Thursday, March 17, 2011

Imagination

How’s your imagination? Do you see a movie in your head when you read a good book? Your brain is like a muscle and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. I love imagining things so I get sad when I meet new friends who don’t seem to have enough imagination. Good thing I have enough to share!!!


If you’re bored—try using your imagination. You’ll be amazed at what you can come up with! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Puppets—grab a paper bag and make some simple puppets to act out a fairy tale or any of your favorite stories. Here’s a great website for puppet making ideas: http://www.jimwestpuppets.com/

• Cloud watching—get comfortable outside on a partly sunny day. You’ll need cumulous clouds for this—the puffy cotton ball types. Do you see animal shapes in the clouds? This may take some practice. Don’t give up.

• Squiggles—draw a squiggle on a piece of paper. Turn it into a drawing of something. (Check this out--Creative “Squiggle” Exercise Stimulates Your Imagination)

• “What Are You Doing?” is a charade-like game with a twist! You mime (act-out) an activity such as washing dishes. Your mom asks, “What are you doing?” You reply something totally different such as, “Walking the dog.” This is not as easy as it sounds!


• “No Way!” is a game where you make up the most outrageous fib you can think of as an excuse for not doing something like homework or cleaning your room. Perhaps you were kidnapped by aliens???

Have you ever used your imagination? Leave me a comment—I’d love to hear from you!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Read Aloud

Have you ever had a time when you were bored but just too tired to read? The best solution is a read aloud! You could ask a grownup or older brother or sister to read to you. But what if they’re too busy? An audio book or book on CD is just the thing.


You can borrow these for free from your library. Find a comfy place to relax and start listening! Be sure to pay attention to the pictures the words create in your brain. One of my favorite places to listen to books is in the car. It really makes a long boring drive go by much faster!

Have you had a good book read to you lately? Leave me a comment below.