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How do you nuture your child's imagination? I'd love to read your comments.

From the lens Nurturing Imagination.

  • artbyrodriguez Mar 7, 2012 @ 1:20 pm | delete
    Love this lens. I was just looking at a cape for my Grandson. I'm glad you mentioned that.
  • blanckj Sep 20, 2011 @ 2:38 pm | delete
    Wow! What an awesome little lens you have here. Thanks for sharing.
  • PattiHale Aug 30, 2011 @ 11:40 am | delete
    My son, and now my grandson loved/loves dress up! My son is quite creative; he's a senior copywriter with CJRW in Fayetteville.
  • vallain Aug 2, 2011 @ 9:54 pm | delete
    We had hours of imaginative play outdoors during our childhood. I feel sorry for today's pale, listless children zoning out in front of the television.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Aug 2, 2011 @ 7:05 pm | delete
    What a wonderful childhood your children had filled with the joy of time and imagination! :)

    One of my favorite of your lenses. Blessed by a Squid Angel!
  • dannystaple Jul 31, 2011 @ 10:02 am | delete
    I play with her a lot, and we do a lot of things with Lego. She is only 2 at the moment, but she loves keyboards, crayons and anything that is expressive. She does play at being animals sometimes - but it is more factual than imaginative I suppose.
  • laki2lav Jul 26, 2011 @ 4:41 pm | delete
    this is truly an awesome lens...can't believe it's not in top 1000. but anyway, thanks a bunch for doing this right
  • cstoll Jul 22, 2011 @ 8:26 pm | delete
    What an adorable lens. The pictures are great too!
  • deldobuss May 13, 2011 @ 3:13 pm | delete
    Great lens! My kids love old time radio and Adventures in Odyssey! They also like a series called Down Gilead Lane.
  • cloudiosify Mar 13, 2011 @ 10:12 am | delete
    This lens is splendid and should be read by parents and childrens alike :D
  • ChrisDay Aug 27, 2010 @ 2:15 pm | delete
    As a family we subscribe to Einstein's words. We tend to believe that what a child doesn't want to learn is possibly unimportant. I believe Plutarch said "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled? - Thank you so much for shouting up for the child's welfare and future.
  • lakern26 Mar 29, 2010 @ 11:22 am | delete
    What a wonderful page! Playing dress-up is one of my fondest memories. My boys don't do that nearly enough. I love the selection of products here. I'm especially intrigued by The Dangerous Book for Boys. I'll have to check that one out! Fived, faved, and lensrolled to my Pirate toys lens!
  • Treasures-By-Brenda Nov 23, 2009 @ 1:53 pm | delete
    There's a lot of imagination on this page. You just need a boy tea set!
    We still have our trunk full of dress up clothes, much to my husband's dismay.
    Blessed
  • merylvdm Nov 21, 2009 @ 10:34 pm | delete
    Great lens. We have very little TV in our home. My younger 2 play with their stuffed animals a lot. They have even used them in stop montion animation movies they have made.
  • _Joan_ Oct 24, 2009 @ 12:44 am | delete
    Fantastic lens! It blows me away sometimes to hear the ideas that come from my 10-year-old. His imagination runs toward analyzing situations around him and coming up with solutions and alternatives. He's done it since he was a pre-schooler.
  • GrowWear Oct 11, 2009 @ 12:40 pm | delete
    Flying in on my new Angel wings to bless this beautiful lens. Love.
  • bloomingrose Oct 7, 2009 @ 11:24 pm | delete
    I killed my TV when my eldest son was six - never regretted it. They saw TV other places, and we watched movies sometimes, but I do think my kids turned out to use their imagination and want to be more active because of this. My little one was getting addicted to "Blue's Clue's" or something, the day after we got rid of the TV he lined all his stuffed toys up and started teaching them something. Both of my kids were musicians, cooks, etc. and we have benefited by not having the boob tube around.
  • theraggededge Sep 3, 2009 @ 2:09 pm | delete
    Fantastic! Lensrolled to "My Child is Obsessed With Lego" and "Organic Education".

    I could happily get rid of our TV but my daughter watches various Disney sitcoms like Zack & Cody, Hannah Montana, etc. then goes off and recreates the sets with crayons, pencils and paper, and writes out her own scripts. She's only 7 so I am quite impressed with the way TV sets off her imagination. I encourage both kids to switch off as soon as the program has finished rather than let them sit there and moronically watch whatever comes on. I think teaching/modelling discernment is the key.
  • Mickie_G Aug 14, 2009 @ 7:58 am | delete
    You have a lot of great activities here for nurturing imagination in kids.
    My grandson loves Lincoln Logs!
    Favored you and lensrolled to several of the lenses I created for my grandkids (they're about toys and such!)

