02 Oct Creativity – Blank Page; Make it Work! – October 2014 – Part 1: Our Plan
Life App: Creativity – using your imagination to do something unique.
Theme: Blank Page: Make it Work!
Date: October, 2014
These are a Few of My Favorite Things!
This month’s Life App and theme have opened the door to some of my favorite things about set design! Our plan for this month incorporates 3 (if not more) of my favorite things – not just with decor, but in LIFE! Okay, that might be a bit dramatic (I’ve always said I am a frustrated actress inside), but seriously – I love this month and everything about it! Here is what I’m excited about:
- INTERACTIVE SETS! I love when kids are involved in any way, shape, or form in creating or interacting with the set. We’ve
done things before where the set comes alive throughout the month and I love it. Last month of course, the host opened a different door to find what he/she needed to help them be more responsible. That was fun for the kids to guess which door it will be each week. Last November, during our Cache in on Wisdom Theme, the kids went “geocaching” for the bottom line on the backdrop each week. The host gave clues and they followed those clues to the proper “X.” 
Once found, we opened the “treasure map door” to the bottom line each week. During our Clues to Contentment Theme, we added the bottom line each week to an oversized notepad as we investigated ways to be content. Our plan for this month includes kids creating a piece of the backdrop each week. More on that below. - OVERSIZED STUFF! I don’t know what it is, but I love anything that is
made to look larger than it is supposed to be. Oversized pencils, crayons, notepads, chairs, and the like-make me smile. While I hate to ride the teacup ride at Disney, I love the look of it! I also love Suess Landing at Universal in Orlando! And don’t even get me started on “Honey I Shrunk the Kids!” For some reason, oversized stuff just screams energy and invites me to imagine! So, we’re doing a few “oversized” things on our stage this month. Again, see below! - CREATIVITY! How could those of us who love “creating” sets and working within a theme, not love this month’s Life App? The whole idea of using your imagination and helping kids learn that God Himself is so creative and imaginative, and we are created in His image so we have that in us… just lights me up inside. I love tapping into that creative spirit in children and helping them unleash their imaginations!
Gotta Love Pinterest!
Last week, I received an e-mail from our Orange Specialist and it included the link to 252 Basics-October Pinterest board. Given the Life App of Creativity, it was beyond inspiring. I found so many ideas and the wheels started turning about what we could do for our October set. Here are two of the ideas from Pinterest that we are incorporating into our set:
Our Plan…
We’ve been working on our set this week and here is what we’ve got going:
We’ll hang canvas drop-cloths as our backdrop for the month. We may or may not splatter paint on them. We’ll determine that as we go. - In front of the backdrop, we’ll have the oversized paintbrush from the Pinterest photo above. This will hang center stage in the hopes that the colors and the fact that it is oversized will really make a statement.
- On either side of the paintbrush, we’ll have two oversized easels (still part of the backdrop). They will be made from insulation foam and painted brown. “Sitting” on each easel will be an oversized “sketchbook.” Technically, this will be a large piece of insulation foam that is pinned to the easel permanently and is painted white.
The sketch book will be blank each week. The Sunday prior, we will choose two small groups to “create” the picture that will be pinned onto the sketch book for the day. 
When those two small groups enter the following week, they will be allowed to come onto the stage and draw on large craft paper (cut to the size of the oversized sketch book). At the beginning of large group, we will pin their work onto the easels and that will be our backdrop for the day. Each group will have a turn at creating one of the “sketches!” I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT HAVING THE KIDS WORK BE A PART OF THE SET!!!
Our Process…
Here are some photos of our process:
Your Turn!
What are you up to? Some great ideas have already been shared in the comments section of this post. Be sure to add what you are working on. Can’t wait to see your finished products and kick off the Life App of Creativity!
