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Happy 4th of July!

If you've been writing with me since January, you know all about braindropping. If you haven't, please take a minute to go back a look at the original post after you have fun with a mini version of a firecracking writing activity right now!

I braindrop with people of all ages. With young children (or when I'm short on time) we do it orally. I say a word and then rely on spontaneity. "Quick! Say the first word that comes to your mind when I say, summer," I tell the kids.

If you're really doing this game with a group of people, you play the same way. Never slow down. Quick! Quick! Quick! If you get to a person who doesn't have an immediate word, that person should say: "I can't think." Move to the next person faster than a race car that's in first place on the last lap. This is what makes braindropping fun.

Okay. Quick! What's the first word that comes to your mind when I say, "July 4th"? My word is the title of this post!

First of all, thank you for all the stories about your animals. I loved every single one of them. Each tale that I read could be made into a book. Some could go into anthologies or magazines. Others could go into picture books. And some could become that special series that kids can't wait to get their hands on to read again and again.

You are all terrific!

Now back to the business...I mean fun...of writing! I visited a second grade classroom last week and since last week I was feeling a little off, I decided to make it easy on myself. I wanted no prep time, just kid time.

Frequently, at the end of a school year, kids are asked to write about what their plans are for the summer. I decided to take a different approach. I asked the kids to write one sentence about what they learned during the school year. I told them it could be about anything from friendship to division.

The kids did what I asked. They wrote a sentence. One girl wrote, "I learned how to multiply."

Another boy wrote, "I learned about the water cycle."

Yet another child wrote, "I learned about rules."

Those were all good sentences...grammatically. But you know me. I wanted those sentences to jump off the paper at me.

Caleb said, "You want those sentences to B I N G, right?"
I love Caleb. He gave me goosebumps. I wanted those sentences to bing and boing like a ping pong ball!

So, long story short, "I learned how to multiply," turned into "My cat had two tiger kittens last year. Last month she had three kittens. Only one was a tiger. The other two were as yellow as the sun. 3 x 2 = 6. My cat has had six kittens!"

"I learned about the water cycle," turned into, "Rain falls from the clouds and makes the creek behind my house get so deep it covers the bridge."

And, "I learned about rules" turned into, "I learned not to run on the blacktop because if I fall, I could skin my knees. I only run in the soft grass so if I fall I won't get hurt."

WAY TO GO KIDS.....WAHOO!

The kids painted pictures with their words. That's what I want you to do.

Writers: Write one sentence about something you have learned in the past year. Then paint a picture with your words to SHOW what you learned. This could get really interesting if you braindrop first!

Teachers and Parents: Braindrop first. Then do the same activity that I did with the second graders. Have fun! Join in...what DID you learn in the past year?

PS...Later this week I'm going to post a story for you or your kids to end. I just have to get that story written. Hmmm....maybe I'll make it really challenging. We'll do it in as few words as possible. Stay tuned!