Rotation.org Writing Team

Kingdom Parables: Seed, Leaven, Treasure, Pearl

Bible Skills & Games 
"Parable Stations" Workshop 

Summary of Activities

Students will rotate through four game stations. At each station, they will read the parable, work on memorizing it, play a game to help them retain what they've learned, and answer questions to illuminate its meaning.

Scripture for the Lesson

• Parable of the Mustard Seed - Matthew 13:31-32
• Parable of the Leaven (Yeast) - Matthew 13:33
• Parable of the Treasure in the Field - Matthew 13:44
• Parable of the Pearl - Matthew 13:45-46

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives. 

The games in this lesson not only help teach, they make the content memorable. Remember the verses is the primary objective of this particular lesson.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• See each game's setup and material requirements below.

Lesson Plan

A small class could stay together and rotate through the parable stations. Larger classes will want to split up among the stations. It is recommended that each station be staffed by a different teacher, as this will allow those teachers to hone their presentation as groups rotate through their station. The stations are not dependent on each other, meaning, you could eliminate one or two of them if needed. Each one is to take 10 minutes. See timekeeping tip below.

Separate the stations from each other so that the students in one station can't see what's happening in the other stations. Use different locations if necessary.

Open

Welcome your students and explain how today's lesson will unfold. Ask them to help you define what a "parable" is, and to name any parables as they might remember. Introduce the parable stations, then split your class groups and assign them to begin at different stations.  

◊ Timekeeping Tip: Set a timer for 8 minutes, and when it goes off, the lead teacher announces to all the stations that they have two minutes left to conclude their station's lesson. At the end of the two minutes, announce "rotate!" to advance the groups to the next station and reset the timer for another 8 minutes.

Station 1. Mustard Seed - Matthew 13:31-32

Teacher Preparation & Materials
1) Pre-print the "Mustard Seed Cards" verse phrases onto cardstock and cut apart for the memory game. There are two sets to choose from: for older children phrases only, for younger children phrases/pictures (see attachments at end of this lesson).
2) 6 Paper plates; 3 marked 100 points, 2 marked 300 points, and 1 marked 500 points.  Optional: seeds or beans to throw.

Here is how the verse has been divided into phrases, one phrase per seed card:
The kingdom of heaven | is like | a mustard seed | that someone took and sowed in his field; | it is the smallest of all the seeds, | but when it has grown | it is the greatest of shrubs | and becomes a tree, | so that the birds of the air | come and make nests | in its branches.

Draw on a piece of posterboard a picture of a tree with birds nesting in it, with the title, "Kingdom of God," —for use as a backdrop in the seed-toss game. Write "things we can sow" on the leaves.

Memory Verse Activity
When the students arrive, have the verse-seed cards on display in the correct order. Let them study the parable cards for 30 seconds while you read them out loud, Then, remove approximately 3 of the phrase cards and hand them to the team, leaving other seed-words alone on the floor. Give them 10 seconds to put the cards in the right place. Then.... pull 5 of the cards and had them to the team, and give them 19 seconds to put them back in their right order. Then do 8, then try all 12!

Game:  Seed Sowing

Set-up:
The three closest plates are marked 100 pts. The next two are 300, and the top-farthest single plate is worth 500 pts. Place the posterboard with the picture of the tree and nesting birds behind the plates to act as a backdrop and visual reminder of what they've just learned. 
Have the Mustard Seed Cards ready for tossing (Alternately, give each student small seeds or beans to toss.)

Directions:
Announce that it is their job to help "sow the Kingdom of God" on earth. Explain what that means by saying the following. "A sower is someone who prepares the ground and plants seeds that will grow into something. God's seeds don't bring corn or flowers, they bring peace, forgiveness and kindness. We can plant the seed of faith in someone's heart by bringing them to church. We can plant hope by caring for someone who is lonely or sick. What grows is God's Kingdom, a Kingdom of faith, hope and love."

Show them the 5 plates you have placed in front of them. They are to "sow" (toss) the seed-verse cards (or beans) onto the plates to win points.

Distribute the seed cards among the team members –two cards per person, and let each toss their cards for points, one at a time to see who can get the highest score.

Station 2. Leaven in the Loaf  - Matthew 13:33

Teacher Preparation & Materials
You'll need a package of a dozen small balloons (approx 9"), several permanent markers, a cup of flour, a spoon, and two nearly identical bicycle pumps.  You will also need a slice of bread.

Memory Verse and Game Activity
1. Split your group into two teams and give each team a deflated balloon. Tell them to blow up their balloon, but don't tie it off. Instead, have them hold the end closed while they write the memory verse (seen below) on the balloon. Be careful not to pop the balloon with the marker.

"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

2. After the verse has been written on the balloon, deflate the balloon and pour 1 tsp of flour into it. You are now ready for the balloon blow-up race. 

