The Fairy Tale Art Cart

Rachael Harrington
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Stories for Kids
  • Weekly

The Fairy Tale Art Cart: Draw Along Stories For Kids is an interactive draw along podcast where your kids become the illustrators of the stories they listen to! ​ Each episode of the podcast features one folktale from around the world that pauses for music-filled drawing breaks, inviting your child's imagination to run wild as they create illustrations of key moments of the story! Perfect for building independent screen free creativity, allowing you 30 minutes of guilt-free activity time that engages your kid's imagination without turning on the scroll or algorithm! And the set up is simple: all you need is drawing paper, your favorite coloring materials, and a way to listen to the episode. Play the show during dinner prep, long rainy afternoons, or in transit and watch that downtime turn into pure joy! Art-teacher-turned-professional-storyteller Rachael Harrington hosts this interactive podcast with warmth, humor, and oodles of creativity.

  1. 1d ago

    The Gaga Monster: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    Slow, slow… quick, quick… LOUD. Young Ayo just got his very first drum, and he practices every single day, which is great news for Ayo and VERY bad news for Auntie's terrible toothache. In The Gaga Monster, a folktale that traveled from the Yoruba people to the African American community of the Appalachian Mountains, Ayo is sent to pick strawberries in the deepest, darkest part of the forest, right where the googly-eyed Gaga Monster is said to gulp people up in one big gulp. Ayo has a quick, clever mind and a drum full of rhythms… but can one little drumbeat really outsmart a monster? Recorded live at Buunni Coffee in Inwood, New York City, with West African drummer Lamin Thiam bringing every beat to life. Kids, get ready to drum, chant and shout along: "Googly, oogly, GAGA, OOOOO!" 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (3 Drawing Prompts): Ayo in the deepest, darkest part of the forest with his strawberry basket and his drumThe googly, oogly Gaga Monster spinning around and around as Ayo playsA BIG surprise moment for the Gaga Monster and Ayo's whole family (no spoilers!) 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 3 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite coloring materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils, anything that adds a little pizzazz!) 📚 Story Source: Rachael learned this folktale from Boo-Tickle Tales: Not-So-Scary Stories for Ages 4–9 by Lyn Ford and Sherry Norfolk, shared here with Lyn's kind encouragement. Find more tales like this one in their book → https://www.parkhurstbrothers.com/boo-tickle-tales.html 💜 Thank You to Our Fall 2026 Sponsor: Prelude Opera introduces opera to children! Based in Washington Heights, Prelude Opera presents family-friendly works by both historical and living composers and employs local professional artists. → preludeopera.com 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club: a monthly old-school envelope full of a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more → https://www.rachaelharrington.com/the-fairy-snail-art-cart📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter: podcast news, early access to live event tickets & newsletter exclusives → SIGN UP HERE 🐘 Loved this one? Listen next to Aran Aung and the Elephants, also recorded LIVE at Buunni Coffee, where a giant sneezes a whole herd of lost elephants out of his nose! ⭐ New here? Subscribe and leave a review so more creative families can find the show!

    The Gaga Monster: A Draw Along Story For Kids

  2. Oct 24

    The Pumpkin Girl: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    What's inside a pumpkin? Seeds? Ooey, gooey, stringy goop? In today's draw along folktale from Iran, The Pumpkin Child, a farmer's wife wishes for a daughter so hard that she rocks a freshly picked pumpkin back and forth like a baby… and then something VERY surprising happens. Now there's a round, orange, bumpy girl with a green top rolling bumpity-bump through the village, and not everyone is kind about it. But this pumpkin girl has a brave, adventurous heart and a secret she only shares with people who love her just as she is. So who will be the one to see what's truly inside? What You'll Draw Today : The pumpkin baby in her cradle, and Mama's face when she first sees herThe pumpkin girl having fun in the village, the meadows, or the hills (in one of her twirly dresses!)The ring with the round stone that gets left behindThe pumpkin girl reaching out her hand as the whole town watches Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite coloring materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils, anything that adds a little pizzazz!) Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club: a monthly old-school envelope full of a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more 📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter: podcast news, early access to live event tickets & newsletter exclusives🧥 Love this one? Listen next to Joha and the Sleeve, another folktale about not judging people by their appearance ⭐ New here? Subscribe and leave a review so more creative families can find the show!

