What happens in the natural world when rain begins to fall after a period of drought? How does the built world change when rainwater pours over it once again? In what ways do people change--in mind and body--when the weather goes from dry to wet? What types of activities or habits reappear in a person's life when rain begins to fall? What disappears? Think about these … [Read more...] about When the Rain Comes
Observation
Pick It Up and Put It Down
You pick something up. You put it down somewhere else. Write about some of the many times this has occurred in your life. Tell what you picked up. Say where it was. Tell where you put it down. You can include times when you engaged a person, a machine, or a tool to help with the picking up and putting down. Are there things that you can pick up and put down that … [Read more...] about Pick It Up and Put It Down
In One Month
It is August. Technically, it will be summer for another month, but the slow glide into the fall season has already begun. What can you see, hear, smell, or otherwise experience today that will be much different a month from now? You can notice many changes in nature. People's chores and routines often change with the season. What will be different in a city or … [Read more...] about In One Month
Exciting Introductions
Set up your page by first drawing a line where the title will go. Then divide the rest of the page into four equal-sized sections. On a sheet of scrap paper, write down the names of four objects that you are familiar with. For each one, write down three informational details. The details could be about the object's appearance, history or function. Adopt the voice of an … [Read more...] about Exciting Introductions
It Grows Until It Doesn’t
What grows? Whatever isn't growing might have been growing once. Or it might start growing soon. Tangible and intangible things can grow. Until they stop. What never stops growing? Set up a page that leaves room for a title and some doodling or illustration space. Then write about things that grow. What makes them start to grow?What makes them stop? Use the word "grow." … [Read more...] about It Grows Until It Doesn’t