The Little Acorn Story

This story is from our First Grade Curriculum. Keep a few little acorns nearby and one special one as you tell the children this story.  For an added effect, have a small potted plant or symbol for the oak tree nearby to show at the end.  

Thank you all for being our very own “little acorns” this year!

It was a little acorn that hung on the bough of a tree. It had a tender green cup and a beautifully carved saucer to hold it. The mother oak fed it with sweet sap every day, the birds sang good-night songs above it, and the wind rocked it gently to and fro. The oak leaves made a soft green shade above it, so the sun could not shine too warm on its green cover, and it was as happy as an acorn could be. 

    There were many other acorns on the tree, and I am sure the mother often whispered loving words to all her babies. 

    The summer days were so bright and pleasant that the acorn never thought of anything but sunshine and an occasional shower to wash the dust off the leaves. 

    But you know that summer ends and the autumn days come. The green cup of the acorn turned to a brown cup, and it was well that it grew stiffer and harder, for the cold winds began to blow. 

    The leaves turned from green to golden brown, and some of them were whisked away by the rough wind. The little acorn began to grow uneasy. 

    "Isn't life all summer?" it said.  "No," whispered the mother oak, "the cold days come and the leaves must go and the acorns too. I must soon lose my babies."  "Oh! I could never leave this kind bough," said the frightened acorn. "I should be lost and forgotten if I were to fall." 

    So it tried to cling all the closer to its bough; but at last it was alone there. The leaves were blown away, and some of them had made a blanket for the brown acorns lying on the ground. 

    One night the tree whispered this message to the lonely acorn: "This tree is only your home for a time. This is not your true life. Your brown shell is only the cover for a living plant, which can never be set free until the hard shell drops away, and that can never happen until you are buried in the ground and wait for the spring to call you into life. So let go, little acorn, and fall to the ground, and some day you will wake to a new and glorious life." The acorn listened and believed, for was not the tree its sheltering mother?  

    So it bade her farewell, and, loosing its hold, dropped to the ground. Then, indeed, it seemed as if the acorn were lost. That night a high wind blew and covered it deep under a heap of oak leaves. The next day a cold rain washed the leaves closer together, and trickling streams from the hillside swept some earth over them. The acorn was buried. "But I shall wake again," it said, and so it fell asleep. It might have been cold; but the frost fairies wove a soft, white snow blanket to cover it, and so it was kept warm. 

    If you had walked through the woods that winter, you would have said the acorn was gone, but then you could not have seen the life slumbering within the brown cover. But spring came and called to all the sleeping things underground to waken and come forth. The acorn heard and tried to move, but the brown shell held it fast. Some raindrops trickled through the ground to moisten the shell, and one day the pushing life within was set free. The brown shell was of no more use and was lost in the ground, but the young plant was to live. It heard voices calling it upward. It must arise. "A new and glorious life," the mother oak had said. 

    "I must arise," the acorn said, and up the living plant came, up to the world of sunshine and beauty. It looked around. There was the same green moss in the woods, the same singing brook.  "And I shall live and grow," it said. 

    "Yes," called the mother oak, "you are now an oak tree. This is your real life." 

    And the tiny oak tree was glad and tried to stretch higher towards the sun. 

A Halloween Story for Little Ones

The following story is one that was told to children in the early 1900’s. It is a sweet story of how friendship and love can light up our lives. To enhance this tale, you can have a pumpkin that you have already carved out nearby and a small stuffed or felted cat placed gently inside (place a napkin or cloth inside to protect your toy). 

A Halloween Story 

Once upon a time a big orange pumpkin was growing just outside a stone wall, far off in a field, all alone. The farmer had gathered all his pumpkins and stored them carefully in his great barn. But no one knew of the big orange pumpkin growing just outside the wall, all alone. The big orange pumpkin was lonely. 

"I wish I belonged to someone," said he. 

"Meow, Meow! I do, too," cried a little black cat, stretching herself and jumping down from the stone wall where she had been sleeping. 

"It will soon be winter," said the big orange pumpkin; "let's go find some one to belong to." 

