- Ten people you admire and why
- Ten people you dislike and why
- Ten foods you would like to see disappear from the planet
- Ten qualities you look for in a friend/pet/boss
- Ten of your favorite toys from childhood
- Ten places in the world you want to see
- Ten places in other worlds you want to see
- Ten things you have learned from children/old people/animals/TV commercials, etc.
- Ten memories that embarrass you to recall (be sure to tear up this list as soon as you finish with it! :-)
- Ten things you can never get enough of
- Ten helpful things other people have done for you
- Ten things you admire about yourself/your spouse/your children
- Ten reasons never to go to the circus
- Ten reasons we should get a pet ferret
- Ten people I wish my children could have known
- And so on . . .
- Give a detailed account of the problem
- Suggest a solution to the problem
- Set a time limit within which the problem should be solved
- Personal information (name, address, phone, email)
- Goals (educational, professional, personal)
- Education (think beyond classroom walls--what valuable things has the child already learned?)
- Work experience (what chores does the child do?)
- Travel experience
- Clubs and organizations
- Awards and prizes
- References (you might ask friends or family members to write down a sentence or two praising something specific about the child)
- Where did the recipe come from? Who introduced it into the family?
-
Does
it suggest a certain ethnic or cultural background in the family?
- Was this recipe someone's special contribution to family gatherings?
- Does the flavor of this dish remind you of family reunions, holidays, funerals, etc.?
We
don't often think about lists because they are so commonplace in our world--grocery
lists, things-to-do-today lists, all sorts of lists. Lists are a
lot of fun to write because they are so fast and informal. For a
quick writing activity that can be done anywhere, try listing some unusal
things, such as:
With the advent of cellular phones and email, letter-writing might seem like a dying art, but there are still plenty of occasions when an old-fashioned paper letter is called for and plenty of people who still love to read letters. Look for opportunities for children to write letters, especially to family members who live far away and do not get to see the children often. Children love to get mail of their own, and if they establish a correspondence with people in other towns, states, and even countries, they are bound to learn about new ways of doing things.
Thank-you notes. Encourage children to write thank-you notes when someone has given them gifts or done something kind for them. It is a good idea to help children see opportunities for expressing their gratitude to teachers who have been particularly helpful, bus drivers who kept them from getting lost, coaches who helped them find self-confidence. Keep a supply of thank-you notes on hand for such occasions.
Friendly letters. Letters are a great way to keep in touch with friends or family members who have moved away. Kids might also want to find penpals who share common interests. Try checking out kid-safe penpal listings on the Internet. If your family is interested in sponsoring needy children from other countries, this provides a wonderful opportunity for children to communicate with children who speak different languages, hold different beliefs and values, and observe different customs.
Sympathy letters. Written expressions of sympathy can be very comforting since they can be kept long after flowers have wilted. Help family members of all ages to express their feelings of caring and compassion for others through letter-writing. If a friend's pet dies, this is a good opportunity to write a note of concern. This is good for the writer and reader alike as it allows them to share their feelings of sadness and loss.
Business and complaint letters. Children sometimes have cause to write business letters. For example, if they are particularly happy or unhappy with a product, they might want to write the company that made it. Provide examples of business letters, and talk about how the tone and language of a business letter differ from those of a friendly letter.
When children write complaint letters, help them to:
This needn't be entirely serious, however. You can make up any number of silly reasons to write letters of complaint. Write to Father Time, for example, and complain about how fast time goes--are you being shortchanged by the clock? Silly or serious, it's still good practice.
Chances are that you have written a resume at some point in your life. You were probably looking for a job at the time. Career specialists and psychologists tell us that it's a good idea always to keep a current resume. It helps us to see and appreciate all of the things we are accomplishing in our daily lives.
Try helping a child write a resume for himself or herself. It's a healthy way to boost self-esteem since even the youngest child has a lot of experience and education to boast of: for example, learning to tie one's shows or riding a pony at the fair.
Show
the child your resume, or look at sample resume formats before you begin.
Consider adding categories such as:
Resume writing is another skill that children will use throughout their adult lives.
Whether
or not you like to cook, you can find a lot of family history in a collection
of favorite recipes. It seems that every recipe has a story behind
it:
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FACE="Bookman Old Style">When was this food usually eaten? Was this an ordinary or a special occasion food?If you are really ambitious about this, write to family members in other places and ask them to send you their family favorites along with any special memories that they associate with the foods. These can be compiled into a family cookbook, which makes a wonderful gift for family members.
Hire everyone in your family as a news reporter. Read a few newspaper articles to get a feel for the way journalists write. Ask each family reporter to write short articles about events that have happened recently in your family, such as a new baby, a special award, or a case of chicken pox. Include illustrations and photographs, too. Give your newspaper a name, and write or type all of the articles neatly. Now you can xerox your newsletter and send it to family and friends who like to hear about what’s going on at your house. Be sure to save a copy for posterity. You might even make this a monthly or annual publication, and encourage extended family members to contribute articles of their own.
This
site is part of a sabbatical project created by Linda Evans, English Department,
Mesa Community College, and funded by the Maricopa County Community College
District. Please send comments, suggestions, and ideas to Linda Evans,
English Department, Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa,
AZ, 85202 or email evans_l@mc.maricopa.edu.