In a magical world full of fun stories, there’s a special tale about how the camel got his hump. This story comes from a book called “Just So Stories” by Rudyard Kipling. It takes us back to a time when animals were just starting to help people with work.
Once, in a hot and sandy desert, there lived a camel who was very lazy. He liked to be alone and didn’t want to work. He ate sticks and prickly plants and didn’t listen to the other animals. Whenever anyone talked to him, he would just say, “Hump,” and nothing else.
One Monday morning, a horse with a saddle came to the camel and asked him to help with the work. But the camel just said, “Hump.” The horse went back to tell the man about the camel’s laziness. Then, a dog and an ox also tried to get the camel to help, but he just said “Hump” to them too.
The man gathered the horse, dog, and ox to talk about the camel. He felt bad for them because the camel wasn’t helping. So, he told the three animals they had to work extra hard to make up for the camel’s laziness. This made them very upset.
While the animals were frustrated, a magical spirit called a Jin appeared in a cloud of dust. The Jin listened to the animals’ complaints about the camel and agreed that it wasn’t fair for the camel to be lazy. The Jin decided to teach the camel a lesson.
The Jin found the camel relaxing by a pool of water. The Jin asked why the camel wasn’t working and told him that he was making the other animals work harder. The camel just said, “Hump” again. The Jin thought of a magical way to solve the problem.
As the Jin thought, the camel’s laziness caused something surprising to happen. A big hump started to grow on the camel’s back! This was because he didn’t want to work, and now the hump would have a purpose.
The Jin explained that the camel could now work for three days without eating because he could use the fat in his hump. The Jin told the camel to leave the desert and join the other animals, reminding him of the lesson he learned.
From that day on, the camel always had his hump, reminding him of when he was lazy. Even though he never made up for the three days of work he missed, he learned to live with his new hump. This story teaches us that working hard and being responsible is important!
Act It Out: Gather your friends or family members and act out the story of “How the Camel Got His Hump.” Choose someone to be the camel, the horse, the dog, the ox, and the magical Jin. Use simple props like a scarf for the Jin’s magical dust or a backpack to represent the camel’s hump. After acting it out, discuss how each character felt and what they learned from the story.
Create a Camel Craft: Use materials like paper, glue, and markers to create your own camel with a hump. As you make your camel, think about why the camel got his hump and how it helps him. Once your camel is complete, share your creation with someone and explain the story behind the hump.
Think and Share: Imagine you are the Jin and you have the power to teach a lesson to someone who is not helping others. What magical change would you make to help them learn? Draw a picture or write a short story about your idea. Share your drawing or story with your class or family and discuss how your magical change could help someone become more responsible.
