ORNAMENT OBSERVATION

Can you find the following ornaments from our stories on the tree:

Mojo

Chilly

E the Elf

Gerry the Gingerbread Man

An Angel

A Gingerbread House

A Bus (or 2)

A Starfish

A Dragonfly

A Truck

Popcorn (not in a story, but you could eat it while listening!)

Having trouble to seeing the picture? 

Click on it to make it bigger!

Chilly's Christmas: (20:08)
An ornament is accidentally placed on the back of the Christmas tree and must learn to experience his favorite season using his other senses with a little help from his friends!
Free audio download: Chilly's Christmas
Blog with activities: Chilly's Christmas

Inky's Christmas: (21:24)

Inky, a nervous octopus, has to figure out a way to control his inking so he can attend all of his friends' holiday festivities.
Free audio download: Inky's Christmas
Blog with activities: Inky's Christmas

Mojo and the Magic Couch: (8:26)
A little ferret squirms between the cushions of his family's couch to find a world beyond his imagination.
Free audio download: Mojo and the Magic Couch
Blog with activities: Mojo and the Magic Couch

The I'm Sorry Truck: (5:11)
A hapless truck investigates what happens to all the  "I'm Sorry's" he delivers to the recycling center.
Free audio download: The I'm Sorry Truck
Blog with activities: The I'm Sorry Truck
Download the gameboard: The I'm Sorry Truck 

Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Show Us the Way: (15:03)

Three unique friends embark on a journey of discover which reveals their individual talents.

Free audio download: Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Show Us the Way

Blog with activities: Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Show Us the Way

Bus Stop Bravery: (7:28)

Getting ready for the very first bus ride on the very first day of school can be a nerve-racking experience!
Free audio download: Bus Stop Bravery
Blog with activities: Bus Stop Bravery

Episode 40: The Turns of the Seasons

Click here to listen to: The Turns of the Seasons

Hi All,

We would like to send out a special thanks to Kyle Arrington of the New England Patriots for recording a bumper for us. The game of football requires a lot of practice and is based on turn taking. First, one team has the ball, then the other team has the ball. Each team takes a turn on offense and defense and then they switch. You know what else is all about turn taking? Our new story! As you listen to the story, consider the following: When are some times you've had to wait your turn?

VORACIOUS VOCABULARY

What did you say? A word of the day! In our story 

there are many juicy words that are fun to use and say.

accomplishment: achievement
frigid: very cold in temperature.
gratitude: the quality of feeling grateful or thankful.
rejuvenate: to restore to a former state; make fresh or new again. 

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing 
after hearing the story.

1. Have an adjective challenge in your house. Give each person a season or two, depending on the number of players. Each person makes a list of words to describe that season.  Whoever has the most adjectives on his or her list wins the challenge. You can play this game over and over again using foods, animals, vehicles, etc.

2.  Make a list or draw a picture of all the things you are thankful for and share it with the ones you love.

3. Play a board game that practices taking turns. Some of our favorites are Candy Land, Trouble, and Uno. Of course, there is always the I'm Sorry Truck board game that you can download and play! Make sure you congratulate the person who wins!

              

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the 
details to answer these questions?

1. Why did Summer need more time to finish her season?
2. When did Winter come in? After which season and before which season?
3. What made Spring feel rejuvenated?
4. Where did Spring have to go while Winter finished up the last few days of his turn?
5. Who says "In like a lion, out like a lamb"?

We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Paige of Pennsylvania
Giulietta of Massachusetts
Sophia of Colorado
Maggie of the Night Light Stories household


We hope your days SPARKLED!

As always, we look forward to the many stories 

we can share together! 

GO PATRIOTS!! (and Bills)

LIGHTING THE WAY WITH WORDS

Lulu and Her Lavender Lion: (12:31)

A girl's journey through her memories with her imaginary friend.

Free audio download: Lulu and Her Lavender Lion

Blog with activities: Lulu and Her Lavender Lion

Have you taken a tour lately? 

We would love you to post your visual definitions of xenagogue on our 

Facebook Page or send them to nightlightstories@gmail.com.  

As always we look forward to the many words we can share together.

LIGHTING THE WAY WITH WORDS

Have you heard this Mojo story?

Mojo's Cousin Trouble: (11:12)

Mojo's ferret cousins come to visit for the 

holidays and stir up all kinds of trouble. 

