That Bucket Weighs a Ton!
Practice Words
Words containing the 'eigh' letter pattern, producing the long /eΙͺ/ sound.
Ned has just built himself a brand new house. He used to have a tiny shed, but it was far too small for him. With the help of his magic book, he now lives in a bit more comfort. He does not have any neighbors in this neighborhood. Well, except for the monsters that come out at night.
But his comfy life is missing one more thing. 'All I have eaten since coming here is apples from the neighbouring trees,' said Ned. 'What happens if they run out?' The Book thought for a moment. 'I can teach you how to grow your own food,' it said.
The Book told Ned to look for patches of long grass. 'Start breaking these up, and show me what you find,' it said. Ned did as he was told. He crouched down and began pulling apart all the grass he could find. Soon enough, he started finding hard little green things that barely weighed anything at all. 'What are these?' he asked The Book.
'They're seeds,' said The Book. 'What kind of seeds?' asked Ned. 'Wheat seeds, which you can turn into food,' replied The Book. 'Well, I've found eight so far. How many more will I need?' said Ned. 'Keep on breaking that grass,' said The Book.
When The Book thought Ned had gathered enough seeds, it sent him inside to the workshop. 'You will need a new tool to plant these seeds,' it said. The Book flicked through its pages and showed Ned a drawing of a tool with a long, curving blade. 'This is called a hoe,' it said. Ned crafted one right away. It had a bit of weight to it when he picked it up.
Ned walked outside again and went looking for a good spot. He found one next to some trees near the house. 'Take the hoe and drag it through the dirt,' said The Book. The hoe weighed a bit more than Ned was expecting, but he soon got the hang of it. It dug long, smooth grooves in the dirt, ready for seeds to be planted.
Looking at what he had done, Ned spotted a weighty problem. 'The soil looks so dry,' Ned said. 'Nothing will grow well in dirt like this.' 'Seeds need the soil to be moist before they start growing,' said The Book. 'But how can I make that happen?' Ned asked.
'Time to make one more tool,' The Book said. Ned went back to the workshop and got out some iron. The Book flicked through its pages and showed Ned a picture of a bucket. 'With this, you can carry water to where it is needed,' it said. Ned counted out eight bars of iron, then hammered them into the shape of a bucket.
Ned dipped the bucket into the water, and it came out weighing as much as eight rocks. He staggered sideways, nearly tipping into the sea. 'This weighs a ton!' he shouted. 'Water has weight,' said The Book, as if the heavy bucket was not its problem. 'We don't have far to go.' 'We?' Ned muttered. 'You're barely bigger than my lunchbox!' Grunting and groaning, Ned lugged the weighty bucket all the way back to the field.
Ned knelt down and dug a hole in the middle of the field with his shovel. 'Put the water in there, and the patches around it will get wet,' said The Book. 'I hope this works,' said Ned. Still grumbling about how much the bucket weighed, Ned tipped the water into the hole. Soon enough, the soil started to get moist!
Ned knelt in the damp soil and planted his seeds one by one, pressing each into the earth with his thumb. When he was done, he stood up and looked. Tiny green buds, barely an eighth of an inch tall, poked out of the dirt in wobbly little rows. 'Is that all?' Ned asked. 'They're so small. When do I get food?' 'There is one more thing you need to do,' said The Book.
'Wait about eight days,' said The Book. Ned watched as the buds of green began to get taller and taller. 'How high will they grow before I can cut them?' asked Ned. 'Until they reach about half your height,' said The Book. 'But don't worry. Soon enough, you'll have your very own home-grown food!'