We are Generous Beings #4 - Do we Have to be Generous?

As the Water group explored with the book The Giving Tree, many made comments on how the tree was being too generous. As we looked closer at the Tree, the children saw that the Tree was happy in the end even though it was left with a stump.

We furthered this idea of "giving too much" with Mr. Gumpy's Outing and Too Many Frogs.

Mr. Gumpy's Outing
In the story, Mr. Gumpy lets children and animals join him on his boat ride as long as everyone agrees to behave. However in the end the boat tips because everyone does exactly what Mr. Gumpy asked them not to do.

Natalya: Mr. Gumpy was not angry at them (children and animals) because he invited them back for tea.
Aiden: Yeah, he said they could go on his boat again.
Mila: That's generous.

The children enjoyed dramatizing the story, especially the part where the boat tips. SPLASH!


Too Many Frogs
In the story, Rabbit lives alone and one evening while he gets ready to read himself a story, Froggie shows up at his door. Froggie invites himself in the house and Rabbit not knowing how to reject him, lets him stay. In the end, Froggie invites his entire family to Rabbit's.

Cameron: I ask my mom and dad if I want to invite friends to my house.
Aiden: Froggie is not very nice. 

We talked about what we should do or say with things that we don't agree with.

Natalya: You can say 'No, thank you'.
Aiden: When you don't feel like playing with someone then you can say, 'Maybe I'll play with you some other time'.
Mila: You can say, 'I'll play with you in five minutes'.
Cameron: You don't have to share if you don't want to.

The children made puppets for the story. When they finished they practiced accepting/declining offers with the puppets they made.