Huge thanks to everyone who came to the final Young Writer session of 2017 and for all your lovely presents!
It was a nice gentle session with a couple of quizes and lots of time to chat and socialise. I thanked all the children for their hard work and all the mums, dads and grans for their continued support - none of this would be possible without all of you to keep things ticking over.
It has been a good year for the Young Writers. We regularly have 15 or more members in attendance and there has been lots of certificate, prizes and awards along the way. The Picnic in the Park was a big success, as was the Fire Station trip and there was a good response to the summer challenge of writing a holiday diary so well done to everyone.
All that remains to be said is have a great Christmas and New Year break and I will see you all on 13th January.
Lots of love
Jilly
Saturday 23 December 2017
Saturday 25 November 2017
Excellent!!
Pleased as punch to have fifteen Young Writers at this morning's session including three Newbies. I thought I would challenge their imaginations today by taking in ten small Trigger Objects. The children were able to hold them, scrutinize them and pass them around and were then encouraged to write either a story or a poem about one or more of them. I made it clear that anything they did today would be the first draft which meant they could make as many mistakes as they liked as long as they could then utilise their ideas into a final polished draft. This is their Assignment in time for the next session on 9th December. We then have just one more session this side of Christmas which will be the following week (16th) after which the group will go on its Christmas break until the first session in Janary on the 13th.
For the benefit of the Newbies I will explain again how the Certificate Trail works. Upon returning after their initial visit, they will receive their Blue Membership Certificate. After that they can start working their way through the trail by handing in completed Assignments. After four they will get their Red Certificate, after a further four, their Purple and after the next four, their Rainbow. The Rainbow is the Highest Award in the trail and they will be rewarded with a book that is designed to help them develop their Creative Writing. Once they reach that, they then go into Band Two (ie Red Band Two, Purple Band Two etc) and when they reach their second Rainbow, they will get a trophy and if they stay long enough and work their way up to their third Rainbow, they will receive a further trophy. The trail is designed to give them a sense of responsibility and commitment as well as the opportunity to mark their achievements.
I am hoping to organise an Exhibition next spring and I will come back to you about this after I have spoken to the Library team. There may also be the occasional competitions if I have time to devise them and, hopefully, one or two special events, so keep an eye on the blog.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the 9th!
For the benefit of the Newbies I will explain again how the Certificate Trail works. Upon returning after their initial visit, they will receive their Blue Membership Certificate. After that they can start working their way through the trail by handing in completed Assignments. After four they will get their Red Certificate, after a further four, their Purple and after the next four, their Rainbow. The Rainbow is the Highest Award in the trail and they will be rewarded with a book that is designed to help them develop their Creative Writing. Once they reach that, they then go into Band Two (ie Red Band Two, Purple Band Two etc) and when they reach their second Rainbow, they will get a trophy and if they stay long enough and work their way up to their third Rainbow, they will receive a further trophy. The trail is designed to give them a sense of responsibility and commitment as well as the opportunity to mark their achievements.
I am hoping to organise an Exhibition next spring and I will come back to you about this after I have spoken to the Library team. There may also be the occasional competitions if I have time to devise them and, hopefully, one or two special events, so keep an eye on the blog.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the 9th!
Thursday 23 November 2017
See You Saturday ...
Hi everyone. Sorry not to have updated sooner. I have been swept away on a tide of Christmas shopping!
After the disappointment of the session before last, it was a relief to find thirteen children turn up for the session on the 11th, including several very welcome Newbies. We were looking at Haiku and Tanka which are syllable based poems and I was impressed, as ever, with the Young Writers' enthusiasm and willingness to have a go, particularly since there were a few who had never tried it before so a big Well Done to them - and to those who were perhaps revisiting the topic for the second or third time! The Assignment was to produce a page of poetry and, of course, any handed in will count toward Certificates so it is well worth the Young Writers giving it their best shot.
Unfortunately, despite the good turnout, it became clear by the end of the session that the proposed theatre trip on 16th December had become a non-runner. I do understand however, with Christmas just around the corner, that the added expense of two or more theatre tickets might currently be a bit out of reach for all you hard working mums and dads. I have spoken to my contact at the Polka who was very sympathetic and said she'll let me know if something else comes along at a more suitable time of year, possibly in the spring, so we shall see how we go.
Don't forget we have a session this Saturday - 25th - same time, same place and it will be nice to see you and your talented wordsmiths there. Till then - Good Writing!
After the disappointment of the session before last, it was a relief to find thirteen children turn up for the session on the 11th, including several very welcome Newbies. We were looking at Haiku and Tanka which are syllable based poems and I was impressed, as ever, with the Young Writers' enthusiasm and willingness to have a go, particularly since there were a few who had never tried it before so a big Well Done to them - and to those who were perhaps revisiting the topic for the second or third time! The Assignment was to produce a page of poetry and, of course, any handed in will count toward Certificates so it is well worth the Young Writers giving it their best shot.
Unfortunately, despite the good turnout, it became clear by the end of the session that the proposed theatre trip on 16th December had become a non-runner. I do understand however, with Christmas just around the corner, that the added expense of two or more theatre tickets might currently be a bit out of reach for all you hard working mums and dads. I have spoken to my contact at the Polka who was very sympathetic and said she'll let me know if something else comes along at a more suitable time of year, possibly in the spring, so we shall see how we go.
Don't forget we have a session this Saturday - 25th - same time, same place and it will be nice to see you and your talented wordsmiths there. Till then - Good Writing!
Sunday 5 November 2017
Breaking News !!!
Hello again everyone. Just to remind you we have the next Young Writer session this Saturday and let you know that my contact at the Polka in Wimbledon have said they are happy for me to collect the ticket money for The Snow Queen on that day in order to secure the seats, which means this is your absolute last chance to secure your spot. Please bring the ticket money in on Saturday 11th or I will have to cancel. The price is £16.50 per person.
Thank you all for your co-operation, and see you Saturday.
Thank you all for your co-operation, and see you Saturday.
Wednesday 1 November 2017
Oh Dear !!!
Hello everyone. What a shame that only three Young Writers turned up at last week's session! I do appreciate that it was the last day of the half term school holiday - a fact I had overlooked when I initally booked it. However because of the ticket money for The Snow Queen being due in that day, I just kind of hoped to see a few more - particularly since so many people had seemed interested in going.
The money had to be collected last week so I could get it over to the Polka by the end of this week to secure the seats and I am not sure now if we will still be able to go. I have asked my contact at the Polka if I could have a bit more time thinking I might still be able to collect the ticket money on 11th November, which is when our next session takes place. I am hoping she agrees but if she doesn't those parents who did hand in their ticket money last Saturday will get it back on that day and we will just have to cancel the trip. It would be a shame but there will be other chances so it won't be the end of the world.
The creative writing subject covered was Sci-Fi which is something we have not looked into before on its own merits, although it has been incorporated into other genre we have covered, such as Fantasy Fiction, Superheros and Fairy Tales. It challenges the imagination at every level because nothing is impossible when talking about future worlds, time travel or space, the final frontier. I suggested a couple of things to get the creative juices flowing - finding an alien lost in the woods, for example, or spotting a flying saucer at the local park. One handy tip when thinking of names for aliens and other worldly beings is to take a word and turn it back to front ie - as demonstrated by Amber - taking the word Comics and coming up with the name Dr Scimoc. Not only does it sound like a space baddie, it looks like the name of a space baddie so well done to Amber. If any of the Young Writers who were not able to attend last Saturday still want to give this a go, it will still count towards their next Certificate.
