did you know . . . Tree Kangaroos!

Living in the rainforests and on the mountains in Paupua New Guniea, Indonesia, and North Australia you will find very rare, unusual, and special macropods known as Tree Kangaroos. Look at Psalm 95:3, 4 – For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

Let’s learn about some of the ways Tree Kangaroos show us they are something special God designed to live upon some of His mountains.

• ·  There are fourteen species of Tree Kangaroos – some have only been discovered as recently as 2005.
• ·  Unlike regular kangaroos, Tree Kangaroos are able to move their back legs independently – as do we.
• ·   Tree Kangaroos jump from 60 feet high in trees and still land safely.
• ·   Tree Kangaroos have a pattern of swirls, circles, and spirals called “whorls” which allow water to run off their back – a great design since they live in rainforests where there is no shortage of rain! Their own “built-in” raincoat!
•     Surprisingly, they do not hop well, but they are excellent climbers! They live most of their lives in trees and are able to climb as high as a ten-story building!

What do you think is the most interesting thing about Tree Kangaroos? They are uniquely designed by God to have the features and abilities they have because He knew what they needed, and He designed them to evolve “just right”. They help us see God had more in mind than just the “Big Bang”!

Activity to make the Point & Have Fun!

Tree Kangaroos enjoy eating leaves, flowers, and fruit, so to help us think about and remember these unique, rare animals, let’s make a special cookie. You will need . . .

• 3 sticks softened butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean sugar or ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pink salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Dried Hibiscus flowers
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Lavender
• 1 teaspoon Rose petals
• 3 Tablespoons chopped dried cherries or blueberries – as you like

• If you have a hard time finding the dried flowers, get an herbal tea where they are the only ingredients.

Directions – 1. Cream butter, sugar, honey, baking soda, and salt 2. Mix in egg and vanilla 3. Add flour and optional items of your choice 4. Mix well 5. Put through a cookie press – if you have one – maybe use the flower disc or spoon a ball of dough onto a cookie pan lined with parchment paper and flatten with back of spoon 6. Bake at 400 for eight or nine minutes – until the edges are lightly browned 7. Cool and enjoy!

Think About This . . .

“We already know intelligent minds produce finely tuned devices. Look at the space shuttle. Look at a television set. Look at an internal combustion engine. We see minds producing complex, precision machinery all the time. So, the existence of a supermind - or God - as the explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe makes all sense in the world.” – William Lane Craig, author, apologist, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology

You will find more fun information about Tree Kangaroos in my book, Civets, Tree Kangaroos, Batoids & More, which you will find at this link.