In the first part of this article, we talked about the not so obvious or the covert objectives of the stories found in the Butterfly and Friends Phonemic Rhymes Series. Here, we will discuss the benefits of the first three children’s stories of the B&F English series.
Breakfast Time
This story is developed around the words starting with sounds /e/, /c/, /i/, /o/. Children listen to this story to increase their vocabulary bank. There are multiple covert objectives’ embedded’ in this story:
Healthy Diet
Children should value breakfast as an integral part of their diet. The story revolves around breakfast. Calf and Ahmed are out trying to find out what different animals like for breakfast. This helps children realize that all living things take time out to do breakfast. Here are some questions you may ask about this theme?
● What did the Calf have for breakfast?
● What did Ahmed have for breakfast?
● What had you for breakfast?
● What happens when you come to school without doing breakfast?
● Breakfast makes you strong. It gives you power. Would you like to have more power?
Investigation
Collecting data is a basic scientific skill. To conduct scientific research, children should first learn to gather information from original sources. This story shows children how to go about asking questions to collect information.
● Ask me a question.
● Imagine meeting an elephant. What would you ask him?
● Imagine meeting a snake. What would you ask a snake?
Herbivorous, carnivores and omnivorous
Children learn about the different types of foods animals love to eat. They come to know that some animals eat meat only; some eat vegetables, and there are still some that eat both. The three terminologies are not introduced in particular. However, it is clear from the story that Calf is herbivorous, Owl is a carnivore, and the Crow is omnivorous.
● What does an owl eat?
● What does a lion eat?
● What does a goat eat?
● Do you think a camel would like eating meat? Why not?
● Can you feed grass to a cat? Why not?
Habitats
The story helps children learn about the habitats of different animals. Children understand that they should go to the habitat of a particular animal if they want to know more about it—for example i. Cattle live on a farm, ii. Birds live in trees, iii. Caterpillar stays on large leaves and iv. Crows hang around trash bins.
● Where do cattle live?
● Where would you find a caterpillar?
● Where do ants live?
● Which animals can live with us in our homes?
● Where do parrots live?
Zebra’s Wagging Tail
The overt objective of this story is to develop the vocabulary of beginning sounds: /z/, /v/, /w/, /x/. The main character of this story is Zebra, who leaves the hard jungle life and settles in a village. Here are the covert objectives of this story.
Differentiating between wild and domesticated animals
Children are told about the habitat of wild animals. Zebra is classified as a wild animal; therefore, its home is a forest. Only domesticated animals live in a village.
● Which animals may you find in a city or a village?
● Which animals live in the wild?
● What would happen if a wolf came to live with human beings?
Introduction of a Profession
Children should learn to recognize various professions. This helps them contact the appropriate professional whenever they need help. It also helps in selecting the professions of their choice.
● What does a vet do?
● What does a doctor do?
● What’s the difference between a doctor and a vet?
● What would you like to do when you grow up?
Working to make a living
Children come to know that grown-ups must take up a job or do some business to make a living.
● What kind of work does Zebra do in the village?
● What does your father do?
● What would you like to do when you grow up?
Self-awareness
Self-actualization comes through self-awareness. To make the best of our life we should know what we can do and what we can’t. When we come to know what we don’t know, only then starts the journey of learning. In this story, children come to know that Zebra knew well what he could do.
● What could Zebra do?
● What couldn’t he do?
● What can you do?
● What can’t you do?
The Race
The vocabulary of this story is around words with the beginning sounds: /s/, /a/, /u/, /r/. This story is about a race that all the animals of the jungle planned. Unfortunately, the race was canceled at the last minute due to rain. Thanks to Alligator’s positive thinking, the animals went home happy. Here are the covert objectives of this story.
Organizing an event
Event management can be as big as organizing the Olympics or as small as organizing a race. But the ability to organize an event will develop when children learn to organize a race at a young age! Here they learn how to plan a race: the starting point, the announcement, etc. You can use this story as an example to help children plan a race.
● What do you need to do if you want to have a race?
● Who can participate?
● Who should be the referee?
● Where can we have it?
Knowing the need of others (helping and sharing)
Sometimes we give a gift to someone we love without knowing the needs of that person. Likewise, we might give suggestions to others without first looking at their situation from their point of view. Snake receives a pair of shoes with lots of love and affection, but he doesn’t utilize these shoes.
● Why can’t you give shoes to a snake?
● Why can’t you give an umbrella to a fish?
● Why can’t you give watermelon to an ant?
● What can be a good gift for a rabbit?
Giving
Hoarding is a bad habit. We pile up on things because we are unsure of the future and feel uncertainty within ourselves. Unfortunately, the more we collect, the more uncertain we feel. Sometimes we even save stuff that we have no use of. In this story, Snake gives away the shoes to someone who can make better use of them.
● Why did Snake give away the shoes?
● Do you have something that you don’t need?
● Who should receive the things you don’t need or have no use of?
● How do people feel when you give them things they need?
Making the best of situation
A half-empty glass is a glass half-filled. We should capitalize on what we have rather than cry over what we couldn’t have. Capitalizing on the given resource comes out of a positive attitude, and it leads us to success. Alligator uses his positive thinking to turn a failure into a success of a different sort.
● Why were the animals sad?
● What did Alligator do to make them happy?
● What made him think that way? Or
● How did he get the idea of organizing a party?
We hope that with this background, you will be able to make even better use of the stories given in the B&F series. Please don’t forget to watch the videos of these stories in the VIDEO section of our website.
In part 3 of this article, we will talk about the next four stories of the B&F English series,
InshaAllah.