Dear readers,
We got buckets of snow last weekend in New York, so the beginning of February has turned into Brooklyn’s own version of the Winter Olympics—we have been jumping over mysterious slush puddles, climbing over unshoveled sidewalks, and balancing on icy front stoops. We hope you’re safe and warm wherever you are!
At the start of what can be a gray and dreary month, we thought we’d continue our Just for Fun series, sharing some of the small things that have brought us joy lately (if you haven’t seen Lizzie’s curiosity project on elephants, click here!).
My (Katrina) sister, Carly, is a caregiver for two brilliant kids in Boulder, CO. I’ve had the luck to get to virtually talk with V and Rocco about their writing over the past two years while they’ve been largely learning from home. It’s truly inspiring to see what kids can make when given total agency and a little guidance: these two writers have created touch-and-feel books about ocean animals, museum guides about deadly snakes, and at least one counting book about turtles. My favorite of their projects, though, came about when they visited the Boulder Public Library and discovered a Short Story Dispenser had been installed.
When you press a button on the machine, it prints out a little story! They have stories in English and Spanish, and stories for children that have pictures on them, too.
V and Rocco loved the short story dispenser, but they thought it had one flaw: they wished they could submit their own writing so other people could read it. So…they made one! They cut up some strips of paper, wrote their own stories, and then built their own dispenser out of Magnatiles. They spent hours creating and revising to bring their vision to life.
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There may not be a short story dispenser in your neighborhood, but maybe there’s a little free library at the coffee shop, a drag queen story hour at the library, or a guide to local birds posted in the park. Look for the ways literacy is showing up in your community, and invite your kids to take part in it.
And if you’re looking to reinvigorate your writing instruction, you might draw a little inspiration from V and Rocco. Here are a few ways this could look:
Take a pause from your scheduled scope and sequence and spend a little time on independent writing projects. You might invite kids to think about all the kinds of writing they’ve seen in the world, and then decide what they want to make. We’ve seen kids rise to the challenge of making comic books, alphabet books, bilingual fiction…one partnership even co-authored a guide to their favorite football team. The possibilities are endless! You could spend four weeks on this and really teach into various parts of the writing process and do some cool mentor text work, or you could spend just a few days in between units letting kids make whatever they want. It can be a game-changer for some kids!
Think about materials that might inspire kids during writing time. In any genre, using markers or colored pencils can help kids build stamina and add more precise detail. Making books out of blank paper, perhaps in different sizes, can allow kids more autonomy over what their books will actually look like. Post-its and small squares of paper can make great flaps to lift or fold out. Or maybe you bring out a basket of “bits”: scraps of fabric, cardboard, foil, or other materials that kids can use to add texture to their writing.
Invite kids to work collaboratively on writing projects. Whether it’s partners drafting a book together around a topic they both love or kids meeting in a “Comic Book Club” to share what they’ve been working on, collaboration can be a powerful way to boost engagement and talk.
Blur the line between play and writing. Invite kids to use toys, loose parts, or puppets to rehearse their writing or decide which details to add during revision. And try out one of our favorite sneaky moves: slip writing materials into the block shelf, dramatic play center, or any other play areas in your classroom. A pretend purpose for writing— a sign for the pretend doctor’s office, a label for the Lego car wash, or a menu for the imaginary beauty salon—can be just as real to kids as anything we set up for them inside of a writing unit.
How are you finding joy in your classroom this winter? Let us know what you try!
Stay warm and safe,
Katrina (and Marie and Lizzie)