“…but there is a third thing you must do.”
“What is that?” asked Alice.
“You must do something to make the world more beautiful…”
-Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Recently, Paula Starling, our school librarian, shared The book Miss Rumphius 

by Barbara Cooney with her K-5 students.  This is a story of woman whose quest to make the world more beautiful results in her planting lupine seeds in the wild.  Inspired by the tale, students shared what they would do to make the world more beautiful. Enjoy their responses, which range from surprisingly specific steps and practical plans to dreams and grand visions.

 

KINDERGARTEN

plant flowers in your yard…make sad people happy…make your yard beautiful…get your parents to help you…tell people about Jesus…love…sell pretty hair bows…put apple seeds and flower seeds in your yard…plant gardens in your whole town…create houses for people…plant more lupines…be kind…give people flowers…put lights of different colors all around your yard…make a gingerbread house…make friends everywhere…make treehouses all around the world…give everyone treasure maps…plant apple trees with flowers all around the bottom…put candy canes around everywhere…put flower seeds all around my house…plant all kinds of flowers…give people cookies…give people all around the world books and Bibles

FIRST GRADE

help one another… give people more food…help children…teach people about God… put more love into people’s hearts…help your neighbors…worship Jesus…help anyone who is in need… teach people about Jesus…help the flowers to grow and water them and make things pretty…plant Christmas trees and evergreen trees…plant potatoes all over the world… plant apple seeds…take care of the animals and feed them, don’t kill them…plant flowers, don’t poison them……plant seeds around the world…love people

SECOND GRADE

grow gardens and food and let people get the food for free…start a library…take care of plants…clean up litter and trash…start a Sunday school class at church ….write a book about Jesus…make food for poor people…make houses for homeless people…build shelters for homeless people with things like available water…make a garden and let people pick from it…give a ride to people who don’t have cars…tell people about Jesus…build a library that only has books about Jesus… make clothes or donate clothes for poor people…take over a job for a person who is sick until they get well…plant crops…love others

THIRD GRADE

tell people about Jesus…clean up your trash…recycle…help build houses for poor people…help make sure the air outside is clean…take care of animals…help people stop smoking…tell people about God…give homes to stray animals…spread the Gospel…do not litter…write books and take care of books…give people homes…feed people who are hungry and homeless

FOURTH GRADE

…pick up trash…go to clean-ups at the beach……make a seed shooter or seed catapult…spread the word of God…stop pollution…volunteer…let the sunlight in…don’t smoke…clean up yards and churches…pay for students to go to our school who cannot afford it…volunteer at church to do clean-ups…be kind