8/12/2019 The Snowdrop

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The Snowdrop

By Hans Christian Andersen (Adapted)

The snow lay deep, for it was winter time. The winter winds blew cold, but there was one housewhere all was snug and warm. And in the house lay a little flower in its bulb it lay, under theearth and the snow.

!ne day the rain fell and it tric"led through the ice and snow down into the ground. Andpresently a sunbeam, pointed and slender, pierced down through the earth, and tapped on thebulb.

#Come in,# said the flower.

#$ can%t do that,# said the sunbeam #$%m not strong enough to lift the latch. $ shall be strongerwhen springtime comes.#

#&hen will it be spring'# as"ed the flower of eery little sunbeam that rapped on its door. But fora long time it was winter. The ground was still coered with snow, and eery night there was icein the water. The flower grew uite tired of waiting.

#How long it is*# it said. #$ feel uite cramped. $ must stretch myself and rise up a little. $ must liftthe latch, and loo" out, and say %good morning% to the spring.#

So the flower pushed and pushed. The walls were softened by the rain and warmed by the littlesunbeams, so the flower shot up from under the snow, with a pale green bud on its stal" andsome long narrow leaes on either side. $t was biting cold.

#+ou are a little too early,# said the wind and the weather but eery sunbeam sang,#&elcome,# and the flower raised its head from the snow and unfolded itself pure and white,and dec"ed with green stripes.

$t was weather to freee it to pieces such a delicate little flower, but it was stronger than anyone "new. $t stood in its white dress in the white snow, bowing its head when the snowfla"esfell, and raising it again to smile at the sunbeams, and eery day it grew sweeter.

#!h*# shouted the children, as they ran into the garden, #see the snowdrop* There it stands sopretty, so beautiful the first, the only one*#

Tell a Story

Sent in by Miriam W.

8/12/2019 The Snowdrop

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The leader starts a story that begins with something funny... andthen passes it on to the next person who adds on to the story. Ifdesired it could be about people in the group. Continue until the lastperson finishes. This one is a good way to bring humor into group

settings and finding the humor in story telling.

Two Truths And A Lie

Have each person write truths and a lie about themselves. Theythen pass the paper to the group and have the others guess whichis the lie.

What kind of animal are you?

Suggested by !licia Saen"# Childbirth$%actation &ducator# Thomason

Hospital'(ursing Support Services

Have all participants stand in a circle. Tal) about parents in theanimal )ingdom ie# the lioness and how she ferociously protects heryoung. Then have each of them say what )ind of animal they wouldbe and why. *rings out interesting ideas about parenting and howwe see ourselves.

Who am I?

+repare a card for each of your guests and write on it the name of afamous man or woman. ,n arrival# pin a card on the bac) of eachguest who must then as) -uestions of each other in order to findout their identity. When they succeed# the card is pinned on thefront of them.