Creative Idea Sans Writing

First, a poem for comic relief:

"A peanut sat on the railroad track,
Its heart was all a-flutter---
Choo-choo train
Comes round the bend,
Toot toot!

Peanut butter!

(by Anonymous, from "Surprises," poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins)


I came up with an idea to spark creative thinking in my kids, which will also (hopefully) liven up our school days. Even though we have fun curriculum, the kids get frustrated with the routine (which would go smoother if they would just listen and do their work!).

I'm sick of having them stand up and run around the house a few times or do some jumping jacks, so this is a fun alternative to get the wiggles out. Select three to five items and allow your child to choose one. He or she will then proceed to do an impromptu (but brief) commercial for the item. For older kids, you can shake things up by limiting the words they can use in their dialog (such as prohibiting use of amazing, guaranteed, etc). You can also time them to keep it short (I'm allowing 5 minutes). Since I have three kids, I'll let them take turns doing commercials throughout the day, with a coin flip deciding who goes first.

Some suggestions are a colander, garlic press, Windex, dog treats, lotion, toilet paper (with instructions to keep your commercial clean--which should illicit some chuckles), a broom, a cell phone . . . you get the idea. This could also be educational for younger kids, if you pick some household items they aren't familiar with.

If you try it out, be sure to leave a comment with how it goes! :)