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Last weekend, I was asked to speak at the Games in Education Forum, part of the Chicago Toy and Game Fair at Navy Pier. My presentation was called Play and Creativity in the Classroom. The air in the room and the showroom below was filled with fun, excitement, and energy, so, in a way, I felt like I was preaching to the choir.

Play is a hot topic these days. Some fantastic books on the subject are:

Einstein Never Used Flashcards   How our children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less
by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek Ph.D., Roberta Michnick Golinkoff  Ph.D.
Rodale/St. Martin's Press 2003



Play  How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul
by Stuart Brown M.D.
Penguin Group 2009






In Defense of Childhood  Protecting Kids' Inner Wildness
by Chris Mercoliano
Beacon Press 2007


The Case for Make Believe  Saving Play in a Commercialized World
by Susan Linn
The New Press 2008







The easy route in talking about play would have been to stand in front of the group and read several passages from these books, but I did have an outline:

1. History of Toys (Blocks, Dolls, Wright brothers, etc)
   
2. Toys in American History (Pioneer toys, Native American toys, Immigration, etc)
3. Toys in Other Cultures (Balls, Jacks, Marbles, Bilboquet, Tangrams, String, Hopscotch, etc)
4. Toys in Math (Dominoes, Dice, Building, Tangrams, Qubits, Zillio, Wrap-up, Games, etc)
5. Other Areas for Play & Toys (Recycling, Art Projects, Puppets, Bingo, etc)
6. Creativity
7. Hands-On Activities

Peppered through the presentation were online and down-loadable lesson plans.
The Hands-On Portion included donated product from:

• Play
  3 Comments on Play in the Classroom, last added: 12/24/2009
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  Mary said, on 11/27/2009 10:42:00 AM
  

  Anna, loved your presentation especially the hand-on demonstrations!
  
  Mary

  Michelle said, on 11/27/2009 1:24:00 PM
  

  I love tangrams! Such a simple thing and yet so many ways to play and learn with them. A classic! Great book suggestions Anna! Well done!

  Eileen said, on 12/2/2009 6:51:00 AM
  

  Anna
  I wanted to thank you for your excellent presentation at this years ChiTag Toy show in Chicago
  The history of toys and the information on the creative play was very good for me as an educator to learn. Also, it was very helpful that your brought toys that we could actually learn creativity as you so patiently helped us with. All your research, your excellent web page and information in beyond amazing.
  I will use it as a teacher and pass this along to all my friends and family who are teachers, schools and parents themselves. Keep up your good work. This type of information is very needed. Today we have students texing each other maybe due to boredom. Creative play that you are educating us with may just involve the students enough that they want to put down there phones. Thank you for your effort to make a change.
  I am looking forward to next year already.

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This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Venezia as he spoke at the Art Volunteers In the Classroom Workshop sponsored by the Fox Valley Associates of the Art Institute. I have attended the workshops for eleven years but I was excited to hear what Mike had to say about presenting artists to children. Who hasn't seen or picked up one of his "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists" books while researching about an artist? We can all recognize the popular cover graphics and signature Venezia cartoon style.

Mike started the lecture by talking about one of my favorite creativity advocates: Sir Kenneth Robinson. I wrote about and posted the TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson in my blog post last January on Nonfiction for Teens to Ignite a Creative Spark. Again, if you have 20 minutes to watch it, please do.

Mike explained that in second grade he had a sense that art was one of his strengths. A strong influence in his early education was his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Harris, who made the class create drawings of maps the entire year. Many of Mike's books now contain fun maps to help illustrate information about a person. Mike's high school art teacher, who could see Mike's talents as an artist, talked him into applying to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His favorite part of art school was wandering into the Art Institute and studying the artists, which he was able to do three to four times per week. Some of his favorites were Night Hawks by Edward Hopper (a piece in our school's traveling collection this year), American Gothic by Grant Wood, and The Assumption of the Virgin by El Greco.

After art school, Mike worked for Leo Burnett Agency, one of Chicago's largest advertising agencies. Mike's wife, Jeannine, explained to me that she needed Mike's help with her Picture Lady presentations. She volunteered at her children's school to present the Picture Lady artists but she had no art background. With Mike's help, she was able to create a presentation that the kids could relate to. While working at Leo Burnett, Mike wrote and illustrated the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists Series on the train or in hotels. The first two books in the series were Picasso and Rembrandt. Mike recently retired after 33 years at Leo Burnett to work on his books and videos full time.

