adopted into his family.
We are a new creation in Christ. We have a new heart, a new nature, and a new future!
New Life in Christ | Symbolized by the Butterfly
Over time, butterflies have become a great way to teach our kids about their status as a new creation in Christ. That’s because butterflies start their lives as caterpillars. After entering a chrysallis, each butterfly is transformed into an adult butterfly.
Now, this isn’t a perfect illustration of our transformation into God’s children. But, for our kids–who think in concrete ways, this illustration can help them better understand the amazing change we undergo when we turn away from our sin and turn toward Jesus.
After all, the lowly caterpillar crawls on the ground. We may pick caterpillars up to examine them, but there is nothing truly exciting about a caterpillar.
A butterfly, however, is a beautiful and exciting creature, fluttering through the air from flower to flower.
Our kids can understand that while we remain in our sin–our rebellion against the King of the Universe, we are like the caterpillar. When we trust in Jesus for salvation and repent of our rebellion, God transforms us into a new creature–like the butterfly.
Here’s a fun video of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly:
New Creation in Christ Butterfly Rice Crispy Treats
Check out this fun video of the butterfly rice crispy treats!
Tips for Making Rice Crispy Treats with Kids
Working on snack projects with kids is so much fun, but it can be a challenge. If you choose to involve your kids, I have a few suggestions for you.
- Expect a mess. Put your child’s long hair up, wash little hands, and have them wear washable clothes.
- Prepare the food before hand. For little ones, the real fun is in the decorating, so do as much of the prep work as you can before you involve the kids.
- Keep basic supplies on hand. I’m embarrassed to tell you how many types of sprinkles I have. We eat really healthy, but when we celebrate, there are always sprinkles involved. It’s nice to have a little supply of food decorations. You know, for emergencies.
- Set the food to be decorated on a child-size table or on a plastic table cloth on the floor. Nothing ruins the food decorating fun faster than having a child fall off a kitchen stool. Your kids will be intent on their decorating task. They may not remember they’re standing high above the ground. (Don’t ask me how many children fell off before I realized this!)
- It’s OK to do easy. For special celebrations, there’s nothing wrong with using store-made supplies!
A Tool to Explain the Gospel
Supplies Needed to Make Your Butterfly Rice Crispy Treats
You’ll need a few supplies to make your project. You may have a few of these items already. If not, these are all fairly inexpensive and will serve you well for multiple projects.
- 6 cups of crispy rice cereal
- 10 ounces of miniature marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Butterfly cookie cutter
- White chocolate chips or white candy wafer melts
- Candy: Twizzlers, Spree, Jawbreakers, Mike & Ike
- Craft sticks
- Permanent marker
Creating Your New Life in Christ Butterfly Rice Crispy Treats
Before you get started on the rice crispy treats, discuss 2 Corinthians 5:17 with your kids.
Talk to your kids about the transformation of the butterfly. Explain how we are transformed–with a new heart, nature, and future–when we come to salvation in Jesus.
As you decorate your butterflies, work on memorizing 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the version of your choice. If you’d like to use a copywork tool to really cement the verse in your children’s minds, check out this Bible Verses for Children Write, Color, and Memorize set.
Here are the steps to make your rice crispy treats:
1) Prepare a Baking Sheet.
Line a 13″ x 9″ baking sheet with wax paper. Spray the wax paper with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray.
2) Make Your Rice Crispy Treats.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and melt, stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from heat. Fold in the cereal. Stir until the cereal is coated in the marshmallow.
3) Press Your Rice Crispy Treats into the Baking Sheet.
Using a buttered spatula or greased wax paper evenly press mixture into baking sheet. Cool completely.
4) Cut Out Each Butterfly.
Use a butterfly-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your treats. If the treats are loose, press additional rice crispy mixture into the cookie cutter before releasing the shape onto waxed paper. Reshape the remaining cereal “batter” in your baking pan until all is used.
5) Decorate Your Butterfly with Candy.
Place your white chocolate candy in a microwave safe bowl. Melt on high heat, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. Do not overheat. If the candy is too thick, add vegetable shortening or coconut oil in 1 teaspoon increments, up to 1 tablespoon, and stir well. Do not add water. Transfer to a piping bag or zip top freezer bag with one corner snipped.
Use a small amount of melted white chocolate candy coating to apply each piece of candy to your butterfly. Gently press the candy onto the butterfly. You may want to use a toothpick to apply the candy.
Allow your treats to set before serving.
6) Add a Popsicle Stick to Each Rice Crispy Treat.
Press a craft stick into the bottom of each butterfly once the treat has set.
7) Write “New Creation in Christ” on each Popsicle Stick.
Use a permanent marker to write “New Life in Christ” or “New Creation in Christ” on each popsicle stick.
Your kids will love eating their treat–and they’ll remember an important truth from God’s Word!
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Puzzle-Based Independent Bible Study for Kids!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2, ESV
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- Observe: They pay attention to what they’re reading.
- Interpret: They figure out what the Bible means in that section.
- Apply: They decide how the truth of God’s Word impacts their life today.
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
The Bible Investigators: Creation Bible study for kids, written by Danika Cooley and published by The Good Book Company, is 272-pages of learning, puzzles, and fun activities designed to help your kids become amazing independent Bible investigators–observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word as they learn what the Bible teaches on a particular subject.
Bible Puzzles for Kids
Middle grade kids, aged 8-12, love puzzles. After all, their brains are just built for figuring things out and memorizing facts. Puzzles are a wonderful way to help kids develop logic skills and retain important information. And, the book is written in a fun, conversational tone your children are sure to love!
What types of puzzles and activities will you find in Bible Investigators?
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- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Rebus Puzzles
- Dot-to-Dots
- Logic Puzzles
- Missing Letter Puzzles
- Cryptograms
- Word Sudoku
- Mazes
- How-to-Draw Pages
- Matching Pairs
- Word Scrambles
- Journal Pages
Every child is sure to find activities they’ll love!
Elementary-aged kids need hands-on middle grade resources that engage them and equip them to process important truths.
Bible Investigators is the perfect resource to teach your kids about an important biblical doctrine, while helping them apply God’s Word to their lives today.
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