3. Take a moment and talk about the parable of the yeast. Note that "leaven" and "yeast" are nearly the same thing. Yeast are microbes that eat the sugar molecules in the flour and give off carbon dioxide gas. The gas gets trapped in the layers of the dough causing it to rise. If you look really close at this piece of bread, you can see that it is full of air bubbles created by the yeast. God's Kingdom is like yeast.  We can't see the yeast, but we can see and taste the fluffy bubbles it left behind in the bread. We cannot see the Kingdom, but we can see what the Kingdom is doing or has left behind. We can't see the Kingdom, but we can see love. We can't see the Kingdom of God, but we can feel it when others befriend us, and comfort us, and encourage us. We can't see your faith, but we can see that your faith made you rise up and come to church today. God's spirit fills us and expands us, and turns us into bread for others.

4. Now play the Balloon Blow Up game.  Have each team attach their balloons to a bicycle pump and hold it to the pump's nozzle with their hand. On "go," each team pumps as fast as they can to see who can blow up their balloon the fastest and make it burst. Take turns pumping. When it bursts, the flour will burst into a cloud.  

Add this final comment: It's our job as Jesus' disciples to be like yeast in the world —helping goodness and mercy "rise" for all to enjoy.

Station 3. Treasure in the Field - Matthew 13:44

Teacher Preparation & Materials
Pre-print the "Treasure Cards" onto cardstock and cut apart (see attached file at end of lesson.)

For younger children pre-print the "Treasure Cards" which include phrases/pictures onto cardstock and pre-cut (see attachment at end of this lesson).

Deal the cards face-up on the table in a grid, and read them out loud. Tell the players to study the correct order.

After you have played the following memory game with the cards, answer the final question found below.

The "Hidden" Memory Verse Game 

Pick up all 9 cards, shuffle them, and then deal them face-down in three rows. Beginning with the player on the dealer's left, that player flips a card over trying to find the first phrase ("The Kingdom of heaven").  If they turn over the correct phrase-card, they get to immediately try and guess where the second phrase-card is. A player's turn continues as long as they are turning over the next correct phrase-card. Whenever a player guesses wrong (turns over a phrase or "Matthew 13" card that doesn't come next), ALL the cards are turned back over face-down and the next player has to start all over by finding the first phrase again. 

The players will catch on very quickly where each phrase is located in the 9 card grid, and which phrases come next. Other players will be tempted to help out of turn. Do not let them. 

The six phrases (as seen in the graphic above): The kingdom of heaven | is like treasure hidden in a field | which someone found and hid | then in his joy | he goes and sells all that he has | and buys that field.

For younger players, if they turn up a Matthew 13 card, you can make that a "take another turn" card. You can also give each player a "do-over" if they are struggling.

Question:

If you had a billion dollars, and could buy one of the following treasures that each cost a billion dollars, which one would you buy and why?  Living a life of ease and luxury, or being a loving and beloved person for the rest of your life.

Station 4. Pearl of Great Price - Matthew 13:45-46

Teacher Preparation
You will need a deck of playing cards, a table, and one "pearl of great price" (a round ball will work). Write the verse in large letters on a piece of paper and place it underneath the "pearl" which the players will be vying for.   See adaptations for younger children below.

Pearl Snatch Game
This game is similar to the card game of "spoons," in which players try to collect four of the same cards, and when they do, they immediately reach out and grab a spoon from the center of the table. See a video explaining the spoons game on YouTube. In our version, there is only one "spoon" to grab, and that spoon is "the pearl of great price." 

How to play:  Deal out 4 cards to every player and place the remaining cards in front of the dealer. The pearls are placed in the center of the table, and players are instructed to snatch their pearl only after they have collected four of a kind, Read the scripture card out loud and then place it on the center of the table with the pearl of great price on it. Play begins when dealer pulls a card off the top of the deck. If it matches a card in their hand, they keep it, and discard a card from their hand to the player on their left who can pick it up and see if it matches a card in their hand. If it doesn't match a card in their hand, they pass it to the next player and that player then decides whether to keep it or pass it along.  So on and so on around the table it goes, picking up and discarding until someone has four-of-a-kind and makes a mad-grab for the pearl of great price. 

The verse:  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;  on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Question to ask:  

How is our game like, or unlike, the Kingdom of God?  (In the Kingdom of God, everyone who searches for the pearl of great price, will find it.)

Is the Kingdom pearl meant to be something just for the winner? Or is the pearl something the merchant buys and then shares? 

Is the Kingdom like a merchant who searches for the best most valuable things? or is the Kingdom the pearl?  Jesus seems to leave this open to interpretation!

Back together as a class:

invite the students to summarize what they learned about the Kingdom from each game.

Adaptations

For Younger Students:

For Game 1: Attached to this lesson are Mustard Seed game cards created for the younger children that include pictures next to the words that will help them remember the phrase. Read the verse for non-readers, and then pull four of the cards, and begin reading the verse again —stopping where a card has been removed —then read two cards and ask them "which one belongs in this spot."  

For Game 3: Also attached to this lesson are Treasure game cards created for the younger children that include pictures next to the words that will help them remember the phrase. Speak the phrases out loud as they are chosen and if they pick the wrong one, read the wrong one out loud, but also read the correct phrase they should be looking for.

For Game 4, Instead of using a regular deck of Playing Cards, use age appropriate cards, that have colors and shapes for ease of matching cards. You can also change the rule to "collect three of a kind," to make it easier, if needed.

For those short on time: Eliminate one or two of the parable games. 

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
and member Luanne Payne
Copyright 2017, Rotation.org Inc.