Daphne and Ollie

In this assembly story aimed at primary school children, Daphne the Dinosaur learns the value of being considerate to others. When she receives the wonderful news that she is going to be a bridesmaid she just cannot wait to tell everybody she sees.

When she arrives at school, she is on a crusade to let everyone see how excited she is. Unfortunately, this is at detrimental cost. In her frenzied state, Daphne is so self-absorbed that she does not look where she is going, and she does not worry about those around her; in fact – she hardly notices they are there. Without intending to, Daphne ends up causing mass upset – from knocking the Nursery tots over, to dirtying the dancing dinosaurs, to steamrollering the population of the playground. She has inadvertently hurt a lot of her fellow students because she has been so self-important – without a care in the world for anybody else.

When she speaks to her teaching assistant Ollie, she assesses her actions and is upset to realise what she has done. She faces the consequences for the first time and feels ashamed. Ollie helps Daphne to understand that there are sensible ways to go about sharing good news and showing passion- without putting others in harm’s way.