G7 How Many Arms Do Starfish Have?_01

Andre was ready to have a great Saturday. His parents took him and his sister Bella to the beach. As they walked down the beach their toes sunk into sand with each step. First thing on their agenda was to find that perfect spot to set up camp for the day; Andre couldn’t help but notice the pleasing, sweet coastal smell. It didn’t take long for his dad to mark their territory with the blue and green umbrella he got for mom last spring.

As mom laid out the blankets, Andre bolted toward the water. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore is the best part of the beach according to Andre. That’s when he heard her call, “Andre, you need to wait for us to go to the water, come set up the chairs.” You could hear the frustration as he mumbled out, “She still treats me like a baby!”

Andre’s version of beach fun is playing in the water and tossing the football with other kids he meets while he is there. He quickly noticed a group that appeared to be around his age playing nearby and immediately joined them making several new friends.

It only took an hour for mom to call him over to spend some time building sandcastles with Bella.  As the annoyance of having to waste his time playing with his little sister crept through his whole body and began to make his face turn red, his new friend Jaime offered to come help build the

The three kids picked their spot and began shoveling the dirt into the pails. It didn’t take long and the first level was complete. As Bella started digging a moat around the castle’s perimeter, Jaime and Andre continued to construct the castles second level.

As they were completing the third level Bella asked, “Do you think my moat will work?”  With a swift turn of his head Andre realized just how close the crashing waves were getting to their beautiful masterpiece.  As they all started digging ferociously the next big wave came in, washing away all their hard work.