Hello, friends! How are you today? Did you have fun at school? Are you ready to read a story with us? Today, we have a special book called “Sunshine at Bedtime” by Helen Welsh. Let’s dive in!
As the city gets quiet, a gentle breeze blows. Mommy says it’s time for bed, so Mickey puts on her pajamas and brushes her teeth. But guess what? Mickey is still wide awake! The sun is shining bright in the sky, and it forgot to go to bed!
Mickey calls to the sun, “It’s past your bedtime!” But the sun keeps shining. Mommy explains that in summer, the sun goes to bed later, so the days feel longer.
“Let me show you how the sun works,” Mommy says. Mickey closes her eyes, and off they go on a magical journey! They fly high in the sky, above the rooftops and city. The sun shines on kids playing, fields full of crops, and the big, wavy sea. The clouds make funny shadows, like a puppet show!
Mickey sees everything looking so small from up high! They fly even higher, into the dark sky, and see the Earth, which looks blue and green. “That’s our home!” Mickey says. The sun is a big, bright star close to them.
Mommy explains, “When Earth faces the sun, it’s day. When it turns away, it’s night.” Earth spins around every day, like a car on a smooth road. Mickey learns that in summer, the north gets more sunshine, making the days longer. In the south, it’s winter, with longer, darker nights.
As Earth moves around the sun, we have spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Mickey and Mommy see the sun shining everywhere. They even see the moon glowing in the night!
Mickey yawns and rubs her eyes. “Time to go home,” says Mommy. Mickey waves goodbye to the sun, moon, and stars. They float back down to Earth, and Mickey is back in her bedroom. The sun sets with colors of red, gold, and orange.
“Good night, sleep tight,” Mickey whispers, already fast asleep. That was “Sunshine at Bedtime.” Did you enjoy it? We hope it made you feel relaxed and ready for bed!
Are you ready for another story? Let’s read “Little Leo and the Perfect Flower” by Mrs. Mauve!
Leo wakes up and hears noises. It’s Mom’s birthday! He wants to find the perfect gift. The garden is full of flowers, like daisies, tulips, and yarrow. But Leo wants the perfect one for Mom.
He finds a daisy but thinks it’s not perfect. So, he hops on his bicycle to find more flowers. He sees birds and mushrooms in the park and checks out a colorful flower. But its petals are bent!
Leo searches high and low, even on a hill. But every flower has something wrong. Feeling sad, he goes home with no gift.
Mom sees the flowers and says, “These are perfect!” She tells Leo that any flowers he brings are her perfect treasure.
Isn’t Leo sweet? Have you ever picked flowers for someone special? Maybe you should try!
Thank you for joining us today! If you liked these stories, you can find links to get your own copies. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more fun stories. See you next time!
Sunshine and Shadows: Go outside with a grown-up and observe the sun. Notice how it creates shadows. Try this fun activity: stand in the sun and look at your shadow. Move around and see how your shadow changes. Can you make your shadow longer or shorter? What happens to your shadow when you turn away from the sun? Talk about how the sun’s position in the sky affects the length and direction of shadows.
Day and Night Experiment: Use a flashlight and a globe or a ball to understand how day and night happen. In a dark room, shine the flashlight on one side of the globe. The side with the light is experiencing “day,” while the other side is “night.” Slowly spin the globe and watch how the light moves. Discuss how this is similar to Earth spinning and how it creates day and night for us.
Seasonal Changes Art: Create a drawing or a collage showing the different seasons. Use colors and materials that represent spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Think about what you wear, the activities you do, and how the environment changes in each season. Share your artwork with your friends or family and explain what each season means to you.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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[Music] Hi everyone! Welcome back to Storytime Family. How is everyone doing today? Did you have a good day? Did you learn lots of interesting things at school? Are you ready to settle down and read a book with us? Today, we have a book called “Sunshine at Bedtime” by Helen Welsh. Let’s check it out!
“Sunshine at Bedtime”
Quiet settles over the city as a gentle evening breeze blows. Mommy says it is time to go to bed, so Mickey puts on her pajamas and brushes her teeth. But Mickey is wide awake! Sunshine stretches across the clear blue sky; the sun has forgotten to go to bed. Mickey thinks for a moment and calls up to the sun, “It’s past your bedtime!” But the sun shines as brightly as ever. Mommy explains that in summer, the sun sets later, so the days feel longer.
“Let me show you the sun and all the ways its light works,” Mommy says. Mickey climbs into bed and closes her eyes. Their journey begins! High in the sky, cold wind rushes all around them. Mickey soars with Mommy up into the air, far above the rooftops and city skyline. The sun shines on big kids playing in the streets, patchwork fields full of crops, and the rippling, rolling sea. The clouds make shadows of all shapes and sizes, like a puppet show, sweeping slowly over the land.
