Surprising facts about how oysters build underwater cities, clean our water and help protect our shoreline!
Inspired by the work of marine scientist Olivia Blondheim of the University of South Florida College of Marine Science and the creative summer campers at DeSoto Park Recreation Center in Tampa FL. written and produced by Sheila Cowleyperformed by Vickie Daignault and Fanni Greenillustrated by summer campers at DeSoto Park Recreation Centerwith many thanks to Tampa Parks and Recreation- made possible thanks to the City of Tampa Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs
Feature image by Jalen
#steameducation
#scienceisreal
#marinescience
Astonishing, amazing algae! From microscopic plankton to 200' long seaweed, algae created oxygen on Earth and terraformed our planet by evolving into plants and trees. Everybody eats algae – or eats someone who does. . .
A fun story of surprising algae facts and uses, from algae airplane fuel and sneakers to camouflaging tree sloths and keeping baby otters from drifting out to sea. Algae are vital and amazing – and can help fix the climate crisis!
Many thanks to the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, the USF Optical Oceanography Lab, The Oceanography Camp Especially For Girls and Creative Clay St. Pete
Feature image – Clown of Essential Forest in Seas by Ashton T.
#steameducation
#marineeducation
#scienceisamazing
A girl who's struggling to learn the alphabet visits Paige the Literacy Bus and overcomes her fears as she explores words and letters through play. A celebration of Paige the Literacy Bus, the creative early learning project of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa Bay and the amazing teacher Tara Tallon-Stone.
A celebration of reading, the alphabet and public education – with creative ideas for struggling readers and for kids of all abilities. A story with hope for everyone learning to read, and so many thanks to caring teachers.
a Sparks Creative Stories project
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Beth Gelman, Bob Devin Jones, Phyllis McEwen and JL Rey
directed by David Warner
inspired by Tara Tallon-Stone and Paige the Literacy Bus
on Instagram @HCPSPaigetheLiteracyBus
#earlyliteracy
#publiceducation
#learningtoread
Balls bounce, so why not me? A short celebration of resilience, trying again and not giving up – an empowering reminder for kids trying something new, for when things don't go your way, and for all ages and abilities.
Also available in Spanish as ¡Boink! on the Sparks En Español podcast.
For everyone struggling with these troubled times, and life's daily ups and downs.
Feature image – Untitled, by Stacey B. of Creative Clay St Pete
#don'tgiveup
#keeptrying
#resilience
Are you picturing a chicken in a car? A frog in a firetruck? The vivid voices of film and TV actors Eugenie Bondurant and Mary Rachel Quinn welcome you onto a train with a triceratops, as you wonder if an octopus can use a scooter.
Wordplay and a vivid soundscape that invite you to imagine yourself paddling with a kangaroo in a canoe, and floating in a balloon with a baboon.
Created by request for Jonas, who loves animals, and vehicles! For fans of pirate ships and spaceships, rockets and recycling trucks – and everyone imagining adventures with your favorite stuffies.
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Eugenie Bondurant and Mary Rachel Quinn
directed by Jim Rayfield
chickens by Eugenie Bondurant, Vickie Daignault, Fanni Green, Jan Neuberger, Mary Rachel Quinn and Mimi Rice from Chickens to the Rescue!
vocal sound effects, baboons and piracy by Bass, Matt Cowley and Dave Waterman of Offramp Improv Absurdities
#wordplay
#audiobooksforkids
#animalstoriesforkids
A naptime story for when you're not tired (yet)! Burn off your energy and use your imagination in an immersive soundscape created by the actors' voices – with whale lasers, dolphin rockets and your own homemade flying machine.
Then relax knowing the universe is safe, thanks to you.
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Leah LoSchiavo Doan
all sound effects created by the voices of Bass, Matt Cowley and Dave Waterman of Offramp Improv Absurdities
Feature image – Mailbox by Ana Maria Vasquez
#i'mnottired
#naptime
#voiceacting
A girl who's always ready for emergencies that never come faces a hurricane – and winds up helping her little brother feel safe as they evacuate, and when their home is damaged. Inspired by kind people working hard to help after two catastrophic 2024 hurricanes in Tampa Bay.