"Yes, let's do," said the little black cat, eagerly. 

"I want to belong to a little girl with a sweet face and shining eyes." 

"And I," said the big orange pumpkin, "want to belong to a jolly little boy who whistles and sings when he works. Let's hurry right away to find them." 

"Yes, let's do," said the little black cat. 

So off they started - the big orange pumpkin rolling and tumbling along, and chuckling to himself as he went, and the little black cat pit patting along on her soft little cushions, purring because she was happy. 

On and on they went, over the fields and through the woods. It began to grow cold, oh, so cold, and dark, too. The little black cat shivered as the wind whistled through the trees. 

"See here," said the big orange pumpkin, "you can't sleep outdoors tonight. What shall we do?" Just then they saw a man coming along the path with a bundle of wood on his back. 

"Ho, Mr. Woodcutter!" cried the pumpkin, "have you a knife?" "That I have," said the merry woodsman. 

"What can I do for you, my fine fellow?" "Just cut off a piece of my shell where the stem is, and scoop out some of my seeds, if you please," said the pumpkin. 

No sooner said than done. "There, my little black cat," said the pumpkin, "when you wish to sleep tonight, you may curl inside and be as warm as a sunbeam." 

"But will you not come home with me?" asked the woodsman. 

"Have you a little girl with a sweet face and shining eyes?" asked the little black cat. 

"Have you a jolly little boy who whistles and sings when he works?" asked the big orange pumpkin. 

"No, ah, no," said the woodsman, "but I have a pig and some hens." 

"Then we'll go on," said the pumpkin, "but thank you kindly." 

So on they went, and on, until the stars began to shine. Then the tired little cat curled in her hollow nest, put on the cover, and went to sleep. 

In the morning they went on again, but before long it began to rain. The cat's soft fur was soon very wet. 

"You poor little thing," said the big orange pumpkin; "curl inside your house and I will trundle you along." 

"But it's so dark inside, and I couldn't see where we were going," cried the cat, holding up a tiny, dripping paw. 

"Windows!" cried the pumpkin. "Of course, windows! How silly of me! Wait here under this fence, my little friend, until I come back."

Then off he hurried across the road to a carpenter's shop. "Ho, Mr. Carpenter!" cried the pumpkin, "have you a knife?" 

"That I have," said the jolly carpenter. "What can I do for you, my fine fellow?" 

"Just cut some windows for me, if you please." 

So the carpenter took a sharp knife and cut four windows - just like a face he made them, two for eyes, one for a nose, and one for a mouth, and he laughed as he did it. 

When he finished the mouth, the pumpkin laughed too. "Ha, ha, ha!" cried he. "What a relief to have a mouth to laugh with! Ha, ha, ha!" And he laughed all the way back in the rain to where the little shivering cat was waiting. And she laughed, too, and climbed inside her coach, and put on the cover. 

So on through the rain they went, and on and on. Just as dark was drawing near, they came to a wee, brown house by the side of the road. In the yard was a little boy picking up chips and putting them into a big basket. He whistled as he worked, and then he began to sing: 

"If wishes were horses, then beggars might ride; If turnips were watches, I'd wear one by my side." 

Then the door opened, and a little girl with a sweet face and shining eyes stood on the threshold. "What do you wish, John?" she called. 

"Oh," laughed the boy, as he came in with the chips. "I wish I had a pumpkin for a Jack-O-Lantern, for this is Halloween." 

"And I wish I had a little black cat to love," said the little girl. 

"This is the place for us!" whispered the big orange pumpkin; and he rolled up to the door, bumpity bump! 

"Look, John!" cried the little girl, "here's our Jack-O-Lantern! The fairies must have sent it. Isn't it a beauty?"

 "There's something inside," said John, snatching off the cover, and out jumped a tiny black cat, straight into the little girl's arms. 

"Oh, oh!" they cried. 

And when mother came home in the dark, a jolly Jack-O-Lantern with a candle inside was shining out of the window at her, and close beside it sat a little black cat all cozy and warm.

