Overview
Key
Understanding:
Imagination is a powerful
gift. We use it in many ways everyday. Imagination is used
in play when we pretend. It helps us to solve problems,
create, and visualize. It also helps us cope with anxieties
and challenges. Using our imaginations, we can explore our
hopes, our dreams, and our lifelong goals. Everything that
has ever been achieved has started with an idea—an idea
within someone’s imagination. A cloud is a symbol of
imagination because it is a common activity to see
things when we look at the shapes and movements of clouds.
Objectives:
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To
recognize that each of us is born with this gift.
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To
identify ways we use this gift.
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To
understand at least a small aspect of this gift
experientially.
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To see
how applying this gift can enrich our lives.
Supplies:
Pre-K – Grade 1:
A copy of The Twelve
Gifts of Birth
Treasure Chests, Treasure Cards from Lesson
1, crayons
A real or pretend carpet square for each
child
One copy of Magic Carpet Ride for
your use
Imagination Activity Sheet 1
Optional: Music
Grades 2 – 3:
A copy of The Twelve
Gifts of Birth
Treasure Chests and Treasure Cards from
Lesson 1, crayons or colored pencils
Drawing supplies and/or an array of
everyday things for student creations (See lesson.)
Grades 4 – 6:
A copy of The Twelve
Gifts of Birth
Student journals from Lesson 1
One copy of Beach Walk for your use
Imagination Activity Sheet 2
Optional: Music
Optional: An array of
everyday objects for student creations (See lesson.)
OPEN LESSON
Set stage
for respect, trust, and discovery. Use cue.
ENGAGE THE LEARNER
Have students look at the
4-page section on imagination in The Twelve
Gifts of Birth. Read the text, “The eighth
gift is Imagination. May it nourish your visions and
dreams.”
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Pre K – Grade 1
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Grades 2 – 3
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Grades 4 – 6
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Explain that today we
are learning about imagination. Help children see
ways they use this gift every day. Encourage them to
name ways they pretend. Ask for a show of
hands. Ask: “Who ever pretends... that your toys are
real? That you are an animal? That you can fly? That
you have a fairy godmother? That you are a teacher?
That you traveled in space? What other ways do you
pretend?”
Focus attention on the
sandcastle photo. Ask: “What is the girl in the
photo pretending? Do you think she is pretending
that she is a princess and lives in the castle? What
do you think it looks like inside the castle?”
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Point out that every
day we use imagination, often without realizing it.
Pretending is a natural, fun, and easy way to use
it. Ask children to name ways they pretend. Ask: “Do
you pretend that your bicycles are motorcycles? That
your toys are real? That you are teachers, famous
singers, sports stars, or astronauts?” Brainstorm
and help them appreciate that they have and use the
gift of imagination.
Focus attention on the
sandcastle photo: Ask: “What might the girl be
pretending? Imagine that the inside of the castle is
real. What do you think it looks like? Is there a
party going on or is it quiet?” |
Point out that every
day we use imagination in many ways. We imagine how
things might turn out; we visualize scenes as we
hear stories; we pretend.
Focus attention on the
photos. Ask: “What might the girl be pretending?”
Ask students if they ever made a sand, mud, or clay
creation and used their imaginations along with it.
Have they used imagination to travel to other
places? To be a singing idol, sports hero, teacher,
parent, nurse, doctor, world leader?
Ask students what they
see themselves doing when they are adults.
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DEVELOP
THE IDEAS
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Pre k – Grade 1
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Grades 2 – 3
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Grades 4 – 6
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Explain that we use
our imaginations for fun—but that our imaginations
can also help us in many ways. We can use it to
create stories, songs, and new inventions. Explain,
too, that imagination can help us solve problems,
feel healthy and happy, and do our best.
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Discuss how
imagination can help us in many ways. Explain that
it is the first step in creating stories, songs,
inventions, and all sorts of accomplishments.
