Sunflowers - MSSS Story

Sunflowers

For this story you need to have a picture of Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers".

Can you tell what is in this picture? What type of flowers are they? (Sunflowers)

Can you see how many sunflowers there are? (Allow time for children to count)

Now you might not be able to see them all but there in fact sixteen sunflowers in the picture.

How much do you think you might pay for a bunch of sunflowers? (Allow response)

Well, let me tell you that these sunflowers are worth $52 million!

How much is $52 million? What could you buy with $52 million? (Allow responses)

Now that means if there are sixteen sunflowers then each sunflower is worth $3.25 millions dollars. Do you know how much $3.25 million is? (Allow responses)

Now we don’t know exactly how many seeds there are in each sunflower but let’s say that there are 50 seeds in each. Do you know that means that each sunflower seed is worth $65 000? Do you know what you could buy with $65 000? (Allow responses)

Do you know that your Mum and Dad might be able to buy a block of land or may be a really fancy car with $65000? So it is a lot of money.

So I want you to have a real close look at some sunflower seeds. (Show seeds) Do you know who eats these seeds? (Allow responses) Our bird eats these seeds, in fact, he likes them very much. But do you think a little bit of bird seed is worth $65000?

No, I wouldn’t pay that much for bird seed. But do you know that someone paid a lot of money for this picture of Sunflowers? Why do you think they paid so much money?

Well, the man who painted this picture was a very famous artist by the name of Vincent Van Gogh. He lived a long, long time ago and he really liked to paint. He painted some very beautiful paintings in his life and this is just one of them. In fact, he really liked sunflowers and painted quite of number of paintings of them.

Not many people are able to have Van Gogh paintings in their house and one man, when he saw that this painting was for sale, he really, really wanted it and that’s why for paid $52 million for it.

How much are you worth? (Allow responses)

Do you know that you are worth far more than $52 million? Do you know that you are priceless?

Why are you worth so much? (Allow responses) Do you know why? You are worth a lot because God made you and you are very, very special to him.

So I want you to remember that. You are worth more than sunflower seeds, more than sunflowers and certainly far more than $52 million, all because God made you!

(Give packet of hulled sunflower seeds to each child as a snack!)

adapted from "The Sunflowers and You" by Bruce Manners, Insight 1989

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