Purple Day Podcast #10: A House for the Sun’s Spark
About the Story: A House for the Sun's Spark
A little girl notices the days are shortening, and she wonders how she will enjoy the colder, darker days ahead.
Father Sun comes out from behind the clouds and tells her that, through the cold and the dark, she must tend to her spark within. The little girl doesn’t think she will remember, not with darkness all around her.
So Father Sun offers her a bargain: he will share one of his own sparks with her if she builds a safe house for it. The spark can be her reminder to tend her own light through the dark months.
The little girl works hard and makes a beautiful lantern. She presents it to Father Sun, and he gives her a spark to tend all winter long.
This is our lantern walk story, told in the second week of late autumn. It is my own telling, inspired by an original tale by Suzanne Down — you can learn more about Suzanne and buy her storybooks at Juniper Tree Puppets.
Ways to Enjoy This Story
- Listen — the audio is in the player above, or hear it on the Purple Day podcast, where you can download the episode and find the RSS feed.
- Make the lantern — the girl in the story builds a house for her spark, and so can your child. A glass jar, torn tissue paper, glue, and a wire handle are all it takes. The steps are in How to Host a Lantern Walk.
- Then walk with it — this story is what the lantern walk is for. Tell it first, and the lantern in your child's hand means something.
Late Autumn Circle Time Highlights
This episode opens with an autumn circle time of songs about pumpkins and lanterns. By the second week of the month, we are adding new lines and words to the poems we started, so the circle runs a little longer than it did the week before.
I Walk About With My Lantern
by Becca Lane
I walk about with my lantern,
I journey with it here and there.
Above the stars are shining bright
Down here on earth I shine my light
Autumn Activity: Lantern Walk
This is the story we told at our own lantern walk every year, as a puppet show. At the end, every lantern in the circle was lit—because the story had just been about a child receiving a spark and carrying it home.
A lantern walk needs only two things: a lantern to carry and a path to walk. I walk you through it all in this blog post: How to Host a Lantern Walk.
Love This Story? Try These Next
- Grandpa Ivy & the Hedgehogs — the week before this one, and the late autumn harvest story
- Little Mouse’s New House — a late autumn story about moving home
- The Clay Pot — a folk tale about making room, and the last of this month's stories
Explore every episode in the Purple Day Online Library.
About Purple Day
Purple Day is the audio from Storytime's Monday episodes. Storytime in the Schoolhouse® is written and recorded for the screen, so some elements transfer to audio-only better than others. You can also follow the podcast to download episodes and find the RSS feed.
Sample our video episodes and see what it's like.
Free Seasonal Sampler
Love this approach to rhythm and storytelling? Download our free Storytime Seasonal Sampler — a curated week of videos from each season to help you begin building your family rhythm.
Make this part of your daily rhythm.
In Storytime, the songs, stories, and crafts follow the rhythm of the seasons... and it's already laid out for you.
Each morning, open the day’s episode and enjoy it with your child. It’s one small moment at the same time each day that's meant to be enjoyed together.
Let that rhythm anchor you, and watch it grow from there with seasonal handwork and afternoon art projects.
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