I’d love to hear from the parents, grandparents and carers in this community: do you generally spend more money on children’s books or toys? 🤔 When deciding what to buy, what influences you most? - Educational value - Entertainment and enjoyment - How long the child will use it - The child’s age and interests - Price and value for money - Whether it encourages creativity, imagination or family time Do you see books as an essential investment in a child’s development, or do interactive toys tend to offer better value because children may play with them repeatedly? Are you more likely to buy books regularly but spend larger amounts on toys for birthdays and Christmas? If you’re happy to share, please include the child’s age and whether you usually buy physical books, activity books, colouring books, audiobooks or digital books. I’m curious to understand not only which category receives more of your budget, but also why. 😊

The first Saturday of each month, I invite all members to share their community, business, Etsy/Shopify stores, etc. Our community is growing and we have some talented and dedicated members here. Today is your day to tell us a little bit more. 🦉Who are you and who do your serve? 🔂 In 1 or 2 sentences, describe your community. 🔗 Drop a link to your about page, shop, website, etc.. Comment on 1 or 2 that interest you. Let’s support each other and build new relationships.

Imagine you’re a curious 3 year old, and inquisitive 10 year old, or even a “I don’t care” teen. How often have you felt stymied or squashed by having to “follow the rules”? I still rebel and I’m grown. In today’s story lab, we give the power to bend the rules back to the kids. Give it a try and share your experiences. If you’d like the full activity, complete with twists and age variations you can find it in the Story Lab Classroom under Story Worlds or click the link to go direct. #The World Has Rules Here’s the short version. If you were in charge, what rules would you create? The World Has Rules Every world has rules about what can and cannot happen. Invent one unusual rule, explore its consequences, then discover how quickly one small change can transform an entire world. Gather Your Gear * Paper * Pencil, crayons, or markers * Small slips of paper * Bowl, bag, or container * Optional: My Story Planner Steps 1. Start with “In this world…” Everyone invents an unusual rule. Write or draw each idea on a slip of paper. Examples: * In this world, nobody can go outside after it rains. * In this world, animals can talk but people cannot. * In this world, everything floats after sunset. * In this world, you must trade something to enter a building. 2. Choose a rule. Put the ideas into a container and randomly select one. 3. Imagine an ordinary day. What would eating breakfast, going somewhere, playing, shopping, or visiting a friend look like under this rule? 4. Follow the consequences. Take turns asking, “If that’s true, then what?” Keep following the answers. Everything floats after sunset. Then furniture needs to be tied down. Then houses might have special anchors. Then forgetting to secure your bicycle could be a very big problem. 5. Meet someone who lives there. Invent a person or creature who has always lived with this rule. How have they adapted? What seems completely normal to them that would seem strange to you?