Enjoy our free story this week. Stories are not just for kids. I use stories with my children, my students, my friends, family and my clients. We can all find wisdom in stories and share that wisdom with others.
One thing I have learned in 19 years of Earthschooling my children is that a question is a gem. However, I didn’t always feel that way. As a young mother with an incessantly questioning child I often wondered if she would ever be quiet so I could hear my own thoughts 😉
In some teachers I see that in their eagerness to teach the child they are often discarding questions as one would discard a gray pebble when looking for pretty rocks. In some of my adult students and clients I see that they want to be “there” so badly that they sometimes consider the challenges and questions they have along the way as “annoying”. We sometimes think the pretty rocks are all the events and lessons we have planned and although we realize the great value a question can have, “too many” questions can seem like interruptions.
Over the years, however, I have come to see that although there are pebbles among the pretty rocks of inspiring and beautiful lessons, that questions and challenges are more often the gems – something valuable beyond a pebble or a pretty rock.
It is through these questions that we connect with the world around us and learn with our heart and soul as well as our mind. With this in mind enjoy our free story of the week. This story is suitable for ages six and older.
The Magpie’s Nest
Once on a time all the birds came to the jolly magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests, for the magpie was the cleverest of all of them at building. She put them all around her and began to show them how to do it. First she took some mud and made a round cake with it.
“Oh, that’s how it’s done,” said the thrush; and away it flew, and that is how thrushes build their nests.
Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them around in the mud.
“Now I know all about it,” said the blackbird, and off he flew; and that’s how the blackbirds make their nests to this very day.
Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.
“Oh, that’s quite obvious,” said the wise owl, and away he flew; and owls have never made better nests since.
After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them around the outside.
“The very thing!” said the sparrow, and off he went; so sparrows make rather slovenly nests to this day.
Well, then the Magpie took some feathers and stuff and lined the nest very comfortably with it.
“That suits me,” cried the starling, and off he flew; and very comfortable nests have starlings.
So it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build nests, but none of them waiting to the end. Meanwhile the magpie went on working and working without looking up till the only bird that remained was the turtle-dove, and that hadn’t paid any attention all along, but only kept on saying: “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”
At last the Magpie heard this just as she was putting a twig across. So she said: ” One is enough.”
But the turtle-dove kept on saying: ” Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”
Then the Magpie grew angry and said: ” One is enough, I tell you.”
Still the turtle-dove cried: “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”
At last, and at last, the Magpie looked up and saw nobody near her but the turtle-dove, and then she grew very angry and refused to teach any more.
And that is why all the birds build their nests in different ways up to this day. Each one made off, you see, as soon as he thought he had learned the magpie’s secret, and each is perfectly contented with his own way.
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