The wind and the sun were having a little argument. The wind said, “I am the strongest!” But the sun replied, “No, I am the strongest!”
The wind boasted, “I can blow trees down! I can push big ships across the ocean and make storms!”
The sun smiled and said, “Well, I can melt all the snow on the mountains. I can dry up a whole lake. I can make the sidewalk so hot that it cooks an egg!”
Just then, they saw a man walking down the road wearing a winter jacket. The wind had an idea. “Let’s have a contest to see who is stronger,” he said. “Whoever can make the man take off his jacket first wins.” The sun agreed.
The wind went first. He blew a cold gust of air at the man. The man shivered and zipped up his jacket. “Brrr! What a cold and windy day!” he said. Then it started to rain, and the wind blew even harder, turning the rain into snow.
The man said, “Wow, it’s snowing! I didn’t expect this today…” He pulled his hood over his head. The wind blew his strongest gust, but the man kept his jacket on. “Hmm, it’s really chilly today,” he said, zipping his jacket up higher to cover his nose.
The wind was frustrated. “This is impossible,” he said, and he stopped blowing.
“My turn!” said the sun. First, the sun shone brightly to stop the snow. The man unzipped his hood. Then the sun gently pushed the clouds away and shone warmly on the man. Suddenly, it felt like a lovely spring day.
“Wow, the weather is so strange today!” said the man, unzipping his jacket. The sun made it a little warmer. “Now it feels like summer!” the man said, feeling hot.
“Goodness me, it’s so hot!” He took off his winter jacket and lay down on the grass for a nap in the warm sun.
“I win!” said the sun, shining brightly.
The story teaches us that sometimes being warm and gentle can do more than being strong and forceful. It’s a nice reminder that kindness can be very powerful!
Weather Observation Journal: Start a weather journal for a week. Each day, draw a picture of what the weather looks like outside. Is it sunny, windy, rainy, or snowy? Write a sentence about how the weather makes you feel and what you wear because of it. At the end of the week, discuss with your class or family which days were more like the sun and which were more like the wind in the story.
Sun and Wind Experiment: With the help of an adult, try a simple experiment to see how the sun and wind affect things differently. Take two small bowls of water and place one in a sunny spot and the other in a windy spot (or use a fan to create wind). Check after a few hours to see which bowl has less water. Talk about how the sun and wind changed the water and relate it to how the sun and wind tried to make the man take off his jacket.
Role-Playing Game: In pairs, take turns being the sun and the wind. The “wind” tries to convince the “man” (your partner) to take off their jacket by pretending to blow cold air. Then switch roles, and the “sun” tries by pretending to shine warmly. Discuss which approach worked better and why, just like in 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 create storms!”
“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 sidewalk 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 air 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 chilly 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 feel warm.
“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.
