Family Adventures on the Road

by Jacqueline Jules

Vámonos! Let’s go! In her newest adventure, The Beach Trip, spunky 7-year-old Sofia Martinez packs for a beach trip. She doesn’t want to take clothes; she wants to take board games. And she doesn’t like the long car ride with her squabbling sisters. On top of all that, it rains on the first morning of vacation.

Family vacations are a great source of material for personal narratives. Teachers often ask their student to write about the trips they took during the summer. In the elementary grades, these writing pieces sometimes sound like lists. First we did this. . . . Then, we did that. . . . There is often not too much reflection on the experience other than a little description of how the ocean was fun or pretty.  

To help young writers expand their family vacation writing, read The Beach Trip and spend some time talking about funny inconveniences of travel. Was the car too small for all the suitcases? Did kids whine in the backseat? Did a sudden rainstorm make everyone run for cover? How did they handle those situations with their families? Did they come up with creative solutions like Sofia and her family?

Approaching a tried-and-true topic from a different angle can add depth to student writing. It might also provide a few giggles as students remember how they solved a backseat squabble or packed the wrong things for a vacation.

Happy Travels!

Jacqueline Jules

www.jacquelinejules.com  

SUMMER OR AUTUMN

by Alison Ashley Formento

School may have started where you live, or it will start soon, but you can keep summer memories strong and celebrate the season to come, too. This easy and fun writing exercise encourages students to use personal experiences to compare and contrast the seasons of summer and autumn.

Write your favorite summer activity.

Example: Swimming at the local pool

Write five personal facts about that activity.           

Example:

Swimming helps me keep cool on a hot day.

It’s fun splashing with my friends.

I like to dive off the side of the pool.

I came in third in the backstroke race in my age group.

My arms are strong from swimming. 

Write your favorite summer food.

Example: Watermelon

Write five personal facts about that food.

It tastes sweet.

It’s cool in my mouth on a hot day.

I like to collect watermelon seeds.

I planted a whole cup of seeds in my yard.

It’s fun to eat watermelon with my hands.

Write your favorite autumn activity.

Making a leaf pile in my back yard.

Write five facts about that activity.

I help my family rake leaves in our yard.

I like to pile the leaves next to an old tree stump in our backyard.

Jumping into a giant pile of leaves is fun.

One leaf pile I made was taller than my dad.

My dog likes to hide in a leaf pile.

Write your favorite autumn food.

Apple pie

Write five facts about that food.

My family goes to a farm to pick apples for pies.

Fresh apples off a tree are fun to pick and crunchy to eat.

I help my mom make crusts for pies.

Apple pie makes our house smell like cinnamon when it’s baking in the oven.

Warm apple pie makes vanilla ice cream melt, but it tastes great together.

Use the personal experience facts you’ve listed to write a convincing explanation for readers why you believe one of these seasons is more enjoyable than the other.

www.alisonashleyformento.com

MAP COLLAGE

by Joan Waites

         School begins in the not too distant future, but for now, it’s time to savor the long summer days and special adventures either far from home or in your own backyard.

          A fun art activity to do with children incorporating these summertime experiences is to make a work of art using a map for an interesting background texture.

       

Collect a map from a travel stop, hotel, museum, local landmark or a roadside gas station. To create a drawing or painting, use the map to either paint on directly instead of paper, or use the map as a collage background. Paint or draw something you saw or an experience you had at the place visited. This could be a landscape or cityscape, a particular animal you saw, or a special person you met. The map collage can be glued to paper, cardboard or a small canvas. Use any materials you have on hand to execute the artwork-markers, paints, or colored pencils. 

To make a collage painting with a map background, follow the steps below:

1.    Gently tear a portion of the map into interesting shapes.

2.    Adhere the map pieces using school glue or Mod Podge onto the canvas, piece of cardboard or heavy weight paper.

3.    When the glue has dried, brush a light coat of either white acrylic paint or gesso over the map and entire canvas so the map fades into the background. Let the paint or gesso dry.

4.    Using acrylic, tempera, oil pastels or other drawing media, depict your subject matter of choice on top of the collaged pieces. Remember not to use the paint too heavily-you want some of the map to show underneath your artwork.

  Enjoy the rest of the summer, where ever your travels take you!

www.joanwaites.com

Summer Reading and Writing with Dr. Ellen Prager

by Mary Quattlebaum

Books that excite kids, that’s the best kind of summer reading!  Sea creatures, high adventure and a likable main character make The Shark Whisperer a must-have for your family beach tote (if you’re a parent) or end-of-school recommendation (if you’re a teacher).  The author, Dr. Ellen Prager, shared writing and science activities in a recent phone interview.

