WANDA’S ROSES (BLUE PROMISE)

WANDA’S ROSES

by Pat Brisson

Blue Promise Story Believe in our Ideas and Act on Them

Adapted by Beverly Leute Bruce

Materials

• 
  Blue Underlay
  
• 
  Wanda, Mrs. Turner, Mr. Claudel, Mrs. Giammoni, Ms. Jones, Mr. Sanchez
  
• 
  Small rose bush plants
  
• 
  Small plant (bare)
  
• 
  Small plant with pink paper blossoms
  
• 
  Junk: tire, can or bottle, chair (?)
  
• 
  Crayon, book, felt question mark
  
• 
  
  

Presentation
Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type.
Take out underlay and spread on the floor.
See, it is BLUE for one of our promises, to believe in our ideas and act on them. In our Unitarian Universalist community, we celebrate each person’s ideas…even if they are different than anyone else’s ideas. And we also want to support people in our community when they want to DO something with their idea…to make a difference by acting on what they believe.
One morning in spring on the way to school, Wanda noticed a bush growing in an empty corner lot.
Place Wanda and bare bush at the left side of the underlay, facing the children to the right.
It was surrrounded by trash and heaps of junk.
Place old tire, broken toy, can or bottle figures.
It must have been growing for a while because it was about two feet tall, and Wanda was surprised that she hadn’t noticed it before.
But there it was- bare and thorny- and Wanda, who loved beautiful things, felt her heart beat faster.
“A rosebush!” she said to herself. “My very own rosebush!”
Now the rosebush didn’t really belong to Wanda, but since nobody seemed to own the lot or the heaps of junk that were piled there, she decided to care for this bush and make it her own.
Move Wanda to other side of the bush.
All during school, she thought about her rosebush. During art, she drew pictures of what it would look like in bloom.
Place a crayon on the underlay, above Wanda’s head.
During Library she borrowed books on arranging flowers.
Place a small book on the underlay, next to the crayon.
During Science, she asked so many questions about how to take care of roses that finally her teacher said that she really must stop asking questions about roses and start thinking about electricity, which was what the lesson was about!
Place a question mark next to the book.
On her way home from school, she rushed to the rosebush. It was still bare and thorny.
Move bush to other side of Wanda.
Maybe it needs some more sun, thought Wanda. So she put down her schoolbag and began dragging some of the nearby trash out to the curb.
Mrs. Turner, who was on her way to the store, stopped her to help her with a broken chair?
Place Mrs. Turner figure and broken chair.
“Cleaning up the neighborhood, Wanda?” Mrs. Turner asked. “That’s a nice project for you.”
“Oh, I’m not just cleaning,” Wanda told her. “I’m helping my rosebush to get more sun so it will bloom.”
“Your rosebush?” Mrs. Turner asked…..”Where is your rosebush?”
Wanda said “Over there,” pointing proudly to the bare, thorny bush.
Point your finger at bush.
“Oh, Wanda, I’m not so sure that’s a rosebush,” Mrs. Turner said gently.
“Sure it is, said Wanda. “I’ve seen rosebushes in books, and this is what they look like before they bloom. You just wait…in a few weeks this lot will be full of roses.”
“Well, said Mrs. Turner, shaking her head, “good luck with it Wanda.”
As she walked away, Mrs. Turner thought to herself, If that’s a rosebush, then I’m the queen of England.
Remove Mrs. Turner and place her at the left edge of the mat, facing the children to the right.
The next day after school Wanda hurried to her rosebush. It was still bare and thorny. Maybe it needs more air, thought Wanda. So she put down her schoolbag and began taking more of the trash out to the curb. Once I get all this trash out of here, nothing will block the air from getting to my rosebush, thought Wanda.
Mr. Claudel was on his way home from work, saw Wanda trying to drag an old door, and stopped to help.
“Cleaning up the neighborhood, are you, Wanda?” he asked
Place Mr. Claudel on the mat.
“Not just cleaning, Mr. Claudel, “ Wanda told him. “I’m getting rid of trash so that my rosebush will get more air.”
“A rosebush? Here?” he asked.
And so Wanda showed him the rosebush.
Point to bush.
“I don’t know much about gardening, Wanda,” said Mr. Claudel, frowning, but “I don’t think that’s a rosebush.’
“Sure it is,” said Wanda. “And in a few weeks this lot will be filled with the sweetest-smelling roses you ever saw.”
She thanked him for his help and went off to drag away some more trash.
Mr. Claudel shook his head. “If that;s a rosebush,” he said to himself, “then I’m the king of France.”
Move Mr. Claudel underneath Mrs. Turner.
Every day after school that week and the next, Wanda worked in the empty lot. Mrs. Giammoni, who lived in the apartment next door, gave Wanda trash bags for the old shoes, bottles, broken toys, and bits of glass that she was picking up.
Place Mrs. Giammoni on the mat. Place cans around Wanda.
“You’ve done a great job of cleaning up this lot, Wanda,” Mrs. Giammoni told her.
“Oh, I’m not just cleaning,” Wanda said. “I have to get rid of al this trash so my rosebush will get enough sun and fresh air to bloom.”
“But where is your rosebush?” she asked Wanda.
So Wanda showed her.
Point to the bush.
Mrs. Giammoni put her hand on Wanda’s shoulder and spoke softly to her. “Wanda, she said, “this is not a rosebush.”
“Oh, but it is,” said Wanda. “ And in a few weeks this lot will be filled with the most beautiful roses that you ever saw.”
“That would be nice, “ said Mrs. Giammoni, ‘But I don’t want you to be disappointed if this bush doesn’t bloom.”
