a just-for-fun story

this is what comes out when my daughter is in the mood to make up a story and the story can be about whatever she wants it to be (i had to ask her to slow down a couple times because i couldn't write as fast as she could create):

bill was going to australia. then he saw the sea. he brought his bathing suit and swam in it. then he went and found a home in australia. he had spiderman shoes and green, white, and striped shirts. he had everything he needed.

then he went outside and he was wearing his striped shirt, spiderman shoes, and blue pants. he stopped in the middle of the road and saw a cat and a butterfly going across the street. then he went inside and slept and slept and slept. then he had breakfast, looked out the window, and saw snow falling down. he wore his coat, gloves, long sleeves, and pants. he wore socks and a hat and boots and earmuffs. then he built a snowman and stopped for a second.

he saw a penguin going into an igloo! he tried to catch the penguin to see him. then what he saw at once was people ice skating. so he ice skated, too. then when the snow was done he got tired, went home, and went to bed.

the end

happy story-writing!

storytime

(rachel looked at a picture of 2 boys in a forest looking at a tree that had been cut down but wasn't falling. this was the result.)

A Strange Day

By Rachel P. Wade

One day, Lucas and Jackson went to a forest. Lucas cut down a tree with an ax. Then he laid down on the ground because he was so tired. But the tree didn't fall. It was still standing up! They thought it was strange. Lucas said, "Why is it standing up?" Then Jackson said, "Because Jesus is holding it."

The End

the latest installment from my budding author

the assignment: write a story about the day you woke up and were only 2 inches tall.

the result is as follows:

one day, i was two inches tall. i found a teeny white balloon and then a big pink balloon. then i found the biggest orange balloon and tried to make steps out of the balloons. then there was a huge big balloon that was purple. i walked on the balloons and the white one popped. i fell down and the dragon stepped on me because i was little.

i got up and climbed the tallest bunk bed. then i climbed down with teeny pink flowers from my bunk bed, and found a purple jewel for my mommy on lucas's bed. then i ate a strawberry from the kitchen and then i was growing like lucas. then i put some beautiful clothes and shoes on.

the end.

now that's a story. this is only our second attempt at full-out writing our own story, but i already noticed such a big difference in her confidence and ideas. i had to prod her to think of what's next after every sentence during our first attempt. this time around was more about holding her back and keeping her on track. (things were getting far too princessy and not having anything to do with being two inches tall.) to reiterate, she comes up with the story and i act as the scribe.

i hereby decree another successful homeschooling day complete!

what can you create with your kids today?

can 4-year-olds write?

and i don't mean print their letters, i'm talking about composing a story or a short how-to article (oh heck, even a blog post!). well, i've been introduced to the fact that just since my 4 year-old can't write independently, does NOT mean she can't create and "write" stories.

last week in our language arts time, we looked at a picture. the picture was of a boy and a robot sitting on a porch step, and the boy was reading a card that said "i love you." (also, the robot had a door in his belly-region.) after talking about the details of the picture, i started asking questions. "where did that robot come from?" "where are they?" "what do the boy and the robot like to do together?" "what do you think will happen next?" and what do you think happened? a story was born.

Lucas and the Robot

by Rachel P. Wade

Once upon a time, Lucas made a robot in the kitchen out of wood, so he could have a friend. They would play hide and seek, puppets, the catching game with Swiper, and the watching game with puppy.

One day, there was a birthday party for Lucas. They played a heart card game, they danced, and had a picnic. Rachel, Andie, Chuck, Ebru öğretmenim [translation: my teacher, Ebru], Dora, Logan, and 20 beş yaş [5 year old] friends were there.

After the party the robot made a card for Lucas and hid it in his belly. They went outside and sat on the stairs and the robot gave him the special card.

Lucas grew up to be a king, and wore a special necklace. Robot's picture was in it, and when Lucas would say "why are you in there, robot?" robot would come out to play. Lucas said, "I love you, robot."

Rachel was the knight's daughter. She was wearing a green dress and dancing with Lucas. And they stayed there for a long time and played together. And when it was time to go home, she waved her magic wand and made hot air balloon shoes. She put them on, buckled them up, and went home.

The End.

all i did was ask questions, help her keep the order straight, and act as her scribe. it was a time of lots of giggling, dreaming, and imagination. can you write a story with your child today?

(and who wouldn't want a pair of hot air balloon shoes??)