It’s no secret our family is super into podcasts. I’ve written about a few of our favorites here. Since that post, we’ve added a few more to our favorites list, including Story Seeds.
I was thrilled when Story Seeds reached out to me recently asking me to try out their new Imagination Lab activity book, which acts as a companion to the podcast.
I received a free copy of the Imagination Lab in order to try it and provide an honest, unbiased review. All views expressed here are my own.
The Podcast
The Story Seeds podcast is a bit of a departure from our usual listening, which tends to be more focused on STEM and history topics.
This podcast, which puts award-winning authors together with elementary age kids to create a story puts imagination first, teaching kids the art of storytelling.
As listeners, we get to observe the creative brainstorming process and watch a story be brought to life.
Kids develop a ‘seed’ for a story, and each episode’s children’s author helps grow the seed into a full story that is shared at the end.
Why We Love It
This podcast isn’t just great because it’s entertaining. It’s great because it’s engaging and really inspires my kids to develop their own skills as storytellers. They get pulled into the process as they listen and get advice from professional writers.
I’m always trying the get my kids to write their own stories. Some take to it naturally, while others really struggle with it. I love to see them engage with the creative process in this ‘no pressure’, collaborative way.
On top of all this, I love Story Seeds because of the diversity of the authors they invite. A huge bonus for me!
Authors on the show include, to name a few, Chris Grabenstein, Aram Kim, and Veera Hiranandani. They’ve been thrilled to hear podcasts with authors they know and love, and it’s been great to become acquainted with authors we haven’t read yet.
The Imagination Lab
Coming with a stamp of approval from Parents Magazine and Good Housekeeping, I was excited to get my hands on a copy and have my kids try it out.
What it Is
The Imagination Lab activity book is a companion book to the podcast episodes.
It has activities like writing prompts and other creative writing activities along with activity book favorites like complete the picture and mazes.
While it’s mostly fun, short writing activities to get kids’ imaginations going, there are also hands on activities like recipes (maple fudge), STEM projects (make s’mores with a solar oven), and arts and crafts (make a fairy door) as well as short stories and poems to read.
Who it’s For
Like the Story Seeds podcast, the Imagination Lab is made for kids age 6-12, so it’s great for all elementary age kids.
What We Thought About It
Anything that can help my kids develop their imagination is a winner in my book, and the Imagination Lab definitely delivered!
This is something that would be great to have going into summer to keep kids engaged.
While the writing activities are great for quiet, individual time, others are perfect for the whole family to do together. I’m always looking for screen free activities to add to our days, and this is a really great option.
One thing I will say is that although my 4 year old and 6 1/2 year old were able to join in and be a part of each activity, my 9 and 11 year old were the ones who were really able to get the most of out the book.
Obviously, this wasn’t made for 4 years olds, so I didn’t expect mine to be able to do everything in there. My 6 1/2 year old stayed pretty engaged and loved most of the hands on and artistic projects, but I found that he got frustrated with some of the more writing-intensive activities.
What I found for the sections that asked for a lot of writing was that having him say his ideas out loud instead of writing them made the activities more fun for him.
If you have a kid on the younger end of the the age range, they can definitely have fun with this, but you may have to make some modifications if it starts to feel too hard.
Where to Buy it
The book is now available worldwide for order through online sellers Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, Target Bookshop, Indigo/Chapters, Waterstones, Bookshop.org (for delivery to your local indie bookstore), and direct at www.storyseedspodcast.com.
They’ve also got the option to buy single episode companions instead of the entire book for $3.99 each. This would be a great way to test it out and see if you like it. It would also be a great option if you have younger kids to see if it’s at the right level for them.
Final Thoughts
As we’re now getting into summer, I’m always looking for ways to fight the ‘summer slide’. I want them to be able to take a break after a long school year, but I also want them to keep their brains engaged and keep the skills they learned sharp.
I also really want to encourage my kids to use their imaginations and really celebrate their creativity instead of slipping into too much screen time.
The Imagination Lab is really great for this. With all the activities it has (and it’s a LOT!), it’s definitely something you could start now and have activities to last you all summer.