Mike explained that his illustrations and cartoons are not just gratuitous drawings. He makes the drawings approachable for kids and tries to tie the illustration into the artist's life in a fun way. In an illustration for the Georgia O'Keeffe, he showed us that he illustrated a scene from Georgia's childhood where she was so curious about natural things and the earth that she decided to eat dirt. What a fantastic way to show this to children! We all know how natural Georgia O'Keeffe's art is and this an excellent example to for children to relate. Of course, Mike adds wonderful humor with the animals expressing their take on the taste of the dirt.

By showing examples from his Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers Series, Mike showed how the illustrations were a little harder to tie into the composer's life story. With Duke Ellington, Mike illustrated a humorous take on the sounds within Ellington's apartment building influencing his music. With Peter Tchaikovsky, Mike showed how it "may" have looked if the symphony shot off the canons indoors. And, with Beethoven, Mike placed Beethoven outdoors directing birds. All perfect examples of using fantastic, humorous visuals that kids can relate to and they will hopefully remember
forever.


Finally, I have to mention, when I talk to Art Volunteers, I point out that someday a student may win Jeopardy and mention the volunteer's name because of what they have learned in an Art Volunteer in the Classroom presentation.
From this week's Jeopardy:
Double Jeopardy category: Night in the Museum
$1600 Question: In Rousseau's "Sleeping Gypsy", a full moon hangs in the night sky while this animal catches the scent of the title figure
Answer: Lion
(Kevin missed this question and it may have led to his downfall. No one else answered.)
One of the pieces in our school's collection this year is Henri Rousseau's Sleeping Gypsy. At least our students would get that question right.

Remember October is National Arts and Humanities Month!

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October is National Arts and Humanities Month, just a few days away.
The Americans for the Arts description of National Arts and Humanities Month from their web site:
National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, it is the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation. From arts center open houses to mayoral proclamations to banners and media coverage, communities across the United States join together to recognize the importance of arts and culture in our daily lives.

You can also become a National Arts and Humanities Month fan on Facebook.


This week, the Americans for the Arts Artblog is hosting an Arts Education Salon:
More than 20 guest bloggers will be contributing to this national dialogue through timely and thought-provoking entries on the best way to provide children an arts education. We invite our readers to follow these posts and continue the conversation through your ideas, comments, and personal stories.

Instead of jumping on my soapbox today, I invite you to visit the Arts Education Salon and read all the thought provoking and insightful blog posts by respected leaders in the Art Education Advocacy world.

Just reaching up and grabbing a few books in my collection of books supporting arts in the schools, here's just a few:

The Arts and the Creation of the Mind
by Elliot W. Eisner
Yale University Press  2002








Arts with the Brain in Mind
by Eric Jensen
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 2001








Teaching for the Two-Sided Mind
A Guide to Right Brain/Left Brain Education
by Linda Verlee Williams
Simon and Schuster  1986







There are many, many more books on the subject in my personal bookshelves. I guess I have a little problem. Whenever I go to an art museum, my favorite part is the bookstore.

Love to hear what books on Art Education others highly recommend!
Happy Arts and Humanities Month!

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And, one more post on July's theme of "great discoveries while researching"...

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web." Pablo Picasso

"An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have but that he - for some reason - thinks would be a good idea to give them." Andy Warhol

"Every good artist paints what he is." Jackson Pollock


When researching a new artist, I always find myself asking the same question: "Why the heck did _____ make this?" And, then, after every class discussion, I'm giddy with new found knowledge about the passion of the artist.
Here's the truth: Yes, I took art history in college. For my entire Freshman year, three days a week, five hundred students stumbled into a darkened auditorium. For the next two hours, the instructor in a monotone voice explained slides of pictures from Janson's History of Art. Those chairs were cozy. And, the room was always toasty warm. Perfect sleeping conditions. If you weren't fast asleep, you spent the entire time fighting the natural response of nodding off.
I think I did well in the class only because the exams were multiple choice questions, straight from the book.

