Joining God’s Ongoing Story through Creation Care

The Importance of Stories in Environmental Education

Written by Amy Donais (Environmental Education Coordinator)
Edited by Madison Chafe (Communications and Administrative Coordinator)

November 2025

We all love a good story. The kind that draws us in — with characters we care about, challenges to overcome, and a sense of connection that lingers long after the final page.

When we spend time learning about and caring for creation, we’re part of a story too — God’s good story of redemption and His unending love for all He has made.

Each moment we spend outdoors — learning, listening, observing, giving — we step a little deeper into that story. We begin to notice creation’s “characters” all around us: the birds at the feeder, the trees swaying in the wind, and the tiny bugs crawling in the soil. We start to care about how they’re doing, and over time, our compassion grows — for the earth, for our neighbours, and our connection to it all. 

At our outdoor school program, Nature Academy, we run a class called Conservation Kids!. Each week, students explore what conservation looks like in daily life — here at the A Rocha Ontario Centre, in their own backyards, and in the many spaces where life thrives, including rural, urban, local, or global contexts.

Last spring, each student chose a species at risk in Ontario to research and observe. When I asked why they picked their species, their answers blew me away:

• “I want to do snakes because my mom is afraid of snakes, and this might help her — me knowing more about them.”
• “We should look in the forest for snakes because they like damp areas, and I know that the forest is always wet.”
• “I chose a vole because they remind me of rodents, and I think rodents have a lot against them. I really like rodents.”

The list goes on with responses like this.These students  weren’t just completing a project — they were connecting. Our students really got to know the species they selected by exploring their unique characteristics, what they needed to thrive, what challenges they were facing, and what we can do to help.Through this program/class, children are being inspired by creation, getting a glimpse of God’s good story going on all around them and wanting to play a part in ensuring their health and flourishing. 

Our environmental education students demonstrate how creation can bring us inward and stretch us outward. 

They show us that just as we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), so too creation reveals the beauty of God’s handiwork and the value of sharing its story. 

Why These Stories Matter

A Rocha’s mission is “to live out God’s calling to care for creation and equip others to do likewise.” Through programs like Conservation Kids!, students are given space to explore that calling in their own ways — through stories of family, pets, and familiar places that make God’s world feel personal and close. When a student discovers something that feels personal or that has really surprised or challenged them, they are more likely to share that with those around them. That might be with classmates or on the ride home, but when they tell that story it is going to be lively, as if they have been changed a little bit through it. Their nature encounter moved them in a way that the audience will see, hear or perhaps even feel. I believe that this spark, from an inquiry led, immersive encounter will continue to flow through our relationships and connections igniting small sparks in those who hear our stories.  

As they learn, they begin to see that caring for creation isn’t just about protecting something “out there.” They can see themselves as part of the stories of each creature and place they engage with through the impact they make and the relationships they build. At the root, creation care is about these relationships — it’s about understanding, appreciation, and love. They remind us that meaningful care begins with paying attention, with gratitude, and with the willingness to give back to what gives so much to us.

As an educator, it brings me such joy to see these stories unfold — students and teachers sharing discoveries over snack time, swapping hilarious stories from a recent hike, or marveling over a particularly beautiful leaf. These small, everyday moments are what knit our community together and remind us that the story God is writing through creation is still being told — and we each have a part in it.

How to Join the Story

Take time to step outside. Listen well. Pay attention. Let yourself be surprised by the beauty of the world around you.

And then share it — the moment that moved you, the small discovery that made you say, “Wow, that’s so COOL!”

Because when we do, we not only honour creation — we take our place in the good story God continues to tell through it.