ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Awnie's House ???? THE NOT-SO-RED, RIPE, ROUND TOMATO (God Has a Plan for You) by Brian R. Wilson and David Gnass
Hello, my reading friends! It’s Ani. I’m so happy you’re here to read with me. Today, we’re going to read a fun story about a little tomato. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Behind a farmhouse, there was a big, bushy tomato plant. The farmer took great care of it, giving it just the right amount of sun and water. In return, the plant grew big, red, and juicy tomatoes for the farmer and his family to enjoy.
Down low on the plant, there was a small tomato. She wasn’t as red or round as the others. She watched the farmer pick the big, beautiful tomatoes and wished she could be like them.
The little tomato tried hard to grow. She wanted to reach the sun and get more water, but the bigger tomatoes always got it first. This made her feel sad.
As time passed, the little tomato turned brown and lumpy. One day, she fell off the plant and rolled into the sun. She hoped the farmer would see her, but he didn’t come back for a while.
Then, the farmer’s dog came by and took a bite of the little tomato. The dog buried her in a hole, and the little tomato thought her story was over.
When spring came, something amazing happened! A new tomato plant started to grow where the little tomato had been buried. The farmer was so happy to see it because his old plant had died during the winter.
The little tomato realized she wasn’t just a tomato anymore. She had become a new plant! She was going to grow lots of beautiful tomatoes, just like she always wanted.
Sometimes, things don’t go the way we want, but that’s okay. There might be a bigger and better plan for us. Just like the little tomato, we can grow and do amazing things!
I hope you enjoyed our story today. See you next time!
Plant Your Own Tomato: Gather some small pots, soil, and tomato seeds. Help the children plant their own tomato seeds. Encourage them to water their plants and place them in a sunny spot. Ask them to observe how their plants grow over time. Discuss what plants need to grow and how they can take care of their little tomato plants just like the farmer did.
Tomato Life Cycle Drawing: Provide paper and crayons or colored pencils. Ask the children to draw the life cycle of a tomato plant, starting from a seed to a full-grown plant with tomatoes. Encourage them to include the little tomato’s journey from the story. Discuss each stage and what happens to the tomato plant during that time.
Story Reflection and Sharing: Ask the children to think about a time when something didn’t go as they planned but turned out well in the end. Encourage them to share their stories with the class. Discuss how, like the little tomato, sometimes unexpected changes can lead to new and exciting opportunities.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, my reading friends! It’s Ani. I am so happy you came to see me. If you like reading stories with me, be sure to subscribe!
Today, I’m sending shoutouts to Gerene and Jilly in British Columbia, Canada; Anzia and Elise in the Philippines; Byron and Solomon in California; Harrison and Weatherly in South Carolina; as well as Vivienne and Juliet in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Hello, everyone! I just love being able to read with you. Are you ready for a story? In this book, we’ll meet a little tomato whose life isn’t going the way she planned. Let’s find out why as we read “The Not So Red Ripe Brown Tomato.” If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me.
[Music]
“The Not So Red Ripe Brown Tomato” by Brian R. Wilson, illustrated by David Nass.
Behind the farmhouse, but not so far out as the cornfield, there grew a big, bushy tomato plant. This tomato plant was cared for and loved with just the right amount of sun and water by an old farmer. In return, the tomato plant gave the farmer all the tomatoes his family could possibly eat. These tomatoes were some of the biggest, reddest, roundest, juiciest, and sweetest tomatoes anyone had ever seen or tasted.
To keep his plant happy and healthy, the farmer picked off the bugs, trimmed the dead leaves, and even brushed the dirt off the biggest and reddest tomatoes before he picked them.
Down low on the plant, a small, not so red and not so round tomato lay hidden from the bright sunlight. She saw the other tomatoes above her that were so gorgeous, and she noticed how the farmer adored them and treated them, taking them away with a big smile on his face. The little tomato wanted nothing more than to be one of them.
So she tried her best to grow. She tried to get out into the sun where she might turn red, but she was too low on the tomato plant. She tried to get fresh water, but the bigger, redder tomatoes always got it before her. Some of them even gave her dirty looks as the farmer picked them and carried them away. This made the small tomato very sad.
Time passed, and the days grew shorter and colder. The small tomato had become lumpy and brown. All the other tomatoes had been picked by the farmer. Sad and alone, the little tomato fell off the bush and rolled out into the sun. She thought surely the farmer would see her now, but the farmer didn’t come back for several days.
When things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse, the farmer’s dog came by, took a bite out of that poor tomato, and then buried her in a hole. But this story is not over.
Early the next spring, the farmer came outside and saw something new: there was a new little tomato plant growing in his garden. This brought a huge smile to his face because his old plant, the one he loved so much, had died in the winter. Now he looked forward to seeing what beautiful tomatoes this plant would give him.
When the warmth of spring came, the small, not so red, not so round tomato woke up. She quickly realized she was no longer a lumpy brown tomato but the green sprout of a new tomato plant. When she looked up, she saw the farmer looking down on her with a smile. It was the same look she had seen and wished for the year before.
Soon it became clear what that small tomato—no, that tomato plant—was supposed to do with her life, and it was much bigger than she could have ever dreamed. The truth is that life is tough sometimes, and no matter how badly you may want something or how hard you try, it may not be the plan for you. Often, there are much bigger plans for you.
There have been many times in my life where things didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped they would, but later on, I realized they turned out much better. I’ve learned to trust that there is a better plan than I do.
I hope you enjoyed our story today. See you next time!
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