Extended Sleep Story For Kids: Squirrel Village

Close your eyes and take a big deep breath in through your nose.

Slowly and gently breathe out through your mouth.

Take another deep breath in,

Breathing in pure peacefulness and slowly breathe out.

One more time,

Deep breath in and then slowly breathe out and you're feeling very calm very peaceful very very relaxed.

Now imagine yourself on a beautiful winding path deep in the heart of a wonderful enchanted forest and the ground beneath your feet is soft and squishy but very firm and it's made from all of the fallen leaves from the trees.

Can you feel the squishy leaves under your feet?

You can feel a gentle breeze on your face as you walk along the path and you can feel the warmth of the sun all over your body.

Boy it feels so peaceful here.

You look up to the very tops of the trees and you can see glints of sunlight shimmering upon the leaves and it looks so pretty so sparkly and the air smells so fresh and clean and you take great big deep breaths of it really filling your lungs full of air.

And with every step you take you feel yourself relaxing more and more as you go deeper and deeper into the forest.

As you walk you notice the birds flying and hopping from place to place happily singing their songs to each other.

The more you walk the more you notice all the other wildlife at work and at play here in this magical place.

Off in the distance you can hear the sound of tumbling water and you wonder where it's coming from.

Maybe it's a waterfall?

So you follow the sounds of the water not sure what you'll find and lo and behold you discover a beautiful clear stream that's gurgling and splashing over small rocks and pebbles.

And it looks so cool and inviting.

So inviting that you think you want to go for a paddle in it.

So you sit down and are just about to take off your shoes when you notice some very nice squirrels and rabbits darting about playing just over the other side of the stream.

They hear you and they stop to have a look.

The rabbits being very timid run off and disappear into the nearby bushes.

But the squirrels,

Well they are very curious and they all gather together.

One of the squirrels who has a lovely red coat and big bushy tail comes close to the edge of the stream and looks at you with big soft brown eyes.

Kind eyes.

The others creep a bit closer too.

A bit timid but they still come.

They start to chatter to each other but you can't hear what they are saying over the sound of the water gurgling over the rocks.

The first squirrel who is the bravest one says to you,

Hello who are you and why are you here?

You tell him that you were out walking and just happened to come across the stream and well here you are really.

The squirrel then asks you if you would like a cup of tea after your long walk.

It's the least they can do he tells you.

So you take off your shoes and cross the stream to meet the squirrels.

When you get to the other side the bravest squirrel who tells you his name is Red because he has a lovely soft red shiny coat looks at you again and says,

Hmm I don't think you will fit in our village you are way too big.

The squirrels gather together again and chatter to each other.

Then Red steps forward and pulls a shiny brown nut out of his pocket and he says,

Here eat this and then you can fit into our village.

Red gives you the shiny brown nut and you look at it thinking,

Well it looks like a nut.

You give it a little lick and think,

Hmm it tastes like a nut.

Ok,

So you pop it into your mouth and begin to chew.

Then the most amazing thing happens.

As you chew you begin to shrink in size and by the time you stop chewing you are the same size as the squirrels.

Oh my,

You are astounded as you come face to face with all of the squirrels.

You look around you and you realise that the world looks very different when you are the size of a squirrel.

The trees now look like giant skyscrapers and the stream looks like a mighty river and the sky,

Well the sky looks like it is a million miles away.

Oh my goodness me.

Red introduces you to his squirrel friends.

There is Bushy because he has the bushiest tail of all the squirrels.

There is Cyril who has a bit of a wonky tail because he fell out of a tree when he was little and broke it and it never really mended right.

Then there is Penelope,

She thinks she is ever so posh and tends to talk with a very posh English accent.

Then there is Elvis,

Now Elvis thinks he is a great singer,

He isn't,

He has a terrible singing voice but it doesn't stop him from singing with great gusto and as loud as he possibly can,

Much to the annoyance of the other squirrels.

Red and his friends take you over to their tree,

A very large tree with little lights draped all over it.

Red tells you that every tree is a different squirrel village and each one is very special and very magical too.

They go around the back of the tree and you see a doorway,

They open the door and as they do you realise that in fact it is an elevator and you all pile inside and it begins to move.

There are many floors in this tree and Red tells you that this is their village and many,

Many squirrels live inside this beautiful tree.

The first floor is full of shops,

Shops that they use and Red tells you that their favourite shop is the fruit and nut shop,

He says it has a lot of different fruits and all different varieties of nuts.

The second floor has a gym and a swimming pool,

They all love this floor.

The third floor is the school for the young squirrels and Red tells you that they still go to school but they don't like it very much because all they really want to do is be outside playing and exploring.

The fourth floor is the most amazing garden of herbs,

Spices and lots and lots of flowers.

And you think it's a bit odd that they have a garden inside the tree but the squirrels think it's normal because this is their home and they love it.

The fifth floor is where all the tiny squirrel houses are and there are many,

Many of them,

All different shapes and sizes.

The sixth floor is full of cafes and looks out over the forest from the many windows all around it.

This is where they are taking you for a nice cup of tea or lemonade if you prefer that instead.

They also have big cream cakes and juicy fruit to snack on too,

Not forgetting the endless supply of nuts that the squirrels love so very much.

On the final floor live the mayor and the mayoress of the village.

They are the ones who are in charge of everything and they have the biggest house of all.

In fact they have the whole of the top floor to themselves,

Kind of like a penthouse suite and they are very lucky to live there.

Elvis begins to sing and he sings so loudly that it's hurting your ears.

Red tells him to stop so that you can all talk together but he carries on humming anyway,

It's like he just can't stop.

You don't mind really,

In fact you really rather like it.

So for a few moments sit in the cafe with your new friends and enjoy yourself.

Get to know them,

Have some fun and when you finish here go and explore their village with them.

Find out what it's really like to live in a tree.

And remember you too are the size of a squirrel and you can fit anywhere inside this tree.

So go,

Enjoy yourself with the squirrels.

Now it's time for you to return to your own home.

You can always return to visit your new squirrel friends anytime you wish.

Next time maybe you can play some games with them or maybe you can bring them a gift,

They would like that.

So for now you say goodbye to Red,

To Penelope,

To Cyril,

To Bushy and to Elvis the singing squirrel.

You leave the tree and as you do you begin to grow larger and larger.

And Cyril shouts,

Don't worry next time you visit we will make you small again.

You laugh out loud and can't wait for your next visit.

Your next adventure with these amazing squirrels will have now become your friends.

And now you are back in your very own bed.

Feeling so peaceful,

So calm,

Feeling so sleepy now.

And you are drifting deeper and deeper into the most wonderful night's sleep.

So snuggled down and you feel so safe and protected.

And when you wake up in the morning you will feel completely refreshed,

Bright and alert and ready to begin the new day ahead.

And each night from now on you will sleep better and better,

Deeper and deeper.

Night,

Night.