Now, while checking which artist I assigned for my own class, I ask, "What the heck was _______ thinking when he created this?" By the way, the benefit of running the program is that I purposely assign artists/artwork instead of letting the volunteers pick out what they want to present. Personally, I'd never make up my mind, but this system challenges me to find something that I (and the students) can relate to.

For example, panic struck when I realized Andy Warhol was the artist who I assigned to my son's Kindergarten class. Yes, several cool Warhol t-shirts were already in my closet, but how to explain Warhol to six-year-olds? What would interest them to sit still and listen for at least 10 minutes?

• Andy Warhol had 25 cats all named Sam in his house.

Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit With Andy Warhol
James Warhola
Putnam 2003

And, I have to mention that I so agree with Betsy Bird's comment about this book in a March 2009 School Library Journal Librarian Preview: I've always felt that Uncle Andy's is one of the more underrated picture books out there. Betsy also listed Warhola's new picture book, Uncle Andy's Cats as: Book I Am Most Looking Forward To In The Coming Season.

• Pablo Picasso had cats in his studio and his paintings were very reflective of his emotions.

Picasso and Minou
P. I. Maltbie author
Pau Estrada illustrator
Charlesbridge 2008

• Jackson Pollock was influenced by his childhood growing up in the vastness of Wyoming and the west. He had a tame crow named Caw Caw.

Action Jackson
Jan Greenberg author
Sandra Jordan author
Robert Andrew Parker illustrator
Roaring Brook Press 2007




All three of the above books are perfect reading material to incorporate into an art appreciation presentation to elementary students.
Now, if only I had read a few children's books in college. Then, maybe, I would have appreciated artists and art more back then!

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It's Friday and time for some fun!

I hope by now most of you have heard about the popularity of gaming in libraries.
From the ALA press release 3/2/2009:

In recognition of this trend and the increasing value of gaming to literacy improvement, the American Library Association, with assistance from a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation, has developed an online toolkit to aid librarians in serving this growing constituency.

The Librarian’s Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming @ your library offers content contributed by expert gaming librarians across the country. The toolkit includes a wide range of resources to help librarians create, fund and evaluate gaming experiences in the library.

Games, from traditional chess games to authentic board games to popular video games, help libraries fulfill their mission by providing educational, cultural and recreational resources for patrons of all ages.

“Games of every type play an important role in developing fundamental competencies for life,” said ALA President Jim Rettig. “They require players to learn and follow complex sets of rules, make strategic and tactical decisions, and, collaborate with teammates and others, –all things they will have to do in college and in the workforce.”

By providing grant dollars to fund the project, Verizon recognizes the growing importance of gaming in promoting literacy.

“We at the Verizon Foundation believe that learning is not only for the hours between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the classroom,” said Albert J. Browne, national program director and vice president of education and technology for the Verizon Foundation. “We believe that libraries can help children learn more and continue to learn even when they are not in a classroom environment.

The Guide to Gaming toolkit is packed with valuable information for libraries or anyone interested in gaming.

I found some fun, inspiring, nonfiction books on gaming for kids. Check 'em out:

Journey to Gameland: How to Make a Board Game from Your Favorite Children's Book

Ben Buchanan (author) Doug Buchanan(illustrator) Lantern Books June 2001

More info about Journey to Gameland

Celebrating Board Games

Nina Chertoff Susan Kahn Sterling October 2006

More info about Celebrating Board Games

Theory of Fun for Game Design

Raph Koster Paraglyph November 2004

More info about Theory of Fun for Game Design

And, while you have their attention, make sure you tell the students all about the Young Inventor's Challenge - a wonderful opportunity for kids to present their toy and game concepts to the experts in the toy and game industry. The Young Inventor's Challenge is part of the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. This year promises some fun surprises so look out for updates. All the forms and information should be online soon, or please email me (ideasplash at annamlewis dot com) for any information. It's my goal to spread the word about this amazing program so all kids have a chance to share their ideas. The creativity and ideas of today's students are the future!

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Over on my website, I'm compiling book selections for my favorite baby gift: the BOOK BASKET. That got me wondering - are there any nonfiction books for toddlers? We have to start them early, right?

