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Imagine Our Special Place is an uplifting and joyful story that celebrates life through the difficulties of adversity. With themes of sparking the imagination and special relationships, this picture book is glowing with emotion. Stemming from her own losses, author Kelly Louise Jarris, together with illustrator Sandunika Dissanayake, have brought a softness and beauty to encourage readers to take their own creative, mindful journeys to special (real or imagined) places.
Discussion
Before Reading –
Close your eyes and imagine going to a special place, real or imagined. Where would you go? What can you do there? Who or what would you see, hear, smell, taste, feel?
Look at the cover of Imagine Our Special Place. What do you see? How does it make you feel? What do you wonder? What do you think might happen in this story?
If you or someone you knew was sick, what kinds of things could you do to make them feel better?
Why do you think the title is about imagining a special place. How might this help the characters in the story?
After Reading –
What did you like about the story? How did it make you feel? What did it make you wonder about?
What was the best thing about Sophie using her imagination? How did it help her little sister, especially in her sad situation?
What was your favourite ‘special place’ in the story? Can you add your own imaginative things to that scene?
How did the little girl’s feelings change from the start to the end of the story?
Do you know someone who has been in hospital, or have lost someone or something special to you? What kinds of things did you do to remember them?
What does this story inspire you to do for someone special, or to feel better about a loss? Some examples might include writing a card or letter, sharing photos, reading or writing a favourite story, creating a special scrapbook or memory box, and so on.
Activities
Imagination Clouds
English Foundation to Year 2: (ACELA1429) Â (ACELT1575)(ACELT1783) (ACELT1583) (ACELT1589) (ACELY1650) (ACELY1660) (ACELY1670)
On a cloud template, or several clouds, brainstorm your most imaginative ‘special places’ that bring you joy. Provide as much detail as possible. For example, enjoying a tea party in the fruit-flavoured clouds with a fairy, eating fairy bread, rainbow jelly, raindrop cookies, fluffy marshmallows, golden sunny cups of tea, and so on.
Illustrate and display, or hang as a cloud mobile underneath a rainbow.
Imagining a Special Place Narrative
English Foundation to Year 2: (ACELT1581)(ACELT1582)(ACELT1586)(ACELY1651)(ACELY1661) Â (ACELY1662) (ACELY1671) (ACELY1672)
Using some of the ideas explored in the ‘imagination clouds’ exercise, create your own narrative where you imagine a world full of all your favourite things and place to go. Use your biggest imagination! What would you do there? Who would you meet? Set it out with a beginning, middle and end, include the conflict, resolution and conclusion, and don’t forget to start with a sizzling start and include some impressive WOW words! Illustrate and share.
Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment
Science Foundation to Year 2: Chemical sciences (ACSSU003)(ACSSU031) Earth and space sciences (ACSSU004)(ACSSU019)(ACSSU032) Nature and development of science (ACSSU032)(ACSHE021)(ACSHE034) Science Inquiry Skills (ACSIS014Â )(ACSIS024)(ACSIS011)(ACSIS025)(ACSIS039)(ACSIS233)(ACSIS027)(ACSIS213)(ACSIS012)(ACSIS029)(ACSIS042)
Children can explore the science of rain and clouds with this hands-on experiment.
Materials needed: A large clear jar, several cups, shaving cream, food colouring, water, pipettes or droppers, optional glitter for sparkles.
Predict: What do you think will happen?
Observe: What did you notice?
Results: Draw or write down what you observed. What do you understand about rain and clouds?
Directions: Mix food colouring colours (and glitter, if using) with water in different cups, then fill the jar 3/4 of the way with water. Spray shaving cream on top of the water in the jar. Using the droppers, squirt the different coloured water into the ‘cloud’, making sure to observe what is happening below the shaving cream. The coloured water will seep through the shaving cream and into the water, just like rain.
Science involved: As the water saturates the cloud, it gets heavy and eventually can’t hold the water any longer. It rains down through the air.
BONUS! Even more imaginative activities for IMAGINE OUR SPECIAL PLACE!
Kelly Louise Jarris has prepared a super sparkly fun arts and craft activity! Let’s make some Star Balls!
Download and print the colouring sheets from Kelly Louise Jarris’ website for more fun…
Imagine Our Special Place is written by Kelly Louise Jarris, illustrations by Sandunika Dissanayake. Published by InHouse Publishing. Notes prepared by Romi Sharp.
Reference: Australian Curriculum
Visit Kelly at her website: Kelly Louise Jarris Books | Australian Children’s Book Author (kljbooks.com)
IMAGINE OUR SPECIAL PLACE is available for purchase through: Kelly’s SHOP | Amazon | Local and independent book stores
WONDERFUL WISHES is available for purchase through: Kelly’s SHOP | Amazon | Local and independent book stores
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3 thoughts to “Imagine Our Special Place Educational Activities”
Wonderful suggestions. Children will love these and find them comforting as well.
Thanks so much, Norah! Hopefully they help spark lots of imagination, too! 🙂
I’m sure they will!