Random Creative Sparks
Random Creative Sparks

For Educators

Random Creative Sparks is a small studio making short, illustrated video books built around social-emotional learning — feelings, curiosity, kindness, and the everyday problems kids and teens actually deal with. Each story is 5–10 minutes, free to stream, printable as a PDF, and ready to use with zero prep.

Every story is designed around common SEL themes and built for classroom and read-aloud use — no ads, no logins, no upsell.

  • Whole-class read-aloud on the projector or smartboard
  • Small-group station rotation with the interactive reader
  • Independent listening center with headphones
  • Take-home PDF for family reading nights

Suggested grade bands

Kids (PreK–2)

Short stories with big feelings — great for circle time, SEL warm-ups, early-literacy read-alouds, and naming-feelings work with your youngest learners.

Teens (Grades 6–9)

Moodier, slightly older stories for middle school — built for advisory periods, ELA bell-ringers, SEL discussions, and creative-writing prompts for adolescents. The kind of read-aloud most libraries skip.

Ready-to-teach stories

Five RCS books with a built-in teaching mini-guide — themes, discussion questions, and a printable activity for each.

Chibub and the Big Worry

PreK–2

A gentle story about naming feelings and letting them shrink.

Naming feelingsSelf-regulation

Discussion questions

  1. Where in your body do you feel a big worry?
  2. What's something that helps your worry get smaller?
  3. If your worry had a shape and color, what would it look like?

Printable activity

Draw your worry the size it feels right now. Then draw it again, smaller, and write one thing you can do to help shrink it.

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Chibub and the Grumpy Ghost Upstairs

PreK–2

A sweet, not-scary story about listening, kindness, and making a new friend.

KindnessListeningFriendship

Discussion questions

  1. Why might someone act grumpy even when nothing is wrong?
  2. What's one kind thing Chibub did that you could do this week?
  3. When was a time listening helped you understand a friend?

Printable activity

Make a "kindness coupon" booklet — three little tickets students can give to a classmate (a compliment, helping with a task, sitting together at lunch).

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Chibub Builds a Bubble Machine

K–3

A playful story about curiosity, tinkering, and trying again.

CuriosityPersistenceGrowth mindset

Discussion questions

  1. What did Chibub do when the bubble machine didn't work the first time?
  2. Tell about a time you had to try something more than once.
  3. What's the difference between giving up and taking a break?

Printable activity

Design-your-own-machine worksheet: students sketch an invention, label three parts, and write one thing they'd try if their first version didn't work.

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Ro and the Last Platform Stop

Grades 6–9

A teen story about caring too much and finding someone waiting there too.

EmpathyCaring for others

Discussion questions

  1. What does it cost Ro to keep caring? What does it give back?
  2. Is there such a thing as caring too much? How would you know?
  3. Who in your life is a "last platform stop" person for you?

Printable activity

Quick-write prompt (10 min): describe a moment you noticed someone the rest of the room walked past. What did you do — or wish you'd done?

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Ro and the Platform Fight

Grades 6–9

A teen story about jealousy, pride, and the part of courage that does not swing back.

PrideJealousyConflict resolution

Discussion questions

  1. Where does Ro's pride help, and where does it get in the way?
  2. What's the difference between standing up for yourself and escalating a fight?
  3. When is walking away the braver choice?

Printable activity

Two-column journal: students list a recent conflict in column A, then rewrite it in column B as the version where nobody "swings back." Share volunteer responses in small groups.

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Activity ideas for any RCS book

  1. Predict & Pause. Stop the video after the first illustration. Students sketch what happens next, then watch to compare.
  2. Feelings Map. Students track the main character's emotion on a simple line graph as the story plays.
  3. Rewrite the Ending. In pairs, students write a new final page — bonus points for a twist.
  4. Vocabulary Sparks. Pull 5 words from the story and have students use each in a one-sentence story of their own.
  5. Draw the Sound. Play the audio with no video. Students draw what they hear, then compare with the illustration.

Request a custom story

Need a story on a specific theme, topic, or reading level — bullying, a new sibling, test anxiety, a science unit, a tough classroom conversation? Email us with what you need and we'll create one. Teacher requests get priority.

contact@owltreeconsulting.com

Ready to pick a story?

Browse the full library and find a book for tomorrow's lesson.

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