Today’s lesson is a Violet Promise lesson. It’s one our favorite lessons in Children’s RE. We often do the lesson many times. Rather than me making a video, I suggest you do this activity with your child(ren). You will need one apple, an apple peeler, and a small sharp knife.

 

An Apple To Value

Hold up an Apple – Think of this apple as representing the earth…

Cut the apple into quarters. Hold up three of the quarters.

These pieces represent the oceans of our world.

Set the “ocean” pieces to one side.

The fraction left is one-fourth.

Cut in half and hold up one of the halves

This is the part people can’t live or work on – the poles, deserts,
swamps, high mountains.

Set that piece with the ocean pieces.

What’s left?

Hold the piece that’s left.

One-eighth. This is where humans live, but not necessarily where they grow their food.

If we slice our one-eighth piece into four sections…

Slice in half the long way, then in half the short way.

And put aside three of them

Place three of the pieces down, but separate from the ocean pieces.

We have 1/32 left.

Point to the three small pieces.

The three pieces we set aside represent the places where the soil is too poor to farm – where it’s too rocky, wet, cold or steep to produce food. They also represent the cities, houses, highways, shopping malls, schools, parks, factories, parking lots and miniature golf courses where people live, play and work – but do not grow any food.

Place the three small pieces with the ocean pieces.

If we take the 1/32 piece that’s left and carefully peel it…

Carefully peel it and hold up the peel.

this scrap of apple peel represents the farm-able surface topsoil of the planet, the thin skin of the Earth’s crust upon which humankind totally depends for the food it grows.

This thin skin of topsoil is less than five feet deep and is a fixed amount of food-producing land.

The next time you eat an apple, remember this tiny piece of apple skin. Treat it as if your life depends on it because, in the real world, it does.

Wondering Questions

I wonder which part of this story is the most important?

I wonder which part you like the best?

I wonder where you might be in this story?

I wonder if we could make more farmable land?

 

Watch the Video: Where Does Food Come From?

 

 

Or this one for 2-6 year olds: Fruit for Kids with Blippi | Apple Fruit Factory Tour

 

Do an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt!

 

Today’s Message For All Ages is about Athena the Owl. Here’s a video of Athena the OWL in the rehab center in Brookfield Zoo!

 

This is a Violet Promise Lesson. (Click to enlarge.)