Did you know, here in the US, it’s “Eat Your Veggies Day”, but we’re not starting by eating them. We’re starting by giving them new jobs. A broccoli forest. A carrot superhero. A cucumber spaceship. Build something ridiculous, tell us about it, then enjoy your creations as a snack when the show is over. If you play along, I’d love to see what your vegetables become. Veggie Casting Call Vegetables spend a lot of time being vegetables. Today, they’re auditioning for bigger roles. What happens when a carrot becomes a superhero, a broccoli floret becomes a tree, or a cucumber slice becomes a flying saucer? Gather Your Gear - A variety of vegetables you already have on hand - Cutting board - Knife (adult use as needed) - Plates or trays Optional: toothpicks, cream cheese, hummus, or other safe “building” materials Camera (optional) Steps 1. Wash and prepare a few vegetables. 2. Challenge everyone to create the silliest scene, creature, vehicle, building, or invention they can using only vegetables. 3. Give each creation a name. 4. Have everyone present their masterpiece and explain what it does. 5. Vote on categories like Most Ridiculous, Most Creative, Most Likely to Exist on Another Planet, or Best Backstory. 6. When the show is over, turn the creations into a snack plate and eat them. Twist Each person secretly chooses one vegetable that must appear in every creation. The stranger the vegetable, the better. Variations by Age Ages 3-6 Focus on simple creations and storytelling. A cucumber can become a train. A carrot can become a rocket. Invite lots of “What does it do?” and “Where does it live?” questions while building together. Ages 7-12 Add challenge cards. Build a vegetable pet. Create a machine that solves a problem. Design a vegetable amusement park. Encourage bigger ideas and fun explanations for how everything works. Ages 13-17 Introduce a timed design challenge. Draw a random category such as movie character, mythical creature, famous landmark, or invention. Bonus points for combining multiple vegetables into one creation and giving it an elaborate origin story.

Let's extend a warm Connected Through Play welcome to our newest community members, @Auli Takala and @Amanda Owens I encourage you to visit the #Welcome to Connected Through Play classroom to get the lay of the land and then complete your first mini mission #Try This Today and share your results. We'd love to get to know you so when the time is right, please introduce yourself and let us know where in the world you are, your favorite play memory, and one fun fact. You've joined at a great time as the Grand Unplugged starts today!

Once a month, I open the feed for you to promote your community, your business, a project that would benefit from feedback, basically a Free4All. Simple play rules: 1. Before or after sharing, comment on 2 other shares 2. Let’s keep everything in this post for easy reference 3. Up to 2 “promo’s” in 24 hours - remember, “Share Don’t Sell!” 4. Have Fun. Tagging a few folks to get this started, if I missed you, it’s not intentional, it’s my ongoing challenge with the app. @Betty Jo Winters @Brenda Chilstrom @Cam Parkes @Celia Kibler @Des Cooke @Daniel Cavaretta @Elizabeth Houston @Amy Grantham @Jose Guerra @Karen Gibson @Katya McEwen @Cristal Vancarson @Steven Cruz @Heather Wilson @Janell Bitton @Jay Dee Archer @Lidia Axe @Lisa Vanderveen @Jen Staniforth @Max Orlewicz @Mayelice Castro @Roslyn Hill @Natasha Bryant @Natalie Duncan @Sharon Otaguro @Paul Wren @Paula Artis @Ramona Zihlke @Tim Tindle @Wendy Venema @Anna Murrietta @Evelene Sterling @Devin Trent

I just ran across this article about making children laugh and how that helps build resilience so they can learn more easily. Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier

I'm working on content for June and wanted to be sure I'm meeting your needs. Let me know in the poll what you'd like to see.