Thursday, June 21, 2012

LIGHTING THE WAY WITH WORDS

The Watermelon Seed: (10:18)

A little boy and his grandmother exchange letters 
describing the different changes he is seeing in his 
mom after she swallows a watermelon seed.

Free audio download: The Watermelon Seed

Blog with activities: The Watermelon Seed




Summer time is in full swing here in the Night Light Stories household. We have been hiking, swimming, and catching tadpoles in our pond. We observed our tadpoles everyday and watched their arms and legs develop. Recently, their tails have shrunk officially turning them into frogs. Now they don't need to be underwater constantly like when they were tadpoles, but they do like to try out their new legs by jumping from the rocks and branches we have put in the aquarium, as well as jumping in the water for a refreshing swim. 

Have you been swimming this summer? We'd love to see your pictures! Send them to us at nightlightstories@gmail.com or post them on our Facebook Page. As always, we look forward to the many summer activities and words we can share together! 



Thursday, June 14, 2012

LIGHTING THE WAY WITH WORDS

Have you heard our latest story? 

Everything In This Story Stinks! (16:57)
Come along on a tour of the exhibits featured in the 
Museum of Malodorous Art.
Free audio download: Everything In This Story Stinks!
Blog with activities: Everything In This Story Stinks!


Have you seen our other words that begin with 'T'?


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Episode 47: Everything In This Story Stinks!


Click the link to listen to:
 Everything In This Story Stinks!

Hi All,

Just like there are all kinds of different people in this world, there are all sorts of varied smells. Some smells are sweet, like ripe strawberries. Other smells are disgusting, like a bag of old trash. My favorite smell is that of the fallen leaves blowing in the air on a crisp Autumn day. What are some smells that bring a smile to your face? 



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.


bombard: to attack with persistence.
concoction: mixture, melody, blend.
congeal: to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state.
exhibit: to place on show.
malodorous:having an unpleasant or offensive odor.
tussle: a rough physical contest or struggle.

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!
Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing
after hearing the story.


1. Create your own smelly concoction.
2. Take a picture of your nose and post it on our Facebook page! How many noses can we get pictures of? Let’s make it a summer challenge shall we?


3. Make a list of words that are synonyms for the word "stink".
4. Make a list of words that are antonyms for the word "stink".
5. Write a poem about something that stinks. Send it to us at nightlightstories@gmail.com. Remember, there are all different ways to write poetry. Click here for a site that explains the different forms of poetry you could use.

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

1. Who is the tour guide in the story?
2. What were the "SD glasses" used for? 
3. When did you visit the pig farm? Was it before or after the schooner? 
4. Where did the wet dog and skunk have a tussle?
5. Why did the visitors have a break in between each exhibit?



We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Amy L of Pennsylvania
Alex of West Virginia
Aunt Sue of New York
Vicki of New York
Leila of California
Oliver of California
Sam of Massachusetts
John D of Texas
Amanda R of Texas
Auntie Kerry of Massachusetts
We hope your days SPARKLED!

LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH NIGHT LIGHT STORIES
Recently, we were asked by a local PTA to read one of our stories live at an after-school event they have called "Bedtime Stories". All of the students dressed in pajamas and went from classroom to classroom listening to a book that was read by a volunteer parent. They ended the night by joining Mr. Chris and I in the gym while we told our story "The Walk". Of course, we actually had them take a walk with us around the gym spotting the different things from our story that we had hung on the walls. It was a blast.