Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there was a group of animal friends who lived together in a big, colorful house. The group consisted of a dog named Spot, a cat named Mittens, a rabbit named Bugs, and a mouse named Squeaks. They were all best friends and loved to play and explore together.

One day, Spot and Mittens were playing a game of catch when Spot noticed that Mittens was floating high up in the air, defying the laws of gravity! Spot was stunned and asked Mittens how she was doing it. Mittens simply replied, "I'm a ghost, silly! I can float and fly wherever I want!"

Bugs and Squeaks, who were sitting on the porch brushing their hair and fur, overheard the conversation and ran over to see what was going on. They were equally amazed by Mittens' new ghostly abilities.

The group decided to have a contest to see who could fly the highest and reach the horizon. They all took turns trying, but no one could beat Mittens. She soared higher and higher, her ghostly white fur shining in the sun like a highlight.

However, just as Mittens was about to reach the horizon, she suddenly fell back to the ground with a thud! The group rushed over to see if she was okay, and they discovered that her ghostly powers had run out.

Spot suggested that they use a frame and graph to measure the height of their jumps, and Squeaks offered to be the helper and keep track of everyone's scores. So, with a little geometry and a lot of determination, the group continued their contest, with Mittens cheering them on from the sidelines.

In the end, Bugs won the contest with a jump that reached just below the horizon. And even though Mittens had lost her ghostly powers, she was still the happiest of them all, because she had such wonderful friends who made every day an adventure.

And that, my friends, is the story of the group of animal friends who learned all about gravity, hair, fur, ghosts, horizons, frames, graphs, helpers, geometry, highlights, and hulls!

Reflections

1. Who are the main characters in the story?
2. What did Mittens have that the others didn't?
3. How did they measure the height of their jumps?
4. Who won the contest in the end?
5. What happened to Mittens' ghostly powers?
6. Why was Mittens still happy in the end?
7. Can you think of another game that the group could play together?
8. Why do you think it's important to have friends like the ones in the story?
9. If you could be any of the characters in the story, who would you choose and why?
10. Can you think of a different ending for the story?