Learn about Phonics

© Storyberries, 2022

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Friendship

1. What do you think makes Ollie and Sukey such great friends?

2. What do you think all good friendships have in common?

Resilience, Self-Confidence

1. How does Ollie react when he and Sukey stop winning competitions?

2. How do you think changing his approach helps him and Sukey to feel better?

3. What other things might Ollie and Sukey have done when they stopped winning competitions?

* This is a new edition of our popular poem, illustrated by the wonderful Svetlana Sintcova!

Bedtime Story for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

Illustrated by Svetlana Sintcova

Book design by Jade Maitre

Music Video from www.zapsplat.com and additional music by Simple Music to Frighten Small Children By Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com),
“Sneaky Snitch” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHONICS

Easily integrate phonics gesture into the stories your children love. Make reading multi-sensory, and turn your little one into an investigator of sounds. Learn how this can help you children read better and faster at Phonics in Motion. Use the Promo Code STORYBERRIES20 to benefit from a 20% discount on any learning programs. 

The post Ollie the Octopus and Sukey the Spider first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

© Storyberries /Phoebe Coghlan 2021

Visit Storyberries Bookstore

Let’s Chat About the Poem – Ideas for Talking With Kids

Trying, Diligence, Imagination

1. Have you ever wanted to do something that you thought was impossible? How did you try to do it?

2. Did you use your imagination, in trying to do that impossible thing? If so, how did imagination help you?

3. If you didn’t use imagination in trying to achieve your special task, how about you use it now? What are some ways that you could have achieved this thing you really wanted, which seemed impossible, by using your imagination?

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

Illustrated by Tanya Razumna

Music Video – “Frost Waltz” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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 and poems at Storyberries by clicking here.

The post Catch A Moon first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Cross legged, I sit on the old kitchen floor

And I gawp at our washing machine,

I follow the whirl and the swirl of our clothes,

And the glug of the rhythmical clean. 

My jumpers, like gymnasts, leap over themselves

As the towels roly-poly and spin.

I spy a green sock – it is there, then it’s gone,

 Eyes peeled, I search for its twin!

The machine chugs and churns; bright colours whiz by

As the tumbling picks up in pace,

T-shirts chase trousers chase boxers and pants

And I wonder who’ll win at this race!

I stare at our gurgling, thrilling device

Till each cycle completes with a ‘Ding!’

I could sit here for hours; all day and all night

Oh it’s just the most marvellous thing!

© Phoebe Coghlan 2020

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

Mindfulness, Conversation

1. Is there anything that you feel you could watch for hours on end? What is it? 

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

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 and poems at Storyberries by clicking here.

The post Washing Machine first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

I don’t have jewels and diamonds, nor a golden chandelier,

I don’t need lavish toys and gifts to fill me with good cheer.

I haven’t a large house but ponder, “What are riches worth?

When through my window I can spy the wonders of the Earth!”

Blazing sheets of pink and red adorn the morning skies,

I love to watch the sunsets, see the stars and moon arise.

I love to play in parks and ride my bike or climb a tree,

Love winter walks and summer strolls and paddling in the sea.

I’m free to go exploring, breathe the air and clear my mind,

And like a bird I’ll fly the world to see what else I find,

And like a stream I’ll softly flow through every turn and twist

And like the sun I’ll melt away all shadows in my midst.

© Phoebe Coghlan 2020

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

Mindfulness

1. Why do you think it can make us happy to look around and observe the world around us?

2. What can you smell right now? What can you hear? What can you see? How do you feel?

3. What do you think it means to be ‘free’?

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

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 and poems at Storyberries by clicking here.

The post Freedom 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.

© Phoebe Coghlan / Storyberries 2020

Visit Storyberries Bookstore

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

Illustrations by Alina Tkachenko

This story was written by our beloved regular contributor Phoebe Coghlan, who also works as an Intensive Care Nurse working in a Central London hospital. During these trying times, we celebrate our key workers who are on the front line keeping us safe, but Phoebe also wishes to remember those who are vulnerable across the world during this coronavirus pandemic.

If you enjoyed this story, please consider donating to one of the following international bodies, who are doing such valuable work at this time:

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

Helping, Independent Thinking

1. Why do you think it’s good for people to help each other in our world?

2. What do you think the world would look like if we didn’t help each other?

3. Sometimes people help others, even if they risk hurting themselves or getting sick. Why do you think some people help, even if it might harm them?

4. Can you think of some other jobs where people help others?

Conversation

1. What kind of job would you like to do when you grow up?

Music Video Credits: Farm” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | Additional music from: zapsplat.com

The post People Who Help first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Whilst his people stand shivering out in the cold.

Yet still he craves more! He says, ‘Catch me a star!

Bring me a rainbow! A moon in a jar!

I want a wise phoenix! A magical power!

Bring me these gifts or you’ll rot in the tower!”

“Impossible, sir!” they replied in the town.

“That mean King deserves not one jewel on his crown!”

A mystic appeared quite by chance the next week,

“My Lord, I can grant you the magic you seek,

If a power so special’s the gift that you yearn,

Then eat these green seeds and invisible you’ll turn.”

The King slurped them down, and he vanished away

By choice, he became non-existent that day.

The people rejoiced and they danced and they cheered:

“Oh, what a great day for our King’s disappeared!”

© Phoebe Coghlan 2020

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

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

Responsibility

1. The King in this poem has lots of power. But power comes with responsibilities. What are the responsibilities of a King?

2. Do you think the King in this poem is being a good King? Why or why not?

The post The Invisible King first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

The following story-poem is a beautiful tale written by Intensive Care nurse Phoebe Coghlan.

It is about a child being sick in hospital, and may trigger sadness in some readers.

© Phoebe Coghlan 2020

Visit Storyberries Bookstore

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

Going to Hospital, Conversation

1. How are some of the ways that hospitals help us to feel better?

2. Have you ever been to hospital? Or visited someone in hospital? How did you feel when you were there?

Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

Illustrations and book design by Kseniya Shagieva

Music Video: “Midsummer Sky” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post Visiting Hospital first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Learn about Phonics

Funny Poem for Kids written by Phoebe Coghlan

© Phoebe Coghlan 2019 Illustrations by Nicanor Benitez

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

Friendship

1. What do you think makes Ollie and Sukey such great friends?

2. What do you think all good friendships have in common?

Resilience, Self-Confidence

1. How does Ollie react when he and Sukey stop winning competitions?

2. How do you think changing his approach helps him and Sukey to feel better?

3. What other things might Ollie and Sukey have done when they stopped winning competitions?  

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHONICS

Easily integrate phonics gesture into the stories your children love. Make reading multi-sensory, and turn your little one into an investigator of sounds. Learn how this can help you children read better and faster at Phonics in Motion. Use the Promo Code STORYBERRIES20 to benefit from a 20% discount on any learning programs. 

The post Ollie the Octopus and Sukey the Spider first appeared on Bedtime Stories.