When you are in seventh grade and you have an imagination room tucked into the corner of your house at the top of the stairs, the world is your oyster.
There’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
No place you can’t visit.
No dream you can’t achieve.
After all Dr. Seuss was right “You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
Oh, my seventh grade friend….
….the places you can go.
We have just a few finishing touches to add to the imagination room and then I’m showing it off next week.
But it’s already in use.
Two tiny curly blonde-haired, blue-eyed seventh-graders have taken over the space.
It happened before I knew it.
I went upstairs to check and see if the floor was dry and discovered that piles of paper and drawings and crayons and paint and scrapbook paper and scissors and brushes had taken up residence.
I looked at all the supplies and the books and the window seat and the scrapbook paper and the paint and the brushes and promptly asked everyone what they had planned for this summer.
And so together we pulled out pen and paper and created a bucket list of everything we wanted to accomplish in the imagination room along with a few sneak peeks of what the space looks like.
From the looks of what’s on it….
…it’s going to be a fun summer. 🙂
1. Learn how to knit. Make a purse with your mad knitting skills. Carry the purse back to school.
2. Paint on canvas. Cover the canvas with bright flowers and birds.
3. Have an art exhibit to show off your paintings and serve homemade ice cream.
3. Play Monopoly and The Game of Life and another board game you haven’t heard of yet.
4. Build a tent. Fill it with pillows and blankets and books.
5. Pretend the tent is in another country and create your own language that no one else knows.
6. Learn five new hairstyles. Wear one of them to the mall.
7. Practice applying eye shadow. Ask your mother what she thinks. Wipe it off. Start all over again.
8. Memorize all the words to four Taylor Swift songs. Sing “We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together” at the top of your lungs.
9. Play Messy Twister. Don’t mention this to your mom until you’re covered with paint.
10. Make a drive-in movie with a projector and a sheet and serve root beer floats.
11. Learn how to make things with clay.
12. Write a play and make yourself the lead character. Dress up in costumes and act it out.
13. Think of ideas for your family’s handmade Christmas. It’s never too early to get started.
14. And when you have a lazy summer afternoon stretching out in front of you, take a moment to enjoy it….
….with a really good book and a friend. 🙂
PS I can’t wait to show you the room next week.
We’ll be thinking up fourteen more things to accomplish in the meantime. 🙂
disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with FrogTape.
All opinions on summer plans and imagination rooms are my own.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
Your girls are so lucky that you encourage their creativity. It makes me sad to see kids so dependent on technology for their entertainment. My kids are in their twenties now and appreciate that we had a house with fabric scraps for costumes and plenty of paper to draw on. One time a mother came over to pick up her six year old daughter from a play date. She was amazed that her daughter an mine were writing and illustrating little books for fun.
Love it!! And can't wait to see the new room and hear more creative thoughts from all of those creative blondes at Thistlewood!!
I love this!!! I cannot wait to see the room next week! I'm sure it's filled with pure imagination!!
What an exciting concept, Miz karianne! I can tell it's going to be so bright and crisp and cheery....there will be no end to the imaginative things occurring up there lol. Love the not-so-tiny-mini-thistle reading her book.....I used to escape to a really big tree where the really big branch was perfect for sitting and reading. Or just contemplating the mysteries of life. That tree was my imagination-station. Can hardly wait to see it next week! Blessings Little one.
What a fun summer! I can't wait to see all the projects!
Love it Karianne, I share a "create room" with my grand daughter -it is a fun, messy and constantly changing haven. Sherry
It almost makes me want to be in the seventh grade again. What wonderful ideas and such a fun happy place for your girls to create...can't wait to see more!! Happy Wednesday, KariAnne ~
It sounds like it's going to be a fun summer indeed! How can it not be with such a room? Love the sneak peaks. I'm pretty sure my twin sis and I had at least some made up words. Lots of eye rolling from the older siblings. They were jealous, I'm sure. :o) hugs, Cecilia
KariAnne, I love the preview and can't wait to see your full reveal next week. That floor stenciling is quite amazing and I'm a big fan of window seats too. How lucky your girls are to have this brand new space to enjoy all to themselves.
"Oh, the places they'll go" this summer in their wonderful imagination room!! Two very lucky mini Thistles!! Love!!
How you bless your girls and inspire them to dream and achieve at a young age is so wonderful, Karianne!
I can hardly wait for the full reveal of this beautiful and creative space. It will, no doubt, be the envy of every 7th grade girl across the nation. One thing I can tell you today....love, love, love the color combo.....and that sweet girl in pigtails....oh my....she's totally adorable. XO Susie from The Chelsea Project
This is going to be a wonderful room...and sounds like a wonderful summer, too!
There's no reason to only have an imagination room when you are young. Your daughters are inspiring and beautiful just like there Mother. ;)
Would love to know what she is reading. I have a grand that will be in 6th grade and would like to surprise her with a summer read next time we go to see her.
Looks like the girls have settled right in☺️ Can't wait to see it!
I'll be there the last week in June! Should I bring my paints and stencils? Love your tease even though I know what it is.
