You Will Never Guess UFLI Foundations Lesson 127

Paul loved to draw. He drew cats. He drew unicorns. He filled sketchbook after sketchbook, and when one was full, his mum found him another. But drawing was not just drawing for Paul. He had a game. 'Guess what I drew!' he would say. Nobody ever got it right. Not even once.

Today, Paul picked up his pencil and grinned. 'Ready? I am only going to draw this once. Watch carefully.' He started with one big circle. Then he drew two smaller circles on top of it. A trio of shapes, just sitting there on the page. 'I bet you still can't guess what it is,' Paul said. 'Not yet. Not even close.'

Two big eyes stared up from the page. Round and wide and full of surprise. 'Is it a unicorn?' you might say. Or maybe an owl? Paul shook his head slowly. 'Nope. Nope. Keep watching.'

Paul leaned in close. His pencil moved in tiny, careful strokes, filling the big circle with neat, uniform lines until it was solid black. He did not rush. He did not wobble. He stayed right inside the lines. 'This part has to be perfect,' he said softly. 'Or all of it looks silly.'

Next, Paul drew a shape that looked just like a box. A plain, simple box. Not a triangle. Not a circle. Just a box. A box? With eyes? What kind of animal has a box for a body? 'A robot!' you might shout. Paul just smiled his know-it-all smile. 'Not even a little bit.'

Paul drew four legs under the box. One, two, three, four, each with little feet at the bottom. 'It's alive?' you might gasp. Paul nodded proudly. 'All four legs are uniform. Same length, same width. My art teacher would be so proud.'

Paul peeked at a picture on his laptop, then turned back to his drawing. Under the big black circle, he added a wide, curving smile. He triple checked it, making sure the curve was just right. That grin. That cheeky, bold, too-big grin. 'A cat!' you might yell. 'It's a cat for sure!' Paul held his hand over his mouth so he would not laugh. 'You are going to feel so silly when you find out.'

Paul held up his pencil like a magic wand. His eyes sparkled. 'One more tiny thing,' he said. 'One last line to unite all the shapes. Then you will know exactly what it is.' He was enjoying this way too much.

A tail. A little tail with a curl at the tip. Not a bushy fox tail. Not a long unicorn tail. It was the kind of tail that wags so hard the body wiggles right along with it. Wait. Wags? Only one animal wags its tail when it is happy...

'It's a dog!' Paul shouted, before you even had the chance. He just could not wait. And what a dog. Wide, happy eyes. A big black nose. A grin that said, 'I just had the last snack, and I am glad!' 'See those little lines?' Paul pointed at the belly. 'That's fur. I added fur. All the shapes unite to make one dog. This is the best dog I have ever drawn, and I have drawn a lot of dogs.'

'Now it's your turn,' Paul said, sliding his pencil across the table. Start with an oval. Add a triangle or a plain box for the body. Follow the steps, one at a time, and see what you get. The shapes may just surprise you when they all come together. When you are done, hold it up and say the magic words: 'Guess what I drew!'