Seven Blind Mice

By: Ed Young illustrations: Ed Young

One by one, the mice go out to discover what new “Something” is in the pond; each returns with a different answer. Only after they put all their answers together can they “see” the whole creature.

“Happy is the person who finds wisdom” (Proverbs 3:13)

Investigating, clarifying, and understanding reality is a marvelous process in which we engage throughout our lives. All of us—children and adults alike—find ourselves at times confronting something new and unfamiliar, wondering what it is and how we should relate to it. Sometimes we imagine that our point of view is the whole picture, and we jump to conclusions based on partial evidence. The realization that what we see is just one part of a broader picture enables us to draw upon the wisdom of others around us, so that together we may come to a fuller, better understanding of reality. The story of “Seven Blind Mice” reminds us that by combining different points of view, probing situations in depth, and recognizing that truth is found by joining together the different pieces, we can see and understand marvelous things.

Age Group: PRESCHOOL

Language:

120,000

עם עובד

5955 2014-2015

שְׁמִירָה

Get some paper and cut outseven mouse shapes. Ask your children to color them in, using the same color scheme used for the mice in the story. After they’re done coloring, you can glue the mice to popsicle sticks and ask your children to use these figures to tell the story. Decide together how you are going to fashion the figure of the “creature.”

We all reach mistaken conclusions at times, based on incomplete information. In order to illustrate this point, look through books, newspapers, or magazines to find a picture of something your children aren’t familiar with. You might even draw such a picture yourself. Then, using opaque paper, cover up most of the image. Are your children able to guess what the picture is just from the part that’s showing? Gradually slide the paper cover off, so that more and more of the picture is revealed. At what point do your children “solve” the puzzle and grasp what the picture depicts?

The mice in the story guess, based on touch alone, what the new “Something” in the pond is. Together with your children, you can make a Touch Box. Take a large container and put several different objects inside. Ask your children to put one hand into the container and try to identify the objects based on touch alone. Afterwards, let them take a turn putting mystery objects into the container. Can you identify what they put in?

Play a version of the “Blind Cow” game. Cover one child’s eyes with a bandana, twirl them gently about, and then move to another part of the room. Can they find you again using only voice cues?

Ask your children why they think the white mouse was able to identify the creature, while the others couldn’t. Did your children notice that the white mouse didn’t come up with any new guesses of her own, instead discovering the truth through the information and guesses supplied by the other mice?

After reading the story, you could work on a jigsaw puzzle. Choose a challenging puzzle with an age-appropriate number of pieces, and work on it together, with each one taking turns adding a piece. Is there a “method” that you use to solve jigsaw puzzles? How do we figure out which pieces go together, and at what point does the whole picture start to reveal itself?

The white mouse describes the creature using comparisons: “Stable as a column, flexible as a snake.” You can play a comparisons game with your children, trying to describe familiar items in your home using these phrases: “sounds like…” “looks like…” and “smells like…”.

The mice in the story cannot see; they are blind. Do you know anyone with a physical handicap? Discuss with your children the various assistive technologies and aids for people with limited vision, hearing, or mobility. Look for examples in your area, such as dedicated parking spaces for the disabled, close captioning and/or sign language on TV programs for the hard of hearing, and Braille signage in elevators for the blind. (Israel’s paper currency has been designed in such a way that those with limited vision can differentiate the various denominations by touch.)

Seven Blind Mice