I love book baskets as gifts for many different reasons:
1) One can never have enough books.
2) Everyone in the family can enjoy the present, especially since the baby present is to celebrate the creation/union of a family.
3) Many books will last forever, to be past down to the next generation.
4) If a family starts reading to baby early, it will become an important part of that child's life; for example, reading books before bedtime.
5) I love to give a sampling of: books my family loves, classic children's books, books that can be read by a sibling, interactive books, and books that can be drooled, chewed, and whatever-ed on.

I bought extra copies of my children's favorite books for their baby memory boxes to be past down to their children.

Here's just a few of the nonfiction books for toddlers I found:

Does A Giraffe Drive?
Fred Ehrlich (author)
Emily Bolam (illustrator)
Blue Apple Books/Chronicle Aug 2007

Tag line on cover: My Very First Nonfiction Book
Well, there's my answer.

Funny book about how we get around.


This Is My Truck
Amanda Hudson
Gareth Stevens Publishing July 2008

Comparison of truck opposites is a great way to learn about trucks: shapes, colors, and purpose.
This Is My Bear, This Is My Ball and This Is My Book are other titles in the series. All titles are also published in Spanish.




Dreaming With Rouseau
Julie Merberg
Suzanne Bober
Chronicle Books Aug 2007

One of the newer titles in Chronicle's Mini Masters Series, these books are the perfect introduction to art for babies and toddlers. All the famous masterpieces of the world invite fun exploration of colors, details, actions, and words either between parent and child or just the child alone.


"L" Is for Library
Sonya Terry (author)
Nicole Wong (illustrator)
Upstart Books March 2006

Fun exploration ABC book about the library. What better way to start a lifelong love of books.





If I'm missing one of your favorite nonfiction books for toddlers, please share "with the rest of the class" in the comments.

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After hearing this lecture by Sir Ken Robinson, I began my campaign to share it with the world. In my opinion, the title, DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY?, should be changed because it appears to be a negative discussion about our schools - but it's not. Sir Ken Robinson is a very smart and entertaining speaker, and all his points about creativity and our kids are exactly what I believe. It takes about 20 minutes to watch this, but you'll be entertained and inspired.
I would love to hear any thoughts in the comments.


To continue this creativity theme, here are some great art books for teens I recently discovered.

200 Projects to Strengthen Your Art Skills: For Aspiring Art Students
Valerie Colston
Barron's Educational Series 2008

Last year on the YALSA listserve, someone asked for recommendations of good books about art for teens and this was one of the books suggested. Always loving a good art book, I had to hunt it down. What a perfect book for teens. I wish I had this book in high school. I had one book on painting and one book on illustration - both very worn out now. 200 Projects is one of the most comprehesive, clear, and concise art books on the market.

Art and Sole
InterCity
Laurence King Publishers 2008

I gave this book to my extremely "well-soled" 14YO son this year for Christmas. His father thinks my son has way too many shoes but, hey, there could be worse problems. While purchasing this book, I was a little afraid that the book wouldn't cool enough. Ya never know. Well, guess what? Art and Sole was one of my son's favorite gifts this year and the book has earned the "sole book on the nightstand" honor.
(By the way, please don't let it slip to my son that he was mentioned in this post.)


SKULLS
Noah Scalin
Lark Books 2008

I drive through the high school parking lot everyday. Based on that, this book has to be popular with teens. SKULLS is very well done and extremely creative.



I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion
Paul Budnitz
Harry N. Abrams 2006

Paul Budnitz is the founder and creative director of Kidrobot, the ultimate of what's cool in this house. This book has a broad appeal for teens of many different interests. Toys equal fun!

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts
Mark Montano & Auxy Espinoza
Simon Spotlight Entertainment 2008

What a fun, entertaining book packed with cool crafts! The visual design of the pages work well because they're clean and easy-to-follow. Being a visual person, a page that has a fun, artsy layout helps in the right-brain experience. Oh, and chapter one is titled Artsy Fartsy. Doesn't get any better than that.

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Today, I have to share some exciting news --- Juvenile/MG Graphic Novels now have their own home in two major bookstore chains and my public library! There I was, perusing the Children’s Department of my local chain store and eureka: a beautiful, prominent, entire wall of books labeled “Graphic Novels” located next to the MG novels; not in their normal spot, hidden between rows and rows of chapter and series books. Placing my coffee drink on a shelf, I plopped down on the floor and set to explore.

