6: Illumination

shininghours.com storytelling celebrating creating

This month, we are pleased to share an Illumination Night Celebration. As you read the story, consider adding details about the party invitation, lanterns and songs. After reading the story, print our special Add-Art pages to personalize the story. Create Illumination Night lanterns with paper or recycled tin. Sing your favorite songs about the sun, starlight and candlelight!

Illumination Night with the Bright Bunnies
A Bunny Celebration

One night the Bright Pink Bunny watched fireflies dancing in the dark.

The Bright Pink Bunny thought their light was as beautiful as starlight. The Bright Pink Bunny also thought that starlight was as beautiful as moonlight and candlelight. All of these happy thoughts about the way light brightens the dark gave the Bright Pink Bunny an idea . . . it would be wonderful to have a party to celebrate light! The Bright Pink Bunny imagined making a lovely lantern to share with friends and to illuminate the night.

The next morning, the Bright Pink Bunny made special invitations for an Illumination Night party. When they were ready, the Bright Pink Bunny gathered up the invitations and hopped off to deliver them.

The Bright Pink Bunny left one invitation in the Bright Orange Bunny's mailbox. Then the Bright Pink Bunny left the second invitation in the Bright Green Bunny's mailbox.

Later, the Bright Green Bunny came outside to check for mail. Opening the door, the Bright Green Bunny exclaimed, "What a nice surprise! A fancy orange scroll. I wonder what it says?"

The Bright Green Bunny unrolled the invitation and began to read it. The invitation said, "Please come to celebrate Illumination Night! Please bring a handmade lantern."

The Bright Green Bunny found sturdy paper and decorated it with glittery sparkles. After the paper was decorated, it was time to carefully cut out little holes with a hole punch, to let light shine out from the lantern. When there were several holes, the Bright Green Bunny rolled the paper into a cylinder and fastened it together. Next, the Bright Green Bunny added ribbon along the bottom edge.

Now, with a flashlight inside, it was a beautiful lantern! The Bright Green Bunny attached a ribbon handle for a finishing touch.

When it was beginning to get dark, the Bright Pink Bunny began to decorate for the Illumination Night party, hanging a cheerful lantern from a tree. Soon the Bright Orange Bunny arrived, carrying two lanterns! The Bright Orange Bunny said, "Hello! Thank you for the invitation to your Illumination Night celebration! I enjoyed making my first lantern so much, I made a second one!"

The Bright Pink Bunny said, "Hello! I am so glad you came to celebrate. I am excited to see the lanterns you made! I also made two lanterns!"

Just then, the Bright Green Bunny arrived singing,

"Happy Illumination Night! I see bright lights shine on my friends and my family!"

As the sky grew darker, the Bright Bunnies enjoyed sharing each other's lanterns. They sang all the songs they could think of that were about light. Songs about the sun and songs about the stars. They sang about the moon and they even sang about candlelight. They talked about all the lovely kinds of light and they watched quietly as the stars began to shine silvery starlight everywhere.

As they were getting sleepy, the Bright Bunnies noticed a bright and small motion in the air.

Here are some hints if you would like to try to guess what they saw: they saw a special kind of insect that shares its light at night!

Click here for our idea!

We'll post the wishes you send: shininghours.com!

More ideas: You can find a large bunny outline in our creating section. Trace it, cut it out and decorate. Make it bright pink or any other colors. Create your own bunny characters or act out the Sleepy Bunnies story!