The parable can be found in Mark 4: 3-9
#1 When I introduced them to it the first time I just read from the scriptures. I was surprised when the the next day they could remember find details about the story. I actually thought they weren't listening when I told them.
#2 Then we began to tell them the story in 4 parts, where the seeds landed. I would say, "Some fell by the wayside. What happened to those seeds?" And then one of them would answer and finish that part of the story.
#3 Then one day we used the parable for a math lesson. I had four pieces of paper on the floor. Each of the boys were assigned a soil. They went out into the yard and gathered rocks, thorns and dirt. Then we threw jelly beans on the soils. Counting them up and then subtracting the ones that didn't grow and so forth.
#4 Then one morning we went through the story telling process again. Afterward I told them I had a fun activity to share with them. It honestly had nothing to do with the parable, but out loud my son exclaims, "I know what we are going to do. We are going to plant seeds in the different soils!" He was so excited. And of course I went along with it! It was a blast until the heavy clay soil was all we could find in the garden. Indy, of course, said, "That is not good soil." And he was right. Our seeds did not grow.
#5 On one occasion we found a youtube video of it. The kids loved it and ask for it often.
#6 But the time that has touched me the most was this past Tuesday. I have made a point, especially with this parable to not tell the kids the meaning of it. I figure they have a lifetime to learn it, why not just enjoy it now and let them come to the understanding on their own. Well, Tuesday brought one of our kids that much closer to the meaning.
We were on the way home from a great grocery trip. Indy tells me that he wants to use his jelly beans to teach the story of the sower and seeds when we get home. We had yet to share it with his dad so I thought this would be a great idea. But somewhere in between the grocery trip and the scripture lesson he got mad about something. So when we were assigning soils he quickly spoke up and said, "I want to be the thorns, because they are bad."
I had to laugh because everyone always wants to be the good soil. Well, we went forth with the lesson. He was the thorns, Rocket was the rocks and R2 was the good soil and Pixie was the wayside. It was cute because like a little bird she quickly snatched up and ate her portion. When it came to the good soil and it mentioned that they multiplied, we continued to throw more seeds on the soil. You can only image the rage my little thorn had.
When we had a quiet moment I held him close and told him that like the seeds that fell on thorns that started to grow quickly he had been prompted to have this scripture with the family, but like it can happen if we aren't careful our hearts can have thorns in them that will choke the spirit away.
Even if he doesn't remember my words, I am still so impressed that for children these stories are somewhat easy to understand. There is a reason they all wanted to be the good soil, even before they understood that it got more jelly beans and a reason that when Indy was feeling bad that he related more to the thorns that would choke the seeds. Without any explanation they got it. Neat, right?
So we will continue with the parables. We reviewed the Lost Sheep tonight. And again, while I don't give them the meaning, may their eyes see and their ears hear like they are already are.
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
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