Wow! That is quite a creative list that looks like so much fun!
I love the little glimpses of the new imagination space! What a great list of things to do! I hope you can accomplish them all together!
Can't wait to see the whole room! To go along with #5 on your list, have them read the very short children's book "Weslandia" by Paul Fleischman. They'll love how he creates his own world, complete with food, clothing and language. Happy Summer!
Your sneak peek at the imagination room promises a fabulous reveal next week. Looking forward to it! You have two very fortunate daughters to have such an imaginative, creative mother!
Hi KariAnne, What fun your girls (and you) are going to have in this new room... so bright and cheerful and just waiting for new things to be discovered and made and painted and invented! You all are going to have laughs and spills (hopefully not on your floor, though) and so many memories made in this room. You are a very gracious mom to give your girls a room like this. I'm sure they already know this though... :o) Can't wait for the "total reveal..." Nothing like keeping us on pins and needles!!! Congrats already on a job well done! Blessings, Jeanne
My imagination is going wild with suspense...can't wait to see the whole room! What a list of summer plans!
Your twins are are beautiful girls....already growing so much from the last picture you posted. These are the years to savor! Have Fun! Can't wait to see the room reveal!!! :)
I highly recommend Creative Paperclay and their tutorials on their blog! It air dries, and is very forgiving. You can just keep wetting it a little with your fingers and doing it over until you get what you like. Then you paint your creations. Have fun, Girls!
We are big on creativity and imagination at our house. What a blessing that you have a room devoted to dreaming. I re-taught myself to knit a couple of years ago. There are a lot of online tutorials which are helpful. Ravelry.com is a free online knitting (and crocheting and other needle arts) community--and they have patterns, many of which are free to use. Users can rate the patterns and provide pictures and comments. I have found it to be invaluable. Another resource, pricier but fun with a younger vibe, is woolandthegang.com. They also have patterns (most of which you have to pay for) and their own yarn ($$$--start with cheaper yarn first!) but I think some of the patterns might appeal to your daughters. Right now, the trendy items to knit are done with fat yarn on big needles--the benefit of this is that it doesn't take long to complete a project, which is a huge plus when you are starting out. (Woolandthegang has good tutorials, BTW, for casting on/stitch patterns). Spot It is a fun game and my middle school Sunday School class kids love it. Small and easy to pack for road trips, too. I love it that your family does homemade gifts. We aren't up to your caliber of talent and creativity, but we encourage the kids to make rather than buy gifts, especially if they are giving gifts to my husband and me. So much more thoughtful instead of grabbing something on a store shelf.
On Saturday my world took a tumble and I was facing what I thought was an insurmountable problem. But since then I have worked out a plan and think I can chip away at the mountain I am facing, I know it won't be easy or fast, and I know I can count on you to make me smile and sometimes laugh hysterically. I think I am also going to re-read Dr.Seuss!
hello friend, Do your girls still use the craft room that is in the little out building behind your house? I think that is one of the first posts of yours that I ever read. I still dream of having a space like that! Hope you are well!
Oh this is just so wonderful. I am anxious to see the total room but hearing about it is almost as good - even better perhaps because it causes this long gone 7th grader to imagine it...sigh...Your are building lifelong memories as well as life long tools to using an imagination for good, for creating, for dreaming big. Yes!
BRAVO!!!! And GREAT pics - you are such an excellent photographer! Love the list, too - you are the best mother! Hugs! ♥
My little kids have always loved making "art" and I just bought a rolling cart from Ikea and they are in love with their art cart! My kids are 8, 5, 4, 2 and 4 mos old. So I keep it stocked with materials appropriate for all ages. Our favorite thing to do is paint with watercolors! While we dont have the extra room for an art room, the art cart is perfect!
Can't wait to see the room reveal!!! Have a great day! Terri
I already love what I am seeing in the sneak peeks...can't wait to see the entire room! And, oh, the places your little Thistlettes will go...and all of the cool things they will do in their new imagination room...they've already got the most amazing summer planned...I know that makes all of your efforts well worth it! How many sleeps is it til next week??? :)
That is the greatest room name ever. :) Can I *borrow* it for our craft room? Or perhaps, for our...basement - it takes a lot of imagination NOT to think it as a dreary dungeon when I go do laundry. =.= Seriously, you made me smile with this full of positivity and encouragement post.
You are such a fantastic example for your twins to emulate. Encouraging their creativity and individuality is fantastic. Now, inquiring (nosey) mind wants to know -- did they have their own language when hey were little? I can see them talking and giggling and sharing but only the two of them know what is going on. The room at the top must be filled with so much energy. Can't wait to see it!!
I love what I can see! I also love the list. Very good ideas for Summer.
Sounds like a fun summer! May I come play in your Imagination Room! Root Beer floats are my fave.
The idea of a summer bucket list is so much fun. I'm am counting the hours until the room reveal, you had me at the floor flowers.
Love this post!:-)
I want to come spend the summer with you and those girls!!! Sounds great!! xoxo