Purple Day Audio: Little Child Knight/ A story for Michaelmas

Listen to the Episode

Listen to the Purple Day episode in the audio player above, or directly from the Purple Day Podcast, where you can download the episode and find the RSS feed.
Purple Day is a Podcast from Storytime in the Schoolhouse. Each episode is the audio from a Monday Storytime episode. (Please note: Storytime is created for the screen, and some elements will transfer to audio-only better than others.)

In this week's episode of Purple Day, we will learn autumn songs and poems, and then hear a story about a brave child and a dragon.  

About the Story

Today, we hear the story of Little Child Knight. Becca adapted this story from an original tale by Suzanne Down (called Little Boy Knight).

A young child loves to ride their pony and pretend to be a knight. One day, the child is riding out farther than before and comes upon a castle. A king comes out of the castle and asks the young child if they have come to rescue the missing villager from the dragon. The child agrees to rescue the villager. The king gives the child a cape of golden light that imparts courage and strength. “Here’s your cape of golden light; to give you courage, strength, and might.”

The young child travels into the mountains and enters the dragon's cave. The dragon recognizes the young child’s courage and seeks the child’s understanding. The dragon is lonely and wants a friend to be with him through the long winter. He and the young child make a deal, and the dragon releases the villager and spends the winter living in the village, keeping the fire going at the center of the town.

More About Suzanne Down

Suzanne Down is a talented writer, puppeteer, storyteller, and teacher. 

Learn more about Suzanne's classes, programs, and resources at her website: www.junipertreepuppets.com

Lesson from the Schoolhouse: Mindful Breathing with Children

Faucet Breathing

During this exercise, we imagine we are a water faucet, letting the water and tension drain from us. This exercise has us start with our muscles squeezed and tense, and then we release the tension while breathing out. This tension-release action helps to remove stress from the body.

• Hold your arms out in front of you, parallel to the ground, making fists with both your hands.
• Squeeze your arms and fists tight while breathing in deep through your nose.
• Breathe out your mouth, making a “shhhhh” sound. While breathing out, unclench your fists and lower your arms like the water leaving the faucet. 
• Repeat 3-4 times. 

 Purple Day is a podcast from Storytime in the Schoolhouse. Our Purple Day podcast episodes are the audio from our Monday videos. Storytime in the Schoolhouse follows a weekly rhythm of songs, storytelling, and creative arts. To experience a full week of Storytime, sign up for our free Storytime Seasonal Sampler.