🪨 Special Stones: a soothing story 📖 and meditation for children

0:14 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, our islanders, we're so glad you're here. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's see if you have everything you want to become on our 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.

0:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Breathe in through your nose, filling up your lungs and then out through your mouth. [SPEAKER_00]: Imagineing, you are breathing fire like a dragon. [SPEAKER_00]: Ready? [SPEAKER_00]: Deep breath in and out. [UNKNOWN]: F [SPEAKER_00]: The grains of sand sparkle in the sunshine. [SPEAKER_00]: Cut your hand, pretending to scoop up some warm sand.

1:22 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, let your fingers open, and imagine the smooth sand flowing through your fingers onto the ground. [SPEAKER_00]: Relax in the safe and supportive hug, the soft, warm sand, [SPEAKER_00]: in and out. [SPEAKER_00]: Now imagine drawing a tiny circle in the sand. [SPEAKER_00]: Swirl it around to draw another circle, a little bigger.

2:06 [SPEAKER_00]: And draw another circle, even bigger. [SPEAKER_00]: And then another, a little smaller, you feel cozy and loved and you draw a heart shape in the smooth sand. [SPEAKER_00]: Now your entire body feels calm and relaxed. [SPEAKER_00]: You feel safe and warm as you take one more, deep, drag and breath.

2:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Great job, everyone. [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you are tucked in nice and cozy. [SPEAKER_00]: Now we're ready to begin our story. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's be calm, unaway island. [SPEAKER_00]: Our story today is special stones. [SPEAKER_00]: It was a drizzly day on our way island. [SPEAKER_00]: The sky was gray, and rain tapped gently against the living room windows of the Parker family's house.

3:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy sat on the floor next to his younger sister, Emily. [SPEAKER_00]: They had just finished playing with Rowley Robot, who had returned to her charging dock because her battery had gotten low. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, Billy and Emily weren't sure what to do next, so they asked their mom for some suggestions.

4:04 [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, rainy weather always makes me want to read, their mom said, why don't we find some books for you to enjoy? [SPEAKER_00]: Emily's face lit up. [SPEAKER_00]: Could we all read together like we used to, she asked? [SPEAKER_00]: Billy was a little surprised, but he smiled. [SPEAKER_00]: He could read by himself now, and it had been a long time since their mom had read to both of them.

4:33 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that actually sounds kind of fun. [SPEAKER_00]: What should we read, Billy asked? [SPEAKER_00]: Can we read one of your old books Emily suggested? [SPEAKER_00]: One of my books, Billy repeated? [SPEAKER_00]: This was unexpected. [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, there was a story about a giraffe that lost its hat.

4:57 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we used to read that one all the time, Emily explained, Billy smiled. [SPEAKER_00]: He had almost forgotten about that book. [SPEAKER_00]: but it had once been one of his favorites. [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I think it's still on my bookshelf. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy said, Billy hurried off to his bedroom.

5:19 [SPEAKER_00]: His shelves were filled with books of all kinds. [SPEAKER_00]: Picture books, chapter books, and books about animals, nature, space, airplanes, and other interesting things [SPEAKER_00]: But lately, the bookshelf also had become home to something else. [SPEAKER_00]: Rocks Billy had been collecting interesting rocks for a long time.

5:52 [SPEAKER_00]: He had a special box where he kept his collection. [SPEAKER_00]: But now, the box was almost completely full. [SPEAKER_00]: Whenever Billy found a new rock, he liked. [SPEAKER_00]: He had started putting it on his bookshelf instead. [SPEAKER_00]: Now several rocks sat in front of the books.

6:12 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy spotted the story about the giraffe. [SPEAKER_00]: Among the picture books, on the second shelf, he reached up and began wiggling the book out of its place. [SPEAKER_00]: As Billy slid it forward, a book bumped one of the rocks sitting in front of it. [SPEAKER_00]: The stone tumbled from the shelf and landed on the floor with a clatter.

6:36 [SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, it didn't hit Billy or any of the furniture, but it did make a loud noise. [SPEAKER_00]: A moment later, Billy's mama peered in the doorway. [SPEAKER_00]: Is everything okay? [SPEAKER_00]: She asked, concerned. [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, Billy replied, he picked up the fallen stone.

