This is the harvest that God made

On your marks

Here is a simple idea for a presentation by your children’s group for harvest. The truth that we are still dependent on the land for our food is becoming harder to realise for a generation that might be forgiven for believing that carrots grow in plastic bags on supermarket shelves. This piece connects the food we eat with God who made the world. It also makes visual the inter-connectedness of God’s giving and the human effort needed in order to produce the food on our plates.

Get set

The presentation needs eight children to illustrate the different stages that a seed goes through before it ends up as a piece of toast for our breakfast. You will need to have some simple props and/or costumes for each child. Here are some suggestions:
A seed or picture of a seed – you may also like to give out one seed to everyone in the class or assembly and invite them all to speak the appropriate line for this line when it comes.
A piece of corn or picture of a piece of corn.
A farmer dressed in jeans, open-necked shirt and wellingtons, holding a toy tractor.
A miller dressed in an overall and with something like small grinding stones.
A baker in a chef’s hat and uniform, with a rolling pin.
A shopkeeper, possibly in a uniform and with a toy till.
A parent, perhaps a child dressed as dad in a suit (?), with a shopping basket.
A person to carry a plate of toast with jam or marmalade.
A person who at the end takes a bite out of the toast!

Go!

1.The piece is in the style of the rhyme “this is the house that Jack built”. Each person has a line and or action, which is repeated regularly as the story builds up. Rehearse the final line with everyone, namely (“that grew in the world that God made”), which is said at the end of each section.

2. Each person comes on in turn, when the narrator says their line, and shows the item they have. Subsequently he or she steps forward whenever that line comes again as part of the ever-growing poem. Alternatively, each person could say his or her line as they step forward.
3. Here is the script:

This is the seed, SMALL BUT VITAL,
That was sown in the field…
(that grew in the world that God made.)

This is the corn, TALL AND FINE
That sprung from…
The seed, SMALL BUT VITAL,
That was sown in the field…
(that grew in the world that God made.)

This is the farmer, HARD-WORKING AND SKILFUL,
Who cut down the corn, TALL AND FINE… etc.

This is the miller, CHEERFUL AND SMART,
Who ground flour for the farmer, HARD-WORKING AND SKILFUL,
Who cut down… etc.

This is the baker, WITH APRON AND HAT,
Who made bread for the miller, CHEERFUL AND SMART,
Who ground flour for… etc.

This is the shopkeeper, SMILING AND HELPFUL,
Who sold loaves for the baker, WITH APRON AND HAT,
Who made bread for… etc.

This is the dad/mum, UP EARLY AND CARING,
Who bought the rolls from the shopkeeper, SMILING AND HELPFUL,
Who sold loves for… etc.

This is (enter name of a child), WITH BUTTER AND JAM,
Who has breakfast with dad/mum,
Who bought rolls from…etc.

And (name of another child) took a great bite and said…

DELICIOUS and THANK YOU GOD FOR
the mum/dad who bought it,
the shopkeeper who sold it,
the baker who baked it,
the miller who ground it,
the farmer who cut it,
the corn which sprung up,
the seed that was sown,
in the field…
(that grew in the world that God made.)

(spoken all together):
(Doesn’t our heavenly Father use a lot of people and take a lot of care just to give us our breakfast!)

4. It would be possible to “globalise “ this presentation if a bread product, actually made somewhere else in the world, is used and whose “journey” to us involves people from other nations as part of the chain. It could be re-worked for pitta bread for example?
5. Complete this presentation by linking it to a Bible reading for harvest such as Psalm 65: 9-13, which the whole group could read together.