Land of Nod| kids stories
Kids & Family Podcasts
Re-telling of ordinary and not-so-ordinary stories to create a magical and peaceful bedtime treat for babies, kids, and pretend grown-ups! These children's stories have been specially chosen to represent cultures and peoples from all over the world, from ancient Greece to Africa to Alsaka, there are wonders to be found all around us! This collection is suitable for all ages and is wonderful for car journeys, as a sleep aid, or as an alternative to screen time! Keep Dreaming Big!
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/land-of-nod-1.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Location:
Ireland
Genres:
Kids & Family Podcasts
Description:
Re-telling of ordinary and not-so-ordinary stories to create a magical and peaceful bedtime treat for babies, kids, and pretend grown-ups! These children's stories have been specially chosen to represent cultures and peoples from all over the world, from ancient Greece to Africa to Alsaka, there are wonders to be found all around us! This collection is suitable for all ages and is wonderful for car journeys, as a sleep aid, or as an alternative to screen time! Keep Dreaming Big! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/land-of-nod-1. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Language:
English
Contact:
0831936360
Website:
https://www.landoflearning.com
Episodes
The Song of Beowulf
8/12/2021
Greetings!Welcome back to the podcast and let me introduce the heroic Beowulf! Beowulf is an epic poem that is one of the most important texts in old English (that's an English that was spoken thousands of years ago and sounds very different from what we speak today!)
Monster alert! There is a monster in this story, and like most monsters, he's not the most pleasant chap! I try to be careful about the monsters I choose for the podcast because some of them are unnecessarily scary! I do,...
Duration:00:11:46
The Wolf and the 7 Little Kids!
8/5/2021
And just like that, we are back! Welcome to Season 4 of Land of Nod! As ever this season, we will endeavour to bring you the most wonderful tales from every corner of the world! Speaking of which, what better way to kick of the brand new season than with a tale from the master storytellers themselves, The Brothers Grimm! The brothers lived in Germany over 200 years ago, and it was their life's work to travel around the country they loved and collect folktales from ordinary people. When their...
Duration:00:08:09
The Hare and the Tortoise
7/16/2021
What better way to end season 3 than with this timeless tale from Aesop's fables! I think we all have heard some version of this tale along the way-but do you know just how long it's been around? Well, Aesop the man, was thought to have been born in Greek about 650 BC- and because that is such a long, long time ago, very little is known about his life! We know that many years later, stories said to have been written by him started to show up all over ancient Greece, and many famous thinkers...
Duration:00:05:30
Athena and Arachne
7/9/2021
Wow! I had to overcome a big fear of mine with this story- and TALK ABOUT SPIDERS! I had no idea that the scientific name for spiders came from this ancient story, from the poet Ovid, born in 43 BCE! It tells the story of the beautiful and powerful goddess Athena, and how her jealousy of a mere mortal causes her to come to earth to take part in a contest that will change both their lives forever. The story challenges ideas of identity and speaks of jealousy, bitterness, and loss, and its...
Duration:00:06:53
The Tiger and the Rabbit!
6/30/2021
Welcome back friends, and get ready for a darling little fable from beautiful Korea! I was so charmed by this little story and by the book (published all the way back in 1955!) from which it came! Our story centers on the relationship between a hungry tiger and a wiley little rabbit, who outwits him at every turn! The rabbit is a very important character in Korean folklore. Did you know that there is a festival that is celebrated on the lunar calendar in Korea, and the symbol for this...
Duration:00:09:30
The Miller's Daughters
6/24/2021
I am so delighted to finally bring you this story from Poland! I found the most wonderful book of Polish folk tales accompanied by absolutely beautiful and really unique illustrations in the style of paper cut-outs. These are a form of polish folk-art and are made simply with paper and a pair of scissors, and the imagination, skill, and dexterity of the artist! When folk in Poland had no money to buy curtains, they often asked the local folk artist to make a paper design for them instead,...
Duration:00:09:16
The Elves and the Shoemaker
6/17/2021
Welcome to another story from the Land of Nod! Today's story is another classic from the brother's Grimm and was collected in the first volume of Children's and Household Tales all the way back in 1812! It was actually the first of three stories about rascals of elves and if you keep an eye out you might just find another one down the line! The beauty of this story is in the wonderful generosity of the little shoemaking elves and in the selflessness of their acts towards the shoemaker and...
Duration:00:09:51
Gulliver's Travels!
6/9/2021
We are back with this version of the first part of the epic that is Gulliver's Travels! Did you know that Gullivers Travels was written by an Irishman, and an Irish priest at that! Did you also know that it was first published all the way back in 1726?! That makes my head hurt!
The story has been retold in various versions thousands upon thousands of times over the years, and remains a firm favourite with kids and adults alike. It is a real favourite of mine because of the wonderous 6 inch...
Duration:00:10:26
The Trojan Horse
6/2/2021
Im sure you've heard of this story before! But did you know that in the original account it was 10 whole years of battle before the Greeks came up with the genius idea of using a sneaky trick to get into the city of Troy? Did you also know that there is real evidence to show us that the city of Troy did indeed burn to the ground at one stage- so maybe there is more truth to this tale of a giant wooden horse than meets the eye! We hope you enjoy this classic tale as much as we did!
