THE MAGIC GRAIN
Healthy Food Series about grain, wheat, bread
Stories, poems, creative tasks,
healthy recipes and colouring pages
The stories from 'THE MAGIC GRAIN' can be used in both a classroom and homeschool setting, for anyone interested in their child's well-being, “The Healthy Food Series” series is sure to be of value. These captivating stories help children understand the role of grain in human nutrition, its importance in daily diet, its values and the book concludes with healthy recipes. The recipes are simple, allowing children to prepare dishes themselves with only minimal supervision, and are also designed to preserve the largest possible share of vitamins and other nutrients in the final serving. Age group 5 – 9 years
AUTHORS: Maria Skrebtsova and
Alexandra Lopatina
Contents of the book "THE MAGIC GRAIN"
- Introduction
- SWEET BREAD
- THE BREAD FAIRY ..
- HOW BREAD first APPEARED ON EARTH
- WHEAT AS MEDICINE
- RYE BREAD
- THE TALE OF A GRAIN OF RYE
- BARLEY AND PEARL BARLEY
- BUCKWHEAT PORRIDGE
- HOW THE PEASANT GREW BUCKWHEAT
- NUTRITIOUS CORN
- HOW CORN WAS GIVEN TO MAN
- OATMEAL PORRIDGE
- MIRACULOUS GRUEL
- THE OLD MAN AND THE BROWN RICE
- VALUABLE MEDICINE
- GOLDEN MILLET
- APROSO FIELD
- THE MYSTERY OF CROP FERTILITY
- THE ENCHANTED LOAF
FIRST STORY ABOUT GRAIN. INTRODUCTION
The Queen of Grain sent her daughter, the small Bread Fairy, to earth. She told her, “Ever since ancient times bread fairies have helped people grow different types of grain. But first you need to learn about all the types of grain in the world. I will give you an enchanted ear of wheat. Take it with you when you fly down to earth, and find out how people are growing and using grain.”
The Bread Fairy did as her mother asked, but she became very dismayed. Everyone on earth, adults and children, ate bread and porridge every day, but they knew so little about the nourishing qualities of grain.
And so the Bread Fairy decided to write some storybook tales about the nourishing power of grain and about how to make proper use of them. The first book in the Healthy Food series describes the nourishing value of fruit. You'll discover the secrets of the nourishing power of vegetables in the second book in the Healthy Food series. The third book tells you about porridge, bread, and grain. Volume Four introduces nuts and chocolates; Volume Five describes the heeling proprieties of tea and herbs.
A healthy lifestyle starts with the ability to harness the nourishing power of the gifts of the earth. And this is something that it is never too late to learn, especially if you have young children in your home.
 
If you want your children to grow up healthy and strong, this series of engaging stories about the nourishing power of the gifts of the earth can help.
We often spend time thinking about our spiritual and physical health, especially when we become ill or are stricken in some other way. But the knowledge of the nourishing powers of these gifts of nature can prevent many problems from ever arising in the first place.
Story for children 'SWEET BREAD'
A little girl came into her kitchen and said,
“Mama, I want some chocolate.”
“First you need to eat some porridge and bread for breakfast,” her mother suggested.
“I don't want to. I don't like them,” the little girl whined.
“You know, sweetheart, porridge and bread come from grain. The earth grew them for you and in them you'll find all the earth's heroic strength,” her mother began to explain.
“Yuck! Bread! Chocolate is sweet and bread isn't,” the girl declared.
“First breakfast, then chocolate,” her mother said firmly.
Pretty soon the little girl felt hungry and she picked up a roll. Unfortunately, it was so stale and hard that she couldn't even bite into it. So the girl decided to eat a piece of black sourdough bread and she almost broke her tooth.
“That bread is fresh - I just bought it today,” her mother said in surprise.
“Why is it so hard?” the girl fussed.
“Oh, I know,” sighed her mother. “The bread is angry at you.”
“What should I do?” the girl whispered, frightened.
