The Pumpkin Patch Parable Points First Grade to Christ
Each October, the school hallways are filled with chatter as students discuss Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating plans, and visits to pumpkin patches. However, this week, in our First-Grade class, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobus took students’ attention away from costumes and candy and turned it towards something more important: Christ.
Mrs. J. read The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs to Mrs. Ford’s and Mrs. Barnes’ First-Grade classes, which follows a farmer who wants to transform an ordinary pumpkin into a shining jack-o-lantern. He removes the slimy seeds and the tangled pulp, carves a face, and places a light inside, letting the pumpkin shine for all to see.
Mr. J. brought a pumpkin to class to help bring the story to life. After cutting open the top, he invited students to reach into the pumpkin and remove the messy insides. Then, he carved a face into it, placed a light inside, and turned off the lights, allowing students to see the jack-o-lantern shine in the darkness.
This story was used to illustrate what Christ does to us when we are saved. He removes the messy sin and makes us clean from the inside out, and He gives us His light to shine so all may see Him through us, even in the darkest of times.
This activity was the perfect way to point students to Christ during this Halloween season.
