**giveaway from This Whole Family Sponsor Sparkle Stories**

Sparkle Stories is an online resource for high-quality audio stories for children and families. Each week Sparkle Stories delivers delightful, original audio stories to subscribers around the world. They offer five original Story Series, plus a sixth Series with classic stories, songs and games, all designed to entertain and inspire the whole family.

I asked David and Lisabeth the talented husband and wife team, creators and founders of Sparkle Stories to share with us some of the innumerable benefits of story-telling for children. Here is what David, a Waldorf class teacher, parent, performer and film-maker had to share:

"Storytelling builds brains.  Einstein once said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Children think imaginatively, that is, they think in images or mental pictures.  When children create their own mental pictures they build unique neural pathways that foster flexible and creative thinking. Storytelling, in this way, is incredibly stimulating for brain function.  When the pictures are given to them, children become passive receptors rather than active participants in the narrative.  A story well told can not only grow their imagination, but introduce concepts and life lessons in a way that feels like nourishment rather than lessons. 

So stories not only exercise the mind, but are also effective opportunities for teaching.  Children are incredibly receptive when listening to a story.  Math, science, history and social skills can all be taught with stories.  And the children remember them.  

The work, therefore, is finding the courage to tell your children stories.  Courage is a big part of Intuitive storytelling.  Courage and trust.   You must be brave to make up a story and tell it.  It seems like a real risk, but the truth is – like most fears – it is simply the unknown that is scary.  Intuitive storytelling is jumping into the unknown and trusting that the story itself knows what it is doing and that your job is to simply open your mouth and let the story be told.  It is much easier if you let go of identifying with the story and see yourself as merely a mouthpiece for eternal and deep wisdom."

Each of the Sparkle Story Series has exactly a year’s worth of stories that follow the seasons and the months of the year. You don’t need to hear the previous ones to enjoy the current story. Jump in any time! You can read about all of the Story Series here. Currently we subscribe to everything so that I have them all to use as the children get bigger, but North is absolutely besotted with the two Martin and Sylvia series. On our road trip this weekend he listened to three Martin and Sylvia series in the car that I selected from our downloads that fit perfectly with what we were doing: Apple Pie, St. Patricks Day and Autumn Leaves! And did I mention that I think I love the stories almost as much as he does?!

Today Sparkle Stories is offering 3 month subscription to any three Sparkle Series (choose from all six story series).   

And generously, they have also offered to all This Whole Family Readers a Sparkle Stories discount -- $1 for the first month of subscription.  Choose from one of three Sparkle Stories story packages, and try four weeks of Sparkle for one dollar!! Go to TRY SPARKLE and use the magic code "SPARKLEFAMILY" to receive your discount! 

To enter: Leave a comment below. For an additional entry like Sparkle Stories on facebook. For a third entry visit Sparkle Stories and tell us which story series you think your family would enjoy most. Make sure to leave an additional comment for each entry. Open to International Entrants!

Winners will be drawn and posted on this original post Friday evening, March 30th. (EAST)


Entries now closed.


And the winner is Number 24: Cass! Congratulations! Please email me at meagan@thiswholefamily.com so I can get you in touch with Lisabeth at Sparkle Stories!

Thanks so much to Lisabeth and David for their generous offer! Make sure to use your This Whole Family discount code to redeem your first month of subscription for $1.