Rules to Live By
Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 4:04PM
Mary Prather in children's books



Here's a list of eleven little "gems". I love them, and I'll tell you where they came from afterwards...

  1. Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
  2. Being free is the greatest gift.
  3. Treat others as you want be treated.
  4. An idea is not always enough.
  5. Do not try to be something you are not.
  6. Slow and steady wins the race.
  7. When faced with danger, make wise choices.
  8. Be proud of who you are.
  9. Do not pretend to be someone you are not.
  10. Common sense is greater than beauty.
  11. Always prepare today for tomorrow.

These all came from a book I picked up a while ago - The Rabbit and the Turtle - Aesop's fables retold and illustrated by Eric Carle

Aren't these all principles our children should be learning? Yet it sometimes seems that the simplest of courtesies and common sense are lacking in our society today. When my son pulled this out of the bookshelf today and asked me to read to him, I did. We just read the first four fables (they are only a page each). I read the fable, and then he would read the moral to me. And yes, even a five year old could restate them to me and the importance in our lives.

I especially liked the GMan's answer to #4 : "An idea is not always enough". I asked him what it would have been like if he had the IDEA to play tball, but then we never did anything about it... mom never signed you up - dad never took you out to buy you the gear you needed, etc... He said, "Then my idea never would have come true". My sweet, sweet boy.

I think I've just found the perfect copywork for our first week of school! I'll post some pics next week as we're working on that.
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