Fun with Character: A Tale of Two Frogs
Two frogs fell into a can of cream,
Or so I’ve’ heard it told:
The sides of the can were shiny – steep,
The cream was deep and cold.
“O, what’s the use?” croaked Number 1.
“Tis fate; no help’s around.
Good-bye, my friends Good-bye, sad world”
And weeping still, he drowned.
But Number 2, of sterner stuff,
Dog-paddled in surprise,
The while he wiped his creamy face
And dried his creamy eyes.
“I’ll swim awhile, at least,” he said-
Or so I’ve heard he said:
“It really wouldn’t help the world
If one more frog were dead.”
An hour or two he kicked and swam,
Not once he stopped to mutter.
He kicked and kicked and swam and kicked.
Then hopped out, via BUTTER!
Author Unknown
Use this poem to illustrate the need for Determination. After reading it, you can demonstrate the making of butter. Label a mason jar or old mayo jar “Determination” and fill it half-full of room temperature heavy whipping cream. You can make this go faster by adding a marble or culturing the cream first by adding a few teaspoons of cultured yogurt or sour cream. Tighten the lid and pass the jar around, and let each student shake it. It will take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to form butter. Don’t stop when it looks like whipped cream. The butter will form and separate from the buttermilk that remains, if any. Drain the buttermilk off, stir in a pinch of salt, and enjoy on crackers. You will make half as much butter as the cream with which you started. It should taste delicious, slightly sour, with no aftertaste. If it is bubbly or smells yeasty or gassy, discard it. You may need more than 1 jar, depending on your class size.
For websites that offer kid-friendly science on butter making, go to:
https://happyhooligans.ca/homemade-butter/
For a video version of Two Frogs in Cream, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i0MpSU-e5A
When finished, process the activity with these or similar questions:
Did you like the story of the frogs?
Did you like making butter?
Which frog are you more like – the one who gave up or the one who kept swimming?
Do you think that butter will help remind you to keep swimming?