The Write Start

A Boy and his Blog

A while back I bought a large sketch book for Jack. I had a writing ritual that I was envisioning, but, as often happens, he had a completely different idea for the book. And, as also often happens, his idea blew mine out of the water.

You see, he decided he wanted to make his own 'blog,' but in notebook form. Hmmm. I would like to say he was inspired by my blogger-ly pursuits. Alas, no. He was actually referencing a Disney flick we watched one movie night, called Harriet the Spy Blog Wars in which Harriet is the class blogger. Unlike Harriet's blog about pre-teen angst, however, Jack decided his blog was going to be about LEGO Star Wars, one of his 'passions' (in his words).

For each blog 'post' he chooses a LEGO Star Wars figure, and writes the character's name on the top of a blank page. Then I help him outline a jumbo-sized version of the figure in pencil. He then re-outlines it in crayon, and colors it in, according to his very exacting specifications. When he's done, he wonders, excitedly, how many 'hits' this particular post is going to get. It's ridiculously adorable and so refreshingly low-tech, despite his precocious labeling of it.

And, you know that I am in my glory too: there is writing involved, the tracing of the lines works on eye-hand coordination, and the coloring of such a large picture is a great workout for little hand muscles. But best of all, I love that it's a ritual that gives him immense joy, so much so that he asks to do it every day ("Mom, you wanna blog with me?" ...or... "Do you think Dad will blog with me tonight before bedtime?"). Well, of course!

An activity of his own invention, fueled by his own motivations -- so very self-satisfying and habit-forming, in such a good way.

And what a cool keepsake it will be! What boy wouldn't be proud of his first LEGO Star Wars blog?

Do your kids have any little writing projects they are particularly attached to lately? Please share -- let us know in the comments or email me pictures or links if you would like me to share them with everyone here. I'm sure we will all be inspired!

Clay Conversation Hearts

We crafted some cute little tokens of affection out of clay for Valentine's Day. We plan on passing them out to friends along with some handwritten Valentines.

To make the clay, I modified a recipe from this book:

First, combine 1 cup of cornstarch, 2 cups of baking soda, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes. Put a tablespoon of water and a few drops of food coloring into each of 3 or 4 bowls. Divide clay into smaller batches. Add each batch of clay to a bowl, and knead it until the color is evenly distributed. Cover each bowl with a damp towel until you are ready to work with the clay.

Then, roll small handfulls of clay into balls, and press them flat into circular pancake-type shapes. Then cut out your hearts with a heart cookie cutter. Gracie was a big fan of the rolling, pressing, and cutting -- perfect jobs for little toddler hands!

Next, press your messages into the clay using small alphabet stamps. This is just where my young speller, Jack, is at right now -- it was the perfect job for him!

Let your clay hearts dry overnight. You can add some color to the conversation using fine-tipped pens. (These pens worked for us.)

Nothing makes me happier than heartfelt sentiments combined with hands-on fun. I hope these will make cute little keepsakes for friends and family -- they were certainly made with love!

Speaking of love, I also LOVE these fruit sticker Valentines! What an awesome (and healthy) way to spread the sweetness!

Book Winners

My little random-number-generators worked hard at helping me with the book giveaway. Jack wrote 70+ numbers on tiny pieces of paper, and Gracie helped to fold them up and put them in her cowboy hat. (As an aside, writing on tiny scraps of paper is a good way to give that helper hand, the one whose job it is to stabilize the paper while you write, a good workout... and folding is a great fine motor activity too!)

Jack chose the number corresponding to this lucky comment: 

 

And Gracie chose the number corresponding to this lucky comment:

 
We can't wait to send our writing care packages off to their new homes!

I have to say, I was blown away with how sincere and inspiring all of the comments were. Did you get a chance to read them? They could make a book in and of themselves. I have gotten so many new ideas from reading your writing memories, and I can't thank everyone enough for sharing them all. I truly recommend, if you have a quiet moment (and maybe a cup of tea), sit down and read through all the wonderful childhood writing moments that were unforgettable to us as adults. It really speaks to how big of an impact we can have on our kids in the writing realm. Amazing!

Thanks again for sharing your stories. I am reading them to my kids, a few at a time, and they are loving them too!

Another Holiday Workshop

Remember last year's holiday workshop? This year's version is all about making ornaments as gifts. Right now, Jack is loving the process of coloring pre-made wooden ornaments from the craft store using markers. (A great activity for strengthening his grasp of a writing tool, working on eye-hand coordination, and learning to stabilize something with one hand while working with the other hand.)

