On the Story Prism podcast I, Ritu Vaish, an early childhood educator, perform a new story every week for children 2 to 10 years old and grown ups young at heart. I have many different themes of stories. The first are the Alphabet Escapades that are stories of alphabets to reinforce phonic sounds. The second are Stories from Near and Far which include folk tales from around the world along with critical thinking questions incorporated within the story. Last but not least are The Originals, organic stories I have developed over the years.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/9/12/2/e13cfe0a-fcf4-4c1c-afda-e8ffbafddb3c_why_turtles_live_in_water-redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.‘Why Turtles Live In Water’ is A Turtle Tale from West Africa, about a quick-witted turtle who saves himself from the hunters.Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources are available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/why-turtles-live-in-water" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/why-turtles-live-in-water</a>Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptA long-long time ago, the turtles used to live on only the land. They were very happy. They slowly walked on land and enjoyed eating not only the earthworms, snails, beetles, and caterpillars, but also grasses, fruit, berries, mushrooms, and flowers. Children, can you recall five things you ate yesterday?This was until the time a clever turtle was caught by some hunters. The hunters had never before caught a turtle and were delighted. One of them exclaimed, “Let’s put him in the gunny bag and tie it at the top. He’ll make a scrumptious meal.”They all agreed happily and carried the turtle in the gunny bag.Of course, the turtle was naturally very sad. He kept thinking about ways to escape from the hunters, but in vain. He just lay in the gunny bag miserable.Children, what will happen to the turtle now?The hunters brought him to their village. Now the problem was none of them knew how to cook a turtle. So they went to their chief and placed the turtle before him and asked, “Chief, we have hunted a turtle, but we do not know how to cook him?”The chief too had never hunted a turtle and was equally puzzled, “ I have no idea, why don’t we ask the turtle himself.”Hearing the chief the turtle said, &#34;You&#39;ll have to kill me first. Then, take me out of this shell.&#34;&#34;We&#39;ll break your shell with sticks,&#34; the hunters said confidently in unison. The turtle was a smart one a quick thinker too. He had an idea.Children, can you guess what idea he got? &#34;That&#39;ll never work,&#34; said the turtle, &#34;Why don&#39;t you throw me in the water and drown me? Then my shell will become soft and you can crack it easily!&#34;&#34;Excellent idea,&#34; said the Chief. They took the turtle to the river and threw him into the water to drown him.They were congratulating themselves on their success in drowning the turtle, when two little green eyes poked up in the water and the laughing turtle said, &#34;Don&#39;t get those cooking pots out too fast, foolish people!” As he swam away the turtle said to himself, &#34;I think I&#39;ll spend most of my time from now on, safely in the water.&#34;It has been that way ever since! And the turtle has been an amphibian, living in both land and water, since then.

A long-long time ago, the turtles used to live on only the land. They were very happy. They slowly walked on land and enjoyed eating not only the earthworms, snails, beetles, and caterpillars, but also grasses, fruit, berries, mushrooms, and flowers.

Children, can you recall five things you ate yesterday?

This was until the time a clever turtle was caught by some hunters. The hunters had never before caught a turtle and were delighted. One of them exclaimed, “Let’s put him in the gunny bag and tie it at the top. He’ll make a scrumptious meal.”
They all agreed happily and carried the turtle in the gunny bag.
Of course, the turtle was naturally very sad. He kept thinking about ways to escape from the hunters, but in vain. He just lay in the gunny bag miserable.

Children, what will happen to the turtle now?

The hunters brought him to their village. Now the problem was none of them knew how to cook a turtle. So they went to their chief and placed the turtle before him and asked, “Chief, we have hunted a turtle, but we do not know how to cook him?”
The chief too had never hunted a turtle and was equally puzzled, “ I have no idea, why don’t we ask the turtle himself.”
Hearing the chief the turtle said, "You'll have to kill me first. Then, take me out of this shell."
"We'll break your shell with sticks," the hunters said confidently in unison.  
The turtle was a smart one a quick thinker too. He had an idea.

Children, can you guess what idea he got?

"That'll never work," said the turtle, "Why don't you throw me in the water and drown me? Then my shell will become soft and you can crack it easily!"

"Excellent idea," said the Chief. They took the turtle to the river and threw him into the water to drown him.
They were congratulating themselves on their success in drowning the turtle, when two little green eyes poked up in the water and the laughing turtle said, "Don't get those cooking pots out too fast, foolish people!”
As he swam away the turtle said to himself, "I think I'll spend most of my time from now on, safely in the water."

It has been that way ever since! And the turtle has been an amphibian, living in both land and water, since then.

Turtle Tales: Why The Turtles Live In Water

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/9/5/19/829659c0-93dc-422c-8956-a22eed4344ec_tory_brer_rabbit_falls_down_the_well_redcircle.mp3

Brer Rabbit is a trickster in many of the American folktales. In today’s story, Brer rabbit saves himself from drowning in the well. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com//Brer-Rabbit-Falls-Down-The-Well" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/Brer-Rabbit-Falls-Down-The-Well</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOne day, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Racoon and Brer Bear and a lot of other animals decided to work together to plant a garden full of corn for roasting. They started early in the morning and raked and dug and raked some more, breaking up the hard ground so it would be ready for planting.It was a hot day, and Brer Rabbit got tired mighty quick. But he kept dragging off the brush and clearing away the debris because he didn&#39;t want no one to call him lazy.Then Brer Rabbit got an idea.Children, can you guess what his idea was? Just remember he was very lazy. &#34;Ow!&#34; he shouted as loudly as he could. &#34;I got a thorn in my hand!&#34; He waved a paw and stuck it into his mouth. The other critters told him he&#39;d better pull out the thorn and wash his hand before it got infected. That was just what Brer Rabbit wanted to hear. He hurried off, looking for a shady spot to take a quick nap. A little ways down the road, he found an old well with a couple of buckets hanging inside it, one at the top, and one down at the bottom.&#34;This bucket looks like a mighty cool place to take a nap,&#34; Brer Rabbit said, and hopped right into the bucket.Well, Brer Rabbit was mighty heavy - much heavier than the bucket full of water laying at the bottom. When he jumped into the empty bucket, it plummeted right down to the bottom of the well. Brer Rabbit hung onto the sides for dear life as the second bucket whipped passed him, splashing water all over him on its way to the top. He had never been so scared in his life.Brer Rabbit&#39;s bucket landed with a smack in the water and bobbed up and down. Brer Rabbit was afraid to move, in case the bucket tipped over and landed him in the water. He lay in the bottom of the bucket and shook and shivered with fright, wondering what would happen next.What do you think would happen to him, children?Let’s listen ahead.Now Brer Fox had been watching Brer Rabbit all morning. He knew right away that Brer Rabbit didn&#39;t have a thorn in his paw and wondered what that trickster Rabbit was up to. When Brer Rabbit snuck off, Brer Fox sneaked behind and followed him.He saw Brer Rabbit jump into the bucket and disappear down the well.Brer Fox was puzzled. Why would Brer Rabbit go into the well?Then he thought, &#34;I bet he has some money hidden away down there and has gone to check up on it.&#34; Brer Fox crept up to the well, listening closely to see if he could hear anything. He didn&#39;t hear nothing. He peered down into the well, but all was dark and quiet, on account of Brer Rabbit holding so still so the bucket wouldn&#39;t tip him into the water.Finally, Brer Fox shouted down into the well,&#34; Brer Rabbit, what you doing down there?&#34;Brer Rabbit perked up at once, realizing that this might be his chance to get out of the well.&#34;I&#39;m a fishing down here, Brer Fox,&#34; says he. &#34;I thought I&#39;d surprise everyone with a meal of fresh fish for lunch. There&#39;s some real nice fish down here.&#34;&#34;How many fish are there?&#34; asked Brer Fox skeptically, sure that the trickster rabbit was really counting his gold.&#34;Scores and scores!&#34; cried Brer Rabbit. &#34;Why don&#39;t you come on down and help me carry them out?&#34;Well, that was the invitation Brer Fox was waiting for. He was going to go down into that well and get himself some of Brer Rabbit&#39;s gold.&#34;How do I get down there?&#34; asked Brer Fox.Brer Rabbit grinned.Children, can you guess why Brer Rabbit grinned?Brer Fox was much heavier than he was. If Brer Fox jumped into the empty bucket at the top, then Brer Rabbit&#39;s bucket would go up, and Brer Fox&#39;s bucket would go down! So he said: &#34;Just jump into the bucket, Brer Fox.&#34;Well, Brer Fox jumped into the empty bucket, and down it plummeted into the dark well. He passed Brer Rabbit about halfway down. Brer Rabbit was clinging to the sides of the bucket with all his might as it was moving so fast. &#34;Goodbye Brer Fox,&#34; he shouted as he rose. &#34;Like the saying goes, some folks go up, and some go down! Hope you make it to the bottom all safe and sound.&#34;Brer Rabbit jumped out of the well and ran back to the garden patch to tell the other critters that Brer Fox was down in the well muddying up the waters. Then he danced back to the well and shouted down to Brer Fox: &#34;There&#39;s a hunting man coming along to drink some water, Brer Fox. When he hauls you up, you better run away as fast as you can!&#34;Then Brer Rabbit went back to the garden patch. When the thirsty hunter hauled up the bucket full of water, a wet and shaky Brer Fox sprang out and ran away before the hunter could grab for his gun.An hour later, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were both back in the garden, digging and hauling away debris and acting like nothing had happened. Except every once in a while, Brer Fox would look sideways at Brer Rabbit and grin, and the trickster rabbit would start to laugh and laugh because both of them had looked so silly plummeting up and down in that dark, old well.

Brer Rabbit is a trickster in many of the American folktales. In today’s story, Brer rabbit saves himself from drowning in the well.

 

Free activity sheet available at https://www.rituvaish.com/Brer-Rabbit-Falls-Down-The-Well



Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.



Transcript

One day, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Racoon and Brer Bear and a lot of other animals decided to work together to plant a garden full of corn for roasting. They started early in the morning and raked and dug and raked some more, breaking up the hard ground so it would be ready for planting.

It was a hot day, and Brer Rabbit got tired mighty quick. But he kept dragging off the brush and clearing away the debris because he didn't want no one to call him lazy.

Then Brer Rabbit got an idea.

Children, can you guess what his idea was? Just remember he was very lazy.

 "Ow!" he shouted as loudly as he could. "I got a thorn in my hand!" He waved a paw and stuck it into his mouth. The other critters told him he'd better pull out the thorn and wash his hand before it got infected. That was just what Brer Rabbit wanted to hear. He hurried off, looking for a shady spot to take a quick nap. A little ways down the road, he found an old well with a couple of buckets hanging inside it, one at the top, and one down at the bottom.

"This bucket looks like a mighty cool place to take a nap," Brer Rabbit said, and hopped right into the bucket.

Well, Brer Rabbit was mighty heavy - much heavier than the bucket full of water laying at the bottom. When he jumped into the empty bucket, it plummeted right down to the bottom of the well. Brer Rabbit hung onto the sides for dear life as the second bucket whipped passed him, splashing water all over him on its way to the top. He had never been so scared in his life.

Brer Rabbit's bucket landed with a smack in the water and bobbed up and down. Brer Rabbit was afraid to move, in case the bucket tipped over and landed him in the water. He lay in the bottom of the bucket and shook and shivered with fright, wondering what would happen next.

What do you think would happen to him, children?

Let’s listen ahead.

Now Brer Fox had been watching Brer Rabbit all morning. He knew right away that Brer Rabbit didn't have a thorn in his paw and wondered what that trickster Rabbit was up to. When Brer Rabbit snuck off, Brer Fox sneaked behind and followed him.

He saw Brer Rabbit jump into the bucket and disappear down the well.

Brer Fox was puzzled. Why would Brer Rabbit go into the well?

Then he thought, "I bet he has some money hidden away down there and has gone to check up on it." Brer Fox crept up to the well, listening closely to see if he could hear anything. He didn't hear nothing. He peered down into the well, but all was dark and quiet, on account of Brer Rabbit holding so still so the bucket wouldn't tip him into the water.

Finally, Brer Fox shouted down into the well," Brer Rabbit, what you doing down there?"

Brer Rabbit perked up at once, realizing that this might be his chance to get out of the well.

"I'm a fishing down here, Brer Fox," says he. "I thought I'd surprise everyone with a meal of fresh fish for lunch. There's some real nice fish down here."

"How many fish are there?" asked Brer Fox skeptically, sure that the trickster rabbit was really counting his gold.

"Scores and scores!" cried Brer Rabbit. "Why don't you come on down and help me carry them out?"

Well, that was the invitation Brer Fox was waiting for. He was going to go down into that well and get himself some of Brer Rabbit's gold.

"How do I get down there?" asked Brer Fox.

Brer Rabbit grinned.

Children, can you guess why Brer Rabbit grinned?

Brer Fox was much heavier than he was. If Brer Fox jumped into the empty bucket at the top, then Brer Rabbit's bucket would go up, and Brer Fox's bucket would go down! So he said: "Just jump into the bucket, Brer Fox."

Well, Brer Fox jumped into the empty bucket, and down it plummeted into the dark well. He passed Brer Rabbit about halfway down. Brer Rabbit was clinging to the sides of the bucket with all his might as it was moving so fast. "Goodbye Brer Fox," he shouted as he rose. "Like the saying goes, some folks go up, and some go down! Hope you make it to the bottom all safe and sound."

Brer Rabbit jumped out of the well and ran back to the garden patch to tell the other critters that Brer Fox was down in the well muddying up the waters. Then he danced back to the well and shouted down to Brer Fox: "There's a hunting man coming along to drink some water, Brer Fox. When he hauls you up, you better run away as fast as you can!"

Then Brer Rabbit went back to the garden patch. When the thirsty hunter hauled up the bucket full of water, a wet and shaky Brer Fox sprang out and ran away before the hunter could grab for his gun.

An hour later, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were both back in the garden, digging and hauling away debris and acting like nothing had happened. Except every once in a while, Brer Fox would look sideways at Brer Rabbit and grin, and the trickster rabbit would start to laugh and laugh because both of them had looked so silly plummeting up and down in that dark, old well.

Stories from Near and Far: Brer Rabbit Falls Down the Well

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/29/22/574f3dc5-9602-4b19-82e4-fb2ffff23d7a_limu__the_blue_turtle_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.Limu, the blue turtle is an adapted folktale from Hawaii. Originally written by Kimo Armitage, it’s a story about perseverance, friendship, and being kind at heart.  Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources are available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/limu-the-blue-turtle" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/limu-the-blue-turtle</a>Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptEvery year, thousands of baby turtles climb out of their sandy nests and make their way to the ocean. This year, out popped another baby turtle but this one was blue!His parents named him Limu.The tiny blue turtle opened its big eyes, shook the sand off its head, and started to make its way to the ocean.When all the other turtles saw the blue turtle they started to laugh. They pointed their flippers at the poor turtle and teased him.“No one likes me,” the blue turtle said.He dunked his head under the surf and rode out to sea.Children, how did Limu feel when other turtles teased him? Growing up in the sea, Limu the blue turtle would meet other turtles, but after looking at Limu other turtles would laugh and swim away.“No one wants to be my friend,” Limu said sadly.But growing up was not all bad, Limu would bodysurf in the big waves and he would have fun chasing colourful fishes into the coral.One day when he was eating his favourite seaweed off some rocks he heard someone crying. When Limu looked up he saw a little Opihi.Children Opihi belongs to the broad category of marine snails and has conical shells.“Why are you crying?” asked Limu.“I am so sad. I miss my sister who lives far away,” cried the little Opihi.“I can take you,” said the blue turtle. “I can swim really fast and we will be there in no time.”“You are such a nice turtle,” said the Opihi. “My name is Nani.”“My name is Limu. Hop on my back and we leave right now,” said the blue turtle.The Opihi jumped on Limu’s back. She hung on tight as the blue turtle swam under the water. They swam near the surface and they swam deep in the deep part of the water. They laughed with the family of seals playing in the water.All of a sudden, the water became black. Nani was very scared.“What is it ?” she cried.Children, can you guess who could that be?When Limu looked up he saw he had bumped into a big whale. The whale was crying.“What&#39;s wrong?” Limu asked.“I was swimming in the deep water near a sunken ship and I got a big piece of wood stuck in my flipper,” the whale cried, “It hurts so much.”“Maybe I can help,” said Limu.Limu bit onto the piece of wood and pulled with all his might. He pulled and pulled and pulled.“You can do it!” yelled Nani.Suddenly, the wood came out!The whale was indeed very happy.“How can I ever thank you?” asked the whale.“My flipper is as good as new.”“Glad I could help. My name is Limu,” the blue turtle said. Children, think of a time you have helped someone?That’s nice. I am sure helping others made you feel good.“My name is Jonah,” replied the whale. “Limu, you are a good-hearted Turtle. Thanks again.”The blue turtle started swimming again with Nani, the little Opihi on his back. After a day of travelling the blue Turtle and the little Opihi could see the beautiful bay where Nani&#39;s sister lived. Many different kinds of colourful fish lived in the reef.As Limu looked at all the different types of seaweed, he was delighted. There is so much food to eat here, he thought to himself!“There is my sister’s home,” cried Nani. “I am so happy!” how can I ever thank you enough for bringing me here.”“I’m happy that I could help,” said Limu.They pulled closer to the water’s edge where Nani’s sister lived.Nani let out a big yell “Ooh Lani”.Lani saw Nani and cried tears of joy for she was happy to see her sister too. Nani jumped off Limu’s back and hugged her sister.“Thank you so much Limu,” said Lani,” You are a great friend to my sister and me I am so glad to see Nani. Indeed you have a big heart.”Then she told Limu, &#34;Please eat some seaweed.&#34;Limu ate and ate. He had never seen so many different types of seaweed. In fact, he was so busy eating that he did not see how far he had drifted from the rocky shore. All of a sudden he saw two beady eyes looking at him.Then he saw a lot of beady eyes and big dark shapes and Limu became very afraid.“You look good enough to eat,” said one of the dark shapes when it moved closer. Limu saw that it was a shark.“You will make a delicious lunch,” said another shark.“We have never eaten a blue turtle before,” called out another one.Just then a big black shadow covered Limu the big black shadow started to flip the sharks high into the sky one by one. the other sharks were afraid and swam away as fast as they could. Children, can you guess who that big, black shadow was?“It looked like you needed some help Limu,” said the whale.“Oh, thank you Jonah, you saved my life,” said Limu.“That&#39;s what friends are for, See you later Limu,” said the whale as he swam away.Limu swam back to Lani&#39;s home.He was so happy because he was in a beautiful place with his friends and he knew that no matter what he looked like on the outside others liked him because of the good turtle he was on the inside.

Every year, thousands of baby turtles climb out of their sandy nests and make their way to the ocean. This year, out popped another baby turtle but this one was blue!

His parents named him Limu.

The tiny blue turtle opened its big eyes, shook the sand off its head, and started to make its way to the ocean.

When all the other turtles saw the blue turtle they started to laugh. They pointed their flippers at the poor turtle and teased him.

“No one likes me,” the blue turtle said.

He dunked his head under the surf and rode out to sea.

Children, how did Limu feel when other turtles teased him? 

Growing up in the sea, Limu the blue turtle would meet other turtles, but after looking at Limu other turtles would laugh and swim away.

“No one wants to be my friend,” Limu said sadly.

But growing up was not all bad, Limu would bodysurf in the big waves and he would have fun chasing colorfull fishes into the coral.

One day when he was eating his favourite seaweed off some rocks he heard someone crying. When Limu looked up he saw a little Opihi.

Children Opihi belongs to the broad category of marine snails and has conical shells.

“Why are you crying?” asked Limu.

“I am so sad. I miss my sister who lives far away,” cried the little Opihi.

“I can take you,” said the blue turtle. “I can swim really fast and we will be there in no time.”

“You are such a nice turtle,” said the Opihi. “My name is Nani.”

“My name is Limu. Hop on my back and we leave right now,” said the blue turtle.

The Opihi jumped on Limu’s back. She hung on tight as the blue turtle swam under the water. They swam near the surface and they swam deep in the deep part of the water. They laughed with the family of seals playing in the water.

All of a sudden, the water became black. Nani was very scared.

“What is it ?” she cried.

Children, can you guess who could that be?

When Limu looked up he saw he had bumped into a big whale. The whale was crying.

“What's wrong?” Limu asked.

“I was swimming in the deep water near a sunken ship and I got a big piece of wood stuck in my flipper,” the whale cried, “It hurts so much.”

“Maybe I can help,” said Limu.

Limu bit onto the piece of wood and pulled with all his might. He pulled and pulled and pulled.

“You can do it!” yelled Nani.

Suddenly, the wood came out!
The whale was indeed very happy.
“How can I ever thank you?” asked the whale.
“My flipper is as good as new.”
“Glad I could help. My name is Limu,” the blue turtle said.

 Children, think of a time you have helped someone?

That’s nice. I am sure helping others made you feel good.
“My name is Jonah,” replied the whale. “Limu, you are a good-hearted Turtle. Thanks again.”
The blue turtle started swimming again with Nani, the little Opihi on his back. After a day of travelling the blue Turtle and the little Opihi could see the beautiful bay where Nani's sister lived. Many different kinds of colourful fish lived in the reef.

As Limu looked at all the different types of seaweed, he was delighted. There is so much food to eat here, he thought to himself!
“There is my sister’s home,” cried Nani. “I am so happy!” how can I ever thank you enough for bringing me here.”
“I’m happy that I could help,” said Limu.
They pulled closer to the water’s edge where Nani’s sister lived.
Nani let out a big yell “Ooh Lani”.
Lani saw Nani and cried tears of joy for she was happy to see her sister too. Nani jumped off Limu’s back and hugged her sister.
“Thank you so much Limu,” said Lani,” You are a great friend to my sister and me I am so glad to see Nani. Indeed you have a big heart.”
Then she told Limu, "Please eat some seaweed."
Limu ate and ate. He had never seen so many different types of seaweed. In fact, he was so busy eating that he did not see how far he had drifted from the rocky shore. All of a sudden he saw two beady eyes looking at him.

Then he saw a lot of beady eyes and big dark shapes and Limu became very afraid.
“You look good enough to eat,” said one of the dark shapes when it moved closer. Limu saw that it was a shark.
“You will make a delicious lunch,” said another shark.
“We have never eaten a blue turtle before,” called out another one.
Just then a big black shadow covered Limu the big black shadow started to flip the sharks high into the sky one by one. the other sharks were afraid and swam away as fast as they could.

Children, can you guess who that big, black shadow was?

“It looked like you needed some help Limu,” said the whale.
“Oh, thank you Jonah, you saved my life,” said Limu.
“That's what friends are for, See you later Limu,” said the whale as he swam away.

Limu swam back to Lani's home.
He was so happy because he was in a beautiful place with his friends and he knew that no matter what he looked like on the outside others liked him because of the good turtle he was on the inside.

 



Turtle Tales: Limu, The Blue Turtle

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/19/22/c32f2448-2caf-4a89-8d69-b387bf7b3d78_ory_from_germany_the_town_musicians_redcircle_.mp3

The Town Musicians is an adapted folktale from Germany. We all have heard humans play music. But this story is about a group of animals forming an orchestra. Their statue was constructed and is still standing tall in Bremen town.  Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-town-musicians" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/The-Town-Musicians</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOnce upon a time, there was a donkey, who lived on a farm with his master. The donkey had become old and one day he got fed up on working on the farm and decided to leave his master. He thought he would become a musician.He set off for the nearby town of Bremen.On his way, the donkey met a dog, who had also left his home and master. “Will you come with me to Bremen?” asked the donkey. &#34;Let&#39;s become musicians in the town orchestra. You can play the drums and I will play the guitar.” The dog agreed and they continued on their way together.With dreams of playing in the town orchestra, they walked towards Bremen. A little bit further they met a cat and invited him to go with them to Breman and invited him to go with them to Breman. They also requested him to join the town orchestra as a lead vocalist.The cat meowed in agreement and the three animals hurried on to Bremen.As they were passing by a castle, the three saw a cockerel, crowing as loudly as he could, so they asked him why he was singing so loudly. “They are going to cook me and eat me tomorrow,&#34; he said, “so I am saying goodbye to life.”But the donkey said, “Don’t be silly! Come with us! You can play the saxophone and you could be in the Bremen orchestra. That is where we are all going.”The cockerel, who really didn’t want to be cooked, jumped on the donkey’s back and the four continued on their way.Children, do you think this animal team would make good music? Why? Why not?Let’s listen ahead.The sun had started to go down and the four friends were looking for shelter for the night. They came across a house which was being burgled. The donkey looked through the window and saw a table, which had been generously laid with food and drinks. Since the four friends were very hungry, they decided to drive the men away, not knowing that they were burglars away so that they could eat the food.The dog climbed on the donkey’s back, the cat stood on the dog’s head and the rooster perched on the cat’s back. They started their concert on three: “Hee-haw!” brayed the donkey, “Woof-woof!” barked the dog, “Meoooowww!” said the cat, and “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed the cockerel. At all the noise the burglars started shouting in fear, “Help! Ghosts are coming to get us!” The men ran out of the door as fast as they could. They left the house that very second, thinking that the house was haunted by millions of terrifying ghosts.The four friends made sure that the burglars had run a long way away and then went into the house. They sat down for dinner, ate, drank, and were merry.Full from the delicious meal, they looked for a place to sleep and turned off the lights. The dog curled up behind the door, the cat snuggled in by the fireplace, the rooster perched on the back of a chair, and the donkey settled in one of the kitchen nooks. They soon fell fast asleep.Meanwhile, the burglars gathered and the ringleader decided to send one of them to check whether the ghosts were still in the house as it was dark. The man who was sent approached the house quietly, shaking with fear. He reached the door and stood to listen. Since there was no noise, he went into the kitchen. He wanted to light a fire. So, thinking the cat&#39;s glowing eyes were burning coals, he held a candle next to them, hoping it would catch the light.The cat jumped on his face and started scratching him. In a panic, he stepped back, stepping on the dog, who bit the man’s leg fiercely. The man couldn’t see anything and began to run around in the dark in a blind panic. He was kicked by the donkey. Then the cockerel crowed and started flying around.The burglar ran to the ringleader and said “It&#39;s not just ghosts! Now there are witches in the house! Some of them scratch, others bite, others kick… It would be better for us if we moved somewhere else.” When the rest of the burglars heard him, they left the place as quickly as they could.For the rest of their days, the saxophone playing rooster, Cat, the lead singing cat, the drum playing, dog, , the guitar playing donkey, lived in the cottage and played for the animals that lived around the daisy filled clearing.Children, do you play any musical instrument?Soon they became the best city musicians Bremen ever had. After the animals had died, the citizens erected a statue in memory of them. - It still stands next to the town hall.

Once upon a time, there was a donkey, who lived on a farm with his master. The donkey had become old and one day he got fed up on working on the farm and decided to leave his master. He thought he would become a musician.

He set off for the nearby town of Bremen.

On his way, the donkey met a dog, who had also left his home and master. “Will you come with me to Bremen?” asked the donkey. "Let's become musicians in the town orchestra. You can play the drums and I will play the guitar.” The dog agreed and they continued on their way together.

With dreams of playing in the town orchestra, they walked towards Bremen. A little bit further they met a cat and invited him to go with them to Breman and invited him to go with them to Breman. They also requested him to join the town orchestra as a lead vocalist.

The cat meowed in agreement and the three animals hurried on to Bremen.

As they were passing by a castle, the three saw a cockerel, crowing as loudly as he could, so they asked him why he was singing so loudly. “They are going to cook me and eat me tomorrow," he said, “so I am saying goodbye to life.”

But the donkey said, “Don’t be silly! Come with us! You can play the saxophone and you could be in the Bremen orchestra. That is where we are all going.”
The cockerel, who really didn’t want to be cooked, jumped on the donkey’s back and the four continued on their way.

Children, do you think this animal team would make good music? Why? Why not?

Let’s listen ahead.

The sun had started to go down and the four friends were looking for shelter for the night. They came across a house which was being burgled. The donkey looked through the window and saw a table, which had been generously laid with food and drinks. Since the four friends were very hungry, they decided to drive the men away, not knowing that they were burglars away so that they could eat the food.

The dog climbed on the donkey’s back, the cat stood on the dog’s head and the rooster perched on the cat’s back. They started their concert on three: “Hee-haw!” brayed the donkey, “Woof-woof!” barked the dog, “Meoooowww!” said the cat, and “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed the cockerel. At all the noise the burglars started shouting in fear, “Help! Ghosts are coming to get us!” The men ran out of the door as fast as they could. They left the house that very second, thinking that the house was haunted by millions of terrifying ghosts.

The four friends made sure that the burglars had run a long way away and then went into the house. They sat down for dinner, ate, drank, and were merry.

Full from the delicious meal, they looked for a place to sleep and turned off the lights. The dog curled up behind the door, the cat snuggled in by the fireplace, the rooster perched on the back of a chair, and the donkey settled in one of the kitchen nooks. They soon fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the burglars gathered and the ringleader decided to send one of them to check whether the ghosts were still in the house as it was dark. The man who was sent approached the house quietly, shaking with fear. He reached the door and stood to listen. Since there was no noise, he went into the kitchen. He wanted to light a fire. So, thinking the cat's glowing eyes were burning coals, he held a candle next to them, hoping it would catch the light.

The cat jumped on his face and started scratching him. In a panic, he stepped back, stepping on the dog, who bit the man’s leg fiercely. The man couldn’t see anything and began to run around in the dark in a blind panic. He was kicked by the donkey. Then the cockerel crowed and started flying around.

The burglar ran to the ringleader and said “It's not just ghosts! Now there are witches in the house! Some of them scratch, others bite, others kick… It would be better for us if we moved somewhere else.” When the rest of the burglars heard him, they left the place as quickly as they could.

For the rest of their days, the saxophone playing rooster, Cat, the lead singing cat, the drum playing, dog, the guitar playing donkey, lived in the cottage and played for the animals that lived around the daisy filled clearing.

Children, do you play any musical instrument?

Soon they became the best city musicians Bremen ever had. After the animals had died, the citizens erected a statue in memory of them - It still stands next to the town hall.

Stories from Near and Far: The Town Musicians

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/15/17/3c83c01c-c3e0-49ff-8517-796beefc34aa_the_turtle_who_couldn_t_stop_talking_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.&#39;The Turtle Who Couldn’t Stop Talking is a Jataka tale about a turtle who didn’t follow the instructions that were given to him and faced the consequence.r turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape wit. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources are available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-turtle-who-could-not-stop-talking" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-turtle-who-could-not-stop-talking</a><a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-turtle-who-could-not-stop-talking" rel="nofollow">Se</a>nd your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptA turtle lived in a pond at the foot of a hill. Two young wild Geese, looking for food, saw the turtle, and started talking with him. The geese said, “It’s so much fun to talk to you. You are a very nice turtle”“I also enjoyed myself talking to you both. Do come and visit me again!” answered the turtle.Children, what do you think they talked about?The next day the Geese came again to visit the turtle and the day after and the day-day after. In no time they became very well acquainted and soon they were great friends.&#34;Friend turtle,&#34; the Geese said one day, &#34;We have a beautiful home far away. We are going to fly back to it tomorrow. It will be a long but pleasant journey. Will you come with us?&#34;&#34;Oh, I really would have loved to, but how could I? I have no wings. Further, I walk so slowly that I could never reach just walking to your home,&#34; said the turtle sadly.Children, can you suggest some way the turtle can travel to his friends’ home?Let’s seeLooking at their sad friend the geese discussed among themselves then suggested, &#34;Oh, we will take you, but on one condition. You have to keep your mouth shut, and say not a word to anybody,&#34;&#34;That’s easy, I can do that,&#34; said the turtle confidently. &#34;Pease do take me with you. I will do exactly as you wish.&#34;So the next day, the geese brought a stick and two of them held the ends of it. &#34;Now take the middle of this in your mouth, and don&#39;t say a word until we reach home,&#34; the two geese told the turtle.The turtle was delighted and quickly held the stick in his mouth.          The geese then sprang into the air, with the turtle between them, holding fast to the stick.The turtle was having a great time looking at the land from high in the sky.Children, can you tell three things that the turtle saw from the sky?As they were flying over a village, the village children saw the two geese flying along with the turtle and cried out: &#34;Oh, see the Turtle up in the air! Look at the Geese carrying a turtle by a stick! Did you ever see anything more ridiculous in your life!&#34;The turtle didn’t like the mockery of the children and forgetting the instructions of the geese started to say…Children, what was the instruction of the geese?Yes! The geese had instructed the turtle not to open his mouth till they reach home. But the turtle forgot all about it and he looked down and began to say, &#34;Well, if my friends carry me, what business is that of yours?&#34; when he let go, he tumbled down and fell with a big thud on the ground.As the two Geese flew on, they heard the people say, when they came to see the poor turtle, &#34;That fellow could not keep his mouth shut. He had to talk, and so faced the consequences.&#34;

A turtle lived in a pond at the foot of a hill. Two young wild Geese, looking for food, saw the turtle, and started talking with him. The geese said, “It’s so much fun to talk to you. You are a very nice turtle”
“I also enjoyed myself talking to you both. Do come and visit me again!” answered the turtle.

Children, what do you think they talked about?

The next day the Geese came again to visit the turtle and the day after and the day-day after. In no time they became very well acquainted and soon they were great friends.

"Friend turtle," the Geese said one day, "We have a beautiful home far away. We are going to fly back to it tomorrow. It will be a long but pleasant journey. Will you come with us?"
"Oh, I really would have loved to, but how could I? I have no wings. Further, I walk so slowly that I could never reach just walking to your home," said the turtle sadly.

Children, can you suggest some way the turtle can travel to his friends’ home?
Let’s see.

Looking at their sad friend the geese discussed among themselves then suggested, "Oh, we will take you, but on one condition. You have to keep your mouth shut, and say not a word to anybody,"
"That’s easy, I can do that," said the turtle confidently. "Pease do take me with you. I will do exactly as you wish."

So the next day, the geese brought a stick and two of them held the ends of it. "Now take the middle of this in your mouth, and don't say a word until we reach home," the two geese told the turtle.
The turtle was delighted and quickly held the stick in his mouth.          
The geese then sprang into the air, with the turtle between them, holding fast to the stick.
The turtle was having a great time looking at the land from high in the sky.

Children, can you tell three things that the turtle saw from the sky?

As they were flying over a village, the village children saw the two geese flying along with the turtle and cried out: "Oh, see the Turtle up in the air! Look at the Geese carrying a turtle by a stick! Did you ever see anything more ridiculous in your life!"
The turtle didn’t like the mockery of the children and forgetting the instructions of the geese started to say…

Children, what was the instruction of the geese?

Yes! The geese had instructed the turtle not to open his mouth till they reach home. But the turtle forgot all about it and he looked down and began to say, "Well, if my friends carry me, what business is that of yours?" when he let go, he tumbled down and fell with a big thud on the ground.

As the two Geese flew on, they heard the people say, when they came to see the poor turtle, "That fellow could not keep his mouth shut. He had to talk, and so faced the consequences."

Turtle Tales: The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/8/21/6d51fa68-23a7-473a-afc6-654116bc59f1_story_from_turkey_redcircle.mp3

Thumb Ali is a story from Turkey where a boy as big as a thumb proves that even if you are different from others you are capable of many things. In today&#39;s story, Thumb Ali saves people from thieves. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/thumb-ali" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/Thumb-Ali</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOnce upon a time, a couple had a baby boy whom they called Ali. The baby came as a surprise to his parents because when he was born, he was no bigger than a thumb!Children, what living things come to your mind that are as small as a thumb?The mother and father were both very upset, to begin with, but then they thought to themselves, &#34;This is what God has given us, and one day our son will grow up to be a big, strong boy.&#34;But the years passed, and Ali did not grow at all. He remained as little as a thumb. Every evening at dinner, the mother would set a place at the table for her son. She would place a tiny plate in front of him and fill it with a teaspoon full of soup. Ali also had a tiny cup that his mother filled with a single drop of water.Children, what do you think Ali wore? And how big were his clothes?Everything was fine when the family was at home, but the mother and father were worried for their son, thinking that if anybody saw him, they would tease the young boy. So, they kept him indoors.Eventually, Ali celebrated his twentieth birthday. He was still as little as a thumb, but his voice had grown very deep and very loud just like an adult man.Ali was a very sad young man because he had no friends and had to spend all of his time hiding inside his parent&#39;s house.One day, Ali&#39;s father was getting ready to go to the market in the next town.The old man planned on spending the night in a hotel because he would not be able to make the journey there and back before nightfall.Ali pleaded with his father to take him along on the journey, but his father looked very anxious at the idea.        &#34;We never took you out until this day and I am not sure that I can do it now,” he said. &#34;How can I protect you and hide you from other people?&#34;&#34;It will be easy,” answered Ali, in his deep, booming voice. &#34;You can keep me in your pocket, and nobody will ever know I am there. You can make a little hole in the material so I can breathe and so that I can see what is going on and enjoy all the new sights of the world.&#34;Children, do you think Ali was smart? Why do you think so?Ali&#39;s father realized how excited Ali was at the idea of leaving the house, and because of this, he found it impossible to say no to his only son. The old man made a very small hole in his shirt pocket and helped Ali to climb inside.The mother handed over the bags for the journey and kissed them both and wished them good luck. Then Ali and his father set off towards the market in the neighboring town.After travelling all day, Ali and his father came to the hotel by the side of the road.&#34;We will get ourselves a room over here for the night,” explained the father, &#34;and tomorrow we will go to the market early in the morning before returning back home.&#34;&#34;I cannot believe I get to stay in a hotel!&#34; exclaimed Ali.Ali&#39;s father paid for a room and took his bags up the stairs to the room. After the old man had unpacked and washed, and with Ali still hidden in his pocket, he went down to the dining room in the hope that he might also sneak some food for his little son.Then something quite unexpected happened. Just as all of the guests had seated themselves for dinner, a group of thieves entered the hotel.The mean-looking men, three in all, pointed guns and gave orders that every man and woman should surrender their money and any valuables they possessed. All of the guests were very scared, including Ali&#39;s father, but they did as they were told and began reaching for their wallets and jewellery, placing them on the tables to be collected by the thieves.Do your think Ali was scared?Suddenly, there was a very loud and very deep voice from out of nowhere. &#34;Drop your guns!&#34; commanded the voice. &#34;I am coming in there and I am going to catch you and give you over to the police,&#34; came the loud hoarse voice.Children, whose voice was that?Nobody knew where the voice was coming from. The thieves looked all around the dining room but could not find a soul.Then the voice came again, even louder this time. “I will make you pay for your wicked ways. I will make sure that you spend many years in prison.”Because the thieves could not tell where the voice was coming from, they convinced themselves that it must belong to a ghost. And if there was one thing the thieves were scared of even more than the police, it was ghosts.All of a sudden, the thieves dropped their guns and ran from the hotel and disappeared into the night.Even though the guests were happy that the robbers had fled, they too were afraid of ghosts and wanted to run away to their rooms and hide.&#34;Do not worry,&#34; explained Ali&#39;s father. &#34;It is not a ghost that is talking. It is my son.&#34; And with that, the old man reached into his pocket so that Ali could climb into his hand. Then he placed Ali gently down on the table so that all of the guests might say hello. &#34;I am sure the robbers will not return,” reassured Ali in his deep, booming voice, a big smile on his face due to all of the adventures he was having.The guests were very surprised and very curious to meet a boy who was no bigger than a thumb.But more than anything, they were all very grateful to Ali for saving them from the thieves, and they thanked him and shook his hand and said to his father how proud he must be to have such a brave son.In the morning, as they left the hotel for the market, Ali&#39;s father took his little son out of his pocket and placed him upon his shoulder.All morning at the market, and then on the way home, the old man had to stop many times to introduce Ali to passers-by. And he was very proud and told them how his son had saved everybody from the three thieves.When father and son arrived home that evening, Ali&#39;s mother looked very worried that Ali was sitting up on her husband&#39;s shoulder.&#34;What if somebody should see him?&#34; questioned the mother.But the old man smiled and explained to his wife what adventures the pair had experienced at the hotel, and how Ali had saved the day and scared off the thieves.&#34;It has been a very great mistake to be ashamed of our son. We should not have kept him hidden in the house for all these years. We should be proud of Ali and all of the things that he is capable of doing.&#34;Ali&#39;s mother was indeed very proud when she heard the story of her son&#39;s bravery and promised never to hide him away or be ashamed ever again.Ever since that day, Thumb Ali has always travelled on his parent’s shoulders wherever they go, and he has seen and done many things and had many adventures.

Once upon a time, a couple had a baby boy whom they called Ali. The baby came as a surprise to his parents because when he was born, he was no bigger than a thumb!

Children, what living things come to your mind that are as small as a thumb?

The mother and father were both very upset, to begin with, but then they thought to themselves, "This is what God has given us, and one day our son will grow up to be a big, strong boy."

But the years passed, and Ali did not grow at all. He remained as little as a thumb. Every evening at dinner, the mother would set a place at the table for her son. She would place a tiny plate in front of him and fill it with a teaspoon full of soup. Ali also had a tiny cup that his mother filled with a single drop of water.

Children, what do you think Ali wore? And how big were his clothes?

Everything was fine when the family was at home, but the mother and father were worried for their son, thinking that if anybody saw him, they would tease the young boy. So, they kept him indoors.

Eventually, Ali celebrated his twentieth birthday. He was still as little as a thumb, but his voice had grown very deep and very loud just like an adult man.

Ali was a very sad young man because he had no friends and had to spend all of his time hiding inside his parent's house.