Anyway, hope to see you back on 11th November, but if I do hear anything from Polka before then, I will let you know.
The money had to be collected last week so I could get it over to the Polka by the end of this week to secure the seats and I am not sure now if we will still be able to go. I have asked my contact at the Polka if I could have a bit more time thinking I might still be able to collect the ticket money on 11th November, which is when our next session takes place. I am hoping she agrees but if she doesn't those parents who did hand in their ticket money last Saturday will get it back on that day and we will just have to cancel the trip. It would be a shame but there will be other chances so it won't be the end of the world.
The creative writing subject covered was Sci-Fi which is something we have not looked into before on its own merits, although it has been incorporated into other genre we have covered, such as Fantasy Fiction, Superheros and Fairy Tales. It challenges the imagination at every level because nothing is impossible when talking about future worlds, time travel or space, the final frontier. I suggested a couple of things to get the creative juices flowing - finding an alien lost in the woods, for example, or spotting a flying saucer at the local park. One handy tip when thinking of names for aliens and other worldly beings is to take a word and turn it back to front ie - as demonstrated by Amber - taking the word Comics and coming up with the name Dr Scimoc. Not only does it sound like a space baddie, it looks like the name of a space baddie so well done to Amber. If any of the Young Writers who were not able to attend last Saturday still want to give this a go, it will still count towards their next Certificate.
Anyway, hope to see you back on 11th November, but if I do hear anything from Polka before then, I will let you know.
Wednesday 25 October 2017
Don't Forget Polka Trip ...
Hi everyone. Just a quick reminder that we have another session ths Saturday at the library, 9.30 till 10.30 so looking forward to seeing you all there.
Don't forget to bring in your Polka ticket money this weekend if you and your young writer/s are coming to see The Snow Queen on 16th December. PLEASE NOTE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE PAYMENT AFTER THIS DATE as I have to have to get the money to the Polka by the end of next week. I will also need to know the exact number coming so if you could also ensure you complete and return the back page of the letter given out at the session on 7th October, I'd be very grateful.
I will see you on Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Don't forget to bring in your Polka ticket money this weekend if you and your young writer/s are coming to see The Snow Queen on 16th December. PLEASE NOTE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE PAYMENT AFTER THIS DATE as I have to have to get the money to the Polka by the end of next week. I will also need to know the exact number coming so if you could also ensure you complete and return the back page of the letter given out at the session on 7th October, I'd be very grateful.
I will see you on Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Tuesday 10 October 2017
WELL DONE SUMMER DIARISTS!
Brilliant Young Writer session on Saturday! Eighteen youngsters turned up including three newbies and two returning newbies. Most of those who had visited the Fire station had filled out their questionnaires and were content to then write their thank you letters and those who weren't were content to sit and write a story I started entitled The Blue Banana. All those who wrote their thank you letters will be pleased to know they are one assignment closer to their next certificate and I will give an update on that at our next session on 28th October.
Congratulations go to all the members who completed their summer diaries/journals. Special award certificates were handed out for these. It was very close. I marked each diary in the areas of presentation, creativity, information included and supporting evidence. Most scored upwards of twenty points but only one scored twenty-six and that was Aleen, who, unfortunately, was unable to attend that day. Her certificate and the novelty 2018 'secret diary' prize were presented to mum who said Aleen would be thrilled. The reason her diary scored highest was because as well as the diary entries and photos, she had included acrostic and tetactrys poems, so well done Aleen, but a big Well Done to everyone who took part.
In all the excitement I forgot to set an assignment but if your youngster wishes to produce a piece of poetry or a story ready to hand in next session, that will still count towards their next certificate. I am giving them a free hand.
Mums and dads thank you for all your support and positive feedback and please ensure you get your sheets in if you want your child to attend the Polka show on Saturday 16th December. It is First Come First Served but if push comes to shove I will try to stretch our party number to accommodate as many as possible. It depends on how popular the show is and what Polka think they can accommodate within the Health & Safety guidelines.
See you all on the 28th then and thank you all for all your hard work.
Congratulations go to all the members who completed their summer diaries/journals. Special award certificates were handed out for these. It was very close. I marked each diary in the areas of presentation, creativity, information included and supporting evidence. Most scored upwards of twenty points but only one scored twenty-six and that was Aleen, who, unfortunately, was unable to attend that day. Her certificate and the novelty 2018 'secret diary' prize were presented to mum who said Aleen would be thrilled. The reason her diary scored highest was because as well as the diary entries and photos, she had included acrostic and tetactrys poems, so well done Aleen, but a big Well Done to everyone who took part.
In all the excitement I forgot to set an assignment but if your youngster wishes to produce a piece of poetry or a story ready to hand in next session, that will still count towards their next certificate. I am giving them a free hand.
Mums and dads thank you for all your support and positive feedback and please ensure you get your sheets in if you want your child to attend the Polka show on Saturday 16th December. It is First Come First Served but if push comes to shove I will try to stretch our party number to accommodate as many as possible. It depends on how popular the show is and what Polka think they can accommodate within the Health & Safety guidelines.
See you all on the 28th then and thank you all for all your hard work.
Saturday 23 September 2017
SPARKLING VISIT TO WOODSIDE FIRE STATION!!
What a truly magnificent vist the Young Writers had to Woodside Fire Station today! We were made very welcome by the firefighters who showed the children the control room, sounded the alarm and introduced them to their resident fire engine. Over half of the youngsters got to explore within the engine itself, but then the crew got called out on a real emergency so the rest missed out as these brave ladies and gentlemen raced off to perform their duties. Still it was forty five minutes well-spent and the team answered a number of questions from both children and parents and lots of photos were taken. Even after the fire engine had gone, the lovely Hannah allowed the children to try on a bright yellow helmet and witness her slide down the famous pole, as well as have their photos taken beside and in front of the command unit vehicle which had remained on site.
Despite the fact the visit was somewhat incomplete, I think it is fair to say that everyone had a crackling good time there and the children were each given white LFB wristbands and a leaflet about staying safe on Guy Fawkes night, before we all trailed back to the library. Everyone was then given a questionnaire to take home and complete about the visit and when we meet up on 7th October for our next session, we'll be writing thank you letters.
Massive thanks to Craig, Hannah and the team for making the visit so worthwhile and yes, we will definitely be back some time to finish our visit! Huge thanks also to the mums and dads that came along to help supervise and to the Young Writers themselves for being so well-behaved. You all did me proud!
Despite the fact the visit was somewhat incomplete, I think it is fair to say that everyone had a crackling good time there and the children were each given white LFB wristbands and a leaflet about staying safe on Guy Fawkes night, before we all trailed back to the library. Everyone was then given a questionnaire to take home and complete about the visit and when we meet up on 7th October for our next session, we'll be writing thank you letters.
