Hi! I'm Susan Ragsdale and truth be told, it's my third- and fourth-grade teachers who get the credit for helping me discover my love of writing. Ms. Colleen put my first story and artwork on the hallway wall (my first publishing). Ms. Martin challenged me to use our spelling words to craft stories every week (my first adventure with deadlines).

I still have a few of those stories.

Another truth is that I was at the right place and right time to get my foot into the door as an author. My co-author Ann Saylor and I pitched our BIG IDEA to a publisher at a Search Institute conference beneath a sign (no kidding) "you could be our next author." With an enthusiastic endorsement from our editor, Great Group Games entered the world and became a best seller.

I love helping people connect and learn something more about themselves, each other and their purpose in this world. And, I love play. So I write books about creating engaging experiences that meet people where they are, particularly youth, and provide space for aha moments to take place. "Play, live and lead with purpose" - that's our mantra.

You can meet my fabulous co-author Ann Saylor at amazon.com/author/annsaylor.

We invite you to share your favorite team building games and interactive teaching strategies with us. Last count we have published over 800 activities and ideas for crafting experiences that matter in eight different resources. You can reach us directly at team@writecreationsgroup.com to share your ideas, ask questions or to arrange a visit to your school, church or organization for face-to-face consulting, training, and curriculum development.

And you can find out more about our products, resources and work at www.writecreationsgroup.com.

Or, keep up with what we're doing:

Twitter @Write_Creations

FB or Instagram @WriteCreationsGroup

Ann Saylor is a nationally recognized trainer and accomplished author who draws upon many years of positive youth development experiences to create inspiring, effective resources for teachers, youth workers, and parents. She and her co-author Susan Ragsdale specialize in "play with purpose" - teaching, challenging and motivating others through meaningful play.

Why play? Ann's fascination with 'play with purpose' began when she looked for new ways to teach teenagers in classrooms, camps, and conferences. Realizing most people (herself included) learn more effectively when they're active, experimenting with new behaviors, and solving challenges. She started collecting educational games in two huge file folders - and she was so excited to use that research as a foundation for writing books. Now she is an educator, and regularly incorporates play and hands-on activities into her lesson plans.

Why service-learning? Ann enjoys writing about service-learning because she had so many great experiences with volunteerism. Her family encouraged her to volunteer at a young age - she remembers helping with fundraisers for the Children's Hospital, planning 'farm days' to educate elementary school children, leading children's activities on a Navajo reservation, serving as a peer health counselor, and tutoring children. She was the Director of Community Service at Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, where 100% of the students chose to get involved in volunteerism. She also led the outreach efforts at West End Community Church in Nashville, before joining the staff team at 24 Chuch where she leads the ministry for small groups and Serve Sundays. She also teaches a service leadership class for 7-9th graders in Nashville.

Why character, creativity, and literacy? As a mom of 4 children and a classroom teacher, Ann is personally acquainted with challenges related to building character, encouraging kids to read, and inspiring creative problem-solving. She loved reading a thousand books with her kids in order to share the best character-building books with her readers. Ann enjoys creative arts and she loves to read, so this kind of writing was a natural fit.

Meet Ann's co-author Susan Ragsdale here: amazon.com/author/susanragsdale. Ann & Susan would love to hear about your favorite teambuilding games, service projects, and interactive teaching strategies. You can find them on twitter @Write_Creations, facebook at WriteCreationsGroup, and linkedin. Find out more about their products and resources at www.WriteCreationsGroup.com, or contact them to arrange a visit to your school, church or organization for face-to-face consulting, training, and curriculum development.