94

THET-SHIRTS

95GRADES 1 & 2

WHEN IS IT FUN TO RUN AROUND OR MAKE A LOT OF NOISE? WHEN IS IT NICE TO BE CALM AND QUIET?Has there ever been a time when you wanted it to be calm,

but people around you were being really active or noisy?

What was that like?

It’s okay to do things differently, but it’s important to

make sure that what you’re doing works for everyone.

Sometimes, you might have to compromise—come to an

agreement or understanding that works for everyone—

and change what you’re doing a little bit. That way,

everyone can feel respected and happy being together.

In this story, a group of friends is working on a project

together, and they each like to do things very differently.

As you listen to the story, pay attention to how one child is

affected by his friend’s behaviors, and what they do to

compromise and make it work for everyone.

96

97GRADES 1 & 2

Kayla hurried through the park as fast as she could, trying not to spill the bucket of water in her wagon.

“Can I carry something?” called a friendly voice. It was Gabriel.

“Thanks!” answered Kayla, as she handed a bag to her friend.

98

99GRADES 1 & 2

“Whoa—what’s in here?” asked Gabriel, slinging the heavy bag over his shoulder.

“That’s all the paint that was left over after my brother’s baseball team decorated shirts,” Kayla explained. “Did you bring an old shirt to paint?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yep, this is going to be so much fun.”

100

101GRADES 1 & 2

Jordan was already waiting at the tree house when the kids arrived.

“Check this out,” he said, holding up a big white T-shirt. “My dad’s old shirt comes down to my knees.”

“Good thing we have a lot of paint,” laughed Gabriel. He dumped the bag upside down, spilling out neon fabric paints, brushes, and spray bottles.

102

103GRADES 1 & 2

Jordan picked up a bottle of green paint and read the label. “Mix four capfuls of paint into a 16 ounce bottle of water.”

“Oh, I’ve done this before,” laughed Kayla. She had already filled a spray bottle with water and was about to squirt in some turquoise paint. She didn’t usually worry about details, like measuring.

104

105GRADES 1 & 2

“I really think we should measure that,” said Jordan.

Kayla noticed that Jordan looked a little worried. She knew that he did a lot of baking with his sister, and that he was always very careful about following recipes.

“Okay, measuring works too,” she said, smiling and handing him the paint. “Would you do that part?”

106

107GRADES 1 & 2

After all the paints and water had been measured and mixed, the kids spread their T-shirts onto the grass.

Gabriel picked up a bottle and sprayed bright orange paint across his shirt. “Wow—it looks like fireworks exploding,” he exclaimed. “Boom! Bang! Pop!”

108

109GRADES 1 & 2

Jordan squeezed a tube of magenta paint onto his shirt, going slowly and carefully so that he could make a perfect spiral design.

Next to him, Gabriel held a bottle in each hand and shouted loudly as he sprayed the different colors. “Crackle! Pop! Bang! Boom!”

Jordan frowned at the noise and tried harder to concentrate on his spiral.

110

111GRADES 1 & 2

“Watch out for the Purple Monster!” Kayla suddenly hollered, waving her arms in the air. Her hands were dripping with shiny purple paint.

“Oh no, the Purple Monster,” Gabriel shrieked. “Don’t get your purple slime on me!”

Jordan sighed and slid his shirt farther away from his friends, trying not to smear his design.

112

113GRADES 1 & 2

“You can’t stop the Purple Monster!” shouted Kayla, as she chased Gabriel around the tree. Then, she chased him around Jordan.

Jordan stopped painting and crossed his arms.

114

115GRADES 1 & 2

As Kayla stopped to catch her breath, she noticed Jordan sitting quietly by himself. “Did you finish your T-shirt?” she asked.

“I wanted to put some more swirls on the bottom,” Jordan answered. “But this isn’t working for me. It’s really loud, and I’m afraid that someone is going to step on my shirt.”

116

117GRADES 1 & 2

“We were just having fun,” said Gabriel. Then he looked at Jordan’s unfinished shirt. “But I guess that’s not fair if it made things hard for you. We should have been more considerate.”

“We could compromise and play on the other side of the tree so we don’t bother you,” Kayla suggested.

“That works for me,” agreed her friends.

118

119GRADES 1 & 2

While Jordan added more swirls to his shirt, Gabriel and Kayla played more quietly on the other side of the tree. After a while, they suddenly heard a noise from behind them. It was Jordan! He had finished his shirt, and his hands were covered in slimy green paint.

“Who thinks they can outrun the Green Goblin?” he shouted.

The kids screamed and laughed as they ran from the monster.

120

121GRADES 1 & 2

At the end of the afternoon, the T-shirts were dry enough to wear. They were as different as the kids who made them, but—just like the kids—they all went together just fine.