Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
Storybox Playlist: Stories of Simple Gratitude
We can find things every day to be grateful for — whether it's a hot breakfast, warm snow boots, a beautiful sunset, or even a wonderful laugh.
This Is No Norman Rockwell Holiday
Holidays can be hard. We humans are just so messy. There’s got to be a way to make this easier, right? Keep reading for advice on how best to practice self-care through the sometimes rough holiday season.
Best of Thanksgiving Crafts
This week's crafts are all about gratitude and community. We encourage you to spend time each day this season thinking of little things you are grateful for or helping others. We've rounded up four simple crafts that can be done with materials you have right at home.
Storybox Playlist: Stories of Gratitude When Gathering Together
Thanksgiving — the time of year for gathering with your loved ones. You might cozy up for a small gathering of two or three people or throw the doors open for an enormous gathering of 20 or more. This playlist features a mix of stories that stoke our gratitude for whatever kind of gathering we may encounter.
Sparkle Crafts: Gratitude Leaves
These Gratitude Leaves are a fun and easy way to practice the simple act of writing down on paper the things our whole family are grateful for.
Blessing Bags Project for Kids
For both of these blessing bag projects, we've listed suggestions for involving your kids while also helping fellow humans. Neither is going to save the world, but both are one tiny step towards making it kinder.
Sparkle Crafts: Kindness Coupons
These printable “kindness coupons” are inspired by a Martin & Sylvia story. Perhaps the people at your house might want to practice sharing some kindness, just like Martin and Sylvia!
DIY Family Thanksgiving Book
Our Thanksgiving Book provides a quick, easy-to-keep-up glimpse of our blessings from year to year. If you want to start your own Thanksgiving Book tradition, here's how.
The Power of Simple Kindness
Kindness doesn't need to be in the form of a huge feat that everyone knows about. Instead, it can come by way of small actions that are easily done every day.
Storybox Playlist: Veterans Day
These stories explore patriotism and honor the men and women in uniform.
Four Kindness Crafts for Kids
Sometimes gifts of kindness come in small packages. They don't always have to be big things. We've looked through the Sparkle crafts archives and pulled out crafts that are easy for kids to do on their own (or with minimal help) and which have meaning behind them.
Developing a Festival Life with Susan Weber. SparkleCast Episode 5
In this episode of SparkleCast, Susan, David, and Rebecca talk about how to develop the festival life of your household or classroom by incorporating rhythm and attention to the natural world.
Candle Making for Kids with Jamie Martin
We’ve teamed up with Jamie Martin of Simple Homeschool to provide a simple and easy-to-follow Candle Making Tutorial for Kids so that you can recreate this experience with your own little ones.
Sparkle Craft: Star Jars
These star jars will provoke quiet “oohs” and “ahhs” whenever you switch them on. The initial cutting with a box knife is best done by an adult, but by using a thin, disposable cookie sheet to make the heart of the lantern, a supervised pre-schooler can quickly make a whole galaxy of stars to admire.
Sparkle Craft: Milk Jug Lanterns
Whether you already have a lantern walk tradition or would like to start one, a classic, tissue-paper-covered lantern is a project young and old will enjoy making and using.
Sparkle Craft: DIY Flying Wish Paper
Flying wish paper is delightful! You write your wish on paper that will fly up into the sky, carrying your wish with it.
Sparkle Craft: DIY Japanese Silk Paper Lanterns Post Template
For this fun, hands-on craft, we are joined by Jenn of Maplerose, a Waldorf-inspired Homeschool Supply shop (check it out below!). Follow along as Jenn walks us through the steps for making your own DIY Japanese Silk Paper Lanterns.
Audio Stories to Help Kids Sleep
Sometimes our little ones fight the urge to settle into sleep routines. This can be frustrating for parents to say the least! We’ve gathered some of our best insights, tips, and of course stories to provide some support.
Ideas for Martinmas Celebrations
Explore the enchanting world of Martinmas, where November nights come alive with magic and purpose. Discover the rich history, meaning, and heartwarming traditions of this festival, including lantern walks, inspiring stories, and delightful crafts for celebrating the season of light and compassion.
Unschooling
Jenn Chic from Maplerose teamed up with Sparkle Stories to answer some questions around unschooling and share what it looks like for our family — and what it might look like for yours.