Explain that first we
visualize. Then we take steps. Offer the game of
basketball as an example. We first imagine the ball
going into the basket, but we also have to aim and
throw. Explain to students that they can visualize
becoming whatever they hope to be. Encourage them to
take steps toward their dreams. |
Discuss visualization.
Explain that athletes visualize winning (but they
have to practice as well.) Everything achieved
starts with imagination. Examples include songs,
stories, inventions and what we do as our life work.
Invite student to discuss what is meant by
nourishing your dreams.
Discuss how
imagination can help us be happy, healthy, and
successful. Encourage them to dream and to take
steps toward their dreams. |
EXPERIENCE AND APPLY THE
LEARNING
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Pre K – Grade 1 |
Grades 2 – 3
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Grades 4 – 6
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Invite children to use
their imaginations on a relaxing Magic Carpet Ride.
Have them sit on real or pretend carpet squares. Ask
them to close their eyes and imagine traveling
through the air as you read Magic Carpet Ride,
Imagination Activity Sheet 1. If possible, have
soothing music playing as you read. When finished,
remind them that they were using imagination to see
in their minds what you were reading.
Have children find the imagination
card in their treasure chest and, using the color
that best represents imagination, make the symbol
for it over the word. If time allows, have children
draw a picture of themselves using imagination on
the back of the card. Then have them place their
card back in the chest. |
Have students draw a
home of the future. It might be a castle, a tree
house, a home under water, a home in space, or a
home near where they live now. Or, students might
enjoy drawing something really whimsical, like an
amusement park for pets.
Or, set out an array
of everyday supplies, e.g., paper clips, yarn,
thread, tape, rubber bands, safety pins, emery
boards, plastic eating utensils, tissues,
toothpicks, foil, plastic wrap, cardboard tubes, and
so on. Have students use supplies to create a new
invention or work of art.
Encourage children to
continue to use their imagination for fun and
for dreaming about who they want to become and how
they would like to make the world a better place.
Have students make the
imagination symbol and write “I have” on their
imagination cards. |
You might take time
for a five-minute visualization exercise. Ask
students to close their eyes and imagine a walk
along a beach as you play soothing music and read
Beach Walk,
Imagination Activity Sheet 2
Or, have them invent
or create a work of art with everyday supplies.
In their personal
journals, have students write about some of their
dreams for the future along with feelings and
insights as they wish. How might they want to make a
difference? |
SUMMARY
AND EVALUATION
Review what was learned about
imagination.
If time allows, have students share understandings.
Acknowledge that they have already been using imagination
and that they will use it in many ways in the future. Remind
them they will continue to explore the use of other gifts in
upcoming lessons.
CLOSE LESSON -
Create a
ceremonial sense of having completed an important discovery.
Use cue to end the lesson.
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Imagination Activity Sheet 1
Magic Carpet Ride
Imagination is helpful. Imagination is fun. We
are now going to use Imagination to go on a
pretend Magic Carpet Ride. Everybody ready?
Everyone find a carpet square on the floor. Any
one will do. They are all going to be magical
and take you for a ride. Get comfortably
settled on your carpet. You can sit with your
legs crossed or stretched out in front of you.
Okay,
now close your eyes, be very quiet, listen
carefully and IMAGINE. Pay attention to what
you see in your head with your eyes closed. No
peeking. (You may wish to start some music
here. Optional.)
Now
we are all going to start our magic carpets.
Everybody, start your carpet by clapping your
hands three times. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP
Okay,
I see that all our carpets are warmed up and
ready to go!
The
carpets are now lifting off the floor. You may
want to cross your arms to stay balanced. Here
we go, higher and higher. Duck your heads as we
float out the window. Of course we are not
really floating out the window, we are
pretending. Keep your eyes closed.
Oh
look, in your heads, look and see the
beautiful rainbow up ahead. That is the
entrance to a magic land. It’s the Magic Land
of Imagination. We are now all floating under
the rainbow. Look at the beautiful colors. We
are now in the Magic Land of
Imagination. What a magnificent place. How it
sparkles and glows. Look at the castles,
balloons, fountains and flags. Up ahead, there
is a herd of unicorns running into a forest of
sunflowers. Wow!