My love of Graphic Novels started after 9/11 - a moment of reflection for many people. At that time, I decided to put aside my toy design business and delve into my passions: cartooning, middle grade novels, and art and creativity for children. Graphic novels were all my passions in one big happy place. After The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick won the 2008 Caldecott, I blogged excitedly about the news. Many friends commented that they knew that I’d be cheering. Hmmm, guess I’m getting a little reputation. And, yes, I guess I'm stretching the boundries of this blog BUT I like book talking Graphic Novels and, well, they are classified as non fiction, so here it goes...

At the 2007 SCBWI-LA conference, I attended Mac McCool’s Graphic Novel Workshops. If you are at all interested writing in this genre, Mac is an amazing, interesting, inspiring teacher. He just recently penned an article in the 2009 CWIM on Graphic Novels --- the most complete source of current information on the genre. But the most inspiring session I attended that year was on the Graphic Novel market. Many teachers and librarians in the audience gushed and praised how graphic novels are reaching out to reluctant readers and creating book lovers. A fifth- grade, reluctant reader would rather not read than carry a first-grader’s picture book… but, give him a graphic novel at his reading level and he reads… and still looks cool! “They don’t want to have to carry around a ‘baby’ book.” There were a few tears in the session… myself included.

Graphic Novels are considered/shelved in the non fiction category (741 or so). Over the years, I have asked several sources why Graphic Novels are labeled non fiction. General answer has been, "Because they are comic books." Hmmm??? Our local public library recently moved the graphic novels to their own area. I asked the librarian why it was moved (thinking that it was because GNs deserved their respectful area). As it turns out, they were moved out of the 700 area because… parents complained about the certain GNs with more adult material. Yes, I’m a daily reader of YALSA and Child lit listserves and have heard all about those objectable GNs, but my marketing side wants kids of all ages to get their hands on their age appropriate Graphic Novels. (Umm, I don’t know how moving the 741s down two shelves is going to prevent younger readers from accessing these objectable GNs.)

My son’s third grade teacher just finished reading to the class The Invention of Hugo Cabret. (When I heard this, I sent her a ‘woohoo’ note.) My son, who reads way beyond his age, asked me to order a copy for him from the most recent book club selection, so he can read it for himself. Happy mom moment.

Back to my earlier point, I'm rather outspoken about art and creative thinking for kids. Graphic novels add a right-brain element to reading… not to mention another creative medium to tell a story. As I sat on the floor ‘studying’ the current graphic novel offerings, I got a few looks when I moaned “Whoa, cool” after I read the subtitle to Susan Schade and Jon Butler’s The Fog Mound – Travels of Thelonious:
"Part Graphic Novel, Part Traditional Story, It’s an adventure like no other!"
Whoa, cool! Who wouldn’t want to read that?

Note: I was going to post a survey/selection of Graphic Novels but it seems like I got a little carried away on my GN podium/soapbox/rant... guess I'll have to postpone that list to another post. Until later!

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I didn't originally plan on posting about NF books that promote strong women, but the topic has been on my mind a lot lately. Strong women and girls rule because:
a) My daughter, who is also my first born, turns 16 years old this week. I am proud to say that she won "Most Strong-Willed" award in her kindergarten class. I think they created the award just for her. She's somewhat shy and reserved BUT she definitely knows her mind.
b) At this point in our historic Presidential race, I still have no idea who I'm voting for. If there is a small chance that the US support of a woman Presidential candidate would make a difference in other countries where women have little or no rights, then I'm in full support of a woman President.
c) I am a woman.
d) With all the negative influences in the media (from rap music to the fashion industry... to even the toy industry), we should empower our daughters every way we can.

