Welcome to Sparkle Stories
Advent Begins!Martin & Sylvia's Audio Advent Calendar
Follow the 25 magical days of Advent with Martin and Sylvia! From the playhouse to the library, from the Webers' restaurant to the Spunderful Shop, you can spend all of December with the delightful brother and sister as they follow their own Advent adventure.
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Over five-and-a-half hours of audio.
Enjoy a Story-a-Day for DecemberOur Audio Advent Calendars!
To Go with your Daily Story!Printable Advent Calendars
Tutorial: the Junkyard Tales PRINTABLE Advent Calendar
Look everyone! It's a PRINTABLE Advent Calendar! Our very first. Each of the 25 little doors hides a clue to the matching story in the Junkyard Tales Audio Advent Calendar - so you can listen and open a door each day from December 1st to the 25th!
Printable Holiday Postcards: "It's a Martian Holiday!" Advent Activities
In each of the twenty-five stories of our newest audio Advent Calendar, "It's a Martian Holiday!", Johnny Boy writes a postcard to his friend Allison. We've got all twenty-five printable holiday postcards ready for you to download and share.
Tutorial: Libby & Dish's December PRINTABLE Holiday Calendar!
We are so excited to launch a new story-a-day audio experience this December! This year it's all about Libby & Dish.
The Castlechanter Fairy Printable Advent Calendar
Take a peek at our printable Castlechanter Fairy Advent Calendar. The fairies and elves here at Sparkle have been hard at work creating this Sparkle Audio Advent Calendar. Each day, starting from December 1 through 25, listen to a story a day and open a door to go along.
The Martin & Sylvia PRINTABLE Advent Calendar!
Here's a lovely little printable calendar to go with the Martin & Sylvia Audio Advent Calendar!
To Enjoy with your Daily ListeningStorytime Snacks
Sparkle Kitchen: Elephant Snack Mix
Sending snacks to school can be so hard. I absolutely want to be supportive of my children's friends who have allergies, but that can get complicated fast when you're trying to provide a snack for 20 kids — many of whom have different sets of concerns. This snack mix is my answer to that problem!
Sparkle Kitchen: “Small Batch” Gingerbread Cookies
Do you like gingerbread cookies? Here's a handy, time-saving recipe for making small batch gingerbread cookies (by freezing the dough ahead of time!). This way, you can enjoy the yummy treats, just like Martin & Sylvia do in Day 6 of Martin & Sylvia's Audio Advent Calendar, without having to brave the grand, sticky process.
Sparkle Kitchen: Mexican Hot Chocolate
Since we’ve already covered regular hot chocolate in this space, this week I give you its even warmer, spicier cousin — Mexican hot chocolate.
Sparkle Kitchen: Cinnamon Honey Snowflakes
These cinnamon and honey “snowflakes” — cut from regular tortillas — are not only appropriate for the season, they’ll leave your kitchen smelling warm and cozy, too.
Sparkle Kitchen: Wassail
The recipe below is enough to serve a party of revelers, but it can easily be halved or quartered. It’s also much more method than recipe, so feel free to modify it to suit your tastes or what you have on hand.
Sparkle Kitchen: Struffoli
Like Daddy, I love all of the seasonal stories that families tell as the calendar is bombarded with holidays of light and love at the end of the year. One of my newly discovered favorites is the tale of Old Befana.
Projects & ActivitiesMore Advent Fun
Candy Cane Ornament Sewing Activity for Kids with Frontier Dreams
In our newest Martin & Sylvia: Learning Days story, “A Handwork Moment”, there’s just so much to do this holiday season that it’s making everyone fuzzy-headed. Momma notices the children’s fidgety hands. What they need is an afternoon of soothing handwork: knitting, crocheting, and sewing!
Project: The Junkyard Tales Audio Advent Coloring Book!
We've created twenty-five fun printables for each day of the Junkyard Tales Audio Advent calendar!
The Winter Spiral: A How-to Guide
Create your own Winter Waldorf Advent Spiral during this holiday season. Here's a helpful how-to guide along with some inspiration to get you started.
Sparkle Craft: Martin & Sylvia's Colorable Ornaments for Advent
For this year's calendar, our lovely Sparkle Stories artists have made a beautiful set of printable ornaments.
Winter Nature Table Tips
A nature table is a great way to bring nature-inspired learning right into your home. We’ll walk you through some helpful tips that will help you to inspire your children to learn about and interact with the natural world in their everyday rhythms.
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