The Rainy Day Plan

Maya woke up before her alarm rang.

Today was the day she had been waiting for all week.

Her class was going to have a Garden Reading Day.

Everyone would bring a book, sit under the trees and read together.

Maya had already packed her favourite storybook.

She had even placed a small picnic mat inside her bag.

She jumped out of bed and pulled open the curtain.

Then she stopped.

The sky was dark.

Rain fell heavily against the window.

“Plip, plop, plip, plop.”

Maya’s smile disappeared.

“Oh no,” she whispered.

The Rain Would Not Stop

At breakfast, Maya kept looking outside.

“Maybe the rain will stop soon,” she said.

Her mother looked at the grey clouds.

“Maybe,” she replied. “But sometimes plans have to change.”

Maya frowned.

“I don’t want the plan to change.”

Her mother smiled gently.

“A changed plan does not always mean a bad day.”

Maya did not answer.

She was not convinced.

Bad News at School

When Maya arrived at school, many pupils were standing near the classroom windows.

“It is still raining!” said Ben.

“Our reading day is ruined,” said Farah.

“I brought biscuits for the picnic,” said Kumar sadly.

Their teacher, Miss Lina, entered the classroom.

She placed her umbrella beside the door.

“I have some news,” she said.

Everyone became quiet.

“We cannot use the garden today. The grass is too wet, and the rain may continue.”

A few pupils sighed.

Maya looked at the storybook on her desk.

She had imagined sitting under a shady tree while reading it.

Now there would be no garden.

No picnic mat.

No outdoor reading.

“This is the worst reading day ever,” she muttered.

Miss Lina Asked a Question

Miss Lina did not begin the lesson.

Instead, she wrote three words on the board:

WHAT CAN WE DO?

She turned to the class.

“We cannot stop the rain,” she said. “But can we still have a special reading day?”

Nobody answered at first.

Then Kumar raised his hand.

“We could read in the classroom.”

“That is one idea,” said Miss Lina.

Farah looked around.

“But this classroom looks ordinary.”

Ben pointed to the reading corner.

“We could make it look like a garden!”

Maya looked up.

“How?”

“We could make paper flowers,” said Ben.

“And paper trees!” added Farah.

“Could we move the tables?” asked Kumar.

Miss Lina smiled.

“Now we have a plan.”

Everyone Had a Job

The class began working.

Some pupils moved the chairs into a large circle.

Others drew flowers on coloured paper.

Farah made butterflies.

Kumar made a sign that said:

WELCOME TO OUR INDOOR READING GARDEN

Ben used green paper to make large leaves.

Maya still felt disappointed.

She looked outside.

The rain had become even heavier.

Then she noticed that everyone else was busy.

“Do you want to help me make the tree?” asked Ben.

Maya hesitated.

Then she nodded.

“All right.”

The Paper Tree

Ben drew a large brown trunk on several sheets of paper.

Maya cut out green leaves.

At first, one of her leaves tore.

“Oh, no,” she said.

“Make another one,” said Ben.

Maya tried again.

This time, the leaf looked better.

Soon they had twelve leaves.

Then twenty.

Then thirty.

They taped the paper tree to the classroom wall.

“It is not a real tree,” Maya said.

“No,” Ben replied, “but it is our rainy-day tree.”

Maya smiled for the first time that morning.

A New Problem

Just before reading time began, the classroom lights went out.

The pupils gasped.

The room became darker.

“The storm may have caused a power cut,” said Miss Lina.

Maya groaned.

“First the garden. Now the lights.”

For a moment, everyone was quiet again.

Then Farah pointed towards the windows.

“We can open the curtains.”

Ben said, “There is still daylight.”

Miss Lina checked the room.

“Yes. It is bright enough near the windows.”

Kumar lifted his picnic mat.

“We can sit there!”

Soon the pupils arranged themselves beside the windows where the natural light was strongest.

Maya looked around.

Nobody had given up.

Maya Had an Idea

Then Maya noticed something.

The rain made a soft sound on the roof.

Tap-tap.

Tap-tap.

Tap-tap.

It almost sounded like music.

Maya stood up.

“Miss Lina?”

“Yes?”

“Can we have one minute of quiet reading while we listen to the rain?”

Miss Lina smiled.

“I think that is a wonderful idea.”

Everyone opened a book.

For one whole minute, the classroom became very quiet.

There was no fan.

No electric light.

Only the sound of rain.

And turning pages.

Maya suddenly realised something.

The day did not feel ruined anymore.

It felt different.

But different was not always worse.

The Reading Garden Opened

When the lights returned, the class continued with their plan.

They read stories.

They shared books.

They ate their snacks during break.

They even placed the picnic mats on the classroom floor.

Miss Lina asked each pupil to recommend one book to a friend.

Maya recommended her favourite adventure story to Farah.

Farah gave Maya a funny animal book.

Soon the classroom was full of laughter.

At the end of the activity, Miss Lina asked:

“Was today the reading day we planned?”

“No!” shouted the class.

“Was it still a good reading day?”

“Yes!”

Maya raised her hand.

“I think it was better than I expected.”

The Rain Finally Stopped

Just before school ended, the clouds became lighter.

The rain slowed.

Then it stopped.

Sunlight appeared through the windows.

Some pupils cheered.

Maya looked at the wet garden outside.

Then she looked at the paper tree, paper butterflies and books around the classroom.

She no longer wished the morning had been different.

“We had two problems today,” said Miss Lina.

“The rain and the power cut.”

Ben raised his hand.

“But we made two new plans.”

Miss Lina nodded.

“Exactly.”

One Last Leaf

Before going home, Maya took one green paper leaf.

She wrote something on it:

If one plan does not work, make another plan.

She taped the leaf onto the rainy-day tree.

Miss Lina read it.

“That is a good lesson to remember.”

Maya packed her storybook into her bag.

That morning, she had thought a changed plan meant a ruined day.

Now she knew something new.

Sometimes things do not happen the way we want.

We may feel disappointed.

We may even feel like giving up.

But we can stop, think and try again.

And sometimes, the second plan becomes a memory we like even more than the first.

Activity After Reading

Make Your Own Plan B

Think of one situation:

• a picnic is cancelled;
• a game cannot be played outside;
• your favourite activity is unavailable;
• something you planned does not happen.

Complete these sentences:

My first plan was:

________________________

The problem was:

________________________

My new plan could be:

________________________

Then write:

“When a plan changes, I can __________.”