Hello everyone. I must say that things have really changed since Addiscombe Young Writers began having sessions at the local library. And - even though there is only between six and eight members at each session - I have to admit, the changes are very positive. Being in such a conducive setting really seems to help the children to focus - PLUS it means I can give them more one to one attention, which I think, helps to boost their confidence. On top of that, at the end of the two most recent sessions, I have had enquiries from interested parents who were just passing through and happened to catch a session in action. This is great news. It means that not only are people hearing about us, they are actually seeing how we work!
Another thing that seems to be working really well is the introduction of the new style worksheets. These little gems are giving the sessions real structure and I only wish I had thought to introduce them sooner. All this positivity of course, takes absolutely nothing away from the way the sessions used to work. It was great having twelve to sixteen (and sometimes twenty or more) children turning up to each session - but it did mean I could only really work effectively with the group as a whole, rather than on the more individual basis enjoyed by the members now. In those early days back in 2012, it was all brand new, unknown territory to me. I had no guidelines to follow, there were no how-to books available. All I really had to work from were a few comprehensive courses I had run for adults, half a dozen workshops I'd run for children and a junior reporter club, from when I was running a weekly column in the local paper. Two years on, I have learned a great deal about how to get the best out of this group and these young writers and I am so proud of how far it has come! So thank you very much for your continued interest and support. I really could not do this without you in the background; you are an amazing bunch!
This week we started looking at poetry, from its very roots hearing nursery rhymes as toddlers. I gave the members a sheet with a dozen or so words on and asked them to think of as many rhyming words as they could for each one. I was taken by complete surprise - and, if I'm honest, a healthy portion of humble pie - when I saw some of their suggestions! And the one word I thought would be most difficult for them to contend with (horse) turned out to be the one that sprouted the most rhyming words. The assignment was then to write a brand new poem using some of their suggestions. If they can do this by the next session that would be great. But - if they would rather stick to a story for the time being then that is okay too. Whatever they are writing, the very key lies in their enjoyment of writing.
I have finally got a date for the exhibition of work. This will be in October and I will tell you more about it in the next blog-post. In the meantime, the next session is on 7th June and I very much look forward to seeing you there.