“I wanted to write a novel that kids would enjoy,” said Dr. Prager, a marine scientist and author of 15 books.  The Shark Whisperer is the first in a five-book middle-grade series that combines strong storytelling and science.

The protagonist, Tristan, is a klutzy 12 year old who, along with fellow Sea Campers, learns to hone a secret talent in order to help the oceans.  Tristan can communicate with sharks, his friend Samantha understands whales and another boy can leap through the water like a dolphin.  They combine skills to solve a mystery involving the wanton destruction of sharks (a problem, alas, that is common in real life as well). 

In writing the book, Dr. Prager drew on her childhood love of the outdoors and many talks with kids, as an oceans educator.  She wanted to share “cool stuff” in a style that would best connect with her audience.

“I noticed that any time I mentioned sharks or moray eels, the kids’ eyes would light up,” she said with a laugh.  Kids also learn about bioluminescent worms, marine labs and the Bermuda Triangle.

After reading “The Shark Whisperer,” kids might try some of these writing, science and environmental activities:

* If you had a “sea talent” like Tristan and his friends, what might it be?  How would you use it to help the oceans?  You might tell or write down your own story.

* Find out more about your favorite sea creature.  If this creature is being harmed by ocean pollution or overfishing, write a letter or email to your congressional representative.

* Visit an aquarium and look for creatures in the book.

* Pick up trash at the beach or around waterways (rivers, streams).

* Eat only sustainable seafood.

* Visit the book’s website www.tristan-hunt.com for photos, additional activities and facts and information about the next book in the series.

www.maryquattlebaum.com

Writers--RETREAT!

by Jane Harrington

I’m just finishing up a month at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), my first foray into a residency at an artists’ colony. My days have been all writing-writing-writing, punctuated by peaceful walks and reading books in a porch swing. Evenings have been centered around enjoying the creative works of my fellow artists—poetry, prose, paintings, drawings, installations, performance pieces, and musical compositions. To sum up the experience: WOW!

Packing up now, I’m concocting ideas to bring to the upcoming summer months this same kind of inspiration and creative energy. Here are some suggestions for how to turn whole days into personal writing retreats, for you and/or a young writer in your life. In preparation, trawl local newspapers and other event listings, and keep an ongoing list of gallery openings, free concerts, theater and dance shows, author visits, etc. in your local area. Also, reacquaint yourself with the offerings at your nearest parks—nature trails, wetland walks, swimming lakes and the like.

On a day you designate a writer’s retreat—

1.      Write for [you fill in the blank] hours in the morning, with no distractions. (Yes, that means turn your phone off.) (No, not on vibrate—off.) (Actually, put it in another room entirely.)

2.      After that, go enjoy some nature—a walk, for instance, in your neighborhood or at a local park. Alternately, cook a favorite food or crochet a bookmark. Those are inspired activities, too!

3.      Write some more. You decide on length of time.

4.      It will probably be evening by this time. Take in an art event: go listen to music, browse a gallery, watch a show, or attend a reading.

String a few of these days together, and I bet you’ll be feeling creative and cranking out some great writing! That’s my plan.

www.janeharrington.com  

SUMMER PICTURES: USING GOOGLE IMAGE AS A WRITING TOOL

by Jacqueline Jules

When I began writing my picture book, Picnic at Camp Shalom, I had a problem. For marketing reasons, my editor requested a summer camp setting. While I agreed that my story of friendship and misunderstandings would work well at a summer camp, I panicked.  My childhood memories of summer camp were dim, at best. Was there a way I could boost my recollection of an experience I had nearly 40 years ago?  Yes, there was! Google searches provided information on summer camp programs complete with pictures and testimonies. My research taught me that a swim test is a typical first day activity. This gave me my opening scene in which my protagonists, Carly and Sara, meet at the lake. Later, I read that scavenger hunts are popular for getting new campers acquainted with the grounds, giving me material for the second scene in the book.

While a random internet search may not be a good source for collecting facts for nonfiction writing, it can offer great assistance for developing descriptive details. Google Images provided just the picture I needed when trying to visualize the cabin Carly and Sara slept in. I often use Google images to prod me into better descriptions. Staring at a picture for a few minutes can  help me imagine my character’s surroundings.

Before you ask your students to write about their summer vacations, display pictures of beaches, swimming pools, fireworks, and other summer scenarios on your classroom screen. Talk about the sensory details these images evoke. What does the sand feel like between your toes? Did you see sand crabs disappearing into tiny holes? How did the water smell? Did the shiny pool rails gleam in the sun?  How would you describe the sound of people diving off the board? Could you compare it to anything else?

As a pre-writing activity, have your students study the details of displayed pictures and discuss ways of describing them. Figurative language requires thought. Giving your students a little time to visualize the scenes they plan to write about will enliven their writing.

 www,jacquelinejules.com