Happy Earth Day! Take 50% OFF at Little Acorn Learning!

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Here is a story about little earthworms that you can share with the children:

Earthworms

After a long and soaking rain, the Earthworms came out of their burrows, or rather, they came part way out, for each Earthworm put out half of his body, and, as there were many of them and they lived near to each other, they could easily visit without leaving their own homes. Two of these long, slimy people were talking, when a Potato Bug strolled by. "You poor things," said he, "what a wretched life you must lead. Spending one's days in the dark earth must be very dreary."

"Dreary!" exclaimed one of the Earthworms, "it is delightful. The earth is a snug and soft home. It is warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather. There are no winds to trouble us, and no sun to scorch us."

"But," said the Potato Bug, "it must be very dull. Now, out in the grass, one finds beautiful flowers, and so many families of friends."

"And down here," answered the Worm," we have the roots. Some are brown and woody, like those of the trees, and some are white and slender and soft. They creep and twine, until it is like passing through a forest to go among them. And then, there are the seeds. Such busy times as there are in the ground in spring-time! Each tiny seed awakens and begins to grow. Its roots must strike downward, and its stalk upward toward the light. Sometimes the seeds are buried in the earth with the root end up, and then they have a great time getting twisted around and ready to grow."

"Still, after the plants are all growing and have their heads in the air, you must miss them."  "We have the roots always," said the Worm. "And then, when the summer is over, the plants have done their work, helping to make the world beautiful and raise their seed babies, and they wither and droop to the earth again, and little by little the sun and the frost and the rain help them to melt back into the earth. The earth is the beginning and the end of plants."

"Do you ever meet the meadow people in it?" asked the Potato Bug.  "Many of them live here as babies," said the Worm. "The May Beetles, the Grasshoppers, the great Humming-bird Moths, and many others spend their babyhood here, all wrapped in eggs or cocoons. Then, when they are strong enough, and their legs and wings are grown, they push their way out and begin their work. It is their getting-ready time, down here in the dark. And then, there are the stones, and they are so old and queer. I am often glad that I am not a stone, for to have to lie still must be hard to bear. Yet I have heard that they did not always lie so, and that some of the very pebbles around us tossed and rolled and ground for years in the bed of a river, and that some of them were rubbed and broken off of great rocks. Perhaps they are glad now to just lie and rest."

"Truly," said the Potato Bug," you have a pleasant home, but give me the sunshine and fresh air, my six legs, and my striped wings, and you are welcome to it all."  "You are welcome to them all," answered the Worms, "We are contented with smooth and shining bodies, with which we can bore and wriggle our way through the soft, brown earth. We like our task of keeping the earth right for the plants, and we will work and rest happily here."

The Potato Bug went his way, and said to his brothers, "What do you think? I have been talking with Earthworms who would not be Potato Bugs if they could." And they all shook their heads in wonder, for they thought that to be Potato Bugs was the grandest and happiest thing in the world.

Changing with the Season

My favorite season is approaching and the weather in Connecticut has shifted to cool temperatures this past week and I love it.  The girls are back to school and I am working hard to create some sort of a rhythm in my work and home life.  I always find that this time of year is a time of preparation and organization.

I have made a commitment to get my home more organized and work on my writing career full time.  So for the past week, I've been sorting through files and books, creating an office space and allocating a certain amount of time each day to work.  It's difficult working from home as it demands a lot of discipline and I get easily distracted.

With autumn on it's way, I find a new love for the work I do with Little Acorn Learning.  I love photographing and writing about how children and families can celebrate the beautiful seasons together.  Living in New England is such a gift as we get four distinct seasons to enjoy.

In addition to the cool temperatures this week, my pumpkins have been ripening in the garden.  This is always really exciting and we are hoping to get one just a bit bigger for our carving pumpkin.  There are two or three more on the vines that I'm hoping get pretty big before Halloween.  We will see how they do.

Our garden has done pretty well this summer.  Considering that the girls and I traveled a lot, it was good.  I still hope to do better next year and get more yield.  But it's fun and I think it is really important to teach the girls where their food comes from.  When you grow it yourself, you don't waste because you realize how much time and effort went into it. 

