PODCAST UPDATE

The Night Light Stories Household has been busy. This Spring and Summer we packed up and moved to a new house. Before we knew it, the Summer was gone and the school bell was ringing. 

Due to all of this excitement, we're going to be on hiatus. We will be back as soon as possible with new content for your listening pleasure. 

Welcome back to school to all of our listeners! 

Terrapene Ornata Part 3

Click here to listen to: Terrapene Ornata, Part 3 (35:23)

During the summer before his fifth grade school year, Haver Hawkings sets out to find all 21 geocaches hidden by an expert named Babatoochee. Having found 20 of the 21 caches, Haver searches for the final one hoping it will be the secret that unlocks the entire mystery. 

Hi All,

We want to thank our sponsor this week, Bags By Betty. Betty's creations are beautifully unique works of art that have a practical purpose. Browse her online store at bit.ly/bagsbybetty to see samples of all her fabulous creations and like her Facebook page at facebook.com/bagsbybetty54 .

Check out the magic she worked on Mr. Chris' old Buffalo Bill's jersey. 

If you remember from the last episode, we had mentioned that Terrapene Ornata, Parts 1 and 2 are the next installments of the Pogona Vitticeps series. They’re stand alone stories and you don’t NEED to have listened to the Pogona Vitticeps stories before listening to these two, but it does add a little something extra magical to the experience if you listen to those first.

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 (16:00)

Strange images seemingly appear out of nowhere when Vivien 

spends time with a special animal. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 (23:45)

Amidst tragedy, Vivien learns the secret behind her visions 

and discovers she has a difficult decision to make. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Terrapene Ornata, Part 1 (19:30)

Haver Hawkings loves geography and maps but hates getting dirty. 

When his teacher introduces him to a global hobby called Geocaching, 

Haver learns there's a world of hidden objects for him to discover.

Free audio download: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

Blog with activities: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

Terrapene Ornata, Part 2 (16:18)

Haver, a bit of a neat freak, heads out to find the first of the 21 caches hidden by expert geocacher, Babatoochee. Unfortunately for Haver, obtaining the cache isn't as 

easy as he had hoped.

Free audio download: Terrapene Ornata, Part 2

Blog with activities: Terrapene Ornata, Part 2 

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.

acquisition: the act of gaining possession 

hoist: to raise or lift.

obstacle: something that obstructs or hinders progress.

silt earthly matter, fine sand.

squelch: to make a splashing sound.

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing

after hearing the story.

1. Locate scientific names for different animals. Make a matching game with a picture of the animal on one card and their scientific name on the other using the collage option at http://picmonkey.com. In your family see who can match them all correctly!

2. Name the world that Haver sees through the back of the metal turtle (Hint: You need to listen to Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 to know the name). 

3. Step out of your comfort zone and get messy by making this Paper Mache Patchwork Turtle. 

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the

details to answer these questions?

1. Who asked the question that gave Haver the idea about how to organize the messages within the caches?

2. When did Haver begin his search for Babatoochee's caches? 

3. Where did Haver have to reach his hand to retrieve the last cache? 

4. Why didn't Haver quit after realizing what he was looking for?

5. What did Haver see when he looked into the open back of the metal turtle?

Bella K of Maine

Morgan of Virginia

Hayden of Virginia

Landon of Virginia

Liv of Ohio

Kai of New Hampshire

* * * * * * * * * *

Did you know...our fully illustrated version of Dragonfly, Dragonfly
Show Us The Way is now available in English and Spanish as an in-app purchase from the Flying Books app. It is available for download 

on your iPhone or iPad. 

Illustration by Reg Silva

Springing into Stories

Spring has not fully sprung, but it's well on its way. To help it along, I thought we'd post some of our stories that remind us of new adventures, taking in all the new life around us and enjoying the turn of the seasons. Won't you join us? 

The Walk: (11:46)

A description from a little boy of all the sights he sees on a walk with his family.

Free audio download: The Walk

Blog with activities: The Walk

The Hike: (13:26)

The sequel to "The Walk" describes the boy's adventures he has on a hike with his family.

Free audio download: The Hike

Blog with activities: The Hike

Pedal Power (14:21)

While learning to ride a bike, a boy learns perseverance breeds confidence.

Free audio download: Pedal Power

Blog with activities: Pedal Power 

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

The Farm Girl and the Feather (22:59)

A fairy tale that proves warriors and their weapons come in different shapes and sizes.

Free audio download: The Farm Girl and the Feather

Blog with activities: The Farm Girl and the Feather

Mojo's Outdoor Adventure (17:01)

Mojo the ferret takes an unexpected trip outside but will he be able to find a way back in?

