Sardine Surprise: a soothing story and meditation 😊

0:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Away Islanders. [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Be Calm on Away Island. [SPEAKER_00]: Today we are happy to share a favorite story and relaxation with you. [SPEAKER_00]: Before we begin, we want to remind the grown-ups who are listening that hundreds of Be Calm on Away Island episodes are available on Patreon.

0:21 [SPEAKER_00]: That's right. [SPEAKER_00]: Our full library is available at patreon.com slash Away Island. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, let's get ready to relax. [SPEAKER_01]: Hello, Awe Islanders. [SPEAKER_01]: We're so glad you're here. [SPEAKER_01]: Let's see if you have everything you want to be calm on Awe Island.

0:48 [SPEAKER_01]: Are the lights in your room dim or off? [SPEAKER_01]: Do you have your favorite blanket or listening buddy? [SPEAKER_01]: Before we begin our story, let's relax by taking a nice deep dragon breath. [SPEAKER_01]: Breathe in through your nose, filling up your lungs, and then out through your mouth.

1:16 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine you are breathing fire like a dragon. [SPEAKER_01]: Ready? [SPEAKER_01]: Deep breath in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: Great. [SPEAKER_01]: Let's think about how your body feels resting on a sunny beach. [SPEAKER_01]: This is all pretend and you are very safe. [SPEAKER_01]: You sit down in the soft warm sand.

1:57 [SPEAKER_01]: The sand hugs you as you lie back on the cozy beach. [SPEAKER_01]: Think about your feet as you push your toes into the sand. [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine the soft grains of sand slide in between your toes, gently rubbing your feet. [SPEAKER_01]: As you relax, let's take another deep dragon breath, in and out.

2:37 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine the soft sandy beach supporting your back and giving you a big hug. [SPEAKER_01]: Now open your hands, spreading your fingers, imagine the grains of sand falling between your fingers. [SPEAKER_01]: your hands relax, settling into the safe, warm sand, as you take one more deep, dragon breath in and out.

3:23 [SPEAKER_01]: Great job, everyone. [SPEAKER_01]: I hope you are tucked in nice and cozy. [SPEAKER_01]: And now we're ready to begin our story. [SPEAKER_01]: The sun was warm, and the breeze was cool this lovely afternoon on Awe Island. [SPEAKER_01]: White fluffy clouds dotted the bright blue sky. [SPEAKER_01]: Owen was glad to be spending the day with his friend Andy at the local park.

4:20 [SPEAKER_01]: There were a lot of other kids at the park as well, since it was such a nice day. [SPEAKER_01]: For some time, Owen and Andy played by themselves on the slide, the swings, and the monkey bars. [SPEAKER_01]: After a while, Andy noticed that the other kids all seemed to be playing some kind of game together.

4:45 [SPEAKER_01]: Hey Owen, said Andy, I think everyone is playing hide and seek. [SPEAKER_01]: Do you want to see if they'll let us play too? [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that sounds like fun. [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, when replied, let's see what they say he added. [SPEAKER_01]: With that, the two boys walked over to the group of kids.

5:10 [SPEAKER_01]: Hi, said Andy and a friendly voice. [SPEAKER_01]: May we play with you two? [SPEAKER_01]: He asked politely. [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, said one of the kids. [SPEAKER_01]: We're playing [SPEAKER_01]: What's your name? [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Andy, and this is Owen. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy replied, introducing himself and his friend.

5:37 [SPEAKER_01]: Hi, said Luis with a smile. [SPEAKER_01]: Ok Owen, ok Andy, go find a place to hide. [SPEAKER_01]: Owen felt excited. [SPEAKER_01]: He hadn't played hide and seek with such a big bunch of strange kids before. [SPEAKER_01]: He'd never played it with Andy, either. [SPEAKER_01]: This would be fun.

6:04 [SPEAKER_01]: As he heard Louise counting, Owen looked for a hiding place where no one would find him. [SPEAKER_01]: He looked this way and that, thinking hard. [SPEAKER_01]: Then he spotted a huge Evergreen bush across the other side of the park. [SPEAKER_01]: no one would see him through all those branches if he hid inside the bush, he thought to himself.

6:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Owen ran over to the bush and ducked down to crawl inside. [SPEAKER_01]: He gently moved through the branches and when he had reached the center of the bush, he settled himself in a gap in the branches [SPEAKER_01]: He smiled, knowing he had found a great spot. [SPEAKER_01]: He was sure to win the game.