Massive thanks to Craig, Hannah and the team for making the visit so worthwhile and yes, we will definitely be back some time to finish our visit! Huge thanks also to the mums and dads that came along to help supervise and to the Young Writers themselves for being so well-behaved. You all did me proud!
Monday 11 September 2017
FIRST SESSION BACK - HUGE SUCCESS
Brilliant return on Saturday; sixteen youngsters turned up, including seven newbies! I think that is the best ever post summer holiday 1st session the group has ever had and I am so grateful to you all for coming along; it was lovely to see you all.
I had around eight holiday journals/diaries handed in so a massive well done to all those members who took this year's summer challenge and delivered the completed project on time! I now have the pleasure of going through them. I will be marking them points out of ten for content, presentation and sheer creativity and the one with the highest points at the end will be our winner. There can only be one main winner but everybody who took part will receive a special certificate so there are no actual losers. It is important that everyone's hard work is acknowledged and it will be! So very well done to all those who took part.
Our first session back was mainly to get back into the swing of things so we started gently with a poem about autumn. I will be reading those handed in but I will not be marking them so they will not count towards your Young Writer's next certificate. The assignments will start again on 7th October.
Thank you to everyone who responded to news of our Fire Station trip on 23rd September. The list is now FULL so if you have missed out on it this time, don't worry too much. I am sure we can arrange a similar trip some time in the future. On that day (23rd) we will not meet at the library until 10.30 since we are unable to access the fire station until after that time. I will put a Young Writers sticker on all members attending and then we will walk round in a group where we will be met by Chrief Fire Officer that day Craig Abbott. It should be a good visit and a new experience for most of us.
As per our newsletter, we do have the opportunity to attend a show at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon on Saturday 16th December in the afternoon (times TBC) and the show is The Snow Queen. Tickets will be in the region of £16 and the show is suitable for 6 to 11 year olds. There will be a talk after the show and I am hoping to arrange a trip back stage as well, but I will have to let you know about that nearer the time. Right now it is about numbers so please let me know ASAP if you and your child would like to attend, so that I can make all the final arrangements with the Polka staff.
So; lots going on! Don't forget to contact me if you have any questions or comments. See you on 23rd.
I had around eight holiday journals/diaries handed in so a massive well done to all those members who took this year's summer challenge and delivered the completed project on time! I now have the pleasure of going through them. I will be marking them points out of ten for content, presentation and sheer creativity and the one with the highest points at the end will be our winner. There can only be one main winner but everybody who took part will receive a special certificate so there are no actual losers. It is important that everyone's hard work is acknowledged and it will be! So very well done to all those who took part.
Our first session back was mainly to get back into the swing of things so we started gently with a poem about autumn. I will be reading those handed in but I will not be marking them so they will not count towards your Young Writer's next certificate. The assignments will start again on 7th October.
Thank you to everyone who responded to news of our Fire Station trip on 23rd September. The list is now FULL so if you have missed out on it this time, don't worry too much. I am sure we can arrange a similar trip some time in the future. On that day (23rd) we will not meet at the library until 10.30 since we are unable to access the fire station until after that time. I will put a Young Writers sticker on all members attending and then we will walk round in a group where we will be met by Chrief Fire Officer that day Craig Abbott. It should be a good visit and a new experience for most of us.
As per our newsletter, we do have the opportunity to attend a show at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon on Saturday 16th December in the afternoon (times TBC) and the show is The Snow Queen. Tickets will be in the region of £16 and the show is suitable for 6 to 11 year olds. There will be a talk after the show and I am hoping to arrange a trip back stage as well, but I will have to let you know about that nearer the time. Right now it is about numbers so please let me know ASAP if you and your child would like to attend, so that I can make all the final arrangements with the Polka staff.
So; lots going on! Don't forget to contact me if you have any questions or comments. See you on 23rd.
Wednesday 6 September 2017
So Chuffed!!!
Hi everyone! Just a quick reminder that the Young Writer sessions start up again this Saturday and I am sooo looking forward to seeing you all. Don't forget it is at Ashburton Library from 9.30 until 10.30 and I am expecting quite a few newbies so we could have quite a group!
I have finished writing the new look newsletter and I am absolutely chuffed with it! It still has the same title as the originial - AYW - OK - and I think you'll like it. At the moment it is mostly a catch-up but I am hoping to eventually introduce a column to showcase members' work. But we'll see how it goes.
So that is it really at this point in time. See you Saturday xxx
I have finished writing the new look newsletter and I am absolutely chuffed with it! It still has the same title as the originial - AYW - OK - and I think you'll like it. At the moment it is mostly a catch-up but I am hoping to eventually introduce a column to showcase members' work. But we'll see how it goes.
So that is it really at this point in time. See you Saturday xxx
Wednesday 9 August 2017
Getting Ready for 2017/2018 Sessions.
As incredible as it sounds, it is now just a few weeks until the Young Writer sessions resume on September 9th and I am getting some sound ideas on what we can do in the run-up to Christmas. There will be some old ideas revitalised and some new ideas to inspire, including at least one special event - but I will give you more info a bit later.
I hope your summer is going as well as mine and that your talented wordsmiths have tried their hand at the Summer Journal/Diary challenge set at the concluding session of the old school year. I have had a number of enquiries from interested parents who think their children would enjoy being a member, so there are likely to be some new faces during the first couple of sessions - which is brilliant for the group!
Here is a list of future sessions up to Christmas. It might be an idea to print this off or copy it down so you will always know when a session is on the horizon.
9th September
23rd September
7th October
28th October
11th November
25th November
9th December
16th December (Special Event)
The first session back after Christmas will be 13th January but I will remind everyone about it much nearer the time.
I will put together a newsletter to give out on the 9th but if anyone has any questions or ideas, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Jilly
I hope your summer is going as well as mine and that your talented wordsmiths have tried their hand at the Summer Journal/Diary challenge set at the concluding session of the old school year. I have had a number of enquiries from interested parents who think their children would enjoy being a member, so there are likely to be some new faces during the first couple of sessions - which is brilliant for the group!
Here is a list of future sessions up to Christmas. It might be an idea to print this off or copy it down so you will always know when a session is on the horizon.
9th September
23rd September
7th October
28th October
11th November
25th November
9th December
16th December (Special Event)
The first session back after Christmas will be 13th January but I will remind everyone about it much nearer the time.
I will put together a newsletter to give out on the 9th but if anyone has any questions or ideas, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Jilly
Tuesday 18 July 2017
Have A Great Summer!
Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who turned up at our final session before the summer break last Saturday. Nine Young Writers were there to write summer poems and from what I could see, making a very fine job of it.
Don't forget that the Summer Project this year is to keep a diary or journal throughout the summer holidays and illustrate it with photos, drawings, tickets, postcards etc. I have suggested writing in it once a week if possible and the authors of all those handed in on 9th September will receive special certificates and one lucky writer will win a prize.
Above all though I want to wish you all a lovely summer holiday. Enjoy your writing, but mainly enjoy the break so you can come back in September bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Don't forget that the Summer Project this year is to keep a diary or journal throughout the summer holidays and illustrate it with photos, drawings, tickets, postcards etc. I have suggested writing in it once a week if possible and the authors of all those handed in on 9th September will receive special certificates and one lucky writer will win a prize.
