The Importance of Imagination

With children and their development, nothing is more important than imagination to help with the growth of thought processes and creativity. Children that are able to get away from it all and place themselves, mentally, in another world are more likely to be able to think "outside the box" and produce more creative results when learning and working. For this reason, the importance of imagination cannot be underestimated and should be encouraged when raising children.

Parents know the importance of curiosity in children. Curiosity holds an important place in the minds of kids because it helps provide them with the will to explore objects and places that they do not know. Children become curious from a very young age and begin to wonder about various notions in this broad universe, but it is imagination that helps carry the child beyond the boundaries of imagination and into a new world of discovery.

It is imagination that begins to develop and occupy a very vital place in a child's mental world. With imagination, a child can move mountains, transport himself to a distant world, make himself smaller or larger, or disappear from sight. Imagination allows children to form new ideas and explore old ideas, all at once. For children with more to escape in their unfortunate realities, such as abuse victims or children with separated parents, imagination plays an even more critical role in development as it aids with coping.

The Importance of Imagination

Promoting Imagination

As parents, it is critical to promote imagination through various activities and ideas. Expose children to fantasy worlds through books and television shows. Discuss these ideas together and explore your children's ideas. Don't judge them for the ideas they think of, but rather explore them together and ask questions to promote more thought through imagination. This will help children flesh out and solidify ideas through their imagination, leading to the building blocks of creative thinking.

In today's world, having imagination is more important than ever. Jobs are being filled with people with creative thinking skills that can get things done. News reports are filled with terrible items that can create feelings of fear, despair and hopelessness. Imagination offers not only a release and an escape from the world, but also a new ability to think and create within it. The skills that come about as a result of a working imagination are infinite in number.

When children get scared, it is important to show them compassion and belonging. This can be accomplished through the use of imagination at play. Doll houses, miniature worlds, board games, role-playing games, or even a simple tent in the backyard can promote imagination in small children as they are influenced through the limitless boundaries of the creative world.

Buy children imagination-promoting toys and activities, too. A dollhouse is a great activity for promoting imagination, as the child can design and work with various characters and situations within the dollhouse. Any toy or activity that promotes imagination is a tremendous asset for preparing children for the world and allowing them the space in which to truly and safely grow up.

The Importance of Imagination
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Learn more about the fascinating world of miniatures. Visit TheMagicalDollhouse.com today for a great doll house and dollhouse accessories from top miniature companies.

Creative Writing: How to Start Your Novel

When I was in the eleventh grade, I took a creative writing elective with one of the most brilliant teachers I've ever met. She was brutal, honest and highly creative; I don't know why she hadn't graduated to teaching college courses. In any event, she gave me the best writing advice I have ever gotten:

"The worst way to start your story is with a 'dark and stormy night'. It's been done. Other than that, the sky's the limit."

I took her advice to heart, and the stories I wrote for her class had the most creative beginnings I've ever written.

Creative Writing: How to Start Your Novel

Most beginning (and even veteran) writers struggle with how to open their novels. Dialogue? Action? Witty prose? How you start your novel with decide how many people buy it off bookstore shelves. Captivating your reader should be the first priority, but how do you know if it's exciting enough?

How to Start Your Novel with Dialogue

I rarely start novels with dialogue, mostly because I can never think of anything important enough to say. However, sometimes dialogue is the best way to get your novel off to a running start. If your characters are in the middle of a fight or if there's something you want to get right out in the open, dialogue can thrust your reader right into the opening scene of the novel.

That said, you have to be careful. Resist the urge to start your novel with dialogue like, "How are you feeling today?" If you plan to open with dialogue, it must be intelligent and important and captivating.

My only real advice for starting your novel with dialogue is to have only one line of speech before you insert some explanations. Even if the characters are in the middle of a conversation, don't confuse your reader by failing to give details.

How to Start Your Novel with Action

Obviously, action is the most popular way to start a novel. It's exciting, intriguing, and it lures your readers into the story before they even know what hit them.

