250 writing prompts - month by month

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Marvelous Month-by-Month

Writing Prompts250 Knock-Their-Socks-Off Writing Prompts

to Inspire Super Writing All Year Long!

By Justin McCory Martin

Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin, Scholastic Teaching Resources

DedicationTo Diane Caldwella wonderful aunt and inspiring teacher

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the contents of this book for classroom use only. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission,

write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by Norma OrtizCover artwork by Amy VangsgardInterior design by Sydney WrightInterior artwork by Brian Floca

ISBN: 0-439-22250-8Copyright 2001 by Justin McCory Martin

All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.


Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Writing PromptsSeptember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59


4riting can be a deeply satisfying activity for kids. Its a great outlet for their creativity, one that lends itself to wild flights of fancy. Its

also a wonderful vehicle for personal expression, more so now than everin this age of e-mail.

But writing is also tough. Simply staring at a blank piece of paper is noway to get started. Its just too discouraging, when what is needed isencouragement and plenty of it. If only kids can start with the seed of anidea, their imaginations can flower. Writing can become an activity thatsboth exciting and enriching.

Thats the purpose of the prompts contained in this book. Think of themas a little push to help your students get started, the same kind of pushthat any writereven the most gifted veterannaturally needs.

The prompts are organized by the ten months of the school year. Most ofthem are tied to specific events in a given month. For example, Octoberincludes a selection of Halloween-related prompts and June is full of thosewith summer themes. There are also prompts pegged to the anniversariesof historic happenings, like the Wright Brothers famous flight (December17); prompts tied to the birthdays of famous childrens authors such asTheodor Geisel (March 2); and even some that relate to unusual datessuch as Elephant Appreciation Day (September 22).

Kids will find that the prompts send them off in all kinds of directions,urging them to write stories, poems, songs, and mini-essays. The emphasisis on varietyinteresting exercises spur interesting writing. Kids are evenencouraged to write rap songs, e-mails, petitions, sports stories, and gos-sip columnsall in an effort to get those creative juices flowing.


5Back-to-School ListIts the beginning of a new school year.Make a list of the top ten most impor-tant things you will need for school.This will help you get started: Youllneed your own desk, some paper, somepencils. What else? Think of at least tenother items.

The Rap on SummerThis past summer, did you have fun inthe sun? Did you swim with your friendTim? Write a rap song that describeswhat you did this summer. Rap aboutall your good times and make sureit rhymes.

New School-Years Resolutions

In January, people often make NewYears resolutions. They promise them-selves that during the coming year theywill change their lives in good ways.September is the beginning of theschool year. Maybe there are somethings you would like to do differentlythis school year. Maybe you want toimprove at math or learn how to playsoccer. Writedown five New School-Years Resolutions.

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Dear DiaryStart a back-to-school diary. What sub-jects are you studying? What are somefun activities that you have done? Haveyou made any new friends? Each dayduring the first week of school writedown your thoughts.

Photographic MemoryLook at a photograph in a magazine ornewspaper for one minute. Study itvery carefully. Then, put the photo-graph away where you cant see it.Write down every single detail that youcan remember.

Bothered in BostonSeptember is Childrens Good MannersMonth. Pretend you write an advicecolumn in the newspaper called Askthe Manners Expert. Heres a letteryou receive: Dear Manners Expert, Ilike my friend Josh. But when we eatlunch in the cafeteria he always talkswith his mouth full. How can I makehim stop this without hurting his feel-ings? Signed, Bothered in Boston.Now, write an answer and give somegood advice on good manners. Startout, Dear Bothered in Boston, . . .

Grabmunch for ThoughtHere are some made-up names forvery common things. Sun = Brighto.House = Livebox. Car = Gobox.Person = Smartbot. Food = Grabmunch.Talk = Yakyak. Write a story usingall of these made-up words. This willhelp you get started: Two smartbotswere driving in a gobox. They wereyakyaking about . . .

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In ReverseTell the story of coming to school thismorning, backwards. This will betough. Waking up was the first thingyou did. But in a backwards tale, itbecomes the end of your story. Heresthe beginning of your story: I arrivedat school.

3001: A Space OddityThe popular show Star Trek was firstshown on TV on September 8, 1966. StarTrek is an example of whats known asscience fiction. Its a type of story aboutthe future thats full of exciting inven-tions like time-travel machines. Whatdo you think the future will be like?Write your own science fiction storyfull of rocket rides, space aliens, andcool gadgets.

Festival of the PrunesEach year on September 9 and 10, YubaCity, California, holds a Prune Festival.That sounds pretty silly, right? Whatdo you think happens at the PruneFestival? Is there a prune toss? Do theycrown a really wrinkly person as Mr. orMiss Prune? Write a story about whatyou think happens at the Yuba CityPrune Festival.

Summer.comIts a new school year. But what did youdo this past summer? Create your ownpretend Summer.com web site so youcan remember all the fun you had. Didyou go on vacation? Did you have somefavorite summer songs? What flavors ofice cream did you eat? Make lists, drawpictures, and write short stories foryour very own Summer.com site.

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Town AnthemOn September 13, 1814, Francis ScottKey wrote the Star Spangled Banner,our countrys national anthem. Make upthe words of an anthem for your town.You can mention local sports teams orfoods that your town is famous for.

The RiddlerDo you like riddles? Heres one: Whathas teeth, but cannot eat? Answer: Acomb. Come up with some riddles ofyour own. Write them on one side of apiece of paper; write answers on theother. When youre done, share themwith a classmate.

