The Four Friends - A Bhutan Folktale

The Four Harmonious Friends
by Ella Brewer

Last week my niece Hayley called to read me a story she wrote. She initially read this story in a folktale book and loved it so much she wrote her own adaptation, just like storytellers do with the tales they love.

Hayley will be entering the second grade in September. She has been exposed to storytelling since she was in kindergarten as she attends the same school where I have directed a storytelling troupe for ten years. Her older brother Brad was part of the troupe for two years so she is very excited about becoming a storyteller herself.

I promised Hayley I would post her version on my blog so my colleagues could delight in her work. I have also added a link to a longer version of the story and some additional websites to whet your storytelling appetites. If you have a moment, please leave a note for Hayley in the comment section at the bottom of the blog. I know she will be delighted to hear your words of encouragement.

The Four Friends
by Hayley

One day a peacock planted a little seed. Along came a rabbit. She asked, “Can I help?”
“Yes”, said the peacock. So the rabbit and watered the seed.

Along came a monkey. He asked, “Can I help?”
“Yes,” said the rabbit. “Please feed the seed.”

 Along came an elephant. She asked, “Can I help?”
“Yes,” said the monkey. “Please watch the seed.”

So the elephant watched the seed. A little plant grew into a big tree. Big red apples grew on the tree. “I cannot reach the apples ,” cried the elephant.

“I can help,” said the monkey. He jumped onto the elephants back. “I cannot reach the apples,” cried the monkey.
“I can help,” said the rabbit. She jumped on monkeys back. “I cannot reach the apples.”

“I can help,” said the peacock. He jumped onto the rabbits back.” Now we can all have apples!”

You may read a much longer version of the story, The Four Hamonious Friends, from the Jataka Tales at this link:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,1531,0,0,1,0

It is said that wherever a picture of the Four Harmonious Friends is displayed, the ten virtues will increase, the minds of all will become harmonious, and many auspicious events will occur.

The animals are representations of Lord Buddha himself and his close advocates: the bird is Buddha himself, the rabbit is Sheribu (Shari Putra), the monkey Mou-Gelgi-Bu (Mugyalyana), and the elephant Kingau (Ananda). The painting teaches most of the Bhutanese values of etiquette like respect for elders, cooperation, and generosity.  http://www.bhutantravelportal.com/miscellaneous/four_friends.php

ADDITIONAL STORIES

Jataka Tales -  Collected by Ellen C. Babbitt, 1912.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/jt/index.htm

More Jataka Tales Collected by Ellen C. Babbitt, 1922.

http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php3?author=babbitt&book=morejataka&story=_contents

The Jataka Tales – Twelve Tales Collected by D. L. Ashliman
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/jataka.html


* The artwork at the top left of the blog is the original work of Ella Brewer of New Zealand. She graciously granted me permission to use it in this post. Please take a moment to visit her site and view her other beautiful pieces of art. http://www.pureview.co.nz

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Send Your Senses Soaring!

Allegory of the Five Senses

by Gérard de Lairesse, 1668

Five Minute
Creativity Boost
by Monica Davis
© 2012

What is creativity? By definition it is: “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns...and create [bring into being] meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations.”  We humans love to create...and recreate; to bring forth and nurture originality as if it were our precious child; to push the boundaries of “Why?” and ask, “Why not?”

Have you tasted the stroke of midnight? Heard fruit ripening on the vine? Ever held a shooting star in the palm of your hand? Smelled tomorrow? Seen the fragrance of a rose? 

The logical part of our brain says: “Not possible”; “Doesn't exist”; “Can't do it”; “Human senses don't work that way.”. But the creative part of our brain rises to the challenge and attempts the seemingly impossible: “Stroke of midnight? Hmm, rich, decadent, tangy...delicious!”

Five Minutes, Five Senses!

A simple 5-minute exercise may boost your creativity, bring clarity to your thoughts, open your imagination, and yes, aid memory. The exercise is done in 4 steps. Focus your attention on each individual sense (taste, sight, touch, smell, hearing) one at a time, and fully engage in that particular sense before moving on to the next. (Eyes may be open or closed.)