One day, Ali's father was getting ready to go to the market in the next town.

The old man planned on spending the night in a hotel because he would not be able to make the journey there and back before nightfall.

Ali pleaded with his father to take him along on the journey, but his father looked very anxious at the idea.        

"We never took you out until this day and I am not sure that I can do it now,” he said. "How can I protect you and hide you from other people?"

"It will be easy,” answered Ali, in his deep, booming voice. "You can keep me in your pocket, and nobody will ever know I am there. You can make a little hole in the material so I can breathe and so that I can see what is going on and enjoy all the new sights of the world."

Children, do you think Ali was smart? Why do you think so?

Ali's father realized how excited Ali was at the idea of leaving the house, and because of this, he found it impossible to say no to his only son. The old man made a very small hole in his shirt pocket and helped Ali to climb inside.

The mother handed over the bags for the journey and kissed them both and wished them good luck. Then Ali and his father set off towards the market in the neighboring town.

After travelling all day, Ali and his father came to the hotel by the side of the road.

"We will get ourselves a room over here for the night,” explained the father, "and tomorrow we will go to the market early in the morning before returning back home."

"I cannot believe I get to stay in a hotel!" exclaimed Ali.

Ali's father paid for a room and took his bags up the stairs to the room. After the old man had unpacked and washed, and with Ali still hidden in his pocket, he went down to the dining room in the hope that he might also sneak some food for his little son.

Then something quite unexpected happened. Just as all of the guests had seated themselves for dinner, a group of thieves entered the hotel.

The mean-looking men, three in all, pointed guns and gave orders that every man and woman should surrender their money and any valuables they possessed. All of the guests were very scared, including Ali's father, but they did as they were told and began reaching for their wallets and jewellery, placing them on the tables to be collected by the thieves.

Do your think Ali was scared?

Suddenly, there was a very loud and very deep voice from out of nowhere. "Drop your guns!" commanded the voice. "I am coming in there and I am going to catch you and give you over to the police," came the loud hoarse voice.

Children, whose voice was that?

Nobody knew where the voice was coming from. The thieves looked all around the dining room but could not find a soul.
Then the voice came again, even louder this time. “I will make you pay for your wicked ways. I will make sure that you spend many years in prison.”

Because the thieves could not tell where the voice was coming from, they convinced themselves that it must belong to a ghost. And if there was one thing the thieves were scared of even more than the police, it was ghosts.
All of a sudden, the thieves dropped their guns and ran from the hotel, and disappeared into the night.
Even though the guests were happy that the robbers had fled, they too were afraid of ghosts and wanted to run away to their rooms and hide.
"Do not worry," explained Ali's father. "It is not a ghost that is talking. It is my son." And with that, the old man reached into his pocket so that Ali could climb into his hand. Then he placed Ali gently down on the table so that all of the guests might say hello. "I am sure the robbers will not return,” reassured Ali in his deep, booming voice, a big smile on his face due to all of the adventures he was having.

The guests were very surprised and very curious to meet a boy who was no bigger than a thumb.
But more than anything, they were all very grateful to Ali for saving them from the thieves, and they thanked him and shook his hand and said to his father how proud he must be to have such a brave son.
In the morning, as they left the hotel for the market, Ali's father took his little son out of his pocket and placed him upon his shoulder.

All morning at the market, and then on the way home, the old man had to stop many times to introduce Ali to passers-by. And he was very proud and told them how his son had saved everybody from the three thieves.

When father and son arrived home that evening, Ali's mother looked very worried that Ali was sitting up on her husband's shoulder.
"What if somebody should see him?" questioned the mother.
But the old man smiled and explained to his wife what adventures the pair had experienced at the hotel, and how Ali had saved the day and scared off the thieves.

"It has been a very great mistake to be ashamed of our son. We should not have kept him hidden in the house for all these years. We should be proud of Ali and all of the things that he is capable of doing."
Ali's mother was indeed very proud when she heard the story of her son's bravery and promised never to hide him away or be ashamed ever again.
Ever since that day, Thumb Ali has always travelled on his parent’s shoulders wherever they go, and he has seen and done many things and had many adventures.

Stories from Near and Far: Thumb Ali

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/1/21/67e6d023-8f56-469a-8168-6523ef215467_the_goat_and_the_ram_redcircle.mp3

The Lucky Goat and Ram is a folktale from Finland. In the story, a witty pair of a goat and a ram outwit the foxes and live happily in the forest Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-goat-and-the-ram" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/the-goat-and-the-ram</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptThe fox easily got into trouble with the farm folks. With sore ribs and a back aching from the beating that farm folk had given him he crept quietly along the forest ways, hoping to come upon some easy prey. Suddenly he saw ahead of him a goat and a ram.With greedy eyes and mouth-watering, the fox thought, &#34;Wow! I sure have my dinner served on the platter. But what are the goat and Ram doing here?&#34; he thought to himself. &#34;This is no place for them, and if anything happens to them it will be their own fault.&#34;The goat and the ram both knew that the forest was no place for them. But where else could they go? They had recently been turned loose to fend for themselves by their poor old master who was no longer able to feed them.Children, do you think the goat and the ram will be able to survive in the forest?Let’s listen ahead.&#34;This forest rather frightens me,&#34; the ram had said to the goat. &#34;Do you suppose we&#39;ll be able to keep off the foxes?&#34;With sparkling eyes, the goat said, &#34;Yes, I&#39;ve got a plan.&#34; So, saying he took a sack and half-filled it with dry chips of wood. Then when he shook the sack, the chips made a hollow rattle. He threw the sack over his shoulder and said to the ram, &#34;Don&#39;t be frightened. We&#39;ll be able to survive with the forest creatures.&#34;Children, how will the sack with wooden chips help the goat and ram survive?It was just at this moment that the fox appeared.&#34;Ha Ha!&#34; said the wolf suspiciously. &#34;What&#39;s that you&#39;ve got in that sack? No nonsense now! Answer me at once or I&#39;ll have to kill you both!&#34;The goat gave the sack a little rattle. &#34;In this sack?&#34; he said.&#34;Oh, only the skulls and bones of the foxes we have eaten. We haven&#39;t had any wolf meat now for some time, have we? It&#39;s good you&#39;ve come along for we&#39;re hungry… Get ready, ram! Kill the wolf!&#34;The ram lowered his horns ready for attack and the wolf, too surprised to resist and too stiff to run away, cried out wildly, &#34;Brothers! Brothers! Don&#39;t kill me! I&#39;m your friend! Spare me and I&#39;ll do something for you!&#34;&#34;Don&#39;t kill the wolf just yet!&#34; commanded the goat.Then he asked the wolf, &#34;What will you do for us if we spare you?&#34;&#34;I&#39;ll send you twelve foxes,&#34; the wolf promised. &#34;That will give you more meat than you would  have if you killed just me!&#34;&#34;Twelve,&#34; the goat replied. &#34;You are right: twelve foxes will give us more meat than one. Very well, we&#39;ll let you go on condition that you send us twelve. But see to it that you keep your word!&#34;So, the wolf went off as fast as his stiff legs could carry him and gathered twelve of his brothers.&#34;I&#39;ve called you together,&#34; he said, &#34;To warn you of two terrible creatures. A goat and a ram! They are here in the forest, eating up foxes! Already they have a sack full of many foxes’ skulls and bones! I should say we ought to flee, all of us!&#34;&#34;What!&#34; said the other foxes, &#34;Thirteen foxes flee from one goat and one ram? No, we&#39;ll go together and show them our power!&#34;&#34;Don&#39;t count me in!&#34; the wolf said. &#34;I don&#39;t want to see those two again!&#34;The twelve foxes marched off without him.As soon as the goat saw them coming, he ran up a tree. The ram followed him but couldn&#39;t get very high. The twelve foxes came under the tree and standing in a flock they called out, &#34;Now then, you two, come on! We&#39;re ready for you!”Children, what do you think will happen in the story next?&#34;Get ready, ram!&#34; commanded the goat. &#34;They&#39;re all here. Lose no more time! Jump down among them and kill!&#34;The goat himself began climbing down the tree, at the same time making an awful noise with his sack. He gave the ram a push and the ram slipped and fell right on the backs of the foxes.&#34;That&#39;s right ram! Kill them all!&#34; the goat shouted, rattling his sack more furiously than ever. &#34;Don&#39;t let a single one of them escape!&#34;In the confusion the foxes charged, running helter-skelter in all directions, and felt awfully lucky to get away. &#34;Horrible, horrible!&#34; each of them thought.Afterwards the goat and the ram lived in the forest without being troubled by the foxes anymore.

The fox easily got into trouble with the farm folks. With sore ribs and a back aching from the beating that farm folk had given him he crept quietly along the forest ways, hoping to come upon some easy prey. Suddenly he saw ahead of him a goat and a ram.

With greedy eyes and mouth-watering, the fox thought, "Wow! I sure have my dinner served on the platter. But what are the goat and Ram doing here?" he thought to himself. "This is no place for them, and if anything happens to them it will be their own fault."

The goat and the ram both knew that the forest was no place for them. But where else could they go? They had recently been turned loose to fend for themselves by their poor old master who was no longer able to feed them.

Children, do you think the goat and the ram will be able to survive in the forest?

Let’s listen ahead.

"This forest rather frightens me," the ram had said to the goat. "Do you suppose we'll be able to keep off the foxes?"

With sparkling eyes, the goat said, "Yes, I've got a plan." So, saying he took a sack and half-filled it with dry chips of wood. Then when he shook the sack, the chips made a hollow rattle. He threw the sack over his shoulder and said to the ram, "Don't be frightened. We'll be able to survive with the forest creatures."

Children, how will the sack with wooden chips help the goat and ram survive?

It was just at this moment that the fox appeared.

"Ha Ha!" said the wolf suspiciously. "What's that you've got in that sack? No nonsense now! Answer me at once or I'll have to kill you both!"

The goat gave the sack a little rattle. "In this sack?" he said.

"Oh, only the skulls and bones of the foxes we have eaten. We haven't had any wolf meat now for some time, have we? It's good you've come along for we're hungry… Get ready, ram! Kill the wolf!"

The ram lowered his horns ready for attack and the wolf, too surprised to resist and too stiff to run away, cried out wildly, "Brothers! Brothers! Don't kill me! I'm your friend! Spare me and I'll do something for you!"

"Don't kill the wolf just yet!" commanded the goat.

Then he asked the wolf, "What will you do for us if we spare you?"

"I'll send you twelve foxes," the wolf promised. "That will give you more meat than you would  have if you killed just me!"

"Twelve," the goat replied. "You are right: twelve foxes will give us more meat than one. Very well, we'll let you go on condition that you send us twelve. But see to it that you keep your word!"

So, the wolf went off as fast as his stiff legs could carry him and gathered twelve of his brothers.

"I've called you together," he said, "To warn you of two terrible creatures. A goat and a ram! They are here in the forest, eating up foxes! Already they have a sack full of many foxes’ skulls and bones! I should say we ought to flee, all of us!"

"What!" said the other foxes, "Thirteen foxes flee from one goat and one ram? No, we'll go together and show them our power!"
"Don't count me in!" the wolf said. "I don't want to see those two again!"
The twelve foxes marched off without him.
As soon as the goat saw them coming, he ran up a tree. The ram followed him but couldn't get very high. The twelve foxes came under the tree and standing in a flock they called out, "Now then, you two, come on! We're ready for you!”

Children, what do you think will happen in the story next?

"Get ready, ram!" commanded the goat. "They're all here. Lose no more time! Jump down among them and kill!"
The goat himself began climbing down the tree, at the same time making an awful noise with his sack. He gave the ram a push and the ram slipped and fell right on the backs of the foxes.

"That's right ram! Kill them all!" the goat shouted, rattling his sack more furiously than ever. "Don't let a single one of them escape!"
In the confusion the foxes charged, running helter-skelter in all directions, and felt awfully lucky to get away. "Horrible, horrible!" each of them thought.
Afterwards the goat and the ram lived in the forest without being troubled by the foxes anymore.

Stories from Near and Far: The Goat And The Ram

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/25/18/afa394c3-9be8-410a-9ab1-9ed4b6fd50fd_the_originals_-the_turnaround_redcircle.mp3

The Turnaround is a story that teaches children about different kinds of penguins and that getting angry doesn’t help anyone. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-turnaround" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-turnaround</a>.Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOn a beautiful snow-covered Antarctic island with steep cliffs, there lived a rookery of chinstrap penguins. The black strap on the chin was like a strap of a helmet. That made them look aggressive. The whole island echoed with their harsh screeches that could even break the stones; true to another name by which they are called - stone-cracker penguins.Children, after listening to the story look at the map and find out the Antarctic islands.Stones are what the chinstrap penguins build their nest with and in this one such nest there were two eggs that hatched at the same time.The chicks soon grew up, one of them was very and calm and quiet, and parents named him ‘Zola’. That stands for calmness in Swahili  language, the language of Africa people. While the other was short tempered and the parents’ named her ‘Hasira’, Swahili for anger.What do you think this story is about?Well, life on the island went on normally. Penguins were busy swimming, preening their feathers, feeding the chicks, and climbing the steep white cliffs.Unfortunately, Hasira, would get angry with even a little provocation. She would fight with other penguins, screech at the top of her voice and shoo them away with her flippers when they approached her to play.She often overheard the other penguins whisper“She is so mean.”“She is very unkind.”“She is so unfriendly.”But it did not bother Hasira.Mother tried explaining that she should try to be more friendly, “ You can’t make friends when you keep getting angry. Aggression helps, but only when you are face a predators. Always remember: Kindness with friends , but aggression with the predators.” But Hasira, would not pay any heed to her advice.One day, Zola asked Hasira to play with him. Surprisingly, Hasira agreed, but in the middle as she started to lose the game.  Children, how do you behave when you are playing with others?In anger, she started hitting Zola and tossing him over. Zola starting crying as he was hurt.Father penguin heard Zola’s cry and came to sort out the fight between the siblings. After listening to both the siblings, father told Hasira to leave Zola alone. On hearing that Hasira grew even angrier.“He asked me to play, not me!” she screeched. Furiously, she ran towards the ocean, jumped in the icy water and  swam deep in it, only to come out to get her breath.Being furious, Hasira kept swimming and went far away from her island and didn’t look back.Finally, she approached an island and waddled her way to the shore.Where do you think Hasira has landed?She saw hundreds of penguins, bigger than her parents, and the rest of the family members, whose squeaks weren’t as harsh as her own family’s screeches. They were all spread along the shore. She was confused.They all stopped squeaking  and stared at her.For the first time, Hasira got scared and was about to run away back into the sea, when she heard, “We are Emperor penguins. Welcome to our island dear Chin-Strap penguin.”  Children, do you think emperor penguins are friendly?Another few moved forward with a friendly smile, “Come join us, it is very cold. We all huddle together on such icy cold days to stay warm.”“I am fine. Go away! I don&#39;t want anybody!” screeched the angry chick so loudly that all the emperor penguins closed their ears.All the emperor penguins called their chicks and huddled together.What do you think will happen to Hasira?Well, by now Hasira was very cold and she collapsed on the shore due to the chilli winds.When she opened her eyes, she saw hundreds of penguins all around her looking at her lovingly. They all  broke into an ecstatic display of happiness with their head swinging and flippers outstretched that their guest was alive.Emperor penguins helped her recoup and played games with her. No one was ever angry here!Under the tender care angry penguin, Hasira ,recovered and was ready to swim back home. Most importantly, she learnt to be calm and not fight with anyone.Have you ever taken care of an animal that is hurt? How did you do that?“Thanks a lot for taking care of me. I am sorry I was ill tempered when I landed here. You all showed me that being kind and calm makes us also feel happy in return.” bowed Hasira. “You are welcome Hasira. Visit us soon,” the emperor penguins waved with their wings.With a sense of happiness that she had never felt before and a smile she started her journey back home.After swimming a while, a rookery of little blue penguins landed in front of Hasira. Normally, she would have pushed and kicked them aside, but  after spending time with the Emperor penguins, she had a change of heart. So, she  gently played with those tiny penguins. She even took them for a ride on her back, and had fun.Suddenly, she sensed a predator.What do you suggest she should do?“Is that a leopard seal?” she thought to herself.She recalled her mother’s words, “ Kindness with friends, but aggression with the predators.”She quickly huddled the little blue penguins behind a rock, then screeched loudly with her flippers outstretched to display anger.Thinking it to be a sea animal bigger than him, the leopard seal turned back and vanished.The little penguins exclaimed, “ Thank you for saving us!” “You are a hero, “ said another brushing Hasira with its tiny wings.“You are such a nice and friendly penguin,”  squeaked another from behind. “You are so kind. I would like to be like you,” swam a tiny one who was the angry one in their rookery.Hasira was flabbergasted by such lovely compliments and felt good. She bade them good bye and swam back home.Children. Who is your good friend? And what does one quality that you like about this friend?The whole rookery was delighted to see her alive. They all did their happy dance to welcome her back.She  waddled up to her parents, “Please forgive me I will try and not be angry.” Turning to her brother, “ Zola, I promise not to trouble you, I am sorry !”Looking at her chick’s eyes mummy penguin knew that Hasira had changed. She patted her with her wings and climbing the steep slopes said, “Let’s go home!”

The Turnaround is a story that teaches children about different kinds of penguins and that getting angry doesn’t help anyone.



Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-turnaround.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.



Transcript

On a beautiful snow-covered Antarctic island with steep cliffs, there lived a rookery of chinstrap penguins. The black strap on the chin was like a strap of a helmet. That made them look aggressive. The whole island echoed with their harsh screeches that could even break the stones; true to another name by which they are called - stone-cracker penguins.

Children, after listening to the story look at the map and find out the Antarctic islands.

Stones are what the chinstrap penguins build their nest with and in this one such nest there were two eggs that hatched at the same time.

The chicks soon grew up, one of them was very and calm and quiet, and parents named him ‘Zola’. That stands for calmness in Swahili  language, the language of Africa people. While the other was short tempered and the parents’ named her ‘Hasira’, Swahili for anger.

What do you think this story is about?

Well, life on the island went on normally. Penguins were busy swimming, preening their feathers, feeding the chicks, and climbing the steep white cliffs.

Unfortunately, Hasira, would get angry with even a little provocation. She would fight with other penguins, screech at the top of her voice and shoo them away with her flippers when they approached her to play.

She often overheard the other penguins whisper

“She is so mean.”

“She is very unkind.”

“She is so unfriendly.”

But it did not bother Hasira.

Mother tried explaining that she should try to be more friendly, “ You can’t make friends when you keep getting angry. Aggression helps, but only when you are face a predators. Always remember: Kindness with friends , but aggression with the predators.”

 But Hasira, would not pay any heed to her advice.

One day, Zola asked Hasira to play with him. Surprisingly, Hasira agreed, but in the middle as she started to lose the game.  

Children, how do you behave when you are playing with others?

In anger, she started hitting Zola and tossing him over. Zola starting crying as he was hurt.

Father penguin heard Zola’s cry and came to sort out the fight between the siblings. After listening to both the siblings, father told Hasira to leave Zola alone. On hearing that Hasira grew even angrier.

“He asked me to play, not me!” she screeched. Furiously, she ran towards the ocean, jumped in the icy water and  swam deep in it, only to come out to get her breath.

Being furious, Hasira kept swimming and went far away from her island and didn’t look back.

Finally, she approached an island and waddled her way to the shore.

Where do you think Hasira has landed?

She saw hundreds of penguins, bigger than her parents, and the rest of the family members, whose squeaks weren’t as harsh as her own family’s screeches. They were all spread along the shore. She was confused.

They all stopped squeaking  and stared at her.

For the first time, Hasira got scared and was about to run away back into the sea, when she heard, “We are Emperor penguins. Welcome to our island dear Chin-Strap penguin.”  

Children, do you think emperor penguins are friendly?

Another few moved forward with a friendly smile, “Come join us, it is very cold. We all huddle together on such icy cold days to stay warm.”

“I am fine. Go away! I don't want anybody!” screeched the angry chick so loudly that all the emperor penguins closed their ears.

All the emperor penguins called their chicks and huddled together.

What do you think will happen to Hasira?

Well, by now Hasira was very cold and she collapsed on the shore due to the chilli winds.

When she opened her eyes, she saw hundreds of penguins all around her looking at her lovingly. They all  broke into an ecstatic display of happiness with their head swinging and flippers outstretched that their guest was alive.

Emperor penguins helped her recoup and played games with her. No one was ever angry here!

Under the tender care angry penguin, Hasira ,recovered and was ready to swim back home. Most importantly, she learnt to be calm and not fight with anyone.

Have you ever taken care of an animal that is hurt? How did you do that?

“Thanks a lot for taking care of me. I am sorry I was ill tempered when I landed here. You all showed me that being kind and calm makes us also feel happy in return.” bowed Hasira.

 “You are welcome Hasira. Visit us soon,” the emperor penguins waved with their wings.

With a sense of happiness that she had never felt before and a smile she started her journey back home.

After swimming a while, a rookery of little blue penguins landed in front of Hasira. Normally, she would have pushed and kicked them aside, but  after spending time with the Emperor penguins, she had a change of heart. So, she  gently played with those tiny penguins. She even took them for a ride on her back, and had fun.

Suddenly, she sensed a predator.

What do you suggest she should do?

“Is that a leopard seal?” she thought to herself.

She recalled her mother’s words, “ Kindness with friends, but aggression with the predators.”

She quickly huddled the little blue penguins behind a rock, then screeched loudly with her flippers outstretched to display anger.

Thinking it to be a sea animal bigger than him, the leopard seal turned back and vanished.

The little penguins exclaimed, “ Thank you for saving us!”

 “You are a hero, “ said another brushing Hasira with its tiny wings.

“You are such a nice and friendly penguin,”  squeaked another from behind.

 “You are so kind. I would like to be like you,” swam a tiny one who was the angry one in their rookery.

Hasira was flabbergasted by such lovely compliments and felt good. She bade them good bye and swam back home.

Children. Who is your good friend? And what does one quality that you like about this friend?

The whole rookery was delighted to see her alive. They all did their happy dance to welcome her back.

She  waddled up to her parents, “Please forgive me I will try and not be angry.” Turning to her brother, “ Zola, I promise not to trouble you, I am sorry !”

Looking at her chick’s eyes mummy penguin knew that Hasira had changed. She patted her with her wings and climbing the steep slopes said, “Let’s go home!”

The Originals: The Turnaround

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/18/11/7000c444-6207-4e74-ae7e-0fdf14963aae_the_lost_message_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to The Ant Tales series. The Lost message is a folktale from Africa. The story is about different kinds of ants falling prey to other animals as they don’t live in harmony. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-lost-message" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-lost-message</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptSince time immemorial, the ant has had many enemies and that was not just the birds. The Anteater fed and lived off them; the Centipede always tormented them.Among the ants, there were a few who thought it would be wise to hold a council and arrive at an arrangement, whereby they could retreat to some place of safety when attacked by birds and animals.The day of the council arrived, and all the ants gathered. There were many ideas and opinions about how to stay safe.  – One was to make a small hole in the ground and make that their home. Another was to build a large and strong home, made of mud on the ground, just large enough for ants to enter. Yet another was to live in the trees, where the Anteater could never reach them, forgetting that there the ants would fall prey to birds; others who had wings just wanted to fly off when faced with trouble.Children, Or Which option do you think the ants picked? And why do you think so?They failed to arrive at a single decision since no one was ready to make adjustments.Finally, when they could come to no mutual decision, each party resolved to work in its own way, and fortify their own dwellings.Some of the groups together chose a king. Then they divided the labor and set about to working. All went as smoothly as it possibly could. Each had his appointed task and did his task well. But during all this hard work, none of the groups thought what the final aim was and not one of them thought of protecting themselves against the different enemies.Children, what do you think will happen next?The Red-ants built their house of mud on the ground and went to live in it. They thought they were safe. But the Anteater had no trouble leveling it to the ground in a minute, costing them many days of precious labor. The Rice-ants went to live under the ground, and they didn’t fare any better. Whenever they came out, the Anteater ate them up.The Wagtail-ants fled to the trees. But the Centipede or the birds simply gobbled them up. The Gray-ants who planned to save themselves by flight were no match for the agile and quick Lizard or the Hunting-spider or the birds that pursued them in flight.When the King of Insects found out that the ants had failed in their mission, he sent them the message of unity, that they all must work together”.But do you know who his messenger was? It was the Beetle  And believe it or not, he is yet to arrive at the ants. So, even today the ants do not have any harmony, for the king’s message didn’t reach them yet to reach them yet and hence fall prey to enemies.So, children, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.Hence, Teamwork is very important.

Since time immemorial, the ant has had many enemies and that was not just the birds. The Anteater fed and lived off them; the Centipede always tormented them.

Among the ants, there were a few who thought it would be wise to hold a council and arrive at an arrangement, whereby they could retreat to some place of safety when attacked by birds and animals.

The day of the council arrived, and all the ants gathered. There were many ideas and opinions about how to stay safe.  – One was to make a small hole in the ground and make that their home. Another was to build a large and strong home, made of mud on the ground, just large enough for ants to enter. Yet another was to live in the trees, where the Anteater could never reach them, forgetting that there the ants would fall prey to birds; others who had wings just wanted to fly off when faced with trouble.

Children, Or Which option do you think the ants picked? And why do you think so?

They failed to arrive at a single decision since no one was ready to make adjustments.

Finally, when they could come to no mutual decision, each party resolved to work in its own way, and fortify their own dwellings.

Some of the groups together chose a king. Then they divided the labor and set about to working. All went as smoothly as it possibly could. Each had his appointed task and did his task well. But during all this hard work, none of the groups thought what the final aim was and not one of them thought of protecting themselves against the different enemies.

Children, what do you think will happen next?

The Red-ants built their house of mud on the ground and went to live in it. They thought they were safe. But the Anteater had no trouble leveling it to the ground in a minute, costing them many days of precious labor. The Rice-ants went to live under the ground, and they didn’t fare any better. Whenever they came out, the Anteater ate them up.

The Wagtail-ants fled to the trees. But the Centipede or the birds simply gobbled them up. The Gray-ants who planned to save themselves by flight were no match for the agile and quick Lizard or the Hunting-spider or the birds that pursued them in flight.

When the King of Insects found out that the ants had failed in their mission, he sent them the message of unity, that they all must work together”.

But do you know who his messenger was? It was the Beetle  And believe it or not, he is yet to arrive at the ants. So, even today the ants do not have any harmony, for the king’s message didn’t reach them yet to reach them yet and hence fall prey to enemies.

So, children, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.
Hence, Teamwork is very important.

The Ant Tales: The Lost Message

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/11/17/36a474b7-fa14-4eb6-bd85-255d1857a153_the_four_fox_cubs_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. The Four Fox Cubs is a folktale from Pakistan where the four fox cubs learn a lesson about the importance of knowing and befriending neighbors for help and protection. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-four-fox-cubs" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-four-fox-cubs</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptThere was once a family of foxes who lived in the woods. There was a mother fox, a father fox, and four baby fox cubs. The cubs were named Arjan, Surjan, Ganji and Bulbul. One day, the daddy fox said to his four cubs, “I must go out to work and I may be gone for many days. You must promise me that you will be good and do what your mother tells you while I am gone.” The fox cubs all agreed to do as their mother instructed. And when it was time for their father to leave, the cubs all gathered at the door and waved goodbye and wished him luck on his journey. Several days passed in which the cubs played and did their chores and behaved as their father had instructed.Children, do you do as your parents tell you to?That’s awesome! You must always listen to your parents.But one day, mother fox realized that the cupboards were all empty of food and she would have to go to the market.She warned her young cubs, “I must go out to the market to get food, but I cannot take you with me as it is too dangerous and I cannot look after you alone in the market. You must stay here at home. Even though I do not like to leave you, but at least here you will be safe.”Children, what precautions do you suggest the fox cubs should take while their mother is away?Those are good precautions.The mother fox was very worried and thought about how best to protect her cubs for the short while she would be at the market.Then eventually she said: ‘You must keep the door locked the whole time that I am gone, and you must only open the door when I return.’The youngest of the cubs asked, “Mummy, how will we know that it is you at the door?”The mother replied, “I shall call out your names like so ... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! And you will recognize my voice and let me in. Do not open the door for anyone else.”Then the mother fox went off to the market and the cubs continued to play games at home, making sure to keep the door locked and kept reminding each other not to open the door unless they heard their names being called. Children, what do you think will happen in the story next?Let’s see The children kept the door locked for sure.But there was a very sneaky and very greedy lion who was walking close by. And the lion had heard everything that the mother had said to her young cubs.The sneaky lion thought to himself, “Aha! I can go to the house where the cubs live, I can stand by the door and I can call out ... &#34;Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!&#34; They will not know that it is me. They will think that I am the mother fox and they will open the door and let me in and then I will eat them all up! yum, yum, yum!”So, the sneaky lion crept up to the door of the house where the cubs lived, took a very big breath, and called out, “Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!”When the young cubs heard the call they thought, “That is very strange. Those are our names being called, but that does not sound like our mother. What shall we do?”Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul grew very scared, very scared indeed, because they were not sure whether to open the door or not, and they wished that their father and mother were at home to protect them.Fortunately, the cubs had very good neighbours. They had monkeys, other fox families, squirrels, owls, etc. in their neighbourhood.They all lived together happily, helping and caring for each other.Everyone knew that one of the monkeys was very brave and very strong.When the fox family who lived closest to the cubs heard the lion calling out, they became alert and hurriedly went to the brave monkey, for they knew he would be able to chase away the lion somehow.They asked him, “Monkey, monkey, what shall we do? That lion is going to eat those little fox cubs while their mother and father are away!”“Do not worry,” said the brave monkey, “I shall protect the little cubs from the lion.”Without losing any time, the monkey searched the forest floor until he found a big, heavy branch.The monkey stuck the lion with that heavy branch from behind as the lion was waiting excitedly at the door of fox cubs.Whack! Whack, whack, went the monkey, with the big heavy branch.The lion was taken aback. He got very scared. The brave monkey chased the lion back to his den and out of the forest.The fox cubs were peeping out of the window with big smiles on their faces. The baby fox and exclaimed, “Three cheers for the brave monkey!”Everyone yelled, “ Hip-hip-hurray! Hip-hip-hurray! Hip-hip-hurray!” When the mother fox and the father fox both returned home they were very grateful to the brave monkey and to the other foxes for protecting their cubs while they were away.And that was the day that young Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul learned a valuable lesson indeed.The young cubs learned that it is very important to know your neighbours and be kind to them because they will always look after you in return, and will offer help when you need it most.

There was once a family of foxes who lived in the woods. There was a mother fox, a father fox, and four baby fox cubs. The cubs were named Arjan, Surjan, Ganji and Bulbul.

One day, the daddy fox said to his four cubs, “I must go out to work and I may be gone for many days. You must promise me that you will be good and do what your mother tells you while I am gone.”

The fox cubs all agreed to do as their mother instructed. And when it was time for their father to leave, the cubs all gathered at the door and waved goodbye and wished him luck on his journey.

Several days passed in which the cubs played and did their chores and behaved as their father had instructed.

Children, do you do as your parents tell you to?

That’s awesome! You must always listen to your parents.

But one day, mother fox realized that the cupboards were all empty of food and she would have to go to the market.

She warned her young cubs, “I must go out to the market to get food, but I cannot take you with me as it is too dangerous and I cannot look after you alone in the market. You must stay here at home. Even though I do not like to leave you, but at least here you will be safe.”

Children, what precautions do you suggest the fox cubs should take while their mother is away?

Those are good precautions.

The mother fox was very worried and thought about how best to protect her cubs for the short while she would be at the market.

Then eventually she said: ‘You must keep the door locked the whole time that I am gone, and you must only open the door when I return.’
The youngest of the cubs asked, “Mummy, how will we know that it is you at the door?”
The mother replied, “I shall call out your names like so ... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! And you will recognise my voice and let me in. Do not open the door for anyone else.”
Then the mother fox went off to the market and the cubs continued to play games at home, making sure to keep the door locked and kept reminding each other not to open the door unless they heard their names being called.

Children, what do you think will happen in the story next?
Let’s see

The children kept the door locked for sure.
But there was a very sneaky and very greedy lion who was walking close by. And the lion had heard everything that the mother had said to her young cubs.
The sneaky lion thought to himself, “Aha! I can go to the house where the cubs live, I can stand by the door and I can call out ... "Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!" They will not know that it is me. They will think that I am the mother fox and they will open the door and let me in and then I will eat them all up! yum, yum, yum!”

So, the sneaky lion crept up to the door of the house where the cubs lived, took a very big breath, and called out, “Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!”

When the young cubs heard the call they thought, “That is very strange. Those are our names being called, but that does not sound like our mother. What shall we do?”
Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul grew very scared, very scared indeed, because they were not sure whether to open the door or not, and they wished that their father and mother were at home to protect them.

Fortunately,  the cubs had very good neighbours. They had monkeys, other fox families, squirrels, owls etc. in their neighbourhood.
They all lived together happily, helping and caring for each other.
Everyone knew that one of the monkeys was very brave and very strong.
When the fox family who lived closest to the cubs heard the lion calling out, they became alert and hurriedly went to the brave monkey, for they knew he would be able to chase away the lion somehow.

They asked him, “Monkey, monkey, what shall we do? That lion is going to eat those little fox cubs while their mother and father are away!”
“Do not worry,” said the brave monkey, “I shall protect the little cubs from the lion.”
Without losing any time, the monkey searched the forest floor until he found a big, heavy branch.
The monkey stuck the lion with that heavy branch from behind as the lion was waiting excitedly at the door of fox cubs.
Whack! Whack, whack, went the monkey, with the big heavy branch.
The lion was taken aback. He got very scared. The brave monkey chased the lion back to his den and out of the forest.
The fox cubs were peeping out of the window with big smiles on their faces. 
The baby fox and exclaimed, “Three cheers for the brave monkey!”
Everyone yelled, “ Hip-hip-hurray! Hip-hip-hurray! Hip-hip-hurray!”

When the mother fox and the father fox both returned home they were very grateful to the brave monkey and to the other foxes for protecting their cubs while they were away.

And that was the day that young Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul learned a valuable lesson indeed.
The young cubs learned that it is very important to know your neighbours and be kind to them because they will always look after you in return, and will offer help when you need it most.

Fox Tales: The Four Fox Cubs

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/4/7/a9a49447-d355-4584-a586-75bf17501a88_the_mouse_deer_and_the_crocodile_redcircle.mp3

The Mouse Deer And The Crocodile is a story about the Mouse Deer tricking the crocodile to have his favourite fruits, shoots, and roots.  Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-crocodile" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-crocodile</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOne day, the Mouse Deer went down to the river. He was very thirsty and wanted to drink some water. But he knew Crocodile might be waiting underwater to eat him.Mouse Deer had an idea. He said out loud, “I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put in my leg and find out.”But Mouse Deer didn’t put in his leg. Instead, he picked up a stick with his mouth and one end of the stick in the water. Children, think fast and guess why the Mouse Deer put a stick in the water?Let’s seeChomp! Chomp! Chomp! The Crocodile grabbed the stick and pulled it underwater thinking it to be the leg of the Mouse Deer.The Mouse Deer laughed. “Silly Crocodile! Don’t you know a stick from a leg?”And he ran off to drink water somewhere else.The angry crocodile yelled, “ I’ll catch you and eat you another day!”The mouse deer of course sang his song: I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me. Well, another day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river. He wanted to eat tasty fruits, roots and shoots on the other side. But he didn’t want Crocodile to eat him first!So, the Mouse Deer had an idea.He called out, “Crocodile!”Crocodile rose from the water, “Hello, greetings Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my breakfast?”“Oh, Not today, Crocodile. I have orders from the King. He wants me to count all the crocodiles in this part of the river as he is throwing a big party and wants to know the exact number of all the animal guests.”“The King, a party!” said the Crocodile excitedly. “Tell us what to do.”“You must line up from this side of this river to the other side.”     Elated, the Crocodile got all his friends and family. They lined up across the river. Children, how do you think the mouse deer will count all the crocodiles?Well, the Mouse Deer already had a plan in mind. He jumped onto the first Crocodile’s back. “One.”He jumped onto the next crocodile. “Two.”And the next. “Three.”Mouse Deer kept jumping till he jumped off on the other side of the river.“How many are there?” called out the  Crocodile.“Just enough!” said Mouse Deer. “And all are silly!”The Mouse Deer jumped around and enjoyed all the fruits, roots, and shoots on the other side.Once again the Mouse Deer Tricked another animal bigger than him!Then he went off singing his song:I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

One day, the Mouse Deer went down to the river. He was very thirsty and wanted to drink some water. But he knew Crocodile might be waiting underwater to eat him.
Mouse Deer had an idea. He said out loud, “I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put in my leg and find out.”
But Mouse Deer didn’t put in his leg. Instead, he picked up a stick with his mouth and one end of the stick in the water.

Children, think fast and guess why the Mouse Deer put a stick in the water?
Let’s see

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! The Crocodile grabbed the stick and pulled it underwater thinking it to be the leg of the Mouse Deer.
The Mouse Deer laughed. “Silly Crocodile! Don’t you know a stick from a leg?”
And he ran off to drink water somewhere else.
The angry crocodile yelled, “ I’ll catch you and eat you another day!”
The mouse deer of course sang his song:

I am quick and smart as I can be.
Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Well, another day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river. He wanted to eat tasty fruits, roots and shoots on the other side. But he didn’t want Crocodile to eat him first!
So, the Mouse Deer had an idea.
He called out, “Crocodile!”
Crocodile rose from the water, “Hello, greetings Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my breakfast?”
“Oh, Not today, Crocodile. I have orders from the King. He wants me to count all the crocodiles in this part of the river as he is throwing a big party and wants to know the exact number of all the animal guests.”
“The King, a party!” said the Crocodile excitedly. “Tell us what to do.”
“You must line up from this side of this river to the other side.”     
Elated, the Crocodile got all his friends and family. They lined up across the river.

Children, how do you think the mouse deer will count all the crocodiles?

Well, the Mouse Deer already had a plan in mind. He jumped onto the first Crocodile’s back. “One.”
He jumped onto the next crocodile. “Two.”
And the next. “Three.”
Mouse Deer kept jumping till he jumped off on the other side of the river.
“How many are there?” called out the  Crocodile.
“Just enough!” said Mouse Deer. “And all are silly!”
The Mouse Deer jumped around and enjoyed all the fruits, roots, and shoots on the other side.
Once again the Mouse Deer Tricked another animal bigger than him!
Then he went off singing his song:

I am quick and smart as I can be.
Try and try, but you can’t catch me.



Stories from Near and Far: The Mouse Deer And The Crocodile

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/28/1/1114bf4f-d08d-45bb-b0a0-ec16afb1908a_26_june_2021_anansi_and_the_turtle_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.Anansi And The Turtle is a story about tit for tat. Anansi, the trickster, tricks the turtle. But in return, the turtle tricks him back. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/anansi-and-the-turtle" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/anansi-and-the-turtle</a>Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptLong long time ago, in the deep jungles of Africa there lived a spider called Anansi. He was a very greedy spider and did not like sharing any of his things with others. One day, he collected some lovely yams from his garden and cooked them with utmost care along with some rice and soup. The delicious smell of the yams made Anansi hungrier. He somehow managed to wait till lunch time.Finally his wait was over as the clock struck 12 pm. But just as he sat down to consume his delicious meal, he heard a knock at his door.Children, can you guess who was knocking the door?Anansi was irritated and opened the door hurriedly. It was the turtle standing at the door. He had been travelling for a very long time and looked very tired and hungry.“Hello Anansi, what are you cooking? Looks like yams. The waft of the delicious yams attracted me to your home. You must be a fine chef,” the turtle said.“Oh yes - I have cooked some yams for lunch,” Anansi said reluctantly.“Oh, can I please stay for lunch? I am hungry and tired of all the travelling,” the turtle said.Anansi was not willing to share his food with the turtle. But it was a custom in his country to share food with visitors who came during lunch or dinner hours. So, Anansi could not refuse. Nevertheless, he was determined not to share his delicious yams with the turtle.What do you think Anansi will do?“Please have a seat and enjoy your meal,” Anansi said to the turtle.Both of them sat on the chairs. The turtle was about to help himself to a share of the yam when Anansi suddenly stopped him.“Look at your hands, didn’t your mother teach you to wash your hands before eating? Please wash your hands before you eat,” Anansi instructed the turtle.The turtle took a look at his hands and saw that they were full of dirt as he had been walking for a very long time. So he climbed out of the chair, and wobbled towards the river.With his mouth watering for yummy yams he sang:My hands I scrub and wash,My hands I wash and scrub,Scrub-Scrub, wash -washMy hands are clean and freshMy hands are fresh and cleanClean-clean, fresh-freshNow I am ready to relish the yams.Yippee yip!Yippee yip! He started walking back to Anasi’s house.Knock , knock“Who is it?’ was the irritated sound of Anansi.“It’s me The Turtle and my hands are clean,” shouted one very excited and very hungry turtle. Anansi had already started his meal. “The yams were getting really cold so I started my lunch. Please join me now,” Anansi said.However, even this time when the turtle reached for his meal, Anansi stopped him by giving him the same reason. The poor turtle saw that his hands had become dirty once again as he walked back from the river to Anansi’s house.The turtle was even more hungry and tired by now. But he still went back to the river to wash his hands.My hands I scrub and wash,My hands I wash and scrub,Scrub-Scrub, wash -washMy hands are clean and freshMy hands are fresh and cleanClean-clean, fresh-freshNow I am ready to relish the yams.Yippee yip!Yippee yip!This time he was determined not to let his hands get dirty. He was careful and walked only on the grass to keep his hands clean. But by the time he reached the table, Anansi had already finished all the food except for a morsel of rice that was saved for the turtle. The turtle was angry and humiliated.“Thank you for the lovely lunch. I would like to invite you over to my place for a meal someday,” the turtle said and left.How do you think the turtle was feeling? Is he happy to have Anansi come by?A few days had passed and Anansi started thinking about the turtle’s invitation. He was tempted to go for a sumptuous meal at the turtle’s place. After all, he knew that the turtle was an amazing cook.One day, he wore his finest jacket and went to the bank of the river under which the turtle had his house and stood there at dinner time.The turtle saw him and said, “Hello Anansi, so lovely to see you. Please have dinner with me.” The turtle invited Anansi inside his house, which was underwater.Anansi could not wait any longer and quickly dived into the water. But alas, he was too light and could not swim deep into the water and he came right back to the surfaceBlob blob blob blob blob!Meanwhile, the turtle was ready with the delicious spread.Children, please tell Anansi what to do!Anansi tried every possible measure to go under the river; he tried a running jump, a belly flop and a high dive, but could not go beneath the surface of the water.Anansi started thinking hard and finally decided to pick up some rocks and put them in the pockets of his jacket. His plan was successful and this time Anansi reached straight to the turtle’s house after diving underwater.Children, do you think the turtle will share his scrumptious meal with Anansi?Let’s see..Anansi was impressed to see the delicious spread and was about to dig into the first bite when the turtle stopped him. “Dear Anansi, kindly remove your jacket before you touch the food. In our custom we do not eat with our jackets on,” the turtle said.Anansi saw that even the turtle was not wearing his jacket. Anansi removed his jacket which was full of rocks and pebbles and within no time he went rushing up to the surface of the water.Blob blob blob blob blobAnansi could see the turtle slowly consuming the lovely meal. Anansi felt sad and slowly climbed out of the water.Anansi realized that he had been outsmarted.As he walked back home, being the trickster that he was, he started planning ways to trick the turtle.Children, can you think of another story with Anansi and the turtle? What would happen next?

