Children writing stories. Introduction.

Each year Plateau School has for six weeks, one hour per week, an Enrichment period.

The sessions stretch from knitting, building robots, web pages, photography, painting, bush walks, designing, reading maps and whatever is different from the real school periods. Volunteers(mostly parents) show or help children to do things they have never tried before. Each child had to decide which session they would attend.

The sessions are the last hour of the day, on Mondays this year.

I volunteered to help them to write their own stories.

Eleven children are attending my sessions. Two boys and nine girls. They are in year four and five.

We started two weeks ago.

The first period was just an introduction to what they could expect.

I want them to write at least three stories. Then I’m going to help them to put it in a book with a cover, front page, content and maybe an introduction.

writing clipart

We started off by brainstorming the ideas what they are going to write about
Then the first sentence or paragraph to hook the reader into the story.
Next is the body or what happened.
Last paragraph, the ending where the story is rounded off.

The second period was the past week. I explained to them that writing a story is like making a sandwich. They had to tell me what they would need for the sandwich.

The top slice is the sentence in which they explain who is in the story and also to hook the reader in by just giving away a little bit of the story

The yummy middle part is where all the deliciousness lies. All the action of the story and then the bottom slice is where the main character wins the battle or is saved.

I am going to edit the stories just a little bit so that the pieces make sense. I received my first stories and am astounded by how good they are. I’m also going to put some stories on my blog to show how good they are.

Clip Art

At the end of the six weeks, I want to publish a book with all their stories in it. It could be a good Christmas present at the end of the year.

A & I Poetry Challenge: Reminder

I reblogged the information from https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/poetry-challenge-for-july-closing-soon/

Poetry Challenge for July closing soon

ForestwoodCommunity July 22, 2018 2 Minutes

A and I Poetry Challenge

Time is running out if you wish to join in for the month of July in the A and I Bilingual Poetry Challenge (running each month until October). Linkbacks to contributors will be posted next week. Leave a comment here, and tag your post as per instructions, to be included in the July roundup.

The prompt for July is:

Turn on the radio to any channel.

Write a poem inspired by the first thing you hear

(lyrics to a song, a commercial, etc.)

For the Afrikaans version of the Poetry Challenge, please visit Ineke at scrapydo2.wordpress.com

Full instructions on joining in with the Poetry Challenge, look here

A & I Poetry Challenge: July 2018

Our July Challenge:

Turn on the radio to any channel.

Write a poem inspired by the first thing you hear (lyrics to a song, a commercial, etc.)

Post it to your blog, prior to July 26, and include the Tag A and I Poetry Challenge, so that Amanda and I, (the hosts) can find your poem and comment.

Leave a comment on this post to indicate your interest in participation.

The A and I Poetry Writing Challenge has been running for several months and the poetic community grows each month.

(Click Here for a sample)

When formulating your poem, please keep in Mind:

The prompt is merely a suggestion if you need help getting started with ideas.

You may, write about whatever you choose and still tag our A and I Poetry Challenge so that other readers can find your poetry post.

A and I Poetry Challenge Instructions HERE

Read my Submission in my follow up post, tomorrow, together with links to the Poetry participants from the month of June, but first here are some Poetry Writing Tips:

Poetry Writing Tips from Allison

Don’t overdo prepositions, adjectives, and adverbs.
Use action verbs, not “to be” verbs
Help the reader interact with the poem.
Help the reader relate by focusing on particular objects, not generalizing a type of object (whether the object is physical, mental, or spiritual).
Find unusual subject matter — a teapot, a shelf, a wall
Keep a notebook with you at all times so you can write whenever (and wherever) inspiration strikes.
Sometimes it is a scratching secret, wanting out, wanting to be in the world but held back by fear. Either way there is something about the act of sharing with the world, however big or small that world might be, that completes the creative process.
If you want to capture a feeling that you experienced, then you don’t need these tips. Just write whatever feels right. Only you experienced the feeling that you want to express, so only you will know whether your poem succeeds.

Happy writing

Ineke

A & I Poetry Challenge. End of June

Poetry Challenge Entries for June Closing Soon

It is the final week of the Monthly Poetry Challenge for June.

Write a poem based on your own theme or the prompt given below, and post using the tag A and I Poetry Challenge. You have until Friday to be included in this months round up of entries.

The prompt is outlined below but perhaps you have another theme to present?

Leave a comment here so that Ineke and I can easily find your poem for this month.

Find instructions for joining in HERE

June Prompt

Write a poem about something small that is only 5 lines long. Write the same poem again and try to use concrete words.

Discuss which version you like best and why.

The prompt is merely a suggestion if you need help getting started with ideas.

You may of course, write about whatever you choose and still tag our A and I Poetry Challenge so that other readers can find your poetry post.

If you have the skill to read or write in Afrikaans, you can find Ineke’s contribution here:

https://scrapydo2.wordpress.com/2018/06/04/a-i-poesie-uitdaging-junie/ A and I Poetry Challenge

Amand and Ineke – A and I Poetry Challenge

(I copied and pasted this from Amanda’s reminder)

Memoirs: Superpower

Image result for superpower drawings

Superpower is a new term for our modern times. These powers could be people with iron hands, flying people, people who are robots and what else!

