Welcome to the world of MarlaGran!
A bilingual, interactive story about a girl who embarks on a journey holding the question,
“How does one live creatively?”
CREATORS
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MarlaGran!
Immerse yourself
in the inner world of
imagination and creativity;
the world in which every child,
outside and within our hearts,
knows how to thrive!
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A Little More About Our Book
Who Is MarlaGran?
MarlaGran
is a girl who embarks on a journey holding the question, “How does one live creatively?”
She represents the spirit of
curiosity about life and its possibilities. Though she starts her journey feeling stuck, she knows there is something more and after all she is able to see through her heart and beyond what the eyes see.
As she encounters unique characters and
wild experiences, MarlaGran invites us to
step into our inner world of creativity
and imagination through playful
and interactive activities, the
Innerscapes.
The Innerscapes evoke the unique ways
in which we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Ultimately, the activities support children to listen to what excites them in life, as well as express their thoughts, feelings, dreams and concerns in their own playful language, enhancing emotional health.
Though a children’s story,
MarlaGran also supports parents, teachers, therapists and adult readers to connect with their own inner child and remember the importance of their singing hearts.
Marlagran
supports us ALL to listen to our inner wisdom and share our gifts with the world!
The Innerscapes are an integral part of the book. They are integrated in various parts of the story inviting children to complete the illustrations and draw from their imagination.
The Innerscopes are a Card Game that is complimentary to the book. They invite children to draw, write, play with sounds, use objects and move creatively.
An Innerscape
is an internal landscape that
reveals how we think in our minds and feel in our hearts about the world we live in. There are many ways to explore our
Innerscapes,
like drawing, writing, collage, clay,
play, moving, sounds, and of course, the
Innerscopes.
The Innerscopes
are activities for you and your imagination
to explore your
Innerscapes.
Think about it like having a microscope that can zoom into your thoughts and feelings. The 82
Innerscope
activities of our Cards Game that accompanies MarlaGran work like a “magnifying glass” to help you better see whatever is in your mind and heart.
Why Creativity?
The core message of MarlaGran's story is about trusting in our heart and the creative process.
We view creativity as more than drawing, dancing, or some other formal “creative” thing. For us, creativity is an embodied expression of what makes us happy
and whatever makes our heart sing!
The Innerscape activities throughout MarlaGran's story provide an avenue to discover the inner world of children and to detach creativity from being a job or a product, and rather expand our definition of creativity to one that is more natural to children.
By trusting in our creativity, we can discover amazing resources and opportunities for healing, to learn and grow, as well as share and express our gifts with the world.
MarlaGran through the Singing Hearts of School Children in Greece:
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Why Multilingual?
The story of MarlaGran uses multiple languages to fully engage children, including the language of play as well as verbal languages, at the moment English - Spanish
and soon Greek, Ukrainian and many more.
We use multiple languages for two primary reasons:
1. To facilitate development of verbal languages consistent with the child’s external worlds, including languages spoken at home, school, and in their community, and
2. To integrate the child’s main internal language by actively promoting imagination, play, creativity and art.
As such, MarlaGran may act as a bridge not only between different languages but also between the child's world and the adult's world.
Maria Lentzou, MFT - maria
Author & Visionary of the Expressive Arts Resource "MarlaGran"
I love the curious, authentic, and uninhibited nature of children, the ones who live out in the world, and the ones who reside inside our hearts. I trust our inherent capacity to be creative and I believe in the power of play and the Expressive Arts to help our children thrive as well as heal our inner child wounds so that we can recover the sparkle of enthusiasm in our lives. That is why I envisioned the Expressive Arts resource, “MarlaGran: The Girl Who Wants to Live Creatively.” MarlaGran can be the story of our creative life in a magical world where everything is possible. I hope she inspires you to create all that your heart imagines.
MarlaGran's Physical Book, Innescapes General Guide, Innerscope Cards Game
Our Letter to You Who Loves Children
the Parent, Family Member, Caregiver, Educator, Teacher, Therapist
Dear Ones,
Stories can be a wonderful way to connect, imagine, and play. Whether you are a parent, family member, caregiver, educator, teacher, or therapist, the story of MarlaGran supports you and children to dive into the world of imagination and explore the unique ways in which you perceive yourselves and the world.
As an expressive arts and self-discovery resource, MarlaGran is intended to be a malleable medium through which children can express their thoughts, feelings, dreams and concerns in their own playful language. In this process, though you are the adult, we also invite you to put on your child form, reconnect to your inner child’s spirit, and become a sacred playmate for the child in their journey.
The physical book of MarlaGran is a combination of a storybook and a workbook designed to inspire your child’s creativity and imagination through activities that explore their internal landscapes, or what we call “Innerscape” activities. Children are encouraged to draw directly in the book, and we want you to encourage your child to express their creativity to its full potential.
Your purchase of MarlaGran includes two free PDF’s: (1) the Innerscape activities and (2) the General Guide. Although the PDF Innerscape activities are great draft templates, we recommend that each child has a book for drawing directly in the book, like a personal journal. The PDF General Guide is designed to support you in reading the book and exploring the Innerscapes with children. Our hope is that the Guide fosters connection and helps the story become even more of a shared, interactive experience.
You can further explore MarlaGran's Innerscape activities through our Innerscope Card Game, which works like a “magnifying glass” to help us better see whatever is in our and our children’s minds and hearts. They are a wonderful addition to your experience with MarlaGran's story and the Innerscape's exploration.
Overall, MarlaGran is designed to be a bridge between languages as well as a window into the children’s world. Our hope is that, for a moment, you and the child can each leave behind conflicts and struggles and let the story become a shared experience- one that will help you play and connect, laugh and sigh, interact and grow.
We hope you and your loved ones enjoy MarlaGran as much as we do ☺
warmly,
maria & MarlaGran's Team
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