What 4 Things Would You Take to the New World?

This month in honor of Thanksgiving we are studying about the Pilgrims and their voyage to the New World. It is fun to work with our 4 boys and watch them recreate the story. Their imaginations run wild, as they place themselves right alongside the Pilgrims as they journey across the Atlantic Ocean and into a strange New World.

Today, they had to use their reasoning skills and make some tough decisions. Each passenger has one trunk. And they can only pack 4 things in their trunk. What 4 things would they take with them to the New World? What 4 things would they discover they could not live without?

Before making their tough decisions on what they would bring, and what would be left behind, they decided that it would be better to travel as a family and not as a lone individual. This decision gave me a sneak peek into their hearts. To them family matters and they weren’t about to embark on a new adventure without one another.

Now, it was time to decide what they were going to take with them to the other side of the world. At first, one of the boys without thinking, blurted out, “Toys!” But then he felt a little sheepish in his response as one of the older ones responded, “You can’t survive on toys!” Then the same one who said he would bring toys, shouted out, “Clothes!”. I looked at him and said you will only be allowed to bring the clothes you are wearing. So, they decided that what they wore had better be brand new, and something that would keep them warm too. As the discussion continued, they all realized they could not make decisions based upon selfish pleasures, but on what would benefit the whole family.

This started the wheels of survival skills to turn. They started to talk amongst themselves. What did they really need? They decided they would need food, shelter and protection. With this direction in mind, they started to pack their trunks.

All the boys and Dad packed a rifle to hunt for food, except for one who preferred to hunt with a bow and arrow. They packed their axes and hammers for cutting wood and building a house. And a new pair of shoes for when their first pair wore out. They decided Mom would bring a pot to cook their food in, a warm blanket to help keep the family warm, and Mom decided she would bring along a package of seeds, but  most important for her family’s survival in the New World she would pack her Bible.

Now, that you heard what our family could not live without, we ask you to take a few moments and make some tough decisions too. What 4 things would you take to the New World?