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.

Anansi And The Turtle is a story about tit for tat. Anansi, the trickster, tricks the turtle. But in return, the turtle tricks him back.



Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/anansi-and-the-turtle

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.



Transcript

Long long time ago, in the deep jungles of Africa there lived a spider called Anansi. He was a very greedy spider and did not like sharing any of his things with others. One day, he collected some lovely yams from his garden and cooked them with utmost care along with some rice and soup. The delicious smell of the yams made Anansi hungrier. He somehow managed to wait till lunch time.

Finally his wait was over as the clock struck 12 pm. But just as he sat down to consume his delicious meal, he heard a knock at his door.

Children, can you guess who was knocking the door?

Anansi was irritated and opened the door hurriedly. It was the turtle standing at the door. He had been travelling for a very long time and looked very tired and hungry.

“Hello Anansi, what are you cooking? Looks like yams. The waft of the delicious yams attracted me to your home. You must be a fine chef,” the turtle said.

“Oh yes - I have cooked some yams for lunch,” Anansi said reluctantly.

“Oh, can I please stay for lunch? I am hungry and tired of all the travelling,” the turtle said.

Anansi was not willing to share his food with the turtle. But it was a custom in his country to share food with visitors who came during lunch or dinner hours. So, Anansi could not refuse. Nevertheless, he was determined not to share his delicious yams with the turtle.

What do you think Anansi will do?

“Please have a seat and enjoy your meal,” Anansi said to the turtle.

Both of them sat on the chairs. The turtle was about to help himself to a share of the yam when Anansi suddenly stopped him.

“Look at your hands, didn’t your mother teach you to wash your hands before eating? Please wash your hands before you eat,” Anansi instructed the turtle.

The turtle took a look at his hands and saw that they were full of dirt as he had been walking for a very long time. So he climbed out of the chair, and wobbled towards the river.

With his mouth watering for yummy yams he sang:

My hands I scrub and wash,

My hands I wash and scrub,

Scrub-Scrub, wash -wash

My hands are clean and fresh

My hands are fresh and clean

Clean-clean, fresh-fresh

Now I am ready to relish the yams.

Yippee yip!

Yippee yip!

 

He started walking back to Anasi’s house.

Knock , knock

“Who is it?’ was the irritated sound of Anansi.

“It’s me The Turtle and my hands are clean,” shouted one very excited and very hungry turtle.

 Anansi had already started his meal. “The yams were getting really cold so I started my lunch. Please join me now,” Anansi said.

However, even this time when the turtle reached for his meal, Anansi stopped him by giving him the same reason. The poor turtle saw that his hands had become dirty once again as he walked back from the river to Anansi’s house.

The turtle was even more hungry and tired by now. But he still went back to the river to wash his hands.

My hands I scrub and wash,

My hands I wash and scrub,

Scrub-Scrub, wash -wash

My hands are clean and fresh

My hands are fresh and clean

Clean-clean, fresh-fresh

Now I am ready to relish the yams.

Yippee yip!

Yippee yip!

This time he was determined not to let his hands get dirty. He was careful and walked only on the grass to keep his hands clean. But by the time he reached the table, Anansi had already finished all the food except for a morsel of rice that was saved for the turtle. The turtle was angry and humiliated.

“Thank you for the lovely lunch. I would like to invite you over to my place for a meal someday,” the turtle said and left.

How do you think the turtle was feeling? Is he happy to have Anansi come by?

A few days had passed and Anansi started thinking about the turtle’s invitation. He was tempted to go for a sumptuous meal at the turtle’s place. After all, he knew that the turtle was an amazing cook.

One day, he wore his finest jacket and went to the bank of the river under which the turtle had his house and stood there at dinner time.

The turtle saw him and said, “Hello Anansi, so lovely to see you. Please have dinner with me.” The turtle invited Anansi inside his house, which was underwater.

Anansi could not wait any longer and quickly dived into the water. But alas, he was too light and could not swim deep into the water and he came right back to the surface

Blob blob blob blob blob!

Meanwhile, the turtle was ready with the delicious spread.

Children, please tell Anansi what to do!

Anansi tried every possible measure to go under the river; he tried a running jump, a belly flop and a high dive, but could not go beneath the surface of the water.

Anansi started thinking hard and finally decided to pick up some rocks and put them in the pockets of his jacket. His plan was successful and this time Anansi reached straight to the turtle’s house after diving underwater.

Children, do you think the turtle will share his scrumptious meal with Anansi?

Let’s see..

Anansi was impressed to see the delicious spread and was about to dig into the first bite when the turtle stopped him. “Dear Anansi, kindly remove your jacket before you touch the food. In our custom we do not eat with our jackets on,” the turtle said.

Anansi saw that even the turtle was not wearing his jacket. Anansi removed his jacket which was full of rocks and pebbles and within no time he went rushing up to the surface of the water.

Blob blob blob blob blob

Anansi could see the turtle slowly consuming the lovely meal. Anansi felt sad and slowly climbed out of the water.

Anansi realized that he had been outsmarted.

As he walked back home, being the trickster that he was, he started planning ways to trick the turtle.

Children, can you think of another story with Anansi and the turtle? What would happen next?

Turtle Tales: Anansi And The Turtle

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/20/16/79860fad-8c3e-4c23-a3f4-f2860a29cc1b_the_dancing_turtle__redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.The Dancing Turtle is a folktale from Brazil.In today’s Story: The Turtle loves to dance and play the flute. But her exuberance puts her at risk when her music attracts the attention of a hunter who brings her home for turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape wit. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-dancing-turtle" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-dancing-turtle</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOnce upon a time, on the banks of a river, there lived a very musical Turtle who enjoyed playing her flute. When Turtle played, lions, elephants, butterflies, snakes, and monkeys danced to the Turtle&#39;s music. The turtle was very famous in the forest and all around the neighbouring towns. Children, put on the thinking caps and tell me what other instruments do you think that Turtle played?Yes, that’s right. One day, a hunter heard Turtle&#39;s music. &#34;Ahh,&#34; he thought. “That must be the famous Turtle making music. The turtle would make a perfect turtle soup. Let me try to catch him,&#34; he thought.He cooked up a plan and called out, &#34;Turtle! Show me your beautiful flute.&#34;  Children, Why do you think that the man called out for the turtle? What does he want to do? That’s true, he wanted to make a perfect turtle soup. But that our turtle did not knowHe was very excited to show his flute and slowly walked towards the hunter. He held out her beautiful flute to the hunter.        But the moment the hunter saw Turtle, he grabbed her by the neck and began to run. The turtle tried to cry for help, but she couldn&#39;t make a sound.She closed her eyes, holding tightly to her flute for good luck.When the hunter reached his hut, he put Turtle into a cage and shut it.Then he turned to his children: &#34;Don&#39;t let Turtle out of her cage.&#34; And off he went to the forest.  Children, what do you think the children will do next? The children began to play outside. Turtle sat very still inside her cage, thinking about the hunter’s words. To calm herself she began to play a sweet tune on her flute, and the children ran to the cage. &#34;Is that you playing that pleasing music, Turtle?&#34; they asked, their eyes wide with wonder. &#34;Yes,&#34; Turtle said. She kept on playing, for she could see the children were delighted. At last, she stopped. “That was the most wonderful music we have ever heard,” said the children in unison.&#34;I can dance even better than I can play,&#34; she said. &#34;Would you like to see?&#34;&#34;Oh, please!&#34; the little boy cried.&#34;I&#39;ll show you how I  dance and play at the same time,&#34; said Turtle.  Children, why do you think Turtle wants to dance?Let’s listen ahead.  The turtle lifted her flute but before even playing a single note, she stopped.“What happened, please dance for us. We have never seen a dancing turtle,” pleaded the children.&#34;You must open the cage. There is no room in here.&#34; Excitedly, and ignoring their father’s word, the little children opened the cage.The Turtle began to dance and play her melodious music on the flute. The children were enchanted, and they laughed and clapped their hands, for never had they seen such a wonderful thing.Then the Turtle stopped.&#34;Don&#39;t stop!&#34; the children cried. &#34;Oh,&#34; Turtle groaned. &#34;My legs are stiff. If I could just walk a little bit to loosen them.” &#34;Sure! But don&#39;t go too far,&#34; the little girl cautioned. “Come right back,&#34; said the little boy. &#34;Never fear,&#34; said Turtle. &#34;You wait right here.&#34; Children, where do you think that Turtle will walk? Turtle crawled off toward the jungle. The moment she was out of sight, she raced all the way back to her house. Nobody ever found the Turtle again. But to this day, if you strain your ear, you can hear the sweet sound of a flute in the forest.

Once upon a time, on the banks of a river, there lived a very musical Turtle who enjoyed playing her flute. When Turtle played, lions, elephants, butterflies, snakes, and monkeys danced to the Turtle's music. 
The turtle was very famous in the forest and all around the neighbouring towns.

Children, put on the thinking caps and tell me what other instruments do you think that Turtle played?
Yes, that’s right.

One day, a hunter heard Turtle's music. "Ahh," he thought. “That must be the famous Turtle making music. The turtle would make a perfect turtle soup. Let me try to catch him," he thought.
He cooked up a plan and called out, "Turtle! Show me your beautiful flute." 

Children, Why do you think that the man called out for the turtle? What does he want to do? 
That’s true, he wanted to make a perfect turtle soup.

But that our turtle did not know
He was very excited to show his flute and slowly walked towards the hunter. He held out her beautiful flute to the hunter.        
But the moment the hunter saw Turtle, he grabbed her by the neck and began to run. The turtle tried to cry for help, but she couldn't make a sound.
She closed her eyes, holding tightly to her flute for good luck.
When the hunter reached his hut, he put Turtle into a cage and shut it.
Then he turned to his children: "Don't let Turtle out of her cage." And off he went to the forest.

Children, what do you think the children will do next?

The children began to play outside. 
Turtle sat very still inside her cage, thinking about the hunter’s words. 
To calm herself she began to play a sweet tune on her flute, and the children ran to the cage. "Is that you playing that pleasing music, Turtle?" they asked, their eyes wide with wonder. 
"Yes," Turtle said. She kept on playing, for she could see the children were delighted. At last, she stopped. 
“That was the most wonderful music we have ever heard,” said the children in unison.
"I can dance even better than I can play," she said. "Would you like to see?"
"Oh, please!" the little boy cried.
"I'll show you how I  dance and play at the same time," said Turtle. 

Children, why do you think Turtle wants to dance?
Let’s listen ahead. 

The turtle lifted her flute but before even playing a single note, she stopped.
“What happened, please dance for us. We have never seen a dancing turtle,” pleaded the children.
"You must open the cage. There is no room in here." 
Excitedly, and ignoring their father’s word, the little children opened the cage.
The Turtle began to dance and play her melodious music on the flute.
The children were enchanted, and they laughed and clapped their hands, for never had they seen such a wonderful thing.
Then the Turtle stopped.
"Don't stop!" the children cried.
 "Oh," Turtle groaned. "My legs are stiff. If I could just walk a little bit to loosen them.” 
"Sure! But don't go too far," the little girl cautioned. 
“Come right back," said the little boy. 
"Never fear," said Turtle. "You wait right here."

Children, where do you think that Turtle will walk?

Turtle crawled off toward the jungle. The moment she was out of sight, she raced all the way back to her house. 
Nobody ever found the Turtle again. But to this day, if you strain your ear, you can hear the sweet sound of a flute in the forest.

Turtle Tales: The Dancing Turtle

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/12/6/89580119-ac5f-4057-869d-68719df32b7c__how_turtle_got_a_cracked_shell-redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.The Story; Why The Turtle Has A Cracked Shell is a fun legend about how the cunning turtle got a cracked shell.Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/why-the-turtle-has-a-cracked-shell" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/why-the-turtle-has-a-cracked-shell</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript A long time ago, when the animals could still talk, there was a big famine in the land. The famine was so bad that there was absolutely no food to eat in the animal kingdom. Many of the animals were suffering and dying one by one. But The Turtle would not go down without a fight. He was the most cunning of all the animals and was determined to find some food for himself and his family. Children, can you suggest something that the Turtle can do to get some food? One day, the Turtle observed that the birds in the kingdom were not starving like everyone else on the ground. They looked fresh and their feathers were not drying up.“ I must find out where they are getting their food in these famine times, he thought.”Being as cunning and clever as ever, he went to the birds to ask them what their secret was. Of course, they were reluctant to tell him!He assured, “You all must trust me, and then I could help you to get even more food.”The birds conceded finally.They explained to him that the people of the Sky were responsible for their food.The Turtle promised to help them and get even more food, and with his cunning mind started brewing a plan. He told the birds that if they helped him get to the Sky, he would be their spokesperson. All the birds, and indeed all the animals of the kingdom, knew that The Turtle was an amazing orator. So, they agreed. After discussion, they had hatched a plan. Each bird would contribute a few feathers to the Turtle until he had enough feathers to make wings that would allow him to fly. Children, do you think putting wings would help him fly?Well in a story anything can happen.Listen ahead.  On the day that the birds and The Turtle agreed to go to the Sky, the Turtle put on his plumage and was finally able to fly. When they all got to the Sky, they were given a grand welcome.As their spokesperson, The Turtle introduced himself and spoke on behalf of the birds. Since he had the most unique and colorful plumage, the Sky people immediately thought that The Turtle was their chief. When they served the food to their guests, they served The Turtle first, as a result. The birds were not pleased with that.However, The Turtle had another trick up his sleeves. He told the birds that at grand occasions such as these, each animal would take up an alternative name. Children, can you think what name would he take for himself?Listen ahead. After the birds each chose a name, The Turtle chose the name “ALL OF YOU” as his name.When the hosts brought more food for their guests, the Turtle made a point of asking who the food was for.“Well, the food is for all of you,” the hosts said. With a smirk, the Turtle turned to the birds and stated that since the food was for “All of you” and his chosen name was “All of you,” the food was for him alone. The poor birds watched angrily as the Turtle ate everything!When it was time to go, the birds were so angry that they each took their feathers from The Turtle. He was now unable to fly back home.Sensing danger, the Turtle begged the birds to send a message to his wife to bring out all the soft things from his house so that when he jumped from the Sky, he would be okay.All but one of them refused.The eagle, the angriest of all the birds, agreed to give the message to The Turtle’s wife. Children, do you think the eagle would give the correct message?Let’s see.           The eagle flew back to the Turtle’s house and told his wife that the Turtle requested that she bring out all the hard things from the house.She began to do just that. She brought out the mortar, the plates, the wooden tables…all the hard things you can think of.With his limited vision, The Turtle couldn’t see what was being brought out so he assumed that the eagle had given the right message to his wife.When the Turtle jumped from the Sky, he got the surprise of his life. Children, do you know what happened?Yes! He had a big fall.           He landed on the hardest and sharpest objects and his shell broke into many pieces. With the help of his wife, he was able to pick them up and glue them back together. Unfortunately, his previously smooth shell was never smooth again. The process of putting the pieces together was less than perfect and his shell became rough and showed the cracks.As the legend has it, that’s the reason for the cracked shell of the turtle. This is why the Turtle has a cracked shell.

A long time ago, when the animals could still talk, there was a big famine in the land. The famine was so bad that there was absolutely no food to eat in the animal kingdom. Many of the animals were suffering and dying one by one. But The Turtle would not go down without a fight. He was the most cunning of all the animals and was determined to find some food for himself and his family.

Children, can you suggest something that the Turtle can do to get some food?

One day, the Turtle observed that the birds in the kingdom were not starving like everyone else on the ground. They looked fresh and their feathers were not drying up.

“ I must find out where they are getting their food in these famine times, he thought.”

Being as cunning and clever as ever, he went to the birds to ask them what their secret was. Of course, they were reluctant to tell him!

He assured, “You all must trust me, and then I could help you to get even more food.”
The birds conceded finally.
They explained to him that the people of the Sky were responsible for their food.
The Turtle promised to help them and get even more food, and with his cunning mind started brewing a plan. He told the birds that if they helped him get to the Sky, he would be their spokesperson. All the birds, and indeed all the animals of the kingdom, knew that The Turtle was an amazing orator. So, they agreed. After discussion, they had hatched a plan. Each bird would contribute a few feathers to the Turtle until he had enough feathers to make wings that would allow him to fly.

Children, do you think putting wings would help him fly?

Well in a story anything can happen.
Listen ahead.

On the day that the birds and The Turtle agreed to go to the Sky, the Turtle put on his plumage and was finally able to fly. When they all got to the Sky, they were given a grand welcome.

As their spokesperson, The Turtle introduced himself and spoke on behalf of the birds. Since he had the most unique and colorful plumage, the Sky people immediately thought that The Turtle was their chief. When they served the food to their guests, they served The Turtle first, as a result. The birds were not pleased with that.
However, The Turtle had another trick up his sleeves. He told the birds that at grand occasions such as these, each animal would take up an alternative name.

Children, can you think what name would he take for himself?
Listen ahead.

After the birds each chose a name, The Turtle chose the name “ALL OF YOU” as his name.

When the hosts brought more food for their guests, the Turtle made a point of asking who the food was for.

“Well, the food is for all of you,” the hosts said.
With a smirk, the Turtle turned to the birds and stated that since the food was for “All of you” and his chosen name was “All of you,” the food was for him alone. The poor birds watched angrily as the Turtle ate everything!

When it was time to go, the birds were so angry that they each took their feathers from The Turtle. He was now unable to fly back home.

Sensing danger, the Turtle begged the birds to send a message to his wife to bring out all the soft things from his house so that when he jumped from the Sky, he would be okay.

All but one of them refused.
The eagle, the angriest of all the birds, agreed to give the message to The Turtle’s wife.

Children, do you think the eagle would give the correct message?
Let’s see.

The eagle flew back to the Turtle’s house and told his wife that the Turtle requested that she bring out all the hard things from the house.

She began to do just that. She brought out the mortar, the plates, the wooden tables…all the hard things you can think of.

With his limited vision, The Turtle couldn’t see what was being brought out so he assumed that the eagle had given the right message to his wife.

When the Turtle jumped from the Sky, he got the surprise of his life.

Children, do you know what happened?
Yes! He had a big fall.

He landed on the hardest and sharpest objects and his shell broke into many pieces. With the help of his wife, he was able to pick them up and glue them back together. Unfortunately, his previously smooth shell was never smooth again. The process of putting the pieces together was less than perfect and his shell became rough and showed the cracks.

As the legend has it, that’s the reason for the cracked shell of the turtle. This is why the Turtle has a cracked shell.

Turtle Tales: Why The Turtle Has A Cracked Shell

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/6/16/38ce7b2b-4ce8-426f-bc57-b9ca3af3bbbf_albhabet_escapades_of_letter_k_redcircle.mp3

The Alphabet Escapades of Letter K is a story where letter K’s friend, a prince, has a wonderful dream of something that his heart desires. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-k" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-K</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once there was a big kingdom ruled by a very king.When the king is nice all the people of the kingdom are happy and helpful.The king had a 10-year-old son, who was crowned as the prince.The prince’s grandmother used to tell him lots of stories. One day she told a story about the Kites.“What are kites. I have never seen one, grandma. Can you get me one please?” requested the prince politely.It was surprising that nobody in that kingdom had a kite!The grandmother suggested, “Why don’t you ask your father to get a kite?” So, that night when the prince went to wish good night to his father, he requested, Father, I heard a story of a kite, but I have never seen one. Can you please get me one?”The king said, “I’ll get you many kites tomorrow. You go to bed now. Sleep tight and have good dreams.”After saying good night to the prince, the king summoned his ministers and asked them to arrange for a few kites. The prince had never asked for anything, and the king didn’t want to disappoint him. “There are no kites in our kingdom, but we will request the neighbouring kingdom to give us a few. Please do not worry,” assured the ministers The prince was excited about the next day and went back to his room.Letter K who was great friends with the prince jumped right off his box of and asked, “ How was your day? Anything exciting?”“Oh yes, I am getting a kite tomorrow. You and I can fly it together. Let’s sleep now so that we are fresh for flying the kites,’; prince replied getting into the bed.Letter K was excited too and he too snuggled in the bed next to the prince.Prince dozed off in a world of dreams. Soon, the prince and Letter K were in Kite Land. There were kites of all colours and shapes, the big red dragon, the oval-shaped pink kite, the star-shaped, etc. The King Kite announced, “We are going to have our annual ‘kite festival’ next weekend in the middle of the courtyard of the palace. Please be there at sharp 10 am.” All the kites were really thrilled. This was one day when all the kites got to show their talent for flying. In fact, the animals from the neighbouring forests were also invited. At the end of the festivals, there was a big tea party that the King Kite hosted. The big red dragon kite was the winner last year. She just admired her tail and relaxed for she was sure to win. The other kites went to the open area in the palace’s courtyard and practiced to soar and try out various tricks like somersaults and dives. The invitation to the Kite Festival reached the forest too. On the day of the competition, the kangaroo family was very excited. They carried their babies in the front pouch and leaped. The cats with their kittens joined in too. At the crack of the dawn, The big turtle was swimming in the river leading to the palace had already started towards the palace. He surely didn&#39;t want to miss it. Luckily, he found a kayak. That was a big help to the slow turtle, and he reached well in time too.The peacock and the parrots too wanted to celebrate the kite festival. Even the shyest koalas went to the palace.A herd elephant was walking by seeing and the cats and kittens, Kangaroos, peacock, parrots rushing trumpeted, “ What is happening?”The kangaroo said teasingly,” You sure have a short memory. Don’t you remember, it’s time for the annual kite festival followed by the feast!”&#34;Someone said feast,&#39;&#39; enquired one of the elephants.“I never want to miss a feast and especially at the palace.” So, he led his herd towards the palace. The kiwi bird was struggling to walk and even to fly as it was hurt. The elephant was kind enough to give it a ride.  The chefs in the Palace kitchen were busy preparing the snacks and tea in the kettle. All the kites gathered and waited nervously for the king to arrive.  All the kites stood at the start line. The king appeared and announced the festival open.The oval kite soared high and did two summersaults and then soared again.Everybody clapped. The peacock did a little jig.And the elephant trumpeted.Then the star kite soared in the and did a summersault and two dives and the soared even higher.Everybody clapped. The peacock did a little jig.And the elephant trumpeted.All the others also did what they knew best.And every time, Everybody clapped. The peacock did a little jig.And the elephant trumpeted.Finally, it was time for the red dragon kite, everybody held their breath and waited for a spectacular show from her as she was the winner last year.But what was happening to the dragon kite?It tried to lift itself but in vain. It tried yet again, but with no luck.  He was very sad It was really out of practice.Soon, the kites came down and the King Kite announced that the winner was the Star kite. Everybody cheered the star kite. The King Kite announced, “Practice makes us perfect!”The dragon kite promised herself that she would never be so overconfident.She gracefully accepted her defeat and congratulated the Star Kite. Everybody really enjoyed the snacks and the tea from the big kettle and were slowly leaving the palace grounds.‘Letter K, let’s go and talk to the kites,” muttered the prince.Letter K shook the prince and asked, “ Are you dreaming?”“Yes, I guess, but it was a great one and I saw many kites.”Just then the king entered the room holding a large number of colourful kites.The price pinched himself, “ Hope this isn’t a dream.”“No son, these kites are real. Enjoy with your friends.” Hello Children! I am letter K. Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /k/Let’s see what all words in the story started with /k/Where did the /k/ king live?/k/ KingdomWhat did the prince want?/k/ KiteMany animals rushed towards the palaceSome of their names started with /k//k/ Kangaroo/k/ KittensDo you remember, how the turtle, being slow still reached in time?He found a /k/ KayakWho was the shyest one to go to the palace?/k/ KoalaAnd the elephant gave a ride to/k/ Kiwi birdAnd the chefs made the tea in the/k/ kettle

Once there was a big kingdom ruled by a very king.
When the king is nice all the people of the kingdom are happy and helpful.
The king had a 10-year-old son, who was crowned as the prince.
The prince’s grandmother used to tell him lots of stories. One day she told a story about the Kites.
“What are kites. I have never seen one, grandma. Can you get me one please?” requested the prince politely.
It was surprising that nobody in that kingdom had a kite!
The grandmother suggested, “Why don’t you ask your father to get a kite?”
So, that night when the prince went to wish good night to his father, he requested, Father, I heard a story of a kite, but I have never seen one. Can you please get me one?”
The king said, “I’ll get you many kites tomorrow. You go to bed now. Sleep tight and have good dreams.”
After saying good night to the prince, the king summoned his ministers and asked them to arrange for a few kites. The prince had never asked for anything, and the king didn’t want to disappoint him.
“There are no kites in our kingdom, but we will request the neighbouring kingdom to give us a few. Please do not worry,” assured the ministers
The prince was excited about the next day and went back to his room.
Letter K who was great friends with the prince jumped right off his box and asked, “ How was your day? Anything exciting?”
“Oh yes, I am getting a kite tomorrow. You and I can fly it together. Let’s sleep now so that we are fresh for flying the kites,’; prince replied getting into the bed.
Letter K was excited too and he too snuggled in the bed next to the prince.
Prince dozed off in a world of dreams. 
Soon, the prince and Letter K were in Kite Land. There were kites of all colours and shapes, the big red dragon, the oval-shaped pink kite, the star-shaped, etc. 
The King Kite announced, “We are going to have our annual ‘kite festival’ next weekend in the middle of the courtyard of the palace. Please be there at sharp 10 am.”
All the kites were really thrilled. This was one day when all the kites got to show their talent for flying. 
In fact, the animals from the neighbouring forests were also invited. At the end of the festivals, there was a big tea party that the King Kite hosted. 
The big red dragon kite was the winner last year. She just admired her tail and relaxed for she was sure to win. 

The other kites went to the open area in the palace’s courtyard and practiced to soar and try out various tricks like somersaults and dives. 
The invitation to the Kite Festival reached the forest too. On the day of the competition, the kangaroo family was very excited. They carried their babies in the front pouch and leaped. 
The cats with their kittens joined in too. 
At the crack of the dawn, The big turtle was swimming in the river leading to the palace had already started towards the palace. He surely didn't want to miss it. Luckily, he found a kayak and that was a big help to the slow turtle, and he reached in time too.

The peacock and the parrots too wanted to celebrate the kite festival. Even the shyest koalas went to the palace.
A herd elephant was walking by seeing and the cats and kittens, Kangaroos, peacock, parrots rushing trumpeted, “ What is happening?”
The kangaroo said teasingly,” You sure have a short memory. Don’t you remember, it’s time for the annual kite festival followed by the feast!”
"Someone said feast,'' enquired one of the elephants.
“I never want to miss a feast and especially at the palace.” 
So, he led his herd towards the palace. 
The kiwi bird was struggling to walk and even to fly as it was hurt. The elephant was kind enough to give it a ride. 
The chefs in the Palace kitchen were busy preparing the snacks and tea in the kettle. 

All the kites gathered and waited nervously for the king to arrive. 
All the kites stood at the start line. The king appeared and announced the festival open.
The oval kite soared high and did two summersaults and then soared again.

Everybody clapped. 
The peacock did a little jig.
And the elephant trumpeted.

Then the star kite soared in the and did a summersault and two dives and the soared even higher.

Everybody clapped. 
The peacock did a little jig.
And the elephant trumpeted.

All the others also did what they knew best.

And every time, 

Everybody clapped. 
The peacock did a little jig.
And the elephant trumpeted.

Finally, it was time for the red dragon kite, everybody held their breath and waited for a spectacular show from her as she was the winner last year.

But what was happening to the dragon kite?

It tried to lift itself but in vain. It tried yet again, but with no luck.  
He was very sad 
It was really out of practice.

Soon, the kites came down and the King Kite announced that the winner was the Star kite. Everybody cheered the star kite. 
The King Kite announced, “Practice makes us perfect!”

The dragon kite promised herself that she would never be so overconfident.

She gracefully accepted her defeat and congratulated the Star Kite. 
Everybody really enjoyed the snacks and the tea from the big kettle and were slowly leaving the palace grounds.

‘Letter K, let’s go and talk to the kites,” muttered the prince.
Letter K shook the prince and asked, “ Are you dreaming?”
“Yes, I guess, but it was a great one and I saw many kites.”

Just then the king entered the room holding a large number of colourful kites.
The price pinched himself, “ Hope this isn’t a dream.”
“No son, these kites are real. Enjoy with your friends.”

 

Hello Children! I am letter K. Hope you liked the story.

You know I make the sound /k/
Let’s see what all words in the story started with /k/
Where did the /k/ king live?
/k/ Kingdom
What did the prince want?
/k/ Kite
Many animals rushed towards the palace
Some of their names started with /k/
/k/ Kangaroo
/k/ Kittens
Do you remember, how the turtle, being slow still reached in time?
He found a /k/ Kayak
Who was the shyest one to go to the palace?
/k/ Koala
And the elephant gave a ride to
/k/ Kiwi bird
And the chefs made the tea in the
/k/ kettle

Alphabet Escapades of Letter K

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/30/16/ada88b83-9590-4cb1-b2d0-b0201e628097_scarefoot__the_fox_redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. Scrapefoot and the three bears is a story about a fox who enters the castle of the three bears but is thrown out of the window. This has many similarities to the fairy tale; Goldilocks and the three bears.Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/scrapefoot-the-fox-and-the-three-bears" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/scrapefoot-the-fox-and-the-three-bears</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time in a land not so far away, lay the most beautiful forest with mighty old trees, mosses in all shades of green, clear babbling streams, and light open spaces filled with delicate sweet-smelling flowers.In the middle of this wonderful forest stood the castle of the Three Bears. They were the masters of the forest.And in the same forest, there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot. Children, can you guess why he was called, Scrapefoot? The old fox was known for the fact that he would rather beg and bow to anyone than do an honest day of work. He was lazy. It was his typical bow whereby her foot would scrape heavily backward over the floor that earned him the name -Scrapefoot.He was very proud of himself. He would spend hours grooming himself daily and making sure that his tail was fluffy and lovely.Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the Bears, but amongst all the things that he wanted very much, one was that he wanted to visit the great grey castle. And one day as he was roaming through the wood he found himself near the Bears&#39; castle, and he wondered, “ Oh, how much I want to see this big, great,  grey castle of the bears from the inside!”He wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked to the right, he looked to the left, he looked far ahead and way behind, and he could not see anyone.Then he skidded here and he skidded there, till at last, he arrived at the door of the big grey castle. He tried to see if he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked.“Would it be my lucky day? Looks like I will get to go inside this great grey castle at last, ” Scrapefoot smiled to himself.He raised his paws and pushed the door and opened it just a little more. Next, he put his nose in and looked. Luckily he could not see anyone. So, then he opened it a little way farther and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all inside the Bears&#39; castle.He stood at the door, awestruck.Children, put on your thinking caps and tell me why do you think Scrapefoot was awestruck?After a moment, he realized that he was in a great hall with beautiful chandeliers, satin curtains and walls adorned with attractive paintings.Next,  his eyes fell on the three thrones; one big, one middling, and one little one.He thought, “Why don’t I sit on one of the thrones and feel like the master of the forest?”So, he sat down on the big throne. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling throne, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn&#39;t make himself comfortable. So then, he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and felt very nice, “This is  so soft, warm, and comfortable!”  The Scrapefoot was quite happy, but all at once, it broke to pieces under him.“Never mind! Let me see the other parts of the castle,” Leaving the throne behind, Scrapefoot walked around the castle. Soon he found the dining room. In it stood a huge heavy but beautifully carved table with three plates on it.The first plate was filled with big smoked salmon. Children salmon a medium-sized silver-coloured fish that lives in the seas or rivers.  The Scrapefoot thought, “The bears surely know which fish is good. So I must taste it.”He took the plate but the strong and weird smell of the salmon made him quickly push the plate as far away as he could.On the second plate, lay a lovely cake, dripping with honey, “Ahh, the bears are famous to know which is the best honey. So let me try this.”A bit cautious after his first experience Scrapefoot very, very carefully took the plate. But as soon as she smelled the richness and sweetness of the honey, he pushed the plate even further away than the first one.Looks like Scrapefoot didn’t have a sweet tooth.Children, which is your favourite dessert?On the third plate, stood a little saucer filled with milk.Scrapefoot carefully smelled the milk but this did not smell too strong, too weird, too rich, or too sweet. He took a little lick and liked it so much that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.“That was delicious! I wish there was some more,” exclaimed Scrapefoot.Then Scrapefoot thought, “I really want to see what is upstairs in this castle.” He tried to listen to any sounds, but he could not hear anyone.So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed, and Scrapefoot climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better, but he could not get so comfortable in it as he wanted.So after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep children, at once.Children, what do you think is going to happen in the story now?Let’s listen ahead.And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall. The Big Bear went to his chair and said, “Who’s been sitting in my throne?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my throne?” and the little Bear said, &#39;Who&#39;s been sitting in my throne and has broken it all to pieces?&#39;Next, they were feeling a little hungry. So, they went to the dining room, and the big Bear said, “Who’s touched my plate of salmon?” &#39; and the middling Bear said, “ Who pushed my plate so far away?” The little Bear said, &#39;Who&#39;s been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?&#39; Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the middling Bear said, “ Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the little Bear said, “Who&#39;s been sleeping in my bed? -- and see here he is!”So, then the Bears stood around the little bed came and wondered what they should do with Scrapefoot, the fox.The s big Bear said, &#39;Let&#39;s hang him!&#39; and then the middling Bear said, &#39;Let&#39;s drown him!&#39; and then the little Bear said, &#39;Let&#39;s throw him out of the window.&#39; And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backward and forwards, backward and forwards, and out of the window, he went.Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened that he thought every bone in his body must be broken. But he got up and first shook one leg -- no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken, and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So,     then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears&#39;  great, grey castle!

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, lay the most beautiful forest with mighty old trees, mosses in all shades of green, clear babbling streams, and light open spaces filled with delicate sweet-smelling flowers.
In the middle of this wonderful forest stood the castle of the Three Bears. They were the masters of the forest.
And in the same forest, there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot.

Children, can you guess why he was called, Scrapefoot?

The old fox was known for the fact that he would rather beg and bow to anyone than do an honest day of work. He was lazy. It was his typical bow whereby her foot would scrape heavily backward over the floor that earned him the name -Scrapefoot.

He was very proud of himself. He would spend hours grooming himself daily and making sure that his tail was fluffy and lovely.

Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the Bears, but amongst all the things that he wanted very much, one was that he wanted to visit the great grey castle. And one day as he was roaming through the wood he found himself near the Bears' castle, and he wondered, “ Oh, how much I want to see this big, great,  grey castle of the bears from the inside!”

He wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked to the right, he looked to the left, he looked far ahead and way behind, and he could not see anyone.

Then he skidded here and he skidded there, till at last, he arrived at the door of the big grey castle. He tried to see if he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked.

“Would it be my lucky day? Looks like I will get to go inside this great grey castle at last, ” Scrapefoot smiled to himself.

He raised his paws and pushed the door and opened it just a little more. Next, he put his nose in and looked. Luckily he could not see anyone. So, then he opened it a little way farther and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all inside the Bears' castle.
He stood at the door, awestruck.

Children, put on your thinking caps and tell me why do you think Scrapefoot was awestruck?

After a moment, he realized that he was in a great hall with beautiful chandeliers, satin curtains and walls adorned with attractive paintings.

Next,  his eyes fell on the three thrones; one big, one middling, and one little one.

He thought, “Why don’t I sit on one of the thrones and feel like the master of the forest?”

So, he sat down on the big throne. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling throne, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn't make himself comfortable. So then, he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and felt very nice, “This is  so soft, warm, and comfortable!”  The Scrapefoot was quite happy, but all at once, it broke to pieces under him.

“Never mind! Let me see the other parts of the castle,” Leaving the throne behind, Scrapefoot walked around the castle. Soon he found the dining room. In it stood a huge heavy but beautifully carved table with three plates on it.

The first plate was filled with big smoked salmon.

Children salmon a medium-sized silver-coloured fish that lives in the seas or rivers. 

The Scrapefoot thought, “The bears surely know which fish is good. So I must taste it.”

He took the plate but the strong and weird smell of the salmon made him quickly push the plate as far away as he could.

On the second plate, lay a lovely cake, dripping with honey, “Ahh, the bears are famous to know which is the best honey. So let me try this.”

A bit cautious after his first experience Scrapefoot very, very carefully took the plate. But as soon as she smelled the richness and sweetness of the honey, he pushed the plate even further away than the first one.

Looks like Scrapefoot didn’t have a sweet tooth.

Children, which is your favourite dessert?

On the third plate, stood a little saucer filled with milk.
Scrapefoot carefully smelled the milk but this did not smell too strong, too weird, too rich, or too sweet. He took a little lick and liked it so much that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.
"That was delicious! I wish there was some more,” exclaimed Scrapefoot.

Then Scrapefoot thought, “I really want to see what is upstairs in this castle.” He tried to listen to any sounds, but he could not hear anyone.
So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed, and Scrapefoot climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better, but he could not get so comfortable in it as he wanted.

So after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep children, at once.

Children, what do you think is going to happen in the story now?

Let’s listen ahead.

And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall. The Big Bear went to his chair and said, “Who’s been sitting in my throne?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my throne?” and the little Bear said, 'Who's been sitting in my throne and has broken it all to pieces?'

Next, they were feeling a little hungry. So, they went to the dining room, and the big Bear said, “Who’s touched my plate of salmon?” ' and the middling Bear said, “ Who pushed my plate so far away?” The little Bear said, 'Who's been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?' 

Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the middling Bear said, “ Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the little Bear said, “Who's been sleeping in my bed? -- and see here he is!”

So, then the Bears stood around the little bed came and wondered what they should do with Scrapefoot, the fox.

The s big Bear said, 'Let's hang him!' and then the middling Bear said, 'Let's drown him!' and then the little Bear said, 'Let's throw him out of the window.' And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backward and forwards, backward and forwards, and out of the window, he went.

Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened that he thought every bone in his body must be broken. But he got up and first shook one leg -- no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken, and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So,     then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears'  great, grey castle!