This is especially true with mystery and suspense stories. In those genres, readers expect to be hooked from the get-go, and they want to be shocked from paragraph one.

How to Start Your Novel with Prose

In this case, "prose" really refers to description. Some of the most powerful novels of all time have begun with languid and lyrical description:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

"A squat grey building of only thirty-four stories..."

- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Description is my favorite way to start a novel because it eases the reader into the storyline. There are no expectations, no assumptions; your reader becomes immersed in the fictional world that you have created, and at your own pace; no one else's.

The only problem with this method is that you must find a unique way to describe the opening scene. My advice is to think about the characters and the setting and to pick out a remote object on which to comment. This takes your reader from a very specified place - the object - and into a more complex scene - your opening. For example, one of the books that I ghosted several years ago began like this:

"In a room filled with beautiful antique furniture and ancient artifacts from Egypt and Rome, the digital clock radio stuck out like a sore thumb. It's flashing green digits called attention to the clock as if to say, I may be new, but I'm still important. It struck me as odd that someone as refined and as old-world as Cunningham Thompson III would rely on such a technological timepiece." By drawing your readers' attention to something mundane, they will be twice as captivated when you get on with the plot.

Creative Writing: How to Start Your Novel
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Laura J. College is a professional ghostwriter with more than ten years' experience writing fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. Her work can be found all over the Internet, and she is currently accepting ghostwriting clients. Check out her website at [http://www.laurajcollege.com]

How to Come Up With a Creative Name For Your Website, Blog, Or Business

In this article I will share some tips on how to come up with a creative blog name even if you're not feeling very creative.

Think about what your website or blog is about. If you can, summarize what it's about in a few short sentences, it will help. Come up with a list of 5-10 keywords that describe your niche or topic.

Go for a walk or step away from the computer and brainstorm potential name ideas using the keywords you have come up with. Think about local attractions that will associate you with your local neighborhood or town. Use your personal name or initials in the name. Combine words that sound like the real word but are spelled differently.

How to Come Up With a Creative Name For Your Website, Blog, Or Business

Combine your initials or your name with the keywords that describe your business. Your blog or website is your business so be proud of it and treat it like one. For example if you are a graphic designer, think about using your name accompanied with endings like Desktop Publishing, Design, Media, or Studios.

Use name generators to combine your name with other creative words. One of my favorite tools to use when I cannot figure out a name is Musicians Friend's Band Name Generator. Yes it is for band names but you can use it for coming up with a creative name for business too. I find that this Generator gives me some very creative names and stimulates my creativity and ideas.

Keep your name short. Usually three-word domains are the longest you want to use. One exception to this is using keywords to target traffic. For example, makemoneyonlinefast.com is long but it does target specific keywords. Using your keywords in the domain name can be beneficial. But if you are going for a broader niche or starting a company, its best to keep it at two or less words.

Be remarkable and unique by using web 2.0 generators that will create fancy words out of ordinary words. Sometimes this can be successful. Look at Flickr or Yahoo. Also look at Squidoo and others that are web 2.0 names.

The bottom line is to create a short and remarkable name by combining keywords that describe your business and add a personal touch with words that could be your initials, your name, or a noun.

Below you will find a link to my blog which will show you all of the name generators on the web that will combine words for your. It's like auto pilot naming... sort of. Be sure to check it out.

How to Come Up With a Creative Name For Your Website, Blog, Or Business
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Don't give up! I have compiled a full list of every popular name generator on the web. There are over 6 name generators to choose from. I will give you a complete detail of the naming procedure plus the links and reviews of these other name generators. Just visit my blog at http://onebiginternet.com/2010/07/how-to-find-a-creative-name-for-your-blog-or-website/

5 Creative (And Low Cost) Ways to Thank and Recognize Your Donors

Recognizing and acknowledging donors is a critical step in getting the gift. It might be considered the final step in receiving a gift, but it is actually the first step in getting the next gift. Consider using these 5 creative ideas to honor and thank your donors.

