what does this theme make you think of?

[ProudGrandma]

The summer reading theme for our library is "Imagine Your Story".   Most librarians are starting to gather ideas focusing on the word "Imagine"....so they are thinking fairy tales, dragons, fairies, mermaids, princesses and knights, etc....(To me this seems very gender specific and I wanted to avoid that) and my brain focused on the world "Your".....as in "Imagine YOUR story"....so I am thinking about focusing on themes about careers or families, places the kids have lived (if different than now)....focusing on THEIR story. 

So, I am curious...what does this theme say to you??  What would you like your library to consider if that is their summer reading theme?  Maybe it's something completely different and that is fine.  

Thank you so much!

[barnwife]

Well, my brain followed the same path yours did. The other way isn't bad, necessarily, just more overdone.

[Junie]

The first two thoughts I had with the word "imagine" were the song by John Lennon and Imagine Dragons.  And I am not particularly fond of either and I live in a house full of girls.  Fairy tales didn't even enter my mind, so maybe others will also have different interpretations of the theme.

The word imagine to me connotes more dreaming and pondering than make-believe.  Imagine Your Story to me involves thought bubbles and all sorts of possibilities for the future -- career, travel -- I think of it as future, not past.  (Such as where I will visit, not where I have.)

[Tap]

Combining that theme with the library summer program....I first think more fiction imaginative stories. A non-fiction personal story, for most kids, may not lend it self to much literary discovery IMHO.  A few books....sure! Absolutely! Maybe some books based on their culture, or future career interests? Maybe some book about families? Maybe heroes or influential people? 

[carriede]

I share your line of thinking, also to include family history and cultural traditions. 

[ProudGrandma]

so, now I am thinking something like this....since I am doing 4 weeks of themed programs

1) your future...career...family etc

2) the past....cultures...family trees...genealogy

3) imagination: fairy tales...Jack and the beanstalk and red riding hood type stuff (my programs target kids about 3rd and below...older kids go to another room with a different leader and program)

4) make believe...create stories...either based on real things or imaginary things...or maybe a combo

 

I don't know....this is why I start working on this right after Christmas....it takes me a long time to work through all of the possibilities.  thanks for your help and ideas. 

[J-rap]

I guess to me, imagine + children = imagination.  So, I'd be thinking about what we might daydream ourselves doing in our wildest dreams.  So, yeah -- it might be as a knight or a princess, or it might be as an astronaut flying a rocket to Mars, or it might be as farmer growing giant vegetables, or it might be as the president of the U.S, or it might be living in an underwater world, or it might be someone saving animals.  So, as realistic or farfetched as one might imagine.

[ProudGrandma]

3 minutes ago, J-rap said:

I guess to me, imagine + children = imagination.  So, I'd be thinking about what we might daydream ourselves doing in our wildest dreams.  So, yeah -- it might be as a knight or a princess, or it might be as an astronaut flying a rocket to Mars, or it might be as farmer growing giant vegetables, or it might be as the president of the U.S, or it might be living in an underwater world, or it might be someone saving animals.  So, as realistic or farfetched as one might imagine.

I like this....but I am not sure how to turn that into 4, 2 hour programs with about 20 kids.   Help me think about this idea some more....

[happi duck]

When I googled imagine your story summer reading the links I saw specified fairy tales/mythology/fantasy.

I'd lean more towards imagination and telling a story of your own *not* telling the story of you, kwim?

[itsheresomewhere]

My mind went to plying the Imagination song from Epcot with Figment and Eric Idle. Lol.  Playing off that idea, you could go many ways.

For those of you who do not know this tune, check it out on YouTube.

 

 

[Farrar]

My head went exactly where yours did. Even if it was focused on imaginary type stories, I think my head would want that theme to focus on the imagery of the kid writing them or rearranging them or something. The kid doing the imagining.

[Corraleno]

3 hours ago, kfeusse said:

I like this....but I am not sure how to turn that into 4, 2 hour programs with about 20 kids.   Help me think about this idea some more....

What kind of things do you usually do during these 2-hour sessions? Are they like book discussions, or arts & crafts kinds of things, or ... ?

 

36 minutes ago, Farrar said:

My head went exactly where yours did. Even if it was focused on imaginary type stories, I think my head would want that theme to focus on the imagery of the kid writing them or rearranging them or something. The kid doing the imagining.

That was my thought, too. Depending on what kind of activities are normally planned for the 2-hr meetings,  possibilities might include:

1. Having kids discuss what they would have done differently if they were the main character in the story, and how that might have changed the outcome
2. Asking kids to insert themselves into the story as an additional character — as a friend or mentor or loyal dog (or magic unicorn or whatever)
3. Having kids illustrate the story, with themselves as one of the characters
4. Having kids use a story as a jumping off point for a sequel, starring themselves
5. Having kids rewrite the story, using the basic plot structure but changing characters and settings and plot details to fit their (real or fictional) lives/selves
etc....

ETA: This would work with any kind of story, from sci fi and fantasy to realistic fiction to biography (if you were this famous person, what would you have done differently, how might that have changed their lives or even changed the course of history)

Edited January 15, 2020 by Corraleno

[SKL]

I think it could mean a range of things from imagining myself in a fantasy story to dreaming about a realistic future goal.

It feels a little awkward to figure out how that translates to reading books where I'm not the actual character, but I guess almost any story involving a child protagonist would fit the bill - biographies geared to young readers, juvenile fiction, and fantasy stories with human or human-like protagonists.

I would try to incorporate some creative writing into the program as well.  For example, the child puts herself into a scene from a book she enjoyed, and re-writes it so that it ends in a way she likes better.  Or for younger kids, they could make a picture of themselves in a context inspired by something read together.

[ProudGrandma]

7 hours ago, Corraleno said:

What kind of things do you usually do during these 2-hour sessions? Are they like book discussions, or arts & crafts kinds of things, or ... ?

 

That was my thought, too. Depending on what kind of activities are normally planned for the 2-hr meetings,  possibilities might include:

1. Having kids discuss what they would have done differently if they were the main character in the story, and how that might have changed the outcome
2. Asking kids to insert themselves into the story as an additional character — as a friend or mentor or loyal dog (or magic unicorn or whatever)
3. Having kids illustrate the story, with themselves as one of the characters
4. Having kids use a story as a jumping off point for a sequel, starring themselves
5. Having kids rewrite the story, using the basic plot structure but changing characters and settings and plot details to fit their (real or fictional) lives/selves
etc....

ETA: This would work with any kind of story, from sci fi and fantasy to realistic fiction to biography (if you were this famous person, what would you have done differently, how might that have changed their lives or even changed the course of history)

the age range and ability level of kids I have is so big (preschool - 3rd) that I do not try and do anything too formal.  In the past couple years, all I have done is set up 4-5 stations with craft activities where the kids can wonder from station to station at their will to complete the craft or activity.  It doesn't work to keep the kids at one location and move them from place to place at the same time, so it's just sort of organized chaos.  On occasion (depending on the theme of the day) I have done one group activity...for example last year with space, I had my son some and shoot off a couple homemade rockets outside the library.  But then we all went in and did the variety of crafts and activities.  

thanks for all of your suggestions.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Imagine your story for that age range makes me think of the ability to literally make pictures in your head of the story.  Since this has been a struggle for family members, it's something I keyed in on.  Therefore, I would do suggest things like reading a story to children and then having them draw pictures from that story.  Or even having them draw while they are listening to the story.  Or doing a craft related to the story afterward.  Like if it was a book on stars (a picture book of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, for instance), then doing a craft afterward showing them how to make or draw cool stars or some kind of star mobile.  Stuff like that.