ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Smile and Learn English The Reef Cup: An important story about friendship – Educational Stories for Children
Once upon a time, in the colorful underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef, thousands of fish gathered for the most exciting event of the year—the Reef Cup! This was a special race where fish from all around came to compete. Blaise, a brave fish, and her best friend Bubbles were ready at the starting line, eager to win.
Blaise and Bubbles had trained hard all year. “It would be really great to win the Reef Cup,” Blaise said. “Yeah, we’ve trained a lot all year,” Bubbles replied. But they knew they had tough competition. Shocks, the electric eel, had won the last two races and was determined to win again. Eels are fish that look like snakes and can give electric shocks to protect themselves.
As the race started, the fish swam through coral and seaweed. They had to be careful of strong currents, sneaky moray eels, and scary sharks. Blaise and Bubbles swam fast, moving to the front, but Shocks was close behind. They saw her zap a fish with a spark to get ahead. “Did you see that? They should disqualify her!” Bubbles exclaimed. But Shocks was clever and got away with it.
During the race, Blaise and Bubbles met many sea creatures. Octopuses have tentacles with suction cups and can squirt ink to protect themselves. Blowfish can puff up to scare away predators. Manta rays glide through the water, and dolphins are playful and make lots of sounds. Coral reefs are like underwater forests full of life.
Suddenly, Blaise and Bubbles saw something falling from above. “Look out, Bubbles!” Blaise shouted. It was a white microwave, thrown by someone who didn’t care about the ocean. Bubbles got trapped inside and was scared as he sank deeper.
Blaise was in first place and could win the race, but she couldn’t leave her friend in trouble. She asked Shocks for help, but Shocks refused and swam away. Blaise didn’t give up. She tried everything to open the microwave and finally found a button that set Bubbles free.
Blaise and Bubbles finished the race last, but the crowd cheered for them. Everyone knew Blaise had chosen friendship over winning. A giant octopus announced the winners. Shocks came forward to get her prize, but nobody cheered for her.
Instead, Blaise received a special prize—the Cup of Sportsmanship—for being a true friend. It was a golden cup, even bigger than the Reef Cup. Blaise shared it with Bubbles, and all the fish cheered for them. Shocks learned that winning isn’t everything.
And so, Blaise and Bubbles showed everyone that friendship and kindness are the greatest prizes of all. The end!
Friendship Bracelet Craft: Create a friendship bracelet to celebrate the theme of friendship from the story. Gather some colorful yarn or string and teach the children how to braid or knot them into bracelets. Encourage them to make one for a friend or family member. As they work, ask them to think about what makes a good friend and how they can be a good friend to others.
Underwater Adventure Drawing: Ask the children to draw their own underwater adventure inspired by the story. Encourage them to include different sea creatures they learned about, like octopuses, blowfish, and manta rays. After they finish their drawings, have them share their artwork with the class and describe the friendships and adventures happening in their underwater world.
Discussion on Kindness: Have a group discussion about the importance of kindness and sportsmanship. Ask the children questions like, “Why do you think Blaise chose to help Bubbles instead of winning the race?” and “How can we show kindness to others in our everyday lives?” Encourage them to share examples of when they helped a friend or when someone was kind to them.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
[Music] Just like every year, thousands of fish arrived at the Great Barrier Reef for the Reef Cup, the most important underwater race in the world. Blaise and her friend Bubbles were at the starting line.
“It would be really great to win the Reef Cup,” Blaise said. “Yeah, we’ve trained a lot all year,” Bubbles replied. Next to her was Shocks, the electric eel, who had won the last two races. Everybody knew she was capable of doing anything it took to win. Overhearing them, she said, “This year, I’m going to win the cup again.”
Eels are fish shaped like snakes; they can grow up to six and a half or eight feet long and weigh up to pounds. They can discharge electrical shocks if they feel threatened to protect themselves. Sea turtles are reptiles with flat bodies, a shell, and extremities shaped like fins. They live in the open sea, shallow lagoons, or coral reefs.
[Music] At the start of the race, the fish swam through the coral and seaweed. During the race, they could encounter many dangers: strong currents, moray eels, and fearsome sharks. Blaise and Bubbles swam speedily, moving to the front, while Shocks closed in from behind. They saw how she shot a spark at a fish in front of her.
“Did you see that? They should disqualify her!” Bubbles exclaimed. “They would if they saw it, but she’s very clever. Let’s keep going.”
[Music] Octopuses are mollusks with tentacles lined with suction cups that come out of their large heads. They use their tentacles to move around and defend themselves by shooting ink at other animals. Blowfish live in deep water and coral reefs; they have large spines and can fill up with air and water to make themselves bigger, deterring predators.
[Music] Blaise and Bubbles emerged from a tunnel, swimming rapidly to avoid any sharks. Then they saw something falling from the surface.
“Look out! Get out of the way, Bubbles!” It was a white microwave, thrown by someone who didn’t care about polluting the ocean. Bubbles didn’t react in time and was trapped inside the appliance, scared as he fell into the deep.
The manta ray is a fish that lives in warm waters around the world. Other fish looking for protection or to feed off its leftovers often attach to the underside of its body. Did you know that they can jump out of the water like sharks and dolphins? Dolphins are mammals that live in the water; they are highly social and live in groups of around 20. Did you know that dolphins can make a wide range of sounds? Coral reefs are communities of living beings with a huge diversity of corals, seaweed species, invertebrates, and fish. They are also known as the forests of the sea.
Blaise was in first place and could win the Reef Cup, but she would never forgive herself if something happened to her friend. Seeing Shocks, Blaise asked for help. “Shocks, my friend is in danger. Please could you help me rescue him? I can’t do it alone and lose the Reef Cup.”
“No way. Good luck with the rescue,” Shocks replied and swam off. Blaise didn’t hesitate and swam towards the microwave. She was afraid for her friend. She hit the glass with her head, but nothing happened. She tried to open the door with an oyster shell, but that didn’t work either. All of the fish in the race passed above her, but Blaise didn’t care. Finally, she discovered a button, and when she pushed it, the door opened. Bubbles was free.
Crabs are invertebrates from the crustacean family that live near or in the water. They have ten legs they use to swim and move around, with their front legs shaped like pincers to pick up food.
[Music] Seahorses are fish that live in warm water and are endangered. Unlike other fish, they swim in a vertical position. Did you know that their name comes from the fact that their head looks like a horse’s?
Blaise and Bubbles crossed the finish line in last place, and the crowd cheered. Everyone knew that Blaise had chosen to save her friend instead of winning the race. Right then, a giant octopus announced the name of the winners. Shocks proudly came forward to collect her prize, but nobody cheered for her.
“We have decided to award a special prize for her loyalty to her friend and for her behavior during the race. Blaise will receive the Cup of Sportsmanship.” [Applause]
Jellyfish are invertebrate marine animals that live in warm and tropical waters. Their bodies are gelatinous and shaped like bells, with long tentacles that have cells that excrete venom as a defense mechanism.
[Music] Starfish are echinoderms with bodies made up of a central piece connected to five arms. They live on the bottom of the sea and in coral reefs or seaweed forests. Blaise was happy; it was a golden cup much bigger than the Reef Cup. She shared it with her friend Bubbles. All of the fish cheered and chanted their names, while Shocks, embarrassed, left with her cup. That day, she learned that in sports, winning isn’t everything.
[Music] Bye! [Music]