Step 1: Experience familiar sensations.  

Taste

• Taste cold, juicy watermelon
• Chocolate melting in your mouth
• Bite into a sour lemon

Sight

• Watch a beautiful sunset
• See the smiling face of a happy child
• Watch a bird fly across the sky

Touch

• Pet the soft fur of a kitten
• Walk barefoot along a sandy beach
• Make a snowball with your bare hands

Smell

• Inhale the aroma of freshly brewed coffee
• Smell a pine forest
• Smell an ocean breeze

Hear

• Listen as a distant train whistle grows louder, then fades away
• Hear a clock strike five o'clock
• Hear the sound of raindrops on a tin roof

Step 2: Apply all five senses to a single experience; such as baking bread.

• Knead the dough with your hands
• Smell the bread baking in the oven
• See the golden color of the freshly baked loaf
• Hear the crunch of the crust as you bite into it
• Taste the flavors as you savor a slice spread with melting butter

Step 3: Experience each sense through obscure and unusual combinations. This allows the creative side of the brain to join in, trying to answer a riddle. (Don't get hung up or struggle; just go with whatever comes and move on. With practice, your creative brain will know what to do.) For example:

• Taste the air inside a bubble
• Walk along the red stripe of a rainbow
• Hear wax shine
• Smell square
• See an echo in a canyon
  
  

Step 4: Mix up your bread baking senses. For example:

• See the crunch of the crust
• Smell the ingredients into forming a dough
• Taste the color of the finished loaf
• Hear the flavor of melting butter spread on a warm slice
• Touch the aroma of the baking loaf
  
  

A gifted storyteller moves an audience through all senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste to create a truly satisfying and magical experience. Heightening the senses gives the brain more avenues for memory recall; no longer relying solely on rote data filing, but recalling feelings, sensations and associations.

From once upon a time, to happily ever after is just five senses away.

© 2012 Monica Davis
About the author: Monica Davis is an accomplished writer, editor, speaker and creative consultant. She is the author of the soon to be released non-fiction book, “Wisdom of the Toga: Mythic Patterns That Shape Our Lives”. For more information, please visit her website at: www.wisdomofthetoga.com

 

Monica Davis is a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to Monica. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without her expressed, written  permission. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger contact Karen at Storybug@aol.com for the details.

Grandparents - Adding Richess to Our Lives



Grandfather's Favourites
by Arthur John Elsley, 1861

Although I have written about Grandparent’s Day in the past it carries a special significance for me this year. First, it falls on September 9, my son Christopher’s birthday, and second, he and his beautiful wife Stephanie will grace me with my first grandchild in October.

My son has been blessed with the most amazing grandparents. They continue to add a richness and dimension to his life that could not have come from anyone else. Because of this close relationship he has grown into a young man who respects and appreciates his elders.

I have learned so much from watching them and I hope I will be the same positive influence in my grandchild's life as they have been in Christopher's. I am so excited to greet my own grandchild in a few months. I can’t wait to hold him in my arms and tell him story after story.

Here are some new tales and activities to help you celebrate and honor the elder’s in our lives, both past and present.

STORIES

How Master Rabbit Went Fishing - Micmac

http://tinyurl.com/9abmmmh

Grandfather’s Eyes – Czechoslovakia

http://tinyurl.com/9t78pbo

Old Grandpa Money Rock - Hmong

http://tinyurl.com/99y237z

The Devil and his Grandmother
http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms95.html

The Dragon and His Grandmother - German

http://tinyurl.com/8lgx2s6

The Merchant of Seri - Jakata

http://tinyurl.com/9qcotdw

The Old Grandfather and His Grandson – Germany
http://tinyurl.com/npargw

The Three Golden Hairs of Grandfather Allknow - Slavic
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs05.htm

Two Wolves – Cherokee Native American

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.html
 

BOOKS

Papertigers.org – A selection of bilingual books for children about grandparents.

http://www.papertigers.org/personalViews/archiveViews/APereira4.html

CURRICULUM

A-Z Teacher Stuff – A number of lesson plans

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Grandparents__Day/

ABCTeach.com – Word Search, venn diagrams, coloring pages and more to use in the classroom or at home to celebrate the day.

