© Storyberries 2023

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LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Healthy Eating, Conversation

1. What is your favourite way to eat peas?

2. Have you ever grown a plant from a seed? How did it grow?

3. What are some other yummy plant foods you can think of?

Bedtime Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

Illustrated by Lee Feld

Book design by Jade Maitre

The post Whatever Happened to the Pea? first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

© Storyberries 2023

Visit Storyberries Bookstore

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Healthy Eating, Imagination, Conversation

1. Why do you think Angelina is imagining a broccoli ice-cream when she has to eat broccoli for dinner?

2. Would YOU like to eat a broccoli ice cream? Why or why not?

3. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour?

Bedtime Story for Kids written by Jade Maitre

Illustrated by Svetlana Sintcova

Book design by Jade Maitre & Svetlana Sintcova

Music Video by Shaving Mirror Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Boogie Party Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Celebration Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The post The World’s Best Ice Cream first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Let’s Discuss the Stories ~ Ideas for Talking with Kids

Healthy Eating, Kindness

1. What is your favourite yummy food to eat? Why do you like it?

2. Mama makes Thabo and Tumi delicious foods every day. Why do you think she does this?

3. Why do Thabo and Tumi love it so much? Might it be for the same reason?

Bedtime Story written by Sally Partridge

Illustrated by Heather Jenkins

Designed by Mbali Mauda

Edited by Melissa Fagan

Music Video from zapsplat.com

* THE STORY ‘MAMA WHAT’S FOR LUNCH’ WAS CREATED BY BOOK DASH AND IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 4.0 LICENSE. MINOR FORMATTING CHANGES MAY HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE ORIGINAL WORK FOR EASE OF READING ON OUR WEBSITE.

The post Mama What’s For Lunch? first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Healthy Eating, Independent Thinking

1. Why do you think Rekai’s mother wants Rekai to eat more than just pancakes?

2. Why do you think it might be good to eat all sorts of different things, rather than the same thing all the time?

Bedtime Story written by Kristen Dembaremba

Illustrated by Ulrike Mieke Marais

Designed by Nadene Kriel

Edited by Mandy Collins

Music Video from zapsplat.com

* THE STORY ‘THE BOY WHO ONLY ATE PANCAKES’ WAS CREATED BY BOOK DASH AND IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 4.0 LICENSE. MINOR FORMATTING CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE ORIGINAL WORK FOR EASE OF READING ON OUR WEBSITE.

The post The Boy Who Only Ate Pancakes first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

© Storyberries 2021

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Independent Thinking

1. Why do you think the farmer thought that the snails were pests?

Healthy Eating, Conversation

1. Do you like to eat salad with mayonnaise or some other sauce? Or do you prefer salad without dressing? Why?

Short Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

Illustrations by Sabrina Cristina

Book design by Jade Maitre

Music Video from zapsplat.com

The Tiniest Snail | Short Stories for Kids | Bedtime Stories

The Tiniest Snail finds it easiest to hide from the farmer. But what happens when he is put into a salad?

URL: https://www.storyberries.com/bedtime-stories-the-tiniest-snail-short-stories-for-kids/

Author: Andrea Kaczmarek

Editor's Rating:
5

The post The Tiniest Snail first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Providing opportunities for a good diet and positive eating habits both at school and at home, encouraging a healthy attitude towards food, our bodies and the planet, and providing the nutrients required for healthy growth.

When is the best time to start?

The key to raising a well-nourished young person is creating healthy habits from an early age. This can be done from when kids are very young by modelling healthy eating ourselves, by making mealtimes fun and enjoyable, and by offering a variety of well balanced, nutritious food.

How can I best help my kids develop healthy habits around eating?

Please read on. Storyberries offers free children’s books and parenting suggestions on the topic of healthy eating:

Making it easy for kids to choose healthy food

We can do this by giving suggestions on which foods to choose, instead of imposing them, and having a wide variety of healthy foods available.

Eating mindfully

Encouraging children to eat slowly.  Children can tell if they are hungry or full more easily when they eat slowly.

Making meal times sociable and enjoyable

Eating as a family whenever possible and making mealtimes a pleasant time for conversation and dialogue, not for quarrels and arguments.

Getting the kids involved!

Involve children in buying and preparing food, so they take responsibility and pleasure in caring for themselves and others.

Scheduling specific snack times.

Taking snacks continuously can lead to overeating. However, snacks that are consumed at certain times of the day can be part of a nutritious diet, without affecting the child’s appetite at mealtimes

Separating mealtimes and media times

Avoid eating or having snacks while watching TV. Instead try to eat in designated areas of the house, such as in the dining room or kitchen.

Increase water and reduce sugar

Encourage children to drink plenty of water. Good hydration is key to so many aspects of health. Excessive consumption of sugary and carbonated drinks has been linked to an increase in children’s obesity, so try to keep sugar consumption at a healthy level.