So I re-purposed a set of little drawers (that I've had around for years) to create an ornament station to the left of his desk. Each drawer holds a part of the process: unfinished ornaments in one drawer, markers in another, glitter glue... gift bags... tags... and so on. Everything he needs to complete his handiwork independently is at his fingertips. He's all set to make his gifts, wrap them, check off his list, and squirrel them away in his big red sack.

For a fun touch, I decked-out each drawer with a bell, which makes for some festive little jingling sounds. I usually put some carols on the radio too -- because there's nothing better than listening to kids singing while they work.

He wrote a BIG list of family and friends, which is rolled up Santa-style. And there is a carpenter pencil for checking it twice, also decked out with bells.

The little drawers to the right of the desk hold all sorts of card-making supplies: blank cards, envelopes, holiday stamps, ink pads, etc. To encourage writing, there is a word ring of seasonal sentimets, including: "Merry Cristmas," "Happy New Year," "Season's Greetings," and "Jingle all the way!"

Oh, and a Santa hat is definately a necessity. Once I see it go on, I know it's workshop time, and my boy will be very busy for quite a while. Happy at work, he is learning the joy of giving, and isn't that one of the best gifts of all?

What activities are getting your kids in the holiday spirit?

Family Tree

I have been in the Thanksgiving spirit for a while now, even though we still have a ways to go until Turkey Day. I am particularly thankful for all of you, and the support you have given me and my book. I really and truly thank you -- you don't know how much each and every one of your kind words have meant to me.

And, as always, I am constantly and evermore thankful for my family, which is the inspiration for this particular project. We invented this crafty family tree a few Thanksgivings ago, and have been re-creating it in slightly new and different ways every year since. It all began when my son started asking some of those "who's who" family questions where you find yourself explaining all the relative relationships: Mommy's sisters are your aunts... Daddy's brother is your uncle... Our parents are your Grandparents. I drew a family tree to illustrate the concept, but it somehow fell flat. So we whipped up this 3-D family tree, in between pie-baking and potato-peeling. Conveniently, all the ingredients for this craft can be found at the grocery store. So it makes the perfect accompaniment to the Thanksgiving festivities, not to mention the perfect reminder of why we all gather together.

 
We typically start this project with a nature walk, collecting autumn leaves to use as models, and a fallen branch to use for our tree. Then we set up all of our supplies, which include:

     a leaf from nature

     a pencil

     natural-colored coffee filters

     a scissors

     red, yellow, and green liquid food coloring

     water

     newspaper for covering your work surface

     dark-colored marker or alphabet stampers

     white glue

     clothespins

 
The basic how-to:

First, trace around a leaf with a pencil. Kids can place their leaves right on top of a coffee filter, carefully stabilizing the leaf with one hand while tracing its shape with the other.

 
Next, kids can cut along the edges of their leaf outlines to create individual leaves.

 
Make liquid water color paints by squeezing many drops of food coloring into a cup, and then adding a small amount of water (the more intense you want your colors, the more food coloring you'll add.) Make sure your work surface is covered thoroughly with newspaper -- food coloring can definitely stain.

  
 
My favorite part of this activity is painting the coffee filter leaves. The filter paper absorbs and diffuses the watery paint in such a wonderful way. The colors blend and bleed into each other as you dab at the leaf with your paintbrush, creating that dappled look of real autumn leaves. And when the painted coffee filter leaves dry, they get the crispy feel of dried leaves, but without all the crumble. This part is a hit with kids (and grown-ups) of all ages.

When all of the leaves dry, kids can start writing family member's names on each leaf. The first year we did this project, Jack was a pre-writer, so we used alphabet stamps for the names, which worked beautifully.

  
Last, but certainly not least, we glue a clothespin to the back of each leaf. This simple addition makes this project what I call a "craftivity," a craft that turns into a forever activity. The clothespins make the whole family tree endlessly interactive. I put all the clothespin leaves in a basket next to a big branch that we "planted" in a flower pot (using scrunched up paper bags to stabilize it). The kids clip, unclip, arrange, and rearrange the leaves over and over again, learning more and more about their family as they play. And getting a fine motor workout all-the-while. I just love it.

 
A variation of this project is in my book, along with 50+ other activities that can be adapted to all different skill levels. I have to say, this is one of my personal favorites. Please let me know if you try it, and if creating it and playing with it becomes a Thanksgiving ritual in your house, as it has in ours.

Oh, and so many THANKS, again.