Sparkle Schoolhouse
The Story is Only the Beginning! With the inspiration of each Sparkle Story as a beginning, the corresponding Sparkle Schoolhouse lesson continues the journey with wholesome enrichment, inspired tutorials and a welcoming community for our homeschooling Sparkle Parents, Adults, Teachers and Children.
Our Favorite Online Homeschool Resources
Happily, homeschool resources have expanded immensely over the past several years and can offer counsel and direction for both new and seasoned homeschoolers. Here are some online and offline resources to help inspire and guide you if you are thinking about trying or are already in the thick of homeschooling.
Free Homeschool Printables (and audio stories to go along!)
Did you know that our audio stories also make a great companion for homeschool support? Not only that, but we’ve got some wonderfully helpful resources right on the Sparkle Blog to make it even easier to incorporate story time into learning. We’ve gathered some of our favorites below.
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.
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.
Bulb Planting for Kids
For this week’s newest Martin & Sylvia story, we’ve partnered with Lusa Organics to bring you a special treat! Unlike spring-time gardening, there is a delayed payoff when planting bulbs in the fall. This is a great hands-on opportunity to teach kids about patience and staying the course while also connecting with nature.
Featured Stories: Stories about Learning at Home
This week we've gathered a playlist of entirely free stories about learning at home. Whether it's dedicated homeschooling or just curiosity-driven afternoons in the backyard, these stories will have your kids inspired to explore and create.
Parent Cheat Sheet: Castlechanter Fairy Advent Activities
Use this parent cheat sheet to help you navigate the stories with activities that relate to each story. In this cheat sheet, we’ve given you a timeline so you can be prepared with a recipe, craft, or fun idea in advance.
Sparkle Resources for Weathering Covid-19
As part of our theme this week of keeping your family healthy, we've gathered up all of our Covid19 posts in one place for easy access. We hope you find these helpful for not only your physical health, but mental and emotional health as well. Be well Sparklers!
Sparkle Homeschool Round Up: All Our Posts in One Place
Is your family considering homeschooling this year? If so, that's great! We have lots of support and encouragement for you. Here at Sparkle we love homeschooling (and schools too) and have created a whole world around learning in alternative ways....
Questions for the Sparkle Artist
Did you know all of our Sparkle graphics were drawn by David? He is not just an artist of words, but a maker of images as well!
Body-Based Ideas to Offset a Life in Lockdown
Even though our minds understand why we are at home, why we are separated from other people, and why we are wearing masks, our bodies struggle to make sense of it all...
Dory Horde Crib Sheet
Have you ever met a large family and couldn't quite remember all their names? I have a friend with 5 boys all with unique names just like the Dory Horde; and it took me quite awhile until I got to know them individually to remember their names...
"Homeschooling, I Could Never Do That" : Tips for Parents with Kids at Home from School
If you don’t homeschool and have never thought about homeschooling, the idea of taking charge of your child's education might seem hugely daunting. I’m here to tell you — you’ve got this.
Halloween Round Up Extravaganza!
Here at Sparkle we take Halloween very seriously — meaning we put on silly wigs, big glasses, Halloween capes, and magic crowns. We make delicious treats and fun decorations.
Managing Anxiety with Renee Jain, SparkleCast Episode 3
In this episode of SparkleCast, Renee, David, and Rebecca discuss how storytelling can not only change perspectives but also help children face fears, dismantle panic and undo patterns of anxiety.
The Strengths of the Windward Pirate Girls
When we first started visioning the Windward Ho! series, we discussed in depth the importance of telling stories about strong girls. And not just strong in one way – but strong in a wide variety of ways. We want the girls of our world to know that they can be confident and kind, thoughtful and analytical, spirited and gentle.
Meet Ben Thompson!
The adventures of Ben Thompson are often at the center of the Junkyard Tales stories. A clever and world-savvy cat, he is friend to all in the Junkyard. He is always ready to share an adventure or pull together a group for some community fun.
Meet Libby!
This is Libby. She is a fantastic kid whom we know you'll love. Through her stories, she teaches us all about big feelings and how to navigate them. Below are some things we thought would be helpful as you get to know her better.
Sparkle Team's Favorite Reads for Kids
We've compiled a list of books that our Sparkle team has read to their children or that their children are reading. It's broken down into three age brackets to help you decide what books might be work best for your family — but don't hesitate to break free of the mold if you'd like!
The Ultimate Sparkle Back-to-School Tool Kit
Darn — the lazy days of summer are over. But don't let that get you down! With school starting again, we've rounded up all of our best back-to-school content in one place.
