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Story Time For Kids: How To Be Brave
440 Plays11 days ago
Originally from instagram Live, join Miss Beth from Big City Readers as she reads You Matter, When You Are Brave, Pass It On, If You Plant A Seed, The Rabbit Listened and shares life lessons about looking for hope and having courage.
View it on instagram: Instagram.com/bigcityreaders
Purchase these books: amazon.com/shop/bigcityreaders
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Transcript
Welcome to Story Time
00:00:07
miss beth
Well, hello everybody. Welcome to our story time for kids. Sometimes here I do some workshops and answering questions for grownups, but today this is for kids. Of course, grownups are invited to participate too, but I'm going to read some of my favorite stories today. If
Introduction to Miss Beth and Big City Readers
00:00:31
miss beth
you just need a little break or a little space, um you are invited to stay. So come on in. I'll give everybody a second to join, and I am going to get out some of my favorite books. If you go to my Amazon store, I already linked all the books that I'm going to read. um So you can check that out if you like any of the ones that I read right now. And there's a lot more, but it's amazon dot.com slash shop slash big city readers. um But I will post it later um if you, but in case you're like, I need to remember that book and I have to hop off, that will happen. So welcome.
Virtual Story Time in Uncertain Times
00:01:10
miss beth
I'm so happy you're here. I'm Miss Beth and I am the owner of Big City Readers. And this is a place where we love to help parents learn how to teach their kids how to read. But more important than that, this is a place where you can come and um have all of your feelings be as big as they are, and um especially today. So I um hope that that is this is a little bit of what you need. So, oh, hi, you guys know the drill. You're already saying where you're from and who's here. Hi, Jonah and Logan and Coco and Annie and Rhett. Oh my goodness. So if you are newer, this is something that, um well, I've been doing this for almost a decade, but in 2020, when things felt a little bit uncertain with the pandemic and all of the things going on in the world, um i and I had just opened my second storefront and felt like I did not, oh no, I did not plan for having to go virtual and figure out how to run a virtual company. So what did I do? I just was like, what's the next right thing I can do? And what do I care about? I made big city readers for families, for kids. um And I just started doing story time here on Instagram Live. And I also know so many of you all over the world, um which was almost five years ago now. um And we still do some story time lives. But we, of course, have a lot of different ways that we connect in our courses. But it felt today like we needed to have a family meeting. So welcome if
Reading 'You Matter' - The Importance of Everyone
00:02:45
miss beth
you're new or if you have been here for a long time, welcome to the big city family. Hi, Amelia and Ellis and Charlotte. Oh my gosh. And Lindsay. Hi, everybody. George and Bentley and Jax and Shelby and Soli or Sophie in Guatemala City. Jonas Arlo and Hallie Juniper and Brady and Audie. Oh my goodness. Hi, August and Max. Yes, I will. And I'll share this. So many people are already asking about sharing this. Hi, Leo and Casey and Bella and Layla. Oh, I'm so happy you all are here. Hi, Hazel and Ren and Everett. Oh, and hi, Iris. Okay. Shavam, oh my gosh, I'm so happy that you guys are here. And Eli and Emmett and Evan. Oh my goodness. Okay. And Camille and Conrad. Hi, everybody. Adele. Well, the first story I have is a really special one. It's called You Matter. And this story is going to, the words are going to be backwards. So if you're learning how to read, you're going to probably say, wait a minute, those words look backwards to me. But since we're just here, instead of in our regular classes where it shows up the right way on Instagram, it shows up backwards. So you can just look at the pictures and listen with me. Hi, Lincoln and Maddie. You matter. The small stuff too small to see. Those who swim with the tide and those who don't. The first to go and the last, you matter. When everyone thinks you're just a pest or when something feels just out of reach. When everyone is too busy to help, you matter. If you fall down, or if you have to start all over again, or even if you're really gassy, you matter. Sometimes home feels far away. Sometimes someone you love says goodbye. Sometimes you feel lost and all alone. Old and young. The first to go and the last. The small stuff too small to see. You
Reading 'Pass It On' - Spreading Kindness and Positivity
00:06:20
miss beth
