Praised by Wirecutter/New York Times as a "Best Gift for 10 Year Olds," Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity is a unique activity book, built around an award-winning children's podcast. It is a holistic literacy experience that combines listening, reading, and writing—and is an ideal way to avoid the dreaded summer slide.
We built it as a companion to the award-winning Story Seeds Podcast, where each child's own story idea is matched with a beloved author who helps grow it into an original story. On each episode of the podcast, kids aren't just listening, they're at the center of the creative process. That same spirit of collaboration and imagination carries directly into every page of this book.
Whether it's a long airplane ride, a family road trip, or a screen-free afternoon at home, Imagination Lab invites children ages 6-12 to listen to ten episodes of our podcast by scanning a QR code. Each episode matches a child and their story idea with a diverse, bestselling author—including Dan Gutman, Chris Grabenstein, Veera Hiranandani, Tracey Baptiste, Carlos Hernandez, and Jason Reynolds—who helps grow it into an original story, with a storytime read-aloud and an original theme song by MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden. Each chapter of the activity book is designed to flow from the listening experience and there are 80+ pages that offer engaging writing prompts, STEAM experiments, informational and literary text, poetry challenges, and writing and art activities.
The beauty of podcasts is that they can be downloaded and from there, no Internet access is required. With Imagination Lab, young people get to listen using their Ipads, laptops, or computers, while having a screen-free experience.
What's Inside (80+ Pages)
- Exclusive writing tips from 10 diverse, bestselling children's authors
- Writing prompts, flash fiction, journaling, and storytelling activities
- STEAM projects and makerspace challenges
- Poetry prompts and art activities
- Cooking and hands-on experiments
- Curriculum connections for writing craft, poetry, science, art, and storytelling
- Perfect for summer learning, travel, and homeschool
What Readers Are Saying
"An activity book to inspire curiosity, inventiveness, and storytelling." — Wirecutter/The New York Times
"Diverse, portable, open-ended, screen-free, creative & cool! Packed with open-ended activities perfect for homeschooling." — Karen Alexander, mother of three
"For reluctant readers or those who crave engagement, try this innovative activity book." — VeryWell Family
The Story Seeds Podcast has been featured in Wired, The New York Times, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. It was also a 2020 Podcast of the Year pick by The Week Junior magazine
Sandhya Nankani is the creator and executive producer of The Story Seeds Podcast(TM). An award-winning producer, she is also the creator of award-winning literacy app HangArt, which was selected Best of 2016 EdTech by Common Sense Media. She is a member of the Education Committee of the Museum of Arts and Design and was a founding member of KIDMAP (Kids' Inclusive and Diverse Media Action Project), an interdisciplinary group that has developed best practices toolkits for children's media producers, in an effort to make products that are more equitable, diverse and inclusive.Her studio Literary Safari produces and publishes inclusive media children and adults inspired by the 4 C's of 21st century education-Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration. It is deeply committed to creating products that celebrate authentic voices, diversity, multiculturalism, global citizenship, and real-world learning.
Alicia Zadrozny is a literacy educator, curriculum designer, and children's writer, and former editor of Writing for Teens and Current Health magazines for middle schoolers.