“Don’t worry…I won’t be disappointed.” Wanda answered.
Mrs. Giammoni sighed. This is not a rosebush and never will be one, she thought to herself.
Move Mrs. Giammoni underneath Mr. Claudel.
The next week, when the rosebush still wasn’t blooming, Wanda talked to her school librarian “I need some books about getting roses to bloom,” she told Ms. Jones.
Place Ms. Jones on the mat.
“Oh, do you have a rosebush, Wanda?” Ms. Jones asked.
“Yes, but it doesn’t have flowers yet, and I know it has enough sun and fresh air.”
“Does it have enough water?” Ms. Jones asked.
“Water” Wanda said. “Of course! That will make it bloom.”
Move Ms. Jones underneath Mrs. Giammoni.
That afternoon she hurried to the rosebush. It was still bare and thorny. She looked at the dry ground and smiled.
“Don’t worry, little bush, “ she said. “I’ll get you some water, ant then you will be able to grow flowers.”
Wanda went across the street to the butcher shop.
Place Mr. Sanchez on the mat.
“Mr. Sanchez, would you please give me some water for my rosebush?”
“Rosebush?? Is that what I see you taking care of and talking to every day out there? Are you sure that’s a rosebush, Wanda?” Mr. Sanchez asked.
“Oh, yes, I’m sure. But it can’t bloom because it needs water.”
Mr. Sanchez gave her a plastic bucket.
“I hope that really is a rosebush, Wanda,” he said, looking at ther doubtfully.
“You’ll see, “ Wanda told him. “In a few weeks that whole lot will be full of roses!”
As Wanda carried the water to her rosebush Mr. Snchez muttered, “In a few weeks that thornbush will still be a thornbush.”
Move Mr. Sanchez underneath Ms. Jones.
Every day, Wanda ran to her rosebush after school, but every day it was still bare and thorny. She watered it and sang to it and checked its bare branches for roses.
Mrs. Turner, on her way to the butcher shop, stopped to see if there were any roses yet.
Point to Mrs. Turner in the row.
Mr. Claudel, on his way home from work, stopped to see if there were any roses yet.
Point to Mr. Claudel.
Mrs. Giammoni, seeing Wanda in the lot, called down to her apartment to ask if there were any roses yet.
Point to Mrs. Giammoni.
When Wanda went to the library at school, Mrs. Jones asked if there were any roses yet.
Point to Ms. Jones.
And every day, when Wanda went to the butcher shop for water, Mr. Sanchez asked if there were any roses yet.
Point to Mr. Sanchez.
To each person, Wanda would answer the same thing. “Just you wait…pretty soom this whole lot will be filled with roses!”
And then one day in June, Wanda had an idea. Looking at the bare, thorny bush, she said, ‘If my rosebush won’t give roses to me, I’ll just have to give roses to my rosebush.” And when she saw Mrs. Turner, Mr. Claudel, Mrs. Giammoni, Ms. Jones, and Mr. Sanchez, she gave each of them an invitation that said:
Place invitation on the mat next to the right of the people.
“Please come for tea and muffins in Wanda’s Rose Garden: Saturday Morning at 9”
“Oh, dear,” said Mrs. Turner, “Is she still expecting to get roses from that bush?”
“Oh, no, “ said Mr. Claudel. “And she’s worked so hard, too…”
“Oh, my,” said Mrs. Giammoni. “She’ll be so disappointed.”
“Oh, darn,” said Mr. Sanchez. “There must be something that I can do….”
“Oh, good,” said Ms. Jones, who had only heard about the bush from Wanda and hadn’t seen it for herself. “And I’ll bring the muffins.”
And the next morning at nine, everyone was surprised to see Wanda’s rosebush covered with roses- paper roses that Wanda had made herself and carefully tied to each bare, thorny branch.
Remove old bush and place new bush with roses.
But more surprising yet, everyone who came to the party had brought along a rosebush to plant near Wanda’s (except Ms. Jones, who had brought delicious blueberry muffins.)
Place plastic pots with flowers next to each person.
After they had eaten their muffins and drunk their tea, they all got busy planting rosebushes. Mr. Claudel and Mrs. Turner dug the holes, Mrs. Giammoni held the bushes in place while Wanda and Ms. Jones filled in around the roots with soil, and Mr. Sanchez brought water from his shop and watered them all thoroughly.
When the work was finished, Mr. Claudel said, “Wanda, this is going to be a rose garden fit for a king!”
“Or a queen!” said Mrs. Turner.
Wanda and the others smiled. And later that summer, the whole lot was filled wit the biggest, most beautiful, sweetest-smelling roses that anyone had ever seen- just as Wanda had always said it would be.
Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow):
I wonder which part of this story is the most important?
I wonder which part you like the best?
I wonder where you are in this story?
I wonder where this bush could really be?
I wonder if you have ever cared for a growing thing?
I wonder what a plant really needs to grow?
I wonder which things that Wanda did helped the plant to grow?
I wonder how Wanda felt when no one believed that the plant was a rosebush?
I wonder why no one thought that the rosebush would bloom?
I wonder if anything else grew in the lot that summer?
I wonder whether the bush will ever bloom with real flowers?
I wonder what this bush could really be?
I wonder if you have ever had someone doubt one of your ideas?
I wonder if you’ve ever heard that little voice inside that tells you something’s right or wrong?
I wonder if this lesson reminds you of any of our other Unitarian Universalist Promises?
I wonder where the Spirit of Love and Mystery might be in this story?
Choices
Say something like:
In this classroom you are able to choose what you would like to do with your time here after the story and before class is over.
Today’s choices are:

