Treasure Champs. 24: Patience - 'The Boy and the Fruit Tree'

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SMSC - Festivals - Calendar - Philosophical - Treasure Champs - Songs

In short

Themes: Islam; stories with a moral; patience; waiting; trees.

Summary:This assembly, which is suitable for an act of collective worship, focuses on a retelling of an Islamic story called The Boy and the Fruit Tree. The story is used as a means to explore the value of patience.

Resources:The framework to download / print (pdf) and an image to display showing the word 'Patience'.You will also need a fruit bowl filled with fruit including an apple and packet of dates. You might want to take a photo and display this at the front of the space.

The video

This story is a retelling of an Islamic story. The original story is sometimes known as The Boy who Threw Stones at Trees. This retelling is called The Boy and the Fruit Tree and instead of date trees the story is about apple trees.

A boy loves apples and spends all his time near the apple trees. The boy is impulsive and can’t wait until the apples ripen, so he starts pulling the apples from the trees too soon. The boy is warned that he needs to leave the apples alone, but he keeps taking them. The farmer notices that his crop is diminishing and waits to wait to see what is happening. He catches the boy and takes him to see the wise teacher. The wise teacher has an apple which is ripe and juicy and gives it to the boy. The boy realises how wonderful the fruit is when it has been left to ripen and that he needs to be patient.

Duration: 3' 43''

Final words: 'See you soon, bye!'

Video questions

1. Why does the boy pick the apples from the trees? (Because he loves the taste of apples)
2. Why does someone warn him about picking the apples? (Because the fruit isn’t ready to be picked and because it belongs to the farmer)
3. How did the farmer realise that someone / something was taking the apples? (His crop kept getting smaller)
4. Why does the farmer take pity on the boy? (He can see the boy is young and needs to learn)
5. Where does the farmer take the boy? (To see the wise teacher…who teaches him to be patient)

Key links

Suggested framework

1. Entry
Play your chosen music as the children enter and display the selection of fruit.

2. Introduction
Ask the children to think for 10 seconds about what their favourite fruit to eat is. Ask the children if they have ever been fruit picking. How do we know that fruit is ready to be picked and eaten?
Explain that this story is from the Islamic tradition and this is a retelling, so it isn’t exactly the same as the story that Muslims might have heard before. Show the packet of dates and explain that the story originally is about dates, but in this version our story is about apples. Show an apple from the collection of fruit and then play the video.

3. Play the video
The duration is 3' 43" and the final words are: 'See you soon, bye!'

4. Time to talk
You could begin with the Video questions above to consolidate children's recall of the story. Then lead a discussion about patience by asking the following:

• What does the boy learn from the teacher? (When the teacher gives the boy a ripe apple he learns how lovely the ripe fruit is)
• Can you think of something that we have to wait for? (The children might talk about waiting for special events - eg a birthday or holiday - or they might also talk about waiting for a plant to grow, a new baby in their family or waiting for something that takes time to learn)
• What helps us to be patient and wait for something? (It can help us to be patient if we know that something will be better/more successful by waiting)
• Is patience a kind of strength?
• Why is it important that we learn to have patience?

5. Opportunity to sing
An opportunity to sing your chosen song. Suggestions from BBC collections below.

6. Opportunity for reflection
Let's spend some time thinking about occasions when we find it hard to wait for something…
Think about something that takes time to learn like handwriting…
Or times when we have to be patient and take turns to play a game together…
Think about a time when you had to be very patient…and how it felt when you finally enjoyed whatever you waited for.

7. Opportunity for prayer
Begin with your usual form of address and:
Thank you for stories that help us to think about patience.
Help us to learn to be patient when there are things that take time to learn…or that need more time for them to be at their best - just like the apples in the story.
Thank you for celebrations and special times that we wait for and that bring joy in our lives.
Amen.

Suggested songs

School Radio > Assemblies > Treasure Champs

SMSC - Festivals - Calendar - Philosophical - Treasure Champs - Songs