Bedtime Wishes
Episode # 141. Big Switch
In a small, square box, the children give the Storypeople a large light switch. When Grandmamma flips the switch, Storyworld turns from day to night and five sparkling stars appear in the sky. The stars disappear when she flips the switch back to daylight. Grandmamma prefers the night, especially when the children give her the power to jump high enough to reach one of the stars and bring it back to the ground. When the others arrive, she jumps up and grabs stars for them, too. But what to do when there are more people than stars? The children know. They give Grandmamma a moon to go with the stars. When it is time to go, they all toss their stars back into the sky, but the moon is too heavy for Grandmamma to toss by herself. So they all grab hold and return the moon to the sky.

Directions
Help your child draw and cut out a star from the piece of cardboard. Together, cover the star with reflective material and glue or tape the material onto the star. Note that the younger the child, the more help she will need in making her star. Use the flashlight to show your child how her star can shine.

That evening, pull the star and flashlight out at bedtime. With your child in bed, place the star someplace in the room where she can see it, shine the flashlight at the star and show her how to “wish upon a star.” Talk with her about what her wish for the day is and share your wish. Then, each night, you can make a routine of wishing on a star together. Because children love to spend special time with the grown ups who care for them, pulling out the star and flashlight only after a child is tucked in bed, may serve as a motivation for your child to cooperate at bedtime.

Talk About It
While viewing the Big Switch episode, you might start a conversation by asking your child: “Where did the stars go?” or “If you only had five stars and there were six people, what would you do?” At night, you might try to take your child someplace where you can see real stars. If you live in a place that makes that difficult, you might arrange to make a special visit to a planetarium.

As you talk about the things on screen, you can help expand your child’s vocabulary by alternating the words you use with their synonyms. In the Big Switch episode you might describe the way the stars look as sparkling or shimmering.