Christ’s Method of Teaching — Nature Parables
Have you ever wondered why Christ used the things He made in His Creation to teach eternal truths and character-building lessons? It turns out that science is discovering why.
Other than the obvious reasons of no books, no iPads, and no cell phones to use for instruction, Christ knew that the important lessons He wanted to teach would stay in people’s minds and be passed along if there were object lessons and parables involved.
Many of us are familiar with the parables of the sower, the light under the basket, the mustard seed, the fig tree, etc. Scripture clearly states why Christ used parables, “And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:33, 34, NKJV). Quite simply, they were able to understand! Isn’t this what we want for our families?
It turns out that a fellow homeschool family, publishers, and friends going way back 20 years ago to our beginnings of The Old Schoolhouse magazine in California has focused on this method through a publication called Creation Illustrated. It is a colorful quarterly packed with animal and bird features, outdoor and national park adventures, stories that examine a part of Creation up close, articles on the days of the Creation week, as well as stories that encourage creativity in the garden, in the kitchen, youth photo contests, children’s stories and more — even an Instructional Guide in every edition to help homeschoolers glean the powerful character-building lessons backed by Scripture in each article.
In fact, readers call it, “The Christian answer to National Geographic!” Each issue is a keepsake that doesn’t become outdated, so you can save them for future study with students of all ages. Check out a digital issue here.
But aside from the stunning beauty of the publication, using nature to enhance learning and memory is supported in a recent study from the University of Michigan. It demonstrated that being out in nature AND looking at nature photos for 20 minutes each day increases memory retention by 20%. Don’t you think Christ knew this since He created our first parents to flourish in a garden setting? If you want more details, here is a link to the study.
Encouraging our students to unplug from computers and cell phones to be able to embrace Creation and Christ’s method of teaching is a wonderful way to help them grow and retain vital lifelong lessons.
In fact, you can help them with a great gift that will last all year long! At the Holiday rate of only $12 (40% off the regular rate of $19.95) you can’t afford not to be blessed by Creation Illustrated. Here is where you can sign up. CLICK TO ORDER YOUR OWN.
It’s also a perfect way to reach out to family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, church members, shut-ins, etc. No crowded shopping malls, no wrapping, no shipping . . . it’s all included. They’ll even send a Gift Card in your name announcing your gift. CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR OWN AND GIFTS FOR OTHERS.
As a gift to you, Creation Illustrated wants to give you a Free Unit Study, a Free Digital Issue, a Nature Character-building Lesson, and a Free Creation Bible Study. Simply sign up for the Free Creation Illustrated Membership samples on their Website. You’ll be glad you did, and please share this post with your homeschool connections . . . they’ll be glad you did.
