It is possible for one person to create a whole calendar alone. It would be a labour of love. Twelve months. Twelve illustrations. If you are part of a class or group, then the work can be shared. Start with a theme. One that easily comes to mind is the seasons and the months within … Continue reading Seasons
Tag: description
What’s in the box?
Make a collection of small boxes and tines. Save small food tins – cream of tartar, Colman’s mustard, mini mints. Find decorative tins and boxes in charity shops. Hold on to interesting boxes: camembert boxes, small chocolate boxes,. They have a gazillion uses. Boxes can slightly push writers to step out of their comfort zone. … Continue reading What’s in the box?
This box
Many years ago I was given a carved sandalwood box. When I opened it, I discovered that it contained a collection of smaller boxes, neatly fitted into the space. My students knew me well. I still use this collection of boxes. Each box, just like the one that holds them, is filled with surprises. It … Continue reading This box
Treasure boxes
Here’s a way of looking closely and writing poems, as a group, in pairs or alone. We were prompted to write about it now, because pumpkins are such a good subject for this approach. However, there are all kinds of fruit and vegetables which work well. The idea is fairly simple. Start with a fruit … Continue reading Treasure boxes
Firework makers
In Philip Pullman’s magic novel, The Firework Maker’s Daughter, Lila, the daughter in question, learns to invent and make fireworks herself. When she does so, her father encourages her to name them. She makes Golden SneezesCrackle DragonsTumbling DemonsShimmering CoinsJava LightsLeaping Monkeys. Invent some names for your own fireworks. Make a list. Choose one and describe … Continue reading Firework makers
Flip book
Make yourself a little flip book and create hundreds of different characters. A small flip book can generate lots of variations on a theme and plenty of laughter. Take a sheet of A4 paper and cut it into four quarters. Fold each small sheet and slot the sheets together to make a small book. Secure the … Continue reading Flip book
Colour chart
In our last post, we wrote about colour comparisons. Today, we are going to make up names for colours. It is a similar activity. Think about a paint chart, or the names for lipstick colours or the colours of cars. We make up all kinds of phrases to suggest a colour: strawberry blush; dead salmon; … Continue reading Colour chart
White as …
Colour – or lack of it – can be hard to describe. What colour was it? we ask. ‘Blue,’ we are told. But that could mean a blue, pale as forget-me-nots or a blue so dark that you might think it was black. The blue compared with forget-me-nots, might make us think of spring, of … Continue reading White as …
Spangles
In his poem, [little tree] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47304/little-tree, e e cummings imagines the spangles that sleep all year in a dark box dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads Today, we are thinking of spangles from the year. You can write about things from the year … Continue reading Spangles
Look for a lovely thing
Today I thought we could look for lovely things. I thought of the idea when I read this little poem by Sara Teasdale. Night Stars over snow And in the west a planet Swinging below a star – Look for a lovely thing and you will find it. It is not far – It never … Continue reading Look for a lovely thing
Writing Box 