Sparkle Schoolhouse
The Story is Only the Beginning! With the inspiration of each Sparkle Story as a beginning, the corresponding Sparkle Schoolhouse lesson continues the journey with wholesome enrichment, inspired tutorials and a welcoming community for our Sparkle Parents, Adults, Teachers and Children.
The June Story Calendar Is Here!
In this free printable you will find a featured story for each week, a playlist of associated stories to dig deeper, and a special craft, tutorial, or recipe highlighted each week; PLUS a story script for you to read at home with your little ones (so you can try out all the voices and characters just like we do).
Tips for a Year of Rest
This desire for rhythms of work and rest inspired the creation of Martin and Sylvia: Day of Rest. Through these stories, we have the gift of observing Martin and Sylvia’s family as they work through the process of setting apart one day each week to rest as a family.
Unhook Your Holidays
What can you do to make the holidays feel special for others AND guilt-free for you?
This Is No Norman Rockwell Holiday
Holidays can be hard. We humans are just so messy. There’s got to be a way to make this easier, right? Keep reading for advice on how best to practice self-care through the sometimes rough holiday season.
SparkleCast Episode 5 – Developing a Festival Life with Susan Weber
In this episode of SparkleCast, Susan, David, and Rebecca talk about how to develop the festival life of your household or classroom by incorporating rhythm and attention to the natural world.
The July Story Calendar Is Here!
In this free printable you will find a featured story for each week, a playlist of associated stories to dig deeper, and a special craft, tutorial, or recipe highlighted each week; PLUS a story script for you to read at home with your little ones (so you can try out all the voices and characters just like we do).
How to Reduce Screen Time for Kids
What are the impacts of screen time? Is it really all that bad? Digging into the facts sometimes results in mixed messages. To build healthy habits, parents may do well to combine what they can glean from current research (link to new blog post) with their own intuition.
Tips to Get Kids Off Screens
How do you get your family off screens? We cover the basics of what's worked in our own families, as well as practical tips, suggestions, and solutions!
Storytelling as a Parenting Tool 101
Our understanding of the world is made up of the stories we have told and continue to tell. Here are some of our best tips for using the power of storytelling to give us context and help us grow.
Featured Stories: Stories about Learning at Home
This week we've gathered a playlist of entirely free stories about learning at home. Whether it's dedicated homeschooling or just curiosity-driven afternoons in the backyard, these stories will have your kids inspired to explore and create.
Parent Cheat Sheet: Castlechanter Fairy Advent Activities
Use this parent cheat sheet to help you navigate the stories with activities that relate to each story. In this cheat sheet, we’ve given you a timeline so you can be prepared with a recipe, craft, or fun idea in advance.
Meet the How To Be Super Characters!
There are now five How To Be Super collections in our library and each one is a giant adventure! Many characters thread throughout all of them. We've made a list so you can keep track.
Sparkle Resources for Weathering Covid-19
As part of our theme this week of keeping your family healthy, we've gathered up all of our Covid19 posts in one place for easy access. We hope you find these helpful for not only your physical health, but mental and emotional health as well. Be well Sparklers!
Sparkle Homeschool Round Up: All Our Posts in One Place
Is your family considering homeschooling this year? If so, that's great! We have lots of support and encouragement for you. Here at Sparkle we love homeschooling (and schools too) and have created a whole world around learning in alternative ways....
Questions for the Sparkle Artist
Did you know all of our Sparkle graphics were drawn by David? He is not just an artist of words, but a maker of images as well!
Body-Based Ideas to Offset a Life in Lockdown
Even though our minds understand why we are at home, why we are separated from other people, and why we are wearing masks, our bodies struggle to make sense of it all...
Dory Horde Crib Sheet
Have you ever met a large family and couldn't quite remember all their names? I have a friend with 5 boys all with unique names just like the Dory Horde; and it took me quite awhile until I got to know them individually to remember their names...
"Homeschooling, I Could Never Do That" : Tips for Parents with Kids at Home from School
If you don’t homeschool and have never thought about homeschooling, the idea of taking charge of your child's education might seem hugely daunting. I’m here to tell you — you’ve got this.
Halloween Round Up Extravaganza!
Here at Sparkle we take Halloween very seriously — meaning we put on silly wigs, big glasses, Halloween capes, and magic crowns. We make delicious treats and fun decorations.
The Wonder of Halloween
David talks about why children actually want to dress in gory costumes of monsters, the undead and the maimed: they are still looking for wonder!
