This afternoon we had a program at Pasadena Library about how to make a musical instrument–something that would produce not just noise, but definite pitches that you could change or manipulate. We learned about aerophones, chordophones, idiophones and membranophones, and then got a chance to make our own DIY instruments. […]
Tablets and Tech for Kids: an iPad toys open house!
Published on :We had a fun tech program for kids yesterday, a kind of open house for the iPad apps and toys we have acquired! We played with Wonder Workshop robots and Osmo game systems, toys that extend the two-dimensional screen of the iPad to three-dimensional play. Kids and parents had a lot […]
Kids’ Writing Workshop: Revising!
Published on :On Friday, May 8, we focused on revising using a multi-layered approach I playfully call “Miss AnnMarie’s Thirteen Steps to a Perfect Final Draft.” Is any final draft ever perfect? I don’t know… but if you follow these steps you WILL get about as close to perfect as is possible for […]
Kids’ Writing Workshop: Blackout Poetry!
Published on :April is Poetry Month, so last Friday our Kids’ Writing Workshop focused on blackout poetry. First I gave each kid a famous poem, by authors such as Shakespeare, Keats, Byron, Shelley, Dickinson, Poe, Kipling, Frost, and Silverstein. The kids had to read their poem first and get a feel for […]
What does being American mean to you? And how do you write about that?
Published on :The theme of this year’s One City, One Story short story writing contest is depicting what being an American means to you, or what your family’s story is, whether your parents or grandparents may have immigrated here, or what your experience has been in this country. That’s a tough subject […]
Shrinky Dinks Jewelry Feb. 11, 2014
Published on :Kids packed the Story Room at Central Library last Wednesday to make their own jewelry by drawing it on shrink plastic. They made bracelets, earrings, necklaces and keychains. The bracelets were a surprisingly popular option, particularly for boys, and I think I’ll need to buy some bracelet chains next time […]
Kids’ Writing Workshop: Unlocking Your Great Vision
Published on :Today’s Kids’ Writing Workshop was all about discovering and unlocking our visions for the great work that we want to write. First, we talked about some famous writers who gave the world a consistent vision. Charles Dickens wrote about poverty and greed in Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Roald […]
Getting your stories published
Published on :Our Kids’ Writing Workshop met today and learned all about the publishing process. To make things really easy and visual for them, I put together a packet of samples. A lot of beginning writers (especially kids) don’t understand what a good submission packet looks like and may get undue rejections […]
Kids’ Writing Workshop: Write This Book by Pseudonymous Bosch
Published on :Today the Kids’ Writing Workshop wrote exercises from Write This Book by Pseudonymous Bosch! Bosch (is that his REAL name??) will be coming to Pasadena on Dec. 13. Everybody got a “Save the Date” to help mark their calendars. He writes hilarious mysteries for kids and has a new book coming out […]
Crystals and Beads Jewelry Workshop
Published on :On Friday May 9, a dozen kids and their parents met in the Story Room at Central Library to create beautiful jewelry in our Crystals and Beads Jewelry Workshop! There was a wide range of ages, from 4 to 15, and the project was challenging for some but everyone came […]