.
Rain clouds were starting to roll in over the village.
Rain That Dances looked at the sky
as he ran to the center of the village.
He was meeting his friends Thunder Cloud,
Simon, and Little Hummingbird.
Simon had just moved in to a home
not far from the village.
Little Hummingbird lived just across the river.
It may rain today.
We may not have much time to meet the great bird.
Then Rain That Dances saw his friends.
Hi. We'd better hurry before the rain starts.
I cannot wait to meet Mr. Eagle.
Me too.
When they got closer to the tree stump,
they could see Mr. Eagle.
They could also see a rabbit with him.
We are here.
The great bird flapped his wings with joy.
The rabbit hopped around the tree stump.
We are happy to see all of you.
Today, Miss Rabbit will tell you
many things you can do
to stay strong and healthy.
The children quickly sat around the tree stump.
They listened as Miss Rabbit began to talk.
Have you ever heard your grandparents speak
about Mother Earth?
Little Hummingbird raised her hand
like she did in school.
My grandmother has told me many times
that I need to take care of Mother Earth.
Your grandmother is a very wise woman.
You have to take care of Mother Earth
because she gives us many gifts.
The children looked at the rabbit
and then at each other.
Simon raised his hand.
Simon: What do you mean by "gifts"?
Rain That Dances: Yeah! What gifts?
Mr. Eagle tells you how
you need to play and have fun
and keep your body moving.
You would not be able to do that
if you did not have Mother Earth to walk upon.
That is a gift.
Walking and running on Mother Earth
helps keep your spirit strong.
Then the rabbit hopped over to a flower
that was growing by the children. 52 00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 You see this flower?
This flower is a gift from Mother Earth.
She grows flowers of many colors
for you to enjoy.
What else does she give you?
The children looked around
and saw the trees and the grass.
I guess she gives us things that grow.
You are right, Rain That Dances.
She also gives us food to eat
and water that helps the food to grow.
I want to tell you about these foods now.
What do you think I eat?
Rain That Dances: I know -- you eat grass.
You eat carrots -- I have seen you
in my grandmother's garden, eating the carrots.
I have seen you in the garden, too.
At that, Miss Rabbit laughed.
I guess I have eaten
from many gardens in the village.
I eat from the gardens
because I want to stay healthy.
I also like what grows in the gardens.
I willnot eat things from the garden.
Those are for rabbits!
Miss Rabbit hopped around and then she stopped.
The fruits and vegetables that grow in the garden
are food for you to eat, too.
They are very good for all of us.
Let's think of what is in the garden.
What is growing there?
Carrots.
Green beans.
Squash! -Cucumbers!
Pumpkins.
Corn! -And watermelons!
Miss Rabbit: You are right.
I have eaten many of these.
And what else have you seen growing?
Little Hummingbird: We have apple trees in our yard.
Simon: Mm, my grandmother has wild strawberries
and grapes growing in her yard.
Miss Rabbit: Mother Earth grows the fruits and vegetables
for us to eat.
Have you eaten many of these fruits and vegetables?
I have.
Me too, especially the strawberries.
I like to eat corn.
Thunder Cloud did not say a word.
Miss Rabbit and Mr. Eagle looked at him.
He had his head down.
You do not eat any of these things?
I eat some fruits,
but I do not like vegetables.
And I do not eat vegetables
that grow in the garden.
My mom gets vegetables from the store.
Miss Rabbit hopped over to Thunder Cloud.
You can get vegetables from the store,
but first, the vegetables
have to grow in someone's garden.
Just as Mother Earth gives us flowers of many colors,
she gives us fruit and vegetables of many colors.
Carrots are orange; squash is green or yellow;
tomatoes, apples, and strawberries are red;
grapes and plums are purple;
green beans are green, cucumbers are green;
pumpkins are orange.
Thunder Cloud: Why are we talking
about fruits and vegetables, anyway?
Miss Rabbit: Because it is important that growing children
eat enough fruits and vegetables every day
to grow strong.
You told us that you do not like vegetables.
Have you ever tasted vegetables?
No, I don't think they taste good.
I just like the other food my mom makes.
You will never know how they taste
unless you taste them to find out.
Can I ask you to take one bite of a vegetable
to taste it?
Ugh. Okay. I will try.
I want to be healthy like my friends.
Pick out vegetables of different colors
and try one at a time.
You may find some that you like.
After all, different colors have different tastes.
Does corn taste like carrots?
Children: No!
Eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables
is good for all of us.
But how can we eat
that many fruits and vegetables every day?
Simon: Yeah, how can we do that?
Rain That Dances: Yeah, how?
You can eat fruits at breakfast
and fruit and vegetables at lunchtime.
You can have a fruit or a vegetable for a snack
and you can have them for supper.
Think of making your plate full of color.
It will get easy when you do it for a while.
Every time you eat can be a time
to eat a fruit or vegetable.
You are right. I like to eat all the time.
For a snack, I can eat some strawberries
instead of a cookie.
I can eat sliced cucumbers
instead of potato chips.
I can eat grapes or a plum
instead of candy.
Thunder Cloud stayed sitting down
and did not say a word.
Mr. Eagle, Miss Rabbit, and the children looked at him,
and Rain That Dances asked him --
What can you do to eat a vegetable, Thunder Cloud?
Thunder Cloud stood up slowly.
He kicked the dirt and smiled.
I guess I could try to eat some carrot sticks.
Yeah, we can do it!
Mr. Eagle: Yes, you can.
Now, you better start for home
before the rain begins to fall.
Come back tomorrow.
I will tell you more ways to stay healthy and strong.
Rain That Dances: Goodbye,
and thank you, Mr. Eagle and Miss Rabbit.
We will be here tomorrow. Goodbye.
Little Hummingbird: Thank you, Miss Rabbit.
See you tomorrow.