matter. The end. Sometimes it feels like, wow, there's too much going on, or it feels really overwhelming. You might have like a really big feeling, or you might see your grownups have some really big feelings. You might see your grownups be sad about something or angry about something. And a lot of times it's because someone or something has made them feel or someone they love feel like they don't matter. So I love to read that story to remind myself all of the things that you care about, all the people that you love matter. And there's just some bumps in the road sometimes, but you can read that book if you need to remind yourself. Oh, my gosh, I lost the other book that I was looking for. OK, I might have to get up in a minute to read it or to get it. But I'll read this one first. We have the book Pass It On. Pass It On. Sometimes if I'm feeling super overwhelmed or I'm feeling like everyone around me feels sad and angry and I don't know what to do and I feel really small and I feel like I can't, I can't fix anything. I don't know what to do. This book helps me remember what we can do. We can pass it on. We can pass on little tiny things. We can pass on a little hug or a little love to someone around us. Because sometimes when everyone else is angry, then it makes me start to feel angry. And I want to I just want to yell and scream. And I don't really even understand why everyone is so angry. It feels like kind of feel helpless. Have you ever heard that word before? Helpless. You might you might hear adults say that word. You might feel that. But this book, Pass It On, reminds me of the things that I can do when I do feel a little bit helpless. Pass it on. One of my friends, Johanna, gave me this book too. When you see something terrific, smile smile and pass it on. If you chance upon a chuckle, and pass it on. If something happens that's amazing, whoop it up and pass it on. Should you spot a thing of wonder, jump for joy and pass it on. With all the smiles you have made and all the joy you've spread about, you'll find the world's a little nicer and those smiles are a little brighter. But sometimes the fun and the glee aren't in their usual places. But if you search around, there
00:09:35
miss beth
ah little a hum a hug a happy face
00:09:45
miss beth
so when the sky is gray and rainy you'll know just what to do grab your rainboots and your coat a smile, and pass it on. If you feel a little lonely, don't let that worry you. Just branch out and see who's there. Find some fun and pass it on. And when you least expect it, like a bolt out of the blue, a smile or a chuckle will be passed right back to you. Enjoy that happy moment. Let that feeling fill you up. Then have a ball, raise the roof, kick your heels, and pass it on. The end. Oh my goodness. I love that story because that reminds me sometimes we have big feelings too and they're really, really good. And I'm so excited. Like when it's my birthday and I just want to scream or my body just wants to run around because I'm so happy. But I need to take a deep breath. And sometimes though, it feels like the opposite of that, where I just feel so upset. That is a good reminder to look for the tiny, tiny things that we can pass on. Today I saw, I did see a lot of my friends that were very sad, but I saw a lot of friends that loved me a lot. And I got to play pickleball with some of my friends and I got to have hugs from my friends that I know are doing such amazing things in the world. They use their voices to stand up for their friends or for people they don't even know who needs someone to pass that on for them. So I was looking for them and I saw them. Sometimes I like to tell my brain to look for something special. So today I said, look for hearts and you can tell your brain to look for that too. So if you say brain, I want to see all the hearts. I'm going to be on a hunt for hearts. You might just start seeing more and more hearts. If you tell yourself, I need to look for those tiny, tiny moments that I can pass it on, that will fill up my heart and make me feel so joyful and excited and remind me that I matter and that I am so brave and strong and tough. And no
Reading 'The Rabbit Listened' - Empathy and Support
00:12:25
miss beth
matter how scary the things around me feel, I know that I will be safe and that I am loved and I matter. And I can look for those tiny things to pass on and I can make sure that other people around me feel that way too. Because I know that I know so many of my friends that are big city readers kids here. I know how much they care about making sure that everyone around them feels so loved and safe. I know that that's what you care about. So keep looking for those things and pass it on. Tell your brain to look for the hearts too. And tell me when you see some, send me a picture if you see a heart. I was doing this with my niece, Francis. And I said, I'm going to make myself work harder. I want to find a purple feather. And I told her that I was looking for a purple feather and I was looking for it for so long. I was looking for it for, I think it