Writing Exercises:
by Jenny Whitehead

--Write a poem from a different point of view (like in the “Bug Hotel”)
“If you were a bug or a puddle or another member of your family, what would you say and feel?”

---Talk about writing poetry—picking out two completely different words that rhyme and trying to connect them somehow in a poem. (Older kids can learn how to use a rhyming dictionary.)

--Write out answers to “The Conversation” or “Turtles and Snails” poem or talk about their collections.

--Kids could write a poem about the person sitting in front of them, describing what they look like, personality traits, likes/dislikes (as long as they are kind!)

--Have the kids keep a sketchbook (any little notebook without lines). Have them take it with them everywhere to scribble doodles, drawings and ideas, jot down silly names of places, funny things people say, family stories---research. They can make up silly, nonsensical poems about the things they see.

--Have them read poetry they like and tell each other why. Have them ask their parents what nursery rhymes or special songs they heard as a child and share them with the class to show how poetry comes in all different styles.

--The kids can write small poems or little notes for their parents, bring them home and slip them in their parents’ lunch or in the refrigerator or on their pillows.

---Have them write a seasonal poem without rhyme—to work out the idea and flow of the poem--- and then adding rhyme (It would be great if the kids had some access to some rhyming dictionaries)

---Have kids make up a holiday or describe family traditions for a holiday they celebrate.

 

Craft Ideas
by Jenny Whitehead

 

Make a Children’s Menu (“The Children’s Menu”)

---On a tall, folded piece of special paper (thicker if possible, with red on the outside, white on the inside) kids can write their own children’s menu, along with prices. They can have candy soup for an appetizer or, or make up “entrée” dishes like rice with peanut butter and pickles or write out real grown-up meals they’d like to try. The older kids can decorate the covers with gold markers (not washable) and the younger kids with gold glitter or a glitter glue stick. If you can find gold tassels in bulk at Christmastime, it would be fun to punch two holes and thread one in for an extra elegant touch. You can give them idea starters for dishes and possibly, in advance, write “Appetizers”, “Soups and Salads”, “Entrees”, and “Desserts” (two on each page) to help them get started. (They could do this themselves depending on ages.) The prices they add for the items could be a funny touch.

Do some sidewalk drawings (“Sidewalk Art”)

--On an unrolled long stretch of paper (with sidewalk “cracks” drawn every two feet in advance— providing each child with his own section to work on.) with sidewalk chalk and pastels (both washable!) to have some fun drawing together. This long stretch of decorated paper could be hung in the hallway afterwards for other kids to enjoy.

Make a “My Kind of Flower” flower

---Make a hanging fancy or funny flower using a heavy paper plate or a divided cardboard egg carton (can glue toothpicks to paper petals and “stick them in” for the center—or whatever else is available for a center—and decorate the flower with a variety of supplies available to them. We can make the stem and leaves out of green pipe cleaners. For the “older kids”, smaller supplies like beads and pipe cleaners and wire can be used to make smaller flowers. They can “plant” the smaller ones in small cardboard flower pots (available at “Hobby Lobby”). The stem and leaves can be made out of sturdy wire or wooden dowels with wire (a hot glue gun, used only by an adult
“helper”, will keep the flower standing on its own. These “My Kind of Flower” flowers always turn out unique!

Make a Bug Hotel

---I did this one with about 25 kids and they loved it. It takes a variety of supplies and time, though—30-45 minutes, but the kids will have a great craft to take home. I found mason jars at our “Big Lots”—12 for 5.99 with tin lids into which I punched three “air” holes. The wider mouth jars are best so kids can get their hands inside to place their bugs, but the narrow ones work fine, too. The tall baby food jars will make mini versions if cost is an issue, or the kids can bring in jars from home and you can put plastic wrap with a rubber band around it to make the “lid” (poking air holes in it with a pencil).

Basically, I put fake “grass” on the bottom of the jar—not shiny Easter grass but paper confetti grass you can find at the craft store. (One bag goes a long way.) I then collected pieces of bark or sticks from our yard and placed in each jar. The kids can glue their bugs onto the bark or stick, or to the inside of the jar (looks like they are climbing up the side) or place them on the bottom of the jar in the grass.

