“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein
Imagination is the mind’s ability to form mental ideas and images of something not present to our senses and that does not even yet exist. It allows you the ability to visualize as you mentally explore and contemplate every possibility of a given scenario or obstacle. It is the mind of great inventors, explorers, designers and writers. Imagination makes the impossible happen, creates existence from something that was once never there and is the resourceful thinking to inventively confront and deal with a problem.
Inspiring Children’s Imagination by Making Something Out of Nothing
Read the Caldecott Medal winning book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by Simms Taback.
Story overview: This story was adapted from the Yiddish folk song, I Had a Little Overcoat. In this story, Joseph’s favorite overcoat becomes old and worn. As it shrinks down towards nothing he creates something new, over and over again, as his overcoat gradually diminishes. In the end, when the jacket is completely gone and presumably nothing is left of it, Joseph makes something out of nothing as he now has the story of his overcoat to tell. In conclusion, the moral of the story is that with a little imagination you can always make something out of nothing.
Enhance the Message with an Interactive Song: I Had a Little Overcoat
The Learning Station did a remake of the Yiddish folk song, I Had a Little Overcoat. Similar to the book, the song opens with an overcoat that frays and resourcefully now has a new use as a jacket. And when the jacket gets worn it brilliantly becomes a vest. This pattern of inventiveness continues and each time a new use is creatively born. And for the conclusion when all seems gone, there is the realization that with our imagination we just created this fun, little song!
This song inspires imagination as it encourages resourcefulness, a much needed skill in today’s economy. Foremost, it gives meaning to the value and importance of how we can make a new use out something, supporting the significance to – renew, reuse, and recycle. This song combined with the Caldecott Medal winning book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by the revered late author, Simms Taback is an ideal addition to a classroom unit on that subject.
Listen to the song sample from the CD,“Literacy in Motion”
“Literacy in Motion”
This collection of 20 interactive songs, dances and activities are designed to motivate children to read and foster a lifelong love for reading. We’ve chosen some of the most popular children’s books (primarily Caldecott 
Medalists) and designed movement songs that correlate to each story. Children will be invited to dance and get wild to Maurice Sendak’s, “Where the Wild Things Are”, make something out of nothing with “I Had a Little Overcoat”, learn how to whistle (“Whistle for Willie”), tap dance with Bojangles, count to ten in Swahili and much, much more!
There is even a heaping plate of “Green Eggs and Ham”, the adventures of a “Very Hungry Caterpillar”, along with classics like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and the moving tale “The Giving Tree”. Combine reading aloud with songs that enhance the total experience and watch your children blossom with a joy of reading!
Terrific ideas to incorporate beloved children’s books with music!