    FYI--I am going to steal some of your ideas!
  • May 22, 2009 @ 8:55 pm | delete
    Good stuff! We can't encourage free time and exploring creativity and imagination enough.
  • thrivingmom May 21, 2009 @ 5:31 pm | delete
    I've never had much of an imagination. I didn't even play pretend as a child. It's so important to foster an imagination in our children and encourage them to dream big. Great lens!
  • monarch13 May 8, 2009 @ 1:54 pm | delete
    How awesome! Thank you for sharing. Rolled to Parents Guide to Healthy Kids and 5 stars! PS- Congrats on your well-deserved purple star!
  • CoolFoto May 8, 2009 @ 9:30 am | delete
    Terrific lens! My sons had lots of your suggested toys. Lensroll to my Christmas shop http://www.squidoo.com/christmasunique
  • kiwisoutback May 8, 2009 @ 9:26 am | delete
    Without imagination, we'd be pretty boring. Congratulations on the purple star!
  • BigGirlBlue May 2, 2009 @ 1:47 pm | delete
    Many kids don't understand the concept of imagination these days because they are plopped in front of the tv where their own creativity is sucked out of them. Congratulations on the purple star!
  • tandemonimom May 1, 2009 @ 11:48 am | delete
    Yeah, Susan! This lens totally deserves that purple star, and so do you!
  • JaguarJulie May 1, 2009 @ 10:25 am | delete
    Wow! So another purple star -- how rewarding and inspiring. Congratulations Susan. ;)
  • Mortira Apr 23, 2009 @ 10:56 pm | delete
    Wonderful ideas for getting back to basics with playtime. Welcome to the Family Time group!
  • JaguarJulie Apr 23, 2009 @ 7:13 am | delete
    Just dropping by to check out this inspiring lens -- we all need our imaginations nurtured each and every day!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Mar 22, 2009 @ 12:11 pm | delete
    Children are allowed so little time for imagination now. It is something that is so easy to cultivate and all it needs is time.
  • tandemonimom Mar 16, 2009 @ 10:06 am | delete
    Love the straw faceguard football helmets, and Captain Frecklebeard, LOL! I frequently shop secondhand stores, and I am always looking for good "stuff" for costumes there. Real clothes are so much nicer (and I think allow more imaginative play) than the cheap nylon costumes. I keep our dressup box stocked with real costume jewelry, scarves, boots, and other treasures I can get for just a dollar or two secondhand. LOVE this lens, 5* for sure!
  • kreative40 Jan 8, 2009 @ 8:29 am | delete
    I too am passionate about the importance of nuturing the imagination. I love the play, the costumes, the red wagon, the hobby horses and collections, the hats and costumes, and the tea sets. You have captured a bit of childhood here. Great lense!
  • ElizabethJeanAllen Dec 13, 2008 @ 9:33 pm | delete
    Imgination is vital. Without it, no one thinks outside the box.
    Great lens and thanks for the sweet Angel Blessing.
    Lizzy
  • Joan4 Dec 7, 2008 @ 8:34 am | delete
    Your children learned all that wonderful imagination from you -- this lens is great. The capes are a super gift idea for any child - girl or boy -- and the expense is small! Lensrolling to Free Christmas Gifts!
  • enslavedbyfaeries Nov 10, 2008 @ 8:31 pm | delete
    This is such an important topic! I have always gone out of my way to find toys that encourage my girls to use their imaginations. It's not always easy when stores line their shelves with electronic gizmos. My daughter received the Daring Book for Girls from her grandma on her 8th birthday and never grows tired of reading it. Thanks for sharing your memories, photos and fun suggestions. :)
  • OhMe Nov 5, 2008 @ 4:12 am | delete
    Wonderful, wonderful lens. My son and grandson were both very creative as small children and it was always an adventure around here. The other children that came over to play never could see all the imaginary horses, chickens and cows that we had to feed and exercise twice a day but they always joined in.
  • Pastiche Oct 22, 2008 @ 1:20 pm | delete
    This lens is so right on for parenting. We boomer-babies got to "play" which is the learning work of kids. Lensrolled to Pastiche Family Portal, faved, and of course 5*s. If I were an angel, I'd bestow Squid Angel blessings, too.
  • thrivingmom Sep 21, 2008 @ 5:58 pm | delete
    Oh, I also lensrolled you on my Baby and Toddler Toys that Encourage a Love of Music. I think my visitors will love this lens!
  • thrivingmom Sep 21, 2008 @ 5:51 pm | delete
    Thank you so much for blessing my Finding the Right Costume for Your Infant or Toddler lens. I think this lens is adorable and very creative. I'm lensrolling it!
  • Aug 29, 2008 @ 8:11 pm | delete
    Hi, Susan.
    I love the handmade capes, and the bit about no TV. I didn't have a TV until my youngest was 5, not because I couldn't afford one. Just because I wanted her to develop an imagination and some social skills. I still don't watch TV. And for the kids, I set limits.
    Glad to see your participation on the forum today. :)
  • bygproductions Aug 29, 2008 @ 2:44 am | delete
    Wow, do we think a like or what. My dd's 16 & 19 still listen to Adventures in Odyssey and Old Time Radio show. They also dress-up clothes which were used even into double digits. We've saved our Playmobil Victorian house, and Legos for grandkids. Our Red Flyer wagon still gets used occasionally for hauling stuff. My M-I-L had a horse from my husbands youth which my girls used when visiting grandma. Even though we have too much TV in our house, my dd's do have an imagination, and are creative.
  • Susan52 Aug 19, 2008 @ 4:12 pm | delete
    Noadi, You have no idea how special your comment - and your angel blessing - makes me feel. Thank you!
  • Noadi Aug 19, 2008 @ 3:14 pm | delete
    What an amazing lens! Imagination and creativity are so important, we should give everyone kids and adults every chance to exercise theirs. I'm using my first ever angel blessing to bless this lens.
  • stargazer00 Aug 19, 2008 @ 12:35 pm | delete
    This brings back memories of our homeschooling days. My boys had capes too. When I'd be reading aloud they'd be acting out the sword fights and such. Wouldn't trade those days for anything! 5* from another retired homeschool mom.
  • leacharlton Aug 19, 2008 @ 10:15 am | delete
    Wow, you really know children :) I have two boys, too. At 9 my younger one still loves to dress up (even if just super hero boxers ... LOL). All of us enjoy Adventures in Odyssey, too. I do respect your decision to remove the "boob tube" from the home. As I am watching the outlandish topic on what are supposed to be stations for children (Nickelodeon & Disney), I am wondering if I should do the same. We have more conversations on what is not appropriate then what we like about the shows.
  • SewWithSarah Aug 18, 2008 @ 9:15 pm | delete
    AWESOME lens! Our 2 1/2 year old quadruplet grandbabies and their 4 year old big brother rarely watch tv -- and we love to watch them be "the mailman", "the repairman", "the garbage man", "the delivery man" - depending on what and who they've seen in the past day or so.
  • rockycha Aug 9, 2008 @ 1:03 pm | delete
    Totally love the lens! Lensrolled to spiderwick :)
  • spirituality Aug 9, 2008 @ 9:17 am | delete
    Great lens. I think lego is also a great way to foster the imagination - I know it did me and my brother's when we were kids :)
  • BABYKITTY Jul 13, 2008 @ 7:13 pm | delete
    Excellent lens--5 stars!

    My 4 1/2 year old grandson is limited to the amount of TV and what programs he can watch. This is enforced at his house and at Grandma's. He has plenty of toys, books, Play Dough, colors, paints and gluing stuff to keep him busy.

    Right now he loves playing in his sand box. An old Rubbermaid craft box we filled with play sand and set under a shade tree. Only rule--the top must be put back on when he's done playing.
  • JaguarJulie Jun 27, 2008 @ 1:04 pm | delete
    Ah, what imagination! A truly beautiful, inspiring lens. You know, you brought back great memories of 9th grade ... my mother was the seamstress for the Cleveland Ballet and took avocado green king-size sheets to create capes with hoods that the ballerinas wore in their performance to cover their costumes. Thank you for such a awe-inspiring lens. ;-)
  • alysunb Jun 24, 2008 @ 10:17 am | delete
    I don't have a TV in my home right now either!! Don't miss it!! Great lens!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!
  • GrowWear May 14, 2008 @ 12:00 am | delete
    Hiya, Susan: There's lots of imagination in this lens. VERY nice. I got a warm, nostalgic feeling in the tea-party section! I have favorited this lens so I can get updates on the new stuff you come up with. New at this; hope to learn more and stay connected. Love.
  • Jimmie May 7, 2008 @ 7:49 pm | delete
    We love costumes and creative play. We have just finished studying Einstein, and I love that quote you've included here. I agree with the genius! (And with you!)
  • LittleLambs Apr 28, 2008 @ 7:21 pm | delete
    I absolutely love the tea set. I can't wait to get my little girl one. I also love all the different types of blocks. We love playing with blocks at our house!
  • childparenting Apr 28, 2008 @ 7:11 am | delete
    I really enjoyed what you've shared. Love your lenses!
  • triathlontraining Apr 17, 2008 @ 8:03 pm | delete
    This is a cute and informative lens. Thank you!
  • iDoodle Apr 16, 2008 @ 3:28 pm | delete
    I like it a lot...good stuff
  • EverythingMouse Apr 16, 2008 @ 5:40 am | delete
    What an enjoyable lens. It is so important to encourage imagination in children. There is so much in this modern world to stifle it, and we have to do what we can!
  • SusanVillasLewis Apr 14, 2008 @ 1:20 pm | delete
    We actually went without a TV for a time when I was a kid. I don't remember every actually missing it. But using my imagination was never really an issue for me. :-)
  • mulberry Apr 13, 2008 @ 1:05 pm | delete
    Outstanding lens! Parenting requires knowledge and thoughtful intervention...If you want to take a look I have some lenses related to the need to use TV carefully...http://www.squidoo.com/influence-of-media-on-children and http://www.squidoo.com/television_and_children if you want to take a look. I'm going to lensroll this one!
  • jeffwend Apr 12, 2008 @ 9:23 pm | delete
    I loved your lens, S.A. Blessings
  • EelKat Apr 4, 2008 @ 8:26 am | delete
    ah! finally... Squidoo edit-workshop is back online! I just came back from editing, and your lens is now a fetured lens on my Lord Seshomaru Costume lens (url is http://www.squidoo.com/LordSesshomaruCostume )

    I've got another lens that's still WIP, about costumes and dress up play, I'm adding this lens to that one to, I'll send you the link as soon as I've got it published.
  • EelKat Apr 3, 2008 @ 12:56 pm | delete
    oh... and I just noticed you've got PlayMobil stuff listed here... I had (still have) the pirate set, from back when those first came out. Even though I'm a girl, one of the things I loved to play was pirates; my dad built us a tree house which we used to pretend was the crowsnest of a ship, It was way up in the top of this huge old oak tree (not for any one afraid of heights!) we could see out over all the neighbors houses and yards for several houses down the street!
  • EelKat Apr 3, 2008 @ 12:42 pm | delete
    when I was a kid from about 12 to 17 we had no tv; when I was younger we did and cartoons where my addiction; anyways, after we no longer had a tv, my imagination went wild, and I took up writing stories and sewing costumes, much of what I wrote and sewed was inspired by comic books and classic literature (reading took over in place of tv), anyways, I just had to say, I loved your lens and I know from my own childhood how much more fun a dress up closet can be than tv. It was great and I didn't miss the tv because I had so much more fun reading, writing, sewing, and playing dress up!
  • GypsyPirate Apr 2, 2008 @ 9:55 pm | delete
    What a wonderfully done, and thoroughly enjoyable lens. Thank you.
  • KimGiancaterino Apr 2, 2008 @ 9:34 pm | delete
    Sweet lens... Our 7-year-old neighbor Andrew frequently cruises the block in costume. Last week he was in a Scooby Doo suit on skateboard (Scooby Drew). Blessed by a fantasy loving Squid Angel.
  • SemperFidelis Apr 2, 2008 @ 1:29 pm | delete
    Btw, Luv the Elephant Poop ad right below this guestbook module! lol
  • SemperFidelis Apr 2, 2008 @ 1:27 pm | delete
    A most excellent lens Susan!
    Blessed by a Squid Angel today! :)
    Colleen ~ www.squidoo.com/squid-angel
  • kab Mar 30, 2008 @ 5:59 pm | delete
    One week after Halloween is the best time to fill the dress-up bin.
  • bdkz Mar 30, 2008 @ 5:28 pm | delete
    Very cute lens. A Squid Angel Blessing for you :)
  • Victoria_Neely Mar 30, 2008 @ 5:19 pm | delete
    No TV here either! I don't even miss it, though it was something I grew up with. I've just found other distractions. :)
  • groovyoldlady Feb 26, 2008 @ 6:21 am | delete
    Superior lens. I highly approve! We haven't had a tv for years and don't miss it at all. My girls are HIGHLY imaginative and have no difficulty finding positive ways to occupy their time. They are forever in costume and saying, "Remember who we are!" which I never do because they are someone different everyday!
  • ideadesigns Jan 15, 2008 @ 2:33 pm | delete
    I love the Einstein quote, the toys that build imagination list, and the costume closet idea. Imagination is so important to growing minds!!
  • Music-Resource Dec 3, 2007 @ 6:41 am | delete
    Hi Susan, Nice Character lens. I like that you put some work into adding a good amount of text and in creating variation in your pic alignment. Cute pix :) ~Music Resource~
  • KarenHS2 Nov 12, 2007 @ 10:52 am | delete
    Great toys and book recommendations!
  • serendipityrose Nov 12, 2007 @ 9:58 am | delete
    Great lens! Learning in FUN is such a natural way to learn!

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Susan52

Susan52 is a retired homeschooling mom whose little characters have grown up to become outstanding young men. She's so proud of them, she could almost... more »

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