ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Vooks Storybooks Read Aloud Kids Book + Arts & Crafts Activity: Sweet Dreams, Sarah!
Hello, friends! Welcome to Camp Book! I’m Camp Counselor Janae, and we’re already in week five. Can you believe it? We’ve had so much fun making paper airplanes and earning our STEM badges. This week, we’re dreaming big, and after today’s story and activity, you’ll earn your Dream Big badge!
We’ve read some amazing books this week, like “Party Nazari’s Fantastic Future,” “Dream Big,” “Willa and the Wind,” and “The Boy Who Grew a Forest.” Each story teaches us to dream big and never give up. I’d love to know what your big dream is! Ask a grown-up to help you share it with us in the comments.
Today, we’re going to read about someone who dreamed big and made her dreams come true. Let’s enjoy the story “Sweet Dreams, Sarah” together and find out what her big dream was.
Before we start, let’s gather our supplies for a fun craft. You’ll need glue or tape, scissors, coloring utensils, and a special bed template. Ready? Let’s dive into the story!
Before the Civil War, Sarah was a slave and had to obey her owner. But she always dreamed of a different life—a life with a family and a job she loved. Her father was a carpenter, and she wanted to build things too.
When a new law freed the slaves, Sarah moved to Chicago with dreams in her heart. She married a kind builder named Archibald Good, started a family, and saved money to open her own furniture store.
Sarah noticed that many families lived in small apartments and needed space-saving furniture. She had a brilliant idea to create a bed that folded up when not in use. After many tries, she invented a cabinet bed that worked perfectly!
Sarah worked hard to get a patent to protect her invention. After a year, she finally got it! She had built more than just furniture; she had built a life where her dreams could come true.
Now, let’s make our own miniature bed! First, color and cut out the bed, bed sheet, and child template. If you need help with scissors, ask a grown-up for assistance.
Next, fold the sheet template on the dotted lines and tape or glue the flaps onto the back of your bed. Place your child template inside the pocket of your bed. Sweet dreams, little one!
Great job, everyone! You’ve completed the activity for week five of Camp Book and earned your Dream Big badge. We’d love to see your creations, so with a grown-up’s help, share your badge and activities with us on social media by tagging Camp Book.
If you enjoyed these activities, check out more at books.com/resources. Thanks for joining us, and see you next week for our Friendship badge!
Bye!
Design Your Own Invention: Just like Sarah invented a cabinet bed, think about something you would like to invent. Draw a picture of your invention and describe what it does. How would it help people in their everyday lives? Share your drawing and ideas with your family or friends and ask them what they think!
Space-Saving Challenge: Look around your home and find a place where you think space could be used more efficiently. With the help of a grown-up, try to rearrange or organize that space. For example, you could organize a bookshelf or a toy box. How does it feel to have more space? Discuss with your family how organizing can help in daily life.
Dream Big Journal: Start a “Dream Big” journal where you can write or draw about your dreams and goals. What do you want to be when you grow up? What are some things you would like to learn or try? Every week, add a new entry to your journal and talk about it with someone you trust. How can you work towards making your dreams come true?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any sensitive or inappropriate content while maintaining the essence of the message:
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[Music] Hello campers and welcome to week five of Camp Book! I’m Camp Counselor Janae, and I can’t believe we have already made it to week five—just one more week to go! Those paper airplanes and STEM badges were fantastic. This week was all about dreaming big, and after today’s read-along and activity, you’ll be able to receive your Dream Big badge.
We have just one more week of Camp Book after this week, so keep following along to collect all six badges! The books for week five of Camp Book included “Party Nazari’s Fantastic Future,” “Dream Big,” “Willa and the Wind,” and “The Boy Who Grew a Forest.” Party Nazari had many dreams of what she wanted to be when she grew up. The caterpillar in “Dream Big” wanted to fly, and Willa taught us to never give up on our dreams and to always be true to ourselves.
I’d love to know what your big dream is! Ask your grown-up to help you share with us in the comments—we want to hear from you! Today, we have a story about someone who dreamed big and made her dreams come true. Let’s watch “Sweet Dream Sarah” together and find out what her big dream was.
But before we start, let’s gather our supplies and talk about the activity we’ll be doing together. Vooks has created a special craft template for you to create your own miniature bed. Here’s what you’ll need: glue or tape, scissors, coloring utensils, and a bed template which is provided.
All right, enjoy the [Music] book [Music] “Sweet Dreams Sarah.”
[Music] Before the Civil War, Sarah obeyed her owner. Slaves were considered property, but every day Sarah dreamed of a different life—a husband, a family, a job that she loved. Her father was a carpenter, and Sarah thought she could build too.
Then something happened that changed their lives forever: a new law freed people from slavery. Sarah moved to Chicago with freedom in her pocket, hope in her heart, and dreams swirling in her head. She made her first dream come true when she married a kind builder named Archibald Good. They started a family, and Sarah rented out rooms in their home to people who needed a place to live. She saved every penny she could to pay for her third dream: her own furniture store.
Every day, Sarah worked alongside her husband, measuring, cutting, and sanding. Many of Sarah’s customers worked at low-paying jobs, and even those with big families could only afford to live in one-room apartments. Sarah looked at the furniture in their store and thought it was too bulky. Then she had an idea: maybe she could build a piece of furniture that would save space for her customers.
If she could create a new kind of bed that folded up when it wasn’t being used, each child could have their own bed. Sarah hurried to the lumber yard with her saved coins and began building her invention. After many attempts, she finally created a cabinet bed that worked perfectly.
Archibald wanted to sell it right away, but Sarah knew she needed to get a patent to protect her invention. After a year of waiting and resubmitting her application, she finally received her patent.
She had built more than a piece of furniture; she had built a life where her sweet dreams could come true.
Have you ever seen a cabinet like the one that Sarah created? One of my favorite parts of this book is that even though it took Sarah a long time to achieve her dream, she faced a lot of challenges but did not give up.
Now, let’s get started with our activity! First, you’ll color and cut out the bed, bed sheet, and child template. Remember to have fun with it! If you need help with scissors, be sure to ask your grown-up for assistance.
Great job, everyone! Now you’ll want to color and cut out the sheet and little boy as well. Next, you’ll fold the sheet template on the dotted lines and tape or glue the flaps onto the back of your bed.
Now place your child template inside the pocket of your bed. Night night, little boy—sweet dreams!
That’s it! Great job, everyone! You’ve finished the last activity for the fifth week of Camp Book, and you have now earned your Dream Big badge.
To finish your badge, you’ll need some coloring utensils and scissors. We would love to see your activities and decorated badges, so with approval from your grown-up or camp counselor, please share your badge and activities with us by tagging Camp Book on social media.
Remember, if you loved these activities, we have many more at books.com/resources. Check it out! This has been Camp Counselor Janae. Thank you for joining us, and we will see you next week when we can earn our Friendship badge.
[Music] Bye!
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This version maintains the educational and inspirational content while ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
