Episode 65: The Cloud, Chapter 3

Hi All,

Just a reminder that we are recording a novella that Mr. Chris and I wrote. The story, about kids solving a mystery using their technology skills, has twenty-five chapters. We’re putting out each chapter as a separate episode of the podcast.

Last week we brought you Chapter 2, where four friends met up at the school on the first day to meet their new teacher. This week, we’re excited to present Chapter 3 of The Cloud!

Stay well and stay safe!

  

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.

Congestion- To be so crowded with traffic or people that it slows down freedom of movement.

Shepherding- To guide or direct.

Shuffled- Dragging your  feet without lifting them fully from the ground.

Gesture-  A movement of part of the body to express an idea or meaning.

Furrowed-  Tighten in  anxiety, concentration, or disapproval.

                             JUST ADD IMAGINATION! 

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

1. Picture your favorite character in the book. Sketch, draw, paint, sculpt or design the character you envision.
2. There are a few conspiracy theories about what Mr. Brisbane was doing over the summer. Write your own theory that you would add to the stories that have been told!
3. Research some fun Ice Breaker activities for the kids to do with their new classmates while they wait in the gym?

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the 

details to answer these questions?

1. Who wears a bow in their hair every day?

2. What story was more believable of what Mr Brisbane did over the Summer?

3. When did Mr. Brisbane furrow his brow?

4. Where was the large 4 sign hung in the gymnasium?

5. Why do you think Mr. Brisbane gestured for Melvin to sit down?

We Are All In This Together!

A video by Mr. Chris and many friends

We want to send out bright birthday 

wishes to all the birthday in APRIL! 

   We hope your days sparkled!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. CHRIS!

GUESS WHAT? 

IT IS MR.CHRIS' BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Please feel free to leave Mr. Chris a bright birthday wish 

in the comments! I know he would LOVE it! 

Oh, and feel free to guess his age. 

Have you heard all of the stories that Mr. Chris has narrated? 

You can find links to the stories and blogs below! 

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

Sled Ride: (6:06)

A little boy tells of his exciting sled ride down the hill while trying to avoid a collision.

Free audio download: Sled Ride

Blog with activities: Sled Ride

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

The Heebie Jeebies: (6:57)

What goes bump in the night? How do you keep the Heebie Jeebies away, 

especially on Halloween?

Free audio download: The Heebie Jeebies

Blog with activities: The Heebie Jeebies

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 Limerig (4:47)
A limerick for Better Hearing and Speech Month.
Free audio download: The Limerig
Blog with activities: The Limerig

TOE JAM (18:34)
A boy's personal collection grows into something far bigger than himself.
Free audio download:Toe Jam
Blog with activities:Toe Jam


As always, we look forward to the many birthdays we can share together!

SURVEY SAYS?

Our Year in Stories

I was sitting here thinking this morning about our newest story we are writing. Then I remembered today was the last day of 2011. How crazy is that? That got me thinking about which stories filled this year for us. So, I went back to take a look through the blog. I found some other things that we did too!  

We created 39 Lighting the Way With Words, made our second video tutorial,  hosted 2 guest posts on the blog, had 7 creative people record bumpers to kick off our stories, recorded our first monthly segment for the Musing Mommies podcast, and created a resource called "Story Snapshots" on the blog where you could find a short synopsis of each story along with links to the audio and activities.  

To top it off, we wrote and recorded these 13 stories:

The Wrestling Match: (8:13)

Two wrestlers meet in the ring for a re-match!  Who will come out victorious?
Free audio download: The Wrestling Match
Blog with activities: The Wrestling Match

Mojo's Reptile Rescue: (12:12)
Mojo the ferret discovers a new friend in the most unlikely of places.

Free audio download: Mojo's Reptile Rescue
Blog with activities: Mojo's Reptile Rescue

That's Not How Daddy Does It: (10:28)
A rhyming poem where a boy discovers the differences between his parents' styles of play. 
Free audio download: That's Not How Daddy Does It
Blog with activities: That's Not How Daddy Does It

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

Alien Pursuit (11:12)
A family has to figure out how to lose the alien ships hot on their tail on their ride home from the grocery store.
Free audio download: Alien Pursuit
Blog with activities: Alien Pursuit

The Limerig (4:47)
A limerick for Better Hearing and Speech Month.
Free audio download: The Limerig
Blog with activities: The Limerig

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

Eat the Cake (8:06)
A little one has a special request for everyone in attendance at her fourth birthday party. 
Free audio download: Eat the Cake
Blog with Activities: Eat the Cake

A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween (11:17)
A goblin named Glum wants to have a surprise birthday party for his brother Gloom, but every monster he invites already has plans for the evening.
Free audio download: A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween
Blog with activities: A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween

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

Candy Cane Catastrophe (14:56)
Tragedy befalls a boy and his candy cane on a long car drive to Grandma's for the holidays.
Free audio download: Candy Cane Catastrophe
Blog with activities: Candy Cane Catastrophe

We feel so lucky to have such loyal listeners! We are always excited to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your stories with us and our stories with your friends and families. We are looking forward to even more stories, posts and guest bumpers in 2012. Thank you for helping us to keep our imaginations alive! 

As always we look forward to watching the glow 

grow brighter with the many stories, words, posts, 

and resources we can share together.