Fox Tales: Scrapefoot, The Fox And The Three Bears

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/23/11/b45a2b8f-0fad-4ec7-9ccf-b61d0e90a693_the_story-the_fox_and_the_elephant.mp3

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. The Fox and the elephant is a story from Panchatantra about a clever fox who helped the animals of the jungle by teaching a lesson to the big and cruel animal. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="http://www.rituvaish.com/the-fox-and-the-elephant" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-fox-and-the-elephant</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptOnce upon a time, a huge elephant lived in a forest. The elephant was very arrogant and cruel. He took advantage of his size and wreaked havoc in the forest.  Children, can you guess what havoc he created? He roamed around in the jungle breaking branches and small trees with his trunk. The birds who had made nests in those trees and laid eggs pleaded, “Stop elephant, our eggs are there in the nests and they will break.”But the elephant paid no heed. He trumpeted loudly and tore the branches apart making the birds’ eggs fall and break.Then he would go to the next trees. The other birds’ flock would shout out, “ Stop elephant, out nestlings cannot fly as yet. They’ll fall and die. Please spare our tree”But the elephant paid no heed and went ahead destroying the branches.The saddened birds could do nothing, as he was very arrogant and cruel. He was indeed a big bully.He would trample the little animals like rabbits, mice, foxes, etc under his enormous feet ignoring their pleas. All the animals of the forest were terrorised by the elephant. Even the lions and tigers tried to keep a safe distance from him. The animals had gotten so fed up with the elephant and his haughty ways that they wanted to kill him but they could not come up with any way of doing this.Finally, one day the foxes held a meeting among themselves. For once the foxes were not being cunning but wanted to help all the animals. Children, do you remember any story where the fox has been cunning? Great!The foxes decided that the elephant must be killed so that the other animals of the forest could live in peace. One fox said, “It’s impossible to kill this giant beast.”Another added sadly, “ We are so small in front of him, that we can’t do much. We just have to face his rage.”One fox, though tiny, was very clever walked ahead and announced, “ I will cook up a plan, please wait and watch. I will get rid of this big bully, who is so cruel.”All the foxes burst out shouting, “ Bravo! May you be successful! And save the forest from this demon, the elephant.The clever fox made a careful study of the elephant’s behaviour and daily routine. Then, after much thinking, he made a plan. Clever that he was, he went up to the elephant one day and said, “My Lord, I want to speak to you about some urgent business.”The elephant trumpeted at his highest pitch and asked the fox, “What is it? Who are you?”The fox replied, “Your Highness, all the animals of the forest have decided to make you our king.”Suddenly the elephant’s expression changed. And he was very pleased. Becoming the king of the forest had always been his dream. The elephant lifted his trunk with great pride and politely asked for details. The fox was glad his plan was working and replied, “I am representing the entire animal community. As I told you we all want to make you the King. I have come to escort you to the place where all the other animals are waiting for your coronation ceremony. All the preparations are in order. The chanting of the mantras are already in progress. We are only waiting for you to arrive and then we will crown you as our king.”The elephant was delighted and imagined himself wearing the huge crown studded with precious stones and everyone obeying his orders.Gleaming from ear to ear, he readily agreed to follow the fox. The fox led the way. “How far is this place where mu coronation will take place?” asked one very excited elephant. “Not too far now. It’s in the middle of the jungle, “ said the clever fox.On the way, there was a marshy area near a pond that the fox and the elephant had to cross. The fox was light so he easily walked over the swamp. But when the elephant tried to cross the swamp, he got trapped in the marsh because of his weight.  Children, can you guess what will happen next in the story?Listen ahead. The elephant began to shout, “Help! Help! I’m drowning. Pull me out. Fox, go and call all the other animals for help, quick!”The fox, who was standing calmly at the edge of the swamp, replied, “Nobody is going to save you. This is the kind of treatment that you truly deserve.”In the meantime, all the other animals gathered around the marshy land.The rabbits yelled out, “ You never paid heed to our cries for mercy and so today, nobody is going to have mercy on you. “The birds angrily chirped, “You have taken advantage of your power and broken down countless birds’ nests without caring about our eggs or nestlings. “The foxes who were there screamed in unison, “ You have stomped upon our burrows and crushed many foxes under your heavy feet. You knew about all the destruction and misery you were causing us but you did not care to stop. “The elephant pleaded for forgiveness, but in vain. All the animals left the marshy land, leaving the elephant to his fate.

Once upon a time, a huge elephant lived in a forest. The elephant was very arrogant and cruel. He took advantage of his size and wreaked havoc in the forest. 

Children, can you guess what havoc he created?

He roamed around in the jungle breaking branches and small trees with his trunk. 
The birds who had made nests in those trees and laid eggs pleaded, “Stop elephant, our eggs are there in the nests and they will break.”
But the elephant paid no heed. He trumpeted loudly and tore the branches apart making the birds’ eggs fall and break.
Then he would go to the next trees. The other birds’ flock would shout out, “ Stop elephant, out nestlings cannot fly as yet. They’ll fall and die. Please spare our tree”
But the elephant paid no heed and went ahead destroying the branches.
The saddened birds could do nothing, as he was very arrogant and cruel. 
He was indeed a big bully.
He would trample the little animals like rabbits, mice, foxes, etc under his enormous feet ignoring their pleas.
All the animals of the forest were terrorised by the elephant. Even the lions and tigers tried to keep a safe distance from him. The animals had gotten so fed up with the elephant and his haughty ways that they wanted to kill him but they could not come up with any way of doing this.

Finally, one day the foxes held a meeting among themselves. For once the foxes were not being cunning but wanted to help all the animals.

Children, do you remember any story where the fox has been cunning?
Great!

The foxes decided that the elephant must be killed so that the other animals of the forest could live in peace. 

One fox said, “It’s impossible to kill this giant beast.”

Another added sadly, “ We are so small in front of him, that we can’t do much. We just have to face his rage.”

One fox, though tiny, was very clever walked ahead and announced, “ I will cook up a plan, please wait and watch. I will get rid of this big bully, who is so cruel.”

All the foxes burst out shouting, “ Bravo! May you be successful! And save the forest from this demon, the elephant.

The clever fox made a careful study of the elephant’s behaviour and daily routine. Then, after much thinking, he made a plan. 

Clever that he was, he went up to the elephant one day and said, “My Lord, I want to speak to you about some urgent business.”
The elephant trumpeted at his highest pitch and asked the fox, “What is it? Who are you?”
The fox replied, “Your Highness, all the animals of the forest have decided to make you our king.”

Suddenly the elephant’s expression changed. And he was very pleased. Becoming the king of the forest had always been his dream. 
The elephant lifted his trunk with great pride and politely asked for details.
The fox was glad his plan was working and replied, “I am representing the entire animal community. As I told you we all want to make you the King. I have come to escort you to the place where all the other animals are waiting for your coronation ceremony. All the preparations are in order. The chanting of the mantras are already in progress. We are only waiting for you to arrive and then we will crown you as our king.”

The elephant was delighted and imagined himself wearing the huge crown studded with precious stones and everyone obeying his orders.

Gleaming from ear to ear, he readily agreed to follow the fox. The fox led the way. 

“How far is this place where mu coronation will take place?” asked one very excited elephant. 

“Not too far now. It’s in the middle of the jungle, “ said the clever fox.

On the way, there was a marshy area near a pond that the fox and the elephant had to cross. The fox was light so he easily walked over the swamp. But when the elephant tried to cross the swamp, he got trapped in the marsh because of his weight. 

Children, can you guess what will happen next in the story?

Listen ahead.

The elephant began to shout, “Help! Help! I’m drowning. Pull me out. Fox, go and call all the other animals for help, quick!”

The fox, who was standing calmly at the edge of the swamp, replied, “Nobody is going to save you. This is the kind of treatment that you truly deserve.”

In the meantime, all the other animals gathered around the marshy land.
The rabbits yelled out, “ You never paid heed to our cries for mercy and so today, nobody is going to have mercy on you. “
The birds angrily chirped, “You have taken advantage of your power and broken down countless birds’ nests without caring about our eggs or nestlings. “
The foxes who were there screamed in unison, “ You have stomped upon our burrows and crushed many foxes under your heavy feet. You knew about all the destruction and misery you were causing us but you did not care to stop. “
The elephant pleaded for forgiveness, but in vain. 
All the animals left the marshy land, leaving the elephant to his fate.


Fox Tales: The Fox And The Elephant

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/16/7/07f65a02-f5ff-4e4a-9f72-b7684bb165d5_the_greedy_fox-redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. The greedy Fox is a story where the fox learns a lesson of not being greedy. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-greedy-fox" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-greedy-fox</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptIt was deep mid-winter and Felix the Fox was very, very hungry.But Felix was an extremely lazy fox and was always eyeing other people’s food and planning to steal food by hook or by crook.His cunning mind was racing fast, &#34;Where am I going to find something to eat this winter morning?&#34; As he was wandering in the forest as he passed a big oak tree his nose twitched. “Is that some delicious food that I smell?”He slowly retraced his steps back to the oak tree, trying to trace the source of the smell.He stopped right in front of the oak tree. He took a deep breath to absorb the aroma.With his mouth-watering, he thought, “It’s my lucky day. I can smell some delicious bread and meat inside this hollow in the trunk. Some shepherd must have left there and I can eat it before the shepherd arrives.”He couldn’t resist anymore and made himself as small as he could and wriggled inside the hollow of the trunk.Once he successfully crept inside, he relished the bread and the meat. He ate and he ate and he ate. And then he ate some more. He had never eaten so much food in his life.&#34;Marvellous,&#34; he said, licking his lips when he&#39;d finished the very last crumb. Children, what do you think happened to him?Ready to listen ahead? He was now so fat he couldn&#39;t get out of the hollow of the trunk.He squeezed... and he squeezed ... and he squeezed yet again. But it was no good.Of course, he hadn’t realized that he had eaten too much.He thought that the tree had gotten smaller. He panicked.He poked his head out of the hole and yelled, “Help! Get me out of this horrible hole.”A weasel who was passing by stopped and asked, “What happened?”The fox yelled out, “This tree is shrinking, it’s crushing me to death. Help, please help!”The weasel lived nearby and used to pass this oak tree every morning as he went about doing his morning chores and every evening when he returned home, so he knew the oak tree well. He calmly explained, “I don’t think so. It looks about the same size when I passed it in the morning. Probably you have grown bigger.”Felix with only his eyes poking out screamed, “Stop talking nonsense. And get me out. I am dying I tell you!”Weasel knew the greedy fox had been eating too much and said, “Well it serves you right for eating too much. You’ll just have to stay there until you get thinner, then you can clamber out. Perhaps next time you won’t eat so much.”Saying that the weasel waved bye-bye and walked away.At noon the shepherd, who had safely placed his food in the tree hollow returned.“Help,” shouted Felix, the greedy fox. But seeing a fox there, the shepherd got scared.The fox said, “I can explain what happened.”But the shepherd did not look back and ran away.So, poor Felix had to stay in his miserable hole for 2 days and 2 long nights. But he never ever ate too much food again.

It was deep mid-winter and Felix the Fox was very, very hungry.
But Felix was an extremely lazy fox and was always eyeing other people’s food and planning to steal food by hook or by crook.
His cunning mind was racing fast, "Where am I going to find something to eat this winter morning?" As he was wandering in the forest as he passed a big oak tree his nose twitched. “Is that some delicious food that I smell?”
He slowly retraced his steps back to the oak tree, trying to trace the source of the smell.
He stopped right in front of the oak tree. He took a deep breath to absorb the aroma.
With his mouth-watering, he thought, “It’s my lucky day. I can smell some delicious bread and meat inside this hollow in the trunk. Some shepherd must have left there and I can eat it before the shepherd arrives.”
He couldn’t resist anymore and made himself as small as he could and wriggled inside the hollow of the trunk.
Once he successfully crept inside, he relished the bread and the meat. He ate and he ate and he ate. And then he ate some more. He had never eaten so much food in his life.
"Marvellous," he said, licking his lips when he'd finished the very last crumb.

 
Children, what do you think happened to him?
Ready to listen ahead?

He was now so fat he couldn't get out of the hollow of the trunk.
He squeezed... and he squeezed ... and he squeezed yet again. But it was no good.
Of course, he hadn’t realized that he had eaten too much.
He thought that the tree had gotten smaller. He panicked.
He poked his head out of the hole and yelled, “Help! Get me out of this horrible hole.”
A weasel who was passing by stopped and asked, “What happened?”
The fox yelled out, “This tree is shrinking, it’s crushing me to death. Help, please help!”
The weasel lived nearby and used to pass this oak tree every morning as he went about doing his morning chores and every evening when he returned home, so he knew the oak tree well. He calmly explained, “I don’t think so. It looks about the same size when I passed it in the morning. Probably you have grown bigger.”
Felix with only his eyes poking out screamed, “Stop talking nonsense. And get me out. I am dying I tell you!”

Weasel knew the greedy fox had been eating too much and said, “Well it serves you right for eating too much. You’ll just have to stay there until you get thinner, then you can clamber out. Perhaps next time you won’t eat so much.”
Saying that the weasel waved bye-bye and walked away.
At noon the shepherd, who had safely placed his food in the tree hollow returned.
“Help,” shouted Felix, the greedy fox. But seeing a fox there, the shepherd got scared.
The fox said, “I can explain what happened.”
But the shepherd did not look back and ran away.
So, poor Felix had to stay in his miserable hole for 2 days and 2 long nights. But he never ever ate too much food again.

Fox Tales: The Greedy Fox

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/9/16/dbda1e3d-0c98-4918-8d61-71d4260e83c6_twin_stories-redcircle.mp3

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. The two stories in the episode are about the proud fox learning a lesson that he should not be boastful. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/twin-stories-from-romania" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/twin-stories-from-romania</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript The first story is: The Seven-Witted Fox and the One-Witted Owl One day an owl met a fox, and the fox bragged about his intelligence and cleverness, and said proudly, “ I am very witty, probably the most witty living being!”The owl asked him, &#34;Brother, brother! How many wits have you?&#34;&#34;Seven,&#34; he said, boastingly.&#34;No wonder you are so clever. I have only one,&#34; said the owl sadly.The fox raised his tail and walked away proudly.A short time afterwards the owl again met the fox, but this time he was running for his life.Children who do you think was behind the fox?You may be right , Let’s see!The hunters were after the fox, and the hound dogs were trying to catch him. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he at last managed to slip into a hole.The owl followed him, and seeing him there exhausted, asked him teasingly , &#34;Couldn’t you any of your wits? Didn’t you say you have 7 wits!”The fox replied, &#34;Six. I have 6 wits , I lost one in the chase.&#34;Meanwhile the hunters and dogs came nearer and nearer, so they could hear the barking of the dogs. The fox did not know what to do. He was indeed very nervous.The owl teasingly asked him, &#34;How many wits have you now, old fellow?&#34;&#34;Oh, I have lost all my wits, I have none left.&#34;&#34;Where is your cleverness of which you bragged so much ?&#34;&#34;It is not kind of you, now, to tease a poor fellow when the dogs are at his heels, and there is no escape for him.&#34;&#34;Well,&#34; said the owl, &#34;I have one wit , and I will see whether I can save you with that.”Children, put on your thinking caps and think of a way that the owl will help the fox?Then the owl added confidently, “It is my turn. I am going to lie down here at the entrance of this hole as though dead. When the hunters come, they will look at me and get hold of me and probably discuss about me. Meanwhile they will forget you, and in the midst of all this confusion you just dash out and run for your life.&#34;It happened just as the owl had said.As soon as  the hunters came up to the hole, they found the owl lying dead, I mean just acting dead, one of them said, &#34;What is this ugly bird doing here? And a dead one too!The second hunter added, “ Let’s kick him out of our way!”“That’s right!” added the first hunter.And while they were busy discussing what to do with the owl, and trying to get hold of it to throw it away, off went the fox through them and escaped.Soon afterwards the owl met him again, and said, &#34;How have your seven wits helped you when in time of danger? It is like that with people who have too much. They often have nothing when they want it the most. But you see, I had only one wit but a strong one and not useless one like yours, and that saved not just me but you too.So children, did that build your appetite for another story? The next story is: The Fox and His Bagful of Wits and the One-Witted Hedgehog One day somehow, a fox got into a poultry yard,Children do you know what kind of animals are there at a poultry farm?Yes, the poultry farm has hens, turkeys, geese, and ducks etc.So, after entering the farm, the fox ate to his heart’s content.A few days later, the fox met a hedgehog who was going towards the poultry yard,&#34;Where are you going, brother?&#34; asked the fox.      &#34;I am famished and want to get something to eat, but it’s tricky to enter the poultry farm. So, I am trying to find the best way to enter,” answered the hungry hedgehog.&#34;Oh,&#34; said the proud fox, &#34;You just come with me, and I will show you. You know I am smart as I have a bag full of wits. I know my way, and there is plenty of poultry for you, and me and some to leave behind for another time.&#34;The hedgehog, who was a wise old fellow himself , said to the fox, &#34;A bag full of wits! That’s great I only have one wit. But let’s be ctraeful. Now, be careful. Are you sure that the owners of the poultry yard will let you in again so easily?&#34;&#34;Don&#39;t you worry,&#34; said the fox. &#34;I know my business. Do not forget I have a bagful of wits. You just come with me,” said the fox leading the way.And the hedgehog followed him.But the people of the poultry farm were not such fools as the fox had taken them for.Children, what do you think the people of the poultry farm did?Ummm,. Let’s listen aheadAnd just where the fox had gotten in last time the people of the poultry farm had dug a deep pit, and into that the fox and the hedgehog tumbled.Ohhh no!When they found themselves at the bottom of the pit, the hedgehog turned to the fox and said, &#34;Well, you clever fellow, with a bagful of wits,  is that the proper way to get into the poultry yard? Did I not warn you?&#34;&#34;What is the good of arguing ?&#34; replied the fox. &#34;We are here now, and we must see how to get out of it.&#34;Children, do you think the Fox will be able to get out, taking the help office bag full of wits.Let’s see.&#34;But you are so clever, and I am only a poor old fool, why don’t you suggest Mr. Fox?” said one very annoyed  hedgehog.&#34;Why don’t you use one wit that you have and help us both get out of this deep pit?” said the fox angrily.The two started quarrelling.Finally, the hedgehog said, “I cannot help you. This sudden fall has upset me, and I feel uncomfortable and very sick.&#34;&#34;What,&#34; cried the fox. &#34;You are not going to be sick here. That is more than I can stand. Out you go!&#34;So he got hold of the hedgehog by the snout, and the hedgehog coiled himself up with his little paws into a little ball around the fox&#39;s mouth. The fox lifted up his head with a jerk and threw the little fellow out of the pit.Children, what do you think will happen now in the story? As soon as the hedgehog saw himself safely out of the pit, the little hedgehog, bending over the mouth of the pit, said chuckling to the fox, &#34;Where is your wisdom, you fool? You boast that you have a bagful of wits, but it is I who got myself out of the pit, though I have only a little wit.&#34;&#34;Oh,&#34; said the fox, whining, &#34;do have pity on me! You are such a clever old fellow. Help me out of this pit  too.&#34;&#34;Well, said the hedgehog, &#34;I will help you. Now, you pretend to be dead, and when the people come and find you stiff and stark, they will say, &#39;The fox has died, and his carcass is rotting. It is going to make all the poultry farm stinky.” They will take you and throw you out. And then see wherever you land.The fox did as the hedgehog had advised him, and when the people came and found him in that state, they hauled him out and threw him out of the farm onto the road. Quicker than you could clap your hands, the fox was on his legs, and he ran as if the ground was burning under him.Since then the fox and the hedgehog are good friends.

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. The two stories in the episode are about the proud fox learning a lesson that he should not be boastful.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/twin-stories-from-romania

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

The first story is: The Seven-Witted Fox and the One-Witted Owl 

One day an owl met a fox, and the fox bragged about his intelligence and cleverness, and said proudly, “ I am very witty, probably the most witty living being!”

The owl asked him, "Brother, brother! How many wits have you?"

"Seven," he said, boastingly.

"No wonder you are so clever. I have only one," said the owl sadly.

The fox raised his tail and walked away proudly.

A short time afterwards the owl again met the fox, but this time he was running for his life.

Children who do you think was behind the fox?

You may be right , Let’s see!

The hunters were after the fox, and the hound dogs were trying to catch him. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he at last managed to slip into a hole.

The owl followed him, and seeing him there exhausted, asked him teasingly , "Couldn’t you any of your wits? Didn’t you say you have 7 wits!”

The fox replied, "Six. I have 6 wits , I lost one in the chase."

Meanwhile the hunters and dogs came nearer and nearer, so they could hear the barking of the dogs. The fox did not know what to do. He was indeed very nervous.

The owl teasingly asked him, "How many wits have you now, old fellow?"

"Oh, I have lost all my wits, I have none left."

"Where is your cleverness of which you bragged so much ?"

"It is not kind of you, now, to tease a poor fellow when the dogs are at his heels, and there is no escape for him."

"Well," said the owl, "I have one wit , and I will see whether I can save you with that.”

Children, put on your thinking caps and think of a way that the owl will help the fox?

Then the owl added confidently, “It is my turn. I am going to lie down here at the entrance of this hole as though dead. When the hunters come, they will look at me and get hold of me and probably discuss about me. Meanwhile they will forget you, and in the midst of all this confusion you just dash out and run for your life."

It happened just as the owl had said.

As soon as  the hunters came up to the hole, they found the owl lying dead, I mean just acting dead, one of them said, "What is this ugly bird doing here? And a dead one too!

The second hunter added, “ Let’s kick him out of our way!”

“That’s right!” added the first hunter.

And while they were busy discussing what to do with the owl, and trying to get hold of it to throw it away, off went the fox through them and escaped.

Soon afterwards the owl met him again, and said, "How have your seven wits helped you when in time of danger? It is like that with people who have too much. They often have nothing when they want it the most. But you see, I had only one wit but a strong one and not useless one like yours, and that saved not just me but you too.

So children, did that build your appetite for another story?

 

The next story is: The Fox and His Bagful of Wits and the One-Witted Hedgehog

One day somehow, a fox got into a poultry yard,

Children do you know what kind of animals are there at a poultry farm?

Yes, the poultry farm has hens, turkeys, geese, and ducks etc.

So, after entering the farm, the fox ate to his heart’s content.

A few days later, the fox met a hedgehog who was going towards the poultry yard,

"Where are you going, brother?" asked the fox.      

"I am famished and want to get something to eat, but it’s tricky to enter the poultry farm. So, I am trying to find the best way to enter,” answered the hungry hedgehog.

"Oh," said the proud fox, "You just come with me, and I will show you. You know I am smart as I have a bag full of wits. I know my way, and there is plenty of poultry for you, and me and some to leave behind for another time."

The hedgehog, who was a wise old fellow himself , said to the fox, "A bag full of wits! That’s great I only have one wit. But let’s be ctraeful. Now, be careful. Are you sure that the owners of the poultry yard will let you in again so easily?"

"Don't you worry," said the fox. "I know my business. Do not forget I have a bagful of wits. You just come with me,” said the fox leading the way.

And the hedgehog followed him.

But the people of the poultry farm were not such fools as the fox had taken them for.

Children, what do you think the people of the poultry farm did?

Ummm,. Let’s listen ahead

And just where the fox had gotten in last time the people of the poultry farm had dug a deep pit, and into that the fox and the hedgehog tumbled.

Ohhh no!

When they found themselves at the bottom of the pit, the hedgehog turned to the fox and said, "Well, you clever fellow, with a bagful of wits,  is that the proper way to get into the poultry yard? Did I not warn you?"

"What is the good of arguing ?" replied the fox. "We are here now, and we must see how to get out of it."

Children, do you think the Fox will be able to get out, taking the help office bag full of wits.

Let’s see.

"But you are so clever, and I am only a poor old fool, why don’t you suggest Mr. Fox?” said one very annoyed  hedgehog.

"Why don’t you use one wit that you have and help us both get out of this deep pit?” said the fox angrily.

The two started quarrelling.

Finally, the hedgehog said, “I cannot help you. This sudden fall has upset me, and I feel uncomfortable and very sick."

"What," cried the fox. "You are not going to be sick here. That is more than I can stand. Out you go!"

So he got hold of the hedgehog by the snout, and the hedgehog coiled himself up with his little paws into a little ball around the fox's mouth. The fox lifted up his head with a jerk and threw the little fellow out of the pit.

Children, what do you think will happen now in the story?

 

As soon as the hedgehog saw himself safely out of the pit, the little hedgehog, bending over the mouth of the pit, said chuckling to the fox, "Where is your wisdom, you fool? You boast that you have a bagful of wits, but it is I who got myself out of the pit, though I have only a little wit."

"Oh," said the fox, whining, "do have pity on me! You are such a clever old fellow. Help me out of this pit  too."

"Well, said the hedgehog, "I will help you. Now, you pretend to be dead, and when the people come and find you stiff and stark, they will say, 'The fox has died, and his carcass is rotting. It is going to make all the poultry farm stinky.” They will take you and throw you out. And then see wherever you land.

The fox did as the hedgehog had advised him, and when the people came and found him in that state, they hauled him out and threw him out of the farm onto the road. Quicker than you could clap your hands, the fox was on his legs, and he ran as if the ground was burning under him.

Since then the fox and the hedgehog are good friends.

Fox Tales: Twin Stories from Romania

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/2/5/09800864-c744-4ed3-aacd-2027e639ad60_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_j-redcircle.mp3

The Alphabet Escapades of Letter J’s story is about letter J’s first visit to a carnival and having fun.Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-j" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-j</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptIn the city of Jaipur, India, every year there was a winter carnival in the month of January. Every year, come January, and all the children would be very excited about the carnival and even the adults were excited about it.Everybody used to wait eagerly for the carnival day. This year it was on 15th January.Since January is a winter month in northern India, everyone wore colourful jackets to stay warm and walked towards the carnival. People young and old, girls and boys thronged the carnival from all directions.This year, letter J also went to the carnival. It was his very first carnivalThe theme for the carnival was “Jovial Jokers”.In the middle of the carnival ground was a big slide in the shape of the letter ‘J’. Letter J thought that the slide was really cool, shaped just like him. People were enjoying the games and eating scrumptious snacks from the stalls all around. Suddenly, they heard a loud sound from the sky.All eyes were towards the sky. Finally, some people yelled out, “Look at the small jet zooming above us !&#34;Letter J got a little scared of that loud sound. He hid behind a popcorn cart.Everyone was confused as to why a jet would hover over the carnival. Lo and behold! They all saw many jokers jumping from the jet using parachutes.The audience was spellbound and gave a big round of applause.Letter J gathered courage and joined the crowd.The jokers who jumped were indeed very funny. Some went around on their unicycle, throwing and catching their hats and balls. While others were falling off the unicycles and climbing right back. Still, some others gave a ride to the children on their bicycles. Everybody had a hearty laugh looking at them.A little later, people heard the roar of the engine yet again. They looked towards the sky. It was the jet again.But this time the jokers didn’t jump, it was the jugglers. The crowd rushed and circled the jugglers.And so did letter JA juggler took three balls and juggled them. The kids were delighted. Then he took out two more and added them to his act.The most fun part was when the jugglers taught the children how to juggle.There were giggles and laughter all around. Children were the ones having the most fun. People heard the roar of the engine for the third time, but it didn’t come from the sky this time. It was a jeep, a jungle jeep. It had pictures of jaguars and jackals pasted everywhere on the jeep. The jeep was from a jungle nearby and it was encouraging people to protect animals. Children made a queue in front of the jeep and waited patiently for their turns to get a goody bag with information on jaguars and jackals, some colouring pages, and a small packet of jellybeans. Letter J joined them too.By now letter J was very comfortable and was thoroughly enjoying the carnival.  Jokers were of course roaming around and making everybody laugh. Letter J saw this particular joker carrying a big jar with a jellyfish who had a jewel on her head! Many people gathered around him. They couldn’t believe their eyes when the jellyfish started juggling a tiny ball. It was astounding. She surely deserved that jewel.There were a lot of food stalls too! Children were happy that they would be allowed to eat as much junk food as they wanted, but just for today.The carnival was a big success! Everybody was in a jovial mood. Wasn’t that the theme of the carnival too! -Jovial Jokers!Bouncing, letter J walked back home with a big smile on his face  Hello Children! I am alphabet J. I Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /j/Let’s see what all words in the story started with /j/Which month was the carnival?/j/ JanuaryAnd the name of the city was/j/ JaipurWhat do you wear when it is very cold?/j/ jacketWhat was hovering over the carnival?/j/ jetFirst time /j/ jokers jumped from the/j/ jetThe second time /j/ jugglers jumped from the/j/ jetThen there was a/j/ jeep from the/j/ jungleThe /j/ jeep had posters of which two animals/j/ jaguars/j/ jackalsAnd everybody got /j/ jellybeans in their goody bags.The most fun was the big/j/ jarThat had a/j/ jellyfishWith a/j/ jewel on her head.Indeed, the carnivals the theme was perfectJ -jovial jokers

The Alphabet Escapades of Letter J’s story is about letter J’s first visit to a carnival and having fun.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-j
Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. 

In the city of Jaipur, India, every year there was a winter carnival in the month of January. Every year, come January, and all the children would be very excited about the carnival and even the adults were excited about it.
Everybody used to wait eagerly for the carnival day. This year it was on 15th January.
Since January is a winter month in northern India, everyone wore colourful jackets to stay warm and walked towards the carnival. People young and old, girls and boys thronged the carnival from all directions.
This year, letter J also went to the carnival. It was his very first carnival
The theme for the carnival was “Jovial Jokers”.
In the middle of the carnival ground was a big slide in the shape of the letter ‘J’. Letter J thought that the slide was really cool, shaped just like him.
People were enjoying the games and eating scrumptious snacks from the stalls all around. Suddenly, they heard a loud sound from the sky.
All eyes were towards the sky. Finally, some people yelled out, “Look at the small jet zooming above us !"
Letter J got a little scared of that loud sound. He hid behind a popcorn cart.
Everyone was confused as to why a jet would hover over the carnival. 
Lo and behold! They all saw many jokers jumping from the jet using parachutes.
The audience was spellbound and gave a big round of applause.
Letter J gathered courage and joined the crowd.
The jokers who jumped were indeed very funny. Some went around on their unicycle, throwing and catching their hats and balls. While others were falling off the unicycles and climbing right back. Still, some others gave a ride to the children on their bicycles. Everybody had a hearty laugh looking at them.
A little later, people heard the roar of the engine yet again. They looked towards the sky. It was the jet again.
But this time the jokers didn’t jump, it was the jugglers. The crowd rushed and circled the jugglers.
And so did letter J

A juggler took three balls and juggled them. The kids were delighted. Then he took out two more and added them to his act.
The most fun part was when the jugglers taught the children how to juggle.
There were giggles and laughter all around. Children were the ones having the most fun.
People heard the roar of the engine for the third time, but it didn’t come from the sky this time. It was a jeep, a jungle jeep. It had pictures of jaguars and jackals pasted everywhere on the jeep. The jeep was from a jungle nearby and it was encouraging people to protect animals. Children made a queue in front of the jeep and waited patiently for their turns to get a goody bag with information on jaguars and jackals, some colouring pages, and a small packet of jellybeans. Letter J joined them too.
By now letter J was very comfortable and was thoroughly enjoying the carnival. 
Jokers were of course roaming around and making everybody laugh. Letter J saw this particular joker carrying a big jar with a jellyfish who had a jewel on her head! 
Many people gathered around him. They couldn’t believe their eyes when the jellyfish started juggling a tiny ball. It was astounding. She surely deserved that jewel.

There were a lot of food stalls too! Children were happy that they would be allowed to eat as much junk food as they wanted,  but just for today.
The carnival was a big success! Everybody was in a jovial mood. Wasn’t that the theme of the carnival too! -Jovial Jokers!
Bouncing, letter J walked back home with a big smile on his face

Hello Children! I am alphabet J. I hope you liked the story.

You know I make the sound /j/

Let’s see what all words in the story started with /j/

Which month was the carnival?

/j/ January

And the name of the city was

/j/ Jaipur

What do you wear when it is very cold?

/j/ jacket

What was hovering over the carnival?

/j/ jet

First time /j/ jokers jumped from the

/j/ jet

The second time /j/ jugglers jumped from the

/j/ jet

Then there was a

/j/ jeep from the

/j/ jungle

The /j/ jeep had posters of which two animals

/j/ jaguars

/j/ jackals

And everybody got /j/ jellybeans in their goody bags.

The most fun was the big

/j/ jar

That had a

/j/ jellyfish

With a

/j/ jewel on her head.

Indeed, the carnivals the theme was perfect

J -jovial jokers



Alphabet Escapades of Letter J

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/26/2/2862ae77-06f2-4e3a-a4e2-e9a2690e34ed_the_mouse-deer_and_the_farmer-redcircle.mp3

The Mouse-deer and the farmer is a delightful trickster tale from Southeast Asia. In this story, the Mouse-deer tricks the farmer not once but twice! Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-farmer" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-farmer</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Mouse-deer loved to eat the fruits, roots, and shoots of the forest. But he loved something else even more.He loved the vegetables in Farmer’s garden. Children, what is your favourite vegetable and fruit? One day, Mouse-deer went to the edge of the forest. He looked out at row after row of vegetables.“Mmmm,” said Mouse-deer, “Juicy cucumbers! Yummy yams!” He started into the garden.Snap! “Oh!” Children, what do you think happened? His leg was caught in a snare! Mouse-deer pulled and pulled. But he could not getaway.“Oh, no!” he said. “The farmer will have me for dinner now!”Then he saw the farmer coming. Mouse-deer thought fast. He lay on the ground and made his body stiff.The farmer was very excited and bent to look at the Mouse-deer, “Well, well, well, Look what I caught. A mouse deer! Ummmm, but he looks dead.”The farmer pushed him with his foot. Mouse-deer didn’t move.“Maybe he’s been dead a long time,” said Farmer. “Too bad! I guess we can’t eat him.”He pulled the Mouse-deer’s leg out of the snare. Then he tossed the Mouse-deer back into the forest. So children, who was delighted in spite of getting tossed in the forest?Yes! It was the mouse deer. Mouse-deer landed with a soft plop. Then thanking his stars, he jumped up and ran. Behind him, he heard Farmer yell.“Hey! You tricked me!”Mouse-deer laughed. “Farmer is smart. But Mouse-deer is smarter!” A few days passed. Mouse-deer kept thinking about all those vegetables and his mouth started watering.So, one day, he went back to the edge of the forest.“Mmmm,” said Mouse-deer. “Tasty gourds! Scrumptious sweet potatoes!”Then he saw something new. It looked like a man. But its head was coconut, and its body was rubber. Children, what do you think it was? “A scarecrow!” said Mouse-deer. “That silly Farmer. Does he think he can scare me with that? I’ll show him how scared I am!”Mouse-deer marched up to the scarecrow. He gave it a big kick.Oh no! His leg stuck to the scarecrow. The scarecrow was covered with sticky sap from a rubber tree!“Let me go!” said Mouse-deer. He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his other front leg.Oops! That leg got stuck too.“Turn me loose!” He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his two hind legs.They stuck too.       “PUT ME DOWN!” He pulled and he pushed and he pulled and he pushed. But Mouse-deer was trapped.Then he saw Farmer. Mouse-deer thought fast. But he didn’t have any ideas! Children, please suggest something to the Mouse-deer.Let’s listen ahead to find out what happened. “Well, well,” said the farmer. “How nice of you to come back.”He pulled Mouse-deer off the scarecrow and carried him to the house. He put him outside in an empty chicken coop.“I’ll keep you here tonight,” said the farmer, “And tomorrow you’ll be our dinner.”All that night, the Mouse-deer couldn’t sleep. He didn’t want to be the farmer’s dinner! He kept thinking about how to save himself, but he couldn’t think of any ideas.When the sun rose, Mouse-deer just lay there sadly.Then he heard something. “Why, it’s Mouse-deer! So Farmer caught you at last. It serves you right!”It was Farmer’s dog. Mouse-deer thought fast.“What do you mean, Dog? Farmer didn’t catch me.”“Then why are you in the coop?” said the Dog.“Because there aren’t enough beds in the house. You see, Farmer is holding a feast tomorrow. And I’m the guest of honour.”“Guest of honour?” said Dog. “That’s not fair! I’ve been his loyal friend for years, and you’re just a thief. The guest of honour should be me!” demanded the dog.“You know, Dog, you’re right. Why don’t you take my place? When Farmer sees you in here, he’ll make you the guest of honour instead.” Children, do you think the dog will agree? “Really?” said Dog. “You don’t mind?”“Not at all,” said Mouse-deer. “You deserve it.”“Mouse-deer, you’re not so bad after all. Thank you!” Dog lifted the latch and opened the door.“You’re welcome, Dog. Enjoy the feast.”Mouse-deer ran for the forest. Then he watched from the forest’s edge. He saw Farmer come out and stare at Dog. Then he heard the farmer yell.“You silly dog! You let the mouse deer getaway!”Mouse-deer laughed. “Farmer will have to find a different dinner now!” Then he went off singing his song. I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

The Mouse-deer and the farmer is a delightful trickster tale from Southeast Asia. In this story, the Mouse-deer tricks the farmer not once but twice!

Free activity sheet available at https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-farmer

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

Mouse-deer loved to eat the fruits, roots, and shoots of the forest. But he loved something else even more.

He loved the vegetables in Farmer’s garden.

Children, what is your favourite vegetable and fruit? 

One day, Mouse-deer went to the edge of the forest. He looked out at row after row of vegetables.

“Mmmm,” said Mouse-deer, “Juicy cucumbers! Yummy yams!” He started into the garden.

Snap! “Oh!”

Children, what do you think happened? 

His leg was caught in a snare! Mouse-deer pulled and pulled. But he could not getaway.

“Oh, no!” he said. “The farmer will have me for dinner now!”

Then he saw the farmer coming. Mouse-deer thought fast. He lay on the ground and made his body stiff.

The farmer was very excited and bent to look at the Mouse-deer, “Well, well, well, Look what I caught. A mouse deer! Ummmm, but he looks dead.”

The farmer pushed him with his foot. Mouse-deer didn’t move.

“Maybe he’s been dead a long time,” said Farmer. “Too bad! I guess we can’t eat him.”

He pulled the Mouse-deer’s leg out of the snare. Then he tossed the Mouse-deer back into the forest. 

So children, who was delighted in spite of getting tossed in the forest?

Yes! It was the mouse deer.

Mouse-deer landed with a soft plop. Then thanking his stars, he jumped up and ran. Behind him, he heard Farmer yell.

“Hey! You tricked me!”

Mouse-deer laughed. “Farmer is smart. But Mouse-deer is smarter!”

A few days passed. Mouse-deer kept thinking about all those vegetables and his mouth started watering.

So, one day, he went back to the edge of the forest.

“Mmmm,” said Mouse-deer. “Tasty gourds! Scrumptious sweet potatoes!”

Then he saw something new. It looked like a man. But its head was coconut, and its body was rubber.

Children, what do you think it was? 

“A scarecrow!” said Mouse-deer. “That silly Farmer. Does he think he can scare me with that? I’ll show him how scared I am!”

Mouse-deer marched up to the scarecrow. He gave it a big kick.

Oh no! His leg stuck to the scarecrow. The scarecrow was covered with sticky sap from a rubber tree!

“Let me go!” said Mouse-deer. He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his other front leg.

Oops! That leg got stuck too.

“Turn me loose!” He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his two hind legs.

They stuck too.       

“PUT ME DOWN!” He pulled and he pushed and he pulled and he pushed. But Mouse-deer was trapped.

Then he saw Farmer. Mouse-deer thought fast. But he didn’t have any ideas! 

Children, please suggest something to the Mouse-deer.

Let’s listen ahead to find out what happened. 

“Well, well,” said the farmer. “How nice of you to come back.”

He pulled Mouse-deer off the scarecrow and carried him to the house. He put him outside in an empty chicken coop.

“I’ll keep you here tonight,” said the farmer, “And tomorrow you’ll be our dinner.”

All that night, the Mouse-deer couldn’t sleep. He didn’t want to be the farmer’s dinner! He kept thinking about how to save himself, but he couldn’t think of any ideas.

When the sun rose, Mouse-deer just lay there sadly.

Then he heard something. “Why, it’s Mouse-deer! So Farmer caught you at last. It serves you right!”

It was Farmer’s dog. Mouse-deer thought fast.

“What do you mean, Dog? Farmer didn’t catch me.”

“Then why are you in the coop?” said the Dog.

“Because there aren’t enough beds in the house. You see, Farmer is holding a feast tomorrow. And I’m the guest of honour.”

“Guest of honour?” said Dog. “That’s not fair! I’ve been his loyal friend for years, and you’re just a thief. The guest of honour should be me!” demanded the dog.

“You know, Dog, you’re right. Why don’t you take my place? When Farmer sees you in here, he’ll make you the guest of honour instead.” 

Children, do you think the dog will agree? 

“Really?” said Dog. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” said Mouse-deer. “You deserve it.”

“Mouse-deer, you’re not so bad after all. Thank you!” Dog lifted the latch and opened the door.

“You’re welcome, Dog. Enjoy the feast.”

Mouse-deer ran for the forest. Then he watched from the forest’s edge. He saw Farmer come out and stare at Dog. Then he heard the farmer yell.

“You silly dog! You let the mouse deer getaway!”

Mouse-deer laughed. “Farmer will have to find a different dinner now!” Then he went off singing his song.

