The Pumpkin Patch Parable
by Annette at Live, Learn, Love
The Pumpkin Patch Parable is a parable (a story that illustrates a truth) that tells how the Farmer plants the pumpkins. He then chooses a special pumpkin. He is able to remove all the slime and pulp and give it a new face. The Farmer made the pumpkin glow and it made all the people smile. It is summarized well, explaining that God also offers the chance to be made new, and full of joy and light so that we can shine in this world. (Liz Curtis Higgs explains in an introduction that it is not a celebration of Halloween, but an alternative autumn message that redeems a familiar symbol of the harvest season for His good purpose.) I really appreciated all the Scripture included in this book to help a child understand the meaning behind the parable (in addition to the explanation at the end).
If you read The Pumpkin Patch Parable, it will be clear that the logical follow-up activity would be to carve a pumpkin, but, um, we didn't do that, nor do we have pumpkins right now. So we made our own.
For my almost 2 year old, I precut the shapes and had him find the shapes. Then we called them the appropriate name of eyes, nose, mouth, and stem. My older child got to choose which color she wanted to make each feature and which shape it was to be.
This is such a simple craft. If you have not yet made crafts with your child, I would encourage you to try a basic pumpkin craft like this one. Afterward, you can have fun carving a pumpkin to share about God's love and forgiveness!
Annette is mom to two little ones. You can find kids' activities, book reviews, and more at her blog, Live, Learn, Love.