July Story Sparks of Summer Fun

Summer is in full swing, bringing memories of picnics, barbeques and other outdoor wonders.  Use these story sparks to ignite your own memories and then share them with a child in your life. Use as many of the five senses as you remember to bring the story to life.

• When you were a child, what was your idea of a perfect picnic?  Where was it?  What food?  Who would have been with you?
• Is there any food that was always at a summer barbeque or outdoor gathering that you rarely see now.  Describe its taste, texture and smell in detail.  Why do you think you no longer see it?
• Describe a memory of fireflies or some other summer insect.
• How did you cool-off in summer as a child?

 Stories For July

The Fisherman & His Wife: Once there was a fisherman and his wife. They lived in a small hut on a hill overlooking the ocean. Everyday the fisherman went down to the ocean to fish. One day he caught a beautiful fish. He was about to take the fish home when the fish spoke to him. (read the whole story)

The Sticky Sticky Pine: Once there was a woodcutter. He was very poor but very kind. Never would he tear off the living branches of a tree to make firewood.  Instead he would gather only the dead branches on the ground.  He knew what happened when you tore a branch off a tree. The sap, which is the blood of a tree, would drip and drip, just as though the poor tree were bleeding. (read the whole story)