Oh,
here comes another group of children on their
magic carpets. They are going to pass right by
us. Look at them smiling and waving at us!
Let’s all smile and wave back, but keep your
eyes closed. Remember, we are traveling in the
Magic Land of Imagination. I see butterflies
up ahead, lots of them. Oh, we are going to fly
right through this big cloud of beautiful
butterflies. Here we go. Oh, they are smiling
at us too. And they are giggling. Let’s smile
and wave to them as we pass by.
Wow, that was fun. Oh, I see
another rainbow up ahead. When we pass through
we are going to be ready to leave the Magic Land
of Imagination and return to the classroom.
Here we go, right under the middle of the
rainbow’s arch. Here we go, back into our
classroom. We are still floating in the air.
Hold on. Sit still. Stay balanced. Keep your
eyes closed. Okay, now we are all going to land
softly right on the exact same spot where we
started. Land softly. Okay, we’ve all landed.
Everybody clap your hands three times to turn
off your magic carpet. Now, open your eyes.
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Imagination
Activity Sheet 2
Beach Walk
There are many
ways to use imagination. Visualizing a relaxing
scene is one way that can be enjoyable, helpful
and good for health.
We are now all
going to use imagination to visualize a visit to
a beach. We’ll start be getting comfortable in
our chairs. Put down anything you might be
holding and let your hands fall into a
comfortable position on your lap. (Turn off
lights and reduce sounds and other distractions
over which you have any control.) Gently close
your eyes.
(You may wish to
start soft, relaxing music at this point.)
Notice your breathing. Just follow it. Feel air
moving in and out, in and out. (Read the
following very slowly.)
Now, in your mind, imagine that
you are standing at the side of a road next to a
sandy ocean beach. It is a beautiful sun shining
day. The temperature is just right. Not too hot.
Not too cold. Just right. You can feel the warm
sun on your face. A gentle breeze is blowing
against your skin. Now, imagine taking a few
steps onto the sand. It feels a little strange
walking on the sand in your shoes. So you sit
down and take off your shoes and socks. Wiggle
your toes and move your feet around in the warm
sand. Now stand up and start walking to the
water. Leave your shoes and socks right there.
This beach is a very safe place. Hardly anyone
else is on this stretch of beach. Your shoes
will be right where you leave them when you
return. Now, imagine walking the short distance
down to the water line. Gentle waves are
lapping onto the sand. For a few moments, just
watch the small waves roll in……..and
out……in…….and out.
Now turn to walk
along the water’s edge. The sand is firm and
cool here along the edge. Three seagulls are
flying overhead. Hear their calls. As you walk,
look around. Look out over the water. Look down
at the sand a few feet in front of you. Notice
all the beautiful little shells. Stoop to look
at them. Look for one that seems especially
beautiful to you. Perhaps you would like to pick
it up and hold it in your hand as you walk
further. Or put it in your pocket to keep as a
special memory of this beach walk. Imagine that
you hear a gentle splash in the water and you
catch the sight of a silvery fish jumping out of
the water, sliding back in and disappearing.
Watch the water for awhile and see if you see
him jump again. While you watch, you catch the
sight of a dolphin. Now another one. Two grey
dolphins swim together making gracefully arches
about 20 feet off shore. Now they dive and
disappear. It is almost time to turn and head
back to where you left you shoes. Before you do,
face the sea and breathe in the fresh sea air.
It feels so clean, cool and healthy in your
lungs. There will be silence now as you return
to where you started. In your own imagination,
see your self returning to the place where you
left you shoes. (Silence for about 20 seconds)
You are almost there. (Silence for about 10
seconds) You are now walking in the warm, dry
sand near your shoes. You see them. Sit down in
the sand. Before putting your shoes back on,
first brush all the sand off your feet with your
hands. All the sand comes off easily. Now put on
your shoes and get ready to come back to the
classroom. When you are ready, gently open your
eyes.
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