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/grandparents_day/

National Grandparent’s Day – Lessons, printables, tree chart, and more.

http://www.nationalgrandparentsday.com/activities.html

CRAFT

Ato Z Teacher Stuff – Adorable handprint activity.

http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/405/grandparents-day-activity/

Enchanted Learning – A number of fun, easy crafts.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/grandparents/

Busy Bee Kids Crafts – Adorable, easy crafts for your children and students.

http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Grandparents-Day-Crafts-for-Kids.html

 

SOMETHING EXTRA

Two additional blog posts with resources for Grandparent’s Day and Collecting Oral Histories.

Celebrating Our Elders

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/08/celebrating-our-elders.html

Preserving Our Roots – Collecting Family History

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/04/preserving-our-roots-collecting-family.html

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Sweeping the Air, Catching the Dust

The Three Little Men in the Wood
by Arthur Rackham, 1909

Sweeping the Air, Catching the Dust

By Eileen DeLorenzo  © 2012


Each August, I see a dear friend in storytelling at a get-together at a mutual friends' home. Standing in their kitchen, with genuine interest, she asks me, every year, "So what have you been doing?" As someone who's been evolving as a storyteller for several years, quite confident in the fact I will never be accused of being an overnight success; I struggled with answering her question. What have I been doing?

It's a tricky thing, navigating our careers and lives without the structure of working 9-5, five days a week. Spending hours researching multiple versions of a folktale. Learning all there is to know about the culture where the story is from as well as the significance of a type of tree or animal in the story.  All of this time and energy invested in developing a five to seven minute story.

Most of my work is in schools mostly from January to June.  This past year I was very fortunate to tell stories I knew well, from years of telling, in more classrooms and schools than I ever have in a school year. With each group, because of the stories close and familiar, the images and characters were uniquely recreated. In some magical tellings, using my breath, the story seemed to add its own gems.

I treasure those gems. But it's summer now. What have I been doing? I had one gig, a women's club brunch for which I developed three new stories and revised a personal story scheduled for the end of this month. Becoming 'close' to the stories sustained my identity as a storyteller these past weeks.  But with a recent email, the wind was knocked out of my sails, cancelling due to low interest. I knew this was a possibility when I accepted the gig. Granted, I can add those new stories to my repertoire and use them in other venues, but what else did I do this summer?

I did what I've done all these years. I read. I read from every source possible on the topic of which I am most passionate; the importance of storytelling in education, and constructivist education and neuroplasticity. National Storytelling Network's recent Storytelling Magazine reminded me I am part of an amazing network. It was a shot in the arm to reread Karen Chace's posting of the article, 'Your Brain on Fiction' from The New York Times. When it was too hot to walk and practice my stories I downloaded Halo and Noose's The Power of Story Telling and Story Listening in Business Life and Story Matters ebooks. I was curious about Tricycle Magazine's reference to Mark Epstein's, Going On Being and fortunate to find it in CMU's Library. Facebook postings by storytellers such as Camille Born and her seemingly incapable, yet honest sidekick brightened my day. My friend Dawn's posting a video of an injured dragonfly being hand fed and nurtured back to health reaffirmed my sense of wonder in the minute.

Beyond my computer, I'd find myself, more times than I care to admit, looking out the window wondering about things such as why I never noticed leaves look like they are vibrating in the wind. Simple? Well, not really. Measuring worth through intangible experiences is difficult. Despite my struggle with this, I've always seemed to be where I needed to be, doing what I needed to do at the right time. Thanks to family, friends and friends in storytelling, all along, and this summer, more than ever, I am committed and inspired to continue to develop the craft of spoken word.


Eileen DeLorenzo tells stories to audiences of all ages. Her love of story within the art of creating images, and the shared dynamics between teller and listener fuel her warm and lively performances. ​Eileen performs at schools, libraries, community events, festivals, senior organizations, and Tellabrations!An elementary educator, classroom storyteller/storyteacher and certified Thinking Maps™ trainer.

