Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Pen Pals

When I was a kid, I had a pen pal from Korea. We wrote back and forth and sometimes we even exchanged gifts. I remember my pen pal sending me a book of popular Korean poems. It was fun knowing I had someone so far away to write to. They were interested in my country and I was interested in their country. Having a foreign pen pal is very educational. It is a great way for kids to share their ideas, feelings, jokes, recipes, or whatever they choose. It is a super way to sneak in writing practice too!

Here are a few sites you can check out for pen pals. Please practice safety when choosing a pen pal. The sites below are supposed to be safe sites, but examine their rules carefully. The last two charge some type of fee.




Thursday, January 5, 2012

Writing Prompts

Writing is sometimes a challenge for kids. Have many times have you heard, “I don’t know what to write!” Well, this month I am listing 20 writing prompts for you to use with your kids.

1. What do you think the world will be like in 25 years? Use examples.
2. If you could be any superhero, who would you like to be, and why?
3. Describe your best friend using only the letters in his or her name.
4. If you had to eat only one type of food forever, what would you choose, and why? Will you be able to survive?
5. If turtles could sing and dance, what songs would they sing, and what kinds of dances would they do?
6. If you were Jell-O pudding, what flavor would you be, and why?
7. What is the craziest game you’ve ever played? What made it so crazy?
8. Do you like your first name, why or why not? Does it fit your personality, why or why not?
9. Imagine that you are stuck inside a T.V. What will you do? What shows will you visit? How will you escape?
10. If you designed a video game, what would it be called, and how would it work
11. If you had an invisible magic helper, what would you have him or her do, and why?
12. Have you ever saved money for something important that you wanted? Did you meet your goal? Was it worth it?
13. Write a story about your future self getting your dream job.
14. Pretend you are going to travel back in time. Where will you go, and why? What will happen?
15. Imagine living life in the jungle. What will you do? How will you survive?
16. If you were a famous chef, what would you cook, and why?
17. If you met an alien, what would you want to ask him or her, and why?
18. What is the craziest idea you’ve ever had? Why was it crazy?
19. If you were a household appliance, what would you be? A vacuum? Microwave? Blender? Why?
20. If it suddenly began to rain food, what would you want the forecast to look like, and why?