Use this song as the beginning for a discussion on how students can:

• change the world
• make peace on earth
• clean up the earth
• reach out to those in need

with their own two hands.

Art Project:

Have students make copies of their own two hands and decorate them with pictures and words describing what good they can do with their own two hands to make the world a better place.  Arrange all of the hands on a poster or banner, and hang it in a place where others will be able to reflect on it.

Discussion Starters:

• What does the phrase "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone" mean?  Can the students think of examples from their lives where this rings true?  What are examples from the natural world of not knowing what we had until it was gone?
• What examples are students aware of from around the world where paradise was paved for parking lots, shopping centers, office buildings, etc.? 
• Are there alternatives to "paving paradise and putting up a parking lot"?  How can we change from not knowing what we have until it is gone to appreciating what we have and doing what it takes to protect it?

History Project:

Have students research what the land looked like in the area where your school or church is located before buildings and houses were put up.  Discuss with students the value of natural landscapes and have them think about what buildings are worth "paving paradise" for if it means ruining a natural habitat.

Science Projects:

• Have students research about deforestation in the world.  What environmental impacts does deforestation have?  What other impacts (economic, religious, sociological) does deforestation have?
• Have students research about pesticides, such as DDT, and organic farming.  What are the positives and negatives of using pesticides in growing produce?  What are the positives and negatives of organic farming?  Encourage students to look at the difference between organic and regular produce at the grocery store. 

I don't need no one to tell me about heaven; I look at my daughter and I believe.

I don't need no book to tell me about God and truth; I look at the sunset and I perceive.

• Where do you learn most about God?  From interactions with other people?  From being in nature?  From reading the Bible?  From worship?  Where else?
• When have you encountered God in your relationships with other people?  What have you learned about God through these people?
• When have you encountered God in nature?  What have you learned about God through nature?

Art project:

Have students paint or draw a picture of  nature scene in which they encountered God.