My “superpower” lies in my natural consciousness of winning people over. I first would watch the cat in the tree before I would jump in and help it.

Some examples:

While still in school my parents started farming with Saanen milk goats. I began my own stud while still studying. My first two ewes/nanny goats were two wild as could be goats. Fresh from the field. Never been handled by humans.

Image result for goats drawings

We lived near Pretoria on a smallholding. My Dad bought me two ewes from a farmer near Britstown. We had to go and pick them up, about a thousand kilometres from us. It was a good outing. We slept halfway and one night in Britstown, then straight back because we had the two animals in the back the UV.

The farmer brought the two ewes/nannies from the field the day before we arrived and locked them in the barn. When we had to load them, there was no way that the two would let us catch them. My “superpower” kicked in and I approached them slowly. I talked placately to them. In the end, they came to me on their own, and I could hold them one by one so that they could be picked up and put into the back of the UV. The farmer couldn’t believe his eyes!

Image result for rottweiler dogs drawings

The next was when I was looking for a house to buy. The realtor agent and I got out of her vehicle. She warned: “Do n’t go in the back. There are two dogs.” She had made an appointment to meet with the owners ahead of time. They were not at home.

“We could just peek over the fence between back and front.” We did. We moved still in the front to the other side of the house.

Guess what appeared around the corner? A huge Rottweiler. He made no sound. Just walked and stood at the front door. Then all hell broke loose when we dared to go further. Dog number two stormed around corner barking feverishly.

The first dog also came menacingly closer.

The agent who was standing behind me made a beeline out the gate. I quietly stood still with my handbag as protection in front of me. As soon as I moved the dogs came closer growling. When I stopped, they’ll stop too.

The agent kept on: “Ineke, get out. Run! “

NO WAY, my ‘super feeling’ said:” Run, and they will grab me.”

Inch by inch, I moved backwards. Each time calming the dogs.

It was a relief when I stood outside the gate, and the two were barking at us from behind the closed gate.

Afterwards, I was grateful that there had been no holes or bumps along the escape route. Can you imagine what could have happened?

Image result for child afraid drawing

Then in today’s world, I deal with five-year-old children who don’t want to be at school, let alone early in the morning before school and afternoons too.

Sometimes, especially in the beginning, my “superpower” won’t kick in. I have to hold the child and speak in an angry voice: Don’t run after your dad or don’t go outside.

My last one at the moment is a little girl of five. She clung to her father and hiding behind him. I could see in her eyes how frightened she was. To make a long story short. My superpower won at the end. I’ve got her in my bag(pocket). She even now runs from the gate to me. Not even waving goodbye to her father. The first she’ll grab an iPad. I have to sit next to her and help her choose the right letters to make words. I have a terrible finger which frequently wants to type the wrong answers. Then it comes from her:”Naughty finger! Don’t you dare!” She would chase him away and keep an eye on it so that it can’t be naughty again.

My Super strength is definitely in Courage, Cheerfulness and calmness of spirit.

A and I Poetry Challenge no 2: April 2018

April Poetry Challenge and Poetry Tips

The A and I Poetry challenge is jointly hosted by Amanda and Ineke and is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will run from March to October 2018. We will share tips, offer a monthly prompt and post link backs to your published Poetry posts.

Please scroll down to see April’s poetry writing tips.

Instructions for joining are on the Poetry Challenge Page. You are very welcome to enter.

You can write any kind of poem that you like, as the prompt is merely a suggestion. Write in any language you like; it certainly doesn’t have to be in English. As this is a joint challenge with Amanda and me (Ineke), I will also post the challenge in Afrikaans on my blog, so if that language suits you better, visit me here.

N.B. Please leave a comment here if you wish to be included in the Pingbacks for this month.

Poetry Challenge – April Prompt:

Write a poem that begins with the last thing you can remember someone saying to you yesterday. So if you can use that line two to three times throughout your poem.

Here is my Poem for April,

Same time, same place

My good friend Jan and I

Same time; same place

Tuesdays every week

For about two years now

Same time; same place

Morning tea meeting

And greeting.

Drinking, eating

Coffee and Almond cake for Jan

And

English breakfast tea plus

Savoury sconce for me.

Chatting

Exchanging ideas

Great friendship.

Always the day before

Same time; same place

Just making sure

not to miss out.

Ineke 2018
I can’t wait to read what you come up with this month. Don’t forget to link back to this post, and leave a link and comment here so Amanda and Ineke can find your post.

Poetry Tips

Write poetry as often as you can.
Designate a special notebook (or space in your notebook) for poetry writing.
Embrace metaphors but stay away from clichés ( I find this especially difficult!)
Don’t be afraid to write a bad poem. You can write a better one later.
Don’t back away from your thoughts or feelings. Express them!

Poetry Techniques – Metaphor and Simile

Whilst there are many different styles for writing poetry, you may find one or more works for you. No matter what style or techniques you use, a poem can reach people in ways that other text can’t. It might be abstract or concrete but often it conveys strong emotions. Some common techniques used in poetry are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor. Using metaphor and similes will bring imagery and concrete words into your writing.