Eileen is available for classroom storytelling sessions and professional development workshops in integrating Thinking Maps™, storytelling, instructional methods and brain research in education.  www.classroomstoryteller.com.Visit Eileen's Classroom Storytelling and Thinking Maps blog.

Eileen DeLorenzo is a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to  Eileen. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without her expressed, written permission. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger contact Karen at Storybug@aol.com for the information.

The Golden Greeks: Myths, Fables and Folktales

The Olympian Gods
by Monsiau 1754-1837 

The Summer Olympic Games are here and so I decided to do a bit of research to refresh my memory on the ancient beginnings of the games. It has been wonderful watching one of my favorite sports, swimming, so you will also find folktales connected to the water, and of course, Greek myths and fables.

Whichever country you are cheering on, I hope you will find something interesting, fun and useful below.

Originally, the Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece beginning in the 8^th century B.C. The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of competitions held between representatives of several city-states and kingdoms in Ancient Greece. These games featured mainly athletic but also combat and chariot racing events.

At the start of the Olympic Games, the Greeks would ignite a cauldron of flames upon Hera's altar. They lit the flame using a hollow disc or mirror called a skaphia, which focused the sun's rays into a single point to light the flame. The flame would burn throughout the Games as a sign of purity, reason, and peace. During the games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the games were finished.

The origin of these Olympics is a mystery but some myths identify Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games.The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events.


The Olympics were of religious importance, featuring sporting events alongside ritual sacrifices honoring both Zeus and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia.


While there is exact date as to when the Games officially ended, the most commonly held date is 393 A.D. In 1896 Baron Pierre de Coubertin, tried to revive the games. He initially planned to hold the games in France, but was convinced that Greece was the appropriate country to host the first modern Olympics. Thirteen countries competed in nines sports: cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, track and field, weight lifting and wrestling.

Information from the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/olympic-torch1.htm

GREEK MYTHS AND FABLES 

Aesop Fables – No post about Greece would be complete without sharing some Aesop Fables.

http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/

Greek Mythology for Kids – This site offers myths but also activities and lesson plans connected to Greece. http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html

  

STORIES

Since one of the most popular sports in the modern day Olympic Games is swimming here are some stories connected to water.

Bear Lake Monster - United States

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/the_bear_lake_monster.html
The Good Ferryman and the Water Nymphs - Poland

http://worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Polish_folktale_5.html 

The King of the Sharks – Hawaii
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/the_king_of_sharks.html

The Golden Fish - Russia

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/gold_fish.html

The Heart of the Monkey - Africa

http://www.english-for-students.com/Heart-of-The-Monkey.html
The Seal’s Skin – Iceland 
http://www.vikingrune.com/selkies-folktale/

Sam-Chung and the Water Demon - China

http://worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Asian_Folktale_16.html
Water Faeries - Scotland
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/sfft/sfft36.htm
Why Dogs Wag Their Tails - Philippines
http://asiarecipe.com/phitales3.html
Wild Goose Island – United States
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2008/09/goose_island.html

SOMETHING EXTRA

Two previous blog posts with stories of the sea!

Siren’s of the Sea 

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/02/mermaids-sirens-of-sea.html

Water, Water Everywhere! 

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/03/water-water-everywhere.html

CRAFTS

Kaboose.com -  Make your own Olympic torch. Easy for ages 4 and up.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/olympic-torch.html

Activity Village – More crafts connected to the Olympics; medals, Olympic Rings and other patriotic crafts.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/olympic_crafts_for_kids.htm

CURRICULUM

A-Z Teacher Stuff – Seventeen lesson plans connected to the Olympics from grades K-12.

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Olympics/

History for Kids.org – Learn about the ancient Greeks; religion, mythology, ancient life and more.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/

RECIPES

Kid Friendly Olympic Recipes 

http://www.sj-r.com/blogs/community/justforkids/x383254025/Kid-Friendly-Olympic-Recipes

If you find this information and the links helpful in your work please consider taking a moment to leave a comment at the end of the blog. I love hearing from you!

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Escaping the Troll

Grimm's Fairy Tales,
1812 Edition's cover

Her Story, Your Story, Our Story:
An Afternoon with Women Who Have Escaped the Troll

by Regina Ress 

This article was previously published in the LANES Museletter, 2012.
           