    The Pumpkin Girl: A Draw Along Story For Kids

  3. Oct 17

    The Peddler of Swatham: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    Psst… have you ever hunted high and low for something that was right under your nose the whole time? In today's draw along folktale from England, The Peddler of Swatham, a hardworking peddler named John pushes his little cart of odds and ends and dreams of fixing up the leaky old house he shares with his wife, Hannah. Then one night, John (who has never, ever had a dream) hears a big, booming dream voice telling him to go find treasure. A sensible man doesn't follow a silly dream… does he? And if he does, will the treasure be where the voice says it is? 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (4 Drawing Prompts): John and Hannah sitting under their big, beautiful tree beneath the moon and starsJohn asleep in bed, with his mysterious dream floating in the air above himJohn standing quiet and still in the middle of a busy, bustling city bridgeJohn and Hannah digging for treasure — you decide which moment to draw! 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite coloring materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils — anything that adds a little pizzazz!) 🌿 Words to Know in This Episode: Peddler — someone who travels around selling small things, like trinkets and odds and ends, often from a cartCloak — a long, loose coat without sleeves that wraps around your shouldersPush cart — a little cart with wheels that people push by hand (no cars in this story!) 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club, a monthly old-school envelope full of a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more 📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early access to live event tickets & newsletter exclusives 🐓 Love this one? Listen next to The Bremen Town Musicians, another folktale about going on a journey to chase a dream ⭐ New here? Subscribe and leave a review so more creative families can find the show!

    The Peddler of Swatham: A Draw Along Story For Kids

  4. Oct 10

    Sang Kancil Counts The Crocodiles: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    Grumble, grumble! Today's draw-along folktale from Malaysia and Indonesia is Sang Kancil Counts the Crocodiles, starring a teeny-tiny mouse-deer with a great big hungry belly. Across a wide, muddy river sits a tree dripping with juicy red bell fruits — but between Sang Kancil and his lunch is a river full of snappy, hungry crocodiles. He isn't big, and he isn't strong, but he's about to learn that a quick, calm brain can be the mightiest muscle of all. So how in the world does one little mouse-deer get across a river full of crocodiles… without becoming their lunch? 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (4 Drawing Prompts): Sang Kancil the mouse-deer at the river's edge, staring across at the fruit treeThe crocodile rising out of the river to face Sang KancilThe crocodiles lined up across the river Sang Kancil safe on the other side, munching his fruit while the crocodiles swim away in the river 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite coloring materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils — anything that adds a little pizzazz!) 🌿 Words to Know in This Episode: Mouse-deer (Kancil) — a teeny-tiny, deer-like animal that lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, and the clever hero of lots of Malay folktalesSang Buaya — the crocodile! (say it: sung boo-AH-yah)Bell fruit — a juicy red fruit that grows on trees in the story's rainforest 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club — a monthly old-school envelope stuffed with a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more → [LINK]📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early access to live event tickets & newsletter exclusives → [LINK]🍊 Love this one? Listen next to The Magic Orange Tree, another folktale with a fruit tree and a character who uses a clever idea to get out of a tricky spot ⭐ New here? Subscribe and leave a review so more creative families can find the show!

    Sang Kancil Counts The Crocodiles: A Draw Along Story For Kids

  5. Oct 3

    The Magic Tea Kettle: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    Season three is officially here! We're kicking it off with a bubbling, rumbling, wildly fun tale from Japan called The Magic Tea Kettle. When an old priest brings home a strange looking tea kettle from the market, all he wants is a quiet cup of tea. But what he gets is a fluffy, furry, spinning surprise! 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (4 Drawing Prompts): The magic tea kettle springing to life — a furry tanuki (raccoon dog) racing around the kitchen!The tinker and the tanuki kettle, chatting together in the tinker's cozy little homeThe tanuki performing its most amazing trick for a clapping, cheering crowdThe tea kettle at rest on its fluffy cushion in its forever home 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite coloring materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils — anything that adds a little pizzazz!) 🍵 Words to Know in This Episode: Tanuki — a raccoon dog, a real animal from Japan that shows up in lots of Japanese folktalesHaggle — going back and forth on a price until both people agreeTinker — a handy person with tools who fixes up old things to make them work again 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club — a monthly old-school envelope stuffed with a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early access to live event tickets & newsletter exclusives🎧 Love this one? Listen next to The Perfect Pot — another folktale starring a very special pot ⭐ New here? Subscribe and leave a review so more creative families can find the show!