Mickey gasps, “Everything looks so small!” Mickey and her mommy fly further and faster, far away from Mickey’s bedroom. They burst through the atmosphere into an endless darkness. Together, they stare at the planet that swirls blue and green. “That one must be home,” Mickey says. “Earth looks different from space!” Lights come out of the dark to sparkle and shine. Fizz and spin in one star that is very close and bright; it is called the sun.
“When Earth faces the sun, it is day,” says Mommy. “But when it faces away, we are in the cold shade of night.” So Earth spins around once every day. “It must move very fast,” says Mickey. “Smoothly, like a car on the motorway. Maybe that’s why we don’t feel it.”
Mickey notices Earth leaning towards the sun, gifting people in the north with summer. “That’s why the sun was still shining tonight—because it’s summertime!” “Exactly,” smiles Mommy. “In summer, it is brighter for longer. Meanwhile, in the south, where there is less sunlight, it is winter. Less sunshine means longer, darker nights. At the North and South Poles, there is so little light in winter that it is dark most of the time,” explains Mommy.
As Earth circles slowly around the sun, spring makes way for summer, then autumn, then winter. Mickey and Mommy watch as the north leans away, and the sun shares its light with the south. On and on, Mickey and Mommy fly to all the places the sun shines. A pale round face lights up in the darkness, the sun’s rays reflecting like a torch in the night. Shadows gather in the moon’s wrinkles and craters.
Mickey yawns and rubs her eyes. “I think it’s time to go home,” says Mommy. Mickey waves goodbye to the sun, the moon, and the stars. “Until next time!” she calls as they float back down to Earth. Mickey opens her eyes; she’s back with her mommy in her bedroom. Outside, rays of red, gold, and orange sink beyond the horizon.
“Good night, sleep tight,” Mickey whispers. But Mickey is already fast asleep. And that was “Sunshine at Bedtime.” I hope that book made you feel all relaxed and ready for bed! If you enjoyed this book and would like to own your own copy, the links to purchase it are in the description below. Thank you so much for joining us today! Do give us a like and subscribe if you haven’t, and click on the bell for more stories like this. We’ll see you back here soon!
[Music] Bye-bye!
Did you have time to play in the sunshine outside? I hope you’re ready to read a new book with us! Today, we have a book called “Little Leo and the Perfect Flower” by Mrs. Mauve. Let’s get started!
[Music]
Leo woke up and heard noises downstairs. Something important is happening! I better get dressed. There was cake in the living room and presents on the table. Dad was inflating a balloon. That’s right—it’s Mom’s birthday! The party’s later, and I won’t be long. I’ll find the perfect gift for my perfect mom.
The world is filled with flowers already grown. In fact, the garden has plenty all on its own! What a beautiful gift for a beautiful mom! Daisies, tulips, and yarrow are all over the place. Maybe here’s where the perfect flower hides among the yellow, white, and red.
“What a fine daisy I’ve gathered!” But why am I filled with doubt? Look closely at the petals; they aren’t evenly spread out. This wonky daisy won’t do—it’s not good enough for Mom! This one goes to the bottom of the backpack. Let’s hope better finds will come.
A bicycle can take you places—fields, hills, and great spots! It would certainly take Leo to a place where flowers grow by the lots. It’s fun playing on the seesaw and sliding on the slides, but I better not get distracted. I’m looking for a gift that hides!
It’s always a super fun adventure to walk through the park. I can see birds, mushrooms, and flowers right next to the path. That flower looks great—colorful, bright, and stout! I better go over there and carefully check it out. The petals have beautiful colors and a very nice scent. What a shame it was then that all the petals were bent.
If it wasn’t at the park, where could the perfect flower lie? Perhaps hiding next to a street or where the earth meets the sky?
[Applause]
Atop the hills and out of town—that’s surely where it’ll be found! Going up a slope is difficult; it’ll make you sweat and frown. That doesn’t mean it’s any easier to ride a rocky road going down. Plenty of flowers—this place looks the best! It really should be that slim one as a test.
This flower has a petal that is too long. This one has a petal that’s got its color wrong. This flower has a petal missing, and this one’s got me wheezing down the hill. The perfect flower just couldn’t be found.
Poor Leo felt sad; a good day turned bad. He had no gift for Mom and no choice but to come home. That’s Leo over there, and he looks down. I wonder what happened—wasn’t he just riding around?
“I’m really sorry, Mom, believe me! I tried! I went looking for the perfect flower, but these ugly ones are all I could find.”
“These flowers are just perfect!”
“Oh Leo, you just haven’t realized. Any flowers you bring me will be my perfect treasure for life!”
Isn’t little Leo the sweetest little boy? Have you plucked any pretty flowers for your mommy? Well, maybe you should too!
If you enjoyed “Little Leo” and would like to own a copy of this book, the links to purchase it are in the description below. Thank you so much for joining us today! Do give us a like and subscribe if you haven’t, and click on the bell for more stories like this. You take care now, go enjoy the rest of your day, and I’ll see you back here again!
[Music]
Bye-bye!
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