"What message do you want to send to other women who’ve been captured by a “Troll?"“
"Love yourself enough to leave.”
"Anything else?"
"Don’t settle for less.”

Storytelling is not just kid stuff. We, the storytelling community, know this. Indeed, we know that “kid stuff” can be….and should be…meaningful at its core. Life long learning begins with those bedside stories of survival, of  compassion, of what life holds, offers, and teaches.  And for those whose stories takes some bad turns, stories and storytelling can help them find our way out of the woods and home.

I am currently helping to launch a non-profit organization, Healing Voices-Personal Stories, whose mission is to bring awareness to women striving to overcome abuse through the distribution of film and video. Having worked with women in several correctional facilities, I am keenly aware that women who end up in jail generally have a history of abuse. Bad stories; bad endings.

But do all bad stories have to have bad endings? Is there a way to learn and grow a new story?

Last June, I spent time with a group of women in a “resettlement” program. These are formerly incarcerated women who have come through abuse and who are actively in the process of changing and reclaiming their lives. The women are part of a support group that meets once a week at the Community Partners in Action Resettlement Program in Hartford,Connecticut.  I brought fresh strawberries from my friend’s spring garden, an old European fairy tale, and some questions. 

The story I brought to Hartford last spring was one of the Grimm’s Tales. It describes the trials of a Princess who falls through the crack in a glass mountain and is forced to be the house drudge of the long-bearded Old Rink Rank. She loses all sense of herself, even forgetting her own name. This young woman is eventually rescued, not by a prince, but by her own efforts. When she hits rock bottom, something shifts in her psyche and she finds her own way back up to the light.

I told Old Rink Rank, adding my own voice,  asking a question or two within the telling, but not changing the original Grimm version. It is a spare story. It is a very clear story.

The women in our group listened with great attention, nodding at times, often uttering a chorus of “uh-huhs” at recognizable moments in this story of abuse and redemption. After the telling, in response to my questions as well as their own, they fleshed out their understanding…and mine as well…of this classic tale. Our discussion was lively, filled with recognition and gritty wisdom.  The women very much took control of the conversation, finding questions and answers themselves, often engaging in a kind of debate over issues raised in the story.  We looked at how easy it is to fall through the cracks, losing ourselves to the “trolls” ever waiting to use us for their own purposes. The story does not tell us how and why the Princess turns her situation around. But these women knew:

“All that hard work gave her strength.”

 “When you hit rock bottom, when you are fed up, that’s when you make the changes.”

We also discussed two possible endings.  The Princess, having trapped the old man by his long beard, sets him free once she has returned to the world.  In the Grimm version, her father, the King, has him killed. We looked at the justice of this.  Then we looked at a more forgiving model, the possibility of not taking revenge. A different kind of justice.

As our time was quite short, we did not get in to our own personal stories. However,  it was clear that all of us, group members, case workers, and I, recognized aspects of our own lives in this timeless tale. And working with it in this way helped us all clarify and enlarge our understanding   of our lives.

Two of the women commented to me on their way out that they never understood that “those old stories actually meant something.” Ah!   This storyteller quoted a favorite adage in the storytelling world: The stories are not good because they are old; they are old because they are good.

And they do, they most definitely do “mean something.”



Regina Ress is an award winning storyteller, actor, writer and educator who has performed and taught for over forty years from Broadway to Brazil in English and Spanish in a wide variety of settings from grade schools to senior centers, from homeless shelters and prisons to Lincoln Center and the White House. Performances range from delightful folk tales to some of the world’s great mythologies. She also tells original stories about New York City, 9/11, and Love.

Regina is Storytelling Adjunct for New York University’s Programs in Educational Theatre and Multilingual/Multicultural Studies and produces the storytelling series at the historic Provincetown Playhouse in NYC. In 2003 she was awarded the Oracle for Leadership and Service by the National Storytelling Network.  www.reginaress.com


Regina Ress is a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to Regina. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without the expressed written permission of Regina Ress. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger email Karen at storybug@aol.com with "Guest Blogger" in the subject heading .

