Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God wants us to come “work for Him” as soon as He asks us to do so.
- Students will learn we need to do what God asks us to do and be grateful for any blessings or rewards He gives us (especially Salvation.)
- Students will learn God does not want us to be jealous of people who become Christians late in life and still get to go to Heaven. He also does not want us to pretend we were not asked to “work for Him” in hopes of only obeying and worshipping Him for the shortest possible time and still being able to go to Heaven.
- Students will learn how plant alkalinity affects growth.
Guiding Question: How can alkalinity in soil affect how a plant grows?
Materials: Three types of soils with different alkalinities, plant seeds, pots or cups, labels
Procedure: Review the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Explain that once again, this story has another meaning beyond the one that is obvious. Have older students share what they think it is. Explain that God never promised us life would be fair. Explain that people work all kinds of different jobs around the world. Different jobs pay different amounts of money. Even though it may not seem fair at times if others get paid more than us, we have to remember that God has placed us in the job and career that is best for us at that time and best for furthering His Kingdom. There may be times when we do not have a job and need to trust in God to provide a job that will support us. It is important to turn to God for guidance when looking for a job and making big decisions.
Introduce the activity. Explain that different plants need different amounts of alkalinity in the soil to grow well. Have students attempt to grow plants in soils with three different levels of alkalinity. Have them record how each plant does over the course of several weeks. Compare the data from several students to make sure the results were consistent. Which soil does that plant need to grow well?
Additional Questions: How do plants grow when given different amounts of light?
Supplemental Activity: Have students conduct an experiment on the class over several weeks with growing plants in different conditions. Have the class pick a type of plant they would like to try and grow. Gather the seeds for the plant and have them grow in three different locations: lots of light, some light, very limited light. Have students compare their growth and make observations about the plants.