To accompany this morning's cornflakes, I thought I would finally begin reading this beautiful book which was given to me by dear friend and colleague, Zoe. Now with modern illustrations and introduction by Jackie Morris, the story itself was written more than a hundred years ago by Barbara Newhall Follett between the ages of 9 … Continue reading Memories of writing
This is another game. You may have played it before. You can play alone or with others. You can just say it aloud and you could write down your ideas if you wish. The Teacher’s cat is another alphabet game. This time we are thinking about adjectives –we are thinking about words to describe the … Continue reading The Teacher’s Cat
Yesterday evening I had a lovely time writing postcards to the children in my class as I won't be seeing them for a while. A postcard is a wonderful thing - no pressure to write reams and reams, just enough space for a few lines, some carefully selected words or maybe a short poem. Why … Continue reading Send a quick postcard
It is Easter Bank holiday and here we are still at home. Wouldn’t it be great to have a party? Who would you invite? What would you have to eat? What would you play? Maybe you would have some dancing. Why don’t you create an imaginary party? You could invite all sorts of people and … Continue reading Party!
Sit and be quiet for a while, or walk in the garden. What do you hear? I heard the wind blowing around my head and catching the pages of my book with a flick. A cock crows. A baby cries. A car hums by on rubber wheels. What thoughts come into your head? I think … Continue reading Quiet
The first line of David’s poem which I posted yesterday made me think about what it would be like to be a bird. I love to watch birds and to hear them singing. There are many real birds in my garden. My house is full of birds and I thought I might write a little … Continue reading I wish we were birds
Kenneth Koch was an American poet who wrote wonderful poems with children in New York primary schools. He really wanted children to have fun with poetry – to not be afraid of it, to know that what they have to say and how they say it is important. He had lots of good ideas for … Continue reading Wishes, Lies and Dreams
Lurking in and around your house are a great many surprises. For instance, before today I had never noticed that there are a family of howler monkeys squatting in the yucca tree in my dining room. They tell me that they are helping their baby monkeys to gain experience in tree climbing before heading out … Continue reading Everyday surprises
Let's write about food! Choose something which you've eaten today or yesterday, it could be a snack or a meal, and write in as much detail as possible about your dining experience. Imagine you are an oh-so-snooty restaurant critic. How exactly have your taste buds been tickled? What was the highlight of your munching? How … Continue reading What’s for dinner?
Here is a game that uses the alphabet, names, places and words. You can play it alone but it is more fun with other people. I used to play this game when I was a little girl and I have played it with many different children ever since. In the game, players take it in … Continue reading The Captain’s Ship
Writing Box 