Hey,
Welcome back little legends.
I'm Steph and welcome to Steph and the Sleepytime Crew.
These stories are made just for you.
They're silly,
A little cheeky and full of heart.
We stories of larger than life characters that are oh so relatable,
That help your body relax,
Your mind feel calm and your feelings feel seen and safe.
Each one is a little adventure with characters like Coops the Capybara,
Oscar the Owl and Noah the Nimbus Dragon,
All helping you wind down,
Breathe deeper and feel safe just as you are.
So,
Get snuggled in,
Take a big deep breath in and out.
Let your arms and legs go floppy like spaghetti and let's drift into the land of sleep and stories.
Tonight's story is all about brains.
Aren't brains incredible?
Did you know that no two brains are the same?
There's busy ones and quiet ones,
Wildly imaginative ones and ones that don't always know what to say but always try their best.
We're heading deep into the jungle to meet Isla the Tiger and her very clever quirky crew,
Plus one very friendly frog.
So,
Snuggle in and let's begin.
Isla the Tiger lived deep in the jungle where the vines hung like ribbons and the breeze smelled like bananas.
She was clever,
She was quiet and she was oh so focused.
She had a superpower for remembering facts,
Spotting patterns and noticing when things felt a little bit off.
She liked her routines,
She didn't like surprises and would rather nap in a sunbeam than play tag with the noisy monkeys.
Isla had autism,
Her brain worked a little differently to her friends.
Sometimes that meant she didn't understand why others laughed at a joke and other times she could solve a problem in two seconds flat when everyone else was scratching their heads trying to figure out how to do it.
She had big strengths and some challenges but she was learning to love her brain just the way it was.
But occasionally her brain made her think that she was different to her friends.
So,
Today was the day the whole jungle had been waiting for.
It was time for the jungle genius games.
There was going to be obstacle courses and puzzles and running races and riddles and jungle math which involved a lot of coconuts.
It was meant to be a friendly day of fun but let's be honest Isla wanted to win.
She liked being the best,
She liked knowing the rules and she especially liked when nobody touched her pencils without asking.
But as the games got underway Isla began to notice something.
Her friends were really good at things,
Like really,
Really,
Really good.
And suddenly Isla wasn't sure if her brain was so brilliant after all.
Isla wanted to win but as she watched her friends she could feel a little bit of doubt creep in.
Then,
Then a little green frog bounced on over.
Hey Isla,
Said Toby the tree frog grinning,
You ready to crush it today?
Toby's brain worked in a pretty typical way,
Steady,
Flexible and he was good at conversations.
He liked making friends,
He loved asking questions and was usually the one waving everyone over for lunch.
He was the first to admit that he didn't always understand what made some of his friends brains work but he loved hanging out with them all and he was always trying to learn more about them so he could be the best friend possible.
A red and black blur shot past.
Whoa,
Is that a flying jelly bean?
Isla said.
No,
It was Lizzy the ladybug.
Lizzy had ADHD.
She was bursting with energy and ideas and questions,
Most of which she asked all at once.
Did you see my butterfly?
Also,
What time is it?
I found a sparkly rock.
Want to see my leaf collection?
No?
Okay,
Bye.
Lizzy found it hard to sit still and focus on boring things like instructions and she got distracted easily but she was brilliant at spotting details that nobody else noticed and when she was excited you couldn't help but feel excited too.
She was always able to turn the most boring,
Mundane task into the funnest,
Most outrageous dance party you'd ever seen and her sense of humour,
It was hilarious.
She always had the animals in stitches.
Meet wonderful Ziggy.
She gallops in confidently then stopped in front of the scoreboard.
Okay,
I think that's definitely a seven or maybe it's a tired banana.
Ziggy had dyslexia and dyscalculia.
That meant that words and numbers got jumbled in her brain,
A little bit like alphabet soup with too many croutons.
Reading made her feel wobbly and timed tests made her tummy feel funny and not in a good way.
But ask Ziggy to tell a story or make up a jungle rap and she was unstoppable.
She saw the world in pictures and patterns and she could remember sounds and rhythms like magic.
Ziggy loved dancing and discos and her friends and she loved to make up songs to anything and everything and she made the jungle rules into a song even the toucans couldn't stop humming.
Isla and Toby watched on amazed at her skills.
Wow,
I never thought to sing the rules,
Isla said.
That's genius.
Koda the koala was meant to be doing the jungle zip line next but instead he was clinging to a branch like it owed him a gazillion dollars.
It's not that I can't go down he said.
I just I just I just don't want to plummet to my doom today.
Koda had anxiety.
