goldilocks and the three magic words - Podar Jumbo Kids Plus

Vision by - Dr. Pavan PodarThis book is dedicated to the innocence in little children.This book is dedicated to all parents and teachers tounderstand that every song, every story, every interactionwith children can have a lasting effect on their life values,so we need to be careful and rework certain traditionalforms that we are using in our kindergartens, afterall ittakes a village to raise a child.Every one knows the story of Goldilocks and the three Bears, how a little girlgets lost in the woods and enters a bear’s home. She tastes all their bowls ofporridge, sits on all the chairs and breaks one, sleeps on all their beds andmesses them. And when the bears come home, she runs away from them.Nice story, interesting for kids as it has lots of repetition, each time in thestory there is a big bowl, a medium bowl and small bowl, etc. and we all knowthat children's growing brains crave for repetition, this is the need of the'connections' to strengthen themselves, based on the maxim of 'use it or lose it'.GoldilockSAnd The ThreeMagic Words.But where life's values are concerned, is Goldilocks an apt story for younggrowing minds? On one hand we teach them about-Please, Thank you andSorry and on the other hand, this story teaches them the contrary!To change all that, the level three (age 5) children ofPodar Jumbo Kids Plus, discussed a new version ofGoldilocks- GOLDILOCKS AND THE 3 MAGIC WORDS, andhave drawn their own story book. This little new version isan attempt ‘by’ children, ‘for’ the children and ‘of’ thechildren as part of project ‘AVISHKAR-Change andCreativity in Childhood’.Enjoy this lovely reader story book, written by the kids, illustrated by thekids to make this world a better place for you, me and the entire humanrace…………. Swati Popat Vats-Director.E A R L Y C H I L D H O O DCURRICULUM AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENTEmail: talktous@podar.org

Why are stories important for young children?Experts in brain research confirm that warm, loving, and consistent relationshipswith adults are essential for healthy brain development in young children (Shore1997; McCain & Mustard 1999; Shonkoff & Phillips 2000; Lally & Mangione2006); and stories help build these warm, loving and consistent relationshipsbetween adults and children both at home and at school.When stories are part of children's lives from birth, the childrenbenefit in three important ways.1. Stories enrich children's lives.2. Strengthen relationships.3. Support their emerging literacy skills.Stories can reflect past experience, expand what is happening in the present,and give clues about the future. With help from sensitive and skilled adults,through stories very young children can:Access information—For example, discovering the sounds various animalsmake and what they eat; why the wind blows; what other people do, think,and feel.Learn new concepts—For example, a young child's experience with cats maybe limited to one visit with her neighbor's pet, but a book about their differentcolors, shapes and sizes can increase her awareness and expand heroriginal concept of what "cat" means.Learn to wonder and ask questions, and have the satisfaction of getting answersto their questions—for example, guessing when the adult says, "Andwhat do you think happened next?”Experience the rhythms, rhymes and beauty of language— for example inDr Sues books.Stories can also serve as ‘Discussion starters’ like; do you think Goldilockswas right? This helps children think about the stories and analyze whetherthe characters were right or wrong in their behavior. Discussion starters helpskids talk about their views and helps adults understand the emerging thinkingand moral skills in children.By responding to their stories this way, we are sending children the messagethat we understand and value what they think and say.According to experts there are stages in ayoung child's learning to use books-Based on Schickedanz (1999).Looks attentively at pictures in a book.Recognizes a particular book.Is able to turn the pages of a board book.Points to pictures in a book.Holds a book right side up.Looks at a book from front to back, or whatever way is appropriate forthe language in which the book is written and the culture from which itcomesRecognizes a book by the cover.Has a favorite story or book.Makes comments about pictures in books."Reads" the words in a book (telling the story by looking at the pictures).Uses a word or phrase that clearly comes from a book or story withwhich the child is familiar.Indicates that an adult reading a book has left out or added somewords or skipped a page in a favorite story.Predicts what might happen next or what the book is about from lookingat the cover.Tells a simple story.Pretends to be "reading" to other children, or to a doll or teddy.Takes notice of letters and words in a book by pointing to them or askingabout the print.

Why did we want to change the story ofGoldilocks and The Three Bears?Goldilocks goes to the house of the bears, eats withoutpermission, messes their house and then runs away. Thediscussion starter on this story was, how did the bears feelwhen they came back to their house and found it in amess? And we were surprised and happy, that most kidsunderstood that the bears felt upset and Baby Bear musthave cried and cried and Goldilocks should not have beenso naughty. So, our next question to them was, so how dowe change the story so that Goldilocks is happy and soare the bears? Ideas were bounced and rejected, giggledand sometimes looked puzzled, but in the end everyoneagreed that the bears can maybe teach Goldilocks somemanners. And so emerged, ‘GOLDILOCKS AND THE 3MAGIC WORDS’.So let kids join in the journey of Goldilocks, as she learnsall about manners and being polite with the three magicwords- ‘Thank you’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Please’.Learn by imitation, not prompting! And sadly prompting ismost often used while teaching kids to be polite. Mothersusually nag the child to 'say sorry', 'say thank you' etc. butchildren will learn best and faster if such values aremodeled to them, instead of being told what to do. Thisstory makes the kids understand in an interesting mannerthat even their favourite story book character now haslearnt to say the magic words.Level 3Rework‘Change and Creativity’to CreateGoldilocks andThree MagicWordsNotice the ‘Documentation’ in the drawings.You will notice that all the children’sdrawings have comments written by theteacher. This is called ‘documentation’; apractice adopted by us from Reggio schoolswhere a teacher asks the child about thedrawings and then writes down the pointsthat were mentioned by the child.

Goldilocks goes to the house of the bears.Goldilocks tastes the porridge in the big bowland says, “It's too hot.”Goldilocks tastes the porridge in themedium-sized bowl and says, “It is lumpy.”Goldilocks tastes the porridge in the small bowland says, “Hmmm, this is just right. It is yummy!”Goldilocks eats up all the porridge in the small bowl.

Goldilocks sits on the big chair and says,“This one is much too high.”Goldilocks sits on the medium-sized chair andsays-, “This one is yet high.”Goldilocks sits on the small chair and says,“This one is just right for me.”When Goldilocks sits on the chair, with acreak and crack the chair fell to pieces.

Goldilocks sleeps on the big bed and says,“This one is too hard.”Goldilocks sleeps on the medium-sized bedand says, “This one is too soft.”Goldilocks sleeps on the small bed and says,“This one is so comfortable.”She goes to sleep on the bed.

When the bears come home and see the mess,Goldilocks wakes up, gets scared and runs away.Then Goldilocks meets children from'Podar Jumbo Kids Plus.’ The kids of age 5 teachGoldilocks about the three magic words-‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry’.Goldilocks realizes her mistake. She goesback to the bear's house.

Goldilocks meets Mama Bear, andsays, “Please may I help you makesome more porridge?”She helps Mama Bear make moreporridge for every one.

Goldilocks then meets Papa Bear and says,“Please teach me how to mend this chairthat I broke.”Papa Bear teaches her how to mend the chair.

She mends the chair and says“Thank you” to Papa Bear forteaching her how to mend the chair.

Goldilocks then meets Baby Bearand says, “I am sorry I rumpledyour bed, let me help you makeit alright.”Baby Bear and Goldilocksmake the beds.

Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bearare all happy with Goldilocks.

Goldilocks promises to be a good girland she waves them goodbye.Goldilocks goes home. On theway she meets the kids fromPodar Jumbo Kids Plus.She tells them about her visit tothe Bear's house, and how shehas used the three magic words-‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry’.The kids are happy to hear this; together they sing this song-When Goldilocks went to the house of the BearsOh what did her two eyes see?A bowl that was huge, a bowl that was small, a bowl that was tinyand that was all.She counted them, one, two, three.When Goldilocks went to the house of the BearsOh what did her two eyes see?A chair that was too high, a chair that was high, a chair that wastiny and that was all.She counted them, one, two, three.When Goldilocks went to the house of the BearsOh what did her two eyes see?A bed that was hard, a bed that was soft, a bed that was just rightand that was all.She counted them, one, two, three.When Goldilocks went to the house of the BearsOh what are the three words she learnt?She learnt to say ‘Please’She learnt to say ‘Sorry’She learnt to say ‘Thank you’ and that was all.These were her magic words, she counted them one, two, three.