Being mindful of the associations we make with food

For example, try not to use food to punish or reward. Denying meals as a form of punishment can make children fear they are not getting enough food. Instead, encourage children to see themselves and the food they eat as part of a loving, sharing world

Being aware of what we’re consuming at home and away

Checking the meals we eat regularly outside the home are also balanced. Paying attention to the quantity of the servings and the ingredients – read food labels and limit foods with trans fats. Also being sure to serve the proper size servings as indicated on the label.

 

Some Free Books About Healthy Eating at Storyberries

The Boy Who Only Ate Pancakes

Rekai only wants to eat pancakes! Read this delightful story to find out how Rekai discovers his love of vegetables. There is even a special recipe at the end!

Bastien’s Apple Salad

Bastien loves to get involved in the kitchen! Join him and his family in this wonderful story as he tries out lots of different mixtures – including some really crazy ones! – and then makes everyone happy with his delicious apple salad!

Mama, What’s For Lunch?

Thabo and Thumi love their mama’s cooking! A beautifully illustrated book that’s sure to encourage kids to talk about food, and the new things they would like to try.

Article by Luzmery M. Romero Gamboa and Fleur Rodgers

Luzmery works in the area of clinical psychology as a psychotherapist for children, adolescents and families. Since 2016, she has run a Psychological Center in Venezuela called Psicoluz. She offers workshop facilitations to parents, is involved in recreational activities for children, and has been working as a freelancer since 2017 performing online psychotherapy. 

Fleur is a meditation teacher in France and uses a compassion and loving-kindness based approach to meditation and slow-minded living. Fleur posts regularly to Instagram @rodgers.fleur . She has two children, is a qualified teacher in adult education and is the founder of Timeouttobreathe.com 

The post Healthy Eating For Kids first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

© Phoebe Coghlan 2020

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Healthy Eating

1. Do you think it’s a good idea to eat one hundred pork pies? How about fifty cupcakes?

2. Do you think it’s a good idea to have a hundred or fifty of anything? (What about fifty lettuce leaves?) Why or why not?

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

Illustrated by Charu Jain

About the Writer

Phoebe is an Intensive care nurse working in a central London, Major Trauma hospital. After busy twelve hour shifts, she likes to sit down with a cup of tea and write whatever comes into her head. You can see all her wonderful stories at Storyberries by clicking here.

About the Illustrator

Hi, I am Charu, a Bangalore based freelance children’s book illustrator from India. I love to draw quirky, fun and cute characters in watercolor and digitally. You can visit my insta handle and fb page for collaboration, or see my interview with Storyberries here.

The post Polly’s Pies first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

At first, Alfred’s neighbors were mad at the way his yard made the whole neighborhood look. Many folks in town were so fed up that they offered to cut Alfred’s grass for free, but Alfred refused any help. He was determined to cut his own lawn.

As Alfred’s grass grew to historic heights, the whole town of Belvar eventually embraced the jungle known as Alfred’s yard. The Mayor of Belvar even declared Alfred’s yard a town landmark. Next to the clouds in the sky, Alfred’s yard was the tallest thing in town. Alfred didn’t like all of the attention his yard was receiving though, and he felt embarrassed at how tall his grass had become.

One evening, after yet another failed attempt to buy a working lawnmower, Alfred was ready to give up on finding a way to mow his jungle-of-a-yard. Then out of nowhere a faint little bleat from a goat could be heard in the distance. Alfred’s face lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing the goat’s bleat. Alfred felt he found the solution to cutting his lawn, because goats love to eat grass, and any goat would be thrilled to feast in Alfred’s yard.

After climbing up the grass in his yard and looking down at the telephone poles, Alfred worked his way out of his yard and darted to the nearest farm. The Cline family lived down the road from Alfred, and they had several kinds of animals on their farm. In addition to chickens, cattle and hogs, the Clines had one little caramel colored goat with dark stockings. She was a friendly little goat, but the Cline family seldom paid her much attention. The little goat felt lonely and spent most of her days walking aimlessly in the green pasture. When Alfred approached the Cline family about his idea, Mr. Cline and his entire family started to laugh hysterically. And it didn’t stop there! The chickens, cattle and hogs nearby all laughed, too.

“That’s one lazy loppin goat,” declared Mr. Cline. “You can have her for free.”

“May I ask why you feel the goat is lazy?” asked Alfred.

“It doesn’t want to work. It doesn’t want to do much of anything,” said Mr. Cline.

“Well, since you’re offering her for free, I don’t have anything to lose,” said Alfred.

“Very well,” said Mr. Cline. “She’s all yours.”

As Alfred walked across the Cline’s farm in search of the little goat, several of the farm animals were still laughing.

“Good luck with that goat. You’re going to need it,” said one of the chickens.

The chicken’s comment made all the other animals laugh even harder. Alfred ignored the animals’ laughter and spotted the little goat down on the meadow. As Alfred approached the little goat, she lifted her head out of the creek she was drinking from to see what he wanted.