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Vickie Daignault and Jim Sorenson
directed by James Rayfield
Feature image by Kirk Ke Wang from his "Foul Play" series of doodles based on hurricane forecast maps – kirkkewang.com
with many thanks to
The City of St Petersburg FL
The City of Tampa FL
Creative Clay
Daystar Life Center
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art
Kirk Ke Wang
Margo Hammond
Reach St Pete
Tampa Parks and Recreation
The Woodson African American Museum of Florida
You can find this audio story and illustrated video in Spanish on our Sparks Creative Stories YouTube channel – ¡Un Día de Desastre y Fatalidad! Cómo Sentirse Seguro Cuando Da Miedo.
#kidsandstorms
#resilience
#kidpower
When you're feeling bad, call Chickens to the Rescue! A fun rhyming story to cheer you up, when you're feeling bad-mad-sad :)
written by Sheila Cowley
performed by Eugenie Bondurant, Vickie Daignault, Fanni Green, Jan Neuberger, Mary Rachel Quinn and Mimi Rice
directed by James Rayfield
inspired by Cynthia and Wayne, who keep chickens more for jolly company than eggs – and the real Dottie, Pilot, Cocoa, Marshmellow, Gloria and Phyllis
Featured artwork by Teddy
#storyforkids
#feelbetterstory
#feelhappier
A bilingual English + Spanish celebration of reading, imagination and libraries! Imagine reading on a spaceship, with a friendly dinosaur and in your very favorite place – as you listen to each line of this lively story in both languages.
written by Sheila Cowley
performed by Dora Arreola and Fanni Green
Spanish translation by Dora Arreola
sound design by Matt Cowley
with many thanks to the creative librarians of the St. Petersburg Library System in St. Petersburg FL
photo thanks to the St. Petersburg Library System
#welovereading
#bilingualkids
#inclusiveworld
Wanda's huge imagination is driving her big sister crazy – until Wanda and Wombat figure out what Billie really cares about, and use their imagination to make her feel better. A story of empathy, caring and discovering joy, humor and adventure in your every day. With vivid sound effects – and a plucky Wombat!a Sparks Creative Stories projectwritten by Sheila Cowleyperformed by Fanni Green and Jim Wickerdirected by James Rayfield
feature image - "This is Mexico, This is England, This is France, They're Making a Heart for the Earth" (detail) by Oscar, with thanks to the City of Gulfport Florida's free Tot-Time Pre-K program#kindnessforkids #artseducation #prekkids
Zo's frustrated that she's too young to go with her big sister to the Oceanography Camp Especially For Girls. So she tries to build her own boat at home – through trial and error and experiments, with her sister's math skills, their recycling bin and family teamwork – and she just keeps trying!
Until Zo builds a boat that she and her rescue puppy, Captain Pelican, can float in, and gets invited to test it out at the OCG camp with the big girls.
A story of persistence, creativity, the scientific process and the joy of exploration and asking questions – inspired by the amazing Oceanography Camp Especially For Girls at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg College of Marine Science – giving 8th grade girls free hands-on experience with marine science for 30+years. With many thanks to the campers and instructors at OCG 2024!
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Eugenie Bondurant and Fanni Green
directed by James Rayfield
#girlpower
#marineeducation
#womeninscience
You can imagine anything, even what your socks are getting up to anytime that you can't find one! A lively bilingual English + Spanish adventure with a vivid soundscape that invites you to imagine your socks sailing with whales, flying with birds, throwing a wild sock party and singing silly sock songs.
A story welcoming bilingual families, children learning Spanish and English Language Learners.
written by Sheila Cowley
performed by Dora Arreola and Fanni Green
translated by Dora Arreola
sock songs by Dave Waterman with Bass and Matt Cowley of Offramp Improv Absurdities
You can find illustrated audiobooks and many more stories in English, Spanish and ASL on our Sparks Creative Stories YouTube channel.
Feature image ASL interpreter Carol Downing, from the English-Spanish-ASL version of "Where Are My Socks?" on the Sparks Creative Stories YouTube channel
#bilingualkids
#audioimagination
#prekkids
When things get you down, sometimes it helps to imagine you can just take off and fly. The story of a law-abiding citizen – except when it's the law of gravity!
A sensory-friendly story of imagination, friends – and always picking up your dog's poo.
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Lisa Tricomi
directed by Jim Rayfield
recorded by Chris Cathcart at Opera in the Ozarks
Feature image – "Seeing Is Believing" by Ivy J. at creativeclay.org
#audiobookforkids
#imaginationstory
#sensoryfriendlystory
Ana hates to admit that she still doesn't know which way is Left and which is Right – but she finds a fun visual way to remember when she takes a boat ride to see dolphins.
