March 27-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. DETAILS
April Fools' FUN for the Classroom!
By Chris Dunmire, Unpuzzler
Teachers and Parents: Play one of the most creatively delightful (and harmless!) jokes ever in your classroom (or home) this coming April Fool's Day. Print one of my eye-catching impossible-to-solve word-find puzzles for your class of smart students (or puzzle enthusiast) and then sit back to watch the fun unfold. My fun 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
That inner “Wow!” That tingle of excitement. That feeling of “Yes! That’s what it’s all about!” That’s the moment that makes me so thankful to be a teacher of young children — when a child spontaneously, unselfconsciously creates a song, a way to play a musical instrument, a new dance move. That’s the moment that shows me that I’ve created a safe place to share ideas, and that the child’s imagination is active and thriving. So what now? What can I do as a teacher to keep that creativity coming? How do I protect, nurture and nourish this growing creative mind?
Inspirational Muses
Gnomes do not seek dominion over all the Earth and every living creature. Their very existence depends upon and reveres the sanctity of wild places. I am no expert on Gnomes, but a few years ago I was able to observe one myself. According to Gnome experts Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvleit, author and illustrator of "The Complete Guide to Gnomes," no Gnome sighting can be confirmed and deemed official unless observed by two witnesses, and I was alone at the time, on a walk down a lonely dirt road near my home in Durango, Colorado. So this can't be considered an official sighting, or a confirmed and documented Gnome encounter. I'll just call it a story instead.
Creativity & Inspiration
By Robert Alan Black, PhD
Have you been walking, jogging, showering, dreaming, driving when Zap! Out of the Blue came an idea,a solution, a hint of an idea? Most of us have these things happen to us. Some of us pay attention to them and some of us turn them into solutions that often lead to great success and possibly fame. Yet the greatest percentage of us say "ho hum another strange idea" and let them go. There are many theories about why these happen such as: our muse(es) give them to us; God gives them to us; or our subconscious gives them to us after we have consciously worked very hard on a problem andfinally have let it go.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.
Writing Inspiration & Encouragement
By Barbara Abercrobmie
We write personal non-fiction — essays, memoir and autobiography — not to gaze at our belly buttons and muse over how wonderful or awful our lives are, but to put down our own small, individual truth. One question we all face when writing non-fiction about our life is how creative can you be with the truth? I believe the best way you can answer this question is from your own expectations as a reader.
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
Have you ever been brought home to yourself when journal writing? Do you have an Inner Journaler? What does he/she look like? How long have you known about this part of your inner world — is he/she an old friend, or a relatively new companion? Is your Inner Journaler satisfied with the amount of journaling you've been doing lately? Why or why not? Ask him/her to tell you what he/she needs from you this week.
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 brain is not only one of the most complex objects in the known Universe but it has an ability to rewire itself upon a thought or when encountering a new experience. It is plastic, dynamic and self-programmable. Unlike other organs of the body, it evolves and can perform new and different functions — some of which are quite literally out of this world and not really accepted or understood by mainstream science or society. I will leave discussion of such different-abilities for another time. One of the most curious aspects of our brain is how it operates without us having to give a second thought to how we think. This ability is a clue to the real functions of the different hemispheres. It appears we quite literally in two minds about the world around us.
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
