Guest Blogger at Never Give Up Blog

“Guest Blogger at Never Give Up Blog” posted by Linda Martin Andersen

 “A Writer’s Playground”–A place to find wordplay, writing, and monthly calendar activities for kids and those young at heart.

Lucky me!  I am a guest blogger at Never Give Up Blog.  Thanks so much for asking me, Joan Y. Edwards.  You can find my interview here:

http://joanyedwards.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/interview-and-great-writing-tips-from-author-linda-martin-andersen/

Hope to see you there!

Children 14 years old or older may leave a comment.  Thanks for adhering to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA)  See:  http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

Copyright © 2014 Linda Martin Andersen

Imagine That! An Activity Book Giveaway by Janis Silverman, Guest Blogger

“Imagine That!An Activity Book Giveaway by Janis Silverman, Guest Blogger” posted by Linda Martin Andersen

 “A Writer’s Playground”–A place to find wordplay, writing, and monthly calendar activities for kids and those young at heart.

Did you know that January 25, 2014 is National Seed Swap Day?   When I read this, I thought:  Swap/trade a Seed.  Plant a Seed.  What does the expression to “plant a seed” mean?  http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/plant+a+seed defines “plant a seed” as “to do something that will develop more in the future.” 

I immediately thought of an author I know who encourages children to develop their imaginations.  I contacted Janis Silverman, author of  Imagine That!:  Imagery Stories and Activities and other book titles and she agreed to be a guest blogger here.  Learn more about Janis Silverman at these links:

Copyright Janis Silverman. 2014

Here is a link to her Amazon Books page http://www.amazon.com/Janis-L.-Silverman/e/B001K8HEEQ

Here is a link to her Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/JanisLSilvermanAuthor

Welcome Janis Silverman!

Thank you for agreeing to share one free activity from Imagine That!:  Imagery Stories and Activities on this post.  Is everybody ready?  Janis is…

Think Green!

You may be ready for spring, but it is still January!

You can imagine spring with the following guided imagery story, “Evergreen Spring.”

You will relax and connect with nature, the beauty of spring and be more open to the world around you.

Read “Evergreen Spring” aloud, very slowly, or ask an adult to read it to you.

 

Evergreen Spring 

Close your eyes and think of spring.

Green is everywhere.

Trees and shrubs bud and leaves appear.

The grass is a blanket of green underfoot.

Vines hang on arbors, sprouting new glossy green leaves and flowers.

Winter is gone, replaced with new plant life of amazing beauty.

You are dazzled with the wonder of spring.

You feel energized and hopeful.

You look forward to months of gorgeous green

Followed by summer fun.

See your connection with nature and life.

You feel alive and excited about each new day.

(Pause; sit a few minutes and picture spring.)

When you are ready, open your eyes.

Remember the beauty and wonder of spring.

You, too, are part of each spring.

Remember all of the images of Evergreen Spring.

Return to these images any time you want

To imagine spring time.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. How is spring important to you?

2. Try writing an analogy to spring or another season. Ex. Spring: green: Winter: white

3. How does the very beginning of spring make you feel?

4. Would you ever return to Evergreen Spring in winter? Explain.

Optional Activity: Leaf Collage

Materials: You will need two pieces of art paper, real or paper leaves made from colored construction paper, two pieces of lined paper, markers, glue  and a pencil.

Select a green leaf. Either trace the leaf or draw one. Cut it out of paper or cloth. Draw and cut out several more leaves, or use a variety of fresh leaves from outdoors to create a leaf collage. Arrange the leaves and glue them to the colored paper.

Follow-up Writing Activity: Write about how spring makes you feel in your journal, or write three to six words about spring on the collage. Share your collage and ideas with a friend.

To Be Registered to Win a copy of Imagine That!:  Imagery Stories and Activities, participate in the following activity: 

Living Plant Alliteration Activity: Think about the trees, shrubs and flowers that will soon bloom in your yard. Choose one of these plants. Write an alliteration sentence about this living plant. (Alliteration repeats the beginning sound of the plant).

Example: Red roses rise up the arbor.  or

Lily loves luscious light.   or

Maple makes miles of marvelous leaves.

 If you’d prefer, you may write a short poem about a living plant.

GIVEAWAY: Submit your alliteration sentence or short poem in the comment section of this blog.

If there are several submissions, Janis will draw a name for the winner on January 30, 2014. The winner of Imagine That! : Imagery Stories and Activities by Janis L. Silverman will be announced by February 1, 2014.  

You can find more of Janis Silverman’s books at her website   http://www.janislsilverman.com  and Amazon Books.  Here’s a title many parents, teachers, and counselors recommend:  

 Help Me Say Goodbye:  Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies.  

A final message from Janis:  I hope you enjoyed “Evergreen Spring” and the activities. Think Green! Spring will be here soon!

Janis L. Silverman, author

Thanks again, Janis.

As always, I thank you for visiting “A Writer’s Playground.”  Please stop by again soon and bring a friend.  

*Thank you Brownie Locks.com for January celebration information.  For more, check out: http://www.brownielocks.com/january.htm 

Children 14 years old or older may leave a comment.  Thanks for adhering to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA)  See:  http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

Copyright © 2014 Linda Martin Andersen