Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
Storybox Playlist: Stories of Sibling Rivalry
This week's playlist — though titled "Sibling Rivalry" — is a potpourri of conflict resolution, tolerance, empathy, boundaries, clear communication and acceptance of our little sisters, big brothers and every other iteration of our primary relationships: our siblings.
Friday's Kind Words: An Abiding Love for Your Work
We want you to know that we strongly feel that your "Violet Crown" series is worthy of a book and a movie.- Colleen
Nature School Project: Evergreen Paint Brushes
Making evergreen brushes like Sylvia and Sofia is just as easy as it sounds. You'll want to collect three or four different types of evergreens to make these paint brushes. We used juniper, ponderosa, pinion pine. Take a walk around your neighborhood and see what you can find!
Sparkle Kitchen: Rosemary Spiced Nuts
Roasted, seasoned nuts make for a satisfying, crunchy snack for the whole family, but store-bought varieties can be too salty. You can roast your own, of course, but—in the past—I've had a lot of trouble getting seasonings to really stick to homemade roasted nuts. Until I learned a clever trick—use frothed egg whites!
Storybox Playlist: Tales About Strong Girls
This week we are honoring stories of girls who are go-getters, idea makers, courageous, brave in the face of adversity and kind. We believe that every girl has a strong girl in her and we hope these stories will inspire the strong girl in your Sparkle Family.
Friday's Kind Words: Opening Windows of Magical Worlds
My husband, a pediatric surgeon, who often has to grab sleep whenever it is possible, has told me that he often puts on a sparkle sleepy time as he's laying down in a call room! ~Melissa
Nature School Project: Ice and Heat Experiment
We are joined by Dawn of Mud Puddles to Meteors who shares with us an ice melting experiment
Exploring the Dry Gables Series - "Seamus O'Conner: Dry Gables School Teacher"
In this post, we go deep sea diving into the realms of beauty, depth, longing, intuition, creativity and imagination. And it is here that we will meet Ernst Bernard’s beloved teacher, Mr. Seamus O’Conner.
Sparkle Kitchen: Shrimp and Grits
This week's recipe, shrimp and grits, is inspired by Clancy's trip to cajun country. This simple version of the classic dish is great for kiddos, who might be adverse to spicer flavors.
Storybox Playlist: Stories for the Sensitive Child
We wish to honor those children who find situations and encounters a little more intimidating than others. With these stories, we hope to soothe that bring comfort to those children who feel just a little more intensely than others.
Friday's Kind Words: Finding Easy Access Roads
I can't tell you the worth your stories have in our family's day to day life and even in our special moments as we celebrate our specialness as a family. ~Cynthia
Nature School Project- Elderberry Syrup
One of the best cold remedies I know of, for children and adults, is elderberry syrup. Use this fun and easy tutorial to learn to make your own!
The First Sparkle App Update is Live!
This App Update is for bug fixes and stability improvements - for issues reported before December 18, 2015.
Sparkle Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
There is nothing like a good hunk of chocolate chip banana bread for sharing with friends. It may not quite be “cake”, but it's close enough. Old friends, new friends, new friends who have now become old friends —I can't count the acquaintances we've made and rekindled with the help of this recipe.
Storybox Playlist: In Honor of Martin Luther King — Stories of Civil Rights
Each January 18th here in the US, we honor the memory of the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He worked tirelessly during the 1960's to bring change and create equal rights for the African American citizens of this nation. He was and still is a hero to many and for that we honor him this week with stories about civil rights.
Friday's Kind Words: Try It!
For anyone wondering if it’s right for their family, I say TRY IT! We have loved Sparkle Stories for over a year now and can’t imagine life without them anymore. -Noreen
Nature School Project: Tree Buds
When we see trees with budding branches, it is often spring that comes to mind. But if you look past the showy and colorful leaves of autumn, you may find something surprising waiting among them: trees begin their preparation for their spring showing of buds and blossoms many months ahead of time.
Sparkle Kitchen: Cloudberry Cream
They're real, but rare—a golden-colored, arctic berry that is mostly wild and only grows a few months of the year. They taste like raspberries but less brazen, and with a hint of something wine-like. If you can't find fresh, luckily, jam works just as well for one of the most traditional uses for cloudberries—cloudberry cream.
Nature School Project: Tracking
Learning to find tracks is a great way to deepen your connection to nature and hone observation skills. Use this Nature School Project Tutorial to find out how!
Nature School Project: Snow Candles
What better way to celebrate the winter than to make snow candles? All you need is beeswax, some candle wick, popsicle sticks and some snow.
