FOR KIDS — ReadPlay — INDOORS AT HOME OR IN YOUR BACK YARD: story 4 of 10
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AT HOME — PLAY TIME WITH PARENTS
I BELIEVE is a journey of discovery and gratitude with two amazing horses Carlo and Teddy and the other Animal Beings and Human Beings they meet along the way.
I BELIEVE It is ok to be afraid and talk about my fears, just like Sparky the amazing dog
Carlo and Teddy had been exploring for days before they heard a whimper. They could not see where the whimper was coming from. They looked everywhere. They looked up in the trees, along the creeks, behind houses, and all over the place. Then suddenly they could hear the whimper getting louder and louder. They knew they were getting closer.
On the ground in a lane behind an old building a tiny black dog was lying on the ground. It was very early morning and no one was around. There were no other dogs, no other animals, and no people. The little black dog was all on it’s own.
Carlo approached the little black dog very slowly and quietly. “Hello, little black dog,” said Carlo. “Why are you crying?”
The little black dog kept his nose buried under his paw, with his eyes closed.
“Little black dog,” said Teddy. “My name is Teddy and this is my friend Carlo. What is your name?”
“I don’t have a name,” answered the little black dog.
“Would you like to have a name?” asked Carlo.
“I don’t know.”
“Little black dog, will any other dog come find you today?” asked Teddy.
“No.”
“Carlo and I are explorers. We discover new places and new things every day,” said Teddy. “Would you like to join us instead of staying here by yourself?”
“I don’t know,” said the little black dog and raised his head up to look at Carlo and Teddy standing quite tall over him. “You are very tall. What are you?”
“We are horses,” answered Carlo. “Can you stand up and come for a walk with us?”
The little black dog stood up on his four paws. “I’m afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?” asked Teddy.
The little black dog turned to face them. “I am afraid because I am here all by myself. I do not know where to go or what to do.”
“We can talk about any thing you are afraid of, little black dog,” said Carlo.
“You mean we can talk about what frightens me?” asked the little black dog.
“Yes, of course we can. We can talk about anything you want to talk about,” said Teddy.
“I do not have to stay here all on my own anymore?” asked the little black dog.
“No, you can come with us if you want to,” said Carlo.
“Can we talk about what frightens me while we walk?” asked the little black dog.
“Yes, anything you want to talk about,” said Carlo.
The little black dog wagged his tail. He was so happy he jumped up and down trying to reach Carlo and Teddy’s nose. He lit up like a spark filled with joy.
“I think we have a name for you if you want,” said Teddy.
“What is the name?” asked the little black dog.
“Sparky,” said Teddy.
“Sparky! I like that name. As of this moment my name is Sparky.” Sparky wagged his tail some more and ran in circles and here and there around Carlo and Teddy.
Carlo, Teddy and Sparky walked into the field to continue their journey. Sparky asked all sorts of questions and talked about what frightened him and why.
“The sound of thunder frightens me,” said Sparky. “I get scared when I hear the big bang over my head. I run and hide.
“What else frightens you Sparky?” said Teddy.
“Well, I am also afraid of the human beings when they scream and shout,” said Sparky. Sometimes I do not come out from where I am hiding for a very long time.
Together they talked about how Sparky could conquer his fears and how his fears helped him. How his fears kept him safe, and how his fears stopped him from going anywhere or doing anything. The more they talked the more they all learned about each other.
“I have an idea,” said Teddy. “We have a friend, she is a horse and her name is Jojo. She is one of the great teachers at the ranch. We know she would be happy for you to go live there with her and the others. Is that somewhere you would like to go Sparky?”
Carlo and Teddy knew Sparky needed to be around other children and other dogs to keep learning, see different things, and do different things, and meet new dogs and make new friends.
“A ranch, oh yes,” said Sparky. “Would I be able to talk about anything there and ask all sorts of questions about anything?”
“Yes, you will do and learn many things at this ranch,” said Carlo. “You will have a family at this ranch.”
“A family. I never believed I would have my own family,” said Sparky. He wagged his tail and ran here and there and everywhere in the field.
“We have two more days of travel over the hills before we arrive. Let us show you on the map where we are, the path we will be taking and where you will be going,” said Teddy. He opened the map on the grass. “Look here Sparky. We are here, we are walking along this path, and the ranch is here.”
“Sparky, do you believe it is possible to make this journey to the ranch come true?” asked Teddy.
“Oh yes, I believe it is possible,” said Sparky. “Only a few days ago I was crying because I feared and believed I would be alone for ever, without any family or friends.
I believed I would never be able to talk about my fears. I believed I would never find a way to no longer be afraid or find ways to stop being afraid because I did not have anyone to talk to about any of this or did not know how not to be afraid anymore. You are the one that helped me. It is because of you I now believe that all my dreams can come true.”
“We played a part in this Sparky but it is you who made it possible,” said Teddy.
“How did I do that?” asked Sparky.
“You had the courage to raise your nose from under your paws,” said Teddy. “You opened your eyes to see who and what was in front of you. You had the courage to tell us what you were feeling and what you were afraid of, and most importantly tell us that you wanted to talk. You allowed yourself to open up to us and by doing so you created an opportunity for more wonderful things to happen in your life. You created this opportunity when you stood on your four paws and made the decision that you no longer wanted to be afraid.”
“I did all that!” said Sparky.
“Yes you did,” said Carlo.
For the next two days Carlo, Teddy and Sparky followed the path shown on the map. On the second day in the early afternoon they arrived at the ranch. All the children and the animals ran to Sparky and welcomed him.
Sparky fit right in and everyone listened to his story of how he met Carlo and Teddy. The children and other animals were excited to hear about his fears and what he did to no longer be afraid of what frightened him. The more they talked the fewer fears any of them kept bottled up inside them. They played new games, tried new things, and explored different places in and around the ranch.
Jojo was delighted to see them all play and laugh together. As the days went on the animals also talked more and more of their fears. They talked about what they did not like and what they liked about how they were sometime treated by people. The children were upset to hear that people sometime did not treat animals very well.
Jojo gave them a new game to play. She asked all the animals and the children with the help of Teddy, Carlo and their new friend, Sparky, to write all of their fears. She also asked them to write the many different ways people can be kinder to animals.
“This is your playtime for the next 30 days,” said Jojo.
For the next 30 days write on a piece of paper or in your journal “I am afraid of…. and this is what I will do about it so I am no longer afraid.”
On another page you will write how people can be kinder to animals. This is how you will discover how animals no longer need to be afraid of being mistreated by anyone.
Let your imagination take you anywhere it wants to take you!
Lets begin.
Most importantly — Have fun!
Remember to smile.
Remember to laugh.
Remember to be curious and ask questions.
Remember to Believe in yourself.
Say out loud 10 times. I Believe in myself.
WOW! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU DID ALL THE FUN STUFF!
YOU PARTICIPATED IN 30 DAYS OF FUN!
KEEP GOING!
EXPLORE YOUR IMAGINATION!
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ALWAYS!
SHARE YOU FEARS, HOW YOU RESOLVED THEM, AND THE EXPLORATION OF YOUR IMAGINATION WITH A FRIEND!
THANK YOU FOR BEING GOOD AND KIND TO EVERY ANIMAL.
On behalf of all the ANIMALS — thank you for making this a better world for ALL OF US!