Above all though I want to wish you all a lovely summer holiday. Enjoy your writing, but mainly enjoy the break so you can come back in September bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Wednesday 12 July 2017
Wonderful Day!!!
What a huge success last Saturday's fifth anniversary celebration turned out to be! It was lovely to see so many children and grown ups there and I was very pleased the Deputy Mayor and Ciaran Murtagh were able to attend and do short speeches. Amber James also said a few touching words as she presented the Deputy Mayor with his copies of Word Magic and Word Magic 2.
I was very pleased to announce the Summer 2017 Project which is to keep a holiday diary or journal. As I explained at the time, it is up to the Young Writers how they do this. They can use either a notebook or a scrap book, or make and bind a book themselves. I would like to see drawings, photos and tickets included and every participant will receive a Specil Award Certificate and the best diary or journal will win a prize. The diaries/journals need to be completed and handed in on our first session back after the summer break which is on 9th September.
Many many thanks for the birthday cards and gifts for me, too. It was a very lucky coincidence that the group's anniversary celebration should fall on my birthday. It was wonderful when everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and I just want you all to know how very much appreciated it was.
I'd especially like to thank the Library staff for their continued support for AYW and also Jenny Crook from the Croydon Dyslexia Association for being the Deputy Mayor's meeter and greeter. In all the excitement I very nearly forgot to introduce Ciaran who came along and did a talk for the children in November 2015, but he was very forgiving and said some encouraging words to the Young Writers. He has also said he will be very happy to come back and do another talk some time so I will make sure I arrange that with him for the next school year.
Finally thank you to all the mums and dads for briniging in the snacks and I hope everyone got a piece of our chocolatey birthday cake!
So we have just the one session left this side of the summer holidays and that is this Saturday, 15th July. Be nice if you can make it but I know some of you will already be in the thick of summer arrangements so don't worry if you can't. All I would say is Keep An Eye On The Blog as I am bound to do an update or two before the first session back.
Once again thank you thank you thank you for helping to make last Saturday's event - and the Addiscombe Young Writer group itself - such a momentous success. You are the Cream of the Crop!!
I was very pleased to announce the Summer 2017 Project which is to keep a holiday diary or journal. As I explained at the time, it is up to the Young Writers how they do this. They can use either a notebook or a scrap book, or make and bind a book themselves. I would like to see drawings, photos and tickets included and every participant will receive a Specil Award Certificate and the best diary or journal will win a prize. The diaries/journals need to be completed and handed in on our first session back after the summer break which is on 9th September.
Many many thanks for the birthday cards and gifts for me, too. It was a very lucky coincidence that the group's anniversary celebration should fall on my birthday. It was wonderful when everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and I just want you all to know how very much appreciated it was.
I'd especially like to thank the Library staff for their continued support for AYW and also Jenny Crook from the Croydon Dyslexia Association for being the Deputy Mayor's meeter and greeter. In all the excitement I very nearly forgot to introduce Ciaran who came along and did a talk for the children in November 2015, but he was very forgiving and said some encouraging words to the Young Writers. He has also said he will be very happy to come back and do another talk some time so I will make sure I arrange that with him for the next school year.
Finally thank you to all the mums and dads for briniging in the snacks and I hope everyone got a piece of our chocolatey birthday cake!
So we have just the one session left this side of the summer holidays and that is this Saturday, 15th July. Be nice if you can make it but I know some of you will already be in the thick of summer arrangements so don't worry if you can't. All I would say is Keep An Eye On The Blog as I am bound to do an update or two before the first session back.
Once again thank you thank you thank you for helping to make last Saturday's event - and the Addiscombe Young Writer group itself - such a momentous success. You are the Cream of the Crop!!
Monday 3 July 2017
Big Day Coming Up!!!
Hi everyone. Just a quick reminder about this Saturday's anniversary celebrations. The session will start as usual at 9.30 and will probably end slightly later than usual, between 10.45 and 11 am. Don't forget to ensure your children bring drinks and snacks. There will be some certificates to give out and one award so it would be great if as many of you come along as possible.
I have put together an info sheet about the summer project which I will hand out at the end of Saturday's session. Don't forget that no specific assignment was set last week but any new work brought in by members will count towards their next certificate.
And finally our final session of this school year will be next Saturday - 15th - and then we will be back on 9th September.
See you Saturday for an exciting morning!
Jilly
I have put together an info sheet about the summer project which I will hand out at the end of Saturday's session. Don't forget that no specific assignment was set last week but any new work brought in by members will count towards their next certificate.
And finally our final session of this school year will be next Saturday - 15th - and then we will be back on 9th September.
See you Saturday for an exciting morning!
Jilly
Sunday 25 June 2017
The Old Ideas Are Sometimes The Best Ideas ...
Hello everyone. Brilliant session yesterday. 13 children came along including one newbie and, thankfully, I was there before 9.30, so no black mark for me this weekend! Because we are only have two further sessions before the summer break, I went back to an old faithful for yesterday's session - acrostic poems. This is a familiar concept to most of the members because if they haven't done it with us before, it is almost certain they will have done it at school. The idea of taking the letters from a word and placing them vertically then adding a poetry line to each letter is one of the easiest forms of poetry and before long even the absolute novices were having a great time producing their acrostic poems, so a massive well done to everyone.
I also ran through the itinerary of our 5th anniversary session. All being well, the Deputy Mayor will be in attendance and the idea is that he say a few encouraging words to the members and acknowledges the support given by the library staff. He will also be presented with copies of Word Magic and Word Magic 2 by longest serving member Amber. If he has time, he may mill about among the children for a few minutes but he is only expected to be there for half an hour or so because of his tight schedule. Also in attendance will be Jenny Crooks, who is involved with the Croydon Literacy Scheme. Some members may recall the joint effort of a year or so ago where children from both groups produced their own book The Magical Quest. Councillor Andrew Rendle will be coming along too. He is the wonderful person that gave us the grant for the production of Word Magic 2. Local writer Ciaran Murtagh is also a guest. He gave a really inspiring talk to the Young Writers in 2014 so it will be wonderful for the newer members to also meet him.
I have advised the children to bring their own snacks and drinks and I will bring a cake. If they want to wear something special that is fine but it will also be okay for them to just turn up in their comfy clothes, so there are no hard and fast rules here. I would also be grateful if the grown ups would stay with us on this day and share the celebration.
And on 15th July we have our final session of this school year. I will be announcing the summer project then but prior to that, I'll bring along some notes about it on the 8th in case they are unable to make it on the 15th for whatever reason.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 8th then.
I also ran through the itinerary of our 5th anniversary session. All being well, the Deputy Mayor will be in attendance and the idea is that he say a few encouraging words to the members and acknowledges the support given by the library staff. He will also be presented with copies of Word Magic and Word Magic 2 by longest serving member Amber. If he has time, he may mill about among the children for a few minutes but he is only expected to be there for half an hour or so because of his tight schedule. Also in attendance will be Jenny Crooks, who is involved with the Croydon Literacy Scheme. Some members may recall the joint effort of a year or so ago where children from both groups produced their own book The Magical Quest. Councillor Andrew Rendle will be coming along too. He is the wonderful person that gave us the grant for the production of Word Magic 2. Local writer Ciaran Murtagh is also a guest. He gave a really inspiring talk to the Young Writers in 2014 so it will be wonderful for the newer members to also meet him.
