Hello everyone, it,s Mrs Cunningham here again.
I hope you had a good Monday. Do any of you know what ‘DIY’ stands for. I bet there has been a lot of it happening in your houses lately. It stands for Do It Yourself. Has anyone had their hair cut by your mam or dad? Has anyone had some decorating done in their house? Who has painted a fence? Who has had to wash the car? My Rachel painted the garden fence. She says she is a poor student, so I ended up paying her! Some DIY tasks are too big to be done alone and help is needed. Sometimes tasks need several people working together, like yesterday at work. Miss Middleton, Mrs Brennan, Mrs Brown, Mr Bennett, Mrs Stelling and Mr and Mrs Douglas helped me with a task. Co-operation is vital. Now I know you all know this story, but I will remind you… The Story of the Enormous Turnip
Once upon a time, a farmer sowed some turnip seed in his garden. After a few days, some shoots began to show, but one seed grew faster than all the rest. It grew and grew and did not stop growing, until the leaves were like a bush and the most enormous turnip had formed beneath the ground. The time came when the farmer decided to pull up the enormous turnip to eat. Going to the vegetable patch, he rolled up his sleeves and took a firm grasp of the turnip stem. Then, he pulled, and he pulled, and he pulled, but he couldn’t pull up the enormous turnip. The farmer called to his wife: ‘Please could you come and help me?’ The farmer’s wife held on to his waist and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, but they still couldn’t pull up the turnip. The farmer’s wife called to their daughter: ‘Please could you come and help us?’ So, the daughter joined the line and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, but they still couldn’t pull up the turnip. Then, the farmer’s daughter called to her brother: ‘Please could you come and help us?’ So, the farmer’s son joined the line and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, but the enormous turnip still remained in the ground. A friendly dog stopped at the garden gate. The farmer’s daughter called out: ‘Please could you come and help us?’ So, the dog came and joined the line and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, but the enormous turnip still would not budge. By now, everyone was getting very hot and tired. When a cat walked down the path, the dog barked: ‘Please could you come and help us?’ Taking hold of the dog’s tail, the cat joined the line and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, but they couldn’t pull up the enormous turnip. Just then, a mouse scuttled out from underneath the hedge. Instead of chasing it, the cat miaowed: ‘Please could you come and help us?’ ‘A mouse?’ exclaimed the others. ‘A mouse? What difference will a mouse make?’ But the mouse cautiously took hold of the cat’s tail and together they pulled, and they pulled, and they pulled, and again with all their might they pulled. Suddenly, the enormous turnip flew out of the ground and they all tumbled in a heap! The farmer and his wife carried the turnip to their house and used it to cook a vegetable stew. At supper time, there was more than enough to eat for every one of them. Even the dog and the cat and – don’t forget – the mouse!
I think this story is all about meeting challenges. When we are met with a huge challenge or are faced with a big task, it’s important to pull together. Everyone’s effort is important and, just like the mouse in the story, the smallest help can make all the difference. How can you help today? Think about one little thing that might make all the difference. Maybe make your bed, take your plates to the kitchen, put your biscuit wrappers in the bin or even ask what you can do to help. Remember, little things you can do today, might make a big difference to someone else.
Have a tremendous Tuesday.
Mrs Cunningham
