Good morning, Prep School,
It is Thursday!
It’s very, very wet and the weather today is going to be wild! Rain and plenty of storms! I do love a thunderstorm though. I find nature so amazing. Have you seen some of the lightning over the past few days? It has been spectacular and the colours that the sky has changed to have been beautiful. I sat last night and watched a storm from my bedroom, it was hypnotic. I was always told as a child that if you counted the seconds (Mississippi-ly, for you Friends fans out there) between a clap of thunder and when you see the lightning, this is how far the storm was away. My brother and I used to love doing this with our mum and dad! We especially liked watching the storms that were out to sea when we were on holiday. I am sure that this thunder counting is just an old wives’ tale but it’s one I like and one I am definitely passing onto Arthur and Amelie – it’s an auntie’s job to tell you lots of cool stuff-right?!
So here is today’s short story for you:
A little boy named John lives in a beautiful home with his parents. One day, his father finds him crying and asks if something is wrong. John says meekly, “I have so many problems in life,” and talks about his ‘problems’.
John’s father patiently listens to him. Then he brings a bowl and places a potato, an egg and some coffee beans in it. He asks John to touch and feel the ingredients in the bowl, and tell what he feels about them. John describes how he feels about each of them on touching.
The father smiles and asks John to place them all in three different bowls and pour water in them. He then boils them all. After a few minutes, the father turns off the stove and places all the bowls on the counter to cool them down.
When they have cooled down, John’s father asks him to touch them once again and feel the egg, potato, and coffee beans. John has a different answer this time. And he says, the potato’s skin is easier to peel as it has turned very soft, the egg has hardened, and there is a fresh coffee aroma coming from the beans.
Listening to John, his father smiles and tells him how the potato, egg, and coffee beans reacted to adverse situations. The potato has become soft, the egg turned very strong, and the coffee beans have changed their form completely during their testing time in the boiling water.
What is this story telling us? We all have problems; it is part of life. How we react to the problems though is very important. How react is what makes us an individual and unique. We don’t all act the same in all situations and to all problems and this is absolutely fine. Next time you have a problem, think about how you want to handle it – as a potato, an egg or a coffee bean?
Life skill of the day: Can you try some Sudoku?
Day of the year themes: ‘International Picnic Day’, ‘Go Fishing Day’, ‘Clean Your Aquarium Day’, ‘Splurge Day’ and ‘International Panic Day’.
Thunk of the day: Remember, Thunks are unusual questions that are designed to make you think. There are no right or wrong answers -just your answer. The only rule is that you must be able to justify and explain your answer. You cannot just say the first thing that comes into your head. Really think about the question and discuss with your family!
Question: What does the back of a rainbow look like?
TOPS activity of the week: This is the last week of the two-week task. . .
Can you think of the seven continents of the world and identify a major landmark from each e.g. Europe – Buckingham Palace. Can you then recreate these landmarks? You could bake them, make out of Lego, paint, dress up as them, make out of toilet rolls. . . use your imagination, there are many house point on offer for anyone that can achieve this!
It can be an individual or a family effort. I would love to see these photos once you have done and I will share on social media!
Quote of the Day: “And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without rain, there would be no rainbow”
Joyous June calendar task: Send a positive note to a friend who needs encouragement.
Sleeps til Santa: 189
Have a great day – stay dry and safe,
Mrs Bennett 😊