Here are some really cool books that show girls that they can do ANYTHING they set their minds to and the possibilities are endless:


Her Story: A Timeline of the Women
Who Changed America
Charlotte S. Waisman
Jill S. Tietjen
Collins April 2008

This beautiful book is shelved in the Adult NF but should definitely be located in the YA and Children's NF sections. Each page explains years of amazing accomplishments by women and the timeline format illustrates so well the role of women in US and world history. The professions index is fantastic because it groups the women by all the varied occupations; in all areas of arts, business, politics, sciences, and advocacy. Just think of all the inspiration in this book! Hundreds of biographies with wonderful photos illustrate the history very clearly... and will keep children (and adults) of all ages interested.





The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls
Catherine Thimmesh (author)
Melissa Sweet (illustrator)
Houghton Mifflin 2004 (paperback)

A sequel to the book below, this fun, informative book delves more into the discoveries of women in science: i.e. anthropology, astronomy, biology, medicine. Of course, don't forget the word Girls in the title. There is a fantastic chapter on young girls that made great discoveries.
Wanted to add: just returned from library with daughter. While we were there, she announced, "I need some books on influential women/current history/European for AP European History." I gave her this book and she was happy!


Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women
Catherine Thimmesh (author)
Melissa Sweet (illustrator)
Houghton Mifflin 2002 (paperback)

I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover. How great is this?
Women Inventors! Yes, to a toy inventor this book is golden.
When I entered industrial design school, I was one of just a handful of girls. (My roommates thought that was really cool but not for the reason I write this post.) I was lost in the shop room and no one was willing to help. Thankfully, girls now take shop class in school along with the boys. (Whoops, got a little off topic.)
Very importantly, there's even a chapter on how to produce and submit your inventions.
I have a few patents already... hum, maybe I can be in this book someday. Even grown-up girls can dream!

Cool Women, Hot Jobs: And How You Can Go for It, Too!
Tina Schwager
Michele Schuerger
Free Spirit Publishing 2002

A current complaint of parents today is that high school is too much like college. Students choose classes geared for their major/profession beginning their freshman year and occasionally in 7th and 8th grade. How can children possibly know what they want to be 'when they grow up' when they are that age? (Heck, I'm still asking that... but that's another issue.)
Cool Women, Hot Jobs wonderfully exposes a variety of professions through interviews with 22 fascinating women and then lays out the tools needed to discover your dreams and how to achieve them.

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Monday and Tuesday, in our nation's capital, the 21st Annual Arts Advocacy Day was held. Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, had the honor of being the guest speaker for the Nancy Hanks Lecture in the Concert Hall of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. What an honor!
I reviewed A Whole New Mind on my blog last November and finally met Dan and heard him speak here in Chicago last month. If you ever get a chance, do not hesitate to attend one of his lectures. If you are not already, you will become a strong supporter of Art Education in the schools... it all makes sense.

Here's a quote from the book:
"The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind---creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people--artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers---will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys." (p.1)

Combining reading (left-brain) and art (right-brain) is a perfect pairing.
Did you know that there is research that proves kids start to lose their creativity in the fourth grade?

How about some books to ignite even a small creative spark in a child?
How about some books to get those right-brain muscles energized?

Here are just of few of my favorites:

Exercise For the Brain

How Bright Is Your Brain?
Amazing Games to Play With Your Mind
Michael DiSpezio (author)
Catherine Leary (illustrator)
Sterling 2006

Everything you would want to know about the brain, nerves, and senses are in this book. It's fun, entertaining, and well-organized with bright graphics and a layout that my right-brain loved. There are even sections on Breaking Rules In Creativity, Finding Creativity, and Dreams.
Did you know that Beethoven, before he sat down to write music, dumped ice water on his head? How cool is that?

The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity
The Imagineers
Disney Editions 2003

The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles
The Imagineers
Disney Editions 2005

I found the first book of this series at The Writer's Stop (a bookstore tucked away at Disney World MGM). Yes, the same trip that I found Looking at Paintings, from my first I.N.K. post. While my family goes on the rides, I wander the parks. Finding that amazing coffee shop and those books were the highlight of my trip.
The imagination at Disney is legendary and these two books, told through short essays by 50 or so team members, are even creative in how they address and foster their creativity! Each story is fun, different, and enlightening. Elementary students to adults will come away thinking in a whole new way.

KidChat Gone Wild!: 202 Creative Questions to
Unleash the Imagination
Brett Nicholas
Roaring Brook Press 2007

KidChat is a fabulous series of books for parents, teachers, and kids with questions to spark some very imaginative discussions. Two more books in the series are coming out in May 2008.


