🌈 Colorful Questions: a mindful story and meditation for kids

0:06 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Awe Islanders, we're so glad you're here. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's see if you have everything you want to be calm on Awe Island. [SPEAKER_00]: Are the lights in your room dim or off? [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have your favorite blanket or listening buddy? [SPEAKER_00]: Before we begin our story, let's relax by taking a nice deep dragon breath, breathe in through your nose, filling up your lungs, and then out through your mouth, imagining you are breathing [SPEAKER_00]: great job.

1:17 [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine you are relaxing on soft sand. [SPEAKER_00]: The grains sparkle in the sunshine. [SPEAKER_00]: Cup your hand pretending to scoop up some warm sand. [SPEAKER_00]: Now let your fingers open. [SPEAKER_00]: and imagine the smooth sand flowing through your fingers onto the ground, relax in the safe and supportive hug of the soft warm sand and take a deep dragon breath in and out.

2:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Now imagine drawing a tiny circle in the sand, swirl it around to draw another circle, a little bigger, then another circle, even bigger, and then another, a little smaller. [SPEAKER_00]: You feel cozy and loved. [SPEAKER_00]: and you draw a heart shape in the smooth sand. [SPEAKER_00]: Now your entire body feels calm and completely relaxed.

2:51 [SPEAKER_00]: You feel safe and warm as you take one more deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_00]: great job everyone. [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you are tucked in nice and cozy now we're ready to begin our story. [SPEAKER_01]: Let's be calm on Awe Island. [SPEAKER_01]: Our story today is colorful questions.

3:40 [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna sat at her school desk, eagerly studying the paper the teacher had placed in front of her. [SPEAKER_01]: It was filled with pictures of things she might have seen around Awe Island, or in everyday life. [SPEAKER_01]: There was a leaf, a big ocean wave, a traffic cone, a banana, a bunch of grapes, a rain cloud, and a fire truck.

4:05 [SPEAKER_01]: Beneath each picture was a line where the children could write the object's name. [SPEAKER_01]: Today, we are thinking about colors, the teacher explained. [SPEAKER_01]: Color each picture the way that object might look in real life. [SPEAKER_01]: When you finish coloring, write the name of each object on the line beneath it.

4:34 [SPEAKER_01]: This activity seemed pretty easy. [SPEAKER_01]: It looked fun too. [SPEAKER_01]: She opened her crannbox and studied the picture of the leaf. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna could tell from its three-pointed shape that it was a maple leaf. [SPEAKER_01]: A maple tree grew beside the mailbox in front of her house.

4:54 [SPEAKER_01]: It was springtime on Awe Island and Brianna remembered seeing the trees fresh green leaves whenever she passed it. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna selected a bright green crayon and carefully colored the leaf, staying inside the lines. [SPEAKER_01]: Next, she chose a serulean blue for the ocean wave.

5:18 [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna had visited the beach many times and had seen how blue the water could look beneath the sunny sky. [SPEAKER_01]: She continued through the pictures. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna colored the traffic cone bright orange and the banana yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: The bunch of grapes became purple and the rain cloud became gray.

5:41 [SPEAKER_01]: At last, Brianna reached the fire truck. [SPEAKER_01]: She immediately chose a brilliant red cram. [SPEAKER_01]: As she colored, Brianna remembered the day Frumma Fire Engine had arrived on Awe Island. [SPEAKER_01]: Frumma's shiny red paint had glittered beneath the sunlight. [SPEAKER_01]: When Brianna finished coloring, it was time to write the words beneath the pictures.

6:09 [SPEAKER_01]: But she had colored so quickly. [SPEAKER_01]: She paused for a moment and looked around the classroom. [SPEAKER_01]: Many of the other children were still working. [SPEAKER_01]: Cali Kim was sitting at the desk beside Brianna. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna glanced at Cali's worksheet. [SPEAKER_01]: Cali's leaf was green.