Big WhopperA really ridiculous story that isnt true iscalled a whopper. Each year on Septem-ber 16, the town of New Harmony,Indiana, holds a Big Whopper contest.Dream up the biggest whopper you canand write it down.

Class ConstitutionOn September 17, 1787, the leadersof the United States agreed on theConstitution. The Constitution is a veryimportant document. It spells out manyof the rules for making the UnitedStates a good place to live. Create yourown School Constitution, with rulessuch as use quiet voices in the class-room and walk in the hallways.

Clowning AroundClowns from all over the United Statesattend Clownfest. Its held in SeasideHeights, New Jersey. It starts each yearon September 17 and runs for five days.Make up a clown of your own and givehim or her a name. Then, write a storydescribing the adventures and misad-ventures of your clown.

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Trading CardsUse two index cards for this exercise.Label one Character and the otherPlace. On the Character Card, writedown a type of character. It can beanything: a genie, a farmer, a world-champion ping-pong player. On thePlace Card, list a location. Again, itcan be anywhere: Kansas, Mars, ashopping mall. Trade your CharacterCard with one classmate and yourPlace Card with another. Write a storyfeaturing the character and place youwind up with.

Mini-DictionarySamuel Johnson was born onSeptember 18, 1709. He created thevery first English language dictionary.Here are ten words: sausage, tennis,school, rain, gorilla, wristwatch, rock-et, peach, movie, computer. Think ofgood definitions for these words andcreate your own mini-dictionary.Because this is a dictionary, rememberto put your words in alphabetical order.

Elephant Appreciation DaySeptember 22 is officially ElephantAppreciation Day. Go to the library orget on the Internet and do some researchabout these fascinating animals. Then,write down ten facts about elephants.

All About NeptuneOn September 23, 1846, the planetNeptune was discovered by astron-omers. Do some research to learn aboutthis planet. How large is Neptune andhow far is it from Earth? Write a mini-report about Neptune that includes yourown ideas about what might be discov-ered in the future if a spaceship landson the planet.

Snail MailTheres regular mail that arrives in themailbox. And theres e-mail that showsup on your computer. Imagine anotherkind of mail: catmail or watchmail orsuperball mail. Write a message to afriend using your strange new kind ofmail.

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9Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Wild FansWhat is your favorite sportbasket-ball, football, gymnastics? And who isyour favorite athlete? Pretend you area reporter for a TV show called WildFans. What questions would you wantto ask your favorite athlete? Make upthe answers that he or she would giveto your questions.

Whale of a TaleShamu the orca whale was born onSeptember 26, 1985. Shamu was thefirst orca born in captivity that sur-vived and grew to be an adult. Do someresearch on orcas. Then, imagine thatyou are a trainer for an orca. Whatwill you name it? What tricks will youteach it? Write a whale of a tale aboutyour adventures.

Add Those AdjectivesThe man put on his coat and walkeddown the street to his car. This is apretty boring sentence, right? But addsome adjectives to make it more inter-esting, like this: The angry man put onhis heavy coat and walked down thedark street to his fancy car. Rewritethe sentence three times using variouscolorful adjectives.

Imperfect Ira Saves the World!

The fourth week of September isNational Imperfection Week. Pretendthat the mascot for this week is a boynamed Imperfect Ira. Imperfect Irabrushes his hair with a toothbrush,always forgets to tie his shoes, andhis favorite sandwich is a slice ofbread between two pieces of bologna.But guess what! Imperfect Ira has tosave the world from an invasion ofthree-legged monsters. Write a storyand describe how Imperfect Ira savesthe day.

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Remember SeptemberNow its October. September was lastmonth. Try to remember all the thingsthat happened to you in September.Make a list of ten memories fromlast month.

We Are FamilyAutumn seems like a good time tocreate a family tree. List as manyrelatives as you can think of: brothersand sisters, aunts and uncles. Go backas far as you can to your grandparentsor even your great-grandparents. Writedown descriptions of the variouspeople in your family tree.

A FableA fable is a story that teaches animportant lesson. Aesop was famousfor his fables such as the The Tortoiseand the Hare. In this story, theTortoise and the Hare race. The Hare isso sure he will beat the slow Tortoisethat he doesnt try very hard. To hissurprise, the Tortoise actually wins therace. The lesson of the fable: Alwaystry hard or you might be surprised.Write your own fable, and be sure toinclude a helpful lesson at the end.

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School Lunch MenuOctober 8 through October 14 isNational School Lunch Week. Create amenu of different foods that you wouldlike to have each day of this specialweek. Remember, dont just pick yourfavorite foods. Your choices should benutritious, too.

Whats Irking Gilbert Grouch?

October 15 is National Grouch Day.Write a story about a character namedGilbert Grouch. This will get you start-ed: Gilbert Grouch woke up on thewrong side of the bed once again. Hefixed his usual breakfast, bacon andeggs. As usual, he thought it tastedawful. Then, he put on his least favoriteshirt and . . .

Breezy TaleAutumn is here and leaves are falling.Tell a story from the point of view ofa single leaf. Give your leaf a name.Think about what kind of tree it livesin. Describe its trip down, down to theground. Then what happens?

Time CapsuleOn a piece of paper, write down someimportant facts about the present timein history. Who is the U.S. president?What are some popular TV shows ormovies or songs? Place the paper insidean envelope. Label the envelope TimeCapsule and seal it. You can hold on tothis envelope as long as you like. If youopen it in one year, or five years, or eventwenty years, youll have a reminder ofwhat things used to be like.