7:05 [SPEAKER_01]: Then he heard some rustling. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy was crawling into the bush toward him. [SPEAKER_01]: When he reached Owen's side, Andy sat down next to his friend. [SPEAKER_00]: playing hide and seek. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy whispered back, sounding a little puzzled. [SPEAKER_01]: That's how you play.

7:34 [SPEAKER_01]: I saw where you went and then I waited until no one was looking and I joined you. [SPEAKER_01]: Oh. [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a different game than Hyde and Seek, Owen said, still in a hushed voice. [SPEAKER_01]: In Hyde and Seek, each person finds their own Hyde in spot, and you wait to be found by the person who's IT.

8:00 [SPEAKER_01]: Luis is IT right now. [SPEAKER_01]: The last person to be found wins the game. [SPEAKER_01]: That is a different game. [SPEAKER_01]: I've never played that one. [SPEAKER_01]: Should I go find another spot? [SPEAKER_01]: No, stay here now, whispered Owen. [SPEAKER_01]: Listen, Luis just finished counting.

8:29 [SPEAKER_01]: There, he just said, ready or not, here I come. [SPEAKER_01]: If you leave now, we'll both be found, but we have to be quiet. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy nodded in silence. [SPEAKER_01]: The two boys sat together as quietly as they could. [SPEAKER_01]: Trying not to fidget or do anything to make the branches of the bush rustle.

8:59 [SPEAKER_01]: Owen really wanted to ask Andy more about the game and he thought they were playing. [SPEAKER_01]: It sounded fun when Andy said in his game, people hid together instead of separately. [SPEAKER_01]: But Owen knew he couldn't ask Andy as long as they were trying to stay quiet. [SPEAKER_01]: For the next little while, Andy and Owen listened quietly as Louise found the other kids.

9:36 [SPEAKER_01]: but Louise eventually found them. [SPEAKER_01]: As Louise crawled part way into the bush, he called out, I found someone. [SPEAKER_01]: Hi, Andy. [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, and hi, Owen too. [SPEAKER_01]: Added Louise a little surprised. [SPEAKER_01]: As Louise, Andy, and Owen crawled out of the bush and stood up on the sandy ground.

10:04 [SPEAKER_01]: the other children who had already been found seemed a little puzzled that Owen and Andy were together. [SPEAKER_01]: A girl named Ali asked, why did you hide together? [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, actually, I thought we were playing a different game, Andy said, oh, what game Ali asked? [SPEAKER_01]: I think I confused hide and seek with Sardines, replied Andy.

10:39 [SPEAKER_01]: What's Sardines? [SPEAKER_01]: All the kids asked together eagerly? [SPEAKER_01]: Well, Andy explained, Sardines is where just one person hides. [SPEAKER_01]: That person is it. [SPEAKER_01]: Everyone else counts and then they all go look for that one person. [SPEAKER_01]: When you find the person who is it, you very quietly go sit next to them and hide with them when no one else is looking.

11:12 [SPEAKER_01]: The game is over when the last person finds everyone else. [SPEAKER_01]: Huh, that's different, said Ali. [SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of like reverse height and seek. [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, said Andy, and it's called sardines because if the person who is it hides in a small space, everyone else has to pack in tightly together like sardines.

11:46 [SPEAKER_01]: The kids all laughed. [SPEAKER_01]: It sounds like fun. [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe we should try it, oh and said. [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, said Louise and the other kids. [SPEAKER_01]: The kids decided that Andy should hide first, since he knew how to play the game. [SPEAKER_01]: So while they all closed their eyes and counted, Andy looked for a good spot to hide.

12:17 [SPEAKER_01]: The playground had an elevated wooden playhouse up next to the slide. [SPEAKER_01]: He climbed up the steps to enter the playhouse and tucked himself into a corner, making sure the top of his head didn't stick up over the window ledge. [SPEAKER_01]: After a few minutes, the kids stopped counting and shouted out all together.

12:52 [SPEAKER_01]: Ready or not, here we come! [SPEAKER_01]: Andy could hear footsteps below, as the kids passed by under the playhouse. [SPEAKER_01]: Then he heard steps climbing up the stairs. [SPEAKER_01]: He stayed very, very quiet, wondering who it was, and if they would find him. [SPEAKER_01]: Owen snuck through the doorway and smiled at his friend as he ducked down to sit next to Andy in the corner.