A tip for making bugs---have the kid think of the bug first—ladybug, caterpillar, butterfly, ant, firefly, worm etc. and then find the material to construct it. Made-up bugs are fine, of course, but thinking about the bug first gave the kids I worked with some initial direction so the project wasn’t as overwhelming. We made the bugs out of a variety of materials:
For the bodies we used Styrofoam balls, some cut in half, wooden ice cream spoons, rocks, shells, colored puff balls, noodles, clay, wooden beads (several glued in a row make a great caterpillar), seeds and even cereal! There are endless cheap options for the body shapes.
For the antennae we used pipe cleaners, the small gold office supply you bend to hold booklets together, colored wire, toothpicks, ear cleaners, even light brite pieces. Again there are a million options to find (maybe the kids can think about it the day before and bring some stuff from home to make their bugs.)
For the wings you can use old window screen, plastic mesh, colored or textured paper, colored Seran wrap—anything that’s bendable, cut-able and possibly transparent. Of course we used roly-poly eyes, tacky glue (or a glue gun for the hard-to-glue pieces—one adult in charge of it keeps the kids from touching it.)
To finish it off, we added little bug stickers to the outside of the jar—added some extra color and interest. I glued one of my bugs to the top—sort of my Queen Bug. I can bring my sample with me to help give the kids idea-starters

 

Writing Kid’s Poetry…..some ideas and suggestions to get you started:

By Jenny Whitehead (author of Lunch Box Mail and Other Poems)

1) Use a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus to come up with unusual rhymes and word solutions.

2) Read Shel Silverstein, Mother Goose, old and new kid’s poetry books for inspiration.

3) Brainstorm a poem direction:
--Try to capture a childhood memory
--Write about a childhood event from the perspective of a child
--Write from the point of view of something in a child’s life i.e. a snowman, the favorite toy that’s lost in his closet, the peas he won’t eat—how do they feel???
--take two unrelated words and try to combine them in a poem in some creative way i.e. sand and balloon or foot and Popsicle.
--write about siblings, parents, grandparents etc.—important people in a child’s life.
--think of a kid-related word—allowance, soccer, time-out, sleep-over, etc. and write a fun poem about that.
--talk about growing up or going to school or doing something scary like going to the dentist for the first time. Explore a kid’s feelings---think like a five-year old for awhile!
---kids LOVE humor and a little empathy.

4) Write out your poem in prose before trying to rhyme it so you can get your idea down from beginning to end without compromising what you are trying to say. Think of a good ending. It can have a twist, be funny or have an “ahh” factor, just make sure it’s satisfying to the reader.

5) The different forms of poetry include a couplet (two lines that rhyme) and a quatrain (a four-line poem that has a rhymes scheme like aabb, abab, abcb, abba, and are usually combined to create a long poem.) Once you have the meter in your head, make sure the words you choose fit it perfectly-that’s where the writing and rewriting come in! Don’t get frustrated—work on two poems at once and go back and forth . Your sub-conscious works out the problems of one while you’re working on the other. Think of it like a math problem you’re trying to solve. Use the thesaurus to come up with another word if the one you’re using isn’t working. Don’t fall in love with a word or rhyme if it’s holding you back.

6) To vary the types of poems you are writing (which is imperative in a collection) maybe think of a simple song or poem in your head and make up a new poem to that meter. It’s a good way to get a rhythm down that works.

7) When your poem is almost done, read it aloud or let someone else read it. Consider any suggestions they may have. Don’t defend your work---you wouldn’t be there to explain your poems to kids who read them in a book. They have to work solely on their own. I always listen to feedback on my poems. When someone else reads it fresh, they find things I may have never noticed. I like a poem to roll effortlessly off the tongue of the reader. I like the process to look simple even though it took hours and many sheets of scratch paper to do it! Remember your punctuation. You can decide how you will use commas, periods and capital letters to suit your poem the best.

Good-luck and most importantly, have fun with it. Writing poetry is like a tongue twister for the brain!

“CREATIVE THINKING IN THE WRITING PROCESS”

by Jenny Whitehead

 

(Be a writer ALL the time, not just when you are writing. Observe, be nosy, listen, take notes, research. First, buy several notebooks—small ones for your purse/pocket/car and larger ones for your desk or writing area. AND make a pot of “idea soup”, filling a container of some kind with any scraps (napkins, receipts, matchbook covers etc.) you’ve scribbled with ideas/names/descriptions etc. in your travels. Let them simmer while you work on other things. Keep adding fresh ingredients and serve up as needed!)

IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS---WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?

1) From your own childhood memories—go through old photos and letters and memorabilia. Write about what you know and love.
2) In the stories that you tell people over and over again.
3) Other people’s memories and life stories (only changed to protect the innocent!) Make conversation with people you don’t know (i.e. in line at store)
You never know what idea starters they may give you, even in the way they say “hello.”
4) From what the kids around you are learning at school (editors love to see a fun, innovative twist on an educational subject i.e. Scrambled States of America and Open Wide, Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller). Walk through the classrooms and hallways at the local school to see the projects and artwork and teacher aides on the wall for the age group you are targeting in your writing.
5) Browse through the library and book stores for unusual, yet familiar subjects
6) Find out why kids liked a particular book or disliked it—may give some insight into what kids are interested in reading about.
7) Go through magazines and look for pictures or words that speak to you. Cut them out and use them as a starting point for writing exercises.
8) People-watch at airports, restaurants, grocery stores, in your car—what are people’s stories? Give them names and histories and personalities, all jotted down in your notebook for future book/character ideas.
9) Sit in an empty room with no distractions and just think. Get lost in your own thought process and the quiet will come alive through your imagination.
10) Combine unrelated words (pineapple/chair) or characters (nun, auto mechanic) and see how you can weave a story that includes both. (Write some of these just for fun. It’s too daunting to think that everything you write has to be “publishable material.”) Compare one thing to another (“a tree is like an old man”)
11) Look through cook books, the dictionary, read newspaper articles, listen to song lyrics (country songs may be stories, love songs/children’s songs may be poems, rap music plays with sounds of words—alliteration, rhyme, meter--that can stretch your own writing style.), greeting cards, commercials, magazines fashions and hair styles. Go to museums (children’s, art, science) and research.
12) Use your heart and empathy to imagine the feelings of a lost child, a teething baby, someone who’s best friend just moved away. Explore the wide range of emotions. Give inanimate objects feelings (The Puddle poem) or animals human emotions (The Bug Hotel). Volunteer at a shelter or children’s hospital to get a new perspective.
13) Go somewhere you wouldn’t normally go—inside the bank instead of the drive- thru, in the kitchen of a restaurant, behind the stage at a play, and see how things work and what people do—could set the scene for a new story.
14) Watch how kids discover things we take for granted i.e. how a fan blows air or a light bulb works, seeing a cake rise in the oven, flying in an airplane for the first time, mixing two colors of paint to make a new color. Capture the experience and the emotion from their perspective.
15) Take a walk and look for things you normally don’t notice and then ask yourself questions —has anyone ever tripped on that sidewalk crack? Did they get hurt? What happened then? Who owns that stray dog? Where has he been and where is going? Will he ever be found? If so, how did he get lost? Is that grandfather there visiting his grandson from out-of-state or does he live in town?

Again, we’re writers all the time…not just when we are writing.

Some “FOOD FOR THOUGHT” about ideas:

• Don’t talk about your idea. Write it down first, otherwise you waste creative energy, and you risk a good idea being judged before it’s worked out.

• “The best ideas come from the work not from our head.” --David Melton
• (in other words, once you get something down on paper and break up that white space, your idea becomes like clay. You have something tangible to manipulate and work with and improve and add to.)

• After you’ve worked out your idea, take it to a critique group and brainstorm it for awhile. It may lead you to an ending you never would have come up with on your own. Or, it may assure you that your solution is working well. Letting someone else read your work instead of you may help you hear it more objectively.

• Push an idea as far as you can before you settle on it. Look at it from all angles. Don’t fall in love with one idea; have many in the works so constructive criticism or rejection doesn’t sting as hard.

• Sleep on an idea—a writing block at night can magically resolve itself in the morning.

Some Quotes to Chew On:

“I feel blocked less often, though it still happens. It’s important to try to write when you are in the wrong mood or the weather is wrong. Even if you don’t succeed you’ll be developing a muscle that may do it later on. -----John Ashberry (b. 1927)

“I save all my notebooks, and from time to time when I don’t know what I’m going to write, I read them over and find the first line of a poem which I started but couldn’t finish and sometimes I’m able to finish it. Nothing you write is ever lost to you. At some other level your mind is working on it. ---Erica Jong (b.1942)

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it is the only idea we have.” ---Alain