Can Mojo settle them down?

Free audio download: Mojo's Cousin Trouble

Blog with activities: Mojo's Cousin Trouble

We love to watch football as a family on Sundays in the Night Light Stories household. We all cheer with vigorous effort for our different teams. Do you have a special thing that you do with your family that takes vigorous effort? We would love you to post your visual definitions of vigorous on our Facebook Page or send them to nightlightstories@gmail.com.  

As always we look forward to the many words we can share together.

Aviary Advice: A Guest Post

Have you heard our story about birds? 

Bird Seeds (21:10)

When Agnes, an old woman who lives alone in the woods, 

discovers a mysterious packet of seeds she finds more 

than just vegetables can grow in her garden. 

Free audio download: Bird Seeds

Blog with activities: Bird Seeds

We have something different for you! This is a guest post by Robert Lobitz of http://birdcages.net. He wanted to share some interesting facts and information about proper care for parrots. We love learning new things here at Night Light Stories. Thank you, Rob, for sharing your expertise! 

There are many types of parrots – over 300 total.


If you remember Iago from Aladdin or Blu from Rio, then you have seen a parrot. The word “parrot” means a family of different types of birds such as cockatoos, amazons, and macaws. There are over 300 types of parrots in the world, mostly living in South America, Asia and Australia. You can tell the difference between parrots and other birds, like crows or woodpeckers by looking at them carefully. Most parrots have a thick, down-curved beak, stand straight up and have claws on their feet. Most parrots are vegetarians and only eat seeds, nuts, and fruit, while a few big parrots are omnivores and will eat seeds and also small animals like bugs and mice.


Parrots can live very long, usually longer than dogs and cats. Small parrots usually live up to 20 years, while some types of parrots have been reported to live 80 to 100 years. One of the smallest types of parrots is the Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, which is around 3 inches tall, about half as tall as a pencil. One of the biggest types of parrots is the Hyacinth Macaw which is around 3 feet tall, about half as tall as a mop or broom. Would you like a parrot this big to sit on your shoulder?

 
The Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot (left) and Hyacinth Macaw (right). See how they stand, how their beaks are curved and their claws? These are some ways you can see if the bird is in the parrot family.


Some people love parrots for pets, other people think they are high maintenance and take too much work. Parrots, like Blu in the movie, can learn to love their owners and recognize them from other humans. But parrots need a lot of attention and care. Parrots need to be kept in a parrot bird cage to make sure they don’t fly away or get lost. In their cage they need toys, mirrors, food and water. Parrots are very curious and need to play, swing and peck at things all the time. A parrot bird cage should be at least twice the size of the bird’s wingspan. This means if you had two of the same parrot, put them side by side and told them to spread their wings as far as they can, the cage should be that tall and wide.


It is important to plan where you want to put the cage. It should be away from windows, doors and drafts. It should be in a part of the home where people are a lot, because parrots love people, noise and movement. The parrot cage must be cleaned often and the owner has to make sure there is enough food and clean water all the time.

VORACIOUS VOCABULARY

What did you say? A word of the day! In our story

there are many juicy words that are fun to use and say.

vegetarian: An animal that only eats plant materials like seeds, fruits and nuts.


omnivore: An animal that eats plant materials but also meat.


maintenance: To take care of something very carefully.

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the

details to answer these questions?

1. There are how many types of parrots in the world?


A) less than 10 B) over 300 C) over 1000 D) Only one type.




2. What are two reasons parrots would make good pets?


3. What are two reasons people might not want a parrot as a pet?


4. What are at least 3 things parrots need in their cages and why?


5. If you were in charge of a parrot cage, what are 3 things you would have to make sure of?


Picture credit to: Robert Lobitz at http://birdcages.net

As always, we look forward to the many facts we can share together.

Did you know we have 39 stories? 

Did you know that you can find quick descriptions 

of each story with direct links to the audio files and blog posts? 

Just click on Story Snapshots in the above menu bar (or in this post) 

to begin listening and sharing.  Enjoy!

We would love to see your visual definition of unite. 

Feel free to post it on our Facebook Page or send it to 

nightlightstories@gmail.com so we can post it below.

As always, we look forward to watching the glow 
grow brighter with the many words we can share together.