← Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
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- [00:01]
Amanda Weldon
Hello. Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is a throwback episode. Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around. We have Stories Podcast merch, available@storiespodcast.com shop. We're also on cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram Stories Podcast if you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our feed. Now here's a word from our sponsors
- [00:36]
Narrator/Advertiser
as routines shift with travel camps and summer activities, it can be challenging to stay consistent. IXL makes it simple to keep learning going with flexible practice that fits your family's schedule. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. IXL personalizes learning for each child, keeps them engaged, and gives parents clear insight into progress. IXL's interactive practice and clear explanations make it easy to reinforce learning during end of year milestones, summer review, or back to school prep. Everything is organized by grade and subject so you can quickly find what each child needs without juggling multiple resources. Over 15 million students use IXL. More than 75 research studies show it delivers real results and it's been proven to improve achievement in all 50 states, giving homeschool families added confidence. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and stories. Podcast listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at www.ixl.comdragon. visit www.ixl.comdragon to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. It's always been hard to keep track of everything in our family. We have paper calendars and post its a calendar on the phone and then I even have a planner too. My husband is the same way all over the place and it feels like we never know where we need to be and when we need to be there. Our new Skylight Calendar has made it so much easier. It syncs your entire family schedule onto a sleek digital display so you can focus on more important things like spending time with your loved ones. Skylight Calendar is designed to bring families together for more time. This all in one digital smart calendar syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook and more, giving you customizable views for daily, weekly or monthly planning. You can manage events, chores and grocery lists while assigning colors for each of your family members, which is my favorite. I I love color coding and making things beautiful and this calendar is very good at that. Your happiness is Skylight's happiness. So if in four months you are not 100% thrilled with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund, no questions asked. Families are better when they're working together. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to myskylight.com stories go to myskylight.com stories for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That is my s k y l I G-H-T.com stories.
- [03:19]
Amanda Weldon
Thanks. Enjoy the episode the Great Playground Leap the playground was full of shouts and hollers and bouncing basketballs. Under it all ran the wild drum roll of sneakers on grass and blacktop. It was finally spring, and you could feel it in the air. It was warm and breezy, with the scent of fresh flowers and rich mud wafting all around the school. It was finally spring, and the crazy herd of outdoor recess was back. Sam ran with the rest of them, her hair bouncing behind her as she squealed and dodged in a game of tag. Finally, she got tagged out and went to rest against the fence with the other kids, waiting for the next game to start. Hey, Sam. Said Darnell when she crashed into the fence next to him, making the chain link shake and ring. Darnell and Sam were in the same class and they'd been friends since the beginning of the year. Pretty good moves out there. You almost got away. Thanks, sam said to him, still panting and catching her breath. I went to soccer camp all last week and we did a lot of weaving and footwork drills. Nice. You can totally tell. Hey. Cried Violet, crashing into the fence next to them. The metal rang and sproined. Violet was another of Sam and Darnell's good friends. She always seemed to have a lot of energy. I missed you so much. How was your April vacation? Pretty good, said Sam. How about you? It was amazing. I went to my nana's house and hung out with all my cousins. I have like 10 first cousins, and we all played in her pool and then had a big sleepover in the living room. We stayed up way later than we were supposed to. It was so much fun. Sounds awesome, said Darnel. Yeah, sounds like fun, agreed Sam. That's nothing, came a loud voice from further up the fence. Oh no. Said Violet. Here comes Brandon. Shh. Be quiet. It's too late, sam said with a sigh. He already hurt us. Sounds like a fun week, Violet, said Brandon. But Mine was even better. The kids rolled their eyes. Brandon was in their class, too, and he was always telling big stories that were basically never true. Like after Christmas when he told everyone he had to help Santa deliver presents. Or last summer when he claimed he spent a month living with some wolves after his parents forgot him at a national park. Sam, Violet, and Darnell all thought it was pretty annoying. Brandon stood there looking at them expectantly. How was yours? Better? Violet asked finally. Well, I went to my nana's, too, but. But she lives in a mansion. A giant one. And she has a pool, too. It's huge. And she actually has two pools now that I. Yeah, two pools. And there's a water slide that shoots you from one to the other. Plus, I have like 20 cousins, and they're all older and