13:29 [SPEAKER_01]: I knew you'd be here, he whispered. [SPEAKER_01]: This is your favorite part of the playground. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy smiled in response to his friend and then the two boys stayed as still and quiet as they could. [SPEAKER_01]: They waited together for a few more minutes. [SPEAKER_01]: They heard footsteps and laughter and occasional chatter as the other kids continued to look for them.

14:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Then they heard a rustling noise and footsteps as someone climbed up the steps to the Playhouse. [SPEAKER_01]: It was Ali. [SPEAKER_01]: Alley sat down quietly next to Owen. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Alley by the way, she whispered. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Owen, and this is Andy, said Owen. [SPEAKER_01]: The three children didn't say anything else, as they heard more footsteps underneath the playground, and they didn't want that person to find them.

14:45 [SPEAKER_01]: That person looked around a little, and then moved away. [SPEAKER_01]: A few minutes later, Louise's head popped up on the stairs, and he quietly joined Ally, Owen, and Andy in the Playhouse. [SPEAKER_01]: A little bit later, another kid found them, and then another kid, and then another.

15:12 [SPEAKER_01]: Soon, there wasn't any more room to sit, and some of the kids had to stand. [SPEAKER_01]: This does feel like Sardines said Luis with a laugh. [SPEAKER_01]: With more and more kids in the little playhouse, it was easier and faster for the remaining kids to identify the hiding spot. [SPEAKER_01]: especially because it was much, much harder for everyone to stay quiet.

15:43 [SPEAKER_01]: The kids began talking in whispers to each other, which inevitably got louder and louder. [SPEAKER_01]: Then everyone started to giggle as they waited for the last two kids to find the hiding spot. [SPEAKER_01]: The last two kids both spotted the crowded playhouse at the same time. [SPEAKER_01]: We found you said the last two kids.

16:18 [SPEAKER_01]: Everyone laughed as the kids in the playhouse piled down the stairs back to the ground. [SPEAKER_01]: Now all the kids were together again. [SPEAKER_01]: That was fun, Ali said. [SPEAKER_01]: We should play Sardines again, Louie said, and the other kids agreed. [SPEAKER_01]: Who hides first this time, Ali asked?

16:49 [SPEAKER_01]: Usually, it's the person from the last game who found the hiding place first, replied Andy. [SPEAKER_01]: Owen found me first, so he should be it this time. [SPEAKER_01]: The kids played another game of Sardines, with Owen hiding first. [SPEAKER_01]: This time, Ali was the last person to find everyone, which made everyone laugh, most of all Ali herself.

17:22 [SPEAKER_01]: After that, the kids played hide and seek again, and then some other games, and then Sardines again, until it was time to go home. [SPEAKER_01]: Andy and Owen thanked their new friends, promising to play with the group again another day. [SPEAKER_01]: Ali and Louise and the other kids thanked Andy and Owen for teaching them such a fun new game.

17:44 [SPEAKER_01]: Andy and Owen walked home with their dads, and Andy... ...laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

18:04 [SPEAKER_01]: But then he, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah [SPEAKER_01]: later, at bedtime.

18:41 [SPEAKER_01]: Owen went to his room, feeling ready for a good night's sleep. [SPEAKER_01]: All that playing had worn him out. [SPEAKER_01]: He hopped into his cozy bed and [SPEAKER_01]: He took a deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: And thought of all he had to be grateful for. [SPEAKER_01]: Owen felt thankful the group of new kids had welcomed him and Andy.

19:37 [SPEAKER_01]: and that they could all play together. [SPEAKER_01]: He felt thankful that Andy had taught them all a new and fun game too. [SPEAKER_01]: As he thought about the fun he'd had today, Owen took another deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: most of all, Owen felt thankful for his good friend Andy, and that they had spent such a great day together at the park today.

20:30 [SPEAKER_01]: Owen gave himself a tight hug and then relaxed. [SPEAKER_01]: He took one more, deep dragon breath, in and out. [SPEAKER_01]: And smiled. [SPEAKER_01]: Owens mined quieted, and he drifted to sleep, imagining new places to hide on the [SPEAKER_01]: with Andy and his new friends. [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for joining us to be calm on our way Island.

21:21 [SPEAKER_01]: See you next time.