Two Girls and Some Talking Eggs
Once upon a time…
There was a kind girl. And an unkind girl.
And their story was told throughout the world.
With a snip of this tale, and a pinch of that one, and a healthy shake shake shake of whatever the storyteller and their audience found intriguing, those two girls taught countless generations about kind, and unkind.
ATU Tale Type 480 , The Kind and the Unkind Girls, is not a well-known story in 21st century America. And I think that’s a shame (and maybe a problem!)
For children (and adults) learning about how to be fully human, kindness, and unkindness are important traits to explore.
They are the glue that holds relationships together…the very foundation of what we need to nurture resilience.
I’ve written before about Mother Holle and several Diamonds and Toads variants (find this one, and this other one by clicking!). With their clearcut delineation of kind and unkind, the child is left with no ambiguity.
Be kind: good things happen.
Be unkind: bad things happen.
Easy peasy, and no moralizing at the end of the story needed to get the message across.
This week’s story is an adaptation of a Creole retelling, in celebration of the start of Black History Month.
According to folklore scholars…
What??? Here’s a whole book of nothing but the titles and folkloristic themes of this tale type! Check out the the page of abbreviations for the many countries where variants have been collected! 🤯
SO. MANY. KIND. AND. UNKIND. GIRLS!!!
Armenia, Algeria, Borneo,, Czech, East Indies, Finland, Greece, Israel, Persia, Russia, Siberia, Turkey, Walloon (???) and so many more!
The Talking Eggs
Retold by Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Why this variant?
Spectacular, detailed illustrations
Lilting text, filled with colorful metaphors and colloquialisms
SO much magic: two-headed cows, dancing rabbits, multi-colored chickens, and an old lady who can take off her head!
A bit long of preschool group time, but easy to split into sections.
The Talking Eggs won both a Caldecott honorAND theprestigious Coretta Scott King Book Illustration honor. Find it at your local library!
Or watch this lively video to see if it will work for your children!
When You’re Tired of Duck, Duck, Goose…
Duck, duck, goose!
I don’t think I ever met a three year old who didn’t love it.
With simple “rules,” a fast pace and, of course CHASING, it’s a great way to transform a wiggling of young children into a GROUP, with a common purpose. It helps children pay attention to each other’s body in space, too…part of learning how to be friends!
But let’s face it. One can duck, duck, goose only so long before WE get a bit tired of it.
The old game of A Tisket, A Tasket is a good substitute, and perfect if you are celebrating Valentine’s Day (or any other time!).
The whole point is being kind: for what is kinder than writing a letter to a friend, and then someone chasing after you when you drop it?
Not familiar with it? There are lots of minor variations (color of basket, whether to drop a basket, or a hanky or a letter etc.), but this site includes the musical notes, as well as the words and directions.
The video below shows kids playing it with a scarf, instead of a basket, but you get the idea!
Fun fact:Ella Fitzgerald rose to fame after she recorded it! She remembered singing/playing it as a child, and it became her first hit and a staple of her repertoire!
🧺 💌🧺🥚🧺💌🧺🥚🧺💌🧺🥚🧺💌
The Ordinary Magic of Note-Sharing
Even in this digital age, there’s something wondrous about getting a piece of mail, written by a friend.
Children are master note-makers! Just give them paper, markers, and time.
They’re sure to scribble out pictures, their names or their unique emergent hieroglyphics. And then hand these proudly to big and little people they care about. Often folded into teeny tiny squares.
Random acts of kindness, as it were.
Do you have a story center in your space, where kids can write? If not, consider setting one up.
Paper of different sizes and shapes (scraps work).
Markers, crayons, pencils.
Envelopes if you want to get fancy (ask families to save envelopes from junk mail).
Stickers if kids know what a stamp is (many don’t…)
Open access during choice times (one never knows when kindness will strike!)
Valentine’s Day. Birthdays. Letters for A Tisket, A Tasket. Picture stories for friends and families. A story center is a place where all this magic can happen!