really cool. They taught me how to do a super secret pool dive that no one knows. Oh, and my nana actually got duplicated, so now I have two nanas. Violet rolled her eyes again, but Darnell had to ask. What do you mean your nana got duplicated? Brandon's eyes widened for a second, and then he continued. Well, you see, there was this cloning lab that she was working at. You know, like as part of her retirement. They wanted to clone her chocolate chip cookies because she invented them. Did you know that? Anyway, she invented them, and hers are the best ever, and they wanted to clone them, but she tripped when she was carrying the tray and fell right into the cloning machine. And now I have two nanas. Darnell, Violet and Sam exchanged uncomfortable glances. Right, said Sam, trying to change the subject. Darnell, how about you? How was your break? Oh, mine was so cool. We took a day and drove to an amusement park, and they had this roller coaster called the Swirly Bird, and it went upside down and everything. I rode it with my dad, and we both screamed the whole time. Sam and Violet laughed, but Brandon cut in again. I went on a roller coaster, too. It was actually even crazier than that one. Darnell, you said you went to your nana's house, said Violet. Brandon's eyes did that wide thing again before he responded. I did, but that was only one day. The next day we went to an amusement park and I rode a coaster that did double loops and has the highest drop in the world. Really? Said Violet. What was it called? It was called The Swirly Bird 2. That's right, Darnell. It was the sequel to your roller coaster, and it's even crazier. Sounds cool, Brandon, said Darnell. He knew that if he tried to argue with him. Brandon would just dig in with more lies and it wouldn't make any difference, so he just kept talking about the real swirly bird. Mine was really scary because right before we got on, it got stuck and the people had to wait at the bottom of the loop for 10 minutes. I don't know what I would have done. I would have been like freaking out. Violet started to say something, but Brandon cut her off. That's nothing. While I was in the middle of the double mega loop, my seat restraint thing actually came undone. I fell right out of the rollercoaster car and started falling. Everyone was losing their minds, but the car finished the loop without me and then caught me again at the bottom. They all stared at him. No way. Said Violet, shaking her head. She was frustrated. Brandon was always trying to one up everyone with crazy lies and she was sick of it. There's no way that happened. Just tell the truth, Brandon. I am, said Brandon. I got a picture from the coaster cam and everything. All right, said Violet. Go ahead. Where's the picture? Then she stared sharply at him and he stared right back, his cheeks reddening. Um, I don't have it. Security stole it from me because they didn't want anyone to know that someone fell off the ride. They were afraid the news would do a story and then no one would go anymore. So, you know. Sam sighed again. She definitely understood why Violet was frustrated. Brandon's lies always got on her nerves too, but she knew it wasn't worth
- [10:21]
Narrator/Advertiser
arguing with him about it.
- [10:23]
Amanda Weldon
He always had another lie to back up the first one. She and Darnell caught eyes and she knew they were both thinking the same thing. Change the subject and avoid the fight. How about you, Sam? Did you do anything besides a soccer camp? Said Darnell, trying to redirect Violet and Brandon. I went to see a baseball game. Major League. It was awesome. We got hot dogs and we almost caught a foul ball. Cool, violet said, relieved to be talking about something else. But before anyone could say anything more, Brandon was already launching into another.
- [11:04]
Narrator/Advertiser
Now for a quick ad break.
- [11:06]
Amanda Weldon
We'll be back with the rest of the story after this. If you'd like stories Podcast and other favorite kid podcasts ad free. Subscribe to Wondery Kids on Apple Podcasts.
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Commercial Voice
Who's that walking through the woods?
- [11:20]
Amanda Weldon
Why, it's Yoshi.
- [11:22]
Commercial Voice
Here to explore a world of curious creatures with you discovered a creature you haven't seen before? Why don't you get Yoshi to see what it tastes like? Hmm, soapy. No wonder this creature blows giant bubbles. Bubbles so big they can carry you. You can even jump from one bubble to another and reach new areas. There are plenty more surprises to discover too. Bowser Jr. What are you doing out here? You can jump into adventure with Yoshi and The Mysterious Book May 21st only on Nintendo Switch 2 game rated E for everyone.
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Amanda Weldon
Ready? Everyone follow me.
- [12:02]
Commercial Voice
All your family favorites are available on Disney.
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Amanda Weldon
I love it.
- [12:07]
Commercial Voice
Share the you grew up with with your kids like Bear in the Big Blue House and Roly Polioli.
- [12:12]
Amanda Weldon
That sounds like fun.
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Commercial Voice
Then discover new stories together.
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Amanda Weldon
The more the merrier.
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Commercial Voice
Like Sophia the First Royal Magic Bluey and Spidey and his amazing friends.
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Amanda Weldon
Get ready to Spidey Swing on Disney.
- [12:25]
Commercial Voice
All of these and more available this month disneyplus.com what's on?
