Kitchen Christianity: What's Under the Sink?
I have been thinking about Proverbs 18:21 recently.
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit - you choose. (MSG)
Poison!
As parents, we sure work hard to protect our children from poison, don’t we? And yet I’m always amazed at how many poisonous chemicals I end up collecting under the sink.
When my daughter was a busy toddler, she loved to participate in all my daily tasks. This worked well when I was cooking or folding laundry. She could “help,” and I could keep an eye on her. But it wasn’t so convenient when I wanted to scrub the sink or clean the bathroom.
I had to work fast, since it was hard for her to keep her hands away from all the fascinating special sprays; one for the mirror, one for the toilet, one for the sink…
The rule I gave her was, “No touching poison soap.” She could watch. She could bring her stuffies to watch, but she could not reach towards the foamy bubbles.
She was a very obedient little tike, and I didn’t have to lock the poison soap cupboards, but in most houses the cupboard safety locks are a fantastic addition!
When your kid is old enough for the cupboard safety locks to come off, it becomes a good opportunity to investigate what’s been hiding under the sink.
Pull out an assortment of bottles and point out the warning labels.
Kids like important-sounding words, so introduce them!
Say: Some things are…
Poisonous – If you eat or drink this, you will get very sick and could even die.
Corrosive – If it gets on your skin, it burns you, like a hot stove.
Explosive – If this container gets too hot, it can pop. Little pieces would fly everywhere, and they could cut you.
Flammable – If this container gets too hot, it can catch on fire.
Talk about how the pictures help explain the dangers.
Also talk about sneaky dangers. Some bottles don’t have warning labels. They may not be as dangerous, but they can still be harmful.
Say: Now you are old enough to understand why I kept the cupboard locked. Now I can trust you not to play with these bottles. Soon you’ll even be old enough for me to teach you to use them in the right way.
Later, remind them of the warning labels. Which pictures do they remember?
Say: Did you know that God has 10 special warning labels? They are the 10 commandments! They warn us and tell us how to have a happy life.
Investigate each of God’s warning labels further by downloading the activity pages.
Younger kids can colour each symbol as you read the commandment.
Older kids may wish to design their own simple pictures to represent each commandment.
The 10 Commandments
I’ve written them in two ways, since different wording can help explain the meaning.
Make God the most important part of your life. (Put God first.)
Don’t love anything more than God. (Don’t make idols.)
Don’t swear using God’s name. (Respect God’s name.)
Keep the seventh day holy. (Rest on God’s special day.)
Respect and obey your parents. (Honour your parents.)
Don’t hurt others. (Don’t murder.)
Keep your wedding promises. (Respect marriage.)
Don’t take things that don’t belong to you. (Don’t steal.)
Don’t tell lies about other people. (Don’t lie.)
Don’t be sad about what other people have. (Don’t be jealous.)