Free audio download: Mojo's Outdoor Adventure

Blog with activities: Mojo's Outdoor Adventure

The Turns of the Seasons (13:58)

One by one, the seasons take turns impacting people's lives. 

Free audio download: The Turns of the Seasons

Blog with activities: The Turns of the Seasons

CATCH THE IRISH FEVER

Hi All,

Are you ready for St. Patrick's Day? We are! Our leprechaun trap is set and ready to see if we can capture one of those lucky, green lads tonight. Did you make a leprechaun trap? We'd love to see it. Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page. 

To pass the time while you're waiting, you can check out our leprechaun trap below AND listen to five of our stories that have a leprechaun as a character. We wish you luck tonight! 

Sláinte

Red vs. Green: (22:21)

When a team of Christmas elves goes against a team of 

St. Patrick's Day leprechauns in the Holiday 

Hockey Winter Classic, who will win?

Free audio download: Red vs. Green

Blog with activities: Red vs. Green

The Leprechaun Trap (6:35)

Two leprechauns are caught in a leprechaun trap and try to find 

different ways to escape.

Free audio download: The Leprechaun Trap

Blog with activities: The Leprechaun Trap

The Spelling Bee (19:01)

A boy prepares for his shot at taking home the spelling bee 

championship. Will he succeed? 

Free audio download: The Spelling Bee

Blog with activities: The Spelling Bee

Clementine's Big Mess (16:05)

Clementine the cupid has lost his magical quiver. 

Can his friends help him find it?

Free audio download: Clementine's Big Mess

Blog with activities: Clementine's Big Mess

A Letter from a Leprechaun (5:30)

A reading of a letter written by Seamus the leprechaun

 detailing how he escaped a leprechaun trap. 

Free audio download: A Letter from a Leprechaun

Blog with activities: A Letter from a Leprechaun

Terrapene Ornata, Part 2

Click here to listen to: Terrapene Ornata, Part 2 (16:18)

Haver, a bit of a neat freak, heads out to find the first of the 21 caches hidden by expert geocacher, Babatoochee. Unfortunately for Haver, obtaining the cache isn't as easy as he had hoped. 

Hi All,

We'd like to send out a special thanks to our friend, Sophie, from The Oh Beep! Geocaching podcast. The Oh Beep! Geocaching podcast is a family friendly show that covers news, events and discusses topics related to geocaching. You can find them at the links below:

The Oh Beep! Geocaching website

Oh Beep! on Twitter

Oh Beep! on Facebook

Oh Beep! on Pinterest

Oh Beep! on Instagram

Oh Beep! on iTunes

If you remember from the last episode, we had mentioned that Terrapene Ornata, Parts 1 and 2 are the next installments of the Pogona Vitticeps series. They’re stand alone stories and you don’t NEED to have listened to the Pogona Vitticeps stories before listening to these two, but it does add a little something extra magical to the experience if you listen to those first.

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 (16:00)

Strange images seemingly appear out of nowhere when Vivien 

spends time with a special animal. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 (23:45)

Amidst tragedy, Vivien learns the secret behind her visions 

and discovers she has a difficult decision to make. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Terrapene Ornata, Part 1 (19:30)

Haver Hawkings loves geography and maps but hates getting dirty. 

When his teacher introduces him to a global hobby called Geocaching, 

Haver learns there's a world of hidden objects for him to discover.

Free audio download: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

Blog with activities: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

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.

chlorophyll: the green coloring matter of leaves and plants.

device: a thing made for a practical purpose

gnarly: (of trees) full of or covered with knotty protuberances or knots.

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing

after hearing the story.

1. Haver came upon a riddle that Babatoochee left as a hint. Work to solve even more riddles on this interactive riddle website.

2. Interested in Geocaching? Listen to The Oh Beep! Geocaching podcast to learn some tips and tricks of getting started!

3. Plan out a map of "practice" caches that you could place around your yard or home.

4. Haver likes to be clean. Help your parents clean the bathroom or kitchen using disinfectant wipes just like Haver!

5. At the end Haver discovers a QR (Quick Response) code. If you have a device, scan the code below to see what happens! Do your own treasure hunt trying to locate other QR codes placed on products around your house.

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the

details to answer these questions?

1. Who hid 21 caches that no one has been able to find?

2. When (what season) did Haver look for Babatoochee's 21 caches? 

3. Where was the eleventh cache located? 

4. Why did Haver need to get the silver key out of the blob of sap?

5. What words popped out at Haver that made him click "yes" at the end of the story?

Will D of Texas

Aunt Julie of New York

Drew from Colorado

Stephen from Colorado

Ms. Sally of Virginia

Did you know...our fully illustrated version of Dragonfly, Dragonfly
Show Us The Way is now available in English and Spanish as an in-app purchase from the Flying Books app. It is available for download 

on your iPhone or iPad. 

