Welcome to Sparkle Stories
Creating Holiday MagicMartin & Sylvia's Audio Advent Calendar
Follow the 25 magical days of Advent with Martin and Sylvia! From the playhouse to the library, from the Webers' restaurant to the Spunderful Shop, you can spend all of December with the delightful brother and sister as they follow their own Advent adventure.
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Over five-and-a-half hours of audio.
Your Monthly Guide to Sparkle AdventuresMonthly Picks for Stories and Activities
Part One: Two Magic Words This Week's Free Story!
Get Inspired!Sparkle Stories for Creating Holiday Magic
Crafting the Holidays! Waxed Leaf Garland
DIY Delights for the Festive SeasonA Season of Handmade Wonders
Sparkle Craft: Vintage Christmas Songbook
Made from a vintage book and my pile of old Christmas cards, this kid-friendly holiday craft is meant to be added to and cherished year after year.
Sparkle Craft: Snowman Mug Buddies
Is there snow where you are? Whether or not you are surrounded by wintry white, these mug buddies are a festive way to celebrate the winter season.
Sparkle Crafts: Sparkling Fruit Ornaments
Citrus is always a festive treat in our Christmas stockings, so why not in our tree, too? When sliced to reveal the jewel-toned inner flesh, citrus is a piece of art.
Nature School Project: Making a Stick Friend
For this Nature School Project we learn to make stick friends, inspired by the Martin & Sylvia Nature School story, "Out in the Sticks."
Sparkle Craft: Stitched Snowflakes and Cranberry Garlands
Craft your own handmade cranberry garland using berries and wheat-O's. And with some simple materials – a bit of yarn, some recycled cardboard – you can make your own snowflakes that stick around even if there’s none out your door.
Sparkle Craft: Octopus Dog Toy
This Dog Toy craft is fun and inexpensive —all you need is tennis ball and an old shirt. Plus it's no-sew, which makes it a great project for kids to do themselves.
Martin & Sylvia's: Saturdays! Printable Project Page: Pet Portraits
Here are some of Sylvia’s drawings of her pets, plus a few beloved insects. And here is a space for you to draw a portrait of your pets or beloved animals or insects!
Candy Cane Ornament Sewing Activity for Kids with Frontier Dreams
In our newest Martin & Sylvia: Learning Days story, “A Handwork Moment”, there’s just so much to do this holiday season that it’s making everyone fuzzy-headed. Momma notices the children’s fidgety hands. What they need is an afternoon of soothing handwork: knitting, crocheting, and sewing!
Sparkle Craft: Woodblock Menorah
This week's craft is a woodblock child's menorah that can be made with a few simple materials from your local craft and hardware stores.
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.
Printable Holiday Postcards: "It's a Martian Holiday!" Advent Activities
In each of the twenty-five stories of our newest audio Advent Calendar, "It's a Martian Holiday!", Johnny Boy writes a postcard to his friend Allison. We've got all twenty-five printable holiday postcards ready for you to download and share.
Twenty-Five Stories for DecemberWhich Audio Advent Calendar will you enjoy?
Delicious HolidayFamily Kitchen Time
Sparkle Kitchen: Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Homemade hot chocolate is a soothing comfort that will help with both literal and figurative winter chills, but the logistics of delivering it can be difficult. These hot chocolates on a stick let you share all the love of hot chocolate with your friends and family — but without sloshing it all over your lap on the way.
Sparkle Kitchen: Maple Syrup Candy
Even if you don’t have a maple tree to tap or, like me, your climate isn’t right for the sap to really flow, you can still get in on the fun of sugaring season by making maple syrup candy. You’ll only need three ingredients: pure maple syrup, butter, and a patch of clean snow.
Sparkle Craft: Snow Crystal Flowers
Try this fun, kid-friendly science project to capture some fairy magic! The project below uses a borax and hot water suspension to turn flowers into crystal covered specimens.
Sparkle Kitchen: Cinnamon Honey Snowflakes
These cinnamon and honey “snowflakes” — cut from regular tortillas — are not only appropriate for the season, they’ll leave your kitchen smelling warm and cozy, too.
Sparkle Kitchen: Glass Star Cookies
They’re made with regular sugar cookie dough—there’s a recipe below, but feel free to substitute your own, or even store bought. To make the “glass” you crush hard candies, like Lifesavers, and spoon them into the middle about halfway through baking.
Sparkle Kitchen: Struffoli
Like Daddy, I love all of the seasonal stories that families tell as the calendar is bombarded with holidays of light and love at the end of the year. One of my newly discovered favorites is the tale of Old Befana.
Sparkle Kitchen: “Small Batch” Gingerbread Cookies
Do you like gingerbread cookies? Here's a handy, time-saving recipe for making small batch gingerbread cookies (by freezing the dough ahead of time!). This way, you can enjoy the yummy treats, just like Martin & Sylvia do in Day 6 of Martin & Sylvia's Audio Advent Calendar, without having to brave the grand, sticky process.
Sparkle Kitchen: Blueberry Buccellati
Buccellati are a traditional Christmas cookie from Sicily. A made-from-scratch cousin of Fig Newtons, these cookies are filled with a paste of figs, nuts, and spices, then cut into interesting shapes to expose their jewel-like filling.
Our Newest Collection!Sparkle Sleepytime - en español
Ya sea durante los largos y activos días del verano o los más cortos y ajetreados días del invierno, a veces nuestros pequeños necesitan ayuda para bajar el ritmo. Las historias de Sparkle Sleepytime son sencillas, suaves y lentas, contadas con el objetivo de dar la bienvenida a los pequeños y mayores a un momento de descanso o de sueño. Cada cuento presenta a un adorable animalito en una dulce aventura, y todos terminan con los animales acurrucándose en sus madrigueras, nidos o camas de plumas, listos para cerrar los ojos y quedarse dormidos. Esta serie es perfecta para la hora de la siesta, los ratos de tranquilidad y la hora de dormir, o para cualquier momento en el que desees una historia particularmente tranquila y relajante para tus pequeños.
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