Sunday, November 25, 2012

Science Limericks

As Thanksgiving weekend draws to a close, I’m thankful for family and friends, for the fact I can make a career out of songwriting, for improv lessons, for a new residency starting Monday at Sangre Ridge, and for readers of this blog - particularly the reader who isn’t a web-crawling robot. You know who you are. Thank you!

Running short on time this week, I dug into my archives to see what I might have to share. Here are four limericks I wrote about science. Kids if you don’t get the chemistry one, your parents will explain. Someday.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Theater Games to Play With Your Kids


Last week I extolled the virtues of improv, and I promised that this week I would post a few theater games you can use to get started. These games are good for middle grades and older kids. Some can be played with as few as two players; most work better with a group of five to twelve or more. I also used them with librarians in my summer 2009 creativity workshops, and we had a blast...

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Improv to the Rescue!


I just got back from my second of six beginning classes with OKC Improv! How cool is that! I’ve been wanting to do this for years and finally went for it.

Parents, teachers - if you see an opportunity to enroll your kids in improv or theater games, you should definitely encourage them to do it! Beyond developing creativity and confidence, improv is incredible at building teamwork and empathy skills. Allow me to explain…

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Crane Wars: Invent Your Own Games!


As kids at my grandparents’ house, when the weather kept us inside, my sister and I often faced mind-crushing boredom. They did have one box of ancient toys in the closet. There was a wooden chicken on wheels that clucked when you pulled it, a red metal cash register, a wooden telephone, and various dolls, animals, balls, and blocks.

We played listlessly with those toys way past the age when they really held any appeal. One day out of desperation my sister and I dragged the toys to the top of the narrow staircase that led to the guest bedroom. Several hours later, our parents had to beg us to put them away and get ready for bed as we excitedly explained what we’d been up to.