Welcome to our first ’Imagination In Action’. These short blog posts will show parents how to use imagination in any situation. These anecdotes will let everyone share the moments that they used imagination to make their life playful instead of stressful. Let’s take a trip to the LA Zoo with Whitney and her family to see imagination in its natural habitat – a Saturday with the family!
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Imagination can be found anywhere. It’s just a matter of looking for it!
Recently we got a membership to the LA Zoo, and we’ve been taking at least one trip a month. Going to the zoo is an adventure for the boys. As we walk from exhibit to exhibit, we talk about where the animals live in the wild. Not just what kind of environment they live in, but where in the world. We talk about what they eat and what eats them (my oldest is particular interested in food chains).
Suddenly, it isn’t just a day long walk- it becomes an adventure! The kids like to talk about traveling across Africa and going on safari. Or going on a walkabout through the Outback and seeing koalas and kangaroos.
Since it’s a fairly large zoo, no trip is the same. On our last trip we discovered the aviary, and even my two rambunctious boys realized that if they wanted to see any birds, they needed to be quiet and look around. The trip before, we heard a noise we’d never heard before and followed it, guessing what kind of animal we thought it was! We discovered a mother gibbon and her baby that were swinging around their enclosure- not the bird that I had been expecting, or the alien that my oldest had thought it was. (No, I never could get him to explain why he thought they would have an alien on display at the zoo)
Don’t be afraid of technology! I carry my phone with me, using it to take pictures and to answer the hundreds of questions my boys will ask. Everything from what the weather is like right now somewhere around the world to whether or not the water animal we saw would eat clownfish or anemones.
Tips! The zoo can be an extremely affordable family trip. Nearly every zoo has an annual membership for both individuals and the entire family that will get you into that zoo at no extra cost as well as a network of zoos across the country for free or for a discount. Not only that, but souvenirs can be as inexpensive as a pressed penny.
Did anything imaginative happen in your most recent trip to the zoo? Let us know in the comments section.
Every parent knows that a little praise goes a long way. Encouragement is essential in raising a happy family, and there’s nothing like a big “thumbs up” to keep someone motivated.
The same thing is happening with “Imagination Situation”. While we were disappointed that we didn’t meet our Kickstarter goal, your contributions were a sign that our hard work wasn’t going to be waisted. When we asked for people to donate directly to us, we had our doubts. Would that encouragement continue?
We’re proud to say that it has.
Within less than a week, we’ve gathered close to $800 of contributions from our great fans. You hear us thanking you a lot, but know that every time we say it, it comes from our hearts. This encouragement makes the planning for the next wave of “Imagination Situation” really fun.
While our donation number is fantastic, it’s still not quite enough to get us into production. We have to produce two new episodes and a few Imagination Interludes with your contributions. There’s not a lot of wiggle room in our production budget, and paying people for their time acting, composing and behind-the-scenes help is important to us.
If you’ve already contributed, thank you again. If you haven’t, please click here to contribute through PayPal, or e-mail Roby if you’d like to pay by check. We’re really close to greenlighting two new episodes, and with your support, we can get rolling.
Thanks for your encouragement. It means the world to us.
- Roby and Whitney
It’s been a whirlwind 21 days, hasn’t it? We released 21 short videos as well as our second episode, “Tea Time at Table Five.” While we didn’t raise enough to fund our Kickstarter, we want to let you know that this isn’t the end of Imagination Situation.
In many ways, we’re just getting started.
To those who shared our videos, episodes and Kickstarter with your friends and family, thank you. And to those who donated to the Kickstarter, thank you too. We’re honored that you believe in what we’re trying to do.
So where do we go from here?
Over the next few weeks and months, we’re going to start rolling out new features right here. We’re going surround parents and kids with tips, stories, articles and videos that will inspire imagination everyday.
Imagination Interludes
Inspired by our ‘21 Days of Imagination’ videos, we’ll bring you short videos filled with tips and demonstrate activities that parents and kids can do together for quick imaginative playtime.
Imagination in Action
This section of our site will feature how real parents use tips from Imagination Situation episodes, or their own “situations.” These anecdotes will let everyone share the moments that they used imagination to make their life playful instead of stressful. Yes, we want you to join in the fun!
Situation Reviews
Books, movies, music, products. If we see anything out there that inspires creativity and would be a great imaginative playtime addition, we’ll let you know about it!
We’re really excited about our new features, but we haven’t forgotten about:
Imagination Situation Episodes
Naturally, our episodes or “situations” will always be the star of our site. While we weren’t able to raise the money from Kickstarter, there are other ways for us to get more episodes made. We’re exploring these options- from finding sponsorships to seeing if there are any online hubs that would like to make Imagination Situation part of their entertainment lineup.
We would like to have a few more episodes produced before we start looking for those bigger opportunities, to help people see just what we’re capable of.
How is that possible without the Kickstarter? Easy. You can donate to us right now by check or through PayPal on our Support and Contact page.
If everyone that donated to the Kickstarter campaign directly donated that money to us, we’d be able to produce two new episodes! If you didn’t get around to donating that first time, now’s your chance!
The money raised would be just enough to cover the cost of equipment rentals, cast payments, photos, props and original music in our production. We would also try to schedule filming our Imagination Interludes during these shoots to use the same equipment- as well as our talented cast.
We’re going to try and pull some big favors to stretch every penny out of what you contribute. A lot of that Kickstarter money would have gone into equipment upgrades, show enhancements, raises for the cast, a big website revamp and promotion of the show. If you’d generously donate the amount you’re already pledged to us, we’d be able to get two more episodes, which is definitely a success in our book.
Having more episodes will really help us get the word out about “Imagination Situation”. Plus, with all this new content, we’ll have a lot more opportunities to spread the word about the shows that YOU helped bring to the web.
Everyone that donates to us directly will get the Imagination Situation Ringtone, a personalized postcard and thank you video that were promised as our Kickstarter Perks. It’s the least we can do to thank you for your ongoing support.
There are so many ways to explore imagination, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Your support and enthusiasm has carried us through two episodes, 21 short videos and some great conversations on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We hope you’ll support and share us as we continue to make imagination something that parents and kids can enjoy together.
Thank You
Roby & Whitney
Our second situation finds us dining at the local restaurant. While tempting deserts are on your menu, a child’s mind is on the delicious distractions. Will dad be able to get his daughter to join him, or will this be a dash and dine of the embarrassing kind? Enjoy a spot of tea and see how imagination takes you to a perfectly proper party.
After 20 days of fun tips, you’re sure to have plenty of ideas for playtime. On the very last episode of ’21 Days Of Imagination’, we leave you with one simple idea that can really bring you and your kids closer together.
There’s only a few hours left to fund six new episodes. Please make a contribution by visiting our Kickstarter campaign.Thank you.