I have advised the children to bring their own snacks and drinks and I will bring a cake. If they want to wear something special that is fine but it will also be okay for them to just turn up in their comfy clothes, so there are no hard and fast rules here. I would also be grateful if the grown ups would stay with us on this day and share the celebration.
And on 15th July we have our final session of this school year. I will be announcing the summer project then but prior to that, I'll bring along some notes about it on the 8th in case they are unable to make it on the 15th for whatever reason.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 8th then.
Monday 12 June 2017
Oops! Late Mark for Jilly ...
I gave myself detention after I arrived half an hour late for last Saturday's session! I am so sorry! First the train was cancelled, then half of Croydon was cordoned off so no buses could get through; it was a complete nightmare! So you can imagine how touched I was when I walked into the library to see the Young Writers all seated, waiting patiently and the welcoming smiles that lit their faces! I was originally tempted to cancel the session when I realised I was not going to get there on time. But I am glad I didn't because, even though we had a much shorter session in the end, the Young Writers - champions that they are - still got stuck in to the latest exercise in what little time they had so huge, huge thanks to you all for your loyalty and your faith in me; you have made me feel very humbled.
So what we were doing was looking at a new way to create a story. I presented the Young Writers with three beakers, one for TITLES, one for PEOPLE and one for PLACES. They were invited to pick a paper from each and then use their three picks to plan a story. What I had hoped was that they could each write their story and then swap their pieces of paper with someone else and try again. Unfortunately due to the time constraints we did not get to that stage but the assignment set was to take their paper pieces and their ideas home and create their stories there.
The point of this exercise is to challenge their imaginations and challenge is the right word because several Young Writers seemed a bit baffled by their picks. How do you tie together an unlikely mix such as The Haunted School (title), the shop in the park (place) and Young Ali (character)? But after giving a couple of brief examples to show that a new story can come out of anything I could literally see the penny drop with many of them, and once it had, off they went with their pens, heads clearly brimming with ideas.
In the end it turned out to be an excellent, if somewhat reduced, session and twelve children turned up so it was more of a success than a disaster!
Next session is on 24th June so see you there and, once again, thank you to everyone.
So what we were doing was looking at a new way to create a story. I presented the Young Writers with three beakers, one for TITLES, one for PEOPLE and one for PLACES. They were invited to pick a paper from each and then use their three picks to plan a story. What I had hoped was that they could each write their story and then swap their pieces of paper with someone else and try again. Unfortunately due to the time constraints we did not get to that stage but the assignment set was to take their paper pieces and their ideas home and create their stories there.
The point of this exercise is to challenge their imaginations and challenge is the right word because several Young Writers seemed a bit baffled by their picks. How do you tie together an unlikely mix such as The Haunted School (title), the shop in the park (place) and Young Ali (character)? But after giving a couple of brief examples to show that a new story can come out of anything I could literally see the penny drop with many of them, and once it had, off they went with their pens, heads clearly brimming with ideas.
In the end it turned out to be an excellent, if somewhat reduced, session and twelve children turned up so it was more of a success than a disaster!
Next session is on 24th June so see you there and, once again, thank you to everyone.
Tuesday 6 June 2017
See You This Saturday
Here I am back from my wonderful holiday in Devon! The weather was amazing and we really enjoyed the sights and sounds of this beautiful part of the country.
I hope the Young Writers have been busy with their letter writing and look forward to reading their completed assignments. Don't forget our next session is this Saturday, 10th June, same time, same place. I look forward to seeing you there.
I hope the Young Writers have been busy with their letter writing and look forward to reading their completed assignments. Don't forget our next session is this Saturday, 10th June, same time, same place. I look forward to seeing you there.
Monday 22 May 2017
All Hail The Forgotten Art Of Letter Writing ...
Great great session on Saturday! Ten Young Writers came along including one new young lady who started off quite scared and shy and ended the session by starting a story. I have to tell you that is exactly why I run this group. It isn't so much what I get out of it as what they get out of it. If that young lady felt confident enough, within half an hour, to start a story then I know I am doing something right somewhere along the way - and why I am so very very proud of these children.
We were looking at letter writing this weekend. I set the scenario for them - a new boy or girl at school feeling lonely and a bit lost is cheered up by a friendly letter slipped secretly into their school bag. I asked the children how they would cheer the new kid up, what would cheer them up and what they would like someone to say to them if they felt a bit sad. They gave this their best shot and most had finished the letter in time to switch places and write a reply so very well done to all of them. The assignment set was to write a story in at least four letters, introducing at least two characters who communicate to resolve a problem. Who the characters are, what situation they resolve and how is entirely up to them. We haven't tackled letters for a while and, with the Post Card season coming up as the summer holidays roll tantalisingly close, it seemed an appropriate topic.
Long serving member Amber was celebrating her 10th birthday on Saturday. Amber joined the group in January 2014 and it has been a real pleasure watching her grow and develop her writing style in that three years so a very happy birthday to Amber.
The next session will be on Saturday 10th June as I am off to Devon for a few days so look forward to seeing you all then.
We were looking at letter writing this weekend. I set the scenario for them - a new boy or girl at school feeling lonely and a bit lost is cheered up by a friendly letter slipped secretly into their school bag. I asked the children how they would cheer the new kid up, what would cheer them up and what they would like someone to say to them if they felt a bit sad. They gave this their best shot and most had finished the letter in time to switch places and write a reply so very well done to all of them. The assignment set was to write a story in at least four letters, introducing at least two characters who communicate to resolve a problem. Who the characters are, what situation they resolve and how is entirely up to them. We haven't tackled letters for a while and, with the Post Card season coming up as the summer holidays roll tantalisingly close, it seemed an appropriate topic.
Long serving member Amber was celebrating her 10th birthday on Saturday. Amber joined the group in January 2014 and it has been a real pleasure watching her grow and develop her writing style in that three years so a very happy birthday to Amber.
The next session will be on Saturday 10th June as I am off to Devon for a few days so look forward to seeing you all then.
Wednesday 17 May 2017
Quick Reminder - Saturday's Session...
Hi guys. Quick reminder that we have a Young Writer session at the library this Saturday 20th May. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Monday 8 May 2017
Unbeaten by Cold Weather - Picnic in the Park 2017
The session at Ashburton Park last Saturday went very well as always, despite the overcast skies and chill winds. Eight Young Writers and six grown-ups braved the elements, bringing about another successful Picnic in the Park, with the Young Writers writing down their observations in between active bouts of play on the various apparatus and enjoying their snacks and drinks.
Writing out in the open is a different experience to writing indoors, with more scents, colours and sounds to draw inspiration from. One member was so enamoured when he discovered a fox-size den in the base of a tree that he wrote a poem about it there and then, plus the antics of the squirrels caught their imaginations, especially when one ventured almost within touching distance of a fallen potato crisp! The assignment set was to write a poem, drawing on their park experience and I am sure they will deliver as always. Well done to everyone for braving it and in particular to the mums who came along to support it; it was very much appreciated by me and most beneficial to the Young Writers.
