Vera Monstera Presents: GRIN BEAR MOVE, a monthly series of movement activities for kids.
If you have a kid in your life, share! Or if you’re new and thinking, “what’s happening?” Don’t worry—nobody knows! But we do know that Vera Monstera sends weekly-ish essays and ephemera for grown-ups out into the world. And GRIN BEAR MOVE is our monthly movement lab for kids.
GRIN BEAR MOVE believes play is a deep form of work and essential for resilience, connection and fun. These bite-sized prompts are about process rather than finished products and are designed for kids 5-10ish. But anyone young-at-heart can play.
Today, we’re talking about SLINKY SPIRALS!
STEP 1: MOVE LIKE A SLINKY! There are no wrong ways. Only fun ways.
STEP 2: MAKE A SPIRAL TREASURE MAP!
INVENT A TREASURE MAP using spirals and other wild lines. Use crayons, markers, paint. Anything you want! Ask a grown-up for help if it’s messy. You could even try using chalk like the video below. Caution—DIZZY ALERT!
PLACE A TREASURE AT THE END. We used costume jewelry, stuffed animals, and little toys we found around the house. You could even hide your treasure in a box or bury it under a blanket.
FOLLOW YOUR MAP TO THE TREASURE. Hold your paper map or follow your chalk floor pattern. Move along your marks exactly how you drew them. Watch out! You might have to hop, slide, roll—who knows? Give your map to a friend and surprise them with an adventure.
BONUS: Play adventure songs! Put on an adventure hat or outfit!
DOUBLE BONUS ADVANCED EDITION: Perform your treasure map pattern with your feet while your arms try the slinky movement from the video in STEP ONE above. Practice (rehearse) your movement until your body knows it. Now you have “muscle memory.” Show someone what you made!
STEP 3: SHARE YOUR ART WITH US!
Share your treasure map with us! Grown-ups, message Jenny and attach images or stories. We’ll include them in future installments of GRIN BEAR MOVE. For the privacy of young artists, we won’t post videos featuring kids. But try narrating your treasure map video like we did above. Tell us about your treasure! Maybe write a story or a poem about your hunt.
Or send us a movement question! We’ll answer it in a future GRIN BEAR MOVE.
GRIN BEAR MOVE will be back next month. Stay tuned for grown-up-ish essays and ephemera from Vera Monstera. If you missed it, here’s last month’s GRIN BEAR MOVE:
INFINITE SPIRALING THANKS TO:
Grant Wood ex Machina (D. Scott DiPerna) for the music tracks, “Just Let the Kids Dance” and “In Fractured Order.”
And to my kid for the idea to explore the movement possibilities of a slinky.
Subscribe for FREE or Share Vera Monstera with friends! There are no strings attached except heartstrings. Vera Monstera arrives rent-free in your inbox. Expect weekly essays and ephemera plus the monthly GRIN BEAR MOVE series.
It seems silly, but every free subscription and liked post makes the weird little world of Vera visible. I know! Even I am rolling my eyes and I WROTE THIS. And yet…let’s be heartstring friends!
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