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Nickname GameThe musician John Birks Gillespie wasborn on October 21, 1917. Everyonecalled him Dizzy Gillespie. That washis nickname. Do you have a nickname?If so, why were you given this nick-name? If not, think of a nickname foryourself and explain why you chose it.

Monster DiaryCreate an imaginary Monster Diary forthe days leading up to Halloween onOctober 31. Heres a sample entry tohelp you get started: October 22.Today on the way to school I noticedthat the bus was being driven by aghost. I screamed very loudly. Now,write your own hair-raising diary, andinclude all the monsters, ghouls, andgoblins you can think of.

Count On It!Finish the following story. Make it goall the way up to ten. One day, twosisters named Jill and Jenna ran intothree . . .

Just the OppositeSalt and pepper are opposites. So areup and down. Pick out a passage in afavorite book or newspaper article.Now, rewrite it using opposites when-ever you can. For example, the shortman becomes the tall woman.

Rainforest PetitionWorld Rainforest Week is October 21through October 29. Do some researchon rainforests. Then, write a petitionto save the rainforest. A petition is aspecial letter that asks people to takea particular action. Make sure to givereasons why its important to save therainforest. This will help you get start-ed on your petition. I, (your namehere), want to ask the citizens of theworld to help save the rainforest.Rainforests are important because

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Weird Jennifer AndersonOctober 23 is the birthday of singerand comedian Weird Al Yankovic. Hechanges the words of famous songsaround to create his own silly versions.One of his most popular songs is EatIt instead of Beat It, the hit song byMichael Jackson. First, place a Weirdin front of your own name. Next, writea silly version of a favorite song.

Abbreviation CreationU.S. stands for United States. S.O.S.stands for Save Our Ship. These arecalled abbreviations. Create fiveabbreviations of your own, such asI.C.W.F.R., which stands for I CantWait For Recess!

A to Z TaleIts October 26. To celebrate, write astory in which you use all 26 letters ofthe alphabet, A to Z. Some letters arereally tough, such as Q and X and Z. Butheres a tip: You can use a letter in themiddle or at the end of a word. Forexample, the word box uses the letter X.

Synonym SpeedwayA synonym is a word that has the samemeaning as another word. Spend oneminute writing down as many syn-onyms for the word big as you canthink of. Hint: There are a huge numberof synonyms for big. Now, on yourmark, get set, go!

Halloween CarolsDuring December, people often singChristmas carols. You may know somepopular carols such as Silent Nightand Deck the Halls. But no one eversings Halloween carols. Wouldnt it becool if the holiday had its own specialsongs such as Scary Night or Spookthe Halls? Make up a Halloween carolthats fun to sing and will frighten lis-teners so their hair stands on end.

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Pumpkin PowerHalloween has plenty of monsters. Butit needs a good superhero. Write ashort script for a movie about Jill-O-Lantern, crime-fighting pumpkin andmonster avenger.

Spork It OverSometimes when you eat at a fast-foodrestaurant, they will have a specialutensil called a spork. Its a combina-tion of a spoon and a fork. What wouldyou call a combination of a bicycleand a car, then? A bicycar, maybe?Think up five new combo words ofyour own. Make sure you write downtheir definitions, too.

Interview with thePurple-Crested Fiend

Imagine theres a monster called thePurple-Crested Fiend. It sounds prettyscary, right? But you must have lots ofquestions. What does it look like? Whatdoes it eat? Think of ten questionsfor the Purple-Crested Fiend. Then,exchange your questions with a class-mate. Answer your classmates tenquestions. Your classmate will answeryour ten questions. Then everyone willknow everything about the Purple-Crested Fiend.

Gold Medal, A-1, Grand-Prizewinning Invention

What do you think is the most impor-tant invention ever? Do you thinkits fire, or the wheel, or maybe thecomputer? Write about the inventionthat you think is most important inthe whole history of the world.

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Cool CostumeWhat would you like to be forHalloween? Would you like to be apirate, a tiger, or maybe a rock star?Describe the coolest costume that youcan possibly imagine.

CrosswordsIt is possible to cross the wordsTexas and melt. Both include theletter e. Thats where you cross them.On a piece of paper, cross as manywords as you possibly can. Remember,its possible to cross a word more thanonce. For example, you can cross theword example many times, withpet, map, and pillow.

Going BattyUnlike many favorite Halloween ghoulsand goblins, bats are real animals. Theyare very interesting, too. Did you know,for example, that they are not birds?They are mammals just like humans.You can learn more about bats frombooks or by looking in the encyclopediaor on the Internet. Do some researchand write a mini-report full of true factsabout these fascinating animals.

One More for RushmoreMount Rushmore was completed onOctober 31, 1941. Its a monument inSouth Dakota that features the faces offour American presidents carved into amountainside. The presidents areGeorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln, and TheodoreRoosevelt. What if you could addanother face to Mount Rushmore? Whowould you choose? It doesnt have tobe another president. It can be anyoneyou consider a hero. Write about thenew person that you would add toMount Rushmore.

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Author, AuthorNovember 1 is National Authors Day.In honor of this day, try your hand atbeing an author. Finish the followingstory: This was truly amazing. Darrelland Katie could not believe it. If youopened the special door, on the otherside was . . .

Fearless Fiona and the Temple of the Amazon

King Tuts tomb was discovered inEgypt on November 4, 1922. Imaginethat you made an exciting archaeologi-cal find: the Temple of the Amazon,maybe, or the Lost City of Antarctica.Give yourself a cool explorers namelike Fearless Fiona and write aboutyour discovery in an Adventure Log.