7:01 [SPEAKER_00]: His mom looked at the bookshelf and noticed all the rocks crowded around the books. [SPEAKER_00]: I thought you kept your rock collection in your special box, she said, I do, but it's full now, really said. [SPEAKER_00]: I think I need a bigger box for my collection. [SPEAKER_00]: We could do that, said his mom.

7:23 [SPEAKER_00]: but before we look for a bigger box, maybe you could think about whether you still want to keep every rock you've collected. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy stared at her incredulously. [SPEAKER_00]: You think I have too many rocks? [SPEAKER_00]: He asked. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, that's up to you. [SPEAKER_00]: Their your collection is慢慢 minded him.

7:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy looked at all the rocks crowded around his books. [SPEAKER_00]: He had never really thought about getting rid of any of them. [SPEAKER_00]: If a stone or pebble had been interesting enough for him to pick up, then surely it belonged in his collection. [SPEAKER_00]: I think I want all of them, Billy said.

8:09 [SPEAKER_00]: That's okay. [SPEAKER_00]: You don't need to decide right now, his mom replied. [SPEAKER_00]: Come on, let's go read the book. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy set the falling rock back on the shelf, and followed his mom into the living room with the book. [SPEAKER_00]: The family settled together on the couch, with Billy on one side, Emily on the other, and their mom in the middle.

8:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Their mom read the story aloud, and Emily was in charge of turning the pages. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy had forgotten how much fun it was to listen to the old story. [SPEAKER_00]: He remembered some of the funny parts, before Emily even turned the page. [SPEAKER_00]: But what Billy enjoyed most was seeing how much fun his little sister was having.

8:59 [SPEAKER_00]: When the story was over, Emily sighed happily. [SPEAKER_00]: I like that book, she said. [SPEAKER_00]: Me too, Billy replied, [SPEAKER_00]: He looked down at the books well-born cover, feeling glad that he had kept it all these years. [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he should revisit some of his old books more often.

9:22 [SPEAKER_00]: Then Billy thought about his crowded bookshelf. [SPEAKER_00]: If he wanted to read some of those books again, he would have to move his rocks out of the way, have free time. [SPEAKER_00]: Thinking about it now, that seemed like it might be a problem. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy announced, I'm going to go sort through my rock collection.

9:44 [SPEAKER_00]: Can I come to Emily asked? [SPEAKER_00]: Billy nodded, and the siblings went back to his bedroom. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy gathered all the rocks from his bookshelf, and then he reached under his bed and slid out the box that held the rest of his collection. [SPEAKER_00]: It was quite heavy now.

10:05 [SPEAKER_00]: When Billy opened the lid, he saw that Rocks filled every bit of space inside. [SPEAKER_00]: They were stacked on top of one another, and if you were completely hidden, beneath the pile. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy frowned. [SPEAKER_00]: He loved his collection. [SPEAKER_00]: But right now, he could hardly see what was in it.

10:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Wow, you have a lot of rocks. [SPEAKER_00]: Emily observed as she knelt beside him. [SPEAKER_00]: I know Billy replied, I'm going to look at each one and decide which ones I really want to keep. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy began taking the rocks out one at a time. [SPEAKER_00]: First he pulled out a smooth black stone.

10:50 [SPEAKER_00]: I found this one at the beach, Billy remembered? [SPEAKER_00]: It's smooth because of something called erosion. [SPEAKER_00]: That means the water wore it down over time. [SPEAKER_00]: He handed the rock to Emily, so she could look at it. [SPEAKER_00]: After examining the stone, Emily placed it on the floor beside her.

11:12 [SPEAKER_00]: Next, Billy pulled out a reddish rock with a white strike through the middle. [SPEAKER_00]: I remember this one too, Billy said. [SPEAKER_00]: Dad and I found it while we were on a walk in the park. [SPEAKER_00]: He handed that rock to Emily as well, and she placed it beside the smooth blackstone.

11:33 [SPEAKER_00]: Then Billy's fingers closed around a tiny pebble, with glittery specks inside it. [SPEAKER_00]: I know that one, Emily exclaimed, me too, Billy Giggled. [SPEAKER_00]: This was the pebble, Emily had given him, after they discovered the clever crow, leaving [SPEAKER_00]: I'm definitely keeping this fun, Billy said with the grin.

12:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy continued sorting. [SPEAKER_00]: His collection contained rocks of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. [SPEAKER_00]: Then he picked up an ordinary gray stone. [SPEAKER_00]: He did not have a particularly interesting shape or pattern. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy turned it over in his hands considering it.

12:27 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't really remember where I found it, Billy admitted. [SPEAKER_00]: Instead of handing the rock to Emily, he placed it on the other side of the box. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy reached in again and pulled out a lumpy brown stone. [SPEAKER_00]: Then he found another playing gray one. [SPEAKER_00]: He set the two stones beside the first gray rock.

12:51 [SPEAKER_00]: I must have thought these were interesting when I picked them up. [SPEAKER_00]: Do you still think they're interesting? [SPEAKER_00]: Emily asked. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy studied the three rocks. [SPEAKER_00]: They were plain colors with no unusual shapes or patterns. [SPEAKER_00]: None of them reminded him of a particular day or adventure.

13:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Not really, Billy answered. [SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the rocks he had already chosen to keep. [SPEAKER_00]: He remembered where he had found them, who he had been with, or what had made the rock seem special. [SPEAKER_00]: But these plain rocks, he didn't remember. [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he did not need every rocky had ever collected.

13:46 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy and Emily continued sorting until Billy had chosen the rocks. [SPEAKER_00]: It still felt special to him. [SPEAKER_00]: a little while later, the siblings walked through the house, carrying handfuls of stones. [SPEAKER_00]: Their mom noticed them and looked curiously at the rocks in their hands.

14:07 [SPEAKER_00]: What are you to doing? [SPEAKER_00]: She asked. [SPEAKER_00]: I decided I want my collection box to hold the rocks I really like looking at, or that remind me of something special. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy explained, he looked down at the rocks, he and Emily were carrying. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think I want to keep these in my collection anymore, but I don't really want to get rid of them either.

14:34 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to. [SPEAKER_00]: Their mom replied, we could put them around the flower bed in the backyard. [SPEAKER_00]: We can leave them beside the back door for now. [SPEAKER_00]: And when the rain stops, we can move them outside. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy Grind. [SPEAKER_00]: That sounds like a good plan, he said.

14:54 [SPEAKER_00]: The children placed the stones near the back door. [SPEAKER_00]: Then Billy returned to his bedroom and arranged his favorite rocks inside the special box. [SPEAKER_00]: For the first time in a long while, none of the rocks had to be piled on top of one another. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy could see every single one of them.

15:16 [SPEAKER_00]: There were no more rocks crowding his bookshelf, either. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy smiled to himself as he put the lid back on the box. [SPEAKER_00]: He was surprised to realize [SPEAKER_00]: that he did not miss the other rocks at all. [SPEAKER_00]: Having fewer stones in his box did not make his collection feel smaller.

15:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Somehow, it made every rock he had chosen to keep, seem even more special. [SPEAKER_00]: By the time Billy finished organizing his collection, [SPEAKER_00]: The bitter pattern of rain, and the cozy afternoon indoors, had made both billing and Emily feel sleepy. [SPEAKER_00]: The siblings decided it was the perfect time for a nap.

16:11 [SPEAKER_00]: Billy climbed into bed, pulled his blanket over himself, [SPEAKER_00]: As he relaxed, he thought about everything he had to be grateful for. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy felt grateful for all the special rocks he had collected. [SPEAKER_00]: And the happy memories they brought back. [SPEAKER_00]: He took a deep, dry and breath in and out.

16:52 [SPEAKER_00]: Billion was also grateful that Emily had helped him sort through his collection. [SPEAKER_00]: He took another deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_00]: Most of all, Billy felt grateful for his family, and all the memories they'd made together. [SPEAKER_00]: Billy took one final, deep dragon breath, in and out.

17:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Listening to the gentle rain outside, Billy's body relaxed, and his mind grew quiet. [SPEAKER_00]: soon he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of exploring a way island with Emily, and finding new treasures together. [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining us to be calm, but a way island. [SPEAKER_00]: See you next time!