ClassX Video Lessons Grade Grade 2 Olivia the Spy – Story Books for Kids Read Aloud – Olivia Stories for Children
One day, Olivia was walking down the hallway when she heard her mom talking to her aunt. Her mom sounded a little upset. “I just cleaned the kitchen, and then Olivia made a blueberry smoothie,” she said. Olivia stopped to listen. Her mom continued, “I told her not to fill it up too much, but she did anyway, and it splattered everywhere!”
Olivia thought, “I know how to use the blender!” But her mom had to clean up the mess. Then her mom talked about the laundry. “I asked Olivia to wash her dad’s white shirts. I told her to put them in one at a time and use only a little soap.”
Olivia thought, “I know how to work the washing machine!” But she accidentally put her red socks in with the white shirts, and they turned pink! Olivia thought they looked pretty, but her mom said, “Well, then you wear them.” And Olivia did!
Her mom sighed, “I wish there was a place to send her until she learns some sense.” Olivia thought, “I’m the only one with sense around here. I need to find out what else she’s saying about me.”
Olivia decided to be sneaky and listen more. She wanted to find out what her mom was planning. Her mom said, “She’s exhausting. I had to ask her five times to clean her room. Maybe military school would teach her to listen.”
Olivia’s mom was planning a surprise trip to the ballet, but she wasn’t sure if Olivia could sit still. Olivia heard her dad say, “The ballet is the perfect place for her; it’s an institution.”
The next day, Olivia asked her teacher, “What’s an institution?” Her teacher explained, “An institution can be a building like a library or a tradition like marriage. It can also be a place like the military or a prison.”
Olivia was worried. The next morning, her mom told her to be ready by six o’clock for a special surprise. Olivia wondered what she would need for an institution. She packed her things and put on her best dress.
When they got out of the taxi, Olivia was surprised and happy. “The ballet! You’re taking me to the ballet!” she exclaimed.
Her mom smiled, “Yes, darling, that’s the surprise.” Olivia was relieved. “I thought you were taking me to an institution,” she said.
Her mom asked, “Olivia, have you been eavesdropping?” Olivia replied, “What’s eavesdropping?” Her mom explained, “It means listening to other people’s conversations.” Olivia said, “I wasn’t eavesdropping; I was spying!”
Before the ballet started, her mom asked if Olivia needed to use the restroom. Olivia said, “No, I’m fine.” But ten minutes later, she needed to go!
After the ballet, Olivia said, “Thank you, Mommy. That was beautiful.” Her mom was glad she enjoyed it. Olivia added, “The dancers and the kitty could have worked on their entrances.”
Her mom asked, “What did you learn by eavesdropping?” Olivia said, “Partial truths and misinformation.” Her mom asked how that made her feel. Olivia replied, “Insecure and suspicious.”
Olivia apologized, “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ll cook dinner all next week.” Her mom laughed, “Oh no, you won’t.” Olivia insisted, “Mommy, I know how to cook!”
The end, at least until tomorrow.
Role-Playing Game: Let’s play a game where you and your friends or family members act out different parts of the story. You can be Olivia, her mom, or even the ballet dancers! Think about how Olivia felt when she was listening to her mom and how she felt when she found out about the surprise. How would you feel in her place? This will help you understand the characters’ feelings and actions better.
Observation Journal: Start a small journal where you write down things you observe around you, just like Olivia tried to learn by listening. Each day, note something new you learned by watching or listening carefully. It could be something you noticed at school, at home, or outside. This will help you practice being observant and learn new things from your surroundings.
Blender Experiment: With the help of an adult, try making a simple smoothie or juice. Remember to follow the instructions carefully, just like Olivia should have done. Measure the ingredients and see what happens if you fill the blender too much. This hands-on activity will help you understand the importance of following instructions and being careful with tasks.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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**Let’s Read: Olivia the Spy**
*By Ian Falconer*
One afternoon, Olivia was walking down the hall when she heard her mother talking to her aunt. “I’m at the end of my tether! I just finished cleaning the kitchen when Olivia decided to make a blueberry smoothie.” Olivia, carrying her name, paused to listen. “I told her not to fill it up to the top, not to put all the blueberries in, and not too much milk, or then it will splatter.”
“Mommy, I know how to use the blender!”
Guess who had to clean that up? Then her mother continued, “There was the episode of the laundry. I asked her to put her father’s white shirts in the washer. ‘Olivia,’ I said, ‘put them in one at a time, or else they’ll tangle, and only one capful of soap.’”
“Mother, I know how to work the washing machine!”
“Olivia, you put your red socks in with the white shirts, and now the white shirts are pink.”
“I think they look pretty.”
“Well then, you wear them.”
Which she did. “Oh, I wish there was somewhere I could send her until she developed some sense.” Some sense, thought Olivia, I’m the only one in this house with any sense. What else is she saying about me? Maybe I should investigate.
She decided to investigate, but she had to be sneaky. Olivia, who had always stood out, now needed to blend in. She might be anywhere—seriously, anywhere.
“Honestly, she’s exhausting. Yesterday I had to ask her five times to clean up her room. If only there was some place where they could teach her to listen, like military school.”
Olivia’s mother had been planning to take Olivia to the ballet as a surprise, but now she was having second thoughts. “Do you think if I take her to the ballet she can sit through it without wiggling and squirming?”
Olivia sneaked around the corner just in time to hear her father say, “Oh, that’s the perfect place to take her after all; it’s an institution.”
The next day, Olivia asked her teacher, “What’s an institution?”
“That’s a good question, Olivia. An institution could be many things. It could be a building like a library or a tradition like marriage, or it could be the military or a prison.”
The next morning, Olivia’s mother told her to be ready and dressed by six o’clock that evening. “I’m going to take you somewhere special.”
“Where are you taking me?” Olivia asked in a very small voice.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Okay, Mommy, I’ll be ready.”
All that sad day, Olivia tried to figure out what she would need for an institution. She packed up her few possessions, put on her best dress, and went downstairs.
“Oh, you can’t take your things where you’re going.”
“You’re awfully quiet tonight, Olivia.”
Olivia didn’t answer; she was saying goodbye to the city she loved so well.
When they got out of the taxi, Olivia cried out, “The ballet! You’re taking me to the ballet!”
“Yes, darling, that’s the surprise.”
“I thought you were taking me to an institution.”
“An institution? Olivia, have you been eavesdropping?”
“What does eavesdropping mean?” asked Olivia.
“It means listening to other people’s conversations, sweetheart.”
“Mommy, I would never do that. I was spying.”
Before they took their seats, her mother asked her if she needed to use the restroom.
“No,” said Olivia, “I’m fine.”
Of course, ten minutes into the first act, Olivia needed to use the restroom badly.
“Excuse me, the little one needs to use the restroom.”
“Of course, it’s the door on the left. Do you need me to come with you?” Olivia’s mother asked.
“I know how to go to the bathroom, Mommy.”
“I have one just that age; they can be a handful.”
“They certainly can. You can’t turn your back for one second, not one single second.”
“There you are,” said Olivia’s mother. “You took such a long time; I was getting worried.”
“It was a lot farther away than the lady said.”
“Thank you, Mommy. That was beautiful.”
“Darling, I’m so glad you liked it.”
Although Olivia added, “The girls and the kitty could have worked on their entrances.”
“Well, Olivia, what have you learned by eavesdropping?”
“Partial truths and misinformation.”
“And how did that make you feel?”
“Insecure and suspicious.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ll cook dinner all next week.”
“Oh no, you won’t,” said her mother.
“Mommy, I know how to cook.”
*The end, at least until tomorrow.*
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*Applause*
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This version removes any inappropriate language and maintains the essence of the story while ensuring it is suitable for all audiences.
