Story
Leo's Great Dinosaur Discovery
8 minAges 3-5
This is the start of the story. The whole story plays in the Sonacast app.
The story
Introduction
The sun shines on the big, yellow sandbox today. Leo holds his blue shovel tight in his small hand. He wants to find a giant dinosaur bone right now. Does a T-Rex live under the green garden grass? Leo digs deep into the warm and soft sand. He shouts his favorite magic words to the wind. Diggy, diggy, dot! What have we got? Today, we are going on a big dinosaur hunt. It will be the best digging day ever!
The Sandbox Paleontologist
Leo sat in the big sandy pit in his sunny backyard. He held his blue plastic shovel and soft yellow dusting brush. "I am a paleontologist today, Rexy," Leo said to his toy. A paleontologist is a person who explores the ground for bones. Rexy the T-Rex jumped up and down in the warm sand. "A bone explorer? That sounds like so much fun!" Rexy squeaked. Leo started to brush the sand away from a big corner. "We must be very careful with our tools," Leo told Rexy. Do you think Leo will find a giant dinosaur bone today? Rexy wagged his green tail and looked at the blue shovel. "I am ready to help you find something amazing!" Rexy said. Leo smiled and held his shovel over the very soft sand. "Diggy, diggy, dot! What have we got?" Leo shouted happily. They both looked down at the sandbox to see the brown dirt. Leo felt very excited to see what was hidden deep in the ground.
Looking for Clues
Leo reached into the warm sand with his blue plastic shovel. Leo said the magic words, "Scoop and play, find a dino friend today!" He pushed the shovel down and lifted up a big pile. "Let’s find some big bones!" Rexy shouted in a squeaky voice. Suddenly, something bright caught Leo’s eye in the middle of the sand. He picked up a small, shiny pebble that felt very smooth. Next to the pebble, he found a long, brown, pointy twig. Rexy hopped over and looked at the twig with his nose. "Oh my! Is that a sharp tooth from a big dinosaur?" Rexy asked. Leo smiled because he knew it was just a piece of wood. "It looks like a tooth, but I think it is a clue." A clue is a hint that helps you solve a big mystery. What do you think is hidden deep under the sand? Maybe it is a giant bone or a secret treasure map! Mom walked over with a soft, yellow dusting brush in her hand. This brush has very soft hairs to sweep away the extra dirt. "You must be very gentle with your discovery," Mom said with a smile. Leo took the yellow brush and started to clean the shiny pebble. Now they wanted to look even deeper in the big sandy pit. Leo stood up and shouted the magic digging catchphrase one more time. "Scoop and play, find a dino friend today!" Rexy wiggled his tail as they moved to the very deep sand. They were ready to find something truly amazing in the backyard. Leo felt happy and brave as he started to dig again. The sun felt warm on his back while he worked so hard. Rexy danced in a circle because he was so excited to help. "We are the best dinosaur hunters in the whole world!" Rexy said. Leo used his blue shovel to move a huge mountain of sand. He was determined to see what was hiding at the very bottom. They both looked closely at the ground for any more little clues.
The Big Discovery
Leo pushed his blue shovel deep into the soft, warm sand. Suddenly, he heard a loud clink against the hard plastic tool. "Wait, Rexy! I think I found something very big and round." Leo reached down and pulled out a heavy, dusty gray rock. His shoulders slumped because it just looked like a boring stone. He felt very sad that it was not a dinosaur bone. "Oh no, this is just a regular backyard rock," Leo said. Rexy the T-Rex hopped up and down on his plastic legs. "Maybe it is just a rock for a boring collection." "I am hungry for some yummy chocolate chip cookies right now." "Let's go inside the house and find a snack with Mom." Leo looked at the gray rock and felt very let down. He really wanted to find something special in his big sandbox. Leo remembered his favorite saying for when he worked very hard. "Dig, dig, dig, what will we find today?" he whispered softly. He did not want to give up on his discovery yet. He needed to analyze the rock to see it more clearly. To analyze something means to look at it very, very carefully. "I will use my soft, yellow dusting brush," Leo told Rexy. Leo began to brush the thick dirt off the round object. Little clouds of dust flew into the bright, sunny afternoon air. What do you think Leo will find under the dirt? Do you think it will be a rock or something else? Leo moved the brush back and forth over the hard surface. "Dig, dig, dig, what will we find today?" Leo sang out. The gray dirt fell away to reveal a very smooth stone. It was shaped exactly like a large, heavy bird egg. Leo was not sad anymore because this stone was very pretty. It was the most perfect egg shape he had ever seen. "It still looks a bit plain," Leo said to his toy. Rexy tilted his head and looked at the smooth, gray surface. "It needs some bright color to look like a real egg." Leo had a great idea to make his discovery even better. He ran to the back porch where Mom was sitting nearby. "Mom, can I use my paints for this special dinosaur egg?" Mom smiled and gave Leo a jar of bright red paint. She also gave him a jar of sunny yellow paint too. "You are a very creative explorer, Leo," Mom said very warmly. Leo sat on the grass and began to paint his stone. He painted big red spots and bright yellow stripes all over. "Dig, dig, dig, what will we find today?" Rexy shouted loudly. The stone now looked like a magical egg from a dinosaur. Leo felt very proud because he did not give up today. He turned a plain rock into a beautiful dinosaur treasure. He was happy to show his work to his friend Rexy. "Look at the colors we used for our big discovery, Rexy." Rexy looked at the red and yellow egg with big eyes. Leo felt very excited to keep exploring in the sunny yard.
Outro
Thank you for joining Leo on his big dinosaur digging adventure today. We hope you had a lot of fun in the sunny backyard. What do you think you will find in your own yard? Please let Sonacasts know if you have any feedback for us. We love hearing about all the wonderful stories you enjoy most. Keep using your big imagination to find new and exciting things. Goodbye for now and have a very happy day of play.
