Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts

Saturday, November 15, 2025

16th November World Idea Day

Today is World Idea Day. Essentially, it was founded because ideas are powerful tools to do good things in the world. Without ideas, we would be neither creative nor innovative. In that regard, progress would simply not happen. However, ideas have to be realised in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!


Children have lots of ideas, many of them very good ideas, but some children are not risk-takers and do not have a positive growth mindset, so teachers spend time in classrooms working on this. Here's some books which will help with ideas and discussions of creativity.

• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens.




The Most Magnificent Idea  by Ashley Spires

The girl in this story, with her dog at her side, loves to make things. Her brain, she says, is an "idea machine," so full of ideas that she can hardly keep up. But then one day... it isn't. All of a sudden, the girl can't come up with a single idea for what to make. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing. 


The Very Important Idea  by Emma Dodson

This amusing picture book tells the story of a rat and a cat, and explores the nature of ideas. Where do they come from and how are they rated A good idea for a cat is not necessarily the same thing as a good idea for a rat.



I Have an Idea!  by Herve Tullet

This is at once a meditation on and a celebration of the magic of the birth of a simple idea. Sparkling with visual wit, it is a richly emotional exploration of the creative process, from the initial anticipation of the hunt for an idea, to the frustration of chasing the wrong idea, to the exhilaration of capturing just the right idea.



Emily's Idea  by Christine Evans

This inspiring tale begins when a little girl decides to create a paper chain of dolls. Her idea catches on and spreads far and wide, as children around the world begin to create and share their own.




Ruthie Rose's Big Idea  by John Schu

Ruthie Rose wakes up with an idea. A big, bright, beautiful idea.
An idea so great! An idea so grand! Ruthie Rose can’t wait to share it with her idea-loving teacher librarian, her art teacher, and her best friend.



• The Book of Mistakes
 by Corinna Luyken

Told in minimal, playful text, this story shows readers that even the biggest "mistakes" can be the source of the brightest ideas-and that, at the end of the day, we are all works in progress, too.

The Imagineer  by Christopher Cheng

Penny has a massive imagination. She loves to draw up plans, gather her tools and turn sketches and scribbles into new creations. One day, she visits her grandpa's house and is amazed at his gadgets and gizmos. He has a telephone hanging on his wall, an organ with bellows to pump and a contraption with a handle to churn homemade butter.


• Once Upon a Big Idea  by James Carter

Telescopes and clocks and trains- all big ideas from human brains! From bridges and boats to medicines and mobile phones, this book takes readers on a journey of discovery through all the amazing inventions human beings have come up with. 

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

14th March International Day of Mathematics, 26th March World Maths Day



Every day should be Maths Day, but there are so many specific days on the calendar. There is E-Day to celebrate Euler's Number (7.2.25); Pi Day (14.3.25); Square Root Day (5.5.25); Women in Mathematics Day (12.5.25); International Sudoku Day(9.9.25) and Fibonacci Day (23.11.25).

The International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is a worldwide celebration. Each year on March 14 all countries are invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces. The theme for this year is Mathematics Art and Creativity. What fun!

If you look at the website, you will see lots of things to get you involved with the theme. This year’s creative challenge is constructing mathematical elements using everyday physical objects (such as household items, objects from nature, or even people). Use your artistry and creativity (this year’s theme!) to make sculptures that bring mathematics off the page and into the real world!

Often the preschool teachers will ask for books that show numbers and or patterns in nature or the environment. They will use a picture from one of these books as a provocation. These are some of the books I suggest.

Growing Patterns and Mysterious Patterns  by Sarah Campbell

Swirl by Swirl  by Joyce Sidman

Flow Spin Grow  by Patchen Barss

Pitter Pattern  by Joyce Hesselberth

Wings, Waves and Webs  by Robin Mitchell Cranfield

Magic Counting  by Nabeel Khan

Shape Search  by Melissa Stewart


Dreaming Up  by Christy Hale 

Patterns in Australia  by Bronwyn Bancroft 

Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes  by Stephen Swinburne

Patterns at the Museum  by Tracey Steffora

The Art Garden  by Penny Harrison

The Art of Clean Up  by Ursus Wehrli

Searching for Treasure  by Johanna Bell

and look out for All About Patterns  by Elizabeth Rusch which is coming in April.


Tuesday, November 12, 2024

16th November World Idea Day


World Idea Day was founded because ideas are powerful tools to do good things in the world. Without ideas, we would be neither creative nor innovative. In that regard, progress would simply not happen. However, ideas have to be realised and concretised in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!

Read about how ideas feature in our thinking, our creativity and play here:


What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada is such a popular book in our school library that I bought a second copy.  They are always on loan to a teacher and in classrooms.




Once Upon a Big Idea  by James carter

Provides lots of discussion about ideas and where they might lead.




 I Have an Idea!  by Herve Tullet

This book is an exploration of the creative process from the hunt for an idea to the frustration of choosing the wrong side, to the exhilaration of having just the right idea.




The Most Magnificent Idea  by Ashley Spires

The girl in this story, with her dog at her side, loves to make things. Her brain, she says, is an "idea machine," so full of ideas that she can hardly keep up. But then one day... it isn't. All of a sudden, the girl can't come up with a single idea for what to make. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing. The girl realises, with no ideas taking up space in her brain, it's filling with sad instead.                          


The Very Important Idea  by Emma Dodson

This amusing picture book tells the story of a rat and a cat, and explores the nature of ideas. Where do they come from and how are they rated? A good idea for a cat is not necessarily the same thing as a good idea for a rat...as Rat discovers not long after being employed by Mr Fat Cat.




Tuesday, October 31, 2023

1st November Dinovember




Dinovember was started by Susan and Refe Tuma. They started this celebration 'because in the age of iPads and Netflix, we don’t want our kids to lose their sense of wonder and imagination. In a time when the answers to all the world’s questions are a web-search away, we want our kids to experience a little mystery. All it takes is some time and energy, creativity, and a few plastic dinosaurs.' These plastic dinosaurs get up to mischief while their children are asleep. Each day of November they wake to discover what the dinosaurs have done during the night.

This activity is now being celebrated in other people's homes, public libraries, school libraries and classrooms. At this time of year my school is very busy with end of year activities so it is not possible for me to do it full-scale with classes in the library or library lessons, but dinosaurs are super popular with my young audience, so we have decided to promote a dinosaur book every day during November. It would be good to have the picture books that these parents have subsequently produced to start it off, but unfortunately we do not have them.



As well each week we might produce anew dinosaur havoc such as this one.


We have decided on a twist to this idea. On a table we will have the plastic dinosaurs out to play with and they will be 'fighting' over a book. The students will be able to 'rescue' the book if they want to borrow it. The library is only open Monday to Thursday so we will only need eighteen books.

Today preschool classes come to the library and as Penny Dale's dinosaur books are very popular with them they will be on display for them to borrow. Each day after that we will change the book on display. If that author has more dinosaur books and the original is borrowed, it will be good because there will be replacements.

Day 1 Penny Dale



























Day 10 Linda Bailey and Colin Jack























Day 14 Lily Murray and Richard Merritt








Day 15 Zoe Ingram
































































Day 22 Chris Gall


























Of course there are more dinosaur books than this, but all of these are currently available. And of course you could use nonfiction dinosaur books. Some titles that are out of print but are always popular are: