Dr. Elana Ashley & Her Educational Staff

Dr. Elana Ashley is founder and Executive Director of Great Imaginings, Inc., a not-for-profit educational corporation.

As a program developer and curriculum planner, Dr. Elana Ashley designs educational information, audio-visual materials and programs promoting skills and sensitivities children and adults need to express who they are - their thoughts and feelings, their goals, and methods of achieving them. Each program encourages participants to make use of their senses, analytical skills, and creative talents.

As an educator and puppeteer, Dr. Ashley employs a multi-faceted approach to imparting important life messages. The audience acts as interactive participants in presentations that may combine storytelling, dramatic role playing, puppetry, song, poetry, games, creative movement, and arts-&-crafts.

In the presentation of performances, workshops and assemblies - especially for young children - Ashley is accompanied by an educational staff - an instructional staff of 'vent' figures - who provide a delightful medium through which ideas, information, thoughts and feelings find expression. While these characters are a source of pleasure and entertainment, they also act as vehicles providing knowledge, learning strategies, ethical values and much more. Used in educational programs or counseling sessions, puppets function as non-threatening media that encourage communication and listening skills.

Ashley's educational entourage includes Ellie Elephant, Eli Elephant, Drake the Dragon, Freddy Fox, Crawford Crow and Mario Monkey. Several other figures joined the staff - Wizzy Wizard, Prof. Lydia Childs and Sargent Patrick O'Reilly.

One of Ashley's most distinguished educational team members - Spokespuppet Splunkunio Splunkey® - has set up his own web site. See www.splunkey.org. Dr. Ashley and Splunkey®, an alien space traveler from Planet Onyx, bring messages of cooperation, friendship and peace to children and adults throughout the world.

As an author and photographer, Dr. Ashley has written and illustrated a children's book entitled Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker, Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet. Based on the adventures of three characters with whom she works - Splunkunio Splunkey, Ellie Elephant and Eli Elephant - the story comes to life not only through a dramatic reading of the book, but also with the live appearance of one or more of the storybook characters, who talk sing and tell stories to and with the audience of children and adults.

Dream Image Press, LLC published Ashley's first book in English - Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet. Accompanying the first book in Splunkey's Series is an Audio CD and a Teaching Guide. In her musical CD, Ashley reads her book taking on the voices of the characters as music accompaies her - accenting the drama and forward movement of the plot..Teaching Guide for Parents and Educators provides a literary outline of the story, including a series of questions to kick off discussion with students, detailed information of thematic developments in the book, and ideas for programs based on the content.

Her second book in Splunkey's Series - Case Two: Big Bully Holly Howler - should be coming out in 2012, similarly in English and English/Spanish editions.

The author intends to continue the series as a bilingual children's book, eventually hoping to translate the book into other languages. To learn more about Ashley's bilingual work and about the publishing company, visit the following web site - www.dreamimagepress.com.

Surrounded by characters who bring their individuality, common sense and personal wisdom, Dr. Ashley excites audiences of all ages with drama, storytelling and story reading, music, colorful visuals, magic and fantasy.

Great Imaginings, Inc.
An Illinois Not-For-Profit Corporation
P. O. Box 101
Northbrook, Illinois 60065-0101
847.480.8998

"Spokespuppet" and "Splunkunio Splunkey" are Registered Trademarks of Elana Ashley.