March 27 Through March 29, 2019
Teachers: Chris Dunmire is giving away seven copies of her April Fool's Joke Puzzles (Word Search Series) book between March 27 and March 29, 2019.
The amusing book contains a fun bundle of six ordinary-looking joke word search puzzles to use for April Fooling or any-day pranking, including her original world-famous Animals Puzzle #12 that kicked off the series in 2005 and has delighted teachers, parents, and pranksters ever since.
April Fool's Day is one extra special day out of the year that creative, innovative thinking can flourish in the classroom. Teachers can use the playful opportunity for 'thinking outside the box' by pulling lighthearted jokes on entire classes of students with an innocent-looking assignment, a fun word search puzzle, or some other inventive idea spontaneously unleashed in the classroom.
To help facilitate memorable experiences this coming April Fool's Day, Chris is offering seven downloads of her April Fool's Joke Puzzles book for three days, between March 27 and March 29, 2019, through a random drawing of entries by teachers who email her a short, original (not copied or plagiarized) limerick or haiku with an April Fool's twist. Please include your name and what grade/subject you teach with the email subject: April Fools' Book Drawing. Winning entries will be posted on our Facebook page.
FAKE April Fools' FUN for the Classroom!
By Chris Dunmire, Unpuzzler
Play one of the most-guaranteed, creatively delightful (and harmless!) jokes ever in your classroom (or home) this coming April Fool's Day. Print one of my eye-catching (but fake!) word-find puzzles as an assignment for your class of smart students (or puzzle enthusiast) and then sit back to watch the fun unfold. These joke word search puzzles have delighted teachers, parents, and pranksters worldwide since 2005. DOWNLOAD PUZZLES NOW
365 Pictures: Daily Prompt GeneratorDiscover the hidden treasure that's inspired teachers, writers, bloggers, and others for the last decade: Creativity Portal's original worldwide collaborative daily prompt generator! This inspiring feature is the result of the combined creative efforts of scores of artists, photographers, writers, and other creatives who answered the invitation to create and combine personal pictures, images, art, and illustrations with thought-provoking prompts to inspire others globally with unique perspectives and visual stimulus for writing projects. GET TODAY'S PROMPT
Fostering Creativity
By Abby Connors
I've been teaching young children for over twenty years, and every day I'm amazed at my students' creativity. In fact, almost every day I teach, at least one student shares an idea I've never seen or heard before! When I tell this to teachers at my workshops, I see a few indulgent smiles ("Yes, you love kids, we get it") and a few frankly skeptical raised eyebrows. But it's true — almost every day I see something completely new. Because I'm looking for it. I'm listening for it. I'm prepared to be amazed.
Series Spotlight
This curated series from artist, yoga teacher, and energy worker Danielle Dulsky's book The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman invites you to create your own spiritual path based on often-suppressed ancient principles and contemporary practices. Using the elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, explore paths for reclaiming creativity, embracing feminine archeytpes, and using rituals through art and writing to connect to universal powers.
Embodying the Crone-Mermaid | Ritual of Reclaiming Creativity | Strategic Ritual Sadhana
Creativity Coaching
By Chris Zydel
One of the places where my students will often find themselves getting stuck or stopped in the intuitive painting process is when they encounter the common fear of ruining a painting. One moment they will be happily painting away and then they get an internal directive to paint something that scares them. It could be anything. It could be the desire to paint the color yellow, or maybe they find that they can't seem to shake the idea that what wants to be painted now is a purple kangaroo, but whatever it is, in conjunction with this new impulse there arises a sudden, paralyzing and extremely convincing fear that bringing this next color or image into the painting is going to mess it up.
Creative Careers Interviews
By Molly J. Anderson-Childers
Abby Connors' creative journey has been a circuitous route, a twisting and turning road to her dreams. She began her career as a music teacher, soon changing her focus to help children with special needs. After going back to school to become a school psychologist, she had trouble finding a position in her chosen field and worked a miserable office job. Just when things were at a low point, she discovered she loved teaching movement and music to children through a community education program. The rest, as they say, is history.
Freeing the Writer Within
By Natalie Goldberg
I have not seen writing lead to happiness in my friends' lives. I'm sorry to say this, I, who just fifteen years ago published a book telling everyone to grab their notebooks and write their asses off. No high like it, I said. I meant it — and it was true. Now I'm past fifty, and I have given everything to writing, the way a Zen master watches her breath and burns through distraction. Was I a fool to do this? Did I choose the wrong path? I once told my great teacher Katagiri Roshi, "If I put the effort into zazen that I put into writing, I'd be sitting where you are." "Yes, yes," he beamed.
The Nine Modern Day Muses
By Jill Badonsky, MEd
I've written on the art of making mistakes and of being imperfect in the creative process — I've made several mistakes in the course of my career, my creative process, my relationships and with a turn off I took in east L.A during rush hour. Mistakes are requirements for growth and discovery. They are rituals of initiation at the beginning of a process and scare off 80% of people pursuing a path that could bring so much joy and reward if they only allowed themselves to be imperfect. So many people really do hesitate to follow their bliss because they fear failure or cannot tolerate their own incompetence at the beginning of a process — where they are supposed to be nothing but incompetent and nonjudgmental. I find this is particularly rampant with people who are very competent in another area of their lives or would like to return to a creative arena where they were once very productive and successful. Their unrealistic expectations immobilize them.
Inner Voices of Creativity
By Anne Marie Bennett
What does your Inner Creative Child look like? Is he/she getting enough healthy doses of creativity? What kind of voice does your Inner Creative Child use when it's content? How does he/she try to get your attention? What would your week look like if you were committed to satisfying your Inner Creative Child's need for self-expression?
Premiums and Printables
By Chris Dunmire
Did you know memory-boosting exercises help improve brain function and positively impact your creative ability as you age? That's why so many sage people are addicted to puzzles like word searches and Sudoku! Here's a playful way to exercise your memory and boost your brainpower: Play my Tree-mendous Memory! game. It comes in two editions: Fall and Spring and can be downloaded in four different styles.
Creativity & Inspiration
By Tom Evans
The Earth travels a distance of well over half a billion miles every year around the Sun. For many of us though, we may as well be standing still. At the start of each orbit, we often diligently and religiously set some goals and make new resolutions. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and having ambitions. What then often happens though is, when we hit adversity, our goals get thrown out of the window while we deal with the latest crisis or drama. We run a script in our heads that life is hard and 'it's not meant to be.'
More April Foolery
By Chris Dunmire, April Foolologist
Promising news has come to light for many citizens of the world seeking to increase creativity. After working closely with the product development team at a major U.S. beverage company, Creativity Portal is pleased to offer this new line of creativity-enhancing herbal teas under the Mirecle CreativiTea™ brand name. Yes, Mirecle CreativiTea™ brand tea has proven certain blends of herbs positively affect creative performance in artists, writers, engineers, scientists, and other creators. This proprietary recipe is now available to you exclusively through Creativity-Portal.com. PRINT JOKE TEA WRAPPERS
Writer's Prompts
Open to possibilities and allow this inspirational instrument to help you play in the world of imagination. Manifest beautiful music and works of art through your thoughts and words. Remember, the unique element you bring to LIFE, and in this context, the writing table, is YOU. The prompts are here as a beginning, but what you bring through your unique perspective, experience, gifts, and imagination brings completeness to the creative process you are about to engage in. What a gift to treasure and share! Are you ready? GENERATE A PROMPT