The next session is on 20th May so look forward to seeing you back at the library as usual then.
Writing out in the open is a different experience to writing indoors, with more scents, colours and sounds to draw inspiration from. One member was so enamoured when he discovered a fox-size den in the base of a tree that he wrote a poem about it there and then, plus the antics of the squirrels caught their imaginations, especially when one ventured almost within touching distance of a fallen potato crisp! The assignment set was to write a poem, drawing on their park experience and I am sure they will deliver as always. Well done to everyone for braving it and in particular to the mums who came along to support it; it was very much appreciated by me and most beneficial to the Young Writers.
The next session is on 20th May so look forward to seeing you back at the library as usual then.
Wednesday 26 April 2017
A NEW WORD - Tetractys
Had a brilliant session last Saturday with eleven Young Writers turning up including a couple of newbies so big welcomes to them. We were looking at a new poetry form which, rather like Haiku and Tanka, are syllable-themed non-rhyming poems. The Tetractys is made up of five lines with the following syllable pattern - 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. There were examples on the worksheet of how such a poem would read, one of which was:
The
flowers
that bloom in
spring, make me feel
so very happy. I love the colours.
I only discovered this poetry form myself very recently and I think it was completely new to the Young Writers, but they all had a good go at it. Some of the younger ones really struggled (and let's face it, at least two have not even learned about syllables yet) so I suggested they just write something in rhyme, reminding them of the nursery rhymes they themselves were very familiar with just a short while ago. As usual, I was astonished at their application to the exercises and I applaud them all for having a try. Well done to everyone.
The next session is on 6th May and that is our Picnic in the Park session (weather permitting) so would appreciate as many mums, dads or grannies as possible to come along with us. Don't forget your snacks and drinks as well. No need to bring folders (unless they want to) as I will supply the worksheets and writing implements. If the weather is against us, we will stay at the library but we have had three successful Picnic in the Park sessions so far, so fingers crossed for this one.
I have ordered some Addiscombe Young Writers business cards and I will be giving these out to everyone when they arrive. They feature all the contact details so probably a good idea to keep it safe somewhere just in case you need to contact me for any reason.
The assignment set last weekend was to continue working on the Tetractys and bring in at least one complete one with the correct form and number of syllables and - don't forget - all assignments returned count towards the next certificate in our Certificate Trail.
Take care and see you on the 6th!
The
flowers
that bloom in
spring, make me feel
so very happy. I love the colours.
I only discovered this poetry form myself very recently and I think it was completely new to the Young Writers, but they all had a good go at it. Some of the younger ones really struggled (and let's face it, at least two have not even learned about syllables yet) so I suggested they just write something in rhyme, reminding them of the nursery rhymes they themselves were very familiar with just a short while ago. As usual, I was astonished at their application to the exercises and I applaud them all for having a try. Well done to everyone.
The next session is on 6th May and that is our Picnic in the Park session (weather permitting) so would appreciate as many mums, dads or grannies as possible to come along with us. Don't forget your snacks and drinks as well. No need to bring folders (unless they want to) as I will supply the worksheets and writing implements. If the weather is against us, we will stay at the library but we have had three successful Picnic in the Park sessions so far, so fingers crossed for this one.
I have ordered some Addiscombe Young Writers business cards and I will be giving these out to everyone when they arrive. They feature all the contact details so probably a good idea to keep it safe somewhere just in case you need to contact me for any reason.
The assignment set last weekend was to continue working on the Tetractys and bring in at least one complete one with the correct form and number of syllables and - don't forget - all assignments returned count towards the next certificate in our Certificate Trail.
Take care and see you on the 6th!
Tuesday 18 April 2017
Don't Forget Saturday's Session...
Hello everyone. Just got back from our Easter break in Suffolk and wanted to just remind you all that we have a Young Writers session this Saturday, 22nd April, same time, same place.
I have had a good idea for this year's summer project and I will let you all know about that nearer the time. In the meantime, we will be starting poetry this weekend - a new form I recently came across that I think will both challenge and excite the young writers, and I will be handing out details on Saturday.
Hope you all had a splendid Eater.
See you Saturday.
I have had a good idea for this year's summer project and I will let you all know about that nearer the time. In the meantime, we will be starting poetry this weekend - a new form I recently came across that I think will both challenge and excite the young writers, and I will be handing out details on Saturday.
Hope you all had a splendid Eater.
See you Saturday.
Monday 3 April 2017
Eggs-ellent !
Slightly more manageable group last Saturday when we had twenty Young Writers come along - this week there was twelve! I actually split the session into two because at least five youngsters present had done comic books at least once before. For the benefit of these, I put together a sheet about writing a Headline Story which identified the differences between writing a piece of fiction and writing a report for a newspaper (although I am aware that some people would disagree). I gave a couple of examples and let them get on with it whilst the rest had a go at comic books. The assignment set for the Reporters was to write a headline story and for the comic-bookers to finish their superhero stories.
The hour seemed to just fly by and, just before they left I handed out some certificates and returned some work, then handed out chocolate Easter eggs as they head off home. And huge thanks to Alesha and Araf for the egg they presented to me - that was a nice surprise!
Our next session is not until 22nd April so all that remains is for me to wish you all a lovely Easter break. Be happy and Keep Writing!!!!
The hour seemed to just fly by and, just before they left I handed out some certificates and returned some work, then handed out chocolate Easter eggs as they head off home. And huge thanks to Alesha and Araf for the egg they presented to me - that was a nice surprise!
Our next session is not until 22nd April so all that remains is for me to wish you all a lovely Easter break. Be happy and Keep Writing!!!!
Monday 27 March 2017
U N B E L I E V A B L E ! ! !
Hi guys. What a mega-session it tuned out to be on Saturday! Twenty children turned up which is the most I think we have had at any session since the library became our venue. The children were very patient as I kept moving them about to fit everyone in and massive thanks to the mums and dads for their help in getting extra chairs and tables to accommodate everyone!
Considering it was such a big group, the session went as well as ever. The topic was to invent a new Superhero and his or her nemesis and, as ever, the Young Writers did not fail to deliver. From slime heroes to BBQ rescuers they came up with an intrepid troop of Super Guys and Gals that could not only save the world a hundred times over but probably the whole universe! The assignment was to write a short story about their hero and anti-hero in preparation for the Comic Books sessions coming up.
Lots of certificates to give out, too. Huge congratulations to Jasmine - who got her Purple Band 2 and Rainbow Band 2 in one sitting, and similarly to Naku, who also got his Purple and Red - no mean feat since he only joined at the beginning of the year. But really I have to thank all the Young Writers for their input and hard work, all the parents for their continued support and also the library staff for giving the children's section over to us twice a month.
Because of Easter falling mid-April this year, our next two session dates are this Saturday, 1st April and then again on 22nd April, so look forward to seeing everyone there.
Considering it was such a big group, the session went as well as ever. The topic was to invent a new Superhero and his or her nemesis and, as ever, the Young Writers did not fail to deliver. From slime heroes to BBQ rescuers they came up with an intrepid troop of Super Guys and Gals that could not only save the world a hundred times over but probably the whole universe! The assignment was to write a short story about their hero and anti-hero in preparation for the Comic Books sessions coming up.