1. Thank your donor 7 times. There's nothing more important than thanking our donors. We need to make sure donors know how much we appreciate them and their generosity. So thank your donor 7 times. The 7 Thanks don't have to be elaborate or expensive - just sincere.

The initial Thank You should be timely. Your quick response to a donor's gift lets them know that you did in fact receive their gift and that you are glad to have it. Ideally, you should get an initial Thank You letter out within 48 hours of receiving a gift. There's nothing worse for a donor than waiting weeks or months for a gift acknowledgment.

5 Creative (And Low Cost) Ways to Thank and Recognize Your Donors

Subsequent Thank Yous may be spread out over several weeks or months. Letting a little time go by between Thank Yous shows the donor that you haven't forgotten about them. And, it helps you build a relationship.

Ideas for the 7 Thank Yous:

- Computer-generated letter

- Hand-written note card

- Phone call

- Email

- Call or note from the Executive Director

- Call or note from a Board member

- Call or note from another staff member (NOT a Fundraiser)

- Note from a client

- Photograph of your organization in action

- Written update about the use of the donor's gift

2. Engage your Board in the recognition process. Board members often want to help you, but they are unsure how they can help. Consider using these ideas:

- Ask Board members to write Thank You notes, especially to donors they know. A personal note from a peer or friend is a powerful acknowledgment for a donor.

- Ask Board members to make Thank You calls to donors. Provide them with a script and just a few names to call (maybe 3 or 4). Give them a target date to complete the calls (i.e., within the next 2 weeks). And ask them to respond back to you when they are done with any comments the donor made or any observations they have. Make a call with them if they are apprehensive about getting started.

- Ask Board members to act as a host or hostess to a specific donor at a Thank You event. The Board member can provide one-on-one attention to a special donor and can introduce him to other Board members or donors at the event. A trained Board member can effectively cultivate a donor and glean valuable information about the donor's attitude toward your organization.

3. Harness the power of the Thank You call. One of the most powerful tools you have is on your desk - the telephone. Making a Thank You call to a donor can be a powerful way to say thanks. It says to the donor that you took time to pick up the phone and call them. Not many organizations do this these days, so your donors might be shocked! Here's an easy script for a Thank You call:

A. Say the donor's name and then identify yourself and your organization. "Mrs. Smith? This is Sandy Rees from the Save the Universe Foundation."

Your donor is likely to be suspicious. They probably think you are about to ask them for something.

B. Tell them why you are calling. "We got your check in the mail today and I'm calling to say Thank You."

You'll probably hear relief and surprise in the donor's voice.

C. Pause.

Don't say anything. The donor will likely gush about how great your organization is or why they made the gift. You may want to make a note of their reasoning, especially if they indicate a favorite program or feature of your organization.

D. Invite the donor to share information with you. "Is there anything you'd like me to relay to our Executive Director for you?"

Often, the donor will be floored that you want to know what they think and that their comments will go all the way to the top. Of course, you are obligated to actually share their comments with your ED! Assure the donor you will pass their comments on.

E. Thank the donor again. "Thank you so much for taking a minute to talk with me. And thanks again for supporting our work."

That's it! Call is done. These calls usually only take 3 or 4 minutes and will pay off big!

4. Involve your whole staff in thanking your donors. Consider using these techniques for involving other staff in the acknowledgment process.

- Ask program staff to write a note or letter to the donor to let them know how their gift is being used. "Front-line" stories are exactly what donors want to hear!

- At a staff meeting, pass a card around and ask everyone to sign it along with a one line thank you message. Send the card to the donor.

- Ask staff to provide tours to donors when they visit.

5. Pay attention to the special recognition needs of some donors. Some people want to be recognized and some don't. You have to know your donors well enough to know what would be meaningful to them. Corporate donors tend to want all the recognition they can get, while individual donors usually do not want a big fuss made over them.

Here are some things to keep in mind when recognizing donors.

- Keep it simple and inexpensive.