As autumn approaches, I thought I would share some of our favorite children's books this time of year.  In both the 5 day and Enrichment guides at Little Acorn Learning, we offer tons of book recommendations for each and every week of the month.  Here are just a few that we love:

Telling stories and sharing poems of the season is a simple way to encourage literacy skills in the home for all ages.  I still read to my 10 year old!  

Here are a few sweet poems you can share in the upcoming weeks as taken from our September Enrichment Guide:

~~~~~

Squirrel, Squirrel running around,

Bury your nut away in the ground.

Bury it deep, bury it round.

Bury it nicely into the ground.  

~~~~~

Little leaves fall gently down
Red and yellow, orange and brown (flutter hands as leaves falling)
Whirling Whirling around and around (turn around)
Quietly without a sound (put finger to lips)
Falling softly to the ground (begin to fall slowly)
Down and down and down and down (lie on floor)

~~~~~

The Rice Fields

Warmed by the sun,

Wet with the rain,

Ripe grows the rice,

Life-giving grain.

Week follows week;

Now comes the day,

Gather the rice,

Store it away.

Lastly, we have a really fun Facebook Photo Contest going on for the month of September on the Little Acorn Learning Facebook Page... 

Our theme this month is *Children in the Kitchen* and our winners will get a FREE ebook of their choice for each photo that wins!  

Photo by Dawn Umemoto

If you have photos of your little ones helping you in the kitchen, here's how to enter:

- Send no more than 3 photos per family or school correlating to our theme to info@littleacornlearning.com

- Include your name and written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photo in future publications and/or marketing initiatives.  

- Once your photo is posted on our Facebook Page, ask family and friend to LIKE it by sharing the link.

- The photos with the most LIKES win a FREE ebook of their choice from Little Acorn Learning - we will end our contest on September 19th, 2014  

The Easter Story by Annie Willis McCullough

It was late in the fall when Fuzzy Caterpillar gave up.

"I suppose this is the end of me," he thought in his little round head as he tried to wriggle across the road and couldn't because his back was so stiff. "Now I am an old man and I shall never see another summer. Good-bye." And Fuzzy Caterpillar rolled himself up in a gray blanket and hung himself on the end of a dried twig. "This is the last of me," he said once more as the dried little grub he now was rattled around in the cold.

All his beautiful furry coat was scattered to the winds. The path he had made in the dust grew narrower as it wound across the road. That was because Fuzzy Caterpillar had shrivelled as he crawled. Poor Fuzzy Caterpillar, who had so loved the outdoors!

The winter was white, and cold, and long. Then it was over, just as all winters are over at last, and Spring came. Spring came over the hills, in a pretty new green frock and with wild flowers in her hair. Sometimes she looked up at the sky, but oftener she looked down at the ground. Spring was looking for the little creatures that she loved so much; the tiny ants, the patient spiders, the cheerful beetles, and Fuzzy Caterpillar.

"Where is Fuzzy Caterpillar?" Spring wondered. She did not see him, all dried up and hanging in his gray blanket from the twig.

"Of course Fuzzy Caterpillar is here somewhere," Spring said to herself. "And wouldn't it be nice to celebrate the day he comes out with some kind of a surprise?" The more Spring thought about this, the happier she was, and the nicer she thought it would be. So she spoke to the grass about it.

"Long Green Grasses," called Spring, "I want to make outdoors pretty, and celebrate the day that Fuzzy Caterpillar comes out. Will you cover the ground for me?"

So the Long Green Grasses pushed their slender fingers up out of the earth and they covered the whole ground until it was bright and green again. But the Grasses looked everywhere, and they could not see Fuzzy Caterpillar.

Then Spring spoke to the trees.

"Patient Trees," called Spring, "I want to make outdoors pretty, and celebrate the day that Fuzzy Caterpillar comes out. Will you cover your branches with new green leaves?" So the Patient Trees burst their hard brown buds, and they hung new green leaves upon every one of their branches. But the leaves looked everywhere, and they could not see Fuzzy Caterpillar. All they could see was a little rolled-up gray blanket hanging from a twig.

But Spring was not one bit discouraged, and she spoke to the Laughing Brook.

"Laughing Brook," called Spring, "I want to make outdoors pretty, and celebrate the day that Fuzzy Caterpillar comes out. Will you run between your banks again, and sing a song?"

So the Laughing Brook began dancing and tripping over its stones again, and singing as it ran between its banks. Sometimes, though, it stopped in a quiet pool, and it could not see Fuzzy Caterpillar anywhere along its edge.

