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Share your children's made-up worlds and stories to win a gorgeous red ukulele, signed picture book and limited edition print

86 replies

SorchaMumsnet · 01/02/2017 09:33

Children are natural storytellers. To celebrate the publication of fantastical picture book Also an Octopus, we're asking you to share the stories your children create.

Also an Octopus is a story about... how to build a story! Every story needs a character, so why not a ukulele-playing octopus who wants to build a spaceship out of glitter and waffles? From award-winning illustrator Benji Davies and author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Also an Octopus is a funny, warm-hearted tale all about storytelling; the perfect picture book for imaginative readers.

Walker Books have teamed up with Octopus Ukulele to offer Mumsnetters the chance to win a tentacle-tastic prize that will set imaginations soaring! Octopus Ukulele create the best beginner instruments around, perfect for creative play. Their ukuleles come in lots of different colours and we’ve got a gorgeous red one to give away.

For a chance to win a signed copy of Also an Octopus, a limited edition print AND an Octopus Ukulele just tell us: what imaginative worlds do your children dream up? Five runners-up will win a copy of Also an Octopus and a limited edition print.

This discussion is sponsored by Walker Books and will close end of day, Wednesday 1 March

Books T&Cs apply

Share your children's made-up worlds and stories to win a gorgeous red ukulele, signed picture book and limited edition print
OP posts:
Rarity75 · 19/02/2017 15:05

My DD (5) has a great imagination and has just written her first book! Shock
It is about a lost owl (he has lost his family), he meets a variety of different animals along the way but they aren't suitable to be his family. Eventually he meets another owl and they live happily ever after.

I swear she has been here before! Bless her she is always making up adventures. Super proud mum Grin

rhinosuze · 19/02/2017 14:55

She loves making up special worlds with her toys, and often changes the endings of stories we read if she thinks it could have gone better which I love!

We play shops and salons with dolls and I think it's great that she imagines things so well

KarenCBC · 10/02/2017 00:13

My DS (almost 3) absolutely loves making up stories while he's in the bath. They generally revolve around a hippo and giraffe and at some point everyone will go swimming. He's also, recently found an imaginary friend so she gets involved in the stories as she comes everywhere with us! The stories tend to be quite fantastical but set in mundane places like Waitrose or Wickes!

buckley1983 · 08/02/2017 23:44

My son has a great imagination - unfortunately though, at the moment, all stories/imaginative play currently ends in talking about poo, bums &/or willies.
For example - Once there was a little girl called Rosie. One day she went to school, she won a prize for spelling & then she pooed all over the floor. Then a big bottom came along & they got married.
Queue much hilarity - seriously, it never gets old for him!
I look forward to the day when he might complete a story without bums or poo getting a mention!

claza93 · 08/02/2017 20:56

DD 7 lives in a land of fairy dust and Trolls! She is obsessed by the film and loves anything glittery and sparkly! Love to live in her world :)

MTBMummy · 08/02/2017 14:05

DD (7) loves all things magical, so her imaginary worlds consist of fairies, unicorns and cheeky pixies (who steal anything sparkly)

DS (2 almost 3) Loves all things dino, so his imagination tends to take him off to a world where dinosaurs are still around today, we go hunting for various dinos, or find ourselves deep in the ocean searching for prehistoric marine reptiles and battling sharks and whales.

playfulgilly1 · 08/02/2017 10:26

My daughter is into dragons, she reads about dragons, makes habitats in her bedroom, makes paper worlds, writes stories, draws pictures.Everything is dragons

SuzCG · 08/02/2017 09:35

My eldest lived in a world of cars when he was younger - he set up races between his favourites, used the ipad to time himself shooting around the floor with them and wrote 'statistics' about their performance down in a note book for years!
My daughter acts out 'Annie' all the time. Perhaps she is secretly hoping she will be rescued from the life she has by a rich billionaire...

kayleighp85 · 08/02/2017 03:39

My 5 little ones like to pretend they have their own Theme Park they use the bunk beds as the carts on a roller coaster, the dining room chairs as bumper cars and they line the ride on toys behind each other and scoot round like they are on the ghost train. It gets very messy with lots of scrap pieces of paper as the ride tickets and very noisy !! Hmm

sweir1 · 07/02/2017 22:21

My boys love pretending the gruffalo is in the back garden

Dessallara · 07/02/2017 12:23

My daughter's fairy land full of princesses ;D

cathisherwood · 07/02/2017 08:47

My little grandson lives in the land of dinosaurs - we have to watch out for them hiding behind parked cars and in driveways on our walk to and from school

barricade · 07/02/2017 08:26

Our little ones make-up a whole range of imaginary worlds, ones that metamorphosize (is that a word?) to fit the occasion.