Please...
Duration:00:08:23
The Emperor's New Clothes!
5/27/2021
This classic comes from the master himself, the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, it was published in 1837, and has been translated into more than 100 languages! Andersen's tale is based on a 1335 story from a medieval Spanish collection, and so we see that some of the best stories in the world are those that are recycled over and over again! We hope you enjoy the timeless classic!
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Bonus Material available weekly on Patreon!...
Duration:00:11:17
The Man who Bought a Dream!
5/19/2021
In this wonderful parable, we return to ethereal Japan! I found this story really interesting from the first read several months ago and it stayed in my mind. The tale tells us of a poor man who quite literally buys a dream from his friend, hoping it will bring him his fortune. The story appears in many different forms all over the world and has morphed in form along the way, but the general teachings remain the same, honesty, fairness, and integrity win the day in the end, and in a way I...
Duration:00:13:40
The Magic Conch Shell!
5/12/2021
Aloha! Today we have the privilege of traveling to one of the most beautiful places in the world-Hawaii! Hawaii is an ancient place with wonderful ancient stories of how the islands came into being, with its landscape being forged by the mighty gods themselves. The four main gods (Akua) are Ku, Kane, Lono, and Kanaloa. Then there are many lesser gods (kupua), each associated with certain professions (theres a god for each job!)
Our gorgeous story today is about an item that is very...
Duration:00:09:02
The Race to be King!
5/5/2021
This week we return to the majestic continent of Africa, and find a very funny and entertaining little tale! I found this wonderful story in a lovely old book of myths and legends from Africa, but it is mysterious in its original exact origins, and like some of the best stories, it might have traveled around quite a bit! It is common in stories from Africa to include animals with human characteristics, and one of the archetypes here is the trickster. The trickster is an animal who outsmarts...
Duration:00:09:02
Thomas the Rhymer
4/28/2021
We are back and with a bang!!
Thank you all so much for joining us for season three! This season we start off with the epic tale of Thomas the Rhymer, also known as True Thomas, or Thomas of Erclidoune! Unlike some of our wild and wonderful characters, Thomas the Rhymer was a real person! He lived in a town which is now called Earlston, in the Scottish borders . He was a laird (or lord) and reputed prophet with astounding gifts of foresight! This tale explores just how he came to acquire...
Duration:00:17:35
King of the Leprechauns!
4/7/2021
To wrap up the second season of stories we return back home to Ireland to meet the King of the Leprechauns! This is a hilarious glimpse into the world of the REAL Leprechauns, and they might be a little more feisty and mischievous than you think! This beautiful story brings us into the fabled world of Faoilinn, where everything is perfectly well proportioned and TEENY TINY! We hope you enjoy this last story in this season and thank you so much for joining us in Land of Nod! We have...
Duration:00:16:04
The Rice Road
3/31/2021
This week we travel to the wondrous country that is China!
For more than half of the people on earth, rice is life. Every third person on earth eats rice every day in one form or another. It is the grain that has shaped the history, culture, diet, and economy of BILLIONS of people of Asia for hundreds and hundreds of years! This Taoist legend is all about the importance of rice and how a greedy and wasteful man was taught the greatest lesson of his life by the person he least expected! What...
Duration:00:10:06
How Rabbit stole Otter's Coat!
3/24/2021
I read so many stories in preparation for this week’s podcast and I was so struck by the beauty of these stories from the ancient Americas. The reoccurring themes of the elements of nature, the wind, water, earth, and the sky, their faith in the natural world, and their knowledge of it were incredible. Their stories are full of respect for the world they live in and I think there is so much wisdom to be found in us now returning to these tales to relearn what many have known to be true since...
Duration:00:07:42
Saint Patrick
3/22/2021
How could we not do it today of all days?! This day is so special here in Ireland and all over the world! It always amazes me how one tiny country has managed to spread its story so far and wide and that so many millions of people identify as or with Irishness. The message has been helped in no small part by one of our Patron saints, and this is the story of his life. Although Patrick is obviously a Christian icon, reading back this story as an adult, I feel the story transcends religion as...
Duration:00:08:53
Saint Patrick
3/17/2021
How could we not do it on this day- St. Patrick's day! This day is so special here in Ireland and, of course, all over the world! it always amazes me how one tiny country has managed to spread its story so far and wide and that so many millions of people identify as or with Irishness! The message has been helped in no small part by one of the patron saints of Ireland( there are, in fact, three of them!) Although Patrick is obviously a Christian icon, reading back into the story as an adult I...
Duration:00:00:25
Manachar and Munuchar and the Leprechaun!
3/17/2021
St.Patrick's Day Bonus episode!
This really is the strangest and funniest tale- and I remember these names sticking in my head when I was a kid! I could find many versions of this story but little information on where it came from- it is as mysterious as the characters themselves! I love how it describes the more traditional idea of what a leprechaun is also- they are said to really be more devious and cunning than the happy chap we see on the box of Lucky Charms! I hope you enjoy this...
Duration:00:06:31