But Spring, who is very wise, was not discouraged yet, and so she spoke to the flowers.

"Sleepy Roots," called Spring, "I want to make outdoors pretty, and celebrate the day that Fuzzy Caterpillar comes out. Will you grow and send up plants that will bud and bloom?"

So the Sleepy Roots did just as Spring had asked them. They awoke, and they sent up leaves and buds through the earth, and the buds blossomed. So there were crocuses in purple petticoats, and daffodils in bonnets with yellow ruffles. There were tulips, red, yellow, pink, and white. They filled all the gardens, making them beautiful. And the fields were golden in the sunshine because the dandelions had bloomed again. But the flowers could not see Fuzzy Caterpillar anywhere.

Then Spring stood on the top of the hill and she looked all over the wide outdoors. It was very, very pretty again, so she decided that the day had come when she would celebrate.

"This is Easter Day," said Spring.

"But where is Fuzzy Caterpillar?" whispered the Long Green Grasses.

"Where is Fuzzy Caterpillar?" rustled the New Green Leaves.

"Where is Fuzzy Caterpillar?" tinkled the Brook so sadly that it did not sound like singing.

"Where is Fuzzy Caterpillar?" the wind sighed as it blew through the flowers.

Just then a wonderful thing happened. As if it had floated down from the sky, a beautiful moth flew and lighted on the tip of Spring's finger. It had all the colors of Easter in its wings, the green of the grass and the leaves, the blue of the waters, and the gold of the spring flowers. It was such a beautiful creature that only to look at it made one feel happy. But every one wondered about the moth.

"It is a stranger from far away," they said.

"Oh, no," said Spring. "Fuzzy Caterpillar has come out."

And this was true, for the gray blanket that hung from the twig was torn and empty.

The Tulip Fairies

(It is very simple to make these little Easter Egg Vases... Poke a hole at one end of an egg and carefully create an opening at the other end, empty the egg contents and rinse well... cut a flower short but long enough to bring the stem all the way through and find a little glass to fill with water and use as your vase.)

Once upon a time there was a good old woman who lived in a little house. She had in her garden a bed of beautiful striped tulips.

One night she was wakened by the sounds of sweet singing and of babies laughing. She looked out at the window. The sounds seemed to come from the tulip bed, but she could see nothing.

The next morning she walked among her flowers, but there were no signs of any one having been there the night before.

On the following night she was again wakened by sweet singing and babies laughing. She rose and stole softly through her garden. The moon was shining brightly on the tulip bed, and the flowers were swaying to and fro. The old woman looked closely and she saw, standing by each tulip, a little Fairy mother who was crooning and rocking the flower like a cradle, while in each tulip-cup lay a little Fairy baby laughing and playing.

The good old woman stole quietly back to her house, and from that time on she never picked a tulip, nor did she allow her neighbors to touch the flowers.

The tulips grew daily brighter in color and larger in size, and they gave out a delicious perfume like that of roses. They began, too, to bloom all the year round. And every night the little Fairy mothers caressed their babies and rocked them to sleep in the flower-cups.

The day came when the good old woman died, and the tulip-bed was torn up by folks who did not know about the Fairies, and parsley was planted there instead of the flowers. But the parsley withered, and so did all the other plants in the garden, and from that time nothing would grow there.

But the good old woman's grave grew beautiful, for the Fairies sang above it, and kept it green; while on the grave and all around it there sprang up tulips, daffodils, and violets, and other lovely flowers of spring.

~ English Folk-Tale

A Story for Springtime

Eostre, the Goddess of Springtime, was bringing Spring to the land when she happened upon a young girl who was weeping in the forest. The girl had found a bird who had frozen to death in the snow. Taking pity on her, Eostre went to the girl to bring the bird back to life but Eostre could not save the bird's wings so she turned the bird into a rabbit instead.

Having once been a bird, the rabbit retained its ability to lay eggs and every Spring thereon the rabbit would lay eggs in all the bright colors of Spring as a thank you to the goddess Eostre for saving its life.

And that is the story of the Easter Bunny and the tradition of why we decorate eggs in bright colors. Eostre was the Goddess of Springtime and fertility hence the further symbolism of rabbits (procreation), eggs (fertility) and chocolate (aphrodisiac).

Begin with The Children

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, quality and freedom for their spirit. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

