Shooting Hoops
Episode # 158. Ball & Hoop
In a big, rectangular box, the children give the Storypeople a very high hoop and three balls, one each for Grandpappa, Brother, and Sister. Brother and Sister have no trouble shooting their balls through the hoop, but Grandpappa just can't seem to succeed until the children make the hoop bigger. Then Grandmamma, Mrs. Lady, and Mr. Man join the game, bouncing and shooting and cheering for one another.

Directions
You don't need a basketball court to shoot hoops. On the next rainy day, make an indoor "hoop" using a wastebasket or empty cardboard box. Take three balls and make each worth a different number of points (e.g. the red is worth one, the yellow two, and the purple three). You might even use a marker to write the point value on the ball. Then let your child shoot the balls at the basket, perhaps backing up a bit after every three shots to add challenge. Keep a running tally of points by writing down the point value of each ball than goes through (or lands in) the "hoop" and asking your child to help calculate what their new point total is. If older children are involved in the game, you might ask them to keep score.

Talk About It
While viewing the Ball & Hoop episode, you might start a conversation by asking your child: "If you were in Storyworld, how would you help Grandpappa get his ball through the hoop?"

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 Ball & Hoop episode you might use basketball terms to describe the ball going through the hoop, e.g., basket, or bucket.