page 7 talking heads
· ·
Imagination by Andy McNeilly
·
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” Albert Einstein.
·
Young people in our communities are experiencing higher rates mental stress, anxiety and bullying. It is vital that we are connected with our children, so they feel they have someone they can come to if they experience any mental stress or bullying. For our children to succeed in the futures they design for themselves, more and more they will need executive skills, also known as life skills. These skills are often learnt later on in life by trial and error. They help us to be adaptable or to 'read the play'. Executive skills are the people skills that enable us human beings to be able to socialise, communicate and interact with each other in harmony. They are many and may include gratitude, empathy, communication, imagination, organisation, selfawareness, resilience and so forth. By linking the teaching of executive skills at home together as a family, it is hoped that you will all connect together as a close unit, so if your child experiences stress or anxiety, they will comfortably and confidently approach you to seek help. The Oxford Dictionary defines imagination as the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality. It could also be expressed as the ability to think of new and interesting ideas. Perhaps creating a picture in the mind may another simple way of defining imagination. It seems amazing to me that young children can imagine anything and as they grow older, they begin to lose that ability. But what would be the benefits for us all of an imagination that improved with age? Some may say that it would boost intelligence and keep us younger. It may help us to transform dreams into reality, and to have our dreams be big. Imagination may help us to develop and feed our creativity. Some people believe that using our imagination can help us to improve our memory and may even promote our empathy. Here is a list of ideas to help you to boost your imagination skills. Choose one to try at home together with your family this month. · Invent a short story and tell everyone. You can make the whole thing up or perhaps you could embellish something that you did as a family together.
· · · · ·
Play 'Mr. Squiggle'. One person quickly draws a squiggle on a piece of paper and passes it along for the next person to complete the drawing. Draw some pictures in the driveway with chalk or paint brushes and water. Get a newspaper and make the photos more interesting by adding different things to each picture. Take a paper bag and go for a walk. Collect 5 or 10 different items from nature and put them into the bag. When you get home, pick out an item from your collection and tell everyone a madeup story of what the item would be if an alien found it on their planet. Imagine you won the lottery. What would you do with the money? Discuss. Make up some 'camp fire' stories to tell each other. Lie on the grass and look up at the clouds and tell everyone all the images you can see in the sky. Get a box and make something with it. It could be a shoe box, a fruit box or a box from a new washing machine. Make up new names for members of your family and your friends. Why did you choose this new name for them?
One of the best things about teaching young children is watching them play. When they are out at recess or lunch, they'll play imaginary games, either with or without any toys. They'll be running around and acting with imaginary props and they all know exactly what is going on, which child is playing each character and what they are meant to do. I remember being a helper when my children were in kindergarten. That was a truly inspirational time in my kid's lives where there were little boundaries but so much to do. When they were at kinder, the teachers were not required to report on the progress of the children; they simply inspired their group of kids to explore and use their imagination to grow and develop while having loads of fun. They were wonderful times and Daisy, Finn and Monty still talk about kinder.
Imagine by John Lennon Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace, you You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one. 2018 Workshops on Offer · Wednesday 8 August at Waurn Ponds Library on Managing Devices at Home · Wednesday 12 September at Ocean Grove Primary School on Creativity (Family Workshop) · Tuesday 6 November at Ocean Grove Primary School Resilience These workshops are free. To book a place, please go to the workshops tab at www.andymcneilly.com.au Have fun connecting with your kids. For further information, visit the Facebook page 'Connecting with your Kids' or follow connectingwithyourkids on Instagram for some fun ideas. Even better, go to my website www.andymcneilly.com.au for lots more information and to find out more about the workshops and courses that are on offer. Here you can download a free 'Screen Free Family Time' chart that'll get you started. Cheers, Andy McNeilly
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OP SHOP
KIND WORDS AND DEEDS The kind, caring, hard-working volunteers at our shop just love hearing customers say how delighted they have been to find some particular treasure.
It is great when we hear compliments about how well the shop is set up, how great is our collection of books at the prices we offer them, or that they do appreciate the helpful service we offer. These kind words make our jobs so much easier. Other kind words, of course, are heard when we share our worries or trials with each other. One of the best things about our group of volunteers is how willing they are to ring a fellow-worker who has been sick. We do have a very special person who calls on those who are unwell, or their families, with not only kind words, but soup or a posy. We do our bit also, when we have customers who are so pleased when we recall that they have had a family-member unwell, and we ask about their progress, or hopefully, hear of a recovery. I guess living in a small town means that we still have some of that “neighbourly concern” which is so often lacking in city life. So I am very aware of the kind words, and the goodness they bring. However, as well as kind words, we do appreciate even more KIND DEEDS. Without these, the kind words are just meaningless. It is a huge pleasure to me that as I contemplate a great heap of “stuff” which has been dropped off, and which has to be lugged into Sorting areas, that often a donor will help. The other day, a couple arrived who left the two small bags they had delivered, to help me carry some huge packing-cases inside. I do understand that if people are moving, they simply put things back into boxes to come to us. When these things are books, the weight becomes far too much for us to be able to shift them easily. The time that I take to find a smaller box, and to break the load into manageable sizes means that it can take me half an hour just to put one load away. The couple who helped made my day by offering to take away many of those same boxes that by now we had in broken down piles waiting to be recycled. Can I beg any kind donors who read this to pass the word along to any neighbour who may ask about goods to go to the Op Shop, to PLEASE use smaller boxes, or better yet, bags. At least these can be re-used. This morning, the volunteers who arrive on a Monday to try to sort the “weekend mountain” cheerfully said that they would offer a champagne breakfast to anyone who would come along to SEE and HELP them cope!! They are so appreciative of donors who give us clean items, and who fold things neatly. In case you may not think of this, it also helps if a bag contains mostly clothes, or at least not a collection of such differing items that precious time is wasted trying to sort into clothing, kitchenware, toys etc. Obviously we cannot exist without your donations, but as well as giving us stuff, your KIND DEEDS in heeding these reminders would make our busy lives just so much easier. Thanks as always for all of you for whom this is just automatic! God bless you all, Helen Edwards - Hon. Shop Supervisor