Multiple MelMultiple Mel can do the followingthings:A) Say something funnyB) Do a somersaultC) Eat somethingD) Go someplace differentE) Say, Awesome!

Pick out ten letters among A through Ein any order. For example, you couldchoose CECADDBCAE. That meansMultiple Mel eats something (letter C),then says Awesome!(letter E), theneats something else (letter C), and soon. That might lead to the followingMultiple Mel adventure: Multiple Melate a cantaloupe and shouted out,Awesome! and then . . . Pick yourten letters first. Then, write your ownMultiple Mel adventure.

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Yard SkiingJames Naismith was born onNovember 6, 1861. He invented thegame of basketball. Can you name asport you would like to invent? Writedown the rules and describe how itis played.

Coining a CoinTheres a new one-dollar coin featuringthe Native American hero Sakajawea.Pretend you are creating your own newcoin. How much would it be worth?What famous person would you featureon it and why?

Huge TaleA Tall Tale is a story that is simplytoo strange to be believed. Heres anexample: Once, a boy blew a bubblegumbubble the size of a hot-air balloon. Hefloated up into the air and traveled allthe way to China. Make up your ownTall Tale. Really stretch your mind sothat yours will actually be a Huge Tale.

X-Ray VisionThe X-ray was discovered on November8, 1895. An X-ray makes it possible tosee inside of things. Imagine that youhave your own X-ray machine. What ifyou went home and found three boxesin your room: one huge, one medium-sized, and one tiny. You could use theX-ray to see inside the boxes, right? Useyour imagination and describe what yousee inside the three boxes.

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Kid TVThe show Sesame Street first appearedon television on November 10, 1969. Ithad popular characters such as Kermitthe Frog and the Cookie Monster. Ifyou could create a childrens show,what would you name it? Who wouldbe some of the characters? Now, writea short script of your very own kidsTV show.

Dont Trash It!November 12 is America Recycles Day.Maybe you already recycle cans andnewspapers in your home. Make a listof ten other things people can do tohelp the environment.

Book ReportNational Childrens Book Week isNovember 13 through 19. What is yourfavorite book? Write a book report inwhich you discuss the characters andthe story and explain why you especial-ly like this book.

Strange StreetHere are a couple of shops that mightappear on Strange Street. Theres afarmacy. Thats where chickens go toget medicine. Theres also a pie cleaner.Thats where you go to have your piescleaned, of course! Think of ten othershops that belong on Strange Street.If you like, write a story about yourshops, Strange Street, and the unusualthings that happen there.

Hidden TreasureRobert Louis Stevenson was born onNovember 13, 1850. He is the author ofthe classic adventure story TreasureIsland. If you had a treasure, wherewould you hide it? Think carefully,because you wouldnt want to lose it,and you wouldnt want anyone else tofind it either. Write down careful direc-tions that will allow you to find yourtreasure even many years in the future.You can also draw a map.

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Face TimeStories often include great descriptionsof peoples faces. Heres a descriptionof an imaginary character namedDibblyhoo, the Worlds Silliest Man: Hehad big elephant ears, fuzzy caterpillareyebrows, and google eyes. Here arethree more characters: Dr. Goptar, theWacky Genius; Princess Petunia; andSecret Agent Sam Steele. Describe thethree characters faces.

Happy Mouse DayOn November 18, 1928, the very firstMickey Mouse cartoon was shown.That makes November 18 MickeyMouses birthday. How do you thinkMickey Mouse would celebrate hisbirthday? Write about it.

Group ExerciseOn a windy November day, Ted took awalk in the park. Copy this sentencedown on a piece of paper. Then, you orsomeone in your class should add asecond sentence. Pass it around untileveryone in the class has added onesentence. As a group, you will havewritten a story!

Fan MailThink of someone to whom you wouldlike to send a letter. It can be absolutelyanyonea famous athlete, a characteron TV, someone from history. Make upan e-mail address for that person. Forexample, Abraham Lincoln might [email protected]. Now, writean e-mail that you would like to send tothat person.

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Everything DayThanksgiving is known for turkey. TheFourth of July is known for fireworks.Christmas is known for presents. Butwhat if there were one big holiday thatmixed together all these holidays andmorewith Halloween pumpkins andEaster eggs, too. Pretend this nuttynew holiday is called Everything Day.Write a story describing your familyduring a typical Everything Day.

Rah, Rah, Shish-Bang-Boom

Heres a cheer:Hip hurrah hip hooray,We are going to win today.From the East to the West,You know were the very best.

Make up your own cheer. It can be foryourself, your family, your school, yourtown, whatever. Just make sure youshout it loudly!

Turn That Smile Upside Down

Frown! November 19 is official Have aBad Day Day! Make up an ExtremelyAwful Day Story that includes thefollowing things: wet shoes, losthomework, a broken bicycle, and amessy food like spaghetti for lunch.

The First ThanksgivingThe fourth Thursday in November isThanksgiving. This holiday is celebrat-ed to honor a meal that the Pilgrimsand Wampanoag Indians ate togetherway back in 1621. The Pilgrims werevery thankful that the Indians werefriendly and brought delicious foodslike corn. Write a brief essay aboutsomething for which you are thankful.

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Autumn PlayHere are two characters for an autumnplay: Willard Wind and Kelly the Kite.Write some more lines for each charac-ter and finish the play.

Kelly the Kite: Im ready to come down,Willard. Ive been up here a long time.Willard Wind: Should I hold my breath?

