Robin and Scraps Nutty Tale
A Children’s Story About Kindness, narrated by Kimberley Arnett-DeSimone
(Downloadable PDF documents support Visual and Fine Motor Skills)
Have your child listen to the story as they do the activities.
Robin and Scraps Nutty Tale
In Leafy Grove, a peaceful North Carolina suburb nestled among the pretty trees and friendly homes, a newly hatched bird named Robin and a friendly squirrel named Scraps lived.
Robin's journey began on a very windy day when all the trees in her yard were shaking and making whooshing sounds as the wind pushed and pulled their branches. Robin was scared because her parents were nowhere to be found. “They must be out looking for food,” she thought, or “maybe the wind has taken them far away.” She didn’t have much time to worry because a big gust of wind suddenly whisked her out of her nest and into the air. Robin was very young and couldn’t fly yet, so she had to go where the wind had taken her.
Up, up, and away, the wind took her into the sky above all the trees. She looked down and saw the tree where she had lived and all the other trees in the backyard. She didn’t notice a small squirrel looking up at her from the ground. Soon, the wind slowed, and Robin headed straight for the ground. Robin was trying to flap her wings, but they were too small to carry her. Robin was falling and falling, and as she fell close to the giant tree in the backyard, she stopped falling, but not hard, more like a soft pillow had caught her. It was the little squirrel that had been watching her from below. He had gathered some branches with smooth leaves and made a little net out of them to catch her.
She was saved and was so excited to meet this new friend. The friendly squirrel, Scraps, lived in the big tree. Scraps was surprised by everything that had happened but delighted to meet Robin. He decided right then that they would be friends and that he would take care of her until she found her parents.
Their backyard was also the home of a kind human family. The two animals watched from their tree as the family went about their days, sometimes playing in the yard and other times relaxing on their porch. But what interested them the most was when the family would throw nuts and seeds onto the porch. Robin and Scraps didn't understand why, but they would sneak down on the porch when all the other animals had left and hunt for food treasures. Because there were so many other animals in the backyard, it was tough to find anything left for them.
One day, a great and scary thing happened as they ventured from their tree to explore the porch. The woman who lived in the house saw the animal friends looking for treats and opened the window. At first, the pair were scared, but then they saw what happened next. Suddenly, nuts and berries left her kind hand and found their way to the porch beside the friends. Robin and Squirrel started to understand. The family shared with the animals in the backyard, making sure they had food. This touched Robin and Scraps hearts, teaching them not to be scared of the family that was so kind.
Inspired, Robin and Scraps decided to spread kindness in their ways. Robin sang her most beautiful songs to brighten the days of the other backyard creatures while Scraps shared the best berries and nuts he could find, especially with the most in need.
Their adventures didn't stop at the porch. They explored the edges of the garden, where the flowers bloomed with vibrant colors, and where they met other animals who shared stories of their adventures.
The End.
Coloring Exercise
Have students color the characters of the story, a squirrel and a bird.
Visual Motor Exercise
Have students draw a line within the borders to follow the story path.
Movement Play Activities
(These activities are for getting your kiddo moving and active)
1. Find The Nuts Treasure Hunt:
This activity encourages developing working memory, visual scanning of the environment, problem-solving, and thinking skills to search for hidden items.
Directions:
Use 3 items (such as rolled-up socks) as the "nuts."
Hide the 3 "nuts" in the play area for your child to find
Have your child help Scraps the Squirrel search for 3 nuts to share with Robin
Grade the activity so it is not too difficult, and if your child struggles or loses interest, give them verbal clues or gestural clues to guide their search. When they feel successful, it will encourage them to keep going.
2. Catch the Bird Parachute:
This activity is great for hand strength, visual motor tracking as the birds fly up and down through the air, and cooperative effort to control the "parachute."
Directions:
Have your child scrunch up 3 pieces of construction paper. These will be the "robins."
You can use a sheet, afghan, pillowcase, or parachute small enough that you and your child can hold it together.
Place the "robins" (paper balls) on top of the "parachute"
Gently work together to toss the birds up into the air and try to catch them in your "parachute."