“Why don't you apologize to it?” her mother suggested.
The girl apologized, but the bread did not get any softer. She burst into tears and ran outside.
“Tears won't make it any better, What happened?” said a kind voice, and the little girl saw her grandfather standing in front of her.
“Oh, Grandpa, I'm so glad to see you. Something awful is happened. This morning I said mean things to the bread and now it's as hard as a rock,” the little girl explained.
“That's not a complete disaster, just a small problem,” her grandfather laughed. “Come on, let's go visit the field. We can say hello to the grain and thank it for the new harvest,” her grandfather suggested.
“Will the grain really hear us?” the girl asked in surprise.
“If they couldn't hear you, they wouldn't have gotten angry,” the old man pointed out.
Together the grandfather and granddaughter set out. They walked for a long time until they finally came to a field of golden wheat.
“Thank you for the harvest, little field,” the old man said, bowing.
“Thank you, grain, for giving us bread to eat. Please forgive me,” the girl begged.
“Oh, Grandpa, look - a car drove along the edge of the field and crushed some of the ears,” the girl cried, pointing to a broad swathe of flattened ears.
“Yes, they need help,” the old man nodded.
All morning the grandfather and granddaughter straightened the ears, and they watered them from a nearby stream. At last they were finished.
“Now let's go have something to eat,” the old man suggested.
From his backpack he took some salt and a loaf of black bread. With a sinking heart, the girl lifted a salted slice of bread to her mouth ... and tasted a bite of soft sourdough.
“Thank you bread,” the girl said, munching on the crust.
“Thank you bread,” she repeated after each bite.
When there was nothing left but crumbs, the girl said,
“Grandpa, I've never eaten such sweet bread before.”
“It's good,” the old man smiled. “Now we'll get a little drink of water from the spring, rest a bit, and head home.”
The grandfather sat on the grass under a nearby tree, his granddaughter settled comfortably on his lap, and then she asked,
“Grandpa, tell me a story about a grain,”
“One little grain ...,” began her grandfather, but the girl's eyes soon closed and she fell fast asleep.
 Questions to accompany the story:
• How many different kinds of bread can you name and which do you like best?
• What kind of bread is your favorite and why?
• Of all the different kinds of grain, which do you think are the healthiest?
• Tell about one time when a bite of bread seemed especially delicious to you.
• How do people's views about bread begin to change during times when there isn't much to eat?
THE BREAD FAIRY
When the little girl woke up she was all alone and she became frightened, “Where's Grandpa?”
Suddenly, the girl heard a plaintive chirp. She went to see who was chirping and saw a golden-haired, winged doll amid the ears of wheat.
My poor wings have been crushed, my golden hair is all mussed, and my golden dress is soiled,” the doll sobbed.
“Don't cry, little doll, I'll smooth out your wings and wash your dress in the stream and comb your golden hair. I have a comb right here in my bag.”
“I'm not a doll - I'm the Bread Fairy, the youngest daughter of the Queen of Grain. I lay down to rest in this wheat field before I began my journey. I thought it was the safest place for a Bread Fairy, but something heavy ran over me and I lost consciousness.”
“Sweet fairy, the important thing is you're still alive. I'll take you to the stream,” said the girl and she stretched out her hand to the fairy.
Soon the fairy's dress was washed and the little girl carefully wiped the fairy's wings with her handkerchief.
“Thank you, little girl, but you can't solve my biggest problem,” said the Bread Fairy, and again she began to cry small golden tears.
“Tell me what happened and we'll think of something,” said the girl.
When I was born, my mother said, “Ever since ancient times bread fairies have helped people grow different types of grain. But first you need to learn about all the different types of grain. in the world. I will give you an enchanted ear of wheat. Take it with you when you fly down to earth, and find out how people are growing and using grain.” But now I cannot do my mother's bidding, because my enchanted ear of wheat has been lost in the field.”
“My grandfather says, ‘That's not a complete disaster, just a small problem.' We'll find your enchanted ear of wheat,” the girl consoled the fairy.