Loopy LeftoversThanksgiving dinner is a very big meal.People often have lots of food left over.Come up with a list of ten ways to useyour Thanksgiving leftovers. Be creative.Dont be shy about suggesting turkeypizza or cranberry and corn soup.

The Rules of the GameThe fourth week of November isNational Game and Puzzle Week. Thinkof a game that you really like. It can bebaseball or checkers or hide-and-seek.Write down the rules as carefully asyou can so that other people can learnto play your favorite game.

Fly Like a TurkeyBenjamin Franklin wrote a letter tohis daughter in 1784. In it, he said hewished the turkey had been chosen asthe symbol of America instead of theeagle. Write your own Ben Franklinstyle letter. Come up with some strongarguments for why the turkey shouldbe Americas official symbol.

Spiral StoryWriting in straight lines from left toright gets boring, dont you think? Howabout writing a spiral story. Start at theouter edge of a piece of paper andwrite around and around. This will helpyou get started: The penny rolledthrough the crowded grocery store.Ricky Rounder chased after it . . .

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After December Comes . . .December is the twelfth and finalmonth of the year. But what if therewere a thirteenth month? What wouldit be called? What new holidays wouldbe celebrated during this month?For example, National Popsicle Day.Write a description of your made-upthirteenth month and let yourimagination run wild.

Union HillOn December 3, 1775, the very firstofficial American flag was flown. Whatif you could design your own personalflag? Write about what colors and sym-bols you would choose and why.

CookiesThe first week of December is Cookie-Cutter Week. Youve heard of theGingerbread Man. Make up your ownspecially shaped cookie. It can be agingerbread dinosaur or a chocolatechip cookie in the shape of a star. Willyour cookie have sprinkles for eyelash-es or will you draw a smiley face withfrosting? Describe your cookie anddraw a picture, too, if you like.

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Escape from Pickle IslandThe bad news is that you are trappedon Pickle Island. The good news is thatyou have the following items: somerope, an empty bottle, a hula hoop, aballoon, a pencil but no paper, and agum wrapper. What can you do withthese items? Write a story in which youdescribe how you use them to eitherescape or call for help and get rescued.

BrainiacOn December 8, 1894, Elzie Segar wasborn. He created the famous cartooncharacter Popeye. When Popeye atespinach he instantly grew strong.Imagine a new character namedBrainiac. When Brainiac eats asparagushe instantly grows incredibly smart.Write a story about the adventuresof Brainiac.

Walter Mitty StoryThe writer James Thurber was alsoborn on December 8, 1894. He createda famous character named WalterMitty. Walter Mitty was just a regularguy. But in his imagination he did allkinds of heroic feats and had manyexciting adventures. Are you like that,too? Think of an adventure youve hadin your imagination. Put it down onpaper as a story.

Walking, Talking,Power Robot

Every December theres a brand newtoy for sale that all the kids are excitedabout. Pretend you are the president ofa toy company. Think up a new toy thateveryone will want. Make sure its some-thing really cool, like a Walking, Talking,Power Robot. Now, write a TV adver-tisement that describes your new toy.

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Hear, HearCar horns go beep. A ball bouncingon the ground goes bonk. Cats saymeow. Make up sounds for thefollowing things: a rocking chair, atomato splattering, a lightbulb burningout, water running in the sink, and agoldfish. Use your five made-upsounds in a story.

December PoemDecember is a long word. But manywords rhyme with it, including remem-ber, September, timber, member, andeven short words like fur and purr.Write a December poem using theseand other rhyming words.

Four Words Hiding in Mississippi

Mississippi became the twentieth U.S.state on December 10, 1817. There arefour words hidden in Mississippi: miss,sis, is, and sip. Write a short story usingthese words.

Classmate InterviewNewspaper stories are based on inter-views. Pair up with classmates and askone another interview questions.Remember to write down the answersyour classmates give you. Then, write astory about your classmate based onthe information you learn in the inter-view. Here are some interview ques-tions to help you get started: Wherewere you born? Do you have any broth-ers or sisters? What is your favoritefood? Do you play any sports?

The X-ForceHere are the four superheroes thatmake up the X-Force: Micro, a super-hero who can become microscopicallysmall; The Bolt, a superhero who cantravel over wires and takes the form ofhuman electricity; The Blur, the worldsfastest superhero; Flexor, a superherowho can bend and stretch like arubber band. Now, write an adventurestarring the X-Force. You can evendo it in comic book form completewith pictures.

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TriviaAre you good at trivia? Heres an easyone: Who was the first president of theUnited States? Answer: GeorgeWashington. Think up three pieces oftrivia. Put your trivia questions on oneside of an index card and the answerson the other. Quiz your classmates.You can even have a class-wide triviatournament.

Town MonumentOn December 15, 1832, Gustave Eiffelwas born in France. He was an engi-neer who designed the Eiffel Tower inParis and helped build the Statue ofLiberty for New York City. What if youcould create a monument for yourtown? Would it be a statue of a giantprairie dog, or maybe of a girl eatingice cream? Describe a town monumentof your own design.

Zany Z TaleThe letter Z is a lot of fun. But itdoesnt get used very often. How aboutshaking things up by using the letter Zinstead of the letters C and M? A catbecomes a zat. A monkey becomes azonkey. Write a Zany Z Tale and usethe letter as often as you zan!

The Wright StuffOn December 17, 1903, Orville andWilbur Wright flew an airplanesuccessfully for the first time ever.The Wright Brothers famous flight tookplace at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.Can you think of other famous brothersor sisters? Write about what theyaccomplished.