A story celebrating all kinds of learners, STEAM education and marine science – with dolphins, turtles, libraries, dance lessons, little brothers, a cool young woman who's the real-life Captain of the Eco Tour Boat and her small dog the First Mate.
With many thanks to the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, tbwdiscoverycenter.org.
You can find this story in Spanish on our Sparks En Español podcast – and an illustrated version on our Sparks Creative Stories YouTube channel, with photos from the Tampa Bay Watch Eco Tour and drawings by creative summer campers.
written and produced by Sheila Cowleyperformed by Beth Gelman and Jan Neubergerdirected by Vickie Daignault
#visuallearners
#STEAMstory
#girlpower
A bilingual bedtime story of imagining the ocean, with each phrase in English and in Spanish. Feel the water inviting you to swim with whales and dolphins, explore microscopic plankton and learn about marine science.
Take a deep, calming breath and discover that every time you take two breaths, one breath comes from the sea – because the ocean creates so much oxygen.
Explore an ocean without walls or borders, that we share with all the living creatures who call it home.
Because not everybody can get to the beach, but there are so many whales in my imagination. . .
written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Dora Arreola and Eugenie Bondurant
translated by Dora Arreola
directed by Jim Rayfield
Inspired by the creative marine researchers at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, with many thanks to Makenzie Kerr and Dr. Mya Breitbart. Part of a year-long Sparks collaboration with the amazing artists with disabilities at Creative Clay St Pete and amazing scientists at the USF College of Marine Science.
Feature image by Samuel S. from Art & Science Night 2024.
Produced with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Pinellas, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and the State of Florida.
Celebrating the beautiful diversity of families in our world, as a young girl tries to tell the story of her family in a class where creativity bursts beyond all Florida-mandated lesson plans.A bilingual story of creativity, imagination, rocket science, dance and resilience – a joyous story welcoming LGBTQIA+ families, blended families, step-families, single parent families, chosen families and friendship, and a child finding beautiful ways to remember when her mother dies. written and produced by Sheila Cowley
performed by Eugenie Bondurant, John Huls, Fernando Chonqui, David Warner and Jay Hoff
directed by Jim RayfieldRecorded live at St Pete Pride and the LGBTQ Resource Center at the Gulfport Library, thanks to a grant from the St Pete Arts Alliance and the St Petersburg Office of Cultural Affairs.
Feature image – Origami Family in a Rocket by Jennifer Ring
#youaresafehere
#sayrainbow
#childhoodgrief
Noodle doesn't want to rest like the vet told him to – but his hurt leg won't get better until he discovers that using his imagination can make getting well a little easier.
A gentle, funny story of a dog and learning to be patient while you're healing – welcoming children undergoing treatment, kids in hospitals, kids in doctor's offices or home sick.
written and produced by Sheila Cowley performed by Vickie Daignault and Kate Young
#getwellstory
#dogstoryforkids
#imaginationstory
A small dog barks at buses. . . until he gets to ride one! A funny story about being scared of new things until you try them – and finding out they're not so scary after all.
Written by Sheila Cowley and performed by David Warner and Kate Young
Feature image – Sunrunner Bus Stop public art installation by Catherine Woods
When you can't fall sleep, call the Bedtime Bears and a rowdy bunch of bears will invite you to dance, play and imagine – and use up today's energy! – before everybody falls asleep.
A funny bedtime story for insomniacs of all ages, to help you settle down when you're not tired (yet!).
written by Sheila Cowley
performed by Dave Waterman
Feature image – Moon over Tampa Bay by David Waterman
#i'mnottired
#naptimestory
#gotosleepstory
A fun story for kids learning names of fruits and vegetables – and the many parts of you!
A lively story for pre-K kids learning parts of the body and healthy eating!
You can find an illustrated version of this story with photos of beautiful fruit and vegetables growing, on the Sparks Creative Stories YouTube channel.
You can find this story in Spanish on the Sparks En Español podcast.
written by Sheila Cowley
performed by Fanni Green
Feature image – head gardener Robin Clemmons at Daystar Life Center's Food Pantry Farm
#healthykids
#gardeningforkids
#eatyourveg