
Part 1
At twilight, Emma watched fireflies blink above the garden flowers. Some flashes seemed close together, while others had longer pauses.
Find a cozy spot. Read together. Pause for the good questions.

At twilight, Emma watched fireflies blink above the garden flowers. Some flashes seemed close together, while others had longer pauses.
Read aloud, take turns, or pause for a question. The illustrated page-by-page reader is above.
Page 1
At twilight, Emma watched fireflies blink above the garden flowers. Some flashes seemed close together, while others had longer pauses.
Page 2
She did not catch the insects. Instead, Emma drew circles for flashes and straight lines for pauses in her notebook.
Page 3
With Dad's help, Emma programmed the three battery lanterns to blink together: short flash, short flash, long flash, then a pause.
Page 4
Her first program left out the pause between each group. The repeated flashes looked like one long glow instead of separate patterns.
Page 5
Emma added a pause after each group. She clapped the rhythm while Dad pressed the test button slowly.
Page 6
The three lanterns now blinked together: short, short, long, pause. Emma repeated the program four times and got the same result.
Page 7
She placed the lanterns on the porch, away from the fireflies' flower patch. The gentle pattern welcomed family to the garden.
Page 8
Emma learned that patterns repeat in a predictable order. Observing nature can inspire a design without disturbing living creatures.
Read each question together. Choose the answer that matches the story.
Try the story activityEnjoy the video version of this story, then talk about your favorite part.
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