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Run-On-and-On SentenceYou can keep a story going just byadding and then. Heres an example:I woke up and then I brushed my teethand then I ate breakfast and then . . .Whew, seems like that could go on for-ever. Try writing your own and thenstory. Keep writing and then keep writ-ing and then keep writing until youreall tired out.

Humbug DayDecember 21 is Humbug Day inhonor of the character EbenezerScrooge from Charles Dickenss bookA Christmas Carol. If Scrooge didntlike something, he would shout outBah, humbug! Write down five thingsyou dont like. At the end of eachdislike, write Bah, humbug! Heresan example: Whenever I watch myfavorite TV shows, commercialsalways come on. Bah, humbug!

Mixed-Up MealsA taco usually contains beef or chick-en. A sandwich might have turkey orbologna. Pizza often has pepperoni ormushrooms. Make a list of ten mixed-up foods such as a mushroom taco orbologna pizza.

Being Paul Polar BearWhat do you think its like to be a polarbear? What do you think goes on in apolar bears mind? Are they happy,funny, hungry? Imagine that you are apolar bear. Then, write a story from apolar bears point of view.

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The Dinosaur Next DoorDinosaurs became extinct millions ofyears ago. But what if dinosaurs werestill around today? There would bedinosaurs in the woods along withbears and oak trees. Certain kinds oftame dinosaurs might live on farmsalong with cows and chickens. Youcould even have a dinosaur as a pet.Write a story about what it wouldbe like now if dinosaurs still walkedthe earth.

Alpha-TrainCreate an Alpha-Train and make it aslong as possible. Heres how: Write asentence in alphabetical order, such asA big cow didnt enjoy funny games.Thats a good train for letters A throughG. It can be a silly sentenceas longas its a sentence. See how far youcan go.

Holiday CarolYou probably know some popularcarols that are sung during theholidays. Theres Silent Night andJingle Bells, for example. Write yourown holiday carol. Make it very jollyand lots of fun.

Opposite WorldWhat if snow was warm instead ofcold? What if people ate hamburgersfor breakfast and cornflakes fordinner? Think about a world whereeverything is the opposite. Now, writea story about Opposite World includingas many upside-down . . . er, downside-up details . . . as you can imagine.

ScrapbookDecember 31 is the very last day of theyear. A lot has happened, hasnt it?Create a scrapbook for the year. Writeabout memorable events and includedrawings and photos if you like.

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Happy New Year!January is the month when one yearchanges over to the next. But what ifyou had a time machine? Last yearcould be followed by a truly new anddifferent year1900, say, or 1776, orthe year 3000. Would you use your timemachine to travel into the past or intothe future? Describe your adventure ina story.

New Years AcrosticHappy New Year! January 1 is the firstday of a brand-new year. Create aHappy New Year acrostic. Choosewords or phrases that relate to yourwishes for the coming year. The H, forexample, could be Hope Ill make anew friend this year.

One Smart CookieEating black-eyed peas is supposed tobring you good luck in the New Year.Make up special powers for otherfoods. Maybe cookies make you smart,or pickles make you laugh a lot. Createa menu of your food choices and theirspecial powers.

Flys-Eye ViewWhat do you think things look like to afly? A grain of salt looks very tiny to aperson. Maybe a fly sees the same grainof salt differently. A fly might describeit as a large white cube, about thesame size as one of those big blocks ofsand. Think of five different objects.Describe what each would look likefrom a flys point of view.

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Get Your Flashlight Hat!People who run stores have to sellsome pretty strange things. For exam-ple, if you ran a shoe store you mighthave to sell purple cowboy boots. Oneway to get people interested would beto create an advertisement. Weve gotthem! You need them! Be the first inyour neighborhood to own a pair ofstylish and comfortable purple cowboyboots! Pretend you run a departmentstore. You have to sell 500 hats withflashlights attached. Create an ad tohelp sell them.

SmithtownJanuary 6 is National Smith Day, inhonor of all the people named Smith.Its the most common last name in theEnglish language. There are two millionSmiths in the United States. But what ifeveryone were named Smith? It wouldbe really confusing, right? Jimmy Smithwould ride his Smith bicycle downSmith Street to Smiths Grocery Storeto pick up some Smiths ChickenNoodle Soup. Write a story about atown where everyone and everything isnamed Smith.

Scrambled StorySchool from Billy home came. Bear ahouse the was in. Unscramble thesetwo sentences. Then finish this story.

The Write StuffJanuary 8 through 14 is UniversalLetter-Writing Week. Do you have afriend or relative who lives far away,even in another town or country? Writethat person a letter and describe yourplans for the new year.

The Next Big ThingJanuary is National High-Tech Month.Think about all the high-tech inventionsthat exist today: CD players and com-puters and video games and cellularphones. What kind of new inventiondo you think the world needs next?What would make life easier or helpyou to do things faster? Write about ahigh-tech gadget that you would liketo invent.

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SlogansMany places have slogans. For exam-ple, America is sometimes called TheLand of the Free. Missouri is calledThe Show-Me State. Chicago is calledThe Windy City. Make up slogans foryour house, your neighborhood, yourtown, your state, and for America.

Poetry BreakJanuary 13 is Poetry Break Day. Take abreak and write several verses to finishthe following poem.

I look up at the sky and I see the moon

I go to the zoo and I see a baboon

I go to the store and I see . . .

