Once Upon a Book ~ The Parable of the Lily

The Parable of the Lily

by Liz Curtis Higgs

 

Summary:  Little Maggie receives a gift of dirt in the mail from an unknown sender.  Disappointed she knows that the bulb in the crate will probably grow into a flower.  She had hoped for a new toy instead.  Months later, as she searches for her gardening tools to help her father, the crate’s contents spill.  Angrily, she throws the bulb out of the cellar.  Much to her surprise, and the delight of her father, the bulb transforms into a beautiful lily Resurrection morning.  Maggie learns that her father sent her this unique gift to teach her about the reason Jesus came to Earth and the gift of forgiveness.

 

Key Bible Verse

 

“This is how God showed His love to us:  He sent His only Son into the world to give us life through Him.”  (1 John 4:9)

 

Painting Pots

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

 

This activity allows time for you to explain that like the flower bulb, Jesus didn’t look like someone who should be recognized.  But when the time was right, He emerged as our Savior, rising from the ground three days after He was crucified, much like a flower shoots up from the dirt and becomes fragrant and beautiful.

 

Supplies

• clay pot with saucer
• craft art paint and paint brush, Q-Tip, or sponge
• dirt
• flower bulb (preferably a lily, but we used tulips because they were on sale at Wal-Mart!)

How To Make:

• create a “safe” place to paint
• allow your child to decorate their pot
• let the paint dry – very important!

• have your Tot spoon dirt into their painted pot 1/2 full
• place bulbs inside the pot

• cover bulbs with dirt
• GENTLY water!  (not that any of ours spilled all over the floor!)
• Wait and watch for the beauty to emerge!

Math

Supplies

• several packages of different sized garden seeds
• Seed Math Booklet from Homeschool Share

Directions: 

Help your Tot count the correct number of seeds for each circle.  Help them count the total number of seeds for the answer. 

Sorting

Directions: Divide your seeds up.  But do not give him an overwhelming amount of seeds to separate into groups. 

We did also take a little bit of time learning about lilies . . . I found some silk lilies in Wal-Mart's floral department and let the boys tear dissect the flower petal by petal.

They boys colored a lily with markers, though I meant for them to practice pointillism, where you allow your child to act like Monet by giving them a Q-Tip and allow have them paint the picture with tiny dots.  I suggest doing a search on Google to find a printable that you like. 

For more ideas head on over to Homeschool Share where you can complete and entire lapbook devoted to The Parable of the Lily! Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)? Click here to see our Once Upon a Book webpage!