• Aug. 1, 2006
The Little Red Hen - Homeschool Mom Style, Part 2
PART 2
A dry spell kept the rain away for a week. The little red hen worried about the garden. If the plants didn't get some water soon, they would wither and die. The only thing to do was bring water to the plants. She went looking for the cat, dog, and duck. She found them in the living room practicing piano, trumpet, and drums. They looked at the little red hen and said in an angry tone, "We're busy practicing our instruments and can't be bothered now. Didn't you hear us practicing?!?"
"I'll just water it myself," she said. The little red hen took her watering pail to the garden. Her chicks came to keep her company. The hen pretended she was a thundercloud and tried to sprinkle them with wather. Before long, the whole garden had been watered.
The summer sun was very good, and the garden grew fast. The little red hen and her chicks visited it every day. They loving tended it together, and it grew strong and hardy.
Soon it was fall, and it was time for harvest. The little red hen found the dog, cat, and duck playing games with with their friends. She said, "Who will help me harvest the garden?" The dog, cat, and duck kept their eyes glued to their game. "Not us!" They mumbled. "Can't you see we're busy?"
The hen said, "I'll just harvest it myself." The little red hen took her cutting tools to the garden. This time the chicks were waiting for her. The family harvested the garden. They sang songs, and soon the hard work was done.
Even though she had already spent a great deal of time and energy on the garden, the little red hen knew the work was not done. She often told her chicks that if a job was worth doing, it was worth doing well. The little red hen went looking for the dog, cat, and duck. She found them sleeping in. "I need to have the lettuce cut and the greens beans snapped. "Who will help me?" The dog, cat, and duck sleepily rolled over in their beds and said, "Not us! We're just too tired!".
Once again the little red hen would have to do it herself. She and her chicks started right away, pretending to be Indiana Jones chopping brush away through the jungle. The cutting and snapping seemed to go much faster when they pretended to be Indiana Jones.
That night, the little red hen and the chicks were so tired that they soon fell asleep. That night everyone slept very well. The next morning the little red hen went outside. The dog, cat, and duck were sunbathing near the neighbor's pool. She called to them, "Who will make a meal from our garden?"
The dog, cat, and duck didn't even bother looking up. "It's a beautiful day. Who would want to be indoors cooking?" The hen shook her head and thought, "Who would want to spend all day doing nothing?" She told the three,"I'll make it myself." The little red hen went inside. Her chicks had already tried to start cooking the meal themselves,and there was lettuce on the floor, and carrots in their hair. The little red hen smiled and reminded herself just to be glad they were working hard to help. They pretended to be in an Iron Chef contest (the secret ingredient was onions), and everyone was sorry to have to stop when the meal was finished.
The smell of the the meal floated in the air. The dog, the cat, and the duck came and looked into the kitchen. The chick danced around the little red hen. She asked, "Who will help me eat this tasty meal?"
"We will!" squeaked her chicks.
"We will!" cried the dog, cat, and duck.
"Well," said the little red hen, "anyone who helped make this meal can have some. So if you helped plant the seeds, water and weed the garden, harvest it, prepare the food for cooking, and cook the meal, raise your hand!" That night only the little red hen and her chicks enjoyed their meal as a reward for work well done.
(PART 3 continued tomorrow)
