One of the first communities I joined after coming to the Skool platform was @Patrick Taylor’s Consistent Characters. In my role as learning designer, more and more of my clients were asking for custom characters that could be reused in training courses and that could be edited easily by internal teams. As a result, our community mascot, The Kid was born. I’m currently learning how to self-publish books, my partner Ken has had a series of books in his head for years building on our Curious Kitchen concept and so, our challenge this week is coloring book pages. I know, long story, can you get to the point Mary?! Bottom line do you and/or the kids in your life like to color? My gift to you today is my coloring page challenge entry.

I created this image, with the help of AI. It features our community mascot, the kid and his friend. This is where we have some fun. I’ll start the story, and everyone builds on it one sentence at a time. Let’s play!

I want to extend a warm welcome to our newest community members. Please say hi and make them feel at home. @Nur Banu Kahtalı is nurturing the creative child within, exploring imagination and skill-building through play such a beautiful way to reconnect with that spark in all of us. @Mario Mills just switched to creative director and is hungry to share that passion with his 6-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son through family play. You should definitely connect with @Gus Gray, who's also got young ones and runs Career Skool, both of you are dreaming up ways to bring imagination into everyday moments with little ones. @Andrea Turner is a web designer by day and handmade artist by night who wants to pull her 9-year-old away from screens and toward real creativity. Check out her Skool community The Creative Current, . Andrea, you'll find kindred spirits here, @Natasha Bryant teaches family yoga and homeschools in Dublin, running The Family Yoga Club, and @Andrea Quintal Portas is bridging the gap between a super-active child and screen time too, with her community Pain Relief and Recovery. @Arnetta Williams is here to help her grandkids learn and discover, you'll find @Ramona Zihlke, also a grandparent with grandchildren across multiple ages, running ArtofCraftyJournaling, and @Anna Murrietta exploring creative ways to connect through play with her almost-5-year-old granddaughter via her Grandparents Corner

The speakers are finalized and I’ll continue introducing them over the next few weeks. One thing I wanted to focus on with this summit is building connection and we will do that through a mix of live sessions, hands-on sessions and pre-recorded to watch at your leisure. The summit runs from August 16-22 and the full agenda will be posted next week. What type of session would you be most interested in?

A wooden spoon isn’t always a spoon. A cardboard box isn’t always a box. Sometimes the most ordinary objects become the starting point for extraordinary ideas. This challenge is all about seeing everyday household items in new ways. Gather Your Gear - One or more everyday household items - Paper - Pencil, crayons, or markers - Optional: tape, string, cardboard, recycled materials, or other supplies if you decide to build your idea. Steps 1. Explore your home and choose one or more everyday household items. For an extra challenge, pick one item from different rooms of the house. 2. Look closely at each item and ask, “What else could this be?” Write down or say as many ideas as you can before choosing a favorite. 3. Sketch your favorite new use or invention. Don’t worry about making it look perfect. Focus on showing your idea. 4. If you can, build a simple prototype using the item and any other materials you have available. 5. Test your idea. What worked well? What surprised you? 6. Finish by asking: - What would I keep the same? - What would I change next time? - What new idea did this inspire? Twist Combine two unrelated household items into one brand-new invention. For example, what could a whisk and a flashlight become? Or a laundry basket and a pillow? Variations by Age Ages 3–6 Choose one object together. Ask questions like, “Could this be a hat? A telescope? A dragon tail?” Draw one favorite idea, then use the real object to pretend together. Ages 7–12 Challenge yourself to think of at least ten different uses before choosing one to sketch or build. Add labels to your drawing to explain how your invention works. Ages 13–17 Think like an inventor or product designer. What real problem could your new creation solve? Build a simple prototype if possible, then reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you would improve Version 2.