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Parent Guide

Why is this study so important?

What we teach our children stays with them all of their lives. The values and morals we teach by our words and by the example of our lives will help to establish the ethical behavior of our children as adults. That is why it is so important that children are well grounded in Biblical truth and know how to apply that truth to their daily life.

Learning about Adam and Eve and the fact that they were created by God and understanding the great significance of their act of disobedience can and will have a tremendous impact on your child's personal behavior. That is why it is so important that the facts presented in this Biblical story be remembered and applied. That is why an elephant is telling you this tale, because traditionally we have associated Elephants with having great memories.

As the Elephant relates to us what God did in the beginning, we as parents and teachers can emphasize the main points of the Biblical account to be remembered and to become an integral and vital part of our daily life. As the story is repeated, the learning experience is retained and so the child will remember these life-changing Biblical truths.

How to use this study

As you read this Story to or with your children, point to the pictures that illustrate the story so your children begin to associate the words with the actions.

By reviewing the Video with your child and by asking questions and reinforcing the truths and values in the film as detailed in this guide, you will be placing these concepts into your child's mind so that they are reinforced each and every time your child watches and enjoys this film.

The Audio can be copied to your computer where you can then transfer it to a CD or a portable media device such as an MP3 player. Then you can take the story with you. Remember to make this learning experience fun for you and your child.

The Coloring Book and the activities in the Student Guide are also designed to teach and reinforce those same Biblical truths.

The Quiz will allow you the opportunity to see what your child has learned from experience, so that you will be able to apply these truths to your child's daily walk with God. These questions can be asked in a conversational manner rather then like a test if you so desire.

Talk with your child about this Biblical story and what it means to them in order to reinforce these truths. This will lead to a proper understaning and application of this story to your children's daily walk with the Lord.

What are we learning?

The Elephant tells us about the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God created man perfect, without sin. God created Adam fully grown. Adam was intelligent and named all of the animals. God created man first, alone. Adam did not evolve.

Adam was created specifically by God. He was not born of a female. Instead, God put him to sleep and created a woman from Adam's side, out of a rib. God made the woman especially as a helpmeet for Adam. God gave them the Garden of Eden to live in, and the Tree of Life which they might eat of freely and live forever. There was only one thing that they were not to do. They were not to eat of the tree in the middle, the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

But they did, they ate of the fruit of that tree and they fell into sin. God had told them specifically not to do it, and yet they disobeyed. The story adds that we should listen to what God says, not question His laws or commands, and not even ask why. The point is that man was told he could do anything in the Garden but eat of the fruit of this one tree, and that is what he did. He ate of the tree.

As God tells us to live for Him and to obey Him, we need to do it. As Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the whole world changed and mankind fell into sin. Sin can only be conquered through God's Son, Jesus Christ, who had to die on the cross in our place, so that through faith in Him we have eternal life.

When the Elephant remembered the tragedy of Adam and Eve's disobedience of God's command, he reminds us that obedience to God's will and to His Word is the wise way to go. As we grow together in the Lord, we will realize that true wisdom comes from God and is gained by following Him each day.

Learning Objective

To understand the foolishness of disobedience to God and the high price of sin. The facts are that all men die as a result of sin, that sickness and disease are directly attributed to the fall and that God sent His Son as the only possible remedy for sin.

Scripture References:

Genesis 1:26 - 3:24
Romans 5:14-21

The Application

If Adam and Eve had not sinned, what would the world be like today? They paid dearly for their sin and so have all of their offspring. As we accept the Lord as our personal Savior, we begin a new life. Old things are passed away and, behold, all things are become new. Our life is changed. We must learn therefore, to do what God wants us to do, to obey God each day. We must learn to apply this truth always. It begins as a child, as we learn from this film and this study, and it is demonstrated each day as we live our life in obedience to God's word.

Learning Activities

When you visit the zoo, see a circus or watch a TV program with Elephants in it, this is another opportunity to talk about the Biblical account of Adam and Eve. As we see an Elephant, we can remember and again reinforce and apply these great Biblical Truths of Eternal Value and live them each day.

Performance Objective

To see this truth live in our children we must teach by both word and example. We need to remind them of Adam and Eve and what happened to them and to us as a result of their sin, and what happens in our own life when we sin. To see a true change in our children's actions we must make the story real. We must also keep the application alive by constantly reinforcing this concept whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Therefore, we will achieve our goal of a life-changing attitude geared toward eternal values for which we will all be held accountable when we stand before God.

Spiritual Application

Our purpose of making the Scriptures come alive can only be accomplished if the application is kept simple and these truths are understood. Thus we accomplish our spiritual objective by explaining the eternal consequences of our daily actions. Adam and Eve's disobedience is sometimes discussed as an isolated event of the past.

We must teach the consequences of our sin and apply the results to our own lives, so that our children will comprehend the importance of obeying God and the dangerous consequences of sin in their lives. By watching this film and by using the Student Guide, children will learn by repetition and reinforcement. You will have the opportunity to explain, discuss and apply spiritual truth in a real and meaningful manner that will truly have an eternal effect on your child's life.

Some things to remember

The following questions are given to help your children understand the truths that the Elephant in Eden has remembered, and why it is imortant that we, to, remember these truths and obey God each day.

Discuss these questions with your children and have them write down their answers on a separate piece of paper or talk about them with you. Be sure that they understand how to apply these truths.

What happened in the Garden of Eden?

What was the result of Adam's sin?

How does Adam's sin affect you?

What can you do about sin in your own life?

Why did God send His Son Jesus to be born on this earth as a baby?

What did Jesus do for us?

Since Jesus did so much for us, shouldn't we obey God's Word?

How should you live your life each day?

What did you learn from the Elephant in Eden about Adam and Eve?

How will this help you each day as you obey God and live for Him?