100 Reasons to Be Thankful–reblogged

 “100 Reasons to Be Thankful”–reblogged from Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s post.  Thanks Amy!

Have you ever seen a display made by kindergarten students, with a little help from parents, to celebrate their 100th Day of School?  If not, you are missing a treat.  Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s post centers on that topic.  Enjoy!

http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2015/02/100-reasons-to-be-thankful.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amylv%2FGmZc+%28The+Poem+Farm%29

Amy also shared an npr interview with Tarak McLain, a kindergarten student in 2009.   I can only say, “Out of the mouths of babes.”  This I Believe

What would be one of your top ten beliefs?  Please leave a comment.  Come again soon and bring a friend.

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

 

Sometimes My Revisions Take So Long That if I Were Cinderella…

“Sometimes My Revisions Take So Long That If I Were Cinderella…” by Linda Martin Andersen

Looking for help with revision skills?   Meg Miller can help.

Have you heard of ReviMo?  Every January, Meg Miller organizes a revision challenge for writers.  She follows up with more posts in February.

http://megmillerwrites.blogspot.com/p/revimo-2015.html

For more revision help, check out Jennifer Swanson’s Petite ReviMo February post below.   Want to be entered in a drawing for a free picture book critique? 

http://megmillerwrites.blogspot.com/2015/02/petite-revimo-february-with-jen-swanson.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FuUaxQ+%28Meg+Miller+Children%27s+Book+Writer%29

Here’s the comment I left at this blog about my revision skills: 

“Sometimes my revisions take so long, that if I were Cinderella, my gown would be too small to wear to the ball.”

How about you? 

What book character can you use in an analogy to describe your revision process?

What is an analogy? http://examples.yourdictionary.com/analogy-examples-for-kids.html

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/analogy-examples-in-literature.html

What is your favorite part of revision?

Please leave a comment.  Come again soon and bring a friend.

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

National Donor Day

“National Donor Day” by Linda Martin Andersen

copyright http://www.giftofhope.org/

My Motto for Today:  Good information.  Pass it on!

• A friend shared this announcement on Facebook.  To learn more check this website:

http://www.giftofhope.org/

• This same friend recently posted this newspaper article on Facebook.  Thanks, Mona!

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-organ-transplant-years-saved-20150129-story.html.

Here are some of the share lines from the Los Angeles Times article:

• “Organ donors’ generosity added 2,270,859 years to the lives of transplant recipients, study says
• Heart transplant patients got an extra 4.9 years of life, on average, thanks to organ donors
• Study shows that kidney and pancreas transplants don’t merely extend lives, they save them.”

A fact from the article I’d like to emphasize:  ” All of this good news was tempered by one statistic, however: only 48% of patients sick enough to be put on the UNOS waiting list are able to get new organs, according to the study.”

If you’d like to know more about National Donor Day, check out these sites:

http://www.donoralliance.org/events/2015/2

Statistics: 

http://donatelife.net/statistics/

Today’s a great day to research organ, eye, tissue, and blood donation.   Need some general information?  Check here:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/organ-donation-facts

http://www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html?gclid=CLHl8_LzysMCFdNj7Aodtw8AdA

Follow up with a family discussion.  Kids:  What are your questions?  Adults:  What are yours?  Consider having a follow-up discussion in a few days or a week.  It takes time to process serious information.

Now what?

Please leave a comment.  Come again soon and bring a friend.

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

 

 

With Love Up to Your Chin

“With Love Up to Your Chin” by Linda Martin Andersen

Yes, this is the month of love.  After reading Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s latest blog post, I wanted to share about her recent school visit.  Just reading it, made me want to curl up with a word blanket.

Enjoy!

http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2015/02/friendship-writing-from-words-writing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amylv%2FGmZc+%28The+Poem+Farm%29

Imagine being a visiting author and seeing this upon arrival!  Children from Wealthy Elementary School in East Grand Rapids, MI and their art teacher, Peri denDulk made the word blanket below.  Isn’t it breathtaking?

copyright by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater 2015

The theme for this word blanket is friendship.  If you were planning a word blanket creation, what theme would you base the project on?  Have you ever made a class quilt with students?  I know a teacher who did.  A parent volunteer sewed the squares for them.  The finished quilt was lovely and hung on the wall of the classroom.

Thanks for visiting “A Writer’s Playground.”  I hope you’ll leave a comment here or on Amy’s blog post. 

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

Jump Back Jack

“Jump Back Jack” by Linda Martin Andersen

February 2, 2015 is World Wetlands Day.  In recognition of this day, I’d like to share a story about a severe rainstorm that flooded my backyard last month.  (My brother took the photo below on an earlier date.  Thanks, Jim!)

Copyright Jim Martin

We live on a creek which sometimes overflows its banks and fills an area that used to be a mill pond.  Thank goodness our house sits on a hill and flood waters have never reached it.  Although flooding is not desirable, it increases nature sightings.  Here’s one my husband observed:

A crow stood on the outside perimeter of our flooded yard.  Something jumped out of the water and the crow jumped back.  “Jump back Jack!” (my response)  The crow stood still for a second, maybe to regain his breath, and then flew away.

What about you?  Do you stand on the outside perimeter, “Jump back Jack,” or dive on in?  Words to Think On.

When I hear the words, “Jump Back Jack,” I am reminded of Mitch Capel, a storyteller, known as Grandaddy Junebug  http://www.gjbug.com/

He has his audience repeat this line, “Jump back Honey, jump back.”  What do the words, “Jump back” make you think of?

Please leave a comment below.  Thanks for visiting “A Writer’s Playground.”  I hope you’ll return soon and bring a friend.  I also encourage you to research mill ponds and visit one near you. 

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm