How many uses did you think of?
Here’s a few of ours!
Think a Creative Thought every Day
How many uses did you think of?
Here’s a few of ours!
Story Starters
How are you getting on with your story?
Stuck?
Thinking of that first line for your story is often the hardest part!
Here are some of the ideas the Jumbles have thought of:
An action starter.
Bertie Banana slid down his water slide straight into ……..
Sally Strawberry was so busy listening to her music that she didn't notice the giant hole in the road and ….
Pedro Pear was practising his boxing when …..
A character starter.
Lizzie Lemon was very forgetful. She forgot birthdays. She forgot where she was going. She even forgot …
Georgie Garlic was always playing tricks on his friends. One day …….
Mushy was a very clumsy mushroom.
A question
Have you ever wondered what …..?
What do you think happens when the lights go out in ……?
Guess what Mushy Mushroom caught in his fishing net ?
What do you think Potty Potato found when he was digging his garden?
Time
One day when Matty Melon was playing table-tennis he saw ……
Yesterday was a particularly bad day for Arthur Apple.
Last night a strange thing happened in the vegetable patch .
See you on Sunday !!
Make an Easter Bunny Jumble
It’s nearly Easter! Have you made your Easter Bunny yet?
There’s still plenty of time because this one only takes a couple of hours to make.
Take a look at the video.
It’s easy, quick, fun and cheap.
Watch the video from Jumble House and see how it’s done!
Easter Bunny
Sunday Circles
It’s Sunday again and time for a new challenge .
Last time we watched raindrops falling into puddles and saw the circles shapes firming one inside the other.
The challenge was to see if we could find other examples of concentric circles and to try to make something using circles.
In the video the Jumbles show what they have made.
Lizzie Witch makes a glass of dancing lava
Please remember that it is always advisable for an adult to supervise these activities.
Is it magic or is it clever science and what is that ‘magic’ powder?
Lizzie has a lot of fun and makes a lot of mess as usual whilst presenting some basic scientific concepts and fun investigations you can do at home.
But don’t be content with just copying what Lizzie does!
Science is all about trial and error.
About making mistakes and learning from them.
About changing elements of the experiment to see what happens.
In this experiment you could try changing
- the kind of oil
- using sparkling water
- use sugar in place of salt
- change the shape and size of the glass
Have fun!
Yummy, Yummy, Good for your Tummy Bread!
My very popular recipe. It can be made in a breadmaker if you must …….. but WHY? ?
After all, who can resist the feel of all that sticky gunge between the fingers and a kitchen transformed into a floury winter wonderland!
But with a little kneading that sticky gunge is miraculously transformed into a silky, elastic dough that is just heaven to squeeze and stretch into interesting creations.
Apart from the actual baking there's not much a child can't do when making bread. Use your own discretion. You know your child better than anyone.
Let them be creative. Let them adapt the recipe. Be prepared for a few strange outcomes …. it's better that they experiment … they will learn from failures. Just make sure that they see a failure as something positive and the start of a new product and not the end. This will probably be more difficult for you than them when faced with a floury kitchen! But then, that's important too. They need to learn how to clean up even if it takes twice as long!
Ingredients
Strong Flour. 500grams A mixture of wholemeal and Granary is good. The coarser the better. I like to add a little black Rye flour too.
Fresh yeast …. much more fun than the dried stuff in packets! (That doesn't erupt!)
One medium fresh juicy carrot. ( Definitely NOT a limp bendy one! )
Nuts! A small handful of walnut pieces or crushed hazlenuts or cashews or go mad and mix lots.
One teaspoon of runny honey or sugar.
Liquid … half and half water and milk.300 mls
VERY important …. 3 tablespoons of Virgin olive oil
2 level teaspoons of salt.
METHOD
Measure out the liquid . It should be tepid. Warm but not hot.
Crumble a cube or yeast into a mug. Add honey or sugar and cream together with a teaspoon.
Then pour on half the liquid. Stir then watch in fascination for about 15 mins. while bubbles began to surface.
If you can tear yourself away from the bubbly volcano this is the time to measure everything else into the largest bowl possible. (less mess).
At the point when the yeast threatens to spill over the top of the coffee mug pour it and the remaining liquid into the bowl.
Gunge lovers can then stick their (clean) hands straight in and get mixing. The more squeamish (adults) are allowed if necessary to initially draw the ingredients together with a spoon. Shame on you!!
Then turn out onto floury board or baking paper and knead and knead and knead till it's a soft and smooth as a baby's bottom!
Put back in the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave till double in size. About 60 – 90 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Then out it comes again for another good battering.
Then …. well the rest depends on imagination. Will it be a round cob or a pirate ship? A loaf or a teddy bear!
Whatever … place on a greased baking sheet and leave to rise again for about half an hour till its springy to the touch. At this point the oven needs to be turned on and preheated ( check own oven instructions for this and baking times).
The smell will be divine even if the outcome is not what was expected !
Why is creativity important?
Creativity
Why is it important to develop a child’s creative thinking skills? Because it’s probably the most important skill they will ever learn!
Developing creative thinking is about developing self esteem and self confidence. It is about developing a love of learning. Of having the means to deal with the confusion, risks and failures that are part of everyday life. The confidence to lead and to be different from the crowd.
I believe that all children are creative by nature but, unfortunately, many lose their creativity before reaching adulthood. In our education and social system where examination success, conformity and peer pressure reign supreme, creativity is often squashed or at least buried.
Creative thinking is vital in all areas of life. It is a skill which will give your children the edge over others in their chosen career enabling them to be the person who initiates new procedures rather than one of the majority who follow already established routines. It opens the door to new opportunities and new inventions.
So how do we recognise a creative thinker?
A creative thinker is able to think 'out of the box'. They are curious and questioning and not afraid of making crazy suggestions knowing that there may be many possible answers. They make mistakes and learn from these mistakes being happy to try and try again. Creative thinkers don’t feel guilty about daydreaming knowing that often this is when the best ideas are born and when they realise these new ideas they put every ounce of energy into making them a sucess. They are optimistic, have boundless energy and, despite accomplishing a great deal, still have free time to enjoy their family and hobbies. Last, but not least. They enjoy life, their work and are never bored!
‘Jumble Fun’ aims at developing creative thinking by:
Asking open ended questions:
The stories and programmes from Jumble House use narrative which includes open ended questions which require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. “What do you think we should use to make …?” “what would happen if …?” “What could we change…..?” “What choices do you have….. ?” They encourage children to think for themselves. To see that often there are many possible answers not just one. To think 'out of the box'.
Making choices
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The programme encourages children to make their own choices. To make decisions and try them out. If their choices fail to achieve the desired result they are encouraged to try again. From this they learn to view making mistakes as a new beginning and not as a failure or the end of a project.
Story telling and dramatic play
There are opportunities for children to make their own ‘Jumbles’ and to weave stories around them. They are encouraged to daydream. To make up stories. To tell stories. To present their stories in many different ways , as story boards, picture stories, puppet shows or in video format. All the movies, pictures and stories featured on 'Jumble Fun' are produced using only an iPad and basic, usually free apps so children are able to obtain a similar product easily at home.
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Creating
The ‘Jumble’ characters enjoy inventing and making things from well, …… jumble! In other words, from ordinary, everyday household items and objects they can collect in their local environment. Using the characters as inspiration and role models, children will become collectors and inventors, viewing ordinary objects as blank canvasses on which to stamp their own individuality. Hopefully they will also become more conscious of the environment and conservation.
Challenges
The Sunday Challenges present children with a range of challenges. They may be art and craft challenges like 'what can you make from ….. ?' or creative thinking challenges, ' Why was the fridge empty?' or “How many uses can you think of for ……” or perhaps a word association game to play. Whatever the subject these activities encourage children to think creatively.
Fun !
Fun is important ! Learning should be fun.
The JUMBLES are fun and they encourage your child to have fun being creative and being active in mind and body. To be inquisitive. To ask questions. To be independent and resourceful. To enjoy learning.
What can you see?
TuTu is looking out of the window but all she can see is mist.
But a misty day can be a source of inspiration to an artist says Freddie.
Watch the video and see what happened.
Creative Learning for Young Children 