Category Archives: Family Activity

Creative Writing Workshops

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I’m pleased to be offering these writing workshop sessions for 7-11 year olds next week at my favourite book shop, the All Good Bookshop in Turnpike Lane.

Each session will be different focusing on a topic that leads into a story or poem.
That means you can book one day or all four. Children don’t need to bring anything as paper and pencils will be provided. If you want to pack a snack for them, that’s fine just no nuts please.

Sessions last an hour from 10:30 to 11:30am Monday to Thursday.

I have been DBS checked.

You can book here: https://allgoodbookshop.co.uk/order-books-1/ols/products/7-11-creative-writing-workshop

Cool Poetry

Some sessions focused on poetry using a refrain about a friend who is an alien monster. The children produced some cool poetry.

Aurelia’s Poem
Aurelia’s Poem

Odd Bod

My friend is a little bit odd
He has the most unusual bod

His legs are so spindly and long
His face is black as soot
As for his hair
Well he just doesn’t care

My friend is a little bit odd
He has the most usual bod

He smells so bad
He has big ears
Eats so viciously
And out of his head
Comes antennas so big

AUREILA

My friend is a little bit odd
He has the most unusual bod

He was eating all the maths books at 9:54
Can’t show his head because it’s dusty
In a certain way
Because he’s old

My friend is a little bit odd
He has the most unusual bod

He is so bad at brushing his hair
He looks like a wild bear
He can’t bear it
He can’t say his prayers

TED

POEM: Darksiders

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Moon above
Sellotaped wings
Plastic fangs
Night kings
Little witches
In a line
Waiting for the clock
To chime
Bobbing apples
In a bowl
A sweet treat
Is your goal
Pumpkins with
Toothy grins
Light the path
Of the twins
Black cats
Furry spiders
Tickle the faces
Of the darksiders

This poem was inspired by the annual Hallowe’en celebrations in my road. Watching my children and neighbour’s kids get dressed up in homemade costumes to go Trick Or Treating. One of my favourite times of year, ushering in Autumn and dark nights.

Write-30 No.62

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Write 30

Free Choice.

Write about anything you want. It could be about your day, about a TV programme, a computer game, in fact anything you want.

STUCK?   Try this idea: The hardest thing I have ever done is…

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.61

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Man and woman sitting on white box

Nightmare.

What is the worst nightmare you ever had? Where did events take place? Were you in it? How did you feel during it? How did you feel after it?

STUCK?   Try this story starter:
It was the worst nightmare I ever had EVER! Worse than the one about the monster under the bed. Even worse than that time…

What’s next?

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.60

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Man and woman sitting at table

Spell Binding.

Imagine your parents are wizards and witches and you are told never to go down to the cellar. What happens when you sneak down? What happens when you open their spell book?

STUCK?   Try this story starter:
We had always been told never to go down to the cellar, Fantasima and I, but like all kids told never to do something by their parents that just made you want to do it, to find out what all the fuss was about, what the big secret is. And our parents already had a fairly big secret. Dad is a Wizard (Grade 2) and mum a witch (Grade 1 with honours) so whatever was down there would be good.
It was their fault really. They shouldn’t have left us alone to go to a friends’ house for a coffee and cake. I know it was only for an hour but a lot can happen in an hour. It wasn’t my idea to go down there, I swear, it was Fantasima. But of course she would not get blamed, never the youngest.
Anyway, she had sneaked the key down and came to me and said, with that mischievous twinkle in her eye, waving the key before me, ‘What do you think?’

What happens next?

DID YOU KNOW? There is a book about a couple of children transported to another world called Narnia by magical rings. It is called The Magician’s Nephew by C.S.Lewis.

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.59

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man, woman, and children on sofa

The Inspection.

Imagine the government makes a rule that all families must be inspected once a year by Home Inspectors. What would they make of your family? What comments would they write about each person in your family? Who would get top marks?

STUCK?   Try this starter:
When I expected the family I was quite shocked. I found the eldest child in their bedroom…

What happens next?

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.58

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Man standing on black rock formation during night time

Perfect World.

What would your perfect world look like? What would be in it? How would the people behave? Where would everyone live? What would a normal day be like?

STUCK?   Try this story starter:
Lots of people have different ideas about what the perfect world would be like. If I was in charge, the supreme boss of Earth, then everything would be…

What happens next?

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.57

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Write 30

Free Choice.

Write about anything you want. It could be about your day, about a TV programme, a computer game, in fact anything you want.

STUCK?   Try this idea: Pick a place, an object, and then a person from a book. Write about them.

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No. 56

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Person in black pants and brown hiking shoes sitting on brown ro

Time Shift.

Imagine you get sucked into a time vortex and find yourself back in the past. What time do you find yourself in? Who do you meet? What do you do? How do you get home?

STUCK?   Try this story starter:
I’ve always hated Wednesdays. nothing good happens on a Wednesday. It is the middle of the week so you know you still have three days to go to school and you have double maths. What’s worse is there is nothing that good on telly. You’ve worn out Netflix and the only good programme is on late when you have to be in bed cos it’s ‘a school night.’
Last Wednesday was no different. I was sat in maths drawing Venn diagrams. i like Venn diagrams. It’s one of my things. I don’t like long addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Too straight. too linear. I like curves. I was taking time drawing a Venn with three circles when the lead broke on my second favourite pencil. The one with Darth Vader on given to me by Aunt Petunia on my eleventh birthday two years ago. So I headed to the cupboard where the electric sharpener is kept only for a large swirling black hole with bands of electric shooting out to appear right in front of me. This must be cos it’s Wednesday, I thought.

What happens next?

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.

Write-30 No.55

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Brown ship

Pirate.

Imagine you are a pirate. What is your fearsome name? What is the name of your ship? What treasure do you seek?
(You could draw a treasure map to help).

STUCK?   Try this story starter:
‘Get a man up to the crow’s nest to look out for land!’ yelled Captain Claw to the first mate of the Twisted Princess, the most fearsome ship on the seven seas.
It was so close. Captain Claw could almost taste the gold in the air. For three years he had sought the fabled treasure of Red Jake. He had dispatched many a pirate to get the map and now it was his. And no one was going to get in his way.
‘Land ahoy!’ came the cry from the crow’s nest.
Claw put the looking glass to his good eye. There it was: Skull island.

What happens next?

(You could draw a treasure map to help).

DID YOU KNOW? There is  a famous book about a pirate called Long John Silver, a boy called Jim and the search for treasure. It is called Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

What is Write – 30?
Write – 30 is a daily activity where you write non-stop for twenty minutes then check and edit your work for 10 minutes. You will be asked to write about different subjects and in different forms.

The writing should be done on lined paper in pencil if possible. Edit and check the work in pen. If you don’t have paper and pencil, use what you can. Even a computer.

Finding it difficult? What you can do to help:

  • Always sit/work in the same place
  • Always use the same writing tools
  • Always turn the TV off
  • No talking – it distracts thinking
  • Always listen to the same piece of classical music when writing.
  • Always set yourself a goal: count the number of words. Try to beat that number the following day.