Violet Promise Story – Preschool

by Connie Dunn

Value our home, Earth, and all that grows and
lives on it.

Materials

NOTE: To make this story come alive, presenter should work on voices for all puppets. It is also an opportunity to bring in helpers, especially older children in the 5^th grade or up to help do the puppets and their voices. Make sure to hold a rehearsal with them…this age group often commits to events, but aren’t so good about doing the required work. It is okay, if they just read their parts, but is much better when it is like a conversation…FYI, it is perfectly fine to use different wording. It is the whole

Presentation

Now watch where I get the lesson.

Take the tray from shelf and place on floor to your left.

I wonder what could be in this violet box?

Wait for children to guess.

Let’s open the box.

Take the Lid off the box.

Hmmm…(show inside the box)…it looks like a story. Sometimes boxes like this have stories inside. Let’s see what we have.

Take the Violet Felt underlay and spread it out in front of you, smoothing it out.

This is a story about an earthworm, a garden and some helpers.

Take Robert Redworm finger puppet and place it on your index finger. Begin to interact with the children and Robert Redworm. If possible, use a unique voice for Robert Redworm. You’ll have two other talking characters, so work on voices before you present this story.

I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Robert Redworm. He’s an earthworm from the redworm species, which are also called Red Wigglers.

Robert Redworm: Hi! Who loves and values our home, earth, and all its living beings?

Wait for children to answer.

Robert Redworm: That’s very good. And does anyone know what composting is?

Wait for children to answer.

Robert Redworm: Did you know that most family’s garbage comes from out kitchen, such as apple skins, banana peels, potato skins, and other fresh vegetables and fruits?

Put the Apple on the underlay.

Robert Redworm: And I bet you didn’t know that those are some of my most favorite meals!

Bring out Paul Prayer and put him on the index finger of your opposite hand…don’t forget Paul’s special voice.

Paul Prayer: Hi, Robert! I thought I’d come help you.

Switch to Robert Redworm’s voice and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: Hey kids, this is my garden friend Paul Prayer. He also lives in the garden.

Switch to Paul Prayer’s voice and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Paul Prayer: Did you remember to tell them you like to eat ground up leaves?

Put the leaf on the underlay.

Paul Prayer: I also live in the garden. I eat bugs. My favorites are the ones that eat the leaves and fruit of the plants. I can be useful in keeping the garden pest free.

Bring out Kyla Butterfly and put her on your ring finger of either hand.

Kyla Butterfly: Hi guys what are you doing?

Switch to Paul Prayer’s voice and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Paul Prayer: We’re talking to the children about composting and keeping our garden pest free. Kids, this our friend Kyla Butterfly!

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Hi kids! I also live in the garden. I drink the nectar from the flowers and I move pollen from plant to plant that helps the plants grow fruits, beans and other vegetables. Did you know that you, human children, can help our earth stay healthy by growing gardens and composting?

Wait for children to answer. Switch to Robert Redworm’s voice to reply.

Robert Redworm: Did you know that you can compost inside? You can put worms like me into a bin inside one of your cupboards. It’s called vermicomposting!

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Well, that’s a big word!

Switch to Robert Redworm and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: I know, that’s a very long word. Vermi…Composting. That’s what it is called when you let us Red Wigglers help you compost. We’re very efficient processors of organic waste, like the apple skins we talked about earlier. We can actually produce pounds of rich compost that helps plants grow in a very short time!

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Don’t forget to explain that you don’t like the light. Butterflies like me adore the sunlight, but worms hide from the light!

Switch to Paul Prayer’s voice and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Paul Prayer: And Robert, don’t forget to tell them how you like shredded paper. Praying Mantis only eat small bugs, but earthworms even eat paper like newspapers and paper towels.

Switch to Robert Redworm and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: Oh yes, and we need moisture. If we get dried out, we die!

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Did you tell them that about one-fourth of the landfills in the United stated are being filled up with organic material that earthworms naturally eat and turn into rich compost that plants need to help them grow?

Switch to Paul Prayer’s voice and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Paul Prayer: You forgot to tell them how that helps us all love and value our home earth?

Switch to Robert Redworm and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: Okay, I’ve got this! Our landfills are full of decomposing material, which is creating methane gas that contributes to global warming. Many human scientists say that global warming is caused by methane gas and carbon dioxide, which comes from cars.

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Yes! And butterflies, praying mantis, and even humans can help! Because when humans and other living beings, like us, work together to love and value the earth, take care of it, and use resources wisely, we make the world a better place to live!

Wondering Questions:

• I wonder what part of this story was important?
• I wonder where you saw yourself in this story?
• I wonder how the earth would be if everyone composted?
• I wonder if you have ever seen an earthworm at work?
• I wonder if you have ever seen a praying mantis or a butterfly at work?
• I wonder how you will ask your parents to start a compost with worms?
• I wonder if you will be a good caretaker of the worms and feed them and water them to keep them healthy as they process our kitchen waste into rich compost for your garden?
• I wonder how you feel about gardening?
• I wonder how you feel about loving and valuing our home, earth, and all the living beings?

Kyla Butterfly: But isn’t our planet getting warmer, which changes all our weather patterns, melts our polar regions and causes more violent storms?

Switch to Robert Redworm and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: You are right, Kyla. Do if humans feed their kitchen waste to us worms to process, that would cut down on about a fourth of the organic waste contributing to methane gas.

Switch to Paul Prayer and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Paul Prayer: So if humans love and value the earth, they can just hire you worms for almost nothing to eat organic waste and process it into something useful?

Switch to Robert Redworm and make this puppet alive while he speaks.

Robert Redworm: That’s right!

Switch to Kyla Butterfly and make this puppet alive while she speaks.

Kyla Butterfly: Yes! And butterflies, praying mantis, and even humans can help! Because when humans and other living beings, like us, work together to love and value the earth, take care of it, and use resources wisely, we make the world a better place to live!

Wondering Questions:

• I wonder what part of this story was important?
• I wonder where you saw yourself in this story?
• I wonder how the earth would be if everyone composted?
• I wonder if you have ever seen an earthworm at work?
• I wonder if you have ever seen a praying mantis or a butterfly at work?
• I wonder how you will ask your parents to start a compost with worms?
• I wonder if you will be a good caretaker of the worms and feed them and water them to keep them healthy as they process our kitchen waste into rich compost for your garden?
• I wonder how you feel about gardening?
• I wonder how you feel about loving and valuing our home, earth, and all the living beings?