    The Magic Tea Kettle: A Draw Along Story For Kids

  6. Aug 8

    Why Lizards Sunbathe: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    In today's draw along episode, we travel to Mexico for a folktale that answers the question: Why do lizards sunbathe? One morning, the sun doesn't rise and one by one, the biggest and strongest animals in the world go looking for it and give up. There's just one small animals who keeps looking. This is a story about what happens when everyone says it can't be done, but someone keeps going. Could the tiniest animal alive be the one who saves the entire forest? 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (4 Drawing Prompts): The world without the sun La lagartija, the small but mighty lizard who won't stop searchingLa roca, the glowing rock with el sol (the sun) sleeping warmly insideLa fiesta, the wild, joyful celebration that calls the sun back out 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite drawing materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils — whatever adds warmth and color!) 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club — monthly envelopes stuffed with a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more → [link in description]📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early event access & newsletter exclusives → [link in description]🎧 Love this episode? Check out Why Mosquitos Buzz In People's Ears, another folktale where the sun goes out of the sky

  7. Aug 1

    Heungbu & Nolbu: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    In today's draw along episode, we travel to Korea for a beloved folktale called Heungbu and Nolbu. It's a story about two brothers whose choices about helping and kindness are very different, and a tiny injured swallow and magic seeds that bring some very unexpected rewards (think: gold, goblins, and debt collectors.)! This is a story about generosity, jealousy, and what it really means to give without expecting anything back. And along the way, your kids will draw four illustrated scenes! 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (4 Drawing Prompts): Two very different homes side by side The swallow returning in spring, carrying a tiny seed in its beak One of Heungbu's magical gourds spilling open with richesOne of Nolbu's gourds...and Nolbu's face when it opens 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 4 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite drawing materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils — whatever adds a little pizzazz!) 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club — monthly old-school envelopes stuffed with a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & stories → [link in description]📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early event access & newsletter exclusives → [link in description]🎧 Loved this episode? Check out "The Calabash Children". It's another story about magic gourds!

  8. Jul 18

    Why Mosquitos Buzz In People's Ears: A Draw Along Story For Kids

    Ever wonder why mosquitos buzz in your ear at night? This West African folktale has the answer, and it starts with one tiny braggart who told one very big lie. In today's draw along episode, we follow the chain reaction set off when a boastful mosquito tells an outlandish story to an iguana. One by one, the animals of the forest misread what's happening, panic spreads, an owl's nest is lost, and suddenly... the sun won't rise. All because of one lie that nobody stopped to question. It's a beautifully layered folktale about the consequences of dishonesty, the way rumors spread, and why truth matters — wrapped in the most imaginative, kid-friendly story you'll hear all summer. 🎨 What You'll Draw Today (5 Drawing Prompts): Mosquito bragging to Iguana — what does Iguana's dignified (but frustrated) face look like?Python all scrunched up inside Rabbit's cozy burrowCrow in mid-flight, sounding the alarm across the forestThe gathering of animals — King Lion presiding while each one tells their part of the storyMosquito hiding in the bushes, small and tucked away, as the forest figures out the truth 📦 Supplies You'll Need: 5 pieces of drawing paperYour favorite drawing materials (crayons, markers, colored pencils, whatever helps you add pizzazz!) 🔗 Links & Resources: 📬 Join the Fairy Snail Art Cart Club — monthly envelopes stuffed with a bonus episode, art projects, stickers, stationery & more 📧 Sign up for the Fairy Tale Art Cart Newsletter — podcast news, early event access & newsletter exclusives 🎧 Love this episode? Check out "The King's Secret" — another folktale about truth-telling and the big problems lies create 📌 Note for Grown-Ups: This story includes a moment where Iguana puts sticks in her ears. Rachael reminds young listeners that we never put anything in our ears — it's just part of the old folktale.

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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

The Fairy Tale Art Cart: Draw Along Stories For Kids is an interactive draw along podcast where your kids become the illustrators of the stories they listen to! ​ Each episode of the podcast features one folktale from around the world that pauses for music-filled drawing breaks, inviting your child's imagination to run wild as they create illustrations of key moments of the story! Perfect for building independent screen free creativity, allowing you 30 minutes of guilt-free activity time that engages your kid's imagination without turning on the scroll or algorithm! And the set up is simple: all you need is drawing paper, your favorite coloring materials, and a way to listen to the episode. Play the show during dinner prep, long rainy afternoons, or in transit and watch that downtime turn into pure joy! Art-teacher-turned-professional-storyteller Rachael Harrington hosts this interactive podcast with warmth, humor, and oodles of creativity.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachael Harrington
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rachael Harrington
  • Show Website
    The Fairy Tale Art Cart

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