6:30 [SPEAKER_01]: Her ocean wave was blue. [SPEAKER_01]: Her traffic cone was orange, and her banana was yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: When Brianna looked at Cali's fire truck, she was surprised. [SPEAKER_01]: It was also yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: Cali, you used the wrong color, fire trucks are red, Brianna said, Cali stopped coloring and looked at her.

6:56 [SPEAKER_01]: Ah, ah, Kelly said, ah, ah, Brianna replied. [SPEAKER_01]: The fire trucks I've seen are yellow, said Kelly. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna frowned. [SPEAKER_01]: Are you sure she asked? [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly nodded. [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I'm sure they were bright yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: Fire engines are red, Brianna explained.

7:23 [SPEAKER_01]: Alloy Island just got a new fire engine. [SPEAKER_01]: I saw her when she came here, and she had shiny red paint. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly looked at Brianna's picture and said, your fire truck can be red, but mine is yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna felt confused. [SPEAKER_01]: She had seen Fruma with her own eyes.

7:46 [SPEAKER_01]: She had also seen other fire engines driving through town and they had been read too. [SPEAKER_01]: But fire trucks aren't yellow, Brianna insisted. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly furrowed her eyebrows. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, the ones I saw were, said Kelly. [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're thinking of a different kind of truck, Brianna suggested.

8:12 [SPEAKER_01]: I know what a fire truck looks like, Kelly replied sharply. [SPEAKER_01]: It had flashing lights, a ladder, and a hose. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna looked at Kelly's picture again. [SPEAKER_01]: She could not imagine seeing a yellow fire truck. [SPEAKER_01]: Every fire engine Brianna remembered was red.

8:37 [SPEAKER_01]: Fire trucks are supposed to be red, she said. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly set down her crans and frowned. [SPEAKER_01]: I know what I saw Priyana, neither girl was coloring anymore. [SPEAKER_01]: The teacher noticed that their disagreement and walked over. [SPEAKER_01]: is everything all right over here, the teacher asked.

9:01 [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna pointed to Kelly's paper and said, Kelly colored her fire truck yellow, but fire trucks are red. [SPEAKER_01]: I colored it yellow because the fire trucks I've seen were yellow. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly explained, Brianna keeps saying that isn't true. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not telling lies.

9:22 [SPEAKER_01]: I believe you, the teacher said. [SPEAKER_01]: She looked at both pictures and melt by the girl's desks. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna, tell me about the fire trucks you've seen. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna thought of Fruma immediately. [SPEAKER_01]: I saw the new fire engine when she came to Awe Island.

9:42 [SPEAKER_01]: She was bright red and shiny. [SPEAKER_01]: All the other fire engines I've seen here are red too. [SPEAKER_01]: That makes sense, said the teacher. [SPEAKER_01]: You colored your picture based on the fire engines you have seen here on Allway Island. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna nodded. [SPEAKER_01]: Then the teacher turned to Cali and asked, what fire trucks have you seen?

10:10 [SPEAKER_01]: Cali picked up her yellow crayon and rolled it between her fingers as she spoke. [SPEAKER_01]: Before I moved to Awe Island, the fire trucks I saw were yellow, she explained. [SPEAKER_01]: We lived near a fire station, so sometimes they drove through my old neighborhood. [SPEAKER_01]: Once I saw one up close, it had bright yellow sides and red lights on top.

10:38 [SPEAKER_01]: So you really did see a yellow fire truck, asked Brianna, yes, Cali replied, more than one. [SPEAKER_01]: I see said the teacher. [SPEAKER_01]: Both of you chose colors based on your own experiences. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna, it is true that the fire engines here on Alway Island are red, but the town [SPEAKER_01]: I thought fire trucks were red everywhere, Brianna admitted.

11:11 [SPEAKER_01]: The teacher nodded understandingly. [SPEAKER_01]: When you decided that fire trucks were red everywhere, you made an assumption the teacher said. [SPEAKER_01]: An assumption is something we decide is true before we have all the information. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna's cheeks felt a little warm as she flushed with embarrassment.