Nutty and NuttierComedian Jim Carrey was born onJanuary 17, 1962. Hes the star of suchmovies as Ace Ventura: Pet Detectiveand Dumb and Dumber. Pretend JimCarrey is the star of your own movieand write the mini-script. Make sure itsweird, wild, and very funny.

Why Are You Always Feeding Me Fish?

January 22 is Answer Your CatsQuestion Day. What a weird day! Butwhat if a cat could ask you questions?What would it ask? Write down fivecat-to-human questionsand yourhuman-to-cat answers, too.

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Get VividQuestion: What kind of dog is that?Answer: Its just a dog.

Dont you hate it when someone givesyou a really boring answer like that?

Try again and make your descriptionexciting and fun.

Question: What kind of dog is that?Answer: Its a fun, friendly dog. Itloves to run and play catch and roll inthe grass. Its name is _____.

Silly SoupJanuary is National Soup Month.Pretend you are a chef and you havecreated a secret recipe for somethingcalled Silly Soup. Silly Soup has 25different ingredients! They are thewackiest things you can think ofbubblegum and ice cubes and cat foodand wristwatches. Write down yourrecipe for Silly Soup, and dont forgeta good batch requires 25 differentingredients!

Simile JubileeA simile is a phrase that compares twothings using the words like or as. Hereare some examples: He ran like thewind. It was easy as pie. Use at leastfive similes in a short story.

Winter on TrialImagine that the season of winter is ontrial for being too cold, too long, andtoo boring. You are a lawyer and it isyour job to defend winter, telling thejury the good things about winter, suchas making snowballs and drinking hotchocolate.

This will help you get started: Ladiesand gentlemen of the jury. Before youtoday sits winter, accused of beingcold, too long, and too boring. But Iwould like to argue that . . . Now,complete this speech and convince thejury that winter is a good season.

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Gold Rush TaleOn January 24, 1848, gold was discov-ered in California. That started a goldrush. People poured into Californiahoping to get rich. Finish the followinggold rush tale:

________ (mans name) had just

arrived in California from ________

(which state?). He had a thick

beard and ________ (describe his

face), he was wearing ________

(describe clothes), and . . .

Sounds Like . . . January 28 is National Kazoo Day. Howwould you describe the sound a kazoomakes? One example might be: Akazoo sounds like a goose screaming atthe top of its lungs. Come up with fiveimaginative descriptions for othermusical instruments, too, such aspianos, guitars, and drums.

OprahOprah Winfrey, the famous televisiontalk show host, was born on January29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi.Imagine that you are on Oprahs show.Write down the questions Oprahmight ask you. And write down youranswers, too.

Strange UdderanceAdding something strange to a normalsituation can start a story. You and yourfamily are at the table eating dinner.Thats pretty normal, right? But whenyou pour yourself a glass of milk, themilk carton says Mooooo. Theres thestart of a story. Finish it.

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State of the TownLate in January, the president of theUnited States often delivers an impor-tant speech called The State of theUnion. In this speech, the presidenttalks about various things that might beimportant to Americans: new laws, dis-asters such as hurricanes, or excitingscientific discoveries. Write a State ofthe Town speech in which you discussgood things and bad things currentlyhappening where you live.

Say What?Dialogue is one of the most importantparts of writing. It involves writingdown what characters say to eachother. Create a story by finishing thisconversation between Katrina andEleanor.

I have a secret, says Katrina.Oh, please tell me. Please, please,begs Eleanor . . .

Food CombosWhat if you combined a cranberry anda banana? You would have a cranana.Write about a mixed-up food combina-tion of your own. What would it becalled? What would it look like? Couldit be used in a new juice or as an icecream flavor?

Random WritingCut out a whole lot of words from anewspaper or magazine. Cut out singlewords, as many as 20 or 25. Put them ina hat or a box. Close your eyes, reachin, and select five words. Use thosewords to write a short story.

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Freedom WriterFebruary 1 is National Freedom Day.In honor of this special day, take amoment to think about some symbolsof freedom: the flag, the Liberty Bell,eagles. Do you have a favorite symbolof freedom? Do some research at thelibrary or on the Internet. Then, write amini-essay about why this symbol isimportant to you.

Favorite SayingThere are so many great sayings. Anapple a day keeps the doctor away. Apenny saved is a penny earned. Whatis your favorite saying? Write aboutwhat the saying means and why it isimportant to you.

InkblotLook at the inkblot below. If you lookat it long enough maybe it wont looklike an inkblot anymore. What doesit look like to you? Write about whatyou see.

Winter WearIts winter now. Across much of theUnited States it is very chilly. Dreamup some clothing items you would liketo invent for winter. Try to come upwith ten really out-there ideas, suchas ski sneakers so you dont have towear boots.

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Really ChillyThe coldest day ever recorded any-where in North America happened onFebruary 3, 1947. In the tiny town ofSnag, Canada, the temperature wasminus 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretendyoure a television weather forecasterin the town of Snag. Write down theweather report you would give on thatincredible day. This will help you getstarted: Good evening, ladies and gen-tlemen. Brrr. Its a chilly one . . .

I Meant That as a Compliment

February 6 is official Pay-a-ComplimentDay. Heres a compliment: You are avery good writer. You really know howto tell a good story. Think of compli-ments for the following five people: ateacher, a parent, a friend, a neighbor,and someone you see every day, like abus driver. Write them down.

Story TimeThe time that a story takes place is veryimportant. At the top of a piece ofpaper, draw the face of a clock, withthe numbers one through twelve. Next,draw in the clocks hands so that ittells time. Now, write a story that takesplace at the time you chose. If youpicked midnight, it might make senseto write a scary story. If you chose 5:30in the morning, you might want to writea story about a person who is fishingand watching the sunrise.