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 30: Mojo's Reptile Rescue

Click here to listen to: Mojo's Reptile Rescue

Hi All,

Living on a mountain, we are lucky to have a lot of wildlife around us. We often will wake up to find deer chomping on our weeds, frogs croaking in our ponds, and the creek babbling behind our house. Occasionally in our ponds we will have some special visitors, like the box turtle. We enjoy these visits because it gives us the opportunity to observe the animals in their natural habitats and it gives the kids a quick, authentic, science lesson. 

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.

anticipation: realization in advance.
bewilderment: to confuse.
clumsy: awkward in movement or action.

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

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

1.  Create your very own animal riddles. Write down different characteristics of the animal you want to describe and then read them to a family member or friend and see if they can guess. An example would be from our story:This animal is green and can tuck his head and legs in his shell to protect himself.


2. Visit this website about turtles to learn some "fast facts" and find some more kid friendly sites about turtles to explore.


3. Have you heard our other Mojo stories?  

Mojo and the Magic Couch

Mojo Goes Bananas

Mojo's Cousin Trouble

Mojo and the Ear Mites

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

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

1. What type of animal is Lexor?
2. Who gives Lexor the first raisin?
3. How does Mojo fall into the bath tub?
4. Where does Mojo's mom find Lexor?

BRIGHT BIRTHDAY WISHES

We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Christie H. of Philadelphia

Victoria J. of Maryland

Aunt Julie of New York

Mike N. of New York

Luke N. of Virginia

Will D. of Spain

Audrey D. of West Viginia

We hope your day SPARKLED!

As always, we look forward to the many stories we can share together!

A Story About Us

Click here to listen to: Inky's Christmas (our second holiday story)

View the blog post with activities for the story: All Things Inky

Click here to listen to: Chilly's Christmas (our first holiday story)

View the blog post with activities for the story: Chilly's Christmas Activities

Hi All,

We'd like to extend a special welcome to any visitors who heard about us from the article in the Loudoun Independent.  You can find links to all our original stories to the right. We also invite you to subscribe via iTunes. We hope you and your children enjoy the stories. Feel free to contact us by leaving a comment on the blog or at nightlightstories@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at nightlight08, or join our fan page on Facebook at Night Light Stories.

Episode 16: Inky's Christmas

Click here to listen to: Inky's Christmas

Click here to listen to: Chilly's Christmas (our first Christmas story)

Hello All,

Season Greetings! We want to send out our warmest Night Light wishes to you and your family during this holiday season. This time of year, we look forward to a lot of parties, lights, decorations, singing, and presents. There are a lot of different ways to give through the holiday seasons. You can give your time to a worthy cause, collect food, collect toys, even donate a book for children in the hospital. Share with us a way that you have given in this holiday season. We love to hear about how creative and generous our listeners are.

Voracious Vocabulary

Our stories are filled with many illuminating words. Try and use them somewhere in a conversation this week.

festive: joyous

propel: to drive, or cause to move, forward or onward

smithereens: small pieces, bits

All Things Inky

Download the All Things Inky Template (.PDF)

Try any or all of these fun activities with Inky!

1. Color Inky your favorite color using markers, crayons, colored pencils, or any other fun coloring tool you have!

2. Paint or color an ocean scene on a piece of paper and then paste Inky somewhere in your seascape!

3. Design Inky's den for him. Where would his bed be? Would he have a kitchen?

4. Use a crayon and color all of Inky's pieces heavily. Really bear down on the crayon so that you cannot see any white spots. When you are finished, flip the paper over to the side that is not colored. Dribble a little vegetable oil on a paper towel and spread it across the paper. Check out the cool effect you've create! Hang Inky on the tree or in the window to create a sun catcher.

5. Practice your counting, addition, subtraction and/or multiplication with Inky! Print out the Head, Arms, and Suction Cup templates. Attach all 8 arms to Inky's head. Cut out all the suction cups. Move them around each tentacle and add them up or take some away.

6. Place as many suction cups as you want on each tentacle and count them up. You can practice counting by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, or even 10's!

7. Practice your multiplication facts! Place 6 suction cups on all 8 arms and see how many you get? Take them off and place 3 on each arm. How many do you have now?

8. Create a pattern with Inky's tentacles, such as red, green, red, green. If you are a little more daring, use the suction cup template and see how detailed you can make your patterns on his tentacles.

9. Decorate Inky as festive as you can for the holiday season using things around the ocean.

10. Design your very own Inky, Shark, Jellyfish, and Eel. The possiblilities are endless!

Once you've finished your project, take a picture and send it to us at nightlightstories@gmail.com. We'll post it up in our Fan Art section so you can share it with the world! Who knows? Your work of art might just inspire someone else!

Have fun and enjoy!

JUST ADD IMAGINATION

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

1. Create a holiday scene using the ocean theme. How many things in the ocean can you find to mimic decorations on land?

2. Write a letter to Inky sharing some ideas with him on how you think he could control his inking.

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

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

1. List 2 things that Inky worries about throughout the story.

2. How did he plan on not inking at Shark's Shindig? At Jellyfish's Jamboree?

3. Were his friends angry with him like he thought they would be? How did he know?

BRIGHT BIRTHDAY WISHES
We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Papa G of Massachusetts

Uncle Markie of Massachusetts

Shawn D

Nonni B of New York

Cavin D of West Virginia

We hope your day SPARKLED!

If you know someone who has a birthday coming up and you'd like to send them a Night Light Birthday wish, send us an email at nightlightstories@gmail.com.Please send us your loved one's first name and the first initial of their last name only and we'll pass along the birthday wish.

There are no age limits!

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