Sparks Ignite!
Reading about inventors and inventions show students their ideas matter. Below are two very well-written general nonfiction books to get kids thinking. I will leave for another post some other fantastic books on ideas and inventors. (And, there are several great books on women inventors and toy inventing, which I hope to blog about in the future.)

So You Want To Be An Inventor?
Judith St. George (Author)
David Small (Illustrator)
Puffin 2005
Ages 4-8

"If you want to be an inventor, find a need and fill it."
"If you want to be an inventor, be a dreamer."
"If you want to be an inventor, keep your eyes open."
"If you want to be an inventor, you have to be as stubborn as a bulldog."
And my personal favorite very sage advice,
"Inventors aren't all men!" (Their exclamation point, not mine.)
Power to all kids to be creative!

Kids Inventing! A Handbook for Young Inventors
Susan Casey
Jossey-Bass 2005
Ages 9-12

Written for a slightly older child, this book not only introduces kids to kid inventors but shows them how to come up with ideas and develop them.
Every step of the idea creation and development process is explained, adding encouragement along the way.

Side note:
Just to clarify, I'm both left and right-handed so I didn't intentionally set out to alienate the left-brained, right-handed community.
And, in my other life, I'm a toy inventor with several patents and awards, so I truly enjoy reading these books. I hope you will, too.

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What’s a Matisse?
Why is Andy Warhol so famous?
Picasso? How the heck do you explain him to a five year old?

Those were some of the questions I asked myself ten years ago when I signed up at my daughter’s elementary school’s Art Volunteer In the Classroom program. Yes, I earned a BFA. Yes, I passed the required year of Art History classes, BUT the lectures were in a huge, dark auditorium with over a thousand students at 9:00 a.m. while the professor in a monotone voice taught from the book, The History of Art. My biggest challenge in the class was staying awake. I managed to ace the exams but, believe it or not, the information jumped right out of my head after the test. (I wonder why?) So, when I signed up to be an AVIC parent, I had to relearn everything about art history AND make it fun and relatable for elementary students, and for myself.

I still remember in fourth grade when the Picture Lady came to our classroom. Many people ask me, “Do they still have Picture Lady? I remember that.” Of course, and we are still going strong. For the last eight years, I have run the Art Volunteer Program at our school. Always searching for great books that explain art to kids (and the parents), one of my favorite places in the entire world is the Children’s Book section at The Art Institute of Chicago’s Museum Store. This past year I also visited the LA County Museum of Art and the Getty Museum’s Museum Stores, and (of course) the museums, too.

The following are just a few of the most recent books I love that give a fun and kid-friendly GENERAL introduction to Art Appreciation, with an emphasis on Paintings (... and are great for parents, too!)

Looking at Paintings
An Introduction to Fine Art for Young People
Bunker Hill Publishing 2002

What a fun book for kids! Mickey Mouse... need I say more?
I found this book at The Writer's Stop (a bookstore tucked away at Disney World MGM). While my family goes on the rides, I wander the parks. Finding this book was the highlight of my trip!



Tell Me A Picture
Quentin Blake
Frances Lincoln 2006

Fun read for Kindergarten through fifth grade classes.
Asks great questions which lead to discussions about the stories behind paintings.
Quentin's drawings are fun and cool.







Artful Reading
Bob Raczka
Millbrook Press 2007

Combines two of my favorite things: Reading and Paintings!
The paintings are by some of my favorite artists and the captions that match each painting will spark great conversations.
(This is exactly what Bob was refering to in his most recent post on I.N.K. ~~~ "The trick is to write a headline that not only imparts information, but does so in an interesting way.")



Art Up Close
Claire d'Harcourt
Chronicle Books 2006

All age ranges love this book.
This was one of the books that I would read to my little guy before bed.
The layout of the book is a treat from the large paintings and fun graphics to the great historical tie-ins to the key flap-format at the end of the book.



Well, there you have it ~ my inaugural post. I am so proud and honored to be part of an amazing group of writers. I hope you will look forward to many more artsy-fartsy (that one was for Kathleen) posts and an occasional rant about increasing art education in the schools.

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