~~~

Peace is the world smiling.

Peace is a gentle dove.

Peace is sharing.

Peace is caring.

Peace is filling our world with love.

~~~

A Story for This Week

Explain to the children that no two snowflakes are alike, just as no two people are alike. A fun way to illustrate this story would be to use a white pipe cleaner as the ice needle and add five more as the story unfolds to create a ‘snowflake’. Nearby have a few other items for the different snowflakes it meets: various doilies, a coffee filter, a paper snowflake or two, etc. Make sure each snowflake is different from the other. As they fall to the ground lie them up along side of each other and place a few seeds underneath. When the snowflakes melt, slowly push them away to the side and add green ‘leaves’ cut from felt along side each seed. At the end of your story, place a flower on top of each – your flower can be cut from felt, a real flower top or an artificial flower top.

Snowflakes

Once there was a little raindrop that thought it had played long enough up in the clouds, and said it would go down to the earth and see what it could do. So it started.

While it was falling, it had to pass through a cloud that was very cold, and this funny little raindrop, instead of shrinking together as we do when we are cold, stretched out and stretched out, until it was not round any more, but was long, and thin, and hard like a needle; and that is just what it was, a little ice needle.

As it went on falling, it met another just like itself. The second said, "Little Ice Needle, where are you going?" "Down to the earth, to see what good I can do." "I'll go, too." So it joined the first needle, and they fell together.

Pretty soon they met a third, who said, "Little Ice Needles, where are you going?" "Down to the earth, to see what we can do." "Then I'll go, too." So it joined the others, and they fell together.

Then they met another, and another, and another, and another, who all joined them. Then there were six little ice needles falling together, and they had a new name; "Snowflake".

Little Snowflake met others who were also snowflakes but each and every one was different than the other. The snowflakes asked Little Snowflake where it was going. "Down to the earth, to see what good I can do." "We'll go, too. But where shall we go?" "I know," said one of the little flakes. "Last summer, when I was warm and round, I saw a place where a poor little sick boy had planted some seeds which a kind lady gave him. Let us fall on that place and keep it warm, so that the seeds in the ground may not freeze, and the little boy may have some flowers next summer." "Oh! so we will," said they all; and they fell faster and faster, so that they might get there sooner.

Other snowflakes saw them and went too, and the ground was covered more and more thickly with snow, till there was enough to keep the seeds from freezing during the winter.

When the weather began to be warm, the snow turned into water and ran down into the earth, and the seeds drank it, and swelled and swelled, until by and by, little leaves came out above the ground, from each seed. Then other leaves grew, and, when summer came, little Frank had his flowers again, and all because one little raindrop wanted to do some good in the world.

*More Ways to Celebrate Our Differences*

~Make Paper Snowflakes Together - Talk About How No Two Snowflakes Are The Same Just Like People Find the Differences Among Your Snowflakes and Family

~Take Fingerprints of Each Person in Your Family - Find the Similarities, Find the Differences Talk About How You All Come from the Same Family with the Same Genes, Even Though There are Many Difference in Your Prints

~Put Three Different Colored Apples on Your Table Have Children Note the Differences Between Color, Shape and Size Now Cut Each Apple Horizontally and Show the Children The Star On the Inside of Each Apple and Note How Deep Inside We Are All The Same

~Put Up Photos of Each Child and Their Families (if you are a school or childcare teacher) Keep These Photos at a Level the Children Can See - Talk About How All Families are Different but the Love they Share is the Same

