GEORGE AND THE APPLE TREE



Divide the group into four smaller groups and assign each group one of the words listed below. Read the story. After each of the words is read pause for the group to make the appropriate response.
GEORGE "By George"
APPLE TREES "Mmmmm good"
ORCHARD "Trees, Trees, Trees"
PATCHES "Bow Wow"

As presidents go, GEORGE __ Washington lead an interesting life. All of you have heard about the Cherry Tree incident, but have you ever heard of the one about the APPLE TREE __? The story goes like this.... One spring day, GEORGE __ and his constant companion, his dog PATCHES __, were walking around the homeplace, kicking rocks and what-not. It was a lazy afternoon between the morning chores and the evening ones. PATCHES __ would bring GEORGE __ a stick to throw, so could return it. Occasionally PATCHES __ would run up to GEORGE __ with the stick in his mouth, dance around GEORGE __ and run away down the road.

Off to the right of the road was an ORCHARD __, with various fruit trees such as APPLE TREES __, cherry trees, peach trees and pear trees. This ORCHARD __ was a large one and was close to the house. This being Monday the washing was hung out on the line to dry between the two huge APPLE TREES __. The wash -- shirts, linens and such -- was flapping in the breeze. Boys being what they are and dogs being the same, a game of tag developed around the laundry so carefully hung in the sun to dry. First PATCHES __ ran between Pappa Washington's shirts and Momma Washington's best pillowcases, then around then came GEORGE __. Past the longjohns, around the sheets, stirring a bit of dust, flapping the wash and popping the clothes line. Around the ORCHARD __ they raced, behind a cherry tree, under the peach tree and back again. Momma Washington came out of the back door yelling "GEORGE __! PATCHES __! What do you think you are doing?"

Poor GEORGE __. Everything happened at once. He looked toward the door where his mother stood, dept on running...smack into the APPLE TREE __! Kaboom! He grabbed the air, but got the clothes line instead. The wash fell, the clothes line came loose ... what a mess for GEORGE __! PATCHES __ didn't help either, because in the excitement PATCHES __ left paw prints on the shirts, pillowcases, longjohns and such. Well ... mothers being mothers, after GEORGE __ was examined and found to be okay, with only a nice bump on the head, Momma Washington had GEORGE __ climb the APPLE TREE __ and rehang the clothes line. But even worse ... GEORGE __ got to rewash all of the clothes ... which is probably why nobody ever heard about the day that PATCHES __ ran through the ORCHARD __, and GEORGE __ climbed the APPLE TREE __.
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