I am quick and smart as I can be.
Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Stories from Near and Far: The Mouse-deer and the Farmer

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/18/16/e46cdcd0-2f24-48e9-85b3-4aefe74d5bf6_mouse_and_tiger-redcircle.mp3

The Mouse-deer and the tiger is a delightful trickster tale from Southeast Asia, where the Mouse-deer gets the best of one of his most ferocious enemies, the tiger. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-tiger" rel="nofollow">https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-tiger</a> Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me. Children, can you guess who that is? It was the mouse-deer. A mouse-deer is neither a mouse nor a deer and mostly found in South and Southeast Asia. I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me. Mouse-deer sang his song as he walked through the forest. He was looking for tasty fruits and roots and shoots.Though he was small, he was not afraid. Children, what are you afraid of? So the mouse-deer was fearless. He knew that many big animals wanted to eat him. But first, they had to catch him! Then he heard something. Rowr!There was Tiger!“Hello, Mouse-deer. I was just getting hungry. Now you can be my lunch.”Certainly, the Mouse-deer didn’t want to be the lunch. He looked around and thought fast. He saw a mud puddle. Children, can you guess what he will do?Listen ahead. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his pudding.”“His pudding?” said Tiger.“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the mud puddle. “It has the best taste in the world.”Tiger looked longingly at the puddle. “I would like to taste the King’s pudding.”“Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry.”“Just one little taste, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”“Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight, tricking the tiger. A real trickster indeed. “Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s pudding!” He took a big mouthful.Phooey! He spit it out.“Yuck! Ugh! Bleck! That’s no pudding. That’s mud!”Tiger ran through the forest. Rowr! He caught up with Mouse-deer.“Mouse-deer, you tricked me once. But now you will be my lunch!”Mouse-deer looked around and thought fast. He saw a wasp nest in a tree. Children, can you think of a way that the trickster Mouse-deer would use the wasp nest to trick the tiger? “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his drum.”“His drum?” said Tiger.“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the wasp nest. “It has the best sound in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to hit it.”Tiger got tempted, “I would like to hit the King’s drum.”“Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry.”“Just one little hit, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”“Well, all right, Tiger. But first, let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight.“Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s drum!” He reached up and hit it. Pow.Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The wasps all flew out. They started to sting Tiger.“Ouch! Ooch! Eech! That’s no drum. That’s a wasp nest!”Tiger ran away. But the wasps only followed him! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz.“Ouch! Ooch!”Tiger came to a stream. He jumped in—splish-splash!—and stayed underwater as long as he could. At last, the wasps went away.Then Tiger jumped out. Rowr! He ran through the forest till he found Mouse-deer.“Mouse-deer, you tricked me once. You tricked me twice. But now you will be my lunch!”Mouse-deer looked around and thought fast. He saw a cobra! Children, do you think the Mouse-deer will be able to think of something with the cobra to save himself? Can you please give Mouse-deer some ideas? The giant snake was coiled asleep on the ground.“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his belt.”“His belt?” said Tiger.“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the cobra. “It’s the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to wear it.”Tiger got tempted yet again, “I would like to wear the King’s belt.”“Oh, no Tiger! The King would be very angry.”“Just for one moment, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”“Well, all right, Tiger. But first, let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight.“Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s belt!” He started to wrap it around himself.The cobra woke up. Ssssssssssssss. It didn’t wait for Tiger to finish wrapping. It wrapped itself around Tiger. Then it squeezed him and bit him.“Ooh! Ow! Yow! That’s no belt. That’s a cobra! Help! Mouse-deer! Help!”But Mouse-deer was far away. And as he went, he sang his song. I am quick and smart as I can be.Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

The Mouse-deer and the tiger is a delightful trickster tale from Southeast Asia, where the Mouse-deer gets the best of one of his most ferocious enemies, the tiger.

Free activity sheet available at https://www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-tiger

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

I am quick and smart as I can be.

Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Children, can you guess who that is?

It was the mouse-deer. A mouse-deer is neither a mouse nor a deer and mostly found in South and Southeast Asia.

I am quick and smart as I can be.

Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Mouse-deer sang his song as he walked through the forest. He was looking for tasty fruits and roots and shoots.

Though he was small, he was not afraid.

Children, what are you afraid of?

So the mouse-deer was fearless. He knew that many big animals wanted to eat him. But first, they had to catch him!

Then he heard something. Rowr!

There was Tiger!

“Hello, Mouse-deer. I was just getting hungry. Now you can be my lunch.”

Certainly, the Mouse-deer didn’t want to be the lunch. He looked around and thought fast. He saw a mud puddle.

Children, can you guess what he will do?

Listen ahead.

“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his pudding.”

“His pudding?” said Tiger.

“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the mud puddle. “It has the best taste in the world.”

Tiger looked longingly at the puddle. “I would like to taste the King’s pudding.”

“Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry.”

“Just one little taste, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”

“Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”

“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”

Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight, tricking the tiger. A real trickster indeed.

“Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s pudding!” He took a big mouthful.

Phooey! He spit it out.

“Yuck! Ugh! Bleck! That’s no pudding. That’s mud!”

Tiger ran through the forest. Rowr! He caught up with Mouse-deer.

“Mouse-deer, you tricked me once. But now you will be my lunch!”

Mouse-deer looked around and thought fast. He saw a wasp nest in a tree.

Children, can you think of a way that the trickster Mouse-deer would use the wasp nest to trick the tiger?

“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his drum.”

“His drum?” said Tiger.

“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the wasp nest. “It has the best sound in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to hit it.”

Tiger got tempted, “I would like to hit the King’s drum.”

“Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry.”

“Just one little hit, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”

“Well, all right, Tiger. But first, let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”

“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”

Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight.

“Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s drum!” He reached up and hit it. Pow.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The wasps all flew out. They started to sting Tiger.

“Ouch! Ooch! Eech! That’s no drum. That’s a wasp nest!”

Tiger ran away. But the wasps only followed him! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

“Ouch! Ooch!”

Tiger came to a stream. He jumped in—splish-splash!—and stayed underwater as long as he could. At last, the wasps went away.

Then Tiger jumped out. Rowr! He ran through the forest till he found Mouse-deer.

“Mouse-deer, you tricked me once. You tricked me twice. But now you will be my lunch!”

Mouse-deer looked around and thought fast. He saw a cobra!

Children, do you think the Mouse-deer will be able to think of something with the cobra to save himself? Can you please give Mouse-deer some ideas?

The giant snake was coiled asleep on the ground.

“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his belt.”

“His belt?” said Tiger.

“Yes. There it is.” Mouse-deer pointed to the cobra. “It’s the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to wear it.”

Tiger got tempted yet again, “I would like to wear the King’s belt.”

“Oh, no Tiger! The King would be very angry.”

“Just for one moment, Mouse-deer! The King will never know.”

“Well, all right, Tiger. But first, let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”

“All right, Mouse-deer, you can go now.”

Mouse-deer ran quickly out of sight.

“Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s belt!” He started to wrap it around himself.

The cobra woke up. Ssssssssssssss. It didn’t wait for Tiger to finish wrapping. It wrapped itself around Tiger. Then it squeezed him and bit him.

“Ooh! Ow! Yow! That’s no belt. That’s a cobra! Help! Mouse-deer! Help!”

But Mouse-deer was far away. And as he went, he sang his song.

I am quick and smart as I can be.

Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Stories from Near and Far: The Mouse-deer and the Tiger

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/11/16/c179ef36-1fe3-4cc5-be32-cc1c52e76cf8_letter_h_-sound_record-redcircle.mp3

The alphabet Escapades of letter H is a story about Alphabet H being very lonely and then making lots of friends. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-h" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-h</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Letter H was very lonely and bored. He did not feel happy. So, he lazily went for a stroll to a nearby lake and sat on a rock next to it. He was throwing stones in the water and watching them splash the water.&#34;Ouch!&#34; came a cry. Children, who could it be?Let’s listen ahead. Two eyes, a stubby nose peeped out, “You are hurting me.&#34; It was a hippo peeping out. &#34;Sorry, I am really sorry! &#34; shouted the scared letter H.“Why are you throwing stones in the water?” yelled out the hippo.“I am bored,&#34; said the letter H.“Ummmm. We all get bored sometime or the other. But I have a solution in case you want to make new friends. That is only if you want.” Hippo waited for the Letter H’s response.Letter H’s eyes sparkled “Yes! Please. I want to make friends. I have none!”“It’s hen’s birthday and the horse, the hare, the honeybees and I are preparing for a big birthday surprise. We could use a little help and you could make new friends in return,” suggested hippo.&#34;Yes! Yes!” H hopped around.&#34;How can I help? How can I help, please tell me,&#34; he exclaimed. “We have a meeting here soon to discuss how to celebrate Hen’s birthday, so why don&#39;t you stay back?&#34; advised hippo.Soon, they heard the hoofs. Children, who was approaching? Yes, indeed it was the horse.The horse was seen galloping down the hill and he soon reached the lake. The honeybees buzzed and reached at the same time. Next, the hare came hopping.Letter H was super excited.Then he saw aa Hummingbird fluttering as she flew near the pond from its home in the nearby tree. Children, who all reached the pond?Yes, it was the Hippo, horse, honeybees, hare, and hummingbird. And not to forget letter H. Once they all assembled, Hippo introduced letter H, “This is letter H and he’s very lonely. So, I invited him to help out for Hen’s surprise party.”All the others burst out singing, “The more we get together, together, togetherThe more we get togetherThe happier are weFor my friends are your friends and your friends are my friendsThe more we get together, together, togetherThe more we get togetherThe happier are we!”“Thanks a lot. Please let me know how can I be of some help?” said a happy letter H.The hare was the first to suggest that they could all do a hopping dance for the hen.“Hippos can&#39;t hop! &#34;shouted hippo.“Horses can&#39;t hop! &#34;shouted horses.The bees buzzed, “You both can just move gently to the music while the hare and we bees dance to the chirping music of the hummingbird! &#34;&#34;We will also bring sweet honey,” suggested one of the bees.Without wasting time, the horse and hippo started practicing their moves and believe it or not, in no time they were moving to the beats of the music. “See! when you put your heart, you can learn anything,” said the hummingbird.  H was dancing too, hopping to the music.He suddenly stopped and exclaimed, “I will bring party has for everybody.”The bees held each other&#39;s hand and danced around.H was indeed very     happy now.The next day was hen&#39;s birthday. All the friends hid behind the rocks and hippo went underwater. Children, why do you think everybody wan hiding?Yes, because it was a surprise birthday party for the hen. When they heard the clucking, they knew the hen was walking towards the pond.They all came out from their hiding places and yelled, “Happy Birthday! Happy birthday, happy birthday dear hen. Happy Birthday, happy birthday happy birthday dear hen.”The hen was surprised, and she was ecstatic.Letter H gave the hats to his new friends.Then they all danced and ate the honey.The best was when the hen got her harp and played a nice tune on it.H was delighted to be in the company of new friends.The hen thanked all the friends for a delightful birthday party.      From that day onwards letter H was never bored, as he had many friends. Hello Children! I am letter H. Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /h/Let’s see what all words in the story started with /h/Do you remember who came out of the water when I was throwing stones in the water?/h/ HippoWhose birthday was it?/h/ hen’sWho all joined in planning the party?/h/ horse/h/ honeybees/h/ hare/h/ hummingbirds The /h/ honeybees bought/h/ honey to eatI got /h/ hatsThen who played /h/ harp?It was the /h/ hen.

The alphabet Escapades of letter H is a story about Alphabet H being very lonely and then making lots of friends.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-h.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript
Letter H was very lonely and bored. He did not feel happy. So, he lazily went for a stroll to a nearby lake and sat on a rock next to it.  He was throwing stones in the water and watching them splash the water. 
"Ouch!" came a cry.

Children, who could it be?
Let’s listen ahead.

Two eyes, a stubby nose peeped out, “You are hurting me." It was a hippo peeping out. "Sorry, I am really sorry! " shouted the scared letter H. 
“Why are you throwing stones in the water?” yelled out the hippo. 
“I am bored," said the letter H. 
“Ummmm. We all get bored sometime or the other. But I have a solution in case 	you want to make new friends. That is only if you want.” Hippo waited for the Letter H’s response.
Letter H’s eyes sparkled “Yes! Please. I want to make friends. I have none!”
“It’s hen’s birthday and the horse, the hare, the honeybees and I are preparing for a big birthday surprise. We could use a little help and you could make new friends in return,” suggested hippo. 
"Yes! Yes!” H hopped around. 
"How can I help? How can I help, please tell me," he exclaimed.
 “We have a meeting here soon to discuss how to celebrate Hen’s birthday, so why don't you stay back?" advised hippo.
Soon, they heard the hoofs.

Children, who was approaching?

Yes, indeed it was the horse.
The horse was seen galloping down the hill and he soon reached the lake. The honeybees buzzed and reached at the same time. Next, the hare came hopping.
Letter H was super excited. 
Then he saw aa Hummingbird fluttering as she flew near the pond from its home in the nearby tree. 

Children, who all reached the pond?
Yes, it was the Hippo, horse, honeybees, hare, and hummingbird. And not to forget letter H. 

Once they all assembled, Hippo introduced letter H, “This is letter H and he’s very lonely. So, I invited him to help out for Hen’s surprise party.”
All the others burst out singing, “The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together
The happier are we
For my friends are your friends and your friends are my friends
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together
The happier are we!”
“Thanks a lot. Please let me know how can I be of some help?” said a happy letter H.
The hare was the first to suggest that they could all do a hopping dance for the hen. 
“Hippos can't hop! "shouted hippo.
“Horses can't hop! "shouted horses. 
The bees buzzed, “You both can just move gently to the music while the hare and we bees dance to the chirping music of the hummingbird! "
"We will also bring sweet honey,” suggested one of the bees.
Without wasting time, the horse and hippo started practicing their moves and believe it or not, in no time they were moving to the beats of the music. “See! when you put your heart, you can learn anything,” said the hummingbird.	
H was dancing too, hopping to the music. 
He suddenly stopped and exclaimed, “I will bring party has for everybody.” 
The bees held each other's hand and danced around. 
H was indeed very	 happy now.
The next day was hen's birthday. All the friends hid behind the rocks and hippo went underwater.

Children, why do you think everybody wan hiding? 
Yes, because it was a surprise birthday party for the hen. 

When they heard the clucking, they knew the hen was walking towards the pond.
They all came out from their hiding places and yelled, “Happy Birthday! Happy birthday, happy birthday dear hen. Happy Birthday, happy birthday happy birthday dear hen.”
The hen was surprised, and she was ecstatic. 
Letter H gave the hats to his new friends.
Then they all danced and ate the honey.
The best was when the hen got her harp and played a nice tune on it.
H was delighted to be in the company of new friends.
The hen thanked all the friends for a delightful birthday party.  	
From that day onwards letter H was never bored, as he had many friends.

Hello Children! I am letter H. Hope you liked the story.
You know I make the sound /h/
Let’s see what all words in the story started with /h/
Do you remember who came out of the water when I was throwing stones in the water?
/h/ Hippo
Whose birthday was it?
/h/ hen’s
Who all joined in planning the party?
/h/ horse
/h/ honeybees
/h/ hare
/h/ hummingbirds

The /h/ honeybees bought 
/h/ honey to eat
I got /h/ hats 
Then who played /h/ harp?
It was the /h/ hen.


Alphabet Escapades of Letter H

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/4/23/a3b1ab4d-3d1f-4816-80b6-4b6fa76b7691_how_the_kangaroo_got_her_pouch.mp3

This is an adapted folktale from Australia. It’s a legend about how the mummy kangaroo got a pouch! Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/how-the-kangaroo-got-her-pouch" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/how-the-kangaroo-got-her-pouch</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Long ago mumma kangaroo was grooming her joey on the bank of a brook. They liked to listen to the water babble as the mama combed her baby’s fur.As she gave a final touch to the joey’s coat, she said lovingly, “Always stay close to mumma. Whenever we go out, I get worried when you wander off.” Before joey cold even nod, they heard sound of weeping. Children, who do you think is crying? They saw an old wombat staggering toward them.“Oh dear,” the kangaroo whispered to her baby. “This wombat is old and sick. He must have great-great-grandchildren already.”As the wombat swung closer, she heard him say, “Useless and worthless, worthless and useless.”“What’s the trouble, friend wombat?” she asked.He said, startled. “Who said that?”“I did,” said mumma kangaroo. “A kangaroo and her joey here.”“I can’t see properly,” the wombat replied. “Nobody wants me around. Nobody thinks about me. I’m no good anymore. They’ve abandoned me, all of them.”The mumma  kangaroo, who had a tender heart, said, “It’s not as bad as that at all. I’ll be your friend. My joey and I will show you where the tastiest grass grows.” She let the wombat hold her tail. Then, slowly, she led him over to the juiciest grass and the cleanest water. The old wombat sighed with pleasure. It made the kangaroo happy to see him feeling better. Children, think of one way you helped someone this week. Suddenly she remembered her joey! She had told him to stay close, but he had wandered off again. She raced back to look for him. So many times this had happened. She had gone out looking for food, and when she looked up, the little joey had wandered off. It scared her terribly.Fortunately, she found her joey asleep under a gum tree. Not wanting to wake him from his nap, she decided to go back and check on the old wombat. Something was moving in the bush. An Aboriginal hunter, silently stalking the wombat! Children, what do you think the  mumma kangaroo will do now? The hunter’s boomerang was raised above his head. Its smooth edges ready to slice the air. Children a boomerang is a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so that it will return to the thrower.  It was traditionally used by Australian Aboriginal people as a hunting weapon.Well, getting on with the story. When the kangaroo saw the hunter, she froze. She couldn’t even breathe. As you must have realized by now he kangaroo was very kind hearted, so in spite of the hunter, she wanted to protect the wombat!The kangaroo began to stomp the branches and twigs under her feet. Thump, thump, crack, crack, she pounded the earth. The hunter turned toward her. “Run,” she screamed to the wombat, “Run, there’s a hunter.” The wombat took off crazily, not knowing where he was going. The hunter didn’t care. Now all he wanted was the mumma kangaroo! Children do you think the hunter will catch the kangaroo? Listen ahead. She hopped as hard and fast as she could into the bush, away, away from where she had left her joey asleep. At last she came to a cave. She was too tired to go any farther, and collapsed on the dirt floor inside. At least the hunter would have to kill her in the cool dark, not out in the open where other animals would be forced to watch.The hunter ran past the mouth of the cave! The kangaroo breathed a sigh of relief. She stayed inside, listening for his return. She was afraid to go out.Finally, when she saw him walk past the mouth of the cave again, his boomerang hanging from his hand. She waited until it was safe, then ran as fast as she could back to the gum tree. Children, who was there under the gum tree? That’s right, there was her joey, awake and ready to play. Together they went to look for the wombat, but he had gone.What the kangaroo mother did not know was that the wombat wasn’t a wombat. He was actually the great god Byamee who had put on a disguise. Children, In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Baiame was the creator god who created all living things. So, Byamee had put on a disguise and  had descended from the sky world to find out which of his creatures had the kindest heart. Now he had an answer that pleased him greatly and that was the kangaroo. Byamee wanted to give her the gift that would help her most of all. So he called the sky spirits together and said, “Go down below to where the eucalyptus grow tall. Peel the long strips of the bark and make an apron.” Children, why was Byamee, getting a bag? Put on your thinking caps. Then Byamee added, “Give it to the kangaroo mother and explain that she must tie it around her waist.”And so they did. At the very moment the kangaroo mother tied the apron around her waist, Byamee transformed it into soft kangaroo fur. It grew into her own flesh. Now she had a pouch in which to carry her baby joey. He could even sleep in there as she went about her daily tasks.The kangaroo mother was very delighted with her gift. She thanked the Baymee God and the sky spirits. But because she was the kindest creature of all, she didn’t want to keep it only for herself. She thought about the other kangaroo mothers and about the kangaroo rats and all the other marsupials and requested that all her friends too get a bag like hers.Byamee loved the kangaroo’s generous heart. So, he decided to make pouches for all the other marsupial mothers. Ever since then, their babies almost never get lost.

This is an adapted folktale from Australia. It’s a legend about how the mummy kangaroo got a pouch!

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/how-the-kangaroo-got-her-pouch.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

Long ago mumma kangaroo was grooming her joey on the bank of a brook. They liked to listen to the water babble as the mama combed her baby’s fur.

As she gave a final touch to the joey’s coat, she said lovingly, “Always stay close to mumma. Whenever we go out, I get worried when you wander off.” 

Before joey cold even nod, they heard sound of weeping.

Children, who do you think is crying?

They saw an old wombat staggering toward them.

“Oh dear,” the kangaroo whispered to her baby. “This wombat is old and sick. He must have great-great-grandchildren already.”

As the wombat swung closer, she heard him say, “Useless and worthless, worthless and useless.”

“What’s the trouble, friend wombat?” she asked.

He said, startled. “Who said that?”

“I did,” said mumma kangaroo. “A kangaroo and her joey here.”

“I can’t see properly,” the wombat replied. “Nobody wants me around. Nobody thinks about me. I’m no good anymore. They’ve abandoned me, all of them.”

The mumma  kangaroo, who had a tender heart, said, “It’s not as bad as that at all. I’ll be your friend. My joey and I will show you where the tastiest grass grows.” She let the wombat hold her tail. Then, slowly, she led him over to the juiciest grass and the cleanest water. The old wombat sighed with pleasure. It made the kangaroo happy to see him feeling better.

Children, think of one way you helped someone this week.

Suddenly she remembered her joey! She had told him to stay close, but he had wandered off again. She raced back to look for him. So many times this had happened. She had gone out looking for food, and when she looked up, the little joey had wandered off. It scared her terribly.

Fortunately, she found her joey asleep under a gum tree. Not wanting to wake him from his nap, she decided to go back and check on the old wombat. Something was moving in the bush. An Aboriginal hunter, silently stalking the wombat!

Children, what do you think the  mumma kangaroo will do now?

The hunter’s boomerang was raised above his head. Its smooth edges ready to slice the air.

Children a boomerang is a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so that it will return to the thrower.  It was traditionally used by Australian Aboriginal people as a hunting weapon.

Well, getting on with the story.

When the kangaroo saw the hunter, she froze. She couldn’t even breathe. As you must have realized by now he kangaroo was very kind hearted, so in spite of the hunter, she wanted to protect the wombat!

The kangaroo began to stomp the branches and twigs under her feet. Thump, thump, crack, crack, she pounded the earth. The hunter turned toward her. “Run,” she screamed to the wombat, “Run, there’s a hunter.” The wombat took off crazily, not knowing where he was going. The hunter didn’t care. Now all he wanted was the mumma kangaroo!

Children do you think the hunter will catch the kangaroo? Listen ahead.

She hopped as hard and fast as she could into the bush, away, away from where she had left her joey asleep. At last she came to a cave. She was too tired to go any farther, and collapsed on the dirt floor inside. At least the hunter would have to kill her in the cool dark, not out in the open where other animals would be forced to watch.

The hunter ran past the mouth of the cave! The kangaroo breathed a sigh of relief. She stayed inside, listening for his return. She was afraid to go out.

Finally, when she saw him walk past the mouth of the cave again, his boomerang hanging from his hand. She waited until it was safe, then ran as fast as she could back to the gum tree.

Children, who was there under the gum tree?

That’s right, there was her joey, awake and ready to play. Together they went to look for the wombat, but he had gone.

What the kangaroo mother did not know was that the wombat wasn’t a wombat. He was actually the great god Byamee who had put on a disguise.

Children, In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Baiame was the creator god who created all living things.

So, Byamee had put on a disguise and  had descended from the sky world to find out which of his creatures had the kindest heart. Now he had an answer that pleased him greatly and that was the kangaroo. Byamee wanted to give her the gift that would help her most of all. So he called the sky spirits together and said, “Go down below to where the eucalyptus grow tall. Peel the long strips of the bark and make an apron.”

Children, why was Byamee, getting a bag? Put on your thinking caps.

Then Byamee added, “Give it to the kangaroo mother and explain that she must tie it around her waist.”

And so they did. At the very moment the kangaroo mother tied the apron around her waist, Byamee transformed it into soft kangaroo fur. It grew into her own flesh. Now she had a pouch in which to carry her baby joey. He could even sleep in there as she went about her daily tasks.

The kangaroo mother was very delighted with her gift. She thanked the Baymee God and the sky spirits. But because she was the kindest creature of all, she didn’t want to keep it only for herself. She thought about the other kangaroo mothers and about the kangaroo rats and all the other marsupials and requested that all her friends too get a bag like hers.

Byamee loved the kangaroo’s generous heart. So, he decided to make pouches for all the other marsupial mothers. Ever since then, their babies almost never get lost.

Stories from Near and Far: How The Kangaroo Got Her Pouch

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/3/28/16/57f07491-be3a-4b9a-a469-48365a84708b__2021_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_g-redcircle.mp3

Have you ever seen a river? Rivers gives us water for drinking, washing, bathing, and cooking. But some people make rivers dirty. Today’s story is about letter G’s adventure with his best friend Gita who is trying to keep the river clean. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-g" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-g</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. TranscriptIn a small village next to a big city, there lived a little girl named Gita with her grandmother. They had a small house, but they had a big garden where on one side grandma had a vegetable patch, and on the other side she grew grains. They even had a goat.Gita was very fond of the goat. Every morning, as the first rays of the sun fell on the earth, she took the goat to graze in the fields.Not only was she fond of the goat, but Gita was very fond of her guitar that her father had given, and the letter G was always hanging around with them. Letter G called Gita his best Friend.Every day, Gita used to leave the goat to graze, in the fields, while she sat under a big tree playing her guitar that her father had given. She used to try and make new melodies. Letter G loved when Gita played the guitar.Next to their house was the famous river Ganga. After playing the guitar for some time, Gita used to take her goat to the river&#39;s bank, sit on one of the stones, and dangle her legs in the water.She used to hold her goat in her lap and listen to the music of the waves. Then she returned back home as the hues of orange and red and purple would cover the horizon, telling her that night would soon fall upon them and she needed to be home.Grandma would serve her dinner and the two would talk about their day. Gita helped Grandma clear the kitchen and then it was time to go to bed. But not before she heard a story from grandma.Grandma would wear her glasses and she would adjust them on her nose so that she could read stories to Gita from mythology, from faraway lands, and stories of adventures of people near and far till Gita’s eyelids became heavy and she dozed into dreamland.Every day, this was her routine.As usual, one day when she was sitting on the rocks by the riverbank dangling her legs in the water, suddenly she saw dirty plastic bags all around her legs.She flinched, got up, and moved to another rock downstream.The next day too she saw dirty plastic bottles around the rocks. Day by day, she realized that the whole bank was dirty with garbage and plastic. She even saw some fish strangled by getting stuck in the plastic!She felt disgusted as the pure water that flowed was now always strewn with garbage.One day Gita was very upset during dinner time.“What’s wrong Gita? Is there something troubling you? Do you want to share it with me?” asked grandma.Gita explained that how her heart broke to see the Ganga river getting polluted.“Where is all this garbage coming from? I do not see anyone from our village throwing garbage into our river?” raising her eyebrows Gita asked.Grandma explained, “The people of the city close by are using too much plastic, be it plastic bags, be it plastic packaging material or even water bottles. They also throw garbage in the river. All this is making Ganga dirty.”“So, what can we do grandma?” enquired Gita inquisitively.“We have to inform the people of the city not to throw garbage in the river, and also that plastic bags and bottles, etc. should not be thrown in the Ganga. They can be recycled,” said grandma. That night Gita knew she wanted to do something and save the river, but she didn’t know how. The next morning, when she was strumming her guitar, she sang: Oh, dear friendsWork hand in handStop polluting the river, our friendOh, dear friendsWork hand in handIt’s time to mend the river, our friend Just then letter G exclaimed, “Why don’t we all go to the city and you sing this song that tells people to save Ganga?”“Thanks, letter G! what a great idea!” Gita’s eyes sparkled. She told grandmother about her decision to go to the city and spread awareness regarding the river pollution.Grandmother patted her back.She took her companions, her goat, guitar, and letter G to the city.People were amused to see a girl with a guitar and a goat. She stopped at a school and stood outside the gate and sang:Oh, dear friendsWork hand in handStop polluting the river, our friendOh, dear friendsWork hand in handIt’s time to mend the river, our friend. The teachers called her inside and Gita explained that she wanted to save the river Ganga.The teachers were touched, and the children of the school were inspired and vowed to help her.Letter G was delighted to see the enthusiasm in the school.The school children decided to make posters to let people understand why they should not throw garbage in the river and not use plastic.“Thank you for joining me, I’ll come back in a couple of days and we can spread awareness in other schools too,” excitedly Gita said.Gita had a smile from ear to ear. She happily skipped her way home with her goat, the guitar, and of course letter G. After a few days, Gita was back with her companions. She straight went to the school where children were all ready with their eye-catching posters.Some of the posters read:To be fantastic, don&#39;t litter with plasticGo green. Say no to plastic.Say no to plastic. Save the earth They all went to other schools, making them aware of the danger that the Ganga river was in. It was a chain reaction and very soon people of the city became more and more aware of using less plastic. And of course, not throwing garbage in Ganga.Gita was the talk of the town.In fact, the city mayor gave her an award and asked what gift she would like to have.She told them that she needed them to help her clean the banks of Ganga.Students burst out in joy, “We will all help you! We will all help you!”They went in large numbers to the bank of the river and cleaned all the garbage there.Gita was very glad and so was near the river.  Hello Children! I am alphabet G. I Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /g/Let’s see what all words in the story started with /g/My friend’s name was/g/ GeetaShe stayed with her /g/ grandmother and her/g/ goatGrandmother grew/g/ grainsGita loved to play on her/g/ guitarWhen Gita played the guitarThe goat went to/g/ grazeWhich river flowed near their house?/g/ GangaWhat did grandma wear as she read to Gita/g/ glassesWhat were city people throwing in the river/g/ garbage

Have you ever seen a river? Rivers gives us water for drinking, washing, bathing, and cooking. But some people make rivers dirty. Today’s story is about letter G’s adventure with his best friend Gita who is trying to keep the river clean.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-g.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

In a small village next to a big city, there lived a little girl named Gita with her grandmother. They had a small house, but they had a big garden where on one side grandma had a vegetable patch, and on the other side she grew grains. They even had a goat.

Gita was very fond of the goat. Every morning, as the first rays of the sun fell on the earth, she took the goat to graze in the fields.

Not only was she fond of the goat, but Gita was very fond of her guitar that her father had given, and the letter G was always hanging around with them. Letter G called Gita his best Friend.

Every day, Gita used to leave the goat to graze, in the fields, while she sat under a big tree playing her guitar that her father had given. She used to try and make new melodies. Letter G loved when Gita played the guitar.

Next to their house was the famous river Ganga. After playing the guitar for some time, Gita used to take her goat to the river's bank, sit on one of the stones, and dangle her legs in the water.

She used to hold her goat in her lap and listen to the music of the waves. Then she returned back home as the hues of orange and red and purple would cover the horizon, telling her that night would soon fall upon them and she needed to be home.

Grandma would serve her dinner and the two would talk about their day. Gita helped Grandma clear the kitchen and then it was time to go to bed. But not before she heard a story from grandma.

Grandma would wear her glasses and she would adjust them on her nose so that she could read stories to Gita from mythology, from faraway lands, and stories of adventures of people near and far till Gita’s eyelids became heavy and she dozed into dreamland.

Every day, this was her routine.

As usual, one day when she was sitting on the rocks by the riverbank dangling her legs in the water, suddenly she saw dirty plastic bags all around her legs.

She flinched, got up, and moved to another rock downstream.

The next day too she saw dirty plastic bottles around the rocks. Day by day, she realized that the whole bank was dirty with garbage and plastic. She even saw some fish strangled by getting stuck in the plastic!

She felt disgusted as the pure water that flowed was now always strewn with garbage.

One day Gita was very upset during dinner time.

“What’s wrong Gita? Is there something troubling you? Do you want to share it with me?” asked grandma.

Gita explained that how her heart broke to see the Ganga river getting polluted.

“Where is all this garbage coming from? I do not see anyone from our village throwing garbage into our river?” raising her eyebrows Gita asked.

Grandma explained, “The people of the city close by are using too much plastic, be it plastic bags, be it plastic packaging material or even water bottles. They also throw garbage in the river. All this is making Ganga dirty.”

“So, what can we do grandma?” enquired Gita inquisitively.

“We have to inform the people of the city not to throw garbage in the river, and also that plastic bags and bottles, etc. should not be thrown in the Ganga. They can be recycled,” said grandma. That night Gita knew she wanted to do something and save the river, but she didn’t know how.

The next morning, when she was strumming her guitar, she sang:

Oh, dear friends

Work hand in hand

Stop polluting the river, our friend

Oh, dear friends

Work hand in hand

It’s time to mend the river, our friend

Just then letter G exclaimed, “Why don’t we all go to the city and you sing this song that tells people to save Ganga?”

“Thanks, letter G! what a great idea!” Gita’s eyes sparkled.


She told grandmother about her decision to go to the city and spread awareness regarding the river pollution.

Grandmother patted her back.

She took her companions, her goat, guitar, and letter G to the city.

People were amused to see a girl with a guitar and a goat.

She stopped at a school and stood outside the gate and sang:

Oh, dear friends

Work hand in hand

Stop polluting the river, our friend

Oh, dear friends

Work hand in hand

It’s time to mend the river, our friend.

 

The teachers called her inside and Gita explained that she wanted to save the river Ganga.

The teachers were touched, and the children of the school were inspired and vowed to help her.

Letter G was delighted to see the enthusiasm in the school.

The school children decided to make posters to let people understand why they should not throw garbage in the river and not use plastic.

“Thank you for joining me, I’ll come back in a couple of days and we can spread awareness in other schools too,” excitedly Gita said.

Gita had a smile from ear to ear. She happily skipped her way home with her goat, the guitar, and of course letter G.

 

After a few days, Gita was back with her companions. She straight went to the school where children were all ready with their eye-catching posters.

Some of the posters read:

To be fantastic, don't litter with plastic

Go green. Say no to plastic.

Say no to plastic. Save the earth

 

They all went to other schools, making them aware of the danger that the Ganga river was in. It was a chain reaction and very soon people of the city became more and more aware of using less plastic. And of course, not throwing garbage in Ganga.

Gita was the talk of the town.

In fact, the city mayor gave her an award and asked what gift she would like to have.

She told them that she needed them to help her clean the banks of Ganga.

Students burst out in joy, “We will all help you! We will all help you!”

They went in large numbers to the bank of the river and cleaned all the garbage there.

Gita was very glad and so was near the river.

 

 

Hello Children! I am alphabet G. I Hope you liked the story.

You know I make the sound /g/

Let’s see what all words in the story started with /g/

My friend’s name was

/g/ Geeta

She stayed with her /g/ grandmother and her

/g/ goat

Grandmother grew

/g/ grains

Gita loved to play on her

/g/ guitar

When Gita played the guitar

The goat went to

/g/ graze

Which river flowed near their house?

/g/ Ganga

What did grandma wear as she read to Gita

/g/ glasses

What were city people throwing in the river

/g/ garbage



Alphabet Escapades of Letter G

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/3/21/23/4b643a7d-9c56-48cb-bef2-8b760ec30afe_podcast_audio_-_the_grandfather_stone.mp3

The Grandfather Stone is a legend from Native Americans who originally lived in what’s now known as New York state. It’s a story about how people started the art of storytelling. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-grandfather-stone" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-grandfather-stone</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time there was no “once upon a time.” That was because the people had no stories to tell. They didn’t even know what a “story” was! And that made the winters long and boring for people who were cooped up inside with little to do. Children, imagine you are stuck inside homes, how would you keep yourself entertained? In one village, a boy lived with his grandmother. As the spring arrived, , he took his spear to catch fish in the river. By the time the sun set each evening, the boy’s basket was always overflowing with plump, glistening bass and trout!One year, on the first day of spring, when the blankets of snow melted away and colorful flowers sprang from the earth, the boy ran to the river. He waded into the water, his spear poised above his shoulder.The little boy called out to the fish in the river, “I see you, little fish. Right there, little fish!”But every time he plunged his spear into the crystal-clear river, the slippery fish would zig-zag away and disappear downstream.The boy was disappointed.By the time the sun went down, the boy’s basket had only two fish in it.Sadly he thought to himself, “ Oh, no! I’ve never caught so few fish before! Grandmother’s depending on me for dinner. This is going to be one meagre meal.”Not wanting to face his grandmother, the boy decided to meander home a different way. He entered the dark forest, and took a left turn where he usually took a right. Children, what do you think will happen now?Listen ahead..Soon, he approached a shadowy clearing. As he stepped inside, he heard a deep, rumbling voice call out, “ Young man, would you like to hear a story?”The boy was aghast, “Who’s there? Who said that? And what is a story?He heard the deep voice again, “A “story” tells about the things that happened before this time. It tells how things came to be, and why things came to be. So, I ask you again: would you like to hear a story?” Children, if the voice asked you , “Which story would you like to listen? “ What would you say? Now, you remember the boy was in no hurry to go back home. Besides, he was also curious.He requested the deep voice, “Yes, please! I would love to hear a “story”! But first, who are you? And where are you? I don’t see anyone here!”Just then, a gleaming, white ray of the moon passed through the trees, and lit up the stone in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly, the boy realized where the voice was coming from: the stone!The stone introduced himself, “ I am Grandfather Stone. I have been here since time began, so I have many stories to tell. But first, storytellers should always receive something for their stories, a gift, in exchange for their gift. Have you something to give me?”All that the boy had with him were the two fish he’d caught that day. He reached into his basket, pulled out the larger fish, and placed it on top of the stone and asked, “Will this do?”Grandfather stone said, “ It will do. Thank you. Now, come sit. And I will tell you a story.”The boy settled down on the ground and leaned back against the cool, smooth stone. He closed his eyes as the stone began the story.The Grandfather Stone told a story about how long ago, when animals could talk, the proudest and most boastful creature was the bear. The burly beast was always bragging about his most prized possession: a long, glossy, furry tail.One winter, a clever fox decided he’d teach the cocky bear a lesson. Fox told Bear that if he stuck his tail through the ice on the river, the next day he would catch a bounty of fish!FISH! Hearing the word fish, the bear’s mouth started watering. He decided to stick his tail in the ice! Children, can you guess what will happen next? Well, come morning, guess whose tail was frozen beneath the ice?! Bear tried to yank it out, but it stayed behind in the ice, and ever since then, bears have had short tails.By the time the story ended, the boy was grinning from ear to ear.“Wow! This was the most extraordinary thing I have ever heard, thank you I wish you could tell me one more story, but I only have one fish left. And that’s dinner for grandmother and me. It’s also getting late and I have to run back home! ““No problem, you can come back tomorrow,” said the grandfather stone. The little boy rushed back home. When he reached home the Grandmother looked at the little boy and then the basket and said sadly,“I have been worried sick,For you didn’t see the time tick.What! One fish?”“Umm, grandmother…,” stammered the boy, when grandmother interrupted,“Shh.. it’s my wishFor you to get more fishTomorrow.”“Surely, surely,” and he went to bed imagining the story that the Grandfather stone told.The next day it was the same. The little boy took his spear, tried and tried, but he managed to get only two fish yet again!He went straight to the clearing and placing a fish requested for another story from the Grandfather Stone.Again, the boy relaxed on the ground, his eyes closed, his head resting against the stone’s cool, smooth surface. Grandfather stone gladly told him yet another story. After the story ended, the little boy expressed, “ Oh, Grandfather Stone! These stories are the best! I wish you could tell me more, but I only have one fish left.”The grandfather stone comforted, “Not to worry, young man. Come back tomorrow, and I will tell you another story.That brought a smile on the little boy’s face and happily he went back home. When he reached home the Grandmother looked at the little boy and then the basket and with a tear rolling down her cheek she said,“I have been worried sickFor you didn’t see the time tick.What ! One fish?”“Umm, grandmother…mother,” stammered the boy, well,I got two fish but one I exchanged for a gift!”Grandmother’s eye brightened, “ Gift ?” Looking into the basket she said, “ Where is it?“Well! It’s a gift that you hear, “ the little boy said wiping the tear off grandmother’s wrinkly face and explained everything. “I want to meet your grandfather stone too and listen to what you call stories.” Children, do you think the little boy would take the grandmother?Let’s find out. The boy asked Grandmother to take a basket, and fill it with the slices of fresh cornbread.With the basket of cornbread slung over one arm, the boy led Grandmother to the clearing in the forest. In the middle, stood Grandfather Stone, his smooth, cool surface dappled by moonlight through the trees.They both heard the deep voice, “ Young man. You’re back already! And you’ve brought a companion! Welcome!Grandmother was so astonished that , uh, um, the was all that she could say.Grandmother watched as the boy emptied the basket of cornbread onto the stone.With sparkling , curious eyes the boy said, “We would like to hear many stories.”The grandfather stone said, “Thank you! Now, I will tell you some stories.”The boy helped Grandmother onto the ground. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a loving squeeze as Grandfather Stone began.The stone told stories about foolish people and clever animals, stories about clever people and foolish animals, stories about how chipmunks got their stripes, how porcupines got their quilts and how we got the four seasons.Hours went by. Morning came and the moon gave way to the rays of the sun, and the boy and Grandmother were wide awake, wrapped up in Grandfather Stone’s storiesAt last, the stone paused.The grandfather said, “From here on out, stories won’t be kept inside smooth, cold stones like me. They’ll be carried by warm-blooded people like you! Pass these stories on to your children... and your grandchildren,  then have them pass these stories on to their children and grandchildren. Keep these stories going for as long as the world keeps going. Now my friend, it’s your turn.”Then the stone fell silent and never spoke again.The boy and his grandmother listened to the stone’s final words. They returned to the village, and recounted the stories as they had heard… sharing them with everyone, young and old... again and again and again.To show their thanks, the villagers offered gifts of food and clothing. But the way the boy and Grandmother saw it, being able to pass Grandfather Stone’s magnificent, splendid  stories on to others was gift enough.And when spring turned to summer, and summer turned to fall, and fall turned to winter, and the temperatures and the snow began to drop, no one worried about suffering through a long, drawn-out season. They had their stories to entertain them and keep them warm.And today… the whole world does, too.

The Grandfather Stone is a legend from Native Americans who originally lived in what’s now known as New York state. It’s a story about how people started the art of storytelling.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-grandfather-stone.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

Once upon a time there was no “once upon a time.” That was because the people had no stories to tell. They didn’t even know what a “story” was! And that made the winters long and boring for people who were cooped up inside with little to do.

Children, imagine you are stuck inside homes, how would you keep yourself entertained?

In one village, a boy lived with his grandmother. As the spring arrived, , he took his spear to catch fish in the river. By the time the sun set each evening, the boy’s basket was always overflowing with plump, glistening bass and trout!

One year, on the first day of spring, when the blankets of snow melted away and colorful flowers sprang from the earth, the boy ran to the river. He waded into the water, his spear poised above his shoulder.

The little boy called out to the fish in the river, “I see you, little fish. Right there, little fish!”

But every time he plunged his spear into the crystal-clear river, the slippery fish would zig-zag away and disappear downstream.

The boy was disappointed.

By the time the sun went down, the boy’s basket had only two fish in it.