The difference between simile and metaphor is explained here:

A metaphor is a statement that pretends one thing is really something else:

Example: “The lead singer is an elusive salamander.”

This phrase does not mean that the lead singer is literally a salamander. Rather, it takes an abstract characteristic of a salamander (elusiveness) and projects it onto the person. By using metaphor to describe the lead singer, the poet creates a much more vivid picture of him/her than if the poet had simply said “The lead singer’s voice is hard to pick out.”

Simile

A simile is a statement where you say one object is similar to another object. Similes use the words “like” or “as.”

Example: “He was curious as a caterpillar” or “He was curious, like a caterpillar”

This phrase takes one quality of a caterpillar and projects it onto a person. It is an easy way to attach concrete images to feelings and character traits that might usually be described with abstract words.[Credit: Relo Pakistan]

Note: A simile is not any better or worse than a metaphor. The point to remember is that comparison, inference, and suggestion are all important tools of poetry; similes and metaphors are merely one of the tools in your poetry writing toolbox that will help.

Amanda did all the writing. Thanks to her for doing the hard work.

Enjoy “testing out” the challenge.

Ineke

For more info visit my March post here:

https://scrapydo2.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/a-and-i-poetry-challenge-first-months-poems/

March Challenge poems

Thanks, Hester for doing the challenge in Afrikaans and English

https://www.hesterleynel.co.za/2018/03/09/aandipoetrychallenge-march-2018-this-day/

5 April: I forgot to press publish! Sorry all!

All done: My book is live now.

My book is on the market as an eBook and paperback.

Paperback link:

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Me-Memoir-African-Zealand/dp/1978228155/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517350723&sr=1-1

I hope you will enjoy reading about a young girl migrating from the Netherlands to South Africa. This book is about the first six years of my life.

The second volume will be About me growing up in South Africa during the early 1950s up to where I started my first teaching job late 1960s.

NEARLY READY TO GET PUBLISHED

Excitement in the Kruger household!

My little book of Memoirs is three days away to be printed for real!

Only one page to change and then it will be out into the wild world.

I’ll keep you informed!

Cover page? Which one looks best?

At last!

I am nearly ready to print my book. It is going to be about my time still in the Netherlands. We immigrated to South Africa in the beginning of 1952. My sixth birthday happened on the ship. I remember a few snippets from my early time in the Netherlands.

I went back in 1974 to revisit my birthplace. What an adventure to see everything through the eyes of a grown up.

I would appreciate it if you could give me advise and comment on the two cover pages.

Which one looks the best?

What about the font of the writing?

Clear enough?

Remembrance

Like Jesus, every human being has enough memories in his past to occupy his time and thoughts continually. It is not the remembrance of these incidents but the reliving of them that creates havoc in our souls. Mother Angelica
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/remembrance.html

REMEMDER!

Unbelievable! After 25 years, I am standing here, looking at the ruins of the rehabilitation centre.

The entrance is dilapidated. Seized with emotion, tears of affection roll down my cheeks. Deep within me, memories churn and tangle around. My thoughts are a vortex of anxiety, sadness, despair, and yet at the end victory.

January 2, 19 … Soft hands helped me up. The hands put me into the waiting vehicle. I felt tired, so tired and nauseous. I did not want to live. A soft voice kept on calming me down. The voice, soft and reassuring, kept on talking to me.

It’s a long ride. Each turn made me feel as if I were tumbling over the edge. Deep into the mountains and high on a hill the vehicle came to a sudden halt. The door opened. I fell out like a bag of potatoes from the vehicle. Again the soft hands and voice. People lead me into the building. It smelled of clean floors. The smell of freshly cooked food sickened me. When did I last have a decent meal? I couldn’t remember. I had to get my bottle. What did I do with it? I got mad with anger. I trembled from head to toe. Strong hands took a firm hold on both my shaky arms. They took me through corridors and around corners. Suddenly I heard a door opening. In front of me a bed, a pillow and blanket. The hands pushed me down onto the bed. They left. I could not stop shaking. Everything faded away. I flopped, onto the bed.

Many days later I woke up. My head was still aching, but the shaking was gone. They transferred me to a dorm with eight other people. The room was airy and clean. My roommates showed me systematically where everything was.

I can remember that there were three wings each with passages and small single rooms and at the end of each a dorm with eight beds. The passages were divided into two wings, with a kitchenette and bathroom on both sides of the passage in the middle.The kitchenette had a kettle, some cups and a small fridge. We could make our coffee or tea which the hospital provided.

There were small enclosures between the wings of the building. Inmates could sit outside and breathe fresh air. Everything was secured down. There was no opportunity for any escape.

As each person improved, they each gradually got more freedom.

A fully furnished recreation room provided hours of fun for the patients. Every person had some chores to do. Cooking, cleaning, gardening later. In the end, persons were led to live a better life again. After two years of rehabilitation, I could go back into the community, rehabilitated and well. Clean of alcohol and drugs, and here I stand again, looking at the ruins of the hospital which I am going to enter in a moment from now. It hurts to look back at that time, but I am grateful for the soft voice and hands that brought me here that day twenty-five years ago.