- Recognize corporate donors in their offices.

- Make sure the recognition is meaningful to the donor.

- If you have anything printed, make sure you have spelled the donor's name right and used the right name.

Here are some examples of effective and inexpensive donor recognition techniques.

A small basket with small candies makes a nice "Thank You" gift for a donor's support. Add a handwritten card and the package is complete!

Take a photo of your organization in action and personalize it for your donor. "John, you made this happen" written in gold ink can be a powerful recognition tool. An inexpensive frame can make the gift ready to sit on a desk.

If you own the property around your facility, consider a planting in recognition of a donor. This is particularly powerful if your organization has an outdoor element or if the donor has a favorite kind of tree or shrub. You can add a small sign with the donor's name by the planting so the donor can see it whenever they visit you.

Always be on the lookout for simple and meaningful ways to thank and recognize your donors and you'll be well on your way to fundraising success.

5 Creative (And Low Cost) Ways to Thank and Recognize Your Donors
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(c) Sandy Rees, CFRE

Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach, consultant, trainer, and author. She shows small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen their Boards. Learn more about successful fundraising and get free fundraising tips in her e-zine "Bright Ideas for Fundraising" on her website at http://www.getfullyfunded.com.

7 Proven Creative Visualization Techniques To Get Anything You Want

Creative visualization is a valuable tool to create change in our lives... solve problems... and attract whatever we can imagine. Everything begins as a thought. Visualization adds energy and power to those thoughts, creating a mental mold of the results we wish to experience in our reality.

Following are the 7 basic steps to successful creative visualization:

1. Clear your mind. That's step number one to creative visualization. Most of us have so many thoughts going on in our heads that it's impossible to focus intently. To succeed in any endeavor, you need to be able to focus your mind. Without focus, you cannot perform at your best or properly utilize the valuable technique of creative visualization.

7 Proven Creative Visualization Techniques To Get Anything You Want

But in order to get there, you have to willingly suspend all other thoughts and concerns. Nothing else exists during your visualization but you and the voice on the visualization CD.

2. Establish the vision. To get what you want, you need to know what it is. Start by writing down all the things you think you want. Don't edit yourself; just get it all down on paper. Keep writing. After a few minutes, you will have a complete list. Now choose one item from that list that's more important right now. You can go for the others later.

3. Record the details. Once you have your item, it's time to break it down and define it in detail. Get clear about what you want. If it's a new car, state the brand, the color, the model year, the major upgrades it has such as its leather interior. Specifics are very important here. You want it to feel so real - as though it's already in your possession.

4. Rewrite and refine. Once you've got it down, it's time to shape your description into something closer to exactly what it is you want. This creative visualization technique is like taking a rough idea of what you want to say in a letter-to-the-editor and then converting it into a polished piece that's ready to mail. Refine your goal into a powerful paragraph that describes exactly what it is you want.

5. Draw it out. Is your goal something that you can picture visually? If so, get a picture of what your goal looks like. If it's a car, get a picture of the exact car, or draw it as best you can. If your goal is to break through your fear and deliver a great speech, picture yourself on stage presenting to an attentive and appreciative audience. It doesn't matter if you're artistically challenged like me -- no one else is going to see your drawing. It's simply another way to convey your deepest desire to the universe.

6. Record it to your computer, digital recorder, or MP3 player. A far easier option is to buy an already recorded creative visualization CD related to the goal you wish to accomplish, or the problem you want to overcome. You can probably find exactly what you're looking for online. By capturing your target visualization in audio format, you can listen again and again.

7. Revisit your visualization often. That's a biggie. Repeat it. Refine it as you go. And you will reap the delicious rewards. Repetition is the secret to empowering your visualization and giving it wings.

It takes a consistent effort to achieve anything worthwhile. Some goals will come faster than others. But know in your heart that this process of creative visualization will work for you

One of the most important steps to effective creative visualization is to continue to hold the vision of a single objective relentlessly.

7 Proven Creative Visualization Techniques To Get Anything You Want
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Do it often and you'll make creative visualization work for you automatically. Allow yourself be gently led on a guided visualization, designed to take you from where you are now to wherever you want to go. Visit http://www.visualizationfx.com today.

Five Creative Methods of Teaching English to TEFL Learners

As English teachers, we’re almost always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to stimulate our language learners. It was ELT author and researcher Stephen D. Krashen who gave us his Affective Filter hypothesis of Second or Foreign language acquisition. (Krashen – Terrell, 1983) His hypothesis states, that conditions which promote low anxiety levels in class allow improved learning on the part of students. When learners enjoy class activities their Affective Filter is low and they learn more. New and different activities “out of the norm” also lower learner affective filters.

Here are some not-so-commonly-used techniques for adding that “new twist” to your English or foreign language classes. Giving learners something new does wonders in relieving boredom, spiking interest and lowering the Affective Filter of learners on whom you may have “tried everything”.

1. Using an iPod

Five Creative Methods of Teaching English to TEFL Learners

Do you learners carry iPods or cellular phones? Don’t curse and swear at them for using technology in their lives. Turn it to your advantage! A number of good websites now exist that can get you and your learners up and running using this latest new technology for language learning and practice. Here are useful website for more podcasting information:

• Podcasting: Audio on the Internet comes of age
[http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej36/int.html]

• Morning Stories
[http://www.wgbh.org/schedules/program-info?program_id=143912]

• Podcast Pickle http://www.podcastpickle.com

• Internet TESL Journal http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts/

2. Let Mr. Bean Help You

You all know him and love his humorous twists on daily living. So don’t just sit there nodding, grab a CD or VHS full of episodes and try a few out on your learners. Let them do the talking. They can offer suggestions, write to Mr. Bean and his other characters, express opinions and do comparisons of his world vs. their own. By the way, is he REALLY an alien? Follow his antics, get video clips, program guides and more at:

• [http://www.rowanatkinson.org/mr_bean.htm]

• [http://www.dsv.su.se/~mats-bjo/bean/bean.html]

3. Ask Walt Disney for Advice

Although I’m old enough to remember his presence and passing, Walt Disney can still make us laugh, smile, cry and cheer with the antics of scores of his characters and their families. Take some short “clips” from his animated stories. Change the situation. Alter the characters. Modify an ending or a beginning to cause a whole different outlook on age-old themes. Are your stories and characters better? As long as they’re different, stimulating and generate interest or discussion, that’s all that matters. Everyone, even you, will have a great time coming up with new twists on these classic themes. Try it!
Visit Disney online here:

• http://disney.go.com/home/today/index.html

• http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/

4. Letting Learners Create Lesson Materials

Turnabout is fair play, or so they say. Take a day to switch roles. Have you ever let your learners write an exam? How about planning a fun class? Having a “hot” conversation on a topic that THEY want to talk about – music, movies, cute guys / gals, techno-babble? Nothing is taboo – well almost nothing, anyway! What do you think they’ll talk about? You’d be surprised!

5. Join the Club

Let’s all go to the Conversation Club. What you don’t have one? Okay then, start one – every Thursday from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm or whatever time, day and duration may suit you and your learners. The key is to give THEM the majority of control, or at least as much as possible. Use props, use realia, use pictures, music or whatever you and your learners may have on hand to start, stop and sustain the activities. Other “clubs” you could join include:

• Pronunciation clubs

• Reading clubs

• Movie clubs

• Acting Clubs

Use your and your learners’ imaginations. The sky’s the limit – or maybe the Administration’s sky is the limit. But no matter, just try something new for starters.

Try out some of these not-so-commonly-used techniques for adding that “new twist” to your English or foreign language classes. Give your learners something new to relieve any boredom and spike their interest. Can’t you just hear those Affective Filters falling now?

Five Creative Methods of Teaching English to TEFL Learners
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Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.

For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Need professional, original content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and teaching materials mailing list? Then contact the author at this website for a prompt response.