Today in the nursery corner, we are talking about watching your step.
We want to be careful not to step on things that are not meant to be stepped on.
The floor, steps, and rugs are made to be stepped on.
Toys, books, clothing, and lots of other objects are not made for people to step on!
Sometimes you may be so busy playing that you may not notice all the objects you have left on the floor. Maybe you left the toys you were playing with earlier there, while you went to read a book. Or you may have left your book on the floor, while you went to play with toys! If you step all over your books and toys, instead of picking them up and putting them away, you ruin them. Even if it looks like no harm was done, eventually that ill-used toy or book will wear away or tear. Even if you do not damage the toys, an older, bigger person might not see them, and tread on them and break them. Then you will have to throw your toy or book away.
You may think it is fun to step on something that someone dropped, or something that fell. It would be better to pick it up, than to step on it. Walking on items will ruin them.
You may think, "I'll just buy another one," but you want to be a good care-taker of what God has given you already. Some of your things might not be replaceable. What if you became very, very poor? You would be sorry that you treated all your things badly, and wish you had them still. If you take good care of your toys and books, they will last a long time, and you will be glad someday that you were careful.
Toys and books on the floor, or toys left scattered in the yard, can cause a person to trip and fall. Older people who cannot see well, or even little toddlers who are just learning to walk, can hurt themselves very badly on your things if you leave them laying around. You may even surprise yourself and trip over your own toys!
Sometimes stepping on things without thinking, or checking first, can lead to cuts on the feet. Even with shoes on, you can still get hurt by not watching what you step on. Sometimes children will think that they are free to walk all over loose wood that is laying about the barn or wood shop-- but watch out because those boards can sometimes have nails in them that are dangerous to step on. Here is something to remember in places like that: Don't step on something that you can step around or step over.
And of course, in the house try to pick things up instead of stepping on them, so they will not be stepped on by someone else!
Editor's note: The paintings accompanying this little lecture, that are without captions, are: "Christmas Morning" by Paul Seignac, "Christmas Morning" by Charles William Mansel Lewis, and "Die Kinderstube" [The Nursery] by Fritz Von Uhde. The title piece is "Storytime" by Charles Haigh-Wood.