Illustration by Reg Silva

TEDx : Disability-Led Innovations for the Masses

This Fall, Mr. Chris was invited to speak at a Tedx Talk. He brainstormed ideas, wrote a script and practiced it in our living room over and over again in front of his biggest fans (me and the kids).The day of the talk came and I could not have been more proud. All of his hard work paid off as he took the stage. You can watch for yourself in the following clip. Oh! And don't forget to turn on the captions!

Disability-Led Innovations for the Masses

by Chris Bugaj

BRING IT WITH ZAMZEE

Our family is currently working together to achieve a common goal. It actually started about a year and a half ago with a fantastic product called Zamzee.  Zamzee is a meter that measures activity and makes moving fun. The Zamzee website provides different challenges where you can "BRING IT." Each challenge is set by time, pointz and zams. Zams are the currency that allow you to earn prizes from their site for being active. It's as easy as that. There are a variety of different challenges that you can choose from to cater to your pace and level of activity for the day.  

In order to earn something we all want from the site, our family motivates each other to keep on moving. How are we doing it during these crazy, snowy, winter months? We've been having dance parties in the kitchen, playing soccer in our basement and jumping along to some workout videos. But, as you know from our stories below, we are counting down the minutes until we can go for our usual walks around the mountain, bike rides through the park and hikes along the Appalachian Trail. 

The Walk: (11:46)

A description from a little boy of all the sights he sees on 
a walk with his family.

Free audio download: The Walk

Blog with activities: The Walk

The Hike: (13:26)

The sequel to "The Walk" describes the boy's adventures 
he has on a hike with his family.

Free audio download: The Hike

Blog with activities: The Hike

Pedal Power (14:21)

While learning to ride a bike, a boy learns perseverance 
breeds confidence.

Free audio download: Pedal Power

Blog with activities: Pedal Power 

And you can be sure when the first warm day hits,  we'll be 

carrying along our Zamzee meters with us.  

BUT WAIT! ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU GO! 

ZAMZEE IS GIVING ME A METER 

TO GIVE AWAY! 

Simply enter in the Rafflecopter 

below for a chance to win. 

Deadline is February 7th, 2014.

Good luck, guys! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

Click here to listen to: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1 (19:30)

Haver Hawkings loves geography and maps, but hates getting dirty. When his teacher introduces him to a global hobby called Geocaching, Haver learns there's a world of hidden objects for him to discover.

Note: This story is the next part in the series started in Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 and Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2. Although this story stands alone, some listeners might enjoy contemplating how the two stories might connect. 

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 (16:00)

Strange images seemingly appear out of nowhere when Vivien 

spends time with a special animal. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 (23:45)

Admist tradgedy, Vivien learns the secret behind her visions 

and discovers she has a difficult decision to make. 

Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

We'd like to send out a special thanks to Ryobi for sponsoring this episode. Click on the image below to enter their January Project Challenge. "Anything is possible if you have the right tools!" 

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.

amateur: a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity.  

cache: a hiding place, especially one in the ground, for treasures. 

geocaching: the outdoor game or sport of searching for hidden objects by using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates posted on the Internet.

gossamer: a fine, filmy cobweb.

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing

after hearing the story.

1. Haver finds different geocaching names such as, HideyBone, Looking4TubsInAllTheWrongPlaces, SeekNFind79, and GeoGeorge. What would your Geocaching name be? Share with us in the comments.

2. Interested in Geocaching? This article, called "Geocaching with Kids" is a great place to start to learn the basics of the hunt. 

3. Find out if there are Geocaches near your neck of the woods at the Official Geocaching website.

4. Summarize one of the scenes in the story by creating a comic strip at Bitstrips. Send us your finished product to nightlightstories@gmail.com.   

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the

details to answer these questions?

1. Who was running the Geocaching activity at school?

2. What does Haver do when he finds the first cache at school?

3. Where was the second cache at school hidden? 

4. Why did Haver decide to take pictures of the caches as documentation?

5. How did Haver manage to lose even though he was the first one to finish finding all of the caches?

Robert of Virginia
Lily of West Virginia
Taylor the Teenager of Georgia
Reagan of Kentucky
Heidi of South Dakota

Anna of Pennsylvania

Camden of Maryland

Papa of Massachusetts

Uncle Mark of Massachusetts

Maggie of the Night Light Stories Household

Mr. Chris of the Night Light Stories Household

Did you know...our fully illustrated version of Dragonfly, Dragonfly
Show Us The Way is now available in English and Spanish as an in-app purchase from the Flying Books app. It is available for download 

on your iPhone or iPad. 

Illustration by Reg Silva