Getting Stronger ...

Had a great Session 2 with the Young Writers yesterday!  All five of those from Session 1 two weeks ago did return - I am delighted to say - and two new members came along as well!  They all seemed to settle very quickly to the task in hand - which was to write a short report on their favourite books, story or TV show.  As before I was on  hand to help out if they got stuck, and I had taken along a selection of my own published books for them to look at for ideas.  All five from Session 1 handed in their  completed assignments which I shall go through over the next few days.  And I have also thought of a much better system for myself to keep tabs on where they are on the Certificate Trail and this information will be available for the children or their parents to look at if there is any confusion about where they have got to.  Don't forget they need to hand in four completed assignments to get their Red Certificates but - and this is also important - they do not have to do the assignments given to them if they don't feel like it.  It might be several sessions before they manage all four but once they do, that is when the Certificate will be awarded.  I wanted this to be the way it works because I am very anxious for them not to confuse the Writing Group sessions with schoolwork.  The whole idea is that they write because they want to because that is when they will be at their most spontaneous - so mums and dads, please do not worry too much about it if they don't always want to join in.  Naturally once competitions are introduced they will have closing dates to work to but at this point in time, it is very important that the enjoyment factor is retained.  Thanks for your support in this!

At the end of the session I handed out the Blue Membership Certificates and it is important these are kept safe - maybe even displayed in their room or somewhere in the home - so that they can be proud of what they achieve.  The assignment set was to write about a hobby they particularly enjoy and hopefully, by the next session, I will have a list of what we will start tackling from April onwards, which I can hand out to the parents at the end of the next session.  And, as I said yesterday, please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions on this blog because I want us all to get the very best out of this group and your input is very welcome!  Finally I can confirm the next session will be on 5th April and the following sessions will be:
12th April
26th April
3rd May
17th May
31st May
14th June
28th June
Please note that the two April ones are close together to accommodate Easter which falls on  the weekend of the 18th when I am actually away for a few days - as many of you possibly are, too.  Generally the idea is two sessions a month - or as close to fortnightly as possible.

The library staff are being incredibly supportive in all this and at the moment we are already considering an exhibition of the children's work later in the year - then maybe next year - if all goes well - we can look at another book showcasing their talents.

So thank you to all the young writers for coming along and to all you parents for bringing them and waiting so patiently.  Have a lovely couple of weeks and I will see you on the 5th!   And keep an eye on this blog just in case anything else comes up.