Sensory Design Studio
SUMMER JOURNAL PROMPTS 2019 by CHRYSVNTHEMUM STORIES is a 50-page printable and personalizable PDF summer journal for elementary age school children to keep their minds focused and productive through the summer break. Print on letter-sized plain paper or card stock. Formatted for double-sided printing and 3-ring binder hole punches.
FORMS: sed·u·lous, sed·u·lous·ly, sed·u·lous·ness, un·sed·u·lous, un·sed·u·lous·ly, un·sed·u·lous·ness MEANING: maintaining sincerely and diligently USAGE: I lift the honey high before their sedulous feet sink.
FORMS: dis·com·bob·u·late, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing MEANING: to confuse the order of, cause disorder USAGE: The spoons lie discombobulated as Chef’s hand instantly freezes.
A Boy, stung by a Nettle, ran home crying, to get his mother to blow on the hurt and kiss it.
“Son,” said the Boy’s mother, when she had comforted him, “the next time you come near a Nettle, grasp it firmly, and it will be as soft as silk.”
Mother Goat was going to market one morning to get provisions for her household, which consisted of but one little Kid and herself.
“Take good care of the house, my son,” she said to the Kid, as she carefully latched the door. “Do not let anyone in, unless he gives you this password: ‘Down with the Wolf and all his race!'”
Strangely enough, a Wolf was lurking near and heard what the Goat had said. So, as soon as Mother Goat was out of sight, up he trotted to the door and knocked.
“Down with the Wolf and all his race,” said the Wolf softly.
It was the right password, but when the Kid peeped through a crack in the door and saw the shadowy figure outside, he did not feel at all easy.
“Show me a white paw,” he said, “or I won’t let you in.”
A white paw, of course, is a feature few Wolves can show, and so Master Wolf had to go away as hungry as he had come.
“You can never be too sure,” said the Kid, when he saw the Wolf making off to the woods.
A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank to the hub in a rut.
The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid. Then, it is said, Hercules really did appear, saying:
“Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself.”
And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned.
Two Men were traveling in company through a forest, when, all at once, a huge Bear crashed out of the brush near them.
One of the Men, thinking of his own safety, climbed a tree.
The other, unable to fight the savage beast alone, threw himself on the ground and lay still, as if he were dead. He had heard that a Bear will not touch a dead body.
It must have been true, for the Bear snuffed at the Man’s head awhile, and then, seeming to be satisfied that he was dead, walked away.
The Man in the tree climbed down.
“It looked just as if that Bear whispered in your ear,” he said. “What did he tell you?”
“He said,” answered the other, “that it was not at all wise to keep company with a fellow who would desert his friend in a moment of danger.”
A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.
One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.
The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.
“My Sons,” said the Father, “do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle.”
Today, I celebrate two years since I published my first book. The title came from a passing comment my daughter, Ansley, made to me as we were lying beside one another, trying to fall asleep on a rainy spring night in 2016. She said to me, “Mommy, how do I stay awake?” I said to her, “are you sure that’s what you want to do?” She nodded her tired little head and snuggled it into my arm. I explain, “Well […]
A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox’s mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.
The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.
Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.
“What a fool I am,” he said. “Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.”
And off he walked very, very scornfully.
A certain Wolf could not get enough to eat because of the watchfulness of the Shepherds. But one night he found a sheep skin that had been cast aside and forgotten. The next day, dressed in the skin, the Wolf strolled into the pasture with the Sheep. Soon a little Lamb was following him about and was quickly led away to slaughter.
That evening the Wolf entered the fold with the flock. But it happened that the Shepherd took a fancy for mutton broth that very evening, and, picking up a knife, went to the fold. There the first he laid hands on and killed was the Wolf.
“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has taken the idea of sensory fiction several stages further and offers a Science Fiction to Science Fabrication course. Using a range of sensors and tools, part of the studies include building a wearable connected book contraption in the form of a strap-on vest. This allows the reader to get fully in contact with the character’s emotions and physical states for a genuinely immersive reading experience. Selected passages trigger vibrations to influence heart rate, and […]
Two Pots, one of brass and the other of clay, stood together on the hearthstone. One day the Brass Pot proposed to the Earthen Pot that they go out into the world together. But the Earthen Pot excused himself, saying that it would be wiser for him to stay in the corner by the fire.
“It would take so little to break me,” he said. “You know how fragile I am. The least shock is sure to shatter me!”
“Don’t let that keep you at home,” urged the Brass Pot. “I shall take very good care of you. If we should happen to meet anything hard I will step between and save you.”
So the Earthen Pot at last consented, and the two set out side by side, jolting along on three stubby legs first to this side, then to that, and bumping into each other at every step.
The Earthen Pot could not survive that sort of companionship very long. They had not gone ten paces before the Earthen Pot cracked, and at the next jolt he flew into a thousand pieces.
How do I learn everything I can when someone is telling a story? Why is listening is important? Who will notice when I am ready? How I can listen with my whole body? This sensory story will show me a way. “Lending My Heart to Hear” My ears are hearing and my eyes are watching. My mouth is quiet and my body is still. This is how my heart can open and be filled with thoughts from another teller’s story. […]
Two Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a widespreading tree to rest. As they lay looking up among the pleasant leaves, they saw that it was a Plane Tree.
“How useless is the Plane!” said one of them. “It bears no fruit whatever, and only serves to litter the ground with leaves.”
“Ungrateful creatures!” said a voice from the Plane Tree. “You lie here in my cooling shade, and yet you say I am useless! Thus ungratefully, O Jupiter, do men receive their blessings!”
Sensory Stories | Social Narratives | Space Designs
Embark on a mesmerizing journey into the enchanting world of sensory storytelling! Discover the transformative power of immersive sensory experiences that captivate and engage audiences of all ages and capacities. From beloved children's classics like "The Rainbow Fish" and "Where the Wild Things Are" to the magical realm of Harry Potter, unleash the power of storytelling through the senses. Dive…
Want to use your senses to inspire your seasons this year? Making Madness: My Sensory Journal & Guided Seasonal Planner is available to ship on Amazon now. Today, you can officially purchase a print copy to enjoy. It transforms your daily planner into a mighty keepsake chronicle of your sensory experience through one-year of May 2022 to May 2023. It will…
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the enchanting world of Maurice Sendak's beloved classic, 'Where the Wild Things Are,' right from the comfort of your own sensory spaces! Welcome to Chrysanthemum Stories, where we're bringing the Wild Rumpus to life with this DIY immersive sensory experience that will ignite our senses and spark our imagination. Get ready to release the…
A STORY ABOUT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS Join us on a trek through the woods as we follow the Wise Old Owl's directions to find the elusive Purple Flower Meadow in this engaging sensory story. This story is a lesson in following directions mixed into the sensory experience of walking through a woodland. We explore the winding path through Heather Heath, cross…