Ever wanted to create a lively atmosphere at your school where kids are learning a bunch about writing and hopefully falling in love with the craft—and meeting some great authors, too? Some caring parents at Barnard Elementary recently invited me to participate and I wanted to share some highlights since it was so special.
For someone who loves writing, it was a bit like fairyland to step into that room. More than 200 kids over the evening were bustling between poetry and cartoons, book-themed dinner and desserts, creating characters while a talented artist drew them, and much more. The kids were treated to reading time with talented authors that showed their books and gave tips how to start crafting their own stories.
A team of talented parents headed by Sunny Park met together to brainstorm the games and plan the elements of each one. Here’s just a few:
- Poetry tea party – learn different kinds of poetry
- School paper article – pretend you’re on the school paper staff
- Search and dig for sight words – dig in a bin of rice for the right words
- Practice your letters in shaving cream
- Write a comic book – fill in the blanks of your favorite comics
- Bookmark crafts
- Learn to write a story – each child writes one sentence in a notebook, then you string it together
It was a great evening and special thanks to my friend Sonia Chin for the invite to participate. A little creativity, and a lot of planning and your school can invite local authors to connect. Authors get to sell their books and connect with readers, and the kids get to see what it’s really like bringing their ideas to life. My friend Christa Kinde even brought her family in T-shirts with her books on them!
For more photos, please stop by my author Facebook here:Facebook link
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