“How can we find it when it looks just like a regular ear of wheat?!” the fairy cried.
“Is it really no different from a regular ear of wheat? the girl asked in surprise.
When I say the magic words, my enchanted ear of wheat begins to glow and it grants wishes,” the fairy explained.
“So why don't you say them?!” the girl exclaimed. “Look, it's already getting dark. Hurry, say the magic words and ask your ear of wheat to help us get back to the town.”
The Bread Fairy quietly flew to the edge of the field and said:
The sun is shining brightly,
In the field the grain is ripening,
In each little grain of wheat
Is found the power of the sun's heat.
Golden ear of wheat, take us to the town.
“I see it, I see it! One ear is glowing,” shouted the girl.
She raced over to the shining ear of wheat and picked it up. The fairy flew alongside the girl over to the ear and she also grabbed it.
They whirled around and suddenly found themselves in a big bakery. Shelves towered all around them, filled with various types of bread. The fairy touched a big, magnificent loaf with her enchanted ear of wheat, and the bread said,
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Bread Fairy. I was made with wheat flour and I'm proud of it. Wheat bread tastes wonderful.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Does this mean that wheat is your mother?” the fairy asked.
“Yes, she's the mother of everything made from white wheat flour: rolls, cookies, pies, cakes, pastries, pasta, and farina. Starch also comes from wheat,” answered the friendly loaf of bread.
“Could you start by telling us how people first began to grow wheat?” the fairy asked.
“It was so long ago I can't even remember it. I live in the city. I was born in an urban bread factory, and I live in this marvelous city bakery. I often think, “How wonderful it is that people grow wheat. A well-baked loaf of bread is mankind's greatest invention.”
But then a saleswoman began to walk toward the little girl, and so the chatty loaf fell silent and the Bread Fairy hid herself.
“The store is closing now, young lady. You have to go home,” said the salesclerk.
“I wanted to buy a loaf of bread, but I don't have any money with me,” sighed the girl.
“Alright, you can have this loaf for free. Now run along home,” urged the saleswoman. “I hope you know where you live?”
“Yes, my house isn't far. Thank you so much for the bread,” answered the girl.
The salesclerk took her by the hand and they walked to the door.
“But I can't leave yet. The Bread Fairy is still here in the store,” objected the girl.
“I don't have time to listen to your fairy tales, child. Run along home,” said the saleswoman, and she bundled her out the door.
The girl was upset that the Bread Fairy was still in the store, but at that very instant the fairy flew out of her bag.
“Whew, I almost suffocated. I hid in your bag when I saw the salesclerk. Grab on to my ear of wheat. I'm flying back to ancient times. I need to find out how people first began to grow wheat,” said the fairy, and she uttered the magic words. The girl grasped the enchanted ear of wheat, and once again everything whirled before her eyes.
Questions to accompany the story:
• Estimate how much bread the members of your family eat every day.
• Why do some people bake their own bread?
• Make up your own bread recipe.
Activities to accompany the story:
 Drawing game: “Bread Fairy”
Draw a picture of the Bread Fairy.
Give each child a grain of wheat, except for one child who gets an ear. He or she plays the Bread Fairy. Ask the children what they want to be, for example: a roll, cookie, pastry, etc., then each in turn must tell the fairy about his product, but without naming it. The fairy must guess what kind of wheat product they are. If she can't guess, she must trade places with the grain.
Story for kids 'HOW BREAD first APPEARED ON EARTH'
The enchanted ear of wheat carried the girl and the fairy to a hot, southern country. They found themselves near a canopy of palm leaves. Dark, naked children caught sight of the girl and ran off, shouting. An old woman came out from under the canopy and said something. The Bread Fairy perched on the girl's shoulder and whispered into her ear, “Touch the old woman with the enchanted ear of wheat and you'll be able to understand what she's saying.”
