Keys For Kids Ministries

Bible Reading: Romans 12:9-13"Look!" said Rylee, stepping back from the huge saguaro cactus. "There's something in that hole!"Dad and Easton came over to see. Sure enough, a pair of blinking yellow eyes peered back at them from a hole in the trunk of the cactus."I think it's a screech owl," said Easton. "We learned that woodpeckers peck holes into cactuses when they make their nests. Then after they leave, other birds move into the empty holes and live there."Dad nodded. "Each time the cactus skin is broken--like when a woodpecker makes a hole--a thick gluey liquid seeps out and forms a waterproof pouch. The liquid hardens, kind of like a scab, to make the pouch permanent. Inside the hole it's cooler in the day and warmer at night, so it makes an ideal home for desert birds."Rylee saw big and little holes in the arms of one of the cactuses--they were everywhere. "This saguaro is like a high-rise apartment building!" she said with a laugh. "What a crowded place to live."Easton grinned. "Just like our house."Ry