The Fulness of the Earth - God's Wisdom for Ecology and Environmental Science

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

 17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

 18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

 19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

 20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

I love these verses of scripture! The entirety of Earth and all living things on it have always testified to me that there is a God; to read that those creations that please my eye and gladden my heart, that taste and smell so wonderful, and that strengthen and enliven me were in fact created specifically to do so confirms even more the existence and love of an Eternal Father. I further appreciate that though these things were given for these uses, freely and rightfully, we are also told--in scripture--to use judgment and not to use them with excess. These verses of scripture are the perfect way to begin ecological and/or environmental studies. 

Everywhere there are extremes in schools of thought. There are those who would have us conserve and preserve to the point of rejecting the purpose and thus the gifts of the earth freely given by the Creator, and those who would have us use and consume with no thought for the morrow. Clearly, the wise will find the middle ground. Thus it is imperative to learn the science of ecology and our environment while keeping the purposes of God's creations in mind and recognizing we have a stewardship.

Our first ecology project was to create a picture book with these verses of scripture found in Doctrine & Covenants 59:16-20. I gave each child a blank, bound book and had them find pictures to print, cut out, and tape into their books to personally illustrate the scripture. 

Happy homeschooling!