~~~

Books to Share with Children This Week:

No Two Snowflakes ~ Sheree Fitch and Janet Wilson

Sophie: The One-of-a-Kind Snowflake ~ Mary Kilc

Whoever You Are ~Mem Fox

"If we are to reach real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children." ~ Gandhi

The Mouse and The Weasel

A small thin mouse gnawed a little hole in a basket of corn. He climbed in and ate until his stomach bulged. When he tried to climb out again, his stomach was too fat to fit through the hole.

A weasel watched him struggling and laughed at him, saying "if you want to escape, there is only one way. You must become as poor and think as you were before you climbed into the basket, and then you will fit your stomach through the hole again."

~Moral: 'Take Only What You Need' - Simplicity is Abundant

Busy Little Elves

The Elves and The Shoemaker

~The Brothers Grimm

There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.

Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his great wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table. The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more. In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well off again.

One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, ’I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.’ The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. ’These little wights have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.’

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.

The Blizzard's Robe by Guest Blogger, Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book

As I sit and write this, snow is covering our house and garden. Though books are a part of our everyday life, they contribute into a focal point during winter time.

A family snow time favorite is to build a roaring fire, gather some cozy quilts, and bring a huge stack of books with us.

In the middle of our "snow" book pile lies "The Blizzard's Robe" By Robert Sabuda.

Far up North, where the sun barely rises, live the People Who Fear the Winter Night. Huddling around their fires they sit in fear of a visit by the very terrible Blizzard. He can destroy anything with his icy wind, snow, and ice.

Teune is a young village girl who makes the finest robes the village has ever known. One night as blizzard paid a raging visit, Teune put her robes on the fire to keep warm. Sparks rose out from the top of the Yaranga (their house), and caught Blizzard's robe on fire. The villagers were so happy not to have o deal with Blizzard's wrath anymore. Teune felt very bad to destroy Blizzard's robe, so she set out to make the most beautiful robe ever made. In return, Blizzard gave a great and lasting gift to the people.

This book is much too good to leave on the pages. Would you like to make your very own blizzard robe? You can make the blizzard robe alone or with a group. However you choose to play, the gem of this game is that it is ever changing and you will not get the same robe twice. We've enjoyed playing this during transition times such as between clean-up and dinner, just before we go upstairs for our bedtime routine, and just after breakfast.

You Will Need:
· 6- 12"x 12" pieces of decorative scrapbook paper
· 6- 12" x12" pieces of solid color paper in a variety of colors

Measure and cut these into 4" x 4" squares for a total of 108 squares.
On 4 solid color squares draw one of the following on one square each.

· A horizon sun
· A reindeer
· A yaranga (this is their dwelling place)
· Blizzard

These will serve as the center piece of our robe.

How to Play:

Leave the solid colors in a stack and the decorated papers in a stack.

Each person chooses 2 solid colors and 2 decorated papers.

The person whose name starts with the letter W or closest to it gets to pick the center piece. The person on his or her left places the next card and then picks up a card from the same sort. For example, if you place a solid, you'll pick up a solid. Continue around the table until each person has had a turn and you have made the robe that you want to make. You don't have to use all of the cards but it's really fun to do so. This game is totally flexible and the possibilities are endless.

Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book, derives the greatest pleasure from taking the books she reads and helping them come alive with her family, book club, friends, and workshops. An advocate for literacy, Valarie spends many quality hours helping at risk readers. She spends her days with her husband, three creative children, and one adored cat. Together they live in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. To reach Valarie please visit http://www.jumpintoabook.com

Martinmas Puppet Show and Shields

Did you know that November 11th is The Feast of St. Martin? More information on this saint can be viewed HERE

To celebrate, Dee and I performed a puppet show for the children and then we made cardboard shields. Here are some photos: