The Wellington Boots

Children’s Story written by Grazia Martienssen

Hello, children Big Bear here gather round as I tell you about…

Growing Fast:

Ben and Cindy were growing up fast and had a lot of clothes and shoes, which were too small for them. One day mom decided to go through their wardrobes with them before buying new clothes and shoes. The children were very excited about this. As they went through the clothes, they decided who to donate them to.

What do you do with clothes or shoes that are too small for you?
Do you have someone to pass them on to?

Deciding Who to Give Them to:

‘Let’s give my pretty party dress to my cousin Wendy, because she really likes it, and these shoes can go to my friend Lizzie, I think they will fit her,’ said Cindy excitedly.
‘My warm jacket let’s donate that to poor children mommy.’ Ben was also deciding who to give his clothes and shoes to.
‘My cowboy suit, I think my cousin Peter should have that, and my school shoes are too small, let’s give them to my friend David as he’s going to start school next year,’ said Ben excitedly.
‘This tracksuit can be donated to poor children,’ said Ben.
The clothes and shoes that were worn out went into a pile for recycling.
‘I will tear the worst ones up for rags and donate the others for recycling,’ said mom.
So together they made four piles of clothes and shoes. One was for their cousins, one for their friends, one for the poor children, and one for the recycling bin. Finally, mom took out their wellington boots. Both children loved their boots. They were a gift from their granny, and they always had so much fun when they wore them. Splashing around in the rain puddles outside, on their way to school, and even on their way back, or to a friend’s house.
‘I really want to keep those,’ said Ben. ‘Me too,’ said Cindy.

Did you know that old things can be recycled?
Does your family take things to the recycling bins?

Mom thought for a while. She didn’t want to upset the children by getting rid of their boots. But they were too small and worn out.
‘I know!’ she said after a while. ‘They can be made into birdhouses, that way they’ll be in the garden, and you’ll see them every day, and the birds can also enjoy them,’ said mom.
‘But how?’ Ben asked.
‘Can birds live in our boots?’ asked Cindy.
‘I will show you,’ said mom.
She then cut a big hole in the front of each boot and asked dad to make a little wooden roof for each one. When he glued the roofs on them, he let them dry till the next day and then put them outside. Two hanging from tree branches and two with hooks hanging from the wall.

Do you and your family recycle old things at home?
What can you make out of old things?

Feeding the Birds:

The children loved the birdhouses and were very happy that their old boots had been recycled in this way. Every day they put bird seeds or bread crumbs in the birdhouses. One day they saw that two little birds had made their nests in the two birdhouses hanging from the tree branches. They were so excited and couldn’t wait for the eggs to hatch.

Do you like birds?
Do birds come to your garden?