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I recently purchased a set of classic tales and was pleasantly surprised by the Japanese folk tale, Mr. Lucky Straw. If you are not familiar with this story, it is about a poor farmer who stumbles and lands in the mud. Instead of complaining about being muddy, he takes it as a sign that it is his lucky day, as the mud provided a soft landing. When a piece of straw sticks to his sleeve, he almost tosses it aside but then reasons that it must be lucky too and hangs on to it.
After that, he comes across a dragonfly which will not leave so he attaches it to the piece of straw with a string. The next characters he meets in the story want part of whatever he has at the time and he generously gives them all that he has, figuring that they need the things more than he does. In return, each of the characters give him something to demonstrate gratitude. In the end, he is given a bag of gold from a princess (after he gave her silk cloth that she liked) and he buys land for all of the poor people in his village so they can grow their own food and no longer be hungry. Mr. Lucky straw demonstrates a positive attitude, generosity and putting the needs of others before his own.
Extension Activities for Mr. Lucky Straw with Free Printables
Make a Dragonfly Attached to a Piece of Straw:
You Will Need:
- Free Printable Dragonfly
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Tape
- Yellow pipe cleaner/chenille stem
Have each child color the dragonfly from the free printable and cut it out around the circle. Attach the pipe cleaner to the back of the dragonfly cutout with two pieces of tape.
Make Mud Into a Soft Landing:
You Will Need:
- Free Printable Questions
- That’s it!
Print out the questions (or invent your own). Have the children come up with a positive spin for each one, ending with “this is my lucky day.” For example, “It is raining outside and you had planned to go to the park.” Response: “Now I get to play in puddles. This is my lucky day!”
Plant a Vegetable Seed:
You Will Need:
- One small container per child with drainage hole/s
- Vegetable seeds
- Soil
- Lint (optional, if you would like to re-purpose dryer lint for a STEM gardening activity, check out my post on the topic here.
- Water
Have each child fill a container with soil about 2/3 full. Plant the seeds according to the depth recommended on the seed packet. Cover with soil and water. If you used my lint technique, you should be able to retain your soil without it falling out of the drainage holes! Discuss the way that Mr. Lucky Straw gave the people of his village land so that they could grow their own food. Observe the vegetable plants over time as they grow.
Here are some more Fairy Tale Inspired Learning Activities from the #TeachECE Team:
This is a new book to me. I can't wait to check it out.
Hello Growing Book by Book.
I think you will enjoy it. Our kids have requested it over and over again after our first read.
: 0 ) Theresa
This sounds a wonderful book – I love discovering class folk tales from other nations and a fantastic set of activities for them as well.
Thank you Cerys.
We enjoyed this tale so much. I was surprised that I hadn't heard of it before.
: 0 ) Theresa
This sounds adorable, I love the activities you included to try at the end. We're going to check this one out!
Your dragonfly craft is so cute. What fun book extension activities!
I am going to buy this book, and then do the crafts!!!! I am always on the look out for how to be kind and give back.
…I'll also tie in Cesar Chavez with the planting. Couldn't hurt to include another culture, right?!
This looks so cool, and thanks for sharing the awesome crafts! I know my kids would adore this. I'll go check out the book now.
Thank you Sarah.
I hope you enjoy it!
: 0 ) Theresa
Thank you Shelah.
Our kids wanted to make more than one dragonfly each. Now we have a bunch!
: 0 ) Theresa
Hi Mrs. Muffin Top.
I think including Cesar Chavez in the lesson is a great idea! I hope you enjoy the book and activity.
: 0 ) Theresa
Thank you Theresa.
I was excited to find this story. It does a great job teaching kids about kindness and generosity. It also helps them to put a positive spin on what could be interpreted as a negative situation.
: 0 ) Theresa
I've never heard of this book, but it sounds wonderful. Can't wait to check it out and try the activity with my boys.
Thank you Shann.
It is a really wonderful story. I like the lessons in it.
: 0 ) Theresa