Exploring the value of hard work through the story of The Treasure in the Field (also known as the Father and the Sons), a fable attributed to Aesop.
The video
GEMMA: Hello, Treasure Champs, I'm Gemma, and this is an old story called The Treasure in the Field.
Once upon a time, there was a farmer. The farmer worked very hard. He dug the soil, he sowed the seeds and he grew amazing crops, which he sold to make money to look after his three children.
But his three children were very lazy and never helped!
One day, the farmer sadly died. But, he'd written a message for his children to read. "My children, I've worked hard for you my whole life and now I'm gone, you will have to work hard for yourselves.
Some days may feel long and you might become tired, but I promise you will feel rewarded. Although, it doesn't look like it, there is treasure hidden in the land around you."
CHILD: Treasure? This sounds like fun!
GEMMA: The children couldn't believe it - they were going to be rich! They were so excited they started to dig straightaway.
CHILD: Ooh! Oh.
[GASPS]: Ooh… Oh.
They dug and they dug, but they couldn't find treasure anywhere. They didn't give in, though. They dug all day, they dug all night until they'd dug everywhere. It was really hard work. They were so tired and they still hadn't found any riches. They began to wonder if it was a trick…
CHILD: Dad definitely said to dig, but we've dug the whole land and haven't found any treasure. Ooh, seeds? Well, we've done all the digging, we may as well plant them. What do you think? Yeah?
So, the three children planted the seeds. After all, it's what their father would've done. Then, many months later, they discovered something amazing!
CHILD: [GASPS] All our hard work digging has made the crops grow even bigger than ever! Yay!
KIDS: Fruit and veg! Fruit and veg! Come and get your lovely fruit and veg!
GEMMA: They sold all their crops and made lots of money.
CHILD: Thank you very much, madam!
GEMMA: They realised that their father had been teaching them the meaning of hard work. They dug up all the land and their work had made them rich.
Now, it was hard work telling that treasure story, but it was worth it. Thank you both so much for helping me. It's based on an old fable by a man called Aesop. See you soon, bye!
This story is one of Aesop’s Fables. Aesop was a slave and a story-teller in Ancient Greece. A fable is a short story which explains a moral.
There was once a farmer who worked very hard to feed his three children. The children were lazy and never did anything to help. When the farmer died he left a message for his children saying that, if they worked hard, they would find treasure hidden in the land around them. The children thought that they would soon be rich, so they started digging. It was hard work, but they kept digging day after day. They then planted seeds as their father would have done. The seeds grew and eventually the children were able to sell their crops. Their hard work had made them rich. This can help us to reflect on the value of hard work.
Video questions
- How many children does the farmer have? (Three)
- What is hidden in the land according to the farmer? (Treasure)
- What do the children do after they dig the field? (They sow seeds)
- What did the children do with their crops? (They sold them)
- What did their father teach them? (He taught them the value of hard work)
Teacher Notes
Humanists believe in working hard to care for others, animals and the planet and always try to treat others as they would want to be treated themselves. Find out about the work of a humanist, which may fit with your class topic.
Explore the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Look at a few of the Rights in the Convention and explore what this would mean to children in your class. Why do they think people should work hard to protect the rights of others?
Create an ‘Acts of Kindness’ grid with your class. See if the class can tick off all the boxes in a month and discuss the hard work and effort that they applied to achieve this goal.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
Related BBC Teach content
Aesop's Fables - a collection of 40 of Aesop's best-known fables, read by an all-star cast including Brenda Blethyn, the late Richard Briers, Lindsay Duncan, Richard E Grant, Jane Horrocks, Jonathan Pryce and Alison Steadman.