Sadly he thought to himself, “ Oh, no! I’ve never caught so few fish before! Grandmother’s depending on me for dinner. This is going to be one meagre meal.”

Not wanting to face his grandmother, the boy decided to meander home a different way. He entered the dark forest, and took a left turn where he usually took a right.

Children, what do you think will happen now?

Listen ahead..

Soon, he approached a shadowy clearing. As he stepped inside, he heard a deep, rumbling voice call out, “ Young man, would you like to hear a story?”

The boy was aghast, “Who’s there? Who said that? And what is a story?

He heard the deep voice again, “A “story” tells about the things that happened before this time. It tells how things came to be, and why things came to be. So, I ask you again: would you like to hear a story?”

Children, if the voice asked you , “Which story would you like to listen? “ What would you say?

Now, you remember the boy was in no hurry to go back home. Besides, he was also curious.

He requested the deep voice, “Yes, please! I would love to hear a “story”! But first, who are you? And where are you? I don’t see anyone here!”

Just then, a gleaming, white ray of the moon passed through the trees, and lit up the stone in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly, the boy realized where the voice was coming from: the stone!

The stone introduced himself, “ I am Grandfather Stone. I have been here since time began, so I have many stories to tell. But first, storytellers should always receive something for their stories, a gift, in exchange for their gift. Have you something to give me?”

All that the boy had with him were the two fish he’d caught that day. He reached into his basket, pulled out the larger fish, and placed it on top of the stone and asked, “Will this do?”

Grandfather stone said, “ It will do. Thank you. Now, come sit. And I will tell you a story.”

The boy settled down on the ground and leaned back against the cool, smooth stone. He closed his eyes as the stone began the story.

The Grandfather Stone told a story about how long ago, when animals could talk, the proudest and most boastful creature was the bear. The burly beast was always bragging about his most prized possession: a long, glossy, furry tail.

One winter, a clever fox decided he’d teach the cocky bear a lesson. Fox told Bear that if he stuck his tail through the ice on the river, the next day he would catch a bounty of fish!

FISH! Hearing the word fish, the bear’s mouth started watering. He decided to stick his tail in the ice!

Children, can you guess what will happen next?

Well, come morning, guess whose tail was frozen beneath the ice?! Bear tried to yank it out, but it stayed behind in the ice, and ever since then, bears have had short tails.

By the time the story ended, the boy was grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow! This was the most extraordinary thing I have ever heard, thank you I wish you could tell me one more story, but I only have one fish left. And that’s dinner for grandmother and me. It’s also getting late and I have to run back home! “

“No problem, you can come back tomorrow,” said the grandfather stone.

The little boy rushed back home. When he reached home the Grandmother looked at the little boy and then the basket and said sadly,

“I have been worried sick,

For you didn’t see the time tick.

What! One fish?”

“Umm, grandmother…,” stammered the boy, when grandmother interrupted,

“Shh.. it’s my wish

For you to get more fish

Tomorrow.”

“Surely, surely,” and he went to bed imagining the story that the Grandfather stone told.

The next day it was the same. The little boy took his spear, tried and tried, but he managed to get only two fish yet again!

He went straight to the clearing and placing a fish requested for another story from the Grandfather Stone.

Again, the boy relaxed on the ground, his eyes closed, his head resting against the stone’s cool, smooth surface. Grandfather stone gladly told him yet another story.

After the story ended, the little boy expressed, “ Oh, Grandfather Stone! These stories are the best! I wish you could tell me more, but I only have one fish left.”

The grandfather stone comforted, “Not to worry, young man. Come back tomorrow, and I will tell you another story.

That brought a smile on the little boy’s face and happily he went back home.

 When he reached home the Grandmother looked at the little boy and then the basket and with a tear rolling down her cheek she said,

“I have been worried sick

For you didn’t see the time tick.

What ! One fish?”

“Umm, grandmother…mother,” stammered the boy, well,

I got two fish but one I exchanged for a gift!”

Grandmother’s eye brightened, “ Gift ?” Looking into the basket she said, “ Where is it?

“Well! It’s a gift that you hear, “ the little boy said wiping the tear off grandmother’s wrinkly face and explained everything.

 “I want to meet your grandfather stone too and listen to what you call stories.”

Children, do you think the little boy would take the grandmother?

Let’s find out.

The boy asked Grandmother to take a basket, and fill it with the slices of fresh cornbread.

With the basket of cornbread slung over one arm, the boy led Grandmother to the clearing in the forest. In the middle, stood Grandfather Stone, his smooth, cool surface dappled by moonlight through the trees.

They both heard the deep voice, “ Young man. You’re back already! And you’ve brought a companion! Welcome!

Grandmother was so astonished that , uh, um, the was all that she could say.

Grandmother watched as the boy emptied the basket of cornbread onto the stone.

With sparkling , curious eyes the boy said, “We would like to hear many stories.”

The grandfather stone said, “Thank you! Now, I will tell you some stories.”

The boy helped Grandmother onto the ground. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a loving squeeze as Grandfather Stone began.

The stone told stories about foolish people and clever animals, stories about clever people and foolish animals, stories about how chipmunks got their stripes, how porcupines got their quilts and how we got the four seasons.

Hours went by. Morning came and the moon gave way to the rays of the sun, and the boy and Grandmother were wide awake, wrapped up in Grandfather Stone’s stories

At last, the stone paused.

The grandfather said, “From here on out, stories won’t be kept inside smooth, cold stones like me. They’ll be carried by warm-blooded people like you! Pass these stories on to your children... and your grandchildren,  then have them pass these stories on to their children and grandchildren. Keep these stories going for as long as the world keeps going. Now my friend, it’s your turn.”

Then the stone fell silent and never spoke again.

The boy and his grandmother listened to the stone’s final words. They returned to the village, and recounted the stories as they had heard… sharing them with everyone, young and old... again and again and again.

To show their thanks, the villagers offered gifts of food and clothing. But the way the boy and Grandmother saw it, being able to pass Grandfather Stone’s magnificent, splendid  stories on to others was gift enough.

And when spring turned to summer, and summer turned to fall, and fall turned to winter, and the temperatures and the snow began to drop, no one worried about suffering through a long, drawn-out season. They had their stories to entertain them and keep them warm.

And today… the whole world does, too.

Stories from Near and Far: The Grandfather Stone

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/3/15/0/42d6520a-04a0-44ae-9bf1-89351bc92137_podcast_audio.mp3

The Beaver’s Sacrifice is a story about a little Beaver’s sacrifice to save his community. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-beavers-sacrifice" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-beavers-sacrifice</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript “Ouch!” screamed little Chewy, the beaver, as a log fell on his tail.“Are you alright?” called out mummy, rushing toward Chewy. “My tail hurts but luckily the log didn&#39;t fall on my head!” little Chewy said, trying to smile.“Don&#39;t worry,” said mummy patting his head, “You&#39;ll be fine soon.”Over the next few days, Chewy just hung around at the bank of the river while all the beavers were busy building the dam before the river froze for the winter. Children, a dam is like a barrier built to hold water forming a reservoirHave you heard of a river dam before? How big do you think it is?Well, It’s even taller than your parents!Listen to the story In a couple of weeks, the tail healed and little Chewy decided to help out in making the dam.Excitedly, little Chewy nibbled a tree trunk and carefully carried it to the river.Plonk! He jumped and moved to the centre of the river where other beavers were setting the logs and claying them to build a strong dam.But little Chewy could not manoeuvre himself in the river. He started wondering what was wrong and why he was not able to move his tail according to his wishes. Children, why do you think he couldn’t move himself?You’ll soon find out. Suddenly, there was a gush of water and little Chewy was carried away by the currents.“Help! Help!” he screamed.All the beavers stopped and, realizing what was happening, rushed towards little Chewy.Luckily there was a flat area where the flow of the water was not strong.The beavers circled him and helped him ashore.“Looks like the tail is damaged!” whispered a cousin.Mummy, comforting little Chewy, expressed, “Looks like your tail is damaged and so you must not go to the middle of the river.”“But how will I help in building the dam?” retorted little Chewy.“You may cut the logs and pass them to us. That&#39;s an important job too,” Mummy suggested.Little Chewy was sad, but agreed.Every day, little Chewy helped a little but most of the time he just hung around by the side of the river.One day, as he was sawing on a tree to cut it for the dam, he stopped halfway and saw that the log resembled his mother’s face.He was elated and he sculpted it for a few more days.Little Chewy carved out the details so that it resembled his mother.Everyone admired his piece of art and that support encouraged him to keep carving things out of logs. What kind of things do you think Chewy carved? Well, days slipped by and he made trees, squirrels, birds, etc. from the logs of wood.Everyone was in awe of his sculpturing skills.One day, he saw a huge tree with a big tree trunk and decided to make his family sculpture: mom, dad, his two siblings and himself. He meticulously started carving, engrossed in it day and night. The winters were fast approaching and the beaver community was frantically rushing to build the dam.Far in one corner, Little Chewy was painstakingly working day and night to give the final touches to his family sculpture.One day he overheard his uncles discussing with his father, “Winter is here early. We have already had the first snowfall. The water in the river will freeze much before its time and we haven&#39;t finished the dam yet.”“That is indeed true, let us put in all our energies into completing the dam,” the father urged the whole community. Children, can you name the season that comes right before winter? That’s right, it’s the Fall season ! The leaves fall from the tree and then winter comes in with cooler temperatures. As luck would have it, that night there was more snow and the temperature dipped further.The next morning everyone worked felling trees, carrying them to the river, and placing them in the dam in the right position.It felt like the beavers and the weather were having a race. Children, would the beavers complete the dam or would the weather freeze the river first?Finally, only the last piece was left to be fixed, but the beavers were exhausted. They couldn’t move at all.The only beaver with any strength left was Chewy. He turned to the river and his family, noticing that they were exhausted, and looked around for a tree to fix the last piece. Alas, there was none. What would you do if you were Chewy and couldn’t find any more pieces left to make the dam?Let’s see what happens in the story. Finally, he gazed as his beautiful family structure, noticing all of the intricacies he had spent so much time detailing. He picked it up and carried it carefully to the river. Then he requested, “Please put this as the last piece in the dam for we do not have much time left.”“But this is so pretty and you been working so hard at it,” his cousins said.Little Chewy insisted, “We cannot lose time as the top layer of the river has already frozen. You all saved my life. If it wasn&#39;t for you all I wouldn’t have been alive today. So, this is just a token of appreciation, please accept it.”That sculpture became the final piece in the dam.“Hurray! Thanks Little Chewy for sacrificing your sculpture,” shouted all the beavers. “We’ll all be safe this winter!” Now the community was safe. The lake formed by the dam was deep and the water didn&#39;t freeze, saving the beaver community and their nest.

The Beaver’s Sacrifice is a story about a little Beaver’s sacrifice to save his community.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-beavers-sacrifice.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

“Ouch!” screamed little Chewy, the beaver, as a log fell on his tail.

“Are you alright?” called out mummy, rushing toward Chewy. “My tail hurts but luckily the log didn't fall on my head!” little Chewy said, trying to smile.

“Don't worry,” said mummy patting his head, “You'll be fine soon.”

Over the next few days, Chewy just hung around at the bank of the river while all the beavers were busy building the dam before the river froze for the winter.

Children, a dam is like a barrier built to hold water forming a reservoir

Have you heard of a river dam before? How big do you think it is?

Well, It’s even taller than your parents!

Listen to the story

In a couple of weeks, the tail healed and little Chewy decided to help out in making the dam.

Excitedly, little Chewy nibbled a tree trunk and carefully carried it to the river.

Plonk! He jumped and moved to the centre of the river where other beavers were setting the logs and claying them to build a strong dam.

But little Chewy could not manoeuvre himself in the river. He started wondering what was wrong and why he was not able to move his tail according to his wishes.

Children, why do you think he couldn’t move himself?

You’ll soon find out.

Suddenly, there was a gush of water and little Chewy was carried away by the currents.

“Help! Help!” he screamed.

All the beavers stopped and, realizing what was happening, rushed towards little Chewy.

Luckily there was a flat area where the flow of the water was not strong.

The beavers circled him and helped him ashore.

“Looks like the tail is damaged!” whispered a cousin.

Mummy, comforting little Chewy, expressed, “Looks like your tail is damaged and so you must not go to the middle of the river.”

“But how will I help in building the dam?” retorted little Chewy.

“You may cut the logs and pass them to us. That's an important job too,” Mummy suggested.

Little Chewy was sad, but agreed.

Every day, little Chewy helped a little but most of the time he just hung around by the side of the river.

One day, as he was sawing on a tree to cut it for the dam, he stopped halfway and saw that the log resembled his mother’s face.

He was elated and he sculpted it for a few more days.

Little Chewy carved out the details so that it resembled his mother.

Everyone admired his piece of art and that support encouraged him to keep carving things out of logs.

What kind of things do you think Chewy carved?

Well, days slipped by and he made trees, squirrels, birds, etc. from the logs of wood.

Everyone was in awe of his sculpturing skills.

One day, he saw a huge tree with a big tree trunk and decided to make his family sculpture: mom, dad, his two siblings and himself. He meticulously started carving, engrossed in it day and night.

The winters were fast approaching and the beaver community was frantically rushing to build the dam.

Far in one corner, Little Chewy was painstakingly working day and night to give the final touches to his family sculpture.

One day he overheard his uncles discussing with his father, “Winter is here early. We have already had the first snowfall. The water in the river will freeze much before its time and we haven't finished the dam yet.”

“That is indeed true, let us put in all our energies into completing the dam,” the father urged the whole community.

Children, can you name the season that comes right before winter? That’s right, it’s the  Fall season ! The leaves fall from the tree and then winter comes in with cooler temperatures.

As luck would have it, that night there was more snow and the temperature dipped further.

The next morning everyone worked felling trees, carrying them to the river, and placing them in the dam in the right position.

It felt like the beavers and the weather were having a race.

Children, would the beavers complete the dam or would the weather freeze the river first?

Finally, only the last piece was left to be fixed, but the beavers were exhausted. They couldn’t move at all.

The only beaver with any strength left was Chewy. He turned to the river and his family, noticing that they were exhausted, and looked around for a tree to fix the last piece. Alas, there was none.

What would you do if you were Chewy and couldn’t find any more pieces left to make the dam?

Let’s see what happens in the story.

Finally, he gazed as his beautiful family structure, noticing all of the intricacies he had spent so much time detailing. He picked it up and carried it carefully to the river. Then he requested, “Please put this as the last piece in the dam for we do not have much time left.”

“But this is so pretty and you been working so hard at it,” his cousins said.

Little Chewy insisted, “We cannot lose time as the top layer of the river has already frozen. You all saved my life. If it wasn't for you all I wouldn’t have been alive today. So, this is just a token of appreciation, please accept it.”

That sculpture became the final piece in the dam.

“Hurray! Thanks Little Chewy for sacrificing your sculpture,” shouted all the beavers. “We’ll all be safe this winter!”

Now the community was safe. The lake formed by the dam was deep and the water didn't freeze, saving the beaver community and their nest.

The Originals: The Beaver’s Sacrifice

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/3/7/3/ad7a849c-4106-4e97-852c-a6ea861cc8e5_the_story-for_redcircle.mp3

This story is adapted from an Australian folktale. It’s about a joey who is very curious about why only he can do a certain thing and his friends can’t. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/why-do-kangaroos-hop" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/why-do-kangaroos-hop</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript “Mama, why do kangaroo&#39;s hop? Why don&#39;t we run, or walk, or slide on our bellies?” Kip, the joey bounced his tail up and down on the red dirt.“We&#39;re kangaroos. That&#39;s what we do. We leap through the air. I&#39;ve never heard of a kangaroo running, or walking, or sliding on their bellies,” Mama said busy cleaning the house. Children, can you think of an animal who slides on his belly?That’s correct- snakes slide on their bellies. Kip hopped off. “I&#39;m going to the billabong, Mama.” Children Billabong is an Australian name for an isolated pond left behind after a river changes its course.So, Kip was going to the Billabong and waving to mother said, “I want to play with my friends.”Mummy Kangaroo waved back lovingly.When he was approaching the pond, he saw his friend Kimmy Koala, Now Koalas are marsupials, can be thought of as pouched mammals. They carry their babies in a pouch and that are native to Australia.Getting back to the story. Kip was inquisitive and asked Kimmy Koala, “Kimmy, do you hop?”The Koala pulled a eucalyptus leaf out of her mouth. “I don&#39;t hop. I don&#39;t even run. I climb trees and sit here eating these delicious eucalyptus leaves. But why do you ask?”    Kip, the joey, pondering about the Koala’s answer said, “Just checking. I am curious which of my friends hop. I’ll check with Cedric, the crocodile. CU later.”Kip saw his friend Cedric Crocodile swimming in the water. “Cedric, do you hop?” shouted Kip.   Children, would you ever go near a crocodile? Indeed you should never go near a crocodile. Always stay away from them. The crocodile swam up to the side of the billabong. “Of course not. I swim. I can walk, but I don&#39;t run, and I do not hop either.”“Why not?” asked Kip.“Because that&#39;s the way we crocodiles are. We swim and eat fish.”“Ok Cedric, I’ll see you later. Want to check with Danny, the dingo if he hops,” and off Kip went to meet Danny, the dingo while Cedric slid back under the water.Kim met Danny Dingo at the far edge of the billabong ready to have a drink. Children, A Dingo is a big Australian dog. It is almost like a fox. “Hi Danny, I wanted to ask you something,” Kip looked at his friend.Danny looked at Kip and nodded. So children, what do you think Danny Dingo told Kip?Yes, indeed Kip asked Danny, “Do you hop?” Danny Dingo barked, “Ruff- ruff! No! You know I run, and I walk. I can even swim if I have to. But certainly, I can&#39;t fly and I don&#39;t hop.”“Oh. Why not?” added Kip confused.“Because that&#39;s the way dingos’ are. See you later as right now my family is waiting for me,” Danny ran off.Kip waved bye and moved along the edge of the Billabong.He looked at his reflection in the water and wondered, “Why none of my friends hop?” So, children, what do you think will Kip do now?Let’s listen ahead. Just then he heard the enchanting singing of the Kookaburra.Children Kookaburra is a bird that is also native to Australia.He turned and saw his friend, Kara Kookaburra. Then he quickly asked, worried that she might fly off, “Hi Kara. Do you hop?”The bird laughed her head off. “Of course, I don&#39;t. I could, I suppose, but mostly I fly. I&#39;m a kookaburra and that&#39;s what I do.”She flew off, heading for the sandstone rock in the distance. So, what do you think Kara Kookaburra did on the sandstone rock?  Kip thought about all his friends and talking to himself said, “ I see, None of them hop. That means only kangaroos can hop.” Suddenly, his eyes sparkled, and he repeated, “None of my friends can hop, that means only us Kangaroos can hop. That&#39;s super cool.” He jumped as high as he could. “Look! How high I jumped. None of my friends can do that. I&#39;m special.” He pushed with his legs and hopped all the way home. “Mama, I can hop. Dingos’ can&#39;t hop. Crocodiles can&#39;t hop; neither can koalas and kookaburras.”“That&#39;s right, Kip. Are you happy about that now?” His mama smiled at him. “I’m happy that I&#39;m a kangaroo and can hop all over the place. I can hop as high as I want. I&#39;m glad.” Kip spent the rest of the day hopping about the bush, enjoying being a simple kangaroo.

This story is adapted from an Australian folktale. It’s about a joey who is very curious about why only he can do a certain thing and his friends can’t.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/why-do-kangaroos-hop.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

“Mama, why do kangaroo's hop? Why don't we run, or walk, or slide on our bellies?” Kip, the joey bounced his tail up and down on the red dirt.

“We're kangaroos. That's what we do. We leap through the air. I've never heard of a kangaroo running, or walking, or sliding on their bellies,” Mama said busy cleaning the house.

Children, can you think of an animal who slides on his belly?

That’s correct- snakes slide on their bellies.

Kip hopped off. “I'm going to the billabong, Mama.”

Children Billabong is an Australian name for an isolated pond left behind after a river changes its course.

So, Kip was going to the Billabong and waving to mother said, “I want to play with my friends.”

Mummy Kangaroo waved back lovingly.

When he was approaching the pond, he saw his friend Kimmy Koala,
Now Koalas are marsupials, can be thought of as pouched mammals. They carry their babies in a pouch and that are native to Australia.


Getting back to the story.

Kip was inquisitive and asked Kimmy Koala, “Kimmy, do you hop?”

The Koala pulled a eucalyptus leaf out of her mouth. “I don't hop. I don't even run. I climb trees and sit here eating these delicious eucalyptus leaves. But why do you ask?”    

Kip, the joey, pondering about the Koala’s answer said, “Just checking. I am curious which of my friends hop. I’ll check with Cedric, the crocodile. CU later.”

Kip saw his friend Cedric Crocodile swimming in the water. “Cedric, do you hop?” shouted Kip.  

 Children, would you ever go near a crocodile?  

Indeed you should never go near a crocodile. Always stay away from them.

The crocodile swam up to the side of the billabong. “Of course not. I swim. I can walk, but I don't run, and I do not hop either.”

“Why not?” asked Kip.
“Because that's the way we crocodiles are. We swim and eat fish.”
“Ok Cedric, I’ll see you later. Want to check with Danny, the dingo if he hops,” and off Kip went to meet Danny, the dingo while Cedric slid back under the water.
Kim met Danny Dingo at the far edge of the billabong ready to have a drink.

Children, A Dingo is a big Australian dog. It is almost like a fox.
“Hi Danny, I wanted to ask you something,” Kip looked at his friend.
Danny looked at Kip and nodded.

So children, what do you think Danny Dingo told Kip?

Yes, indeed Kip asked Danny, “Do you hop?”

Danny Dingo barked, “Ruff- ruff! No! You know I run, and I walk. I can even swim if I have to. But certainly, I can't fly and I don't hop.”
“Oh. Why not?” added Kip confused.
“Because that's the way dingos’ are. See you later as right now my family is waiting for me,” Danny ran off.
Kip waved bye and moved along the edge of the Billabong.
He looked at his reflection in the water and wondered, “Why none of my friends hop?”

So, children, what do you think will Kip do now?
Let’s listen ahead.

Just then he heard the enchanting singing of the Kookaburra.

Children Kookaburra is a bird that is also native to Australia.

He turned and saw his friend, Kara Kookaburra. Then he quickly asked, worried that she might fly off, “Hi Kara. Do you hop?”
The bird laughed her head off. “Of course, I don't. I could, I suppose, but mostly I fly. I'm a kookaburra and that's what I do.”
She flew off, heading for the sandstone rock in the distance.

So, what do you think Kara Kookaburra did on the sandstone rock?

Kip thought about all his friends and talking to himself said, “ I see, None of them hop. That means only kangaroos can hop.” Suddenly, his eyes sparkled, and he repeated, “None of my friends can hop, that means only us Kangaroos can hop. That's super cool.”
He jumped as high as he could. “Look! How high I jumped. None of my friends can do that. I'm special.” He pushed with his legs and hopped all the way home. “Mama, I can hop. Dingos’ can't hop. Crocodiles can't hop; neither can koalas and kookaburras.”
“That's right, Kip. Are you happy about that now?” His mama smiled at him. “I’m happy that I'm a kangaroo and can hop all over the place. I can hop as high as I want. I'm glad.” Kip spent the rest of the day hopping about the bush, enjoying being a simple kangaroo.

Stories from Near and Far: Why Do Kangaroos Hop?

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/2/27/6/3cb8a00d-cf05-49a9-96e1-09c8dd8c680e_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_f-redcircle.mp3

Birthdays are always special for all of us. It’s a day that is fun filled and exciting. Today’s story is about letter F and how he celebrated his birthday. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-f" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-f</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was the fifth of February and was letter F&#39;s birthday. He was turning five. F was super excited about turning 5. He woke up early in the morning and his parents wished him and gave a big hug. His father gave him a gift.As letter F excitedly unwrapped it, he saw that it was a book on friends.“Thanks, can I start reading it?” letter F enquired.Mummy added, “It’s time for breakfast, you may read it later.”Just then, letter F’s elder sister walked towards his room with a bouquet of flowers and said, “Happy birthday!”Accepting the flowers, he said, “Thanks. These have such lovely fragrance!”For breakfast, he had his favourite, french fries and fruits.“I love French fries! Can I have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner too?”Everyone smiled.After breakfast, father brought a big cardboard box and opening it said, “Let’s start decorating the living room for the party this evening.”Father opened the box and there were colourful balloons, buntings, and other birthday decorations.“This is so exciting! I love birthdays,” “said Letter F with a twinkle in his eyes.Soon everyone was busy, blowing the balloons, hanging them and also buntings.Mother, who had been in the kitchen walked into the dining room and exclaimed, “Wow! The living room is looking beautiful. I have made a cake in the shape of a fish.”Letter F rushing bubbling like a fizzy drink darted towards the kitchen.Looking at the cake, he marvelled, “This looks like a real fish and it has fins too! Thanks mummy dear!”Later in the evening everyone got ready and letter F wore his new Fireman’s outfit.Soon, letter F&#39;s friends started coming for the party. First one to arrive was Fatima, who brought him a nice big family board game. She gave it to him and wished him a happy birthday.The next was Fred who said, “Happy birthday letter F, I got you a flute as you as you love music.”“Thanks, that’s sweet of you. I’ll enjoy playing it for sure,” said letter F.After Fred was Falak who came in. She was finding it difficult to balance the big gift and walk simultaneously. She wished F and gave him a gift, “This has &#39;Foam Blocks&#39; to play with. I love blocks. Thanks Falak. Please come in!” said letter F delightfully.Many more friends soon joined in.First, they played indoor party games like pinning the donkey’s tail, passing the parcel, etc.Then the friends moved to the garden and had fun playing football. Soon it was time to cut the cake.As letter F blew the five candles and cut the fish cake, all his friends sang, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!”Everybody was so happy. The friends and letter F were famished after all the playing.Mummy served all kinds of finger foods! Everything from noodles, fish fingers, cutlets, chips, to doughnuts was delicious. But letter F’s focus was on his favourite food, the French Fries.After enjoying all the delicious finger foods, the friends were ready to leave. F had a lot of fun with his friends and thanked them all for coming with a return gift. Overjoyed, all the friends went back home.Letter F thanked his family, for a great birthday party. Now it was time for him to go to bed. Letter F brushed his teeth and changed into his night suit and went to bed. As he lay thinking about his birthday, he saw fireflies dancing outside his bedroom window, which looked as if they were wishing him too. Soon F was fast asleep.Hello Children! I am alphabet F. Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /f/The /f/ sound is made when your lower teeth lightly touch your upper lips and a stream of air is gently pushed through the opening.Or you could even make the sound of air escaping through a balloon. /f/ Isn’t it?Let’s see what all words in the story started with /f/Do you remember when my birthday is?It’s on fifth of February. /f/ - Fifth/f/ - February/f/ - Father/f/ - Flowers whose/f/ - Fragrance was very niceThe cake was in the shape of/f/ - fish that had/f/ - fins tooI wore the outfit of a/f/ - firefighterThe gifts I got were/f/ - A book on /f/ friends/f/ - family board game/f/ - flute/f/ - foam blocksThen my friends and I were/f/ - famishedWe enjoyed having/f/ - finger foodsMy friends were/f/ Fred/f/ Falak/f/ FatimaAt night who danced and wished me?/f/ - fireflies

Birthdays are always special for all of us. It’s a day that is fun filled and exciting. Today’s story is about letter F and how he celebrated his birthday.



Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-f.



Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.



Transcript



It was the fifth of February and was letter F's birthday. He was turning five. F was super excited about turning 5. He woke up early in the morning and his parents wished him and gave a big hug. His father gave him a gift.

As letter F excitedly unwrapped it, he saw that it was a book on friends.

“Thanks, can I start reading it?” letter F enquired.

Mummy added, “It’s time for breakfast, you may read it later.”

Just then, letter F’s elder sister walked towards the his room with a bouquet of flowers and said, “Happy birthday!”

Accepting the flowers, he said, “Thanks. These have such lovely fragrance!”

For breakfast, he had his favourite, french fries and fruits.

“I love French fries! Can I have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner too?”

Everyone smiled.

After breakfast, father brought a big cardboard box and opening it said, “Let’s start decorating the living room for the party this evening.”

Father opened the box and there were colourful balloons, buntings, and other birthday decorations.

“This is so exciting! I love birthdays,” “said Letter F with a twinkle in his eyes.

Soon everyone was busy, blowing the balloons, hanging them and also buntings.

Mother, who had been in the kitchen walked into the dining room and exclaimed, “Wow! The living room is looking beautiful. I have made a cake in the shape of a fish.”

Letter F rushing bubbling like a fizzy drink darted towards the kitchen.

Looking at the cake, he marvelled, “This looks like a real fish and it has fins too! Thanks mummy dear!”

Later in the evening everyone got ready and letter F wore his new Fireman’s outfit.

Soon, letter F's friends started coming for the party. First one to arrive was Fatima, who brought him a nice big family board game. She gave it to him and wished him a happy birthday.

The next was Fred who said, “Happy birthday letter F, I got you a flute as you as you love music.”

“Thanks, that’s sweet of you. I’ll enjoy playing it for sure,” said letter F.

After Fred was Falak who came in. She was finding it difficult to balance the big gift and walk simultaneously. She wished F and gave him a gift, “This has 'Foam Blocks' to play with. I love blocks. Thanks Falak. Please come in!” said letter F delightfully.

Many more friends soon joined in.

First, they played indoor party games like pinning the donkey’s tail, passing the parcel, etc.

Then the friends moved to the garden and had fun playing football. Soon it was time to cut the cake.

As letter F blew the five candles and cut the fish cake, all his friends sang, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!”

Everybody was so happy. The friends and letter F were famished after all the playing.

Mummy served all kinds of finger foods! Everything from noodles, fish fingers, cutlets, chips, to doughnuts was delicious. But letter F’s focus was on his favourite food, the French Fries.

After enjoying all the delicious finger foods, the friends were ready to leave. F had a lot of fun with his friends and thanked them all for coming with a return gift. Overjoyed, all the friends went back home.

Letter F thanked his family, for a great birthday party. Now it was time for him to go to bed. Letter F brushed his teeth and changed into his night suit and went to bed. As he lay thinking about his birthday, he saw fireflies dancing outside his bedroom window, which looked as if they were wishing him too. Soon F was fast asleep.

Hello Children! I am alphabet F. Hope you liked the story.

You know I make the sound /f/

The /f/ sound is made when your lower teeth lightly touch your upper lips and a stream of air is gently pushed through the opening.

Or you could even make the sound of air escaping through a balloon. /f/ Isn’t it?

Let’s see what all words in the story started with /f/

Do you remember when my birthday is?

It’s on fifth of February.

 

/f/ - Fifth

/f/ - February

/f/ - Father

/f/ - Flowers whose

/f/ - Fragrance was very nice

The cake was in the shape of

/f/ - fish that had

/f/ - fins too

I wore the outfit of a

/f/ - firefighter

The gifts I got were

/f/ - A book on /f/ friends

/f/ - family board game

/f/ - flute

/f/ - foam blocks

Then my friends and I were

/f/ - famished

We enjoyed having

/f/ - finger foods

My friends were

/f/ Fred

/f/ Falak

/f/ Fatima

At night who danced and wished me?

/f/ - fireflies

Alphabet Escapades of Letter F

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/2/21/7/4c95d53f-7b7a-417c-8b1d-3ba4eba357b6_the_story_-_the_rabbit_s_wish_for_redcircle.mp3

This is a story from Africa about a rabbit who wants to become big, but in the end realizes he was better off the way he was. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-rabbits-wish" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-rabbits-wish</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript This story is about the time when the rabbit along with her tiny body, short legs, had ears that were small and stumpy on top of her head.One of the rabbits always had a deep desire to be big like the enormous elephant or the tall like a giraffe or strong like a bull. She didn’t like to be the teeny tiny animal that she was. So, one day, Rabbit got an idea and decided to go to the Earth Spirit — the creator of all the animals — to grant her a wish. She said, “Dear Earth spirit, please make me big. I am tired of being so little.” The earth spirit calmly explained, “ Rabbit! Why do you want to be big? You’re wonderful just the way you are! I created each and every animal to be special in their own way.”The rabbit retorted, “Special? I am not special in any way!”The earth Spirit added, “Well, I specifically made you to be one of the swiftest animals around! I also made you one of the smartest.” The Rabbit shrugged, “ Whatever. So I’ve got speed, I’ve got brains. But seriously — what good are those things when I’m such a dwarf? Most everyone is bigger than me, and stronger too— not to mention how many other animals want to eat me!”The earth Spirit said, “Okay, Rabbit, I can make you bigger, but you have to earn it.”The Rabbit quivered with delight and jumping up and down said, “ I’ll do anything you say! “The Earth Spirit went on, “ Alright. Here’s what you need to do. You must bring me two things. First, a whisker from a Lion. Second, a feather from an Eagle.” Do you think it would be difficult for the rabbit to get the above two things?Well, let&#39;s listen ahead. When the earth spirit asked the rabbit to bring a whisker from a lion, and a feather from an Eagle. Rabbit’s froze in fear. She started trembling so hard her whiskers were shaking.Rabbit’s smile turned upside down she stammered, “Ummm, with due respect, Earth Spirit — Lion and Eagle are two of the big, scary animals who want to eat me for breakfast! And lunch and dinner and even as a midnight snack.” The Earth Spirit said, “Oh, I know! I didn’t say the task would be easy. But then, you’re a quick one, isn’t it? both body and mind! I am sure you’ll figure it out. Now, hop on to it!” The Rabbit dragged herself back to her burrow underground and thought to himself, “ Well, this is great. Just great. I ask Earth Spirit to make me bigger, and now she wants me to get Lion’s whisker? And Eagle’s feather!? All those two ever think about is their next meal. How could I possibly ever --…uuuu . Wait a minute. ‘Their next meal!’ That’s it!” A plan brewed in her smart mind. The next morning, the Rabbit scrambled out of her burrow to the forest where the Lion was creeping out of his den., and he was just about to start his morning hunt.The rabbit humbly said, “ Hey, Lion, good morning!” The lion stretching and yawing said, “Well, hello, Rabbit! Delivering me breakfast in bed?”The rabbit went a little closer, “Actually lion, your majesty if you play your cards right, I can deliver you two breakfasts.”The Lion raised his shaggy head, “What do you mean, ‘two breakfasts’?”The rabbit said, “ Well, Lion, I heard a top-secret way you can make two of me! You just pluck out your magic whisker, poke my fur two times, and then two Rabbits!The lion scoffed, “ I don’t have a magic whisker!”But thinking about the prospect of two rabbits he added, “ But then I’m pretty hungry, and hey, what have I got to lose? Other than, you know, a whisker?”The Lion lifted his paw and yanked out a whisker. Then he poked Rabbit’s fur with it, two times.Nothing happened.The lion roared, “ There’s still just one of you! Don’t fool me.” The rabbit scratching her snub ears said, “ Hmmm ... maybe you’re not doing it right. Here, let me try.” The Rabbit snatched the whisker from Lion’s paw. What do you think the rabbit would do now?Listen ahead. To find out The rabbit instead of poking herself with it grabbed it from him and began leaping away.The Lion growled and took off after the Rabbit.But the little creature was so fast, by the time Lion reached Rabbit’s burrow, she’d already gone into the narrow hole, where the giant beast could never reach her.The lion snapped, “ I’ll get you next time, Rabbit. You can’t escape the king of the jungle for very long!” Inside the burrow, the Rabbit fell asleep feeling delighted that had met one of the two conditions of the Earth SpiritA few hours later, she woke up all refreshed, nibbled some turnips, then climbed out of her burrow and bounced over to the river.The sun was right above her head and it was lunchtime, and an Eagle was soaring in the sky, her sharp eyes fixed on the water below for some prey that would be his delicious lunch.Waving one of her paws, the rabbit said, “ Hey, Eagle! Eagle! Come Over here!”When Eagle saw Rabbit, the majestic bird swooped down, her pointy talons outstretched. He said, “ Good afternoon, Rabbit! You’re just in time for lunch!”The rabbit gathered her courage and said, “ Just a minute, Eagle! If you play your cards right, I can make you two lunches!”Intrigued, the Eagle glided down to the ground, “Wait — what do you mean, “two lunches”?”The rabbit smiled, “ Well, eagle, I heard a top-secret way you can make two of me! You just pluck out one of your magical feathers, poke my fur two times, and then two Rabbits!”The Eagle scowled, “I don’t have a magic feather! But no harm trying for I am famished!”The Eagle used one of her talons to pluck out a feather. Then, he poked the rabbit fur two times. , but nothing happened.The eagle screamed, “Wait, there’s still only one of you!”Rabbit took the feather from Eagle’s talon, “Hmmm. Maybe you’re not doing it right. Hang on. Let me try”  Can you guess what she did next?That’s right! The rabbit clutched that feather in her fuzzy little paw and began scampering away!Eagle flapped her wings and took off after Rabbit. But, as with Lion, by the time Eagle reached Rabbit’s cozy burrow, Rabbit was safe and snug under the ground. The eagle was angry, but couldn’t do anything He yelled out, “ Rabbit! I’ve got my eagle-eyes on you!”Rabbit waited until the coast was clear.  So children where do you think the rabbit will go now?That’s correct  With Eagle’s feather in one paw and Lion’s whisker in the other, she scuttled out of her burrow and proudly showed her items to the Earth Spirit.The Earth Spirit said, “ Well, well, well! I am impressed Rabbit. You’ve succeeded in obtaining two objects from two animals who could easily swallow you in one gulp. And you’ve done it just as you are — with nothing but swift feet and a swift mind!”The rabbit ignoring the words of the Earth Spirit said, “It’s time for my wish, you promised you’d grant my wish.”The Earth Spirit sighed, “ Alright, Rabbit; a promise is a promise.” There was a blinding flash of light, then Rabbit felt a tug on her front side. Next, she felt a tug on her backside.The rabbit was amazed by her growing size and exclaimed, “ Woah! Holy moly! Look at this!” Now, her entire body was stretching and growing, growing and stretching — until she was nearly as big as a goat!While the rabbit was still admiring her new, bigger self when she heard some familiar voices. Some familiar angry voices. Can you guess whose angry voices were those?Well, Listen ahead to find out. .. “There she is! The trickster who stole my whisker!” roared the lion.“And my feather!” added the eagle.They both rapidly rushed towards the rabbit. Do you think the rabbit would escape? Listen ahead The Rabbit’s instinct was to scamper off like she’d always done before. But her new, bigger body felt heavy and it was difficult to run.Without thinking, Rabbit staggered to her burrow. But when she tried diving down the narrow hole, the bigger body got stuck!By now the Lion and Eagle were getting closer and closer. Rabbit fought back her tears and pleaded actually to the earth Spirit, “ Earth Spirit! I was wrong. I never should have asked to be a different size. I was fine before. No actually— I was awesome! Please! Can you turn me back to the way I was?”The earth spirit said, “ Well, I can’t reverse a wish once I’ve granted. But there is one thing I can do.”There was another flash of light, and all at once, Rabbit felt herself shrinking and shrinking, until her body was small enough to slip through her burrow and escape the mighty paws of Lion.The lion hitting the ground with his paws in frustration said, “ She escapes yet again.” The Eagle soaring back in the sky thought to himself, “ These rabbits are swift and smart and very difficult to hunt.”  Now, Rabbit’s body was back to its regular size. But her ears — her formerly stubby ears —were still big! The Earth Spirit had left Rabbit’s ears long — as long as a corn cob! Not only that, but they could even tilt and turn in any direction, so that now when other, bigger animals wanted to get revenge for Rabbit’s tricks she could hear them coming from a mile away!Probably, that how the rabbits’ short and snubby ears became tall like the ones they have now.Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes best things come in small sizes.

This is a story from Africa about a rabbit who wants to become big, but in the end realizes he was better off the way he was.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-rabbits-wish.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

This story is about the time when the rabbit along with her tiny body, short legs, had ears that were small and stumpy on top of her head.

One of the rabbits always had a deep desire to be big like the enormous elephant or the tall like a giraffe or strong like a bull. She didn’t like to be the teeny tiny animal that she was.

So, one day, Rabbit got an idea and decided to go to the Earth Spirit — the creator of all the animals — to grant her a wish. 

She said, “Dear Earth spirit, please make me big. I am tired of being so little.”

The earth spirit calmly explained, “ Rabbit! Why do you want to be big? You’re wonderful just the way you are! I created each and every animal to be special in their own way.”

The rabbit retorted, “Special? I am not special in any way!”

The earth Spirit added, “Well, I specifically made you to be one of the swiftest animals around! I also made you one of the smartest.” 

The Rabbit shrugged, “ Whatever. So I’ve got speed, I’ve got brains. But seriously — what good are those things when I’m such a dwarf? Most everyone is bigger than me, and stronger too— not to mention how many other animals want to eat me!”

The earth Spirit said, “Okay, Rabbit, I can make you bigger, but you have to earn it.”

The Rabbit quivered with delight and jumping up and down said, “ I’ll do anything you say! “

The Earth Spirit went on, “ Alright. Here’s what you need to do. You must bring me two things. First, a whisker from a Lion. Second, a feather from an Eagle.”

Do you think it would be difficult for the rabbit to get the above two things?

Well, let's listen ahead.

When the earth spirit asked the rabbit to bring a whisker from a lion, and a feather from an Eagle. Rabbit’s froze in fear. She started trembling so hard her whiskers were shaking.

Rabbit’s smile turned upside down she stammered, “Ummm, with due respect, Earth Spirit — Lion and Eagle are two of the big, scary animals who want to eat me for breakfast! And lunch and dinner and even as a midnight snack.”

