Friday, March 24, 2017

DON'T GET CAUGHT CRYING WOLF...

 

 

Have you every told a little white lie? You know, something that's not really true, but you either didn't want to get into trouble or you didn't want to hurt someone's feelings...

 

"No, I don't know how that vase got broken."

 

"My dog ate my homework." 

 

"I like that dress you're wearing."

 

The thing about white lies, is that over time it gets harder and harder to remember what is true and what is made up. But when you are HONEST when someone asks you a question, you don't have to wonder what story you have to remember...because there IS no story...just the truth and that's easy to remember.

 

Check out this tale about one boy who had so much fun telling little white lies, that when he really needed someone to believe his story, no one thought he was being HONEST.

 

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

 

A shepherd boy tended his master’s sheep near a dark forest not far from the village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd’s pipe.

One day as he sat watching the sheep and the quiet forest, and thinking what he would do should he see a wolf, he thought of a plan to amuse himself.

His master had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock, and the villagers would drive it away. So now, though he had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf, he ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice, “Wolf! Wolf!”

As he expected, the villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they got there they found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.

A few days later the shepherd boy again shouted, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again the villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.

Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture, a wolf really did spring from the underbrush and attack the sheep.

In terror the boy ran toward the village shouting “Wolf! Wolf!” But though the villagers heard the cry, they did not run to help him as they had before. “He cannot fool us again,” they said.

The wolf killed a great many of the boy’s sheep and then slipped away into the forest.


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There's a saying, "HONESTY is the best policy." It doesn't mean you won't get into trouble if the truth is that you're cheating on your history test. It also doesn't mean your parents won't be disappointed in you when they discover you haven't been HONEST with them. But it WILL make life easier for everyone to know what's true and what's not. And MUCH easier to keep you safe from the wolves out there...




 
 
 

Friday, March 17, 2017

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE




Becoming a Black Belt in martial arts takes time. If it were easy, a new student would be handed their black belt the moment they walked into the building.  

But receiving your black belt isn't the only difficult thing in life. There are other challenging things like...

Learning to ride a bike.

Flying a kite.

Passing a spelling test.

The tenet of PERSEVERANCE means never giving up. No matter what. Sometimes you fall down, but you always get back up and keep going. 

Even when it's hard.

Even when you look around and see other people might be stronger or even faster than you. The tortoise in this story knew he wasn't as fast as Hare, but it didn't matter because he had a secret weapon that would help him when he needed it the most...

 

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The Tortoise and The Hare

 

There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch. 

Hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?" 

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax." 

Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line. 

The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, waking up sleeping Hare. 

Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was over the line. 

After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!" 


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There will be times when you have to work really hard to achieve a goal.

Don't ever give up.

You've got what it takes to PERSEVERE and win the race!




  sponsored by the KICKS Kids Club




Friday, March 10, 2017

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING RESPONSIBLE?





 (wikimedia commons)


If you get angry with your little sister because she wants to play with one of your toys and you push her away, causing her to bump into a table and break a flower vase, who is responsible for the damage? Is is your little sister because she bumped into the table? Or is it you because you lost control and pushed her out of anger?

Sometimes taking responsibility for your actions can be hard. Nobody wants to get in trouble, but is it fair to blame others for what YOU started by choosing the wrong behavior to resolve an issue?

Check out this story about Lemon...a clown that doesn't think there will be any consequences for choosing to not take care of his things. It's all about...

RESPONSIBILITY

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THE CARELESS CLOWN


Once there was a clown named Lemon. 

He was a lot of fun, but also very careless. Whenever he did anything, he almost always ended up tearing his jacket, getting a hole in his sock, or ripping the knee of his trousers. Everyone said he should take more care of his things, but Lemon though that would be really boring.

Soon, the most important day in Lemon's life arrived. 

Everyone in town prepared a party for him, in celebration of Lemon's many years of service in making the citizens chuckle. On that day he wouldn't have to wear his colorful clown suit. He would be able to dress like anyone else, and everyone was sure to comment on how nice he looked in his suit.

However, the night before, he looked in his closet, and found there wasn't a single suit in good condition. They were all ripped and torn, Lemon couldn't possibly go to the party dressed in those. All that was fit for him to wear was his clown clothes. 

On the day of the party Lemon arrived, dressed like a clown, and everyone laughed as they always had, but Lemon was not happy. He had dreamed of being, just for one day in the year, the hero of the show, and not just the clown. Oh, how he wished he had listened to his friends and taken better care of his things!
 
Very early the next day, Lemon decided to start taking better care of his suits. Eagerly he replaces all the torn, worn-out clothes with clean, new ones. Soon all the people of the village was complimenting Lemon on how well he looked dressed in his new clothes. And that made Lemon very happy because now, he was more than just a clown in everyone's eyes.

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Take a moment to think about your chores at home. Are you in charge of keeping your room clean? Do your parents expect you to help out around the house and look after the family pet?

How about at school? How does the teacher know if you understand the lessons if you don't turn in your homework? And do you walk quietly in a straight line to the cafeteria or do you race down the hall like a wild animal?

Choosing to behave in a certain way and remembering to take good care of your things are great examples to show the people around you that you know what the word RESPONSIBILITY means. And doesn't it make you feel proud inside when you know others are proud of you as well?





  sponsored by the KICKS Kids Club



Friday, March 3, 2017

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY...



What would you do if your best friend asked you to lie for him to prevent him from getting in trouble with the teacher?

Would you lie or would you be honest?

It can be hard telling the truth all the time, especially when you made a bad choice and don't want others to find out what you've done. Here's a story about someone who could have lied and no one would have known the difference. But something inside him wouldn't let him do anything but follow a path of...

HONESTY 


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THE HONEST WOOD CUTTER


A poor woodcutter accidentally dropped his axe into the river. He was very upset, as he had no money to buy another axe. Just then a fairy appeared in the river holding out a golden axe to him. "I found this axe in the river. Is this yours?"

"That's not mine", replied the woodcutter.

The fairy then brought out a silver axe. 
"Is this axe yours?" asked the fairy.
"No," said the woodcutter.
Finally, the fairy held out a wooden axe. "Is this axe yours?" she asked.

Smiling with happiness, the woodcutter said, "That's mine. Thank you very much."
The fairy was pleased to see he didn't lie and said, "Such honesty deserves a reward." She gave the poor man all the three axes and disappeared back into the water.

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We have a chance to be honest every day...

While taking a spelling test.

Telling a neighbor you're the one who broke their window.

Eating ALL of your vegetables like your parents ask you to do.

What ways can YOU think of to be honest? Share with us in the comments below...


  sponsored by the KICKS Kids Club