Lots of certificates to give out, too. Huge congratulations to Jasmine - who got her Purple Band 2 and Rainbow Band 2 in one sitting, and similarly to Naku, who also got his Purple and Red - no mean feat since he only joined at the beginning of the year. But really I have to thank all the Young Writers for their input and hard work, all the parents for their continued support and also the library staff for giving the children's section over to us twice a month.
Because of Easter falling mid-April this year, our next two session dates are this Saturday, 1st April and then again on 22nd April, so look forward to seeing everyone there.
Monday 20 March 2017
New Dates List
Been a busy couple of weeks. The session on March 11th was primarily continuing on a story writing theme, where we opened a discussion on what we feel makes a good story and then took all the elements and used them to write something. The assignment was to write a short story - no particular theme. Had lots of new members that day, by the way, so huge welcomes to all of them. It was brilliant to see them all getting stuck in and the enthusiasm throughout was almost palpable.
I gave out two sheets for the parents' attention. One was about our party in July and the other was a list of dates for forthcoming sessions. It was pointed out to me that some of the dates made no sense and upon investigation, found I had mistaken May dates for June and June dates for July, so huge apologies for that. I have done a new list - which my husband proof-read - which is correct so I will give them out this weekend. Please discard the original but make sure you pin the new list up somewhere so everyone knows where they are with forthcoming session dates. I will also reproduce them here:
1st April
22nd April
6th May - Picnic in the Park
20th May
10th June
24th June
8th July - Party Day
15th July - last session before the summer break
We will be starting a new topic this Saturday so looking forward to seeing everyone there.
I gave out two sheets for the parents' attention. One was about our party in July and the other was a list of dates for forthcoming sessions. It was pointed out to me that some of the dates made no sense and upon investigation, found I had mistaken May dates for June and June dates for July, so huge apologies for that. I have done a new list - which my husband proof-read - which is correct so I will give them out this weekend. Please discard the original but make sure you pin the new list up somewhere so everyone knows where they are with forthcoming session dates. I will also reproduce them here:
1st April
22nd April
6th May - Picnic in the Park
20th May
10th June
24th June
8th July - Party Day
15th July - last session before the summer break
We will be starting a new topic this Saturday so looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Saturday 4 March 2017
OOPS...
Oh dear! It appears many of you did not realise there was not a Young Writers Session this week. I am sorry. I do let people know at the end of each session but of course if you are not there and don't check the blog you wouldn't realise. I will do a print out of forthcoming dates and make sure you all get a copy which you can pin up somewhere noticeable. Please accept my humble apologies. I will see you next Saturday 11th March.
Wednesday 1 March 2017
Don't forget ...
Just a very short reminder that the next AYW session is next Saturday, the 11th of March and not this Saturday 4th March which I can't make due to a family commitment. Looking forward to seeing you all then.
Tuesday 21 February 2017
Chatterbooks Meets AYW
Brilliant session last Saturday - as if it could be anything else! Seven children turned up - which was not so surprising considering it had been Half Term Week.
We were talking about how to end stories and the assignment was to write a story that ends with the line The purple bird flew over the mountain .... I did say they could change the colour if they wanted to but whatever colour they use, it should be incorporated into that closing line. The story can have any title and be as long or as short as they like. Any completed stories brought in will count towards their next certificate.
I did a session with the Chatterbooks group the Friday before and I was delighted to welcome Tyler to Addiscombe Young Writers last Saturday whom I met through that Chatterbooks session and I am sure he will settle in well. Would also like to welcome Darriyah - another new member and the first person to take Barnaby home with her for his first adventure!
Just one last reminder - the BBC are running a 500 word story competition which closes on 27th February. Details can be found on their website.
Finally, I will shortly be sending out a letter regarding our 5th Anniversary Party so keep an eye out for that.
See you on 11th March.
We were talking about how to end stories and the assignment was to write a story that ends with the line The purple bird flew over the mountain .... I did say they could change the colour if they wanted to but whatever colour they use, it should be incorporated into that closing line. The story can have any title and be as long or as short as they like. Any completed stories brought in will count towards their next certificate.
I did a session with the Chatterbooks group the Friday before and I was delighted to welcome Tyler to Addiscombe Young Writers last Saturday whom I met through that Chatterbooks session and I am sure he will settle in well. Would also like to welcome Darriyah - another new member and the first person to take Barnaby home with her for his first adventure!
Just one last reminder - the BBC are running a 500 word story competition which closes on 27th February. Details can be found on their website.
Finally, I will shortly be sending out a letter regarding our 5th Anniversary Party so keep an eye out for that.
See you on 11th March.
Friday 10 February 2017
Hello Barnaby!
Just to let everyone know that we had a really good session last Saturday. We are back with stories for a while so I gave everyone a title to come up with something. This exercise is a refresher for the longer serving members but also a good introduction to the art of story writing for the new members as well. The assignment set was to complete a story I started and of course any handed in will count towards the next certificate.
We named our new mascot - it is Barnaby, so a big welcome to him and massive thanks to the children for their input - and we have settled on 8th July as the day for our party to celebrate the group's fifth birthday. It will be held in the junior library and I will give you more details a bit nearer the time.
I will write another post before next Saturday's session (on the 18th) but before I go - I will be doing a talk at this afternoon's Chatterbooks session at the library where I have been invited to introduce even more children to the wonderful world of Creative Writing - see you there maybe?
We named our new mascot - it is Barnaby, so a big welcome to him and massive thanks to the children for their input - and we have settled on 8th July as the day for our party to celebrate the group's fifth birthday. It will be held in the junior library and I will give you more details a bit nearer the time.
I will write another post before next Saturday's session (on the 18th) but before I go - I will be doing a talk at this afternoon's Chatterbooks session at the library where I have been invited to introduce even more children to the wonderful world of Creative Writing - see you there maybe?
Friday 3 February 2017
See You Tomorrow
Hi each and everyone of you. Just a quick reminder that we have a session tomorrow at Ashburton Library and I am looking forward to seeing you there. Don't forget to bring in your suggestions for our new mascot and, of course, any assignments brought back will count towards the next certificate.
Sorry this is a bit short - I have been really busy! See you tomorrow.
Sorry this is a bit short - I have been really busy! See you tomorrow.
Tuesday 24 January 2017
What Shall We Name Our New Mascot?
Brilliant session last Saturday when we looked at alphabet poems for younger children. Fourteen young writers came along, including several of our recent recruits - it is always nice when they think it's fun enough to come back to!
I had a few Certificates to give out and the assignment set was to write a story using as many words with the same letter as possible - for example: A boy called Ben loved bananas and the more bent the bananas were, the better Ben liked it! But one day, Ben came back from the bent banana shop with straight bananas! "Bother!" said Ben. "Better blend these bananas or make banana butter with them!" Repetitive sounds make good stories for little people just learning to read and they are fun to try. They don't even have to make a lot of sense as long as the letter sound is used often. I think most of them got it and, of course, any returned to me will count towards their next certificate.