Celebrating Daughter's Day in China

The Star Lovers

by Warwick Goble, 1910

In China, August 23 is known as Daughter's Day and also the celebration of Chinese Valentine’s Day, or the Double SeventhFestival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The holiday evolved from the ancient Chinese love story, The Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden, also known as the story of Altair and Vega.

The raging river, formed in one version by the Empress as she attempts to keep the lovers apart, also explains how the Milky Way was formed. In some versions the bridge is formed by sparrows, in other versions, the magpie.

• The Daughter’s Day Festival is an important day for girls. In the evening, they prepare melons and fruits prior to engaging in worship and praying that their wishes for a good marriage will come true.
• Young girls display needlework, make paper flowers, burn incense and make fruit offerings to the night sky.
• It is the one day of the year when young girls may request for any wish to the Weaving Maid. (Vega star)
• When the star is high in the sky, the girls do a test, which involves placing a needle on the water surface. If the needle does not sink in the water, the girl is already smart enough and she is eligible for a married life.
• Since is it is also considered a holiday of friendship others cook horse beans and share with their neighbors.
• Girls throw five-color ropes, made by the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, on top of the roof for magpies. It is believed that magpies will use the ropes to build the bridge.

Sources for the above information:

http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/August/chinesevalentine.htm
http://www.celebrating-valentinesday.com/celebrating/chinese-valentines-day.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/how_2093105_celebrate-chinese-valentines-day.html#ixzz21Ss67RS9
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/from-china-to-japan-the-story-of-altair-and-vega-1026751.html

STORIES

Some tales to help you celebrate the daughter's in your life.

The Legend of the Magpie Bridge

http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valmagpie.html

The Bamboo Cutter’s Daughter – Japan 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/jft2/jft208.htm

The Blind Man’s Daughter – Korea 

http://www.sejongsociety.org/korean_theme/korean_folk_tales/shim_chong.html

The Boat that Went on Land and Water – France 

http://www.mordent.com/folktales/french/boat/
Daughter and Step Daughter – Russia 

http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/daughter-and-ste-daughter.html

The Daughter of the Rose – Romania 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/rft/rft06.htm

The Daughter of the Skies - West Highlands 
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/pt1/pt116.htm
The Daughter of the Sun – Cherokee/Native American 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/motc/motc005.htm

Earl Mar’s Daughter – England
http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-32.html

Leelinau, the Lost Daughter – Native American
http://worldoftales.com/Native_American_folktales/Native_American_Folktale_29.html

The Marsh King’s Daughter – Denmark
http://hca.gilead.org.il/marsh_ki.html

The Padishah’s Daughter and the Young Slave – Tajik/Iran
http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Anthropology/Tajiks/TajikFolk.htm

The Sea King’s Daughter – Russia
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/032.html
The Star Lovers – Japan (Found on page 65 in _Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales_, downloadable at the link.)http://archive.org/details/greenwillowother00jame

The Twelve Dancing Princesses – Germany
http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-9.html
The Three Daughter’s and the Lost Cow – Tibet
http://www.crosby-lundin.com/tibet/culture/folktales/cow.html

The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter - Nigeria
http://worldoftales.com/African_folktales/Nigerian_folktale_1.html

The Widow and Her Daughters – Scotland
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/pt2/pt233.htm

The Worthy Daughter - India
http://stories4u.50webs.com/Folktales/theworthydaughter.htm

CRAFTS

In preparation for the festival young Chinese girls make paper flowers for the celebration.

Tie Dye Flowers – This cute craft is made with coffee filers.
http://tinyurl.com/d6jbfp8

Tissue Paper Flowers
http://crafts.kaboose.com/flower2.html

Weave a Paper Lantern
http://www.freekidscrafts.com/woven_paper_lantern-e847.html 

CURRICULUM

Magpies in Nature and Myth

http://www.wisdomportal.com/Magpie.html

Galaxies Galore

http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/galaxies-galore/teacher/lessonplan.html#new


SOMETHING EXTRA

Looking for stories to celebrate the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival?  Click over to this link.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/dragons-mythical-mystical-magical.html

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook