Once upon a time, a dog was walking down the street. He was feeling very lucky because he found a bone in a trash can. “Wow! A bone just for me!” he thought. He picked up the bone and ran home, feeling very happy.
He ran past the train station and the school. He even ran through the park and onto a bridge. The dog was having a great time!
When the dog got to the bridge, he looked down into the water. The water was very still and clear. To his surprise, he saw another dog in the water with a bone in its mouth. “Who is that dog?” he wondered. “And why does he have a bone too?”
The dog stared at the other dog, and the other dog stared back. The dog thought, “That dog’s bone looks bigger than mine! I want that big bone!”
The dog decided he wanted the bigger bone. He growled at the other dog, and the other dog growled back. The greedy dog jumped off the bridge to get the other dog’s bone. Splash!
But when he hit the water, the other dog disappeared. There was no other dog at all! It was just his own reflection in the water. The dog was very surprised.
The dog barked for help, and when he did, his bone fell out of his mouth and sank to the bottom of the water. Now, the dog had no bone at all.
He swam to the shore, feeling wet and cold. He learned an important lesson that day.
It’s important to be happy with what you have. If you are too greedy, you might end up with nothing at all!
Reflection Experiment: Fill a shallow dish with water and let the children look into it to see their reflections. Ask them to describe what they see. Discuss how the dog in the story saw his reflection and thought it was another dog. Encourage them to think about why the dog might have been confused and how reflections work.
Role-Playing Activity: Have the children act out the story of “The Dog and His Bone.” Assign roles such as the dog, the reflection, and the narrator. After the play, ask them how the dog felt at different parts of the story and what they learned from the dog’s experience.
Gratitude Journal: Provide each child with a small notebook. Ask them to draw or write about something they have that makes them happy, just like the dog was happy with his bone. Encourage them to share their drawings or writings with the class and discuss why it’s important to appreciate what they have.
**The Dog and His Bone**
*A version of the tale by TheFableCottage.com*
A dog is walking down the street when he sees a bone in a trash can. “A bone! How lucky for me!” he thinks. He grabs the bone and happily runs home. He runs past the train station and the school. He runs through the park and onto a bridge.
On the bridge, the dog looks down into the deep, still water below. There, he sees another dog with a bone in its mouth. “Who is that dog?” he wonders. “What is he doing down there?” The dog stares at the other dog, and the other dog stares back.
“Where did that dog get such a big bone?” the dog wonders. “Why is his bone bigger than mine?” The dog growls at the other dog, and the other dog growls too. “I want that big bone!” he thinks. The greedy dog decides to take the other dog’s bone. He leaps off the bridge and into the water. Splash!
But as soon as he hits the water, the other dog disappears. There was never any other dog; it was just his own reflection! The water is very deep, and the dog is surprised. “Help!” he barks. And when he barks, his bone drops from his mouth and sinks to the bottom of the water.
The dog swims to shore. He is wet and cold, and now he has no bone at all.
**Moral:** Be happy with what you have. If you’re greedy, you might lose everything.
