Starting a New Series from research for Talking Animals

 I'm writing my first post about animals. I'm planning to have some talking faery animals in my series. I know talking animals sounds childish, to some people, but they are a frequent part of faery tales and folklore about faery. Also, I really like animals. Since I'm a biology teacher I want my talking animals to feel like they are real animals given the ability to talk. That requires a deep understanding of the animals and a bit of research, which is where my blog comes into the picture since this is supposes to be research overflow.

Guest Essayist - A Nine Year Old on Dragons

This is my last blog in my dragon/ serpent people series. This is an essay written a few years ago by my nine year old. He did research and drew diagrams, but since the source was mostly Wikipedia and the diagrams weren't terribly clear I won't include them. I am including this essay here to demonstrate how deeply rooted dragons are embedded into the imagination of humans. He was so excited to try to "prove" that dragons could be real, it was the easiest writing assignment to get him to complete up to that point. [Hint to teachers : kids have am easier time writing if they are excited about their subject matter.]

Mythic Humanoids – Serpent People and Dragons – Part 3 (Survey of Dragons and dragon literature)

Here's Part 3 (Survey of Dragons and dragon literature) of my blog on serpent people and dragons. For Part 1 (Research Deluge) and Part 2 (Symbolism)

There are many ways to organize the numerous varieties of dragons.

Categorizing dragons by :

1. Color [like shoes in a closet or crayons in a box, not based on mythological research.]
2. Sea serpent v flier
3. Old v New
4. North v South
5. East vs West [Does respect for dragons affect the interpretation of their myths?]

Mythic Humanoids – Serpent People and Dragon Shape Shifters – Part 1(Research Deluge)

I have been doing a lot of research on dragons to discover what dragons are like in my fantasy world. I've been amazed at the wealth of fiction books written about dragons. Clearly, dragons captivate and spur the imagination of many. More than I ever realized.

Magic School Bus - Plant Lesson for K-2 – part 1 of 3

Magic School Bus book 

This is a lesson designed for a homeschool co-op class of eight K-2 students, but the ideas can be adapted.

I started by asking kids what they knew. They already knew that plants need water, soil and air. Some knew plants needed sunlight as well.

I asked them to draw a plant. Some were uncomfortable with that. I assume because there are so many types of plants that they had trouble deciding which to draw .

Cryptozoology and Mythological Humanoids # 35 - Yetis and Sasquatches

With snow covering our ground and rooftops and icy winds blowing whenever we step outside I'm not surprised Yetis and Sasquatches capture my imagination and attention for research.

What are the legends of the Yeti and Sasquatch based on?

Autumn and Mythological Humanoid #27 – Zombies

Seasonal Mythology – Autumnal Equinox had just passed and the post from the Vernal Equinox has some important thoughts about the balance of day and night and the opening of the gates to the other world, that I won't reiterate here.

This time starting with the Autumnal Equinox until the cross quarter day of Samhein, called Halloween in the US or All Hallow's Eve, is a time of beautiful change in the natural world.

Water - Part 4 – Mythologized Humans - Pirates (and Shipboard Stories)

Why do you think that there are so many stories about ships and pirates?

My guess is that ship stories have a nice contained little world with occasional interludes of ports, islands, meetings other ships or foul weather; perfect for the imagination to grab ahold of and run with.

The authority structure on board a ship is simple to describe, absolute by necessity and frequently overthrown. Mutiny sits easy in the rebellious hearts of most humans. On board a ship, the writer can spend less effort on setting and make things straight forward, more black and white for the reader.

Water - Part 2 - People of the water (Mythological Species of Humanoids #25 - Merpeople)

As one travels from the forests through marshes, dunes and the shore line to the ocean, the land changes dramatically until it is not land at all. This dramatic shift in life forms and even the earth' composition is  mysterious and emotionally moving. The sea itself is unearthly; its creatures foreign and strange. To stand at the edge of the sea stirs the soul and the imagination. It opens us up to emotions we don't feel in other places. Is it any wonder that mythologies from around the world have peopled it with so much variety?

Fires of Inspiration (Part Four) – Fairy pictures link and Mythological Species of Humanoids # 25 – Muses

Inspiration is a “breathing in” of ideas and motivations that move people in a new direction.

The Burning Bush symbolizes a fire of inspiration for Moses starting the Exodus. The Tongues of Fire that came with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost on the Apostles, started the Church. The apple falling on Newton's head and making stars is the fictional inspiration for his career in science.

My initial inspiration for my SylF(ae) Saga is a

New Worlds - School's out, Library reading and Other worlds, Mythological Species of Humanoid # 21 - Gods

School's Out!

Rough draft of Stacy Lynn Stimpletin, MC

School is over at our house for the summer. (As much as it's ever over with a teacher in the house. (Wah! Hah! Hah!) Now is the time to get all those project nobody had time for during the school year done. I have started a MOOC (Massive Open On-line Class) on Writing For the Web for June.

Hopefully, I'll improve this blog to make your reading experience better than ever. Also, I will be doing Camp NaNoWriMo in July. And in my down time, I will focus on finally finishing my illustrations for my picture book Who Took My Tomato? 

Imagination

Albert Einstein - “Imagination is better than knowledge.”

But if it's so important why does it get so little air time in our halls of learning?

Could it be that imagination is hard to teach and even harder to measure? How does one learn imagination? Must imagination be self taught?