A Fun Garden Story and A Great Backyard Assignment

A Fun Garden Story

1. We live in a cozy house with a big backyard. But, there’s one problem: our yard is full of dirt and some tiny, sad-looking grass. It looks like it’s been used a lot! So, we decided to make our yard better by putting down some new grass.
2. One morning, my little sister Emma asked me, "What is sod?"
3. I told her what Mom had explained to me. "Sod is a piece of earth with grass and its roots. It’s the part of the ground that holds the grass in place."
4. The next day, a big truck came and dropped off big pieces of grass. The grass looked soft and green, and the pieces were very thick, almost like big carpet squares.
5. Dad said, "This is a lot easier than what the pioneers had to do. They had to use sod to build houses!"
6. Emma and I couldn’t believe it, so Dad showed us pictures of sod houses on his phone.
7. He told us that long ago, in places like the Midwest, there were hardly any trees, so people used sod to build their homes. They would cut thick pieces of grass and dirt, and then stack them like bricks. Each piece weighed as much as a big bag of potatoes!
8. The settlers learned from Native Americans, who showed them how to make houses from sod. They would put the grass pieces together, and over time, the grass would grow into a strong, sturdy wall!
9. That day, we learned a lot about sod houses, and even though I’m happy we have a lawn now, I’m glad I don’t have to live in a house made of dirt!

A Great Backyard

1. By late afternoon, I was almost done cleaning the backyard. I had raked up all the leaves, but when I went to dump them in the trash, a gust of wind blew them right back into the yard! I couldn’t believe it.

2. “Ugh, this yard!” I grumbled. “Cleaning it up is like trying to sweep sand at the beach!”

3. My little brother Max said, “It’s too bad you don’t remember when we had a tiny garden.”

4. I didn’t want to listen. “Our yard is full of dirt, and the wind keeps blowing the leaves around! How could it get any worse?”

5. In Max’s opinion, our old garden was much worse—it was just a small patch of grass with no flowers or trees. “If you remember that, you’d think this yard is amazing!”

6. Just then, Mom came outside, carrying a basket of tomatoes. “We have guests coming for dinner! Dad and Mr. Davis are walking up the street,” she said. “They’ve been working hard all day in the garden, so I’m sure they’re starving!”

7. I quickly set the table and opened the door. “Please come in, Mr. Davis,” I said, trying to sound happy.

8. “I’d love to,” Mr. Davis said. He stepped in, looked around, and said, “So this is the garden you’ve been working on. It’s much bigger than I expected!”

9. Dad pointed out the new flowers and the little tree they had planted, saying, “Many gardens don’t have trees or flowers at all. It’s hard to grow them, but I’ll show you how.”

10. “I’d really appreciate that,” Mr. Davis said, “and I hope my garden will be as beautiful as yours!”

11. I looked at the flowers blooming in the sunlight. I had to admit, I was lucky to have such a nice yard, and I would try to remember that.