But as soon as the girl touched the old woman with the ear of wheat, the woman grabbed it and asked,
“Where did you get this plant, girl from another tribe? It grows sweet grain, but it is difficult to find its seedlings. When I was younger and could walk very far, I used to gather these seedlings. I took the grain from it a made a delicious porridge. But now it is hard for me to walk.”
“That is an ear of wheat and bread is made from wheat grain. If you give me back the ear of wheat, I will be happy to give you some white wheat bread,” said the girl and she offered the old woman the loaf of bread she still clutched in her hands.
The old woman took a hesitant bite, and then pressed the loaf to her chest and fell on her knees before the girl.
“Forgive me. At first I thought that you were a girl from another tribe and I wanted to chase you off. But now I see that you are a goddess come down from heaven. Only a goddess could have your delicate skin. Only a goddess could eat such divine food.
“This is a dress, not my skin, and a loaf of wheat bread is just normal food in our country,” the girl laughed. “We have whole fields where we grow ears of wheat with the grain. In the autumn the grains of the wheat are harvested to make white flour, from which they make bread, baguettes, and rolls.
“Oh Goddess, take me to heavenly country, where they grow whole fields of tasty grain,” begged the old woman.
“I'm no goddess and I don't live in a heavenly country ...” the little girl began to say.
“She won't understand you anyway,” interrupted the Bread Fairy, who continued,
“We'll show you a field where many ears of wild wheat grow. Bring a sack and you can gather the best ears that have the biggest grain. Plant those grains in the earth next to the huts, and a field of wheat will grow. When the crop ripens, gather the grains and grind them between stones until you get flour. Add some water to the flour and bake it over the fire and you'll make some tasty little cakes.”
“You speak fine words, but they are not for me,” the old woman answered sadly. The tribal elder claimed that over there, where the sun sets, many ears with tasty grain grow. But one must pass through a dense forest and then cross a wide river. My old legs will not make it so far. Wild animals will tear me apart on the way.”
“Do not fear. Take your sack and close your eyes,” commanded the girl.
“Oh goddess, I hear and obey,” answered the old woman.
When the old woman returned with a full sack of wild wheat ears, the whole tribe came out to see her bounty.
“Half of the grain we will eat, and the other half we will bury in the earth. Then a new ear will grow from each grain and our tribe will never know hunger again,” the old woman explained to all of them.
“Let it be so. The old woman speaks words of truth. I feel that the grain will bring us happiness,” said the tribal leader.
Eventually the first ears of golden wheat appeared near the canopies of palm leaves. They crushed the wheat grain, and the people began to bake aromatic cakes over sizzling coals. This is how bread first appeared on earth.
Questions to accompany the story:
• Imagine that you suddenly found yourself in a country whose inhabitants had never heard of wheat. Describe what you would do to explain to people about wheat so they could begin to grow it.
Activities to accompany the story:
 Game: “The grain is planted”
All the children must pretend to be grain of wheat. The teacher gives the command, “The grain are planted,” and when the children hear this they must sit down.
When the teacher says, “The grain is beginning to grow,” the children should stand up. “The grains have ripened into ears,” means the children should puff out their cheeks and stretch up their arms, and “The grains have been harvested,” means that the children should run to the sides of the room. The teacher should give the commands more and more quickly, and the children must try to keep up.
Wheat porridge with vegetables
- 1 cup bulgur
- 3 onions
- 3 carrots
- 1 tbsp. parsley root
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 tomatoes
Boil the bulgur. Coarsely chop the onions, carrots, parsley root, and bell pepper. Place them in a separate pot, add 500 milliliters of water, butter, and salt, and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Then add the sliced tomatoes. Finally, mix the bulgur into the vegetables.
The Storytellers Guide to Healthy Food Series:
- The Fruit Kingdom
- The Vegetables Kingdom
- The Magic Grain
- Delicious Nuts and Chocolates
- The Healing Power of Tea and Herbs
- Berry Academy and mushroom School
- The Golden Bee and Honey.
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