It was such a good session with a great atmosphere and everyone seemed really relaxed. It got a bit crazy towards the end when lots of you came over to talk to me - which is great - but because I was answering questions and chatting I forgot to mention our new mascot until the very last second. So far I have had two name suggestions - Ted and Barnaby - but I would like some more so please could you do me a big favour and remind the members to bring their suggestions in next time so that we can carry on with the diary. Thank you.
Further to the vote a couple of weeks ago to mark our fifth anniversary with a party, I will be contacting the library team this week to ask how this can be accommodated. Once I know where and when, we can look at organising it and I will try to get some special guests along, so watch this space for further info.
Back next Saturday which is 4th February. See you then - and Good Writing!
I had a few Certificates to give out and the assignment set was to write a story using as many words with the same letter as possible - for example: A boy called Ben loved bananas and the more bent the bananas were, the better Ben liked it! But one day, Ben came back from the bent banana shop with straight bananas! "Bother!" said Ben. "Better blend these bananas or make banana butter with them!" Repetitive sounds make good stories for little people just learning to read and they are fun to try. They don't even have to make a lot of sense as long as the letter sound is used often. I think most of them got it and, of course, any returned to me will count towards their next certificate.
It was such a good session with a great atmosphere and everyone seemed really relaxed. It got a bit crazy towards the end when lots of you came over to talk to me - which is great - but because I was answering questions and chatting I forgot to mention our new mascot until the very last second. So far I have had two name suggestions - Ted and Barnaby - but I would like some more so please could you do me a big favour and remind the members to bring their suggestions in next time so that we can carry on with the diary. Thank you.
Further to the vote a couple of weeks ago to mark our fifth anniversary with a party, I will be contacting the library team this week to ask how this can be accommodated. Once I know where and when, we can look at organising it and I will try to get some special guests along, so watch this space for further info.
Back next Saturday which is 4th February. See you then - and Good Writing!
Tuesday 17 January 2017
Don't Forget ...
Hello everyone; hope you are all ok. Just a brief reminder that we have a session at Ashburton Library this Saturday so I hope the children have got some name ideas for our new mascot. It would also be really nice to see some of the newbies from the previous session who will, hopefully, have decided they want to come back.
I am still keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in staying at the sessions to help me with supervising the group. An interest in writing would be an advantage but mainly being able to commit to one hour twice a month is paramount if the group is to continue - or even if two of you did one hour each it would be helpful! Please come back to me ASAP if you would like to help out, or come and see me on Saturday.
Finally I am aware that I have not produced a newsletter for a few months and I am looking to rectify that this year - even if I only manage one every six months.
See you Saturday.
I am still keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in staying at the sessions to help me with supervising the group. An interest in writing would be an advantage but mainly being able to commit to one hour twice a month is paramount if the group is to continue - or even if two of you did one hour each it would be helpful! Please come back to me ASAP if you would like to help out, or come and see me on Saturday.
Finally I am aware that I have not produced a newsletter for a few months and I am looking to rectify that this year - even if I only manage one every six months.
See you Saturday.
Monday 9 January 2017
Who Is Our New Bear ...
Amazing first session of the year last Saturday when fourteen Young Writers turned up, including five possible new members! What a cracking start to 2017! I am afraid I was not really at my best, though. I was feeling somewhat under the weather but I am pleased to relate that I am now feeling much better and I thank you all for your kind concern.
I was most pleased to be able to bring along the new Mascot having retired Maddy who had started coming apart at the seams (she is certainly a well loved bear who has had lots of exciting adventures). I asked the children for ideas for names and part of their challenge for the next session is to come up with some suggestions. The name that comes up most will be the winner. For the Young Writers' information, our new bear is male as opposed to female, so hopefully any suggestions will take that into consideration.
One of the key topics for last Saturday was to decide how Addiscombe Young Writers should celebrate its fifth birthday this year. I made a number of suggestions and the one that got the biggest show of hands was a party, so I will discuss this with our lovely librarians and find out the best way to proceed. I do have one other idea in mind which I will come back to in due course - I need to do some research first.
There was no specific assignment set - being the first session after the Christmas break - these will start again next session. But I did say that if the Young Writers want to write something and present it on the 21st at our next session, it will still count towards their next certificate. On this occasion anything goes - poem, story, letter, review - whatever they like.
Finally big thanks to all the members who presented letters to their favourite authors. I will go through these in time for the next session.
'Til then - have a good January.
I was most pleased to be able to bring along the new Mascot having retired Maddy who had started coming apart at the seams (she is certainly a well loved bear who has had lots of exciting adventures). I asked the children for ideas for names and part of their challenge for the next session is to come up with some suggestions. The name that comes up most will be the winner. For the Young Writers' information, our new bear is male as opposed to female, so hopefully any suggestions will take that into consideration.
One of the key topics for last Saturday was to decide how Addiscombe Young Writers should celebrate its fifth birthday this year. I made a number of suggestions and the one that got the biggest show of hands was a party, so I will discuss this with our lovely librarians and find out the best way to proceed. I do have one other idea in mind which I will come back to in due course - I need to do some research first.
There was no specific assignment set - being the first session after the Christmas break - these will start again next session. But I did say that if the Young Writers want to write something and present it on the 21st at our next session, it will still count towards their next certificate. On this occasion anything goes - poem, story, letter, review - whatever they like.
Finally big thanks to all the members who presented letters to their favourite authors. I will go through these in time for the next session.
'Til then - have a good January.
Wednesday 4 January 2017
Heres To 2017!
Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to the first blog post of 2017! I hope you all had a great Christmas and that the Young Writers are raring to go. I think our Presentation session on 17th December went really well. I am so pleased everyone liked their present and I could see how proud they all were to receive their richly deserved awards. Many thanks to everyone who came along and for all your support. It was a lovely hour or so and, as I said at the time, I am so proud of everyone!
Thank you for all the cards and presents. It was very thoughtful and very much appreciated. Our Christmas went very well and was one long round of visits and nibbles. I now have enough chocolate to last me until Easter - and it probably will! On 30th December, we went away for New Year and stayed at a nice hotel in Paignton, Devon. So all in all it has been a busy but very enjoyable time.
This year, Addiscombe Young Writers celebrates its fifth birthday and I am hoping to organise something a little bit special to mark the occasion. I will also be launching a couple of competitions over the coming sessions so keep an eye on the blog.
Don't forget we have a session this Saturday, 7th January, same place, same time and I am looking forward to seeing you all. I also have a very special surprise ...
See you Saturday
Thank you for all the cards and presents. It was very thoughtful and very much appreciated. Our Christmas went very well and was one long round of visits and nibbles. I now have enough chocolate to last me until Easter - and it probably will! On 30th December, we went away for New Year and stayed at a nice hotel in Paignton, Devon. So all in all it has been a busy but very enjoyable time.
This year, Addiscombe Young Writers celebrates its fifth birthday and I am hoping to organise something a little bit special to mark the occasion. I will also be launching a couple of competitions over the coming sessions so keep an eye on the blog.
Don't forget we have a session this Saturday, 7th January, same place, same time and I am looking forward to seeing you all. I also have a very special surprise ...
See you Saturday
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