The Earth Spirit said, “Oh, I know! I didn’t say the task would be easy. But then, you’re a quick one, isn’t it? both body and mind! I am sure you’ll figure it out. Now, hop on to it!”

The Rabbit dragged herself back to her burrow underground and thought to himself, “ Well, this is great. Just great. I ask Earth Spirit to make me bigger, and now she wants me to get Lion’s whisker? And Eagle’s feather!? All those two ever think about is their next meal. How could I possibly ever --…uuuu . Wait a minute. ‘Their next meal!’ That’s it!” 

A plan brewed in her smart mind.

The next morning, the Rabbit scrambled out of her burrow to the forest where the Lion was creeping out of his den., and he was just about to start his morning hunt.

The rabbit humbly said, “ Hey, Lion, good morning!” 

The lion stretching and yawing said, “Well, hello, Rabbit! Delivering me breakfast in bed?”

The rabbit went a little closer, “Actually lion, your majesty if you play your cards right, I can deliver you two breakfasts.”

The Lion raised his shaggy head, “What do you mean, ‘two breakfasts’?”

The rabbit said, “ Well, Lion, I heard a top-secret way you can make two of me! You just pluck out your magic whisker, poke my fur two times, and then two Rabbits!

The lion scoffed, “ I don’t have a magic whisker!”

But thinking about the prospect of two rabbits he added, “ But then I’m pretty hungry, and hey, what have I got to lose? Other than, you know, a whisker?”

The Lion lifted his paw and yanked out a whisker. Then he poked Rabbit’s fur with it, two times.

Nothing happened.

The lion roared, “ There’s still just one of you! Don’t fool me.” 

The rabbit scratching her snub ears said, “ Hmmm ... maybe you’re not doing it right. Here, let me try.”

The Rabbit snatched the whisker from Lion’s paw.

What do you think the rabbit would do now?

Listen ahead. To find out

The rabbit instead of poking herself with it grabbed it from him and began leaping away.

The Lion growled and took off after the Rabbit.

But the little creature was so fast, by the time Lion reached Rabbit’s burrow, she’d already gone into the narrow hole, where the giant beast could never reach her.

The lion snapped, “ I’ll get you next time, Rabbit. You can’t escape the king of the jungle for very long!”

Inside the burrow, the Rabbit fell asleep feeling delighted that had met one of the two conditions of the Earth Spirit

A few hours later, she woke up all refreshed, nibbled some turnips, then climbed out of her burrow and bounced over to the river.

The sun was right above her head and it was lunchtime, and an Eagle was soaring in the sky, her sharp eyes fixed on the water below for some prey that would be his delicious lunch.

Waving one of her paws, the rabbit said, “ Hey, Eagle! Eagle! Come Over here!”

When Eagle saw Rabbit, the majestic bird swooped down, her pointy talons outstretched. He said, “ Good afternoon, Rabbit! You’re just in time for lunch!”

The rabbit gathered her courage and said, “ Just a minute, Eagle! If you play your cards right, I can make you two lunches!”

Intrigued, the Eagle glided down to the ground, “Wait — what do you mean, “two lunches”?”

The rabbit smiled, “ Well, eagle, I heard a top-secret way you can make two of me! You just pluck out one of your magical feathers, poke my fur two times, and then two Rabbits!”

The Eagle scowled, “I don’t have a magic feather! But no harm trying for I am famished!”

The Eagle used one of her talons to pluck out a feather. Then, he poked the rabbit fur two times. , but nothing happened.

The eagle screamed, “Wait, there’s still only one of you!”

Rabbit took the feather from Eagle’s talon, “Hmmm. Maybe you’re not doing it right. Hang on. Let me try” 

Can you guess what she did next?

That’s right!

The rabbit clutched that feather in her fuzzy little paw and began scampering away!

Eagle flapped her wings and took off after Rabbit. But, as with Lion, by the time Eagle reached Rabbit’s cozy burrow, Rabbit was safe and snug under the ground.

The eagle was angry, but couldn’t do anything He yelled out, “ Rabbit! I’ve got my eagle-eyes on you!”

Rabbit waited until the coast was clear. 

So children where do you think the rabbit will go now?

That’s correct 

With Eagle’s feather in one paw and Lion’s whisker in the other, she scuttled out of her burrow and proudly showed her items to the Earth Spirit.

The Earth Spirit said, “ Well, well, well! I am impressed Rabbit. You’ve succeeded in obtaining two objects from two animals who could easily swallow you in one gulp. And you’ve done it just as you are — with nothing but swift feet and a swift mind!”

The rabbit ignoring the words of the Earth Spirit said, “It’s time for my wish, you promised you’d grant my wish.”

The Earth Spirit sighed, “ Alright, Rabbit; a promise is a promise.”

There was a blinding flash of light, then Rabbit felt a tug on her front side. Next, she felt a tug on her backside.

The rabbit was amazed by her growing size and exclaimed, “ Woah! Holy moly! Look at this!” 

Now, her entire body was stretching and growing, growing and stretching — until she was nearly as big as a goat!

While the rabbit was still admiring her new, bigger self when she heard some familiar voices. Some familiar angry voices.

Can you guess whose angry voices were those?

Well, Listen ahead to find out. ..

“There she is! The trickster who stole my whisker!” roared the lion.

“And my feather!” added the eagle.

They both rapidly rushed towards the rabbit.

Do you think the rabbit would escape? 

Listen ahead

The Rabbit’s instinct was to scamper off like she’d always done before. But her new, bigger body felt heavy and it was difficult to run.

Without thinking, Rabbit staggered to her burrow. But when she tried diving down the narrow hole, the bigger body got stuck!

By now the Lion and Eagle were getting closer and closer. 

Rabbit fought back her tears and pleaded actually to the earth Spirit, “ Earth Spirit! I was wrong. I never should have asked to be a different size. I was fine before. No actually— I was awesome! Please! Can you turn me back to the way I was?”

The earth spirit said, “ Well, I can’t reverse a wish once I’ve granted. But there is one thing I can do.”

There was another flash of light, and all at once, Rabbit felt herself shrinking and shrinking, until her body was small enough to slip through her burrow and escape the mighty paws of Lion.

The lion hitting the ground with his paws in frustration 

said, “ She escapes yet again.” 

The Eagle soaring back in the sky thought to himself, “ These rabbits are swift and smart and very difficult to hunt.”  

Now, Rabbit’s body was back to its regular size. But her ears — her formerly stubby ears —were still big! The Earth Spirit had left Rabbit’s ears long — as long as a corn cob! Not only that, but they could even tilt and turn in any direction, so that now when other, bigger animals wanted to get revenge for Rabbit’s tricks she could hear them coming from a mile away!

Probably, that how the rabbits’ short and snubby ears became tall like the ones they have now.

Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes best things come in small sizes.

Stories from Near and Far: The Rabbit's Wish

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/2/13/17/7885218f-cfcf-4675-b6ad-7b42d51f1c3e_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_e.mp3

The Escapades of Letter E is a story about Letter E going on an adventure with an elf and making friends along the way. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-e" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-e</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Christmas was over. Santa had delivered all the Christmas gifts to children around the world. He along with the elves and reindeers was relaxing after a hectic Christmas frenzy. In fact, we can say the North Pole was a quiet place now.Among all the elves one was very naughty, as well as adventurous and he decided to sneak out. At the same time, from among a few scattered toys that were left behind from Christmas, was a box of alphabets. The letter E also jumped out of this box and was sneaking out to look for some fun.The elf and the letter E came face to face. Scared, letter E was about to turn back and run to the Alphabet box when the elf called, “Looking for some fun? Isn&#39;t it so quiet and boring here at the North pole these days?”Letter E nodded in agreement.“Come, let&#39;s travel to some faraway land. Hang on to my elbow! ”Letter E did not hesitate as he was looking for some adventure himself.He jumped onto the elf’s elbow and adjusting himself asked, “Where are we going?”“Let&#39;s see, I want to go to Mount Everest, the tallest peak among all the mountains in the world,” said the elf picking up his magic dust pouch. “Do you have any place else in mind?”With sparkling eyes, the letter E exclaimed, “Wow! That would be amazing. Let’s go to Mount….mount what?”“Mount Everest” answered the elf.“But how should we go? Do you have a reindeer?” asked letter E.The elf gestured letter E to wait and then took out some magic dust and blew it.Whoosh….In a moment they were in India at the base of the Himalayan mountain range.The letter E looked all around  and suddenly yelled out, “Look, a deer! He is so big and has such tall and beautiful horns.”“Who called me a deer? I am an elk and these on top of my head are not horns, they are antlers,” the elk replied, proudly moving his head from side to side  to show off the antlers.“Pardon my friend, for he has never seen an elk before,” said the elf protecting letter E. “Actually, we are new to this place.”“Is that so? Welcome, welcome! Then let me show you around this place,” replied the elk.The elk showed them around the forest from the tall trees to his other animal friends. Soon,  they became best of friends.One evening they met a baby elephant who was plodding up and down and looked worried.“You don&#39;t look so happy dear baby elephant. What&#39;s bothering you?” asked the elk.“Well, you see, I want to go to someplace where no elephant has ever gone and Mount Everest on these Himalayan mountains seemed like a perfect place. I have travelled very long distance to reach here. But I do not know how to climb this huge mountain.”Letter E looked at the elf, who said, “Wait for a second, we too want to go to Mount Everest. And Elk why don’t you join us?”“Certainly, can’t refuse such an offer,” nodding his head the elk said.The elf dug into his pouch and blew a handful of magic dust.Whoosh!In an instant they were on Mount Everest.The baby elephant proudly proclaimed, “Now, I am the only elephant who has ever visited Mount Everest.”All the friends happily started roaming around.Suddenly, letter E saw an envelope and jumped off the elf’s elbow, picked it up, and gave it to the elf, who at once opened it.He found a paper inside.Peeing over the elf  to see the letter, all the friends unanimously said, “Please read, Please read, what’s written on it. ” The Elf read:“Under the clean white powder A prize you should find Something green and shiny That might be right behind. Umm… that’s a puzzle and if we solve it we’ll get a prize.”“A prize! That’s fun,” said the elk.Mulling over the puzzle for some time, he asked, “So, what’s the white powder?”“It’s the snow,” trumpeted one very confident baby elephant, swinging his trunk and blowing the snow.“So, somewhere in the snow is the prize. Let’s look for it,” all the friends cried out in unison.They knew that the clean white powder was the snow but they were all intrigued by the green and shiny thing. All you children listening out there, can you guess what can be a is green and shiny thing in the puzzle   ?Well, listen ahead to find out. All of them started looking around and sang :Look for a shiny green thing on the right,Look for a shiny green thing on the left,look for it behindlook for it in front. “There’s nothing here,” said letter E, who was tired of searching for something green and shiny. The elk said, “Let’s dig in the snow to find the prize, ”and he sunk his antlers deep into the snow.The elephant used his trunk, the elk his antlers, and the elf was working with his hands to look for that  green and shiny thing. Letter E just sat looking at them, for now he was exhausted.The elk took out his antlers and told letter E to join them, “Join us, if we all work together , we’ll find the prize sooner.” Looking at the elk, letter-E yelled out, “What is stuck in between your antlers?”Everyone stopped digging the snow and looked at the shiny green thing stuck in the elk’s antlers.The elf said excitedly,  “Wow! That is an emerald. It’s indeed the green and shiny thing and that’s our prize too. It must have got stuck in the antlers while the elk was digging in the snow.They all were delighted to have solved the puzzle and decided it was time to go back home Now let me blow some dust and all of us will be back in our homes.”Nodding, the elk said, “Wait! what will I do with the Emerald? I have no use of it. Elf, why don&#39;t you take it and the next Christmas use it to buy gifts for the kids who cannot afford to buy them .” He gave the emerald to the elf.All the friends thanked each other for a great time and bade goodbye.“Hope we meet again,” said E adjusting on the elf’s elbow.Whoosh! …And in a jiffy, all of them reached their homes.The Elk back in the forest.The baby elephant back to his family. He was excited to be the only elephant to have reached Mount Everest and share his adventure.The elf and the letter were E back to the North Pole, excited not only their adventure and also delighted about the new friends that they made. Hello Children! I am letter  E. Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound: /e/ That’s the short sound I make.I also make a long sound, but that I am saving for another story.Let’s see what all words in the story started with the sound  I made /e/.Who was getting bored at the North Pole? /e/ elfAnd there were many other words too that started with the sound I make.I make the sound /e//e/ Everest/e/ elk/e/ elephant/e/ envelopeAnd what was the prize?/e/ emeraldAnd I was hanging onto the elf’s/e/ elbow

The Escapades of Letter E is a story about Letter E going on an adventure with an elf and making friends along the way.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-e.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.

Transcript

Christmas was over. Santa had delivered all the Christmas gifts to children around the world. He along with the elves and reindeers was relaxing after a hectic Christmas frenzy. In fact, we can say the North Pole was a quiet place now.
Among all the elves one was very naughty, as well as adventurous and he decided to sneak out. At the same time, from among a few scattered toys that were left behind from Christmas, was a box of alphabets. The letter E also jumped out of this box and was sneaking out to look for some fun.
The elf and the letter E came face to face. Scared, letter E was about to turn back and run to the Alphabet box when the elf called, “Looking for some fun? Isn't it so quiet and boring here at the North pole these days?”
Letter E nodded in agreement.
“Come, let's travel to some faraway land. Hang on to my elbow! ”
Letter E did not hesitate as he was looking for some adventure himself.
He jumped onto the elf’s elbow and adjusting himself asked, “Where are we going?”
“Let's see, I want to go to Mount Everest, the tallest peak among all the mountains in the world,” said the elf picking up his magic dust pouch. “Do you have any place else in mind?”
With sparkling eyes, the letter E exclaimed, “Wow! That would be amazing. Let’s go to Mount….mount what?”
“Mount Everest” answered the elf.
“But how should we go? Do you have a reindeer?” asked letter E.
The elf gestured letter E to wait and then took out some magic dust and blew it.
Whoosh….
In a moment they were in India at the base of the Himalayan mountain range.
The letter E looked all around  and suddenly yelled out, “Look, a deer! He is so big and has such tall and beautiful horns.”
“Who called me a deer? I am an elk and these on top of my head are not horns, they are antlers,” the elk replied, proudly moving his head from side to side  to show off the antlers.
“Pardon my friend, for he has never seen an elk before,” said the elf protecting letter E. “Actually, we are new to this place.”
“Is that so? Welcome, welcome! Then let me show you around this place,” replied the elk.
The elk showed them around the forest from the tall trees to his other animal friends. Soon,  they became best of friends.
One evening they met a baby elephant who was plodding up and down and looked worried.
“You don't look so happy dear baby elephant. What's bothering you?” asked the elk.
“Well, you see, I want to go to someplace where no elephant has ever gone and Mount Everest on these Himalayan mountains seemed like a perfect place. I have travelled very long distance to reach here. But I do not know how to climb this huge mountain.”
Letter E looked at the elf, who said, “Wait for a second, we too want to go to Mount Everest. And Elk why don’t you join us?”
“Certainly, can’t refuse such an offer,” nodding his head the elk said.
The elf dug into his pouch and blew a handful of magic dust.
Whoosh!
In an instant they were on Mount Everest.
The baby elephant proudly proclaimed, “Now, I am the only elephant who has ever visited Mount Everest.”
All the friends happily started roaming around.
Suddenly, letter E saw an envelope and jumped off the elf’s elbow, picked it up, and gave it to the elf, who at once opened it.
He found a paper inside.
Peeing over the elf  to see the letter, all the friends unanimously said, “Please read, Please read, what’s written on it. ”
The Elf read:
“Under the clean white powder
A prize you should find
Something green and shiny
That might be right behind.
Umm… that’s a puzzle and if we solve it we’ll get a prize.”
“A prize! That’s fun,” said the elk.
Mulling over the puzzle for some time, he asked, “So, what’s the white powder?”
“It’s the snow,” trumpeted one very confident baby elephant, swinging his trunk and blowing the snow.
“So, somewhere in the snow is the prize. Let’s look for it,” all the friends cried out in unison.
They knew that the clean white powder was the snow but they were all intrigued by the green and shiny thing.

All you children listening out there, can you guess what can be a is green and shiny thing in the puzzle?
Well, listen ahead to find out.
All of them started looking around and sang :
Look for a shiny green thing on the right,
Look for a shiny green thing on the left,
look for it behind
look for it in front.

“There’s nothing here,” said letter E, who was tired of searching for something green and shiny.
 The elk said, “Let’s dig in the snow to find the prize, ”and he sunk his antlers deep into the snow.
The elephant used his trunk, the elk his antlers, and the elf was working with his hands to look for that  green and shiny thing. Letter E just sat looking at them, for now he was exhausted.
The elk took out his antlers and told letter E to join them, “Join us, if we all work together , we’ll find the prize sooner.” Looking at the elk, letter-E yelled out, “What is stuck in between your antlers?”
Everyone stopped digging the snow and looked at the shiny green thing stuck in the elk’s antlers.
The elf said excitedly,  “Wow! That is an emerald. It’s indeed the green and shiny thing and that’s our prize too. It must have got stuck in the antlers while the elk was digging in the snow.
They all were delighted to have solved the puzzle and decided it was time to go back home Now let me blow some dust and all of us will be back in our homes.”
Nodding, the elk said, “Wait! what will I do with the Emerald? I have no use of it. Elf, why don't you take it and the next Christmas use it to buy gifts for the kids who cannot afford to buy them .” He gave the emerald to the elf.
All the friends thanked each other for a great time and bade goodbye.
“Hope we meet again,” said E adjusting on the elf’s elbow.
Whoosh! …
And in a jiffy, all of them reached their homes.
The Elk back in the forest.
The baby elephant back to his family. He was excited to be the only elephant to have reached Mount Everest and share his adventure.
The elf and the letter were E back to the North Pole, excited not only their adventure and also delighted about the new friends that they made.

Hello Children! I am letter  E. Hope you liked the story.
You know I make the sound: /e/ That’s the short sound I make.
I also make a long sound, but that I am saving for another story.
Let’s see what all words in the story started with the sound  I made /e/.
Who was getting bored at the North Pole? /e/ elf
And there were many other words too that started with the sound I make.
I make the sound /e/
/e/ Everest
/e/ elk
/e/ elephant
/e/ envelope
And what was the prize?
/e/ emerald
And I was hanging onto the elf’s
/e/ elbow


Alphabet Escapades of Letter E

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/2/6/16/446c77fe-87c6-436e-a49e-8013366be4fd_a_thai_story_-_the_clever_monkey.mp3

The Clever Monday is a folk tale from Thailand wherein a witty monkey keeps outfoxing others and in the end is left empty-handed. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/the-clever-monkey" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/the-clever-monkey</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once there was a clever monkey that enjoyed outsmarting people and profiting from them. One day, the monkey got a thorn in his tail and went to a barber.Monkey told the Barber. “Remove this thorn from my tail.’The Barber said, “Sure! Please be seated.”The barber took his razor, which is like a knife, brought out the thorn but oops at the same time got a bit of monkey’s tail.The monkey was furious, “You cut a bit of my tail, now give me this razor as compensation.” He thought the barber has nothing else to give him. Something is better than nothing.The barber did as was asked and the monkey was happy, he had won over the barber.So, children, what do you think the monkey will do with the razor? ..let’s seeOn the way home, the monkey met an old woman who was cutting firewood, but her axe had broken. The witty monkey wanted to get the wood because he thought the razor was of no use. So, he cooked up a plan in his mind.He politely asked the old woman with the broken axe, “What happened? Why are you sad?The old woman replied showing the broken axe, “My only axe broke and now I cannot cut the wood.”The witty monkey knew his plan was working. He offered the woodcutter lady to use his razor to cut the wood.Children, do you think razor can cut wood? No!Then what will happen to the razor. Let’s see.     The woman gladly accepted the offer but soon the razor broke as the monkey had thought. The monkey was enraged, “You broke my razor, and you have to give me all your firewood in exchange for the razor.”The scared woman did as was asked by the monkey.The monkey was happy, he had won over the old ladyCollecting all the firewood the monkey went ahead.Shortly afterwards the monkey met another woman who was preparing Thai fishcakes by the fire. The aroma of the delicious fish cake wafted all around that made the witty monkey’s mouth water.Children, What your favourite snack? Is it something sweet, sour, salty, or spicy?Well, let’s get ahead with the story and see what happens.The woman was very sad.The monkey asked, “What happened, why are you sad?”The woman replied, “My firewood is exhausted, but the fish cakes are not ready yet. I do not know what to do?”The monkey smiled as a plan was brewing in his witty mind to get hold of all the fishcakes. And as a part of the plan, he offered the woman his firewood.The old woman gladly accepted the offer.After some time, the fish cakes were ready, but she had used up all the firewood.Hence, the monkey became very vexed and said sharply, “You have to give all the fishcakes as the price for the use of my firewood.The scared woman did as was asked.The monkey was happy, he had won over the lady.Happy and amused, that clever monkey ran off with the fishcakes. However, the aroma of the fishcakes attracted some dogs who barked and chased the monkey. This was when the petrified monkey left all the cakes behind him and climbed onto a tree to find shelter from the dogs.Finally, the clever monkey was empty-handed, while the dogs feasted on the delicious fish cakes!You see children, the monkey tried to outsmart, but in the end, he was left with nothing.Hence remember; Being clever is good, but tricking people for your personal gain is not!

The Clever Monday is a folk tale from Thailand wherein a witty monkey keeps outfoxing others and in the end is left empty-handed.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-clever-monkey.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript


Once there was a clever monkey that enjoyed outsmarting people and profiting from them. One day, the monkey got a thorn in his tail and went to a barber.

Monkey told the Barber. “Remove this thorn from my tail.’

The Barber said, “Sure! Please be seated.”

The barber took his razor, which is like a knife, brought out the thorn but oops at the same time got a bit of monkey’s tail. 

The monkey was furious, “You cut a bit of my tail, now give me this razor as compensation.” He thought the barber has nothing else to give him. Something is better than nothing.

The barber did as was asked and the monkey was happy, he had won over the barber. 

So, children, what do you think the monkey will do with the razor? ..let’s see

On the way home, the monkey met an old woman who was cutting firewood, but her axe had broken. The witty monkey wanted to get the wood because he thought the razor was of no use. So,              he cooked up a plan in his mind. 

He politely asked the old woman with the broken axe, “What happened? Why are you sad?

 The old woman replied showing the broken axe, “My only axe broke and now I cannot cut the wood.”

The witty monkey knew his plan was working. He offered the woodcutter lady to use his razor to cut the wood.

Children, do you think razor can cut wood? No!

Then what will happen to the razor. Let’s see.      

The woman gladly accepted the offer but soon the razor broke as the monkey had thought. The monkey was enraged, “You broke my razor, and you have to give me all your firewood in exchange for the razor.”

The scared woman did as was asked by the monkey.

The monkey was happy, he had won over the old lady 

Collecting all the firewood the monkey went ahead. 

Shortly afterwards the monkey met another woman who was preparing Thai fishcakes by the fire. The aroma of the delicious fish cake wafted all around that made the witty monkey’s mouth water.

Children, What your favourite snack?   Is it something sweet, sour, salty, or spicy?

Well, let’s get ahead with the story and see what happens.

The woman was very sad.

The monkey asked, “What happened, why are you sad?”

The woman replied, “My firewood is exhausted, but the fish cakes are not ready yet. I do not know what to do?”

The monkey smiled as a plan was brewing in his witty mind to get hold of all the fishcakes. And as a part of the plan, he offered the woman his firewood. 

The old woman gladly accepted the offer. 

After some time, the fish cakes were ready, but she had used up all the firewood.

Hence, the monkey became very vexed and said sharply, “You have to give all the fishcakes as the price for the use of my firewood.

The scared woman did as was asked. 

The monkey was happy, he had won over the lady. 

Happy and amused, that clever monkey ran off with the fishcakes. However, the aroma of the fishcakes attracted some dogs who barked and chased the monkey. This was when the petrified monkey left all the cakes behind him and climbed onto a tree to find shelter from the dogs. 

Finally, the clever monkey was empty-handed, while the dogs feasted on the delicious fish cakes!

You see children, the monkey tried to outsmart, but in the end, he was left with nothing.

Hence remember; Being clever is good, but tricking people for your personal gain is not!

Stories from Near and Far: A Clever Monkey

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/1/30/17/e90ce1da-e0b4-45d5-9365-d0a557938260_the_woodpeckers_granary.mp3

The Woodpeckers’ Granary is a story that is about woodpeckers working as a team to gather acorns, make their granary and protect it too. It also teaches children am important life lesson of not taking others things without permission. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-woodpeckers-granary" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-woodpeckers-granary</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript You must have heard that it’s wrong to take other people’s things without their permission. Well, in today’s story, someone learns a lesson about not picking up things that don’t belong to them.So gather around.Before I plunge into the story, let me tell you dear children that acorn woodpeckers are a particular type of woodpeckers that eat, as the name implies, mainly acorns.   They live in a family that cooperates and helps each other.A big flock of acorn woodpeckers was soaring in the sky.This flock had a fledgling named, Nutty.Nutty loved his flock for it had his papa, mummy, uncles, aunts, and cousins too. They always stayed together and had a lot of fun playing as well as working together.One day while flying they spotted an oak tree grove. As they were circling over the grove, all of them were enchanted by its tall oaks. So, they decided to get a closer look and landed in the oak grove.They found that not only were the tall oak trees gorgeous, there were beautiful wildflowers growing and they could even hear the gurgling of a waterfall nearby. Every member of the flock was elated.Looking at his flock’s happy faces, papa announced “Let&#39;s make this our new home. It is so pretty here.” The whole flock chirped in agreement.The fledglings couldn’t believe their ears, “Hurray! A new home! That’s awesome.”Looking keenly all around the oak trees Nutty was worried.“There are no holes here,” he gave an anxious shriek.Another fledgling added, “Where will we store our acorns?”“Well! We will teach you how to make the holes and store the nuts. It’s hard work, but doing things together makes it enjoyable,” papa assured the little ones.All the cousins exchanged a smile and gave high-five to each other with their wings and said, “That’ll be fun! We have never made our holes as in our previous home we already had them.”Nutty exclaimed, “I’ll make the biggest one!”Mummy who was observing the excitement amongst the young ones added, “ We don’t need to make big ones. You have to learn to make the holes just the right size to fit the acorn.”One of the uncles explained, “And remember not to make them lower on the trunk as then the other animals might take our nuts.”Soon, all the elders got busy with what woodpeckers love doing the most, drilling small holes in the trunk of the oak trees.Papa made himself comfortable on the trunk of one of the oak trees and called all the fledglings, “Come here, let me teach you how to make the right size holes and the correct distance apart.”Happily, all the fledglings gave noisy trills and under papa’s guidance got busy pecking the wood to make the cavities.One of the uncles, flying around the grove, gave a loud call to the flock, “I suggest that since it’s fall, some of us should start harvesting the green acorns. If we delay, we might not have enough acorns in our new granary for the winter months. The others can keep drilling the wood.”The flock unanimously agreed. They knew building a new granary isn’t an easy task.Every day, some would fly out in search of acorns, bring back some to keep in the cavities. In the meantime, the others would frantically make holes in the oak trees.In a few weeks, all their hard work paid off. Their granary was almost ready.The fledglings were most excited as it was their first year to make holes and store the nuts. They were also very possessive about them.One day, after soaring in the sky, the flock returned to the grove of the oak trees.Nutty, enthusiastic about his acorn went straight to check on his very first acorn that he had stored.Nutty couldn’t believe that the hole was empty. He screeched, “My acorn is not there.”All you little children listening out there, can you guess what had happened to the acorn. Well let’s listen ahead to find out. One day Nutty found that one of the acorns was missing and gave out a loud shriek that his acorn is not there.“Mine is also missing,” shouted another one from behind the tree. Mummy calmed them down, “They might have fallen down to the ground. Go look for them”Instantly, the two cousins flew down and looked all around the tree but could not find their acorns.Unfortunately, the next day too some of the acorns were gone.“For sure there is a thief!” announced one of the uncles.Vexed with the situation the father said, “There has to be a way to find out who the trespassers are who are stealing from our granary. Let’s have a flock meeting right now.”Everyone got together and started thinking about ways to find out who the thief was.One of the aunts suggested, “Let us do aerial passes around the grove and catch the thief.”Mummy recommended, “That’s a great idea. But let&#39;s distribute the work as we can neither afford to skip collecting the nuts nor can we skip guarding our granary.”Uncle approved, “That’s right. Hence, some keep gathering the nuts, while the others keep a watch on our granary..”“That&#39;s a great plan,” echoed the flock.The next day, the woodpeckers were nervous but everyone went about carrying on with their respective duties.Till noon, the guarding woodpeckers found nothing unusual, apart from the rustling of the leaves and the melodious music of the wind passing through the grove.Suddenly, the guards saw some movement amongst the dry heap of leaves and they became alert.They saw a tiny squirrel who looked here and there for any predators and then quickly climbed and reached the granary, She was about to get the acorn out when the guard woodpeckers shouted, “Hey! You thief squirrel, you should be ashamed of yourself for stealing our food. Go away at once. If you are seen anywhere around our granary, you&#39;ll have to face the consequences.”The squirrel was taken aback, the words of the guarding woodpecker pinched her badly and she scurried away. That night she couldn&#39;t sleep as the words, “You thief squirrel” kept on resonating in her ears.She thought, “I am not a thief!”But then she realised that if we pick up something, that belongs to someone else without taking permission, that’s being a thief. She was devastated and vowed to rectify her mistake.The next morning, she went looking for acorns and came back with them to the oak grove.The guarding woodpeckers yelled out, “ We told you that you should not come close to our granary.”The squirrel pleaded showing the acorns that she had brought, “I am so sorry. See, I have come to replace the nuts back in the hole. I promise never to steal again. Please don’t call me a thief.”The woodpeckers were surprised by squirrel’s change of heart.Nutty said pleasantly, “Thanks! That’s sweet of you. to replace our nuts.”The others replied,“ We forgive you and won’t call you a thief.”From that day, the squirrel worked hard and never stole anything.And As for the woodpeckers, the flock was delighted that they could find the thief.Since then, the acorn woodpeckers have always believed in: Team work makes dreams work.

The Woodpeckers’ Granary is a story that is about woodpeckers working as a team to gather acorns, make their granary and protect it too. It also teaches children am important life lesson of not taking others things without permission.


Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-woodpeckers-granary.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

You must have heard that it’s wrong to take other people’s things without their permission. Well, in today’s story, someone learns a lesson about not picking up things that don’t belong to them.

So gather around.

Before I plunge into the story, let me tell you dear children that acorn woodpeckers are a particular type of woodpeckers that eat, as the name implies, mainly acorns.    They live in a family that cooperates and helps each other.

A big flock of acorn woodpeckers was soaring in the sky. 

This flock had a fledgling named, Nutty.

Nutty loved his flock for it had his papa, mummy, uncles, aunts, and cousins too. They always stayed together and had a lot of fun playing as well as working together.

One day while flying they spotted an oak tree grove. As they were circling over the grove, all of them were enchanted by its tall oaks. So, they decided to get a closer look and landed in the oak grove.

They found that not only were the tall oak trees gorgeous, there were beautiful wildflowers growing and they could even hear the gurgling of a waterfall nearby. Every member of the flock was elated.

Looking at his flock’s happy faces, papa announced “Let's make this our new home. It is so pretty here.” The whole flock chirped in agreement.

The fledglings couldn’t believe their ears, “Hurray! A new home! That’s awesome.”

Looking keenly all around the oak trees Nutty was worried. 

“There are no holes here,” he gave an anxious shriek.

Another fledgling added, “Where will we store our acorns?”

“Well! We will teach you how to make the holes and store the nuts. It’s hard work, but doing things together makes it enjoyable,” papa assured the little ones.

All the cousins exchanged a smile and gave high-five to each other with their wings and said, “That’ll be fun! We have never made our  holes as in our previous home we already had them.”

Nutty exclaimed, “I’ll make the biggest one!”

Mummy who was observing the excitement amongst the young ones added, “ We don’t need to make big ones. You have to learn to make the holes just the right size to fit the acorn.”

One of the uncles explained, “And remember not to make them lower on the trunk as then the other animals might take our nuts.”

Soon, all the elders got busy with what woodpeckers love doing the most, drilling small holes in the trunk of the oak trees.

Papa made himself comfortable on the trunk of one of the oak trees and called all the fledglings, “Come here, let me teach you how to make the right size holes and the correct distance apart.”

Happily, all the fledglings gave noisy trills and under papa’s guidance got busy pecking the wood to make the cavities.

One of the uncles, flying around the grove, gave a loud call to the flock, “I suggest that since it’s fall, some of us should start harvesting the green acorns. If we delay, we might not have enough acorns in our new granary for the winter months. The others can keep drilling the wood.”

The flock unanimously agreed. They knew building a new granary isn’t an easy task.

Every day, some would fly out in search of acorns, bring back some to keep in the cavities. In the meantime, the others would frantically make holes in the oak trees. In a few weeks, all their hard work paid off. Their granary was almost ready.

The fledglings were most excited as it was their first year to make holes and store the nuts. They were also very possessive about them.

One day, after soaring in the sky, the flock returned to the grove of the oak trees.

Nutty, enthusiastic about his acorn went straight to check on his very first acorn that he had stored. 

Nutty couldn’t believe that the hole was empty. He screeched, “My acorn is not there.”

All you little children listening out there, can you guess what had happened to the acorn. 

Well let’s listen ahead to find out. 

One day Nutty found that one of the acorns was missing and gave out a loud shriek that his acorn is not there.

“Mine is also missing,” shouted another one from behind the tree. Mummy calmed them down, “They might have fallen down to the ground. Go look for them”

Instantly, the two cousins flew down and looked all around the tree but could not find their acorns.

Unfortunately, the next day too some of the acorns were gone.

“For sure there is a thief!” announced one of the uncles. 

Vexed with the situation the father said, “There has to be a way to find out who the trespassers are who are stealing from our granary. Let’s have a flock meeting right now.” 

Everyone got together and started thinking about ways to find out who the thief was. 

One of the aunts suggested, “Let us do aerial passes around the grove and catch the thief.”

Mummy recommended, “That’s a great idea. But let's distribute the work as we can neither afford to skip collecting the nuts nor can we skip guarding our granary.”

Uncle approved, “That’s right. Hence, some keep gathering the nuts, while the others keep a watch on our granary..”

“That's a great plan,” echoed the flock.

The next day, the woodpeckers were nervous but everyone went about carrying on with their respective duties.

Till noon, the guarding woodpeckers found nothing unusual, apart from the rustling of the leaves and the melodious music of the wind passing through the grove.

Suddenly, the guards saw some movement amongst the dry heap of leaves and they became alert.

They saw a tiny squirrel who looked here and there for any predators and then quickly climbed and reached the granary, She was about to get the acorn out when the guard woodpeckers shouted, “Hey! You thief squirrel, you should be ashamed of yourself for stealing our food. Go away at once. If you are seen anywhere around our granary, you'll have to face the consequences.” 

The squirrel was taken aback, the words of the guarding woodpecker pinched her badly and she scurried away.  That night she couldn't sleep as the words, “You thief squirrel” kept on resonating in her ears.

She thought, “I am not a thief!”

But then she realised that if we pick up something, that belongs to someone else without taking permission, that’s being a thief. She was devastated and vowed to rectify her mistake.

The next morning, she went looking for acorns and came back with them to the oak grove.

The guarding woodpeckers yelled out, “ We told you that you should not come close to our granary.”

The squirrel pleaded showing the acorns that she had brought, “I am so sorry. See, I have come to replace the nuts back in the hole. I promise never to steal again. Please don’t call me a thief.”

The woodpeckers were surprised by squirrel’s change of heart.

Nutty said pleasantly, “Thanks! That’s sweet of you. to replace our nuts.”

The others replied,“ We forgive you and won’t call you a thief.”

From that day, the squirrel worked hard and never stole anything.

And As for the woodpeckers, the flock was delighted that they could find the thief. 

Since then, the acorn woodpeckers have always believed in: Team work makes dreams work.

The Originals: The Woodpeckers’ Granary

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/1/24/18/2c625dc5-ee56-483b-a2f0-101f25b1fdfa_the_lazy_dragon_composition.mp3

This story is about a very lazy baby dragon. He learns a life lesson and changes for the better. Free activity sheet available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-lazy-dragon" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/originals-the-lazy-dragon</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript &#34;Get up Slothy. Don&#39;t you want to join your siblings in learning how to breathe out fire?&#34; said the mother dragon lovingly.&#34;Umm. Please mummy, let me just sleep in a little more. I know how to breathe out fire,&#34; muttered Slothy, the baby dragon. He turned the other way and snoozed again.There were many things Slothy enjoyed doing.First, Slothy loved to sleep.Next, he loved to watch television.There was yet another thing that he loved to do. He loved to play games on the mobile phone.But what he did not enjoy was learning, from blowing out fire to building stamina to fly fast and far.Slothy&#39;s parents encouraged and motivated him, but all in vain. Father used to try enticing him by doing dragon training at fun places. One day he called out, “Slothy, today we are all going to the top of the mountain. We’ll all blow out fire there. Come, join us.”“Thanks, Dad, but I am feeling tired, would rather sleep and watch a show to relax myself.”Mother added, “ You are a dragon and, a fire blowing dragon, you must practice it too!”“I know all about being a dragon. Don’t worry mumma!” Slothy muttered watching his favourite Television show.In short, we can say he was a couch potato.One day, Slothy&#39;s mother coaxed him to get some fruits from the forest.“I need some fruits as your uncle is coming over for dinner.”Reluctantly, Slothy agreed and sluggishly walked over to the adjoining forest. The trees were dense and formed a beautiful canopy. The flowers were pretty spreading a lovely fragrance all around. The birds were chirping a sweet song and the earthy smell was refreshing. But none of these interested Slothy. He just wanted to get back to his TV shows.Plodding through the forest, he arrived at a forest clearing. It was a campsite and some children were enjoying. Slothy stopped to look at them as they were singing songs around the campfire.The ants go marching one by one , Hurrah-Hurrah!The ants go marching one by one, Hurrah-Hurrah!The ants go marching one by one,The little one stopped to suck his thumb!!And They all giggledAs the children stopped singing, one of the kids saw Slothy and exclaimed, &#34;Wow, a dragon!&#34;&#34;Hey, are you a real dragon?&#34; asked the others.Slothy proudly claimed, &#34;Of course. I am a fire breathing dragon.&#34;“Wow! That’s amazing,” one child yelled out a thrilling cry.&#34;We&#39;ll believe you when you blow out fire for us,&#34; dared one of the children, not believing Slothy.&#34;Here you go,&#34; said Slothy and puffed. But, what was that? He couldn&#39;t blow fire. He puffed yet again, but he still could not blow out fire.The children jeered, &#34;No, you are not a real dragon.”&#34;But see, I can fly.&#34; Slothy flapped his wings and lifted himself just a little above the ground. Plonk, he fell right down.&#34;Little dragon, don&#39;t fool us. Learn to blow fire and fly and then come back to us,&#34; they said teasingly.All you lovely children listening out there, can you guess why Slothy couldn’t blow out fire?Yes, Indeed that’s because he didn’t practice.To learn something new we all need to practice, right?Well, in our story so far, Slothy was a lazy baby dragon and didn’t want to learn anything. He only lazed around and watched TV or played video games. He felt embarrassed when the children at the camp asked him to blow fire, but he could not!. He was sad. Tears rolling down his cheeks. He returned home and locked himself in his room.That day he felt very humiliated. He decided that he would change and learn to be a real dragon. A real fire blowing, flying dragon. He would not be lazy and would stop watching television and playing games on the mobile phone.He went to his father and said, “Dad, I would join my siblings in learning to blow fire, learning to fly fast and far, and whatever else you teach me! I want to be a real dragon”“Dear son, I am very happy to hear that,” father said feeling elated.From that day, Slothy diligently learnt all that his father taught. He practiced really hard. In the beginning, he couldn&#39;t blow fire, but his father reminded him -Practice makes one perfect. Sometimes Slothy made mistakes or failed at a task, but he did not give up and kept on trying. Slothy admitted to his mother, “All this is really exciting! I am becoming a real dragon!”Proudly mother patted him on his shoulder.One day mummy again sent Slothy to collect fruits from the forest. This time he was excited and immediately agreed. As he walked into the forest, he was fascinated by the trees that formed a beautiful canopy, was awestruck by the vibrant flowers, and was captivated by the birds chirping. He also found the earthy smell very refreshingWhile collecting fruits for his family, Slothy reached the same campsite. This time there were two families there. They looked kind of upset.Slothy went closer to see what the matter was. Looking at Slothy, a little girl yelled out &#34;Look, a fire blowing dragon. He could help us!&#34;“Please come and help us dragon, we forgot to get our match sticks and therefore cannot cook our meal on the campfire.”Children, can you guess how Slothy would help the campers?Listen ahead ..Slothy said that he could surely help them light the fire for he was the fire-blowing dragon. He mustered up his strength and puffed. There was a spark but not quite strong to start a fire.Slothy remembered his father&#39;s teachings and took a moment to collect his thoughts before focusing again on the task., He puffed again and Lo and behold he blew a hot stream of fire on the logs and lit the campfire.The little girl’s eyes sparkled. She and all the campers thanked Slothy. They were all delighted.“Now we can roast our marshmallows!” the little girl jumped in joy.Slothy, seeing them happy, was elated as well. Waving goodbye, he soared high in the sky.Indeed, we have to practice if we want to learn something properly, Isn’t it?

