Sparkle Stories Blog

I’ll admit, I find the mechanical information of trains a little boring, but I love the history. Especially, that of the glamorous era of train travel, when you slept in Pullman cars and awoke to a special breakfast in the dining car. This French toast recipe is one of those historic breakfast options.

Kale for breakfast. Kale for lunch. Kale for dinner. And even kale for… dessert? This is what to do when you have too much kale: find as many ways as you can to prepare it.

This week's craft project comes from the region of the “mountains that hold the sky” — it's a no-sew, backyard version of Tibetan prayer flags.

In our modern times, we take citrus fruit for granted, but not so long ago lemons and limes and oranges were actually rare and expensive. Even my own mother likes to tell how she used to get an orange in the toe of her stocking each Christmas morning and it was considered a real treat.

Did you know that if you freeze and blend bananas they turn into a substance with exactly the same creamy texture as soft-serve ice cream? It's a neat trick, particularly if you consistently end up with one leftover banana about to go bad. Follow the steps in this recipe to make your own!

Perhaps it's because our family just finished our first season of pinewood derby, but I can readily identify with Jane's deep dive into learning about cars. What makes them go faster? Is aerodynamics important? Or is it all about weight? The research and reading and testing is fascinating.

This week's snack is a spring-themed riff on traditional s'mores — it's roasted strawberries covered with marshmallow fluff. When you cook the strawberries over a fire, the marshmallow caramelizes and the strawberry warms into a perfect balance of sweet, tart, gooeyness. You may like them more than traditional roasted marshmallows.

This week's recipe takes its inspiration from all of the weird and wonderful caterpillars who live in the forest.

This recipe turns a natural remedy into a more portable form — a honey cough drop. While you could flavor these cough drops with anything you wanted, ginger, cloves, and lemon are three additions that will further help soothe a sore throat.

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.