had been five days. And whenever I practice looking for hearts, I usually can find them by the end of the day. And I was feeling a little bit helpless and hopeless. I was like, where is the purple feather? I really need to find the purple feather. And I told her that I was feeling sad that I couldn't find that purple feather. And I was trying not to give up hope, but it felt like I should give up hope. And we walked past a purple feather, just sitting on the ground. And we both gasped because she wouldn't have known that I was looking for the purple feather if I wasn't this close to giving up hope looking for it. I wouldn't have told her. I was just challenging my brain to look for the purple feather. But since it felt so hopeless and helpless, I had to tell her. I had to tell my sister and I had to tell Francis. And I said, guys, I've been trying to find a purple feather and I can't. And then we found it. And that was a good reminder for me that sometimes when it does feel so lonely and so overwhelming, the next thing to do is to ask someone for help near you, is to ask someone or just tell them like, I'm feeling too much right now. Can you just sit with me? Which makes me think of the next book I want to read, which is The Rabbit Listened. And I don't know where I put it. I pulled my book list out and I'm just, did I put it? Oh, here it is. Oh my gosh, here it is. I have so many books that I want to read with you that I might be on here for 10 hours. Okay, but I'll keep it short. Okay, the next book I have for you is The Rabbit Listened. The Rabbit Listened. Do you have this book? Give me a thumbs up if you have this book. Oh, if you don't, you have to get it. It's one of Miss Beth's favorite stories. The rabbit listened. One day, Taylor decided to build something. Something new. Something special. Something amazing. Taylor was proud. But then, out of nowhere, things came crashing down. Oh no. The chicken was the first to notice. Oh, look at Taylor. That is how some of you might have felt today. Cluck, cluck! What a shame! I'm so sorry, sorry, sorry this happened. Let's talk, talk, talk about it. Cluck, cluck! But Taylor didn't feel like talking. So the chicken left. Oh, now the chicken looks angry. But Taylor just didn't want to talk. Next came the bear. Oh, the bear looks angry too. Now Taylor looks a little bit more surprised. Roar! How horrible! I bet you feel so angry! Let's shout about it! Roar! Do you want to shout about it like the bear? Let's do it together. Roar! Oh my goodness. Yep, that feels about right. But actually, Taylor didn't feel like shouting. So then the bear left. But the elephant came and the elephant knew just what to do. I can fix this. We just need to remember exactly the way things were. Elephant feels very confident. But Taylor didn't feel like remembering. So the elephant also left. One by one they came. The hyena, hee hee hee, let's laugh about it. The ostrich, gulp, let's hide and pretend nothing happened. The kangaroo, tsk tsk, what a mess. Let's throw it all away. And the snake. Let's go knock down someone else's. Do you feel like doing that? Hmm, I see Taylor might be considering it. But Taylor didn't feel like doing anything with anybody. So eventually they all left. And Taylor was all alone. In the quiet, Taylor didn't even notice the rabbit. But it moved closer and closer until Taylor could feel its warm body. Together they just sat in silence until Taylor said, please stay with me. The rabbit listened. The rabbit listened as Taylor talked. The rabbit listened as Taylor shouted. The rabbit listened as Taylor remembered and laughed. The rabbit listened to Taylor's plans to hide, to throw everything away, to ruin things for someone else. Through it all, the rabbit never left. And when the time was right, the rabbit listened to Taylor's plan to build again. I can't wait, Taylor said. It's going to be amazing. The
Reading 'When You Are Brave' - Courage in Children
00:19:36
miss beth
end. I needed that reminder. Sometimes it feels like we built the most amazing thing and it gets torn down. And we do feel all those things. We feel angry and we feel sad and we want to hide and we don't want to talk about it. We don't want to think about it. But then, then it's time to get back to work. After we let ourselves feel all those things, then we remember, wait a minute. I know what I'm doing here. I know my next step. I know what I can do. Maybe your next step is to say hi to someone you've never said hi to before. Maybe your next step is asking a question. Maybe your next step is saying, I need to be alone right now. Maybe your next step is saying, I'm really angry and I don't know what to do with it. But there's always going to be the next thing to build. So after we feel all the feelings, then we get back to work. Oh my goodness. Okay. I'm going to do one more story or maybe two. This one was requested. This is also a book from my friend, Nora.