A popular one is the spaceship commanders navigating through asteroid fields in the deep reaches of Space. Another is the Formula 1 drivers racing at Silverstone (or another equally famous Grand Prix circuit) in the championship decider. But nothing can beat when they are in their Star Wars costumes and the living room becomes the Death Star, the stage for a lightsaber duel to end all duels.

Smile
blogmumjd · 07/02/2017 02:28

My sons have developed their own parallel universe to Harry Potter. Their bears are all members of the Potter family and rather than Voldemort they have 2 evil characters called Joldemort and Doldemort. Son2 is writing it all up as a film script on behalf of one of his bears

Elliepurpleflower · 06/02/2017 22:43

My 5 year old is often found talking to herself in her room whilst she plays make believe schools, or she plays mums and dads with her sister and recently she's become very scared of the dark because of 'what might be there'

llewejk · 06/02/2017 21:21

My 4 year old has a lovely imagination. She loves making up stories with her Paw Patrol characters or her farm animals. After a recent party she spend the evening singing happy birthday to each one of her teddies in turn.

Hopezibah · 06/02/2017 20:35

My son's stories would often entail meeting dinosaurs, travelling back in time and then getting back to our time either through a portal or by building a time machine. My daughter often meets animals on her adventures like a friendly shark, a reindeer and a parrot. She often takes on the role of pirate with a very loud and realistic aharggh!

stewaris · 06/02/2017 20:21

My middle son seems to inhabit some planet that no one else goes to. To the point his brothers tell him to be a dalek in the corner while they are playing Star Wars. When I asked him why he wasn't joining in with them he said he was in the wrong space/time zone and he was navigating his way to them. He was about six feet from them at the time while they played something totally different. They were happy and I left them to it.

Rae1000 · 06/02/2017 19:32

Everything particularly my daughter says is imaginative. At the moment she is talking about a giant time travelling tardis like pink teddy & is writing stories about her adventures in it

Mozarmstrong · 06/02/2017 19:30

My daughter had her own puppy world. All had names. She sorted them in walking groups,play groups,naughty groups,she can still line them up and name them all!!

HesterGreysGarden · 06/02/2017 16:13

At 2.5 my son is only just starting to create imaginary worlds about sparkly dinosaurs, chocolate grapes, and naughty construction vehicles. Those games are sweet and I understand where they're coming from. But he's been playing games where he has to do made-up 'jobs' for about 6 months now -- I've no idea what 'logging the bushes' is although it keeps him busy in the garden for AGES. He also is often found 'raising the signs', which seems to involve pretending to screw things into the carpet. I like these games because they're completely his own and because he's always really purposeful and in his flow when he's playing them. I don't understand them, but I feel like he's being really creative when he's playing them.

wallers5 · 06/02/2017 07:31

My 6 year old loves making up songs & singing them, directing her sister to join in & getting very cross when her sister can't remember what comes next. They do a double act when we are in suitable locations like the huge Barn in Buckland Abbey & other visitors are amazed!

helly27 · 05/02/2017 19:36

My daughters word was boofy, with regards to her school bag, she knocked into someone because her bag was too boofy.

bugzie92 · 05/02/2017 19:23

My little one certainly has a very vivid and active imagination! although sometimes it causes him fear, i.e he calls some of his toys 'bad guys', and we have to hide them or he wont go in the room, bless him! since he was very young he has talked about going to his big red house, we still, to this day, have never got to the bottom of that!

purplepandas · 05/02/2017 08:36

My DD has an imaginary friend who lives in China but visits the UK. They sometimes go into space too. It's been going on for years!