Arty gets a makeover!
 
Lulu was upset.  She didn’t have time to play with her favourite camel Arty.  Lulu stomped along the road kicking stones as she went.  IT’S - thwack! - NOT - thud! - FAIR - thump!  Everyone was too busy to help her with her Healthy Kids school project.
 
Lulu reached Arty’s farm. He was really mucky today and she couldn’t make out the colours of his coat.  Arty had gained weight too and he plodded along very slowly.  Up close he didn’t smell very nice at all! 
 
Suddenly Lulu had an idea.  Maybe I can use Arty for my project?  She could clean him up and use him to teach her classmates how to be healthy.  “Come on Arty”, laughed Lulu “we’ve a lot of work to do!”
 
Back home, Lulu quickly checked that her mother wasn’t around and sneaked Arty into the house.  She shoved him through the kitchen towards the bathroom. 
 
Arty couldn’t believe his eyes!  There were sweets and biscuits on a shelf.   If he could just stretch his neck a little bit higher… he thought, licking his lips. “No Arty you can’t eat that!  You can have vegetables later.”  Arty’s face fell – vegetables?  He shuddered from head to hoof!
 
Lulu turned on the bath tap.  She stood on a stool and pointed a soap-covered broom at Arty’s back.  Arty cowered.  “It’s ok Arty.  It won’t hurt and you’ll smell so much better!”  It was hard work scrubbing Arty and Lulu’s arms started to ache.  She began to wobble and accidentally splashed soap up Arty’s nose.  Arty sneezed so hard that he blew Lulu off the stool onto the wet floor. “That wasn’t very nice Arty!  Next time cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze!” Lulu pointed at Arty’s feet. “We need to clean those before you eat otherwise dirt will get in your mouth”.  Arty wasn’t too keen and gingerly put out a hoof.  Lulu’s scrubbing tickled a lot!  Perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all? 
 
Next Lulu bundled Arty into her bedroom, grabbing a bucket of water as she went.  He was horrified; he had to drink that?! Arty was proud of his fizzy drink skills; he could flick a half-empty bottle up off the ground and into his mouth using his hoof – he wasn’t sure why the bottles were left around and he knew he was getting fat but he loved the taste and everyone always laughed when he did it.   After his bath, Arty was really thirsty and gingerly lapped the water.  He was surprised that it tasted quite good and greedily gulped some more.
 
Lulu put a large pile of vegetables on the floor.  “Eat up Arty!”  Vegetables weren’t Arty’s favourite food but his tummy had started to grumble.   He dived in sending carrots and cabbages flying everywhere.  “Slow down Arty!” laughed Lulu. “You’ll choke!  And don’t forget, we have to brush your teeth when you’ve finished!”
 
Most evenings Arty watched television. He liked to peer through the window of one of the houses at the side of his farm.  Someone was always watching something late into the night.   “Lights out Arty!  No television tonight! We need lots of sleep.”  And, click, out went the lights.  
 
Lulu woke early to the sound of rain hitting against her bedroom window.  It hardly ever rained in Bahrain and she and Arty had a long walk to school.  Lulu thought quickly.  Maybe there was something behind the house she could use to protect Arty’s beautiful coat and clean feet?
 
Lulu was in luck.  She found a large sunshade, a tarpaulin and four buckets.  She slipped Arty into his creative raingear and set off for school.  Lulu tiptoed through the wet sand trying not to get her shoes dirty.  She wondered if her teacher would let Arty into the classroom. She didn’t think Teacher Marwa had said “no animals” but she couldn’t be sure…
 
The buckets protecting Arty’s feet made progress slow.  Thankfully he seemed full of energy after a good night’s sleep.  The extra exercise would do him good, she thought.
 
Lulu arrived at school very hungry after her long walk.  She rummaged in her bag for a sandwich and an apple.  She always worked better on a full stomach.
 
“Lulu?” called Teacher Marwa, “Are you ready?  You’re up first.”  
 
Lulu shuffled to the front of the class.  “I’ve a helper today”, she announced pulling Arty into the classroom.  The shock made Teacher Marwa fall off her chair, sending sniggers round the class.
 
Lulu started her speech before Teacher Marwa could stop her.  “What did you learn yesterday about being healthy Arty?”  Arty stood with his mouth open, frozen to the spot.  The words wouldn’t come out…
 
Quickly Lulu step up to the white board and wrote “Arty’s Health Guide”.  Can you help her?