00:20:54
miss beth
it's called when you are brave and you are right
00:21:07
miss beth
some days when everything around you seems scary you have to be brave. Brave as a bird that steps from its nest, hoping to soar through the sky. Brave as a dog that wanders for miles searching for one dog and she had to come. Brave is a caterpillar that builds a bed wondering when it it will wake. Because some days are full of things that you really would rather not do. Like plunging into a pool all by yourself, hoping you'll swim and not sink. Or standing alone in front of a crowd searching for just one friendly face. Or boarding the bus and riding to school wondering what lies ahead. At times like these, the world can seem too big, too loud, too hard, or too much. And while you might feel too small or too quiet or too tired or not enough, on those days, look deep inside and find the courage that you need. It might be hidden away, but if you choose to close your eyes and breathe, you will see it shining its light in the dark. Warm, steady, safe. Your light might be small to start, just a little spark, but you can turn it into a flame. Picture it in your mind, then imagine it becoming bigger and bolder. You can make the courage so it brightens your heart, fills your fingers, and flows to your toes. Think about what you're really good at. Something that you really love or someone who loves you. That's what we were practicing earlier, looking for the things. No one else will see it, but you will know that you glow. And you'll know you are ready. No matter how deep the water or how loud the crowd or how hard the ride or how much there is to do, you might struggle. You might succeed. You might clap. People might clap. They might laugh. Or they might not notice at all. But no matter what happens, you will be all right. Because once you find your courage, it's easy to use again and again. So the next time life feels scary or you start something new, you can remember when you were brave. And then you can stand straight and walk tall, knowing that you are as brave as a bird, a dog, and a caterpillar. You're as brave as you.
Reading 'If You Plant a Seed' - Kindness and Its Rewards
00:25:11
miss beth
do know that. I do know that you are brave. And I do know that it comes from a very, very tiny, tiny spot inside of you. So when it feels like so, so, so much, just remember to take a deep breath and look for those tiny, tiny sparks, those tiny sparks of your bravery, your courage, because we can't fix the whole world. Maybe you've met someone that's kind of not so nice to you. A lot of us are feeling upset about that, but we don't have to fix everything right now. We could just say, I'm going to show everyone around me what it looks like to be nice. I'm going to say that I need to protect that friend on the playground. I'm going to say that that's not nice. I'm going to invite that friend to play with my friends too. You don't have to know how to do everything. You just look for that tiny, tiny spark. Then it grows bigger and bigger and everyone starts seeing it and doing it. And that is how we help all the people around us. And I know that you know how to do that. Okay, I'm going to read one more story. Actually, it maybe not. Let's let's see. If you plant a seed. If you plant a tomato seed, a carrot seed, and a cabbage seed, in time and with love and care, tomato, carrot and cabbage plants will grow. Oh, yum. Uh-oh. What do you notice about this picture? I notice some birds are coming. If you plant a seed of selfishness in a very short time, it will grow and grow and grow. Oh my goodness, look at this chaos. All these animals yelling at each other. It will grow into a heap of trouble. But if you plant a seed of kindness in almost no time at all, the fruits of kindness will grow and grow and grow. Look at, the birds said that they were sorry. And look at how beautiful that garden turned. And those seeds are very, very sweet. Look at all those different kinds of animals working together in the beautiful garden that they grew together because they just started being kind to each other. The end. Oh my goodness. Okay, my friends, that is my last story, but I will share the list of books and about 10 more that I wanted to read, but I know that you probably have dinner to get to, but I will save this if you want to rewatch this. Oh, will you
Conclusion - Bravery, Community, and Kindness
00:29:05
miss beth
show us the book covers again? Somebody said, yeah, actually I'm going to put in my stories right now. I'm going to put a link to all of the book list, um, and more. So, um, I have, um, if you plant a seed, um, when you are brave, pass it on the rabbit listened and you matter. Other books that I have are The Worry-Saurus, Ruby Finds a Worry, Love, What If Everybody Did That, and The Snail and the Whale. So I will link all of these books for you, but please um enjoy your night and reach out if you need anything. Can you get a peek at the doggy? Yeah. Millie, do you want to say hi? It's Instagram live. She always wants to be on. She sleeps all day and then she hears that I start talking about stories and she just comes running and wants to play. Right, Millie? Right? Yeah. You want to say hi? I know. Millie, say hi. All right, you guys. Well, I love you so much. Don't forget you have everything you need inside of you. We are not done. I keep hearing that song. I think it's Andy Grammer. I will fight for you. I don't know why. I just it just keeps playing in my head today. And I feel hopeful ah still. And I know that at least maybe it's just this community um that makes me feel that way, but there is a lot that we can do and um yeah, and we're going to keep doing it.
00:30:55
miss beth
so i love you thanks for being here and i will see you later