• 
  Retelling the story to yourself
  

• 
  Make tissue paper, paper, or crepe paper roses
  

• 
  Design a fantasy playground (or other space)
  

• 
  Garden Tour
  

Or other activities you have chosen as the teacher. It is up to you whether to give totally free choice to each child individually (this will work best when you have enough adults to assist any child who needs help with a chosen activity without too much waiting) or whether to help the class as a whole decide on one or two activities to do together.

Whichever you decide, be sure to let the children know clearly what choices they have (and do not have).
Activity Directions
Retelling the story independently:
Coach children to take turns, and to treat the materials with respect so that they will be available for other children and teachers to use in the future. For older/reading children, provide a copy of the script (above). For younger/non-reading children, provide a photo of the finished storyboard.
Make tissue paper, paper, or crepe paper roses:
There are a variety of methods for making paper roses. Here are some options:
Tissue Paper Rose: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/tissue-paper-rose (requires some advanced fiddly prep work by the teacher)
Crepe Paper Rose: http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Nature/crepepaperroses/crepepaperroses.html (probably the simplest to do, but won’t necessarily look more like a rose than a carnation – that’s okay, the kids are unlikely to care.)
Paper rose:

http://www.curbly.com/users/diy-maven/posts/4712-make-quick-and-easy-paper-roses (pretty easy - you’ll also need some tape to keep the whole thing from unwinding at the end.)

Design a fantasy playground (or other space):
Invite the class to design their own fantasy playground, park or other public space. Wanda’s rose garden was fairly simple, really, but I don’t know any kids who wouldn’t like to add a complex, expansive play area to their world. Work together to illustrate a large posterboard, or work individually to design a multitude of options.
Garden Tour:
This session will take place when plants are for the most part dormant and it may not be obvious what is what in the garden. Invite a gardener to tour the garden with you, with an eye to identifying plants which flower beautifully in the summer, but which are bare and unattractive now.

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