"Get up Slothy. Don't you want to join your siblings in learning how to breathe out fire?" said the mother dragon lovingly. 

"Umm. Please mummy, let me just sleep in a little more. I know how to breathe out fire," muttered Slothy, the baby dragon. He turned the other way and snoozed again.

There were many things Slothy enjoyed doing.

First, Slothy loved to sleep. 

Next, he loved to watch television.

There was yet another thing that he loved to do. He loved to play games on the mobile phone. 

But what he did not enjoy was learning, from blowing out fire to building stamina to fly fast and far.

Slothy's parents encouraged and motivated him, but all in vain. Father used to try enticing him by doing dragon training at fun places. One day he called out, “Slothy, today we are all going to the top of the mountain. We’ll all blow out fire there. Come, join us.”

“Thanks, Dad, but I am feeling tired, would rather sleep and watch a show to relax myself.” 

Mother added, “ You are a dragon and, a fire blowing dragon, you must practice it too!”

“I know all about being a dragon. Don’t worry mumma!” Slothy muttered watching his favourite Television show.

In short, we can say he was a couch potato.

One day, Slothy's mother coaxed him to get some fruits from the forest.

“I need some fruits as your uncle is coming over for dinner.”

Reluctantly, Slothy agreed and sluggishly walked over to the adjoining forest. The trees were dense and formed a beautiful canopy. The flowers were pretty spreading a lovely fragrance all around. The birds were chirping a sweet song and the earthy smell was refreshing. But none of these interested Slothy. He just wanted to get back to his TV shows. 

Plodding through the forest, he arrived at a forest clearing. It was a campsite and some children were enjoying. Slothy stopped to look at them as they were singing songs around the campfire. 

The ants go marching one by one , Hurrah-Hurrah!

The ants go marching one by one, Hurrah-Hurrah!

The ants go marching one by one,

The little one stopped to suck his thumb!!

And They all giggled

As the children stopped singing, one of the kids saw Slothy and exclaimed, "Wow, a dragon!" 

"Hey, are you a real dragon?" asked the others.

Slothy proudly claimed, "Of course. I am a fire breathing dragon."

“Wow! That’s amazing,” one child yelled out a thrilling cry.

"We'll believe you when you blow out fire for us," dared one of the children, not believing Slothy. 

"Here you go," said Slothy and puffed. But, what was that? He couldn't blow fire. He puffed yet again, but he still could not blow out fire.

The children jeered, "No, you are not a real dragon.”

"But see, I can fly." Slothy flapped his wings and lifted himself just a little above the ground. Plonk, he fell right down.

"Little dragon, don't fool us. Learn to blow fire and fly and then come back to us," they said teasingly.

All you lovely children listening out there, can you guess why Slothy couldn’t blow out fire?

Yes, Indeed that’s because he didn’t practice.

To learn something new we all need to practice, right?

Well, in our story so far, Slothy was a lazy baby dragon and didn’t want to learn anything. He only lazed around and watched TV or played video games. 

He felt embarrassed when the children at the camp asked him to blow fire, but he could not!.  

He was sad. Tears rolling down his cheeks. He returned home and locked himself in his room. 

That day he felt very humiliated. He decided that he would change and learn to be a real dragon. A real fire blowing, flying dragon. He would not be lazy and would stop watching television and playing games on the mobile phone.

He went to his father and said, “Dad, I would join my siblings in learning to blow fire, learning to fly fast and far, and whatever else you teach me! I want to be a real dragon”

“Dear son, I am very happy to hear that,” father said feeling elated.

From that day, Slothy diligently learnt all that his father taught. He practiced really hard. In the beginning, he couldn't blow fire, but his father reminded him -Practice makes one perfect. Sometimes Slothy made mistakes or failed at a task, but he did not give up and kept on trying.  

Slothy admitted to his mother, “All this is really exciting! I am becoming a real dragon!”

Proudly mother patted him on his shoulder.

One day mummy again sent Slothy to collect fruits from the forest. This time he was excited and immediately agreed. As he walked into the forest, he was fascinated by the trees that formed a beautiful canopy, was awestruck by the vibrant flowers, and was captivated by the birds chirping. He also found the earthy smell very refreshing 

While collecting fruits for his family, Slothy reached the same campsite. This time there were two families there. They looked kind of upset. 

Slothy went closer to see what the matter was. Looking at Slothy, a little girl yelled out "Look, a fire blowing dragon. He could help us!" 

“Please come and help us dragon, we forgot to get our match sticks and therefore cannot  cook our meal on the campfire.”

Children, can you guess how Slothy would help the campers?

Listen ahead ..

Slothy said that he could surely help them light the fire for he was the fire-blowing dragon. He mustered up his strength and puffed. There was a spark but not quite strong to start a fire.

Slothy remembered his father's teachings and took a moment to collect his thoughts before focusing again on the task., He puffed again and Lo and behold he blew a hot stream of fire on the logs and lit the campfire. 

The little girl’s eyes sparkled. She and all the campers thanked Slothy. They were all delighted.

“Now we can roast our marshmallows!” the little girl jumped in joy.

Slothy, seeing them happy, was elated as well. Waving goodbye, he soared high in the sky. 

Indeed, we have to practice if we want to learn something properly, Isn’t it?



The Originals: The Lazy Dragon

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/1/16/6/68168151-62c3-459b-af0a-8224dc4a351b_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_d.mp3

The Escapades of Letter D is a story about Alphabet D finding out a secret about his toys and also teaches how everyone can play together. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-d" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-d</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was night-time and all the alphabets had finished playing and together they put away all the toys: the duck, deer, dinosaur, doll, etc. They never left theirtoys scattered. They always placed them back neatly in the drawers or in the toy basket.After putting away the toys, they quickly washed up, had their delicious dinner, and went to their room. Soon they were busy reading and in no time, they were fast asleep.One day, after all the other alphabets had gone to sleep Alphabet d decided to return to the playroom to play some more.He quietly got out of the bed, tiptoed out of the bedroom, and walked towards the playroom. As he approached the playroom, he heard some noises. He stopped and wondered what those noises were.D was very inquisitive and instead of rushing into the playroom, he decided to peep through the window to find out what was happening“Oh My God! What are all the toys doing outside their baskets and drawers?” he wondered.He carefully looked and realized that all the toys were playing around in the room. Or were they getting ready for something?Alphabet D wanted to join them but thought that might scare the toys.So, he decided to just watch them through the window.He had never seen anything like this before.Alphabet D saw the doll dressed up in her shimmering shining dress.“Is there going to a party?” Alphabet D wondered.In the other corner Alphabet D’s favourite deer was draping itself in a golden skin.The very next moment, the toy tub caught Alphabet D’s attention. He saw the duck fluttering its wings to dry itself and quacking; quack -quack -quack-quackOnce she was done drying, she waddled towards the middle of the room.The doll was ready by now. And so was the deer. They both walked elegantly towards the middle of the room. All the others also assembled in the middle for what looked like a dance party.Suddenly, Alphabet D heard the beating of the drum. It was the dog. He appeared playing a beat on the drum. And everybody started rejoicing and dancing.                  The doves came in and started circling right above all the others, fluttering their wings to the beat.Indeed, it was a dance party All you little children listening out there, I am sure you all love parties, especially birthday parties.So, what’s your favourite part of any birthday party?Is it the fun-filled games, or the delicious food, or the scrumptious cake, or the refreshing drinks, or the rhythmic dancing? Or is it everything put together.Well, even the toys in our story were having a great time in the party.So, till now in the story, Alphabet D, instead of sleeping, wants to play more and goes to the playroom, only to realize that all the toys were having a party.As the toys were dancing, the dinosaur came with refreshing drinks and served them to all the animals. But then the mean red coloured dragon, who always troubled the other toys, appeared from behind the cupboard. All the animals started running here and there as they were scared of the dragon. He was a big bully and scared all the toys by his loud shrieks and by blowing fire.The toys shouted together, “Someone please help us!” and were running helter-skelter.Hearing the commotion, the lion who was relaxing in the den rushed out.One look at the dragon and the lion understood the problem that it was the dragon scaring all the other toys.He roared, &#34;You red dragon, that is no way to spoil the party. Instead why don’t you join them and have fun too!”“But no one ever invites me to the party,” said one very angry dragon.The doll gathering courage said, “Dragon dear, you are most welcome to join our party, but please don’t scare us.”The dragon for the first time felt bad and apologized. All the toys accepted his apologies and soon he too was enjoying the party. I love to sing,You love to sing,We love to sing together!I love to dance,You love to dance,We love to dance together! Alphabet D was glad to see the toys having a good time. He had a smile on his face, but by now his eyes were heavy and he slowly trudged back to his room and went to sleep. Hello Children! I am alphabet D. Hope you liked the story.You know I make the sound /d/Let’s see what all words in the story started with /d/ /d/ drawers/d/ dinner and was it /d/ delicious?/d/ doll. What was she wearing? Shimmering shining dress. And that is/d/ dress/d/ deer/d/duck/d/ dog, who was playing a/d/ drum/d/ doves/d/ dance, and who came and disturbed the party?/d/ dragon, and the lion came out of his/d/ den Join me in colouring and tons of fun activities by asking your parent or guardian to visit www.rituvaish.com. Once there, click on the D story! If you&#39;d like us to display your artwork on our website, draw a picture of something that starts with alphabet D, colour it, and request a grown-up to send it to rituvaish@gmail.com. That&#39;s r-i-t-u-v-a-i-s-h at gmail.com.

The Escapades of Letter D is a story about Alphabet D finding out a secret about his toys and also teaches how everyone can play together.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-d.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

It was night-time and all the alphabets had finished playing and together they put away all the toys: the duck, deer, dinosaur, doll, etc. They never left their
toys scattered. They always placed them back neatly in the drawers or in the toy basket.
After putting away the toys, they quickly washed up, had their delicious dinner, and went to their room. Soon they were busy reading and in no time, they were fast asleep.
One day, after all the other alphabets had gone to sleep Alphabet d decided to return to the playroom to play some more.
He quietly got out of the bed, tiptoed out of the bedroom, and walked towards the playroom. As he approached the playroom, he heard some noises. He stopped and wondered what those noises were.
D was very inquisitive and instead of rushing into the playroom, he decided to peep through the window to find out what was happening
“Oh My God! What are all the toys doing outside their baskets and drawers?” he wondered.
He carefully looked and realized that all the toys were playing around in the room. Or were they getting ready for something?
Alphabet D wanted to join them but thought that might scare the toys.
So, he decided to just watch them through the window.
He had never seen anything like this before.
Alphabet D saw the doll dressed up in her shimmering shining dress.
“Is there going to a party?” Alphabet D wondered.
In the other corner Alphabet D’s favourite deer was draping itself in a golden skin.
The very next moment, the toy tub caught Alphabet D’s attention. He saw the duck fluttering its wings to dry itself and quacking; quack -quack -quack-quack
Once she was done drying, she waddled towards the middle of the room.
The doll was ready by now. And so was the deer. They both walked elegantly towards the middle of the room. All the others also assembled in the middle for what looked like a dance party.
Suddenly, Alphabet D heard the beating of the drum. It was the dog. He appeared playing a beat on the drum. And everybody started rejoicing and dancing.                  
The doves came in and started circling right above all the others, fluttering their wings to the beat.
Indeed, it was a dance party

All you little children listening out there, I am sure you all love parties, especially birthday parties.
So, what’s your favourite part of any birthday party?
Is it the fun-filled games, or the delicious food, or the scrumptious cake, or the refreshing drinks, or the rhythmic dancing? Or is it everything put together.
Well, even the toys in our story were having a great time in the party.
So, till now in the story, Alphabet D, instead of sleeping, wants to play more and goes to the playroom, only to realize that all the toys were having a party.
As the toys were dancing, the dinosaur came with refreshing drinks and served them to all the animals.

But then the mean red coloured dragon, who always troubled the other toys, appeared from behind the cupboard. All the animals started running here and there as they were scared of the dragon.  
He was a big bully and scared all the toys by his loud shrieks and by blowing fire.
The toys shouted together, “Someone please help us!” and were running helter-skelter.
Hearing the commotion, the lion who was relaxing in the den rushed out.
One look at the dragon and the lion understood the problem that it was the dragon scaring all the other toys.
He roared, "You red dragon, that is no way to spoil the party. Instead why don’t you join them and have fun too!”
“But no one ever invites me to the party,” said one very angry dragon.
The doll gathering courage said, “Dragon dear, you are most welcome to join our party, but please don’t scare us.”
The dragon for the first time felt bad and apologized. All the toys accepted his apologies and soon he too was enjoying the party.

I love to sing,
You love to sing,
We love to sing together!
I love to dance,
You love to dance,
We love to dance together!

Alphabet D was glad to see the toys having a good time. He had a smile on his face, but by now his eyes were heavy and he slowly trudged back to his room and went to sleep.

Hello Children! I am alphabet D. Hope you liked the story.
You know I make the sound /d/
Let’s see what all words in the story started with /d/

/d/ drawers
/d/ dinner and was it /d/ delicious?
/d/ doll. What was she wearing? Shimmering shining dress. And that is
/d/ dress
/d/ deer
/d/duck
/d/ dog, who was playing a
/d/ drum
/d/ doves
/d/ dance, and who came and disturbed the party?
/d/ dragon, and the lion came out of his
/d/ den

Join me in colouring and tons of fun activities by asking your parent or guardian to visit www.rituvaish.com. Once there, click on the D story! If you'd like us to display your artwork on our website, draw a picture of something that starts with alphabet D, colour it, and request a grown-up to send it to rituvaish@gmail.com. That's r-i-t-u-v-a-i-s-h at gmail.com.

Alphabet Escapades of Letter D

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/1/9/4/695727b8-0c12-401b-ab5c-7804b824b8ad_the_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_c.mp3

Escapades of Letter C is a story of Alphabet C&#39;s positive attitude when faced with a difficult time while going to the circus. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-c" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-c</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once a farmer lived on a big farm on the outskirts of the city with his wife and two children, Cocco and Camy. And there was alphabet C that stayed with them too. Camy, the younger of the two children carried Alphabet C everywhere.The farmer often went to the city to get seeds, manure, and other things needed on the farm.One day, when the farmer returned from one such trip to the city, he exclaimed, “There is a circus running in the city!”Cocco and Camy were very excited. Mummy was milking the cow and when she returned, both the kids shouted in delight, “Mummy! May we please go to the circus? Please, please!”“Sure! That will be fun,” answered mummy hugging the children.Alphabet C, who was listening to all the excitement also wanted to go to the circus. He pleaded, “Please take me along to the circus!”Mummy explained, “You are welcome Alphabet C, but you should stay close to us as a city is a huge place, and we do not want you to get lost.”“Pinky promise! I will stay with Cocco and Camy all the time,” said one very excited alphabet C. Let me ask a question to all you lovely children listening to the story out there: When you go to a new place, should you go far away from your parent or a grown-up? No, never! Is that a pinky promise? Coming back to the story- Remember Camy and Cocco along with alphabet C were excited about going to the circus in the city.Camy, who was only 5 years old asked sheepishly, “But what exactly is a circus?”Mummy took Camy in her lap and explained, “Well, Circus has acrobats, clowns, and other performances, in a large tent. The rest you can find out when we go there!” Children and Alphabet C waited impatiently waited for Sunday.On Saturday, mummy asked everybody, “What snacks would you all like me to pack for the circus?”Coco exclaimed, “Let’s take a chocolate cake!”Camy added, “ I want my favourite carrots!”“I think we should take some sandwiches and juice too as we might return late from the circus,” father said.“And how did you children forget candy??”“Yes! Yes! Please take that too,” the children said together. The next day, Cocco and Camy wore nice clothes, combed their hair neatly, and were ready. In the excitement Camy forgot Alphabet C, who came rolling behind, “Please don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!”Camy Picked him and said, “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you behind!”Mummy was ready with the snacks too.They all sat in the car and were off to the city. We are driving down the bumpy road,the bumpy roadthe bumpy roadWe are driving down the bumpy road,To the circus, it’ll lead! They all were singing songs and rhymes when suddenly they heard a Boom!All of them jumped in their seats because of that loud sound.Father got down from the car and looking around the car he said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a flat tyre, I have a spare tyre and will fix it in 10 min.”The children looked at their father with pride.“My daddy is the best,” said Camy.The farmer opened the trunk of the car to replace the tyre, but he realized he didn&#39;t have a spare tyre.“I am so sorry; I forget to place the spare tyre!” father said very sadly.The children had tears rolling down their cheeks, “Now we’ll have to wait another year to watch the circus,” said Cocco, sobbing.“Crying doesn’t help dear Cocco, let’s think of some other ways to reach the circus,” said Alphabet C.“That’s right,” said mumma.“Shhh everybody be quiet, I hear something,” said alphabet C.Just then they heard the chime of the bells and the clippety-clop, clippety-clop! Being on the farm they knew that it was the sound of a horse or listening carefully was it the sound of two horses galloping.All of them looked in the direction of the sound and sure enough, there were two horses pulling a beautiful carriage.The farmer waved to the coachman who immediately stopped.Father explained that they were going to the city and had a flat tyre. Unfortunately, he forgot to keep the spare tyre.The coachman said politely, “I can take you to the town. Please sit in the carriage.”The farmer and his family couldn’t leave an offer like and thanking the coachman climbed onto the carriage.Off they all went clippety-clop, clippety-clop!The coachman asked on the way, “Where do you want to go in the city?”“We are going to the circus!” Shrieked the children in excitement.“Wow! What a coincidence, I work at the circus and would drop you right at the gate!”“That’s awesome!” The two kids shouted clapping their hands.As they approached the city children spotted colourful tents, “Is that where the circus is?”“Indeed,” said the coachman.Once they reached, they thanked the coachman.Alphabet C whispered in Camy’s ear, “Please give carrots to the horses. I think they would love them.”“That’s a great idea!” Camy said and took out some carrots from the basket and gave them to the horses, “Thank you very much for bringing us to the circus dear horses!”With a big smile on their faces, they bought the tickets and some people dressed as caterpillars showed them their seats.Soon the circus started with a clown wearing colourful outfit riding his cycle that had just one wheel.“That’s called a unicycle!’ father told the children.He had a cane in his hand and did funny tricks that made the whole audience roar out in laughter.Then, there were the acrobats. The children were awestruck by their balancing acts.Soon there was a short break. By now the children were hungry and they ate the cake and farmer bought them caramelized popped corn.There were many other performances and the farmer&#39;s family had a great time at the circus. So did alphabet C.When the circus finished, the farmer took a car mechanic who took them in his car and repaired the tyre.They thanked the car mechanic.“All is well that ends well!” exclaimed Alphabet C as they drove back to the farm. Hello Children! I am alphabet C. Hope you liked the story.You know I make two sounds: /k/ and /s/I mostly make the sound /k/  as in /c/ car.   But I also make the sound /s/ as in circus.Let’s see what all words in the story started with the sound /c/.Remember was mummy was milking? /c/ cowAnd there were many other words/c/ cake/c/ carrot/c/ candy/c/ car/c/ carriage/c/ coachman/c/ caterpillar/c/ clownAnd what kind of popcorn did the father get? /c/caramelized.And do you remember the names of the children? Cocco and CamyBut sometimes I make the sound /s/ too/s/ city/s/ circusIs that confusing?Not at all if I tell you a rule:When ‘c‘ comes directly before the letters ‘e‘, ‘i‘ or ‘y‘ we use the /s/ sound.In other cases, we use a /k/ sound.Simple!! Isn’t it?

Escapades of Letter C is a story of Alphabet C's positive attitude when faced with a difficult time while going to the circus.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-c.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

Once a farmer lived on a big farm on the outskirts of the city with his wife and two children, Cocco and Camy. And there was alphabet C that stayed with them too. Camy, the younger of the two children carried Alphabet C everywhere.
The farmer often went to the city to get seeds, manure, and other things needed on the farm.
One day, when the farmer returned from one such trip to the city, he exclaimed, “There is a circus running in the city!”
Cocco and Camy were very excited. Mummy was milking the cow and when she returned, both the kids shouted in delight, “Mummy! May we please go to the circus? Please, please!”
“Sure! That will be fun,” answered mummy hugging the children.
Alphabet C, who was listening to all the excitement also wanted to go to the circus. He pleaded, “Please take me along to the circus!”
Mummy explained, “You are welcome Alphabet C, but you should stay close to us as a city is a huge place, and we do not want you to get lost.”
“Pinky promise! I will stay with Cocco and Camy all the time,” said one very excited alphabet C.

Let me ask a question to all you lovely children listening to the story out there: When you go to a new place, should you go far away from your parent or a grown-up? 
No, never! Is that a pinky promise?

Coming back to the story- Remember Camy and Cocco along with alphabet C were excited about going to the circus in the city.
Camy, who was only 5 years old asked sheepishly, “But what exactly is a circus?”
Mummy took Camy in her lap and explained, “Well, Circus has acrobats, clowns, and other performances, in a large tent. The rest you can find out when we go there!”

Children and Alphabet C waited impatiently waited for Sunday.
On Saturday, mummy asked everybody, “What snacks would you all like me to pack for the circus?”
Coco exclaimed, “Let’s take a chocolate cake!”
Camy added, “ I want my favourite carrots!”
“I think we should take some sandwiches and juice too as we might return late from the circus,” father said.
“And how did you children forget candy??”
“Yes! Yes! Please take that too,” the children said together.

The next day, Cocco and Camy wore nice clothes, combed their hair neatly, and were ready. In the excitement Camy forgot Alphabet C, who came rolling behind, “Please don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!”
Camy Picked him and said, “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you behind!”
Mummy was ready with the snacks too.
They all sat in the car and were off to the city.

We are driving down the bumpy road,
the bumpy road
the bumpy road
We are driving down the bumpy road,
To the circus, it’ll lead!

They all were singing songs and rhymes when suddenly they heard a Boom!
All of them jumped in their seats because of that loud sound.
Father got down from the car and looking around the car he said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a flat tyre, I have a spare tyre and will fix it in 10 min.”
The children looked at their father with pride.
“My daddy is the best,” said Camy.
The farmer opened the trunk of the car to replace the tyre, but he realized he didn't have a spare tyre.
“I am so sorry; I forget to place the spare tyre!” father said very sadly.
The children had tears rolling down their cheeks, “Now we’ll have to wait another year to watch the circus,” said Cocco, sobbing.
“Crying doesn’t help dear Cocco, let’s think of some other ways to reach the circus,” said Alphabet C.
“That’s right,” said mumma.
“Shhh everybody be quiet, I hear something,” said alphabet C.
Just then they heard the chime of the bells and the clippety-clop, clippety-clop! Being on the farm they knew that it was the sound of a horse or listening carefully was it the sound of two horses galloping.
All of them looked in the direction of the sound and sure enough, there were two horses pulling a beautiful carriage.
The farmer waved to the coachman who immediately stopped.
Father explained that they were going to the city and had a flat tyre. Unfortunately, he forgot to keep the spare tyre.
The coachman said politely, “I can take you to the town. Please sit in the carriage.”
The farmer and his family couldn’t leave an offer like and thanking the coachman climbed onto the carriage.
Off they all went clippety-clop, clippety-clop!
The coachman asked on the way, “Where do you want to go in the city?”
“We are going to the circus!” Shrieked the children in excitement.
“Wow! What a coincidence, I work at the circus and would drop you right at the gate!”
“That’s awesome!” The two kids shouted clapping their hands.
As they approached the city children spotted colourful tents, “Is that where the circus is?”
“Indeed,” said the coachman.
Once they reached, they thanked the coachman.
Alphabet C whispered in Camy’s ear, “Please give carrots to the horses. I think they would love them.”
“That’s a great idea!” Camy said and took out some carrots from the basket and gave them to the horses, “Thank you very much for bringing us to the circus dear horses!”
With a big smile on their faces, they bought the tickets and some people dressed as caterpillars showed them their seats.
Soon the circus started with a clown wearing colourful outfit riding his cycle that had just one wheel.
“That’s called a unicycle!’ father told the children.
He had a cane in his hand and did funny tricks that made the whole audience roar out in laughter.
Then, there were the acrobats. The children were awestruck by their balancing acts.
Soon there was a short break. By now the children were hungry and they ate the cake and farmer bought them caramelized popped corn.
There were many other performances and the farmer's family had a great time at the circus. So did alphabet C.
When the circus finished, the farmer took a car mechanic who took them in his car and repaired the tyre.
They thanked the car mechanic.
“All is well that ends well!” exclaimed Alphabet C as they drove back to the farm.

Hello Children! I am alphabet C. Hope you liked the story.
You know I make two sounds: /k/ and /s/
I mostly make the sound /k/  as in /c/ car.   
But I also make the sound /s/ as in circus.
Let’s see what all words in the story started with the sound /c/.
Remember was mummy was milking? /c/ cow
And there were many other words
/c/ cake
/c/ carrot
/c/ candy
/c/ car
/c/ carriage
/c/ coachman
/c/ caterpillar
/c/ clown
And what kind of popcorn did the father get? /c/caramelized.
And do you remember the names of the children? Cocco and Camy
But sometimes I make the sound /s/ too
/s/ city
/s/ circus
Is that confusing?
Not at all if I tell you a rule:
When ‘c‘ comes directly before the letters ‘e‘, ‘i‘ or ‘y‘ we use the /s/ sound.
In other cases, we use a /k/ sound.
Simple!! Isn’t it?

Alphabet Escapades of Letter C

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/1/4/8/b79c4c7a-011c-423f-bb77-813a043606fd__alphabet_escapades_of_letter_b.mp3

Escapades of Letter B is a story of Alphabet B&#39;s adventure in a forest. He observes the daily routine of various animals and becomes especially fond of the baby bear. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://app.redcircle.com/shows/c96a0414-47bc-49b2-b837-d0b4e50401d4/ep/aa33ce3f-fd97-49d6-8077-550cbe0b8685/www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-b" rel="nofollow">www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-b</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Alphabet B was very adventurous. He loved to travel to places near and far.On one of his travels, he reached a beautiful forest. The forest was full of big and small trees, with fruits and flowers of many kinds and colours. He liked the forest so much that he decided to stay there for a few days.Alphabet B quietly observed the daily routine of the animals there. He watched the squirrels, the baboons, the deer, the birds, the bees to just name a few.Alphabet B was very fond of the bear family that lived in a cave towards the east of the forest, especially the baby bear. This cub was no ordinary baby bear. While all his friends and family roamed around in the jungle, looking for the honeycombs, fighting with the honeybees, eating the honey that the bees made, the baby bear had a different routine. Unlike the rest of the bears, the baby bear, would come out of the cave with his family but he trotted straight to his favourite banyan tree. He lay his precious belongings which were his books and the soap water that he loved to make bubbles with. Next, he would pluck a few banana leaves and lay them neatly under the banyan tree. Then he sat comfortably and started reading his books.As soon as the baby bear’s friends saw him, they rushed towards the banyan tree. The baboons jumped from tree to tree to reach the banyan tree, the birds flew, the ants marched, the rabbits scurried, and the beetles flew to the banyan tree. Even the barn owl would get up from the middle of his sleep when the baby bear arrived at the banyan tree.All the animals gathered around the banyan tree because they all loved when the baby bear read stories to them. Even the alphabet B would hide amongst the branches of the banyan tree and enjoy the stories that the baby bear read.After reading the story for his friends, baby bear would blow bubbles some big and the others small. He loved to observe his friends play with the bubbles. The little birds would pop them with their tiny beaks, the baboons would push then with their hands, just like we push a ball. The ants would wriggle when bubbles would fall on them, and the beetles chased them till they popped. Well, the owls, needless to say went back to sleep. This happened every single day.There was a gigantic beehive opposite the banyan tree. The bees were extremely curious. They wanted to know what was happening under the banyan tree every single day. One of them asked the other bee while cleaning the beehive, “Why do all the animals rush to meet the baby bear every day?”The other bee replied, “I have no idea, but they all seem to enjoy their time together.”One day, a group of beetles were rushing towards the banyan tree, as they had gotten late. When the beetles crossed the hive, they heard a bee shout out, “Heybeetles! Why do you all go to the bear under the banyan tree? What&#39;s so special about him?”One beetle stopped and shouted back, “0h! don’t you know he tells us very nice stories. Why don’t you come and join someday?Bees were excited but scared at the same time. Excited as they also wanted to enjoy the story, Scared, as the bees and the bears had never been friends.But still a few of the brave bees gathered their courage and followed the beetles. Scared of being shoed away, they approached the bear slowly. And To the bees’ surprise, the bear said, “Please don’t be afraid, you are welcomed to listen to the story.” All the beetles, bees, and other animals heard him in pin drop silence. The bees were enchanted not just by the story, but by the baby bear too for he was very gentle and kindhearted. They all thanked him and went back happily Now, every day even the bees joined the baby bear’s story telling sessions. Each following day the numbers kept on increasing.One day, after the storytelling session, the bear was returning to his cave when he saw some nice blue coloured berries and he plucked them and tossed them into his mouth. “Umm these are delicious, wonder why no one eats them?” thought the baby bear, plucking a bunch of berries. But as soon as he ate them, he had such a terrible-terrible tummy ache, it was so acute that he lay on the ground shouting in pain. -Someone please help me…help me.Well children, should the bear have eaten those berries, without knowing if they were safe or harmful? Yes, indeed. He did a big mistake eating the wild berries. You too should not try to eat anything you are not sure of.In fact, those blue berries, which looked so delicious were not the good blue berries to be eaten.The birds saw him in pain and fluttered their wings as fast as they could they told the baby bears parents, “Please come, baby bear is not well.”Mummy and papa bear hurried to the place where baby bear lay. Mummy bear patted the baby bears hands and said, “Don’t worry, you will be ok soon.” The birds were circling around the baby bear and fanning him. But nothing that the mummy papa bear did, or the birds did help the baby bear. Alphabet B was really sad and prayed for the bear cub to become fine soon. The bees were busy as usual cleaning their hive but when they heard a lot of commotion, they rushed to see what had happened. Looking at the baby bear, the bees at once buzzed into action and took a big piece of hive with delicious honey dripping from it towards the baby bear. Seeing the bees, Papa bear shooed them, “Go away, please leave us alone as out baby is in a lot of pain.”One of the bees politely said, “We are not here to trouble your baby bear, but to give him some honey that will help his stomach.”Astonished the mummy bear, thanked the bees and took the honeycomb. She placed the piece of honeycomb oozing with honey in bear’s month. As he sucked into the hive, the honey worked like magic and in no time the baby bear was feeling better. Mumma and papa bear thanked the bees for helping. All the animals were delighted. d mummy and papa bear shouted, “Three cheers for the bees. All the animals echoed-Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray!Everyone left for their homes as it was getting dark.Alphabet B smiled and was happy that the bear cub was healthy again. He decided it was time to travel again and slowly walked away from the forest for yet another adventure.

Escapades of Letter B is a story of Alphabet B's adventure in a forest. He observes the daily routine of various animals and becomes especially fond of the baby bear.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/alphabet-escapades-letter-b.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

Alphabet B was very adventurous. He loved to travel to places near and far.

On one of his travels, he reached a beautiful forest. The forest was full of big and small trees, with fruits and flowers of many kinds and colours. He liked the forest so much that he decided to stay there for a few days.

Alphabet B quietly observed the daily routine of the animals there. He watched the squirrels, the baboons, the deer, the birds, the bees to just name a few.

Alphabet B was very fond of the bear family that lived in a cave towards the east of the forest, especially the baby bear. This cub was no ordinary baby bear. While all his friends and family roamed around in the jungle, looking for the honeycombs, fighting with the honeybees, eating the honey that the bees made, the baby bear had a different routine.  

Unlike the rest of the bears, the baby bear, would come out of the cave with his family but he trotted straight to his favourite banyan tree. He lay his precious belongings which were his books and the soap water that he loved to make bubbles with. Next, he would  

pluck a few banana leaves and lay them neatly under the banyan tree. Then he sat comfortably and started reading his books.

As soon as the baby bear’s friends saw him, they rushed towards the banyan tree. The baboons jumped from tree to tree to reach the banyan tree, the birds flew, the ants marched, the rabbits scurried, and the beetles flew to the banyan tree. Even the barn owl would get up from the middle of his sleep when the baby bear arrived at the banyan tree.

All the animals gathered around the banyan tree because they all loved when the baby bear read stories to them. Even the alphabet B would hide amongst the branches of the banyan tree and enjoy the stories that the baby bear read.

After reading the story for his friends, baby bear would blow bubbles some big and the others small. He loved to observe his friends play with the bubbles. The little birds would pop them with their tiny beaks, the baboons would push then with their hands, just like we push a ball. The ants would wriggle when bubbles would fall on them, and the beetles chased them till they popped. Well, the owls, needless to say went back to sleep. This happened every single day.

There was a gigantic beehive opposite the banyan tree. The bees were extremely curious. They wanted to know what was happening under the banyan tree every single day. One of them asked the other bee while cleaning the beehive, “Why do all the animals rush to meet the baby bear every day?”

The other bee replied, “I have no idea, but they all seem to enjoy their time together.”

One day, a group of beetles were rushing towards the banyan tree, as they had gotten late. When the beetles crossed the hive, they heard a bee shout out, “Hey

beetles! Why do you all go to the bear under the banyan tree? What's so special about him?”

One beetle stopped and shouted back, “0h! don’t you know he tells us very nice stories. Why don’t you come and join someday?

Bees were excited but scared at the same time. Excited as they also wanted to enjoy the story, Scared, as the bees and the bears had never been friends.

But still a few of the brave bees gathered their courage and followed the beetles.  Scared of being shoed away, they approached the bear slowly. And To the bees’ surprise, the bear said, “Please don’t be afraid, you are welcomed to listen to the story.” All the beetles, bees, and other animals heard him in pin drop silence. The bees were enchanted not just by the story, but by the baby bear too for he was very gentle and kindhearted.  They all thanked him and went back happily Now, every day even the bees joined the baby bear’s story telling sessions. Each following day the numbers kept on increasing.

One day, after the storytelling session, the bear was returning to his cave when he saw some nice blue coloured berries and he plucked them and tossed them into his mouth. “Umm these are delicious, wonder why no one eats them?” thought the baby bear, plucking a bunch of berries. But as soon as he ate them, he had such a terrible-terrible tummy ache, it was so acute that he lay on the ground shouting in pain.  -Someone please help me…help me.

Well children, should the bear have eaten those berries, without knowing if they were safe or harmful? Yes, indeed. He did a big mistake eating the wild berries. You too should not try to eat anything you are not sure of.

In fact, those blue berries, which looked so delicious were not the good blue berries to be eaten.

The birds saw him in pain and fluttered their wings as fast as they could they told the baby bears parents, “Please come, baby bear is not well.”

Mummy and papa bear hurried to the place where baby bear lay. Mummy bear patted the baby bears hands and said, “Don’t worry, you will be ok soon.” The birds were circling around the baby bear and fanning him. But nothing that the mummy papa bear did, or the birds did help the baby bear. Alphabet B was really sad and prayed for the bear cub to become fine soon.  The bees were busy as usual cleaning their hive but when they heard a lot of commotion, they rushed to see what had happened. Looking at the baby bear, the bees at once buzzed into action and took a big piece of hive with delicious honey dripping from it towards the baby bear. Seeing the bees, Papa bear shooed them, “Go away, please leave us alone as out baby is in a lot of pain.”

One of the bees politely said, “We are not here to trouble your baby bear, but to give him some honey that will help his stomach.”

Astonished the mummy bear, thanked the bees and took the honeycomb. She placed the piece of honeycomb oozing with honey in bear’s month. As he sucked into the hive, the honey worked like magic and in no time the baby bear was feeling better. Mumma and papa bear thanked the bees for helping. All the animals were delighted. d mummy and papa bear shouted, “Three cheers for the bees. All the animals echoed-Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray!

Everyone left for their homes as it was getting dark.

Alphabet B smiled and was happy that the bear cub was healthy again.  He decided it was time to travel again and slowly walked away from the forest for yet another adventure.

Alphabet Escapades of Letter B

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2020/12/24/4/0a22c7e7-92b0-4921-a736-40587d20f864_alphabet_escapades_of_letter_a.mp3

Escapades of Letter A is a story of Alphabet A&#39;s first day of school and his excitement to learn the sound he makes. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at <a href="https://www.rituvaish.com/podcast/alphabet-escapades-letter-a" rel="nofollow">rituvaish.com</a>. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was the day alphabet A had been waiting for; the day he would go to the school. He quickly got ready and was on his way. He was really excited about the school. He wanted to hear lots of stories and learn about the shapes, animals, plants and of course the sound that he makes.On the way to school, he crossed a pond. There he met an alligator. The alligator was looking up at the tree beside the pond.“What are you doing alligator?” asked alphabet A“I am collecting all the apples that are falling down from this apple tree. Want to join me?”“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make. Waving bye to the alligator, Alphabet A went ahead. He now met some ants.“What are you doing ants?” asked letter A.“We are carrying grains to our ant hill. Want to join us?”“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make.Waving bye to the ants he said, “Hope you collect lots of grains today!”Jumping along, Alphabet A reached school.School was fun. His teacher told a story during the circle time. Then they played with the blocks. After the snack time, the teacher took them to the playground. Alphabet A was really enjoying the school.But he was most excited when the teacher taught the sound that alphabet A makes.A says /a/.A says /a/.Letter A was delighted, He kept saying “A says /a/. A says /a/. A says /a/.”Soon it was time to return home. Delighted, letter A thanked the teacher and waved bbye to all his new friends, “ Cu tomorrow friends!”A was glad he learnt learn what sound he makes and kept singing to himself, “A says /a/. A says /a/.”While he was returning, he met a wood cutter with an axe. Axe is like a big knife used for cutting trees.As soon as he saw the axe, A shouted, “Axe starts with me. Yipee! A says /a/, Axe.”He went ahead and met the ants again.A asked ants, “So, how many grains did you collect?”The ants kept marching and said ‘lots! We hope that you enjoyed your school.”Then suddenly A exclaimed, “Wow! Ants, my dear friends, your name starts with the sound that I make! A says /a/ ants.”Ants smiled and gave him a thumbs up to alphabet A.A marched ahead. He met the alligator again as he was passing the pond.“What did you do whole day alligator?”“I made an apple pie with all the apples I collected!”Suddenly, he realized he heard the sound he makes.He exclaimed, “Wow! A says/a/, /a/ apple. That’s what you collected. Alligator your name starts with A. A says/a/, Alligator. Oh my god! I learnt so much at the school today.”“I am glad you enjoyed school. Now run off home!” said the alligator. Alphabet happily went home singing- A says /a/. A says /a/.

Escapades of Letter A is a story of Alphabet A's first day of school and his excitement to learn the sound he makes.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at rituvaish.com.

Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com.


Transcript

It was the day alphabet A had been waiting for; the day he would go to the school. He quickly got ready and was on his way. He was really excited about the school. He wanted to hear lots of stories and learn about the shapes, animals, plants and of course the sound that he makes.	

On the way to school, he crossed a pond. There he met an alligator. The alligator was looking up at the tree beside the pond.

“What are you doing alligator?” asked alphabet A

“I am collecting all the apples that are falling down from this apple tree. Want to join me?”

“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make.  

Waving bye to the alligator, Alphabet A went ahead. 

He now met some ants.

“What are you doing ants?” asked letter A.

“We are carrying grains to our ant hill. Want to join us?”

“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make.

Waving bye to the ants he said, “Hope you collect lots of grains today!”

Jumping along, Alphabet A reached school.

School was fun. His teacher told a story during the circle time. Then they played with the blocks. After the snack time, the teacher took them to the playground. Alphabet A was really enjoying the school.

But he was most excited when the teacher taught the sound that alphabet A makes.

A says /a/.	

A says /a/.		

Letter A was delighted, He kept saying “A says /a/. A says /a/. A says /a/.”

Soon it was time to return home. Delighted, letter A thanked the teacher and waved bbye to all his new friends, “ Cu tomorrow friends!”

A was glad he learnt learn what sound he makes and kept singing to himself, “A says /a/. A says /a/.”

While he was returning, he met a wood cutter with an axe. Axe is like a big knife used for cutting trees.

As soon as he saw the axe, A shouted, “Axe starts with me. Yipee! A says /a/, Axe.”

He went ahead and met the ants again.

A asked ants, “So, how many grains did you collect?”

The ants kept marching and said ‘lots! We hope that you enjoyed your school.”

Then suddenly A exclaimed, “Wow! Ants, my dear friends, your name starts with the sound that I make! A says /a/ ants.”

Ants smiled and gave him a thumbs up to alphabet A.

A marched ahead. He met the alligator again as he was passing the pond.

“What did you do whole day alligator?”

“I made an apple pie with all the apples I collected!”

Suddenly, he realized he heard the sound he makes.

He exclaimed, “Wow! A says/a/, /a/ apple. That’s what you collected. Alligator your name starts with A. A says/a/, Alligator. Oh my god! I learnt so much at the school today.”

“I am glad you enjoyed school. Now run off home!” said the alligator.

Alphabet happily went home singing- A says /a/. A says /a/.

Alphabet Escapades of Letter A

On the Story Prism podcast I, Ritu Vaish, an early childhood educator, perform a new story every week for children 2 to 10 and grown ups young at heart.

I have many different themes of stories. The first are the Alphabet Escapades that are stories of alphabets to reinforce phonic sounds. The second are Stories from Near and Far which include folk tales from around the world along with critical thinking questions incorporated within the story. Last but not least are Ritu's Originals, organic stories I have developed over the years.

Story Prism

Episodes