11:36 [SPEAKER_01]: She had been so certain that Callie was wrong that she never asked for the explanation. [SPEAKER_01]: Instead, she immediately told Callie that her picture was incorrect. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna had only thought about the fire trucks she had seen herself. [SPEAKER_01]: She turned to Callie and said, I'm sorry I told you that you were wrong.

12:02 [SPEAKER_01]: I should have asked why you colored your fire truck yellow instead of assuming you had made a mistake. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly looked at Brianna for a moment. [SPEAKER_01]: Then she smiled a little. [SPEAKER_01]: That's okay. [SPEAKER_01]: We were both thinking about the fire trucks we knew, said Kelly.

12:22 [SPEAKER_01]: What did the yellow ones look like? [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna asked curiously. [SPEAKER_01]: They were very bright, like sunshine. [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly explained. [SPEAKER_01]: I think they were painted that way so they would stand out from all the other vehicles on the road. [SPEAKER_01]: That sounds interesting, said Brianna.

12:43 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe that's why Frumos Red paint is so shiny and sparkly. [SPEAKER_01]: Did you get to see her up close? [SPEAKER_01]: Kelly asked, yes, the fire station had a welcome celebration, and lots of children went to meet her, said Brianna. [SPEAKER_01]: Wow, I would like to see Frumos some time.

13:09 [SPEAKER_01]: the teacher smiled at the girls. [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps a visit to the fire station would make an interesting field trip someday. [SPEAKER_01]: She suggested. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna and Callie gasped and agreed enthusiastically. [SPEAKER_01]: then the teacher stood in a dress of the class.

13:28 [SPEAKER_01]: Everyone, Cali and Brianna have reminded me of something important. [SPEAKER_01]: We have all seen and experienced different things. [SPEAKER_01]: I would like each of you to choose one picture on your worksheet and tell a classmate about a time you saw or used that object. [SPEAKER_01]: Remember to ask questions and listen carefully to your partner's experience.

13:54 [SPEAKER_01]: why it conversations began popping up around the classroom. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna heard two classmates talking about their leaves. [SPEAKER_01]: One child had colored the leaf green, while the other had colored it red. [SPEAKER_01]: The second child explained that the picture reminded her of jumping into a pile of red and golden autumn leaves.

14:18 [SPEAKER_01]: Nearby, one student showed a classmate his bunch of purple grapes. [SPEAKER_01]: The classmate explained that he had brought green grapes in his lunch that very day. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna smiled that she finished writing the names beneath the pictures on her worksheet. [SPEAKER_01]: What had begun as a disagreement had become an opportunity to learn about their classmates' experiences.

14:44 [SPEAKER_01]: She wondered what other surprising things they had seen. [SPEAKER_01]: There might be many things Brianna had never experienced herself. [SPEAKER_01]: The next time someone's answer surprised her, she would try to ask a question before assuming something. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad you told me about your yellow fire trucks, Brianna said, and I'm glad you told me about Fuma, Cali Repalite.

15:14 [SPEAKER_01]: That night, Rihanna changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. [SPEAKER_01]: She rested her head on the fluffy pillow, hold the soft blanket beneath her chin, and gave herself a cozy hug. [SPEAKER_01]: Then she let out a long, sleepy, aww. [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna felt grateful for the coloring activity, which had reminded her of the exciting day she met [SPEAKER_01]: She felt grateful that Callie had shared her memories of the yellow fire trucks she had seen before coming to Awe Island.

16:24 [SPEAKER_01]: Brianna took another deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: Most of all, Rihanna felt grateful that she had learned to ask about someone's experience before making an assumption. [SPEAKER_01]: She snuggled deeper into bed and took one final deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: Her body relaxed, her mind grew quiet, and Brianna fell asleep, dreaming of fire trucks, both red and yellow, helping people in different places.

17:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for joining us to be calm on Awe Island. [SPEAKER_01]: See you next time.