Peace and Harmony & The Grand Contest in the Forest

Part 1 — Peace and Harmony

The Story

In a beautiful FOREST, all the animals lived in PEACE and HARMONY. The deer grazed. The birds sang. The rabbits hopped. The squirrels chattered. They HELPED each other. When a storm damaged a bird's nest, the monkeys helped rebuild it. When a rabbit was injured, the deer carried it to safety.

The Disruption: One day, a CLEVER FOX arrived. He was JEALOUS of the harmony. He whispered to the peacock: 'The crow says your feathers are ugly.' He whispered to the crow: 'The peacock says your voice is harsh.' Soon — MISTRUST spread. Friends became SUSPICIOUS. The forest was filled with ANGER and ACCUSATIONS.

The Wisdom of the Old Owl: The wise OLD OWL called a meeting. He asked each animal: 'Who TOLD you this?' One by one, the trail led back to the FOX. The animals REALISED: they had been TRICKED. 'The fox's words were POISON. And we DRANK them.'

What We Learn

• Question Gossip. 'Before you believe something about someone, ASK: Is it true? Who said it? Why?'
• Unity Is Strength. 'The animals were strong when they were TOGETHER. The fox divided them — and they became WEAK.'

Part 2 — The Grand Contest in the Forest

The Story

The LION, king of the forest, announced a GRAND CONTEST. 'Let every animal demonstrate its GREATEST SKILL. The winner shall be honoured by ALL.'

The Contestants:

• The CHEETAH demonstrated his SPEED — 'I am the fastest creature in the forest!'
• The ELEPHANT demonstrated his STRENGTH — 'I can lift the heaviest log!'
• The NIGHTINGALE demonstrated her VOICE — 'I can sing the sweetest song!'
• The MONKEY demonstrated his AGILITY — 'I can swing from the highest branches!'

The Problem — No Clear Winner: The judges were CONFUSED. 'Who is the BEST? The cheetah is fastest. The elephant is strongest. The nightingale is most musical. The monkey is most agile. They cannot be COMPARED!'

The Wisdom of the Old Tortoise: The OLD TORTOISE spoke: 'Every creature has a DIFFERENT gift. Speed is not BETTER than strength. Song is not BETTER than agility. Each is PERFECT in its own way. The purpose of this contest was not to find a WINNER — but to show us that EVERYONE has something BEAUTIFUL to offer.'

The forest celebrated ALL the contestants. No one 'won.' Everyone was HONOURED.

What We Learn

• Everyone Has Unique Talents. 'Don't compare yourself to others. Your gift is YOURS — and it is VALUABLE.'
• Diversity Makes the World Beautiful. 'A forest with only cheetahs would be boring. A forest with MANY creatures — each with DIFFERENT gifts — is RICH.'

New Words

Fun Activity

What is YOUR special gift? Draw a picture and write: 'I am special because...'