My Education Junction

You have probably noticed the Storynory widget in my sidebar by now. I most certainly should have given it a proper introduction, but often I get sidetracked. So before anymore time passes, allow me to introduce Storynory.

Story Nory offers free podcasts of classic children’s stories. As it stands, they have 75 in their library and there are plans to add more. In today’s world where our children spend their time playing with things like Wii, Storynory maybe a little too low tech for some tastes. Afterall, why would anyone want to listen to a story when they can watch a DVD, and then play the movie themed video game on their PSP?

Storynory offers the opportunity for a child to use his/her imagination as they paint the imagery of the story within their own minds without any further visual influences. What better way to entertain and engage on a long car ride than to have your child listen to various stories and draw the characters and scenery as they see it in their minds eye. Another option is to allow you child to listen to the first half of a story and then write their own conclusion to the story. Once they are done have them listen to the ending. How was there ending the same? How was it different?

So use Storynory to entertain. Better yet use it as an exercise for the imagination, because with all the widgets and gidgets in the world creativity is losing ground.

Filed under: Creative Thinking, Reading on June 28th, 2007 | 3 Comments »

While flipping through TV channels this evening, Donny Deutch caught my eye. His program focused on children who had not only invented a worthwhile product but brought the product to market. I found the piece very inspiring because it demonstrated how far our children’s dreams can take them if we stand back and allow them to think freely without abatement.

It also reminded me of another segment which featured Farrah Gray. Farrah is an extraordinary young man who grew up in the projects but went on to become a millionaire at age 14. Farrah began with a very interesting concept of creating a youth business co-op and investment club. He later started his own company which produced flavored pancake syrups. The sale of his company ultimately created a teenage millionaire, and as they say, the rest is history.

If you have a creative thinker or business minded child in your family, it may not be all that clear as to what direction you might guide them. Today’s kids are blessed with resources beyond imagination. As parents we simply need to know where to look and how to find them. Here are a few links to help get your children’s ideas off the drawing table and into production.

Camp for Small Business Moguls

By Kids For Kids

Junior Achievement

Kids Inventor Resources

Camp Invention

United States Patent Office- Kids Pages

Filed under: Creative Thinking on February 16th, 2007 | No Comments »