- [12:31]
Amanda Weldon
Oh, after my nana's in the amusement park, I went to a game too. I got two hot dogs and an ice cream and I actually did catch a foul ball. Oh, of course you did, said Sam. She couldn't help it. She was disappointed in having her story ruined by Brandon again, and she felt all of her patience drain out of her at once. It was like she was an egg someone had cracked. If Brandon always had another lie, Sam would see how far it would go. So you caught a foul ball. That's all I thought you were going to say. Something cool happened, Brandon. Brandon's face turned red again as he heard the tone in her voice change. No, that's not all I did. Way more. I actually went onto the field and I got to meet the players. The tag game was almost over now and the group along the fence was getting bigger. A small crowd gathered, listening as Brandon bragged louder and louder. Yeah, he said, more confident now that his audience was bigger. I met everyone and then they asked me to be the bat boy. I did such a good job that they asked me to do it every day, but I couldn't because of school. He was on a roll now, loving the attention he was getting. One day all the players got hurt and they needed a pinch runner. Since I'm so good, they asked me to fill in. Wow. Said Sam with a sly smile. Did you run? Were you safe? It was close. They wanted to tag me, but I jumped. I actually jumped all the way from first base to second base in one jump. I was safe and we scored a run. Afterwards, the whole team hoisted me up on their shoulders and chanted my name. Brandon. Brandon. Best day ever. Basically, the kids listening all started to murmur to each other and some of them congratulated Brandon and clapped him on the back he was beaming with pride. No way. Said Violet over the noise of the other kids. He's lying. That's totally impossible. You didn't jump that far. Violet was starting to get angry again. Some of the crowd shouted in agreement. I totally did. Maybe it would be impossible for some people, but I guess I just have superior jumping skills. You can call me the Jumpmaster 5000. That's me. Okay, Brandon, said Sam. Jumpmaster 5000, he corrected her. I'm not calling you that. How about J Master 5K? Enough, said Sam. If you are the jump master, then do it again. Right here, right now. Her voice rang out over the suddenly silent kids. The entire group looked from her to Brandon and back again. Now. Squeaked Brandon. Well, now. I don't know. I mean, now isn't the bell about to ring? The bell isn't going to ring for another 10 minutes, said Sam. It won't take 10 minutes to jump, will it? I mean, no, said Brandon, trailing off hopelessly. I think you should show us, said Violet. Yeah, show us the jump, Brandon, said Darnell, and other voices echoed his show us the jump. Come on, jump. Soon everyone was chanting, jump, Jump. Jump. Seeing no way out, Brandon let himself be dragged over to the baseball diamond and thrust onto first base. The chanting continued, and Brandon took a step back, planting his feet. I don't know, guys. The dirt here is a little different. And I don't have my lucky cleats that I got from Bryce Harper and. He trailed off, seeing no one was listening. Eyes wider than ever, as though he couldn't believe what was happening, Brandon took two giant steps and then leapt into the air. It was a great leap, a mighty leap, a leap that in any other circumstance would have been just terrific. But he didn't come anywhere close to second base. Instead, he fell hard on his butt right in the muddy base path. For a moment there was nothing, and Brandon wondered if maybe he actually had made it. Or maybe nobody saw and everything was fine. But then the crowd burst into laughter and he turned bright red and laid back in the mud, covering his face with his hands. Maybe if I wait here long enough, he thought, I'll just sink into the ground and disappear. He had never been more humiliated in his life, and he knew it was his own fault. The crowd slowly drifted away, no longer interested. Now that the show was over, Sam watched Brandon hiding behind his hands on the baseball diamond, and her smile faded away. She had wanted to stop Brandon's lying, but she hadn't wanted to embarrass him. Not like this. Come on, guys, she said to Darnell and Violet. Let's go get him up. Her friends nodded. Sam could see in their eyes they
- [17:58]
Narrator/Advertiser
felt the same way.
- [18:00]
Amanda Weldon
Hey, Brandon, she said. That was a pretty great jump. Go away, he said. Come on, play tag with us, said Darnell. Yeah, violet chimed in. There's still like eight and a half minutes of recess left. He sat up slowly, brushing the mud from his clothes and hair. You. You still want to be friends with me even though I can't really jump all the way to second base? Sam laughed. We never cared about that. We just wanted you to tell the truth. We like playing games with you. It's the stories you make up. It's like you're always trying to be better than us. That's the part that feels bad. Brandon stood up, cleaning himself off and shaking his head. It's just that I'm always worried that people will think my real life is boring. Like over vacation I built some new shelves for my comic books with my dad and then reorganized them. That's really lame. So I made up stories that wouldn't make me look like such a nerd. Dude, sam said, looking from Brandon to Violet and Darnell and back again. We love comics. That's why we all became friends in the first place. Darnell saw my Wonder Woman pencil case and then I saw Violet and her mom at the theater when the movie came out. So now we all sit together and talk about superheroes at lunch. Really? Brandon asked. I didn't know that. Well, no, of course not, said Darnell. We didn't know you liked comics either because you're always talking about your cookie making grandmother and her clone. When would we have found out? I guess you're right, said Brandon, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. This is the best conversation we've ever had, said Violet, bouncing on her tiptoes and clapping her hands gleefully. So you want to come and play tag? Sure, he said, smiling wider. Say, did I ever tell you guys about the time I played tag with a robot? Brandon. Oh, sorry. Old habits die hard. Let's go play. They laughed together and then leapt into the game. The End Today's story, the Great Playground Leap, was written for you by Daniel Hines and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon. If you would like to support Stories podcast, you can leave us a five star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch available@storiespodcast.com Shop Commission a special video on Cameo. Follow us on Instagram oriespodcast or simply tell your friends about us. Thanks for listening.