Once upon a time, the wind and the sun were having a little argument. The wind said, “I’m the strongest!” But the sun replied, “No, I’m the strongest!”
The wind boasted, “I can blow trees down and push big ships across the ocean. I can even make hurricanes and tornadoes!”
The sun smiled and said, “Well, I can melt all the snow on the mountains. I can dry up lakes and make the ground so hot that it can cook an egg!”
Just then, they saw a man walking on the road wearing a winter jacket. The wind had an idea. “Let’s have a contest to see who can make the man take off his jacket first,” he said. The sun agreed to the challenge.
The wind went first. He blew a cold gust at the man. The man shivered and zipped up his jacket tighter. “Brrr! It’s so cold and windy!” he said. The wind tried harder and even made it snow, but the man just pulled his hood over his head and zipped his jacket up to his nose.
The wind huffed and puffed, but the man kept his jacket on. Finally, the wind gave up. “This is impossible!” he said.
Now it was the sun’s turn. The sun began to shine gently, and the snow stopped. The man unzipped his hood. The sun shone a bit brighter, and soon it felt like a lovely spring day.
“Wow, the weather is changing!” said the man as he unzipped his jacket. The sun kept shining warmly, and soon it felt like summer. The man started to sweat and said, “It’s so hot!” He took off his jacket and lay down on the grass to enjoy the warm sun.
The sun beamed with joy and said, “I win!”
The story teaches us that sometimes being warm and gentle can do more than being strong and forceful. Just like the sun, being kind can make a big difference!
Weather Observation Journal: Start a weather journal with your child. Each day, ask them to observe the weather and draw a picture of what they see. Is it sunny, windy, rainy, or cloudy? Encourage them to think about how the weather makes them feel and what kind of clothes they would wear. This activity helps children connect the story to real-life weather changes and understand how different weather conditions affect us.
Role-Playing Game: Have a fun role-playing session where your child can pretend to be the wind or the sun. Use a fan or blow gently to mimic the wind and a flashlight or lamp to represent the sun. Ask them to act out how they would make someone feel warm or cold. This hands-on activity helps children understand the story’s concept of gentle versus forceful actions.
Kindness Challenge: Discuss with your child how being kind and gentle, like the sun, can make a difference in someone’s day. Encourage them to think of one kind thing they can do for someone else each day, such as sharing a toy or helping a friend. At the end of the week, talk about how these actions made them and others feel. This activity reinforces the lesson of kindness from the story.
**The Wind and the Sun**
*(A version of the tale by TheFableCottage.com)*
The wind and the sun are having a disagreement.
“I am the most powerful!” says the wind.
“No, I am the most powerful!” says the sun.
“I can blow trees to the ground!” brags the wind.
“I can push ships across the ocean. I can make hurricanes and tornadoes!”
“Is that right?” replies the sun. “Well, I can melt all the snow on the mountains. I can dry up an entire lake. I can make a pavement so hot that it cooks an egg!”
Just then, they see a man walking along the road in his winter jacket.
“Let’s have a contest to see who is more powerful,” says the wind. “Whoever can remove the man’s jacket first wins.” The sun agrees.
The wind goes first. He blows a gust of cold wind at the man. The man shivers and zips up his jacket. “Brrr! What a cold and windy day!” It starts to rain. The wind blows even harder and turns the rain into snow.
“Well look at that! It’s snowing!” says the man. “Snow wasn’t in the weather forecast today…” He pulls his hood over his head. The wind blows his strongest gust towards the man, but the man’s jacket stays on. “Hmm. It’s a bit fresh today…” he says. “A winter storm must be coming…” He zips the jacket higher to cover his nose.
“Gah! This is impossible,” says the wind. He stops blowing.
“My turn!” says the sun. First, the sun shines enough to stop the snow. The man unzips his hood. Then the sun pulls the clouds apart and gently shines down on the man. Suddenly, it is a beautiful spring day.
“Wow. The weather sure is strange around here!” says the man. He unzips his jacket. The sun gently increases the temperature. “What strange weather. Now it feels like summer!” the man says as he begins to sweat. “Goodness me, it’s so hot!” He removes his winter jacket and lies down on the grass for a nap in the warm sun.
“I win!” says the sun, beaming.
**Moral:** Sometimes warmth and gentleness can achieve more than strength and force.
