Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
Sparkle Craft: Star Jars
These star jars will provoke quiet “oohs” and “ahhs” whenever you switch them on. The initial cutting with a box knife is best done by an adult, but by using a thin, disposable cookie sheet to make the heart of the lantern, a supervised pre-schooler can quickly make a whole galaxy of stars to admire.
Sparkle Craft: Milk Jug Lanterns
Whether you already have a lantern walk tradition or would like to start one, a classic, tissue-paper-covered lantern is a project young and old will enjoy making and using.
Sparkle Craft: DIY Flying Wish Paper
Flying wish paper is delightful! You write your wish on paper that will fly up into the sky, carrying your wish with it.
Sparkle Craft: DIY Japanese Silk Paper Lanterns Post Template
For this fun, hands-on craft, we are joined by Jenn of Maplerose, a Waldorf-inspired Homeschool Supply shop (check it out below!). Follow along as Jenn walks us through the steps for making your own DIY Japanese Silk Paper Lanterns.
Audio Stories to Help Kids Sleep
Sometimes our little ones fight the urge to settle into sleep routines. This can be frustrating for parents to say the least! We’ve gathered some of our best insights, tips, and of course stories to provide some support.
Ideas for Martinmas Celebrations
Explore the enchanting world of Martinmas, where November nights come alive with magic and purpose. Discover the rich history, meaning, and heartwarming traditions of this festival, including lantern walks, inspiring stories, and delightful crafts for celebrating the season of light and compassion.
Unschooling
Jenn Chic from Maplerose teamed up with Sparkle Stories to answer some questions around unschooling and share what it looks like for our family — and what it might look like for yours.
Sparkle Stories Back to School Guide Printable
With school starting again, we've rounded up all of our best back-to-school content in one place. We’ve gathered some of our best stories along with helpful guides on how to use them for parents and teachers. You’ll also find some of our favorite back-to-school projects, recipes, and crafts.
DIY Polymer Clay Pencil Toppers for Kids: Sculpt Sparkly Characters!
This fun and easy craft is the perfect way to help kids personalize their school supplies and get their creative juices flowing! It also makes for a great handwork moment and helps little ones practice those fine motor skills.
Stories for Gentle Lessons and Confidence: A Partner Playlist
Have you ever wondered about other Sparkle parents’s go-to stories? Stephanie Johnson, creator of The Healing Movement Program for Kids (and a Sparkle Stories enthusiast herself) walks us through some of her own favorite stories and how they support her family and work! Read all about it below.
Momma Lecture: Push Back Against the American Work Ethic
Do less today. Remove things from your to do list. Remember that connection, play, and creativity bring the most satisfaction, and that's what makes for a meaningful life.
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).
Momma Lectures: A Pass from the Principal's Office
Today, write yourself a pass. If you could play hooky from one thing, or break one of your own daily rules, just for fun, what would you do? Write it out and DO it.
Tips for Screen-Free Travel with Kids
Buckle-up, my Sparkle family! It’s time for summer travels! School is over and summer travel plans are well underway, so we have been thinking about all the best ways to help you make it easy. I want to lay out all of my time and kid-tested favorite recommendations for easier travel with littles.
How Does Screen Time Impact Kids?
Screens can offer opportunities for education and entertainment, but too much screen time can have a negative impact on our kids. It's good to check gut feelings against scientific research, so join us as we dig into these studies!
Best Streaming Services for Kids
Review the top options for streaming children’s content and compare with Sparkle Stories' carefully-crafted audio stories for kids.
Explore Summer: DIY Explorer Bags
These DIY Explorer bags are quick to put together and you might just have most of the items hanging around your house already.
Sparkler Spotlight: The Chic Mendoza Family
We love hearing kind words from our fellow Sparklers. Has Sparkle Stories impacted your life? Drop us a line and let us know: info@sparklestories.com (you can also find us on Facebook & Instagram).
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.
Sparkler Spotlight: The Nelson Family
We asked the Nelsons all about their experience as new Sparklers. Here's what they had to say!