“Excuse me, my name is Alfred, and I live down the road from here.”

“How do you do?” asked the little goat.

“I am fine, thanks. Do you have a name?” asked Alfred.

“Yes,” replied the little goat. “My name is Irene.”

“Well, very nice to meet you, Irene. I just spoke with Mr. Cline, and he said that I could be your new owner.”

“What do you mean?” asked the little goat. “What did he get in return?”

“Nothing, he gave you to me for free. Mr. Cline said you’re lazy and don’t like to work. Is that true?”

“No, sir, it’s not,” replied the little goat. “I love to work, but nobody on this farm understands that.”

“Well, I’ve got a situation I was hoping you could help me with. Come with me and we’ll discuss it along the way,” said Alfred.

The little goat’s feelings were hurt that the Cline family was so willing to give her away for free, but she thought moving might be the new start she was looking for. As Alfred and the little goat walked toward his home, Alfred’s yard became visible almost immediately.

“What in the world is that?” asked the little goat.

“That’s my yard,” replied Alfred.

“Wait a minute. I’ve heard of you. You’re that Lambert fellow with the yard that touches the sky.”

Alfred couldn’t believe that his yard had become gossip even among farm animals.

“Yes, that’s my yard,” replied Alfred. “The height of my grass is why you’re coming with me. I need my grass to be down to a respectable height.”

“First of all, you don’t need a goat for that, Alfred, you need about 25 combines,” said the little goat. “Secondly, I am allergic to grass.”

“You’re joking, right?” asked Alfred.

“No, I’m not,” replied the little goat.

Alfred became upset at the little goat, because he thought she was lying to him.

“How can a goat be allergic to grass? Don’t you live for that stuff?”

“Grass isn’t cotton candy, Alfred,” replied the little goat. “And since when do any of us decide what we’re allergic to?”

“I don’t buy this for one second,” said Alfred. “It’s like Mr. Cline said – you’re a lazy loppin’ goat.”

Fed up with Alfred not believing her, the little goat walked over to the side of Alfred’s yard and took a huge bite out of it. Almost immediately after taking the bite of grass, the little goat broke out in green and purple polka dots. Alfred couldn’t believe his eyes. After just one bite of grass, Alfred had a rainbow-colored goat on his hands.

“I’m really sorry,” said Alfred. “I should have believed you. Can I get you anything?”

“Yes,” replied the little goat. “I need some fresh water and something to help settle my stomach.”

“I thought goats were supposed to be garbage disposals,” said Alfred.

“That’s what everyone at the Cline farm thought too,” said the little goat. “I’m not a lazy loppin’ goat, Alfred, I just happen to be a goat that’s allergic to grass.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here anyway. I’ll just find something else for you to do if you can’t eat grass,” said Alfred.

“I’ll tell you what, Alfred, I’ll help you mow this yard, and all I’ll need in return is just two things,” said the little goat.

“Just two things?” asked Alfred. “Name it. Anything you want.”

“As you now know, I can’t eat grass, but what I do love to eat is lima beans. I can’t get enough of them,” said the little goat. “That’s the first thing I’ll need.”

“Well, that’s easy enough,” said Alfred. “What’s the second thing you’ll need?”

“The second thing is really more for us than just me,” said the little goat.

“What is it?” asked Alfred.

The little goat tapped her hoof on Alfred’s lawnmower and said, “We’ll need gas for the lawnmower, Alfred. We’ll need gas for the lawnmower.”

THE END

Let’s Chat About The Stories ~ Ideas for Talking With Kids

Healthy Eating, Conversation

1. If one food could cause you to get green and purple polka dots from eating it, what would it be?

2. What do you think is healthy food for you? Why?

Bedtime story written by Artie Knapp

In-text illustrations by Aja Mulford

The post The Lazy Loppin’ Goat first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Through sun and shower the pumpkin grew,

When the days were long and the skies were blue.

And it felt quite vain when its giant size

Was such that it carried away the prize

At the County Fair, when the people came,

And it wore a ticket and bore a name.

Alas for the pumpkin’s pride! One day

A boy and his mother took it away.

It was pared and sliced and pounded and stewed,

And the way it was treated was hard and rude.

It was sprinkled with sugar and seasoned with spice,

The boy and his mother pronounced it nice.

It was served in a paste, it was baked and browned,

And at last on a pantry shelf was found.

And on Thursday John, Mary, and Mabel

Will see it on aunty’s laden table.

For the pumpkin grew ’neath a summer sky

Just to turn at Thanksgiving into pie!

Thanksgiving Poem for Kids by Mary Mapes Dodge, edited by Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner in the Topaz Fairy Book.

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Conversation, Healthy Eating

1. Have you ever made a pie? How did you do it?

The post Pumpkin Pie first appeared on Bedtime Stories.