His brain sometimes shouted danger when things were actually okay.
It made loud noises feel louder.
Big feelings feel bigger and new things feel absolutely terrifying.
But Koda had a super kind heart and a gift for calming others when they were overwhelmed.
Like when Ziggy got frustrated trying to read the scoreboard,
Koda padded over and gave her a calming cuddle and a gummy leaf snack.
You're doing great Ziggy he said and your rap slaps.
Koda was always the first to notice when someone needed a hug or a snack or to sit out for a bit.
Toby offered Koda a gummy leaf snack.
Want to just hear from the tree today Koda?
Koda nodded yeah I think that's probably a good idea.
Just then a frazzled but very enthusiastic llama burst onto the scene.
Hi hi hi hi hi I've just solved the jigsaw,
Invented a new way to stack bananas and accidentally reorganized the score cards by color and alphabetical order.
Sorry not sorry.
It was Lenny the llama.
Gifted,
Intense and brilliant.
But he struggled with waiting,
Losing or not being in control.
During the teamwork challenge he yelled no that's not how you hold the stick.
We must optimize their angle.
Isla raised an eyebrow.
Lenny chill it's a coconut on a string game.
It's all good.
But when Lenny was in his flow he could light up the whole jungle with his ideas.
He was a genius.
Last to arrive was Koops the capybara who was busy cleaning the jungle genius game stopwatch.
I just need to check the buttons again and the timer.
And has anyone else noticed this vine is one millimeter crooked to the left?
Koops had OCD.
He liked things neat and clean and just right.
He felt better when things were predictable so he made his own rules like always washing his paws three times before lunch or color coding his fruit.
Sometimes those rules made life feel tricky.
But Koops was the most organized animal in the jungle and everyone knew it.
No one,
No one packed a better picnic or remembered more jungle birthdays.
Isla and Toby admired his carefully packed backpack.
Do you always carry two of everything?
Of course Koops says.
What if one got wet or I lose one?
Isla sat back taking it all in.
Her tail swishing gently side to side.
It was in this moment that she realized that every one of her friends had challenges so things they found hard as well as their incredible strengths so things they were amazing at.
They were all so different to each other but complimented each other perfectly.
Wow how had she not realized this before?
Lizzy was creative and fast.
Ziggy was musical and imaginative.
Koda was kind and calming.
Lenny was bursting with brilliance.
Koops was careful and precise.
Even Toby,
Easygoing Toby,
Had his moments.
Sometimes he said things to some of his friends like it's not that hard without really realizing how hard it actually was for them.
But watching them all day today he understood why some things were hard for them and he was always open to listening and learning more about his friends and what made them tick.
Every one of Isla's friends had strengths and struggles just like her.
Maybe her brain didn't need to be the same as everyone else's.
Maybe no one's brain was the same as anyone else's.
Maybe her brain was exactly the right brain for her.
Isla took a big deep breath in and out.
Maybe I don't have to be the best she whispered.
Maybe I just have to be me.
Oh wait a minute she whispered again.
What if the point of these games isn't to win?
She stood up her tail swishing with excitement.
Okay team she grinned.
I've got a brilliant idea.
Let's build a course together.
No winners,
No losers,
Just each of our incredible brains in action Isla said.
Everyone blinked.
Not a competition asked Lenny.
Shocked.
Nope said Isla.
A creation that all of us work on.
They all like the idea so they got to work.
Lizzie zipped around setting up stations and yelling random facts like bees have five eyes.
Oh glitter.
Where did I put my favorite rock?
Ziggy made up a jungle jingle with a wicked beat to keep everyone in rhythm.
Coda added quiet corners with hammocks for resting when the animals felt overwhelmed.
Lenny built a coconut launcher that we think was probably safe and Coops laminated the instructions and then laminated the laminator instructions again.
Isla helped everyone stay on task.
She noticed what was needed next and made sure it all flowed perfectly.
Her focus,
Her structure and her quiet strength.
It all made the jungle hum like a heartbeat.
And Toby he checked in with everyone.
He asked for ideas.
He passed the mangoes and said hey you're doing awesome or I just love the way your brain works to all of his friends.
That night they all lay in the grass listening to the crickets and admiring their work.
We're all so different said Ziggy.
Yeah said Isla smiling and that's what makes us brilliant.
Because different brains are needed to build a better jungle and every brain including yours is a masterpiece in its own way.
So let's take a big deep breath in and a long breath out.
It's time to let your own amazing brain rest now my little loves.
You've done enough today and you are enough just the way you are.
Goodnight my little legends.
Sweet dreams,
Sleep well and we will see you next time.
