Once upon a time, there was a stubborn farmer named Sam who refused to reduce the amount of waste he produced. He would simply toss everything into a landfill. One day, a wise old man approached him and suggested he try composting instead. But Sam was too stubborn to listen.
One winter, when a frost hit, all of Sam's crops failed. He realized that he needed to till the soil to make it fertile again. The wise old man reappeared and showed Sam how to carve his food scraps and other waste into tiny pieces and add them to the soil. The compost would help reduce the temperature and allow the soil to retain moisture, making it easier to grow crops.
With his newfound knowledge, Sam was able to harvest a bumper crop the following year. He was so grateful to the wise old man that he decided to give him a portion of his crop as a token of appreciation. But the old man refused, saying that the real reward was seeing Sam learn and grow.
And from then on, Sam became known as the farmer who never shot anything into the landfill again, and always had a bountiful harvest. The end.

Reflections

1. Why did the farmer's crops fail in the beginning?
2. How did the wise old man help the farmer?
3. What was the farmer's reward for learning about composting?
4. Why is it important to reduce waste and compost?
5. What can you do to help reduce waste and compost at home?