Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
Friday's Kind Words: A Great Sense of Connection
The time to listen to your stories gives us such a great sense of connection and we talk a lot about stories. ~Kima
Build Bird Nest Baskets
This week's craft project—a “bird nest” basket—is a lovely way to weave a basket out of materials you may find on your summer travels, whether around the world or just around your neighborhood. It's a family craft project, a useful object, and a souvenir—all in one!
Sour Cherry and Whipped Goat Cheese Tart
Combined with tangy, honey-sweetened goat cheese and a sprinkle of dark chocolate, these tarts look fancier than they are. And, by using mason jar lids as tart “pans” you avoid the need for extra kitchen gear. Easy, beautiful, delicious--in short, these sour cherry tarts are a pretty perfect early summer dessert!
FIFTY Study Page- Washington: " Follow the Sun"
This story from the FIFTY collection uses historical fiction to explore the history of the Columbia River Exploration, the Fur Trade in America, and the War of 1812 from a west coast perspective.
Celebrating the Summer Solstice
In our house, we celebrate both solstices — winter and summer — with equal fervor. We have a calendar which I made with little cards, much like an advent calendar. Each card contains an activity to do for that day to explore summer and the long days. Your family can celebrate for the whole month, a week, or even only the day of solstice.
Meet Our How To Be Super Summer Camp Trainers
Our How To Be Super Summer Camp Starts June 18th! Our Camp trainers are excited and ready to go. We thought now would be a great time to introduce you to them so you can get to know them a little before camp starts.
Friday's Kind Words: Part of Our Bedtime Ritual
My daughter and I listen to your Sleepytime stories and knit or do handwork together each night as part of our bedtime ritual.
Sparkle Craft: Summer Travel Journals
Whether you're heading somewhere exotic or just to the local swimming hole, now you're all ready to document your summer journeys!
sparkle kitchen: homemade german sausage
From spicy merguez in North Africa to the plain-Jane hot dog that's a classic at any American baseball stadium—sausage is both a global constant and a unique embodiment of local culture.
FIFTY Study Page- Delaware: "People Like Me"
This story from the FIFTY collection uses historical fiction to explore the history of New Sweden, New Amsterdam and New York as it relates to the Delaware River area.
An Introduction to Storying
If the language of children is storytelling and the world is made of stories, then the most powerful person in the world … is the storyteller.
Nine Sparkle Summer Recipe Round-Up
Summer is the perfect time for big gatherings that include food. This week at Sparkle we are making plans for summer and we wanted to share a few of our favorite summertime recipes with you.
Storybox Playlist: Let's Make a Summer Plan
Here are some stories to inspire a summertime plan in your house.
Friday's Kind Words: A Wonderful Treasure Trove
Thank you for thinking of all of us families, and continuing to provide such a WONDERful treasure trove of stories. You are part of our every day. – Carrie Fleisch
Simple Homemade Pillowcases
This week's craft is a super simple pillowcase. If you have an older child learning to sew, this would be a great starter project. For younger kids, you'll probably have to make it for them, but my kids really loved going to the fabric store and getting to choose their own patterns and prints.
FIFTY Study Page- Illinois: "Crossing the River"
the History of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the biography of Joseph Smith, and an account of the Battle of Crooked River.
Storybox Playlist: Sum-Sum-Summertime
This is a distinctly North American playlist — but now that summer is upon us here in Texas, we want to offer a few pictures of the gift of this time of year. Here are some stories that are a part of our Sparkle Summertime Campaign.
Friday's Kind Words: Inspired After Listening
We LOVE Martin & Sylvia! My boys are 11 & 8 now and they are still into the stories, especially the nature school and any imaginative outdoor adventures. ~Katie
sparkle craft: three paper airplanes
Below, you'll find directions for three paper airplanes. None of them are terrifically complicated—each take only a few minutes to make—but they're guaranteed to get your little ones excited about flying.
FIFTY Study Page- Vermont: "Gift of the Dragon"
This story from the FIFTY collection uses historical fiction to explore the history of Vermont in relation to New York and New Hampshire.