Little House in TahitiLaura Ingalls Wilder was born onFebruary 7, 1867. She is famous for herseries of Little House books aboutgrowing up on the prairie as a pioneer.Write your own pioneer story aboutgrowing up in an unusual place. It canbe Little House in the Rainforest orLittle House in Tahiti. Have fun andlet your imagination roam.

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Fortune CookiesHave you ever had a fortune cookie?Inside the cookie, theres a piece ofpaper with a message. Sometimes themessage is a prediction about yourfuture. Sometimes its a piece of goodadvice. Write down five messagesthat you would like to find insidefortune cookies.

A Tale of Two TuttlesFebruary 2 is the second day of theyears second month. Seems like a goodday for a story about a pair of twins.This will get you started: Mack andZack Tuttle were known as the TuttleTwins. The Tuttle Twins talked alike,dressed alike, and even rode every-where on a tandem bicycle. One day,while they were both eating double-dipice cream cones . . .

Magic WordsA wizard has given you three magicwords. Saying Crazzabelam makesyou invisible. Saying Frappa Wappamakes any object you choose growlarger. Saying Slobibble makes anyobject you choose become very, verytiny. Write a story in which you use thethree magic words.

Stardust MemoriesThe spacecraft Stardust was launchedon February 7, 1999. It will travel threebillion miles. It will be gone from theearth for five years. Its mission is togather samples of comets. TheStardust is unmanned, meaning nopeople are on board. No one will get tosee all the places it travels. Arent youcurious? Create a Stardust Flight Logand write down some of the excitingthings you think will happen during thespaceships long, long trip.

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Pennies for Your ThoughtsAbraham Lincoln was born onFebruary 12, 1809. Take a look at apenny; it has an image of Lincoln onthe front. Now, trace around the pennyto create a circle. In that circle, write aword that describes Lincoln. For exam-ple, you could write tall. Using onepiece of paper, see how many pennyoutlines you can fill with words aboutAmericas sixteenth president.

My MagazineThe first issue of the first magazinepublished in America appeared onFebruary 13, 1741. It was calledAmerican Magazine. Its editor wasAndrew Bradford. What if you couldcreate your own magazine? Whatwould you call it? Would it cover sportsor movies or what? Write a story foryour magazine.

The Sun Is Yellow, the Grass Is Green

Heres a well-known Valentines Daypoem:

Roses are red. Violets are blue.Sugar is sweet.And so are you.

Make up your own Valentines Daypoem using different objects or othercolors: red fire trucks, for example, orgreen grass.

Animated ObjectsImagine that something that cannottalk could suddenly speak. Your choicecan be any objecta tree, a lightbulb,a car, an old pair of blue jeans. (Dontpick an animal. They already speakwith purrs and barks and growls.) Now,think about what your object wouldsay. Would it speak in a sweet or agruff voice? What kind of personalitydo you imagine this object would have?Write a story in which you describe thisamazing talking object.

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Cucumber PhoneThere are regular telephones and thereare cell phones. But what if there weresuch a thing as a Cucumber Phone?Who would call you on a CucumberPhone? What kind of things would heor she say? Ring, ring! Better get that,someones calling you on theCucumber Phone. Write about thecaller and describe your conversation.

Dear Diary . . .Samuel Pepys was born in England onFebruary 23, 1633. Hes a famousdiarist. Hes still remembered all theseyears later because he kept verydetailed diaries. Come up with a diaryentry for today. Make it exciting andfull of details like Samuel Pepys diary,so that people will still find it interest-ing in 400 years!

The Odd TripleHere are three of the strangest friendsever: a firefighter who loves chocolatemilk, a race car driver who alwaysgets lost, and a rock star who also hasa pet python. What names would yougive each of these characters? Createan adventure story for these threeunusual friends.

Fairy TaleOn February 24, 1786, Wilhelm Grimmwas born. The Brothers Grimm,Wilhelm and Jakob, wrote some ofthe greatest fairy tales ever, such asCinderella and Snow White. Make up asimilar story of your own. Remember,it can be very strange and surprisingthats what makes it a fairy tale.

Cool New SportThink of a new winter sport. It can besomething strange like playing golf onskis. Let your imagination glide anddescribe the rules of your made-upnew sport.

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The Worlds Biggest Sandwich

Have you ever read the Guinness Bookof World Records? It has all kinds ofstrange records: the person with thelongest fingernails, the loudest rockband ever. Write about a strange recordthat you would like someone to set.

Eel E-MailEels are long, snake-like fish that livein the ocean. Imagine that theres onenamed Edgar Eel who actually can bereached by e-mail. His address [email protected] an e-mail to Edgar. Ask himabout living in the ocean and tell himall about life on land.

Movie-Star Name GameDo you know how to play the Movie-Star Name Game? Take your middlename and combine it with the town inwhich you were born. Say, for example,there is a girl named Melissa AmberJones who was born in Denver. Hermovie-star name would be AmberDenver. Whats your movie-star name?Make up the plot of a movie in whichyour own personal star would appear.

TravelogueArizonas Grand Canyon became aNational Park on February 26, 1919.Have you ever visited there? Its anamazing place. Think about a beautiful,natural place that you have visited. Itcan be a lake or a beach or a mountainrange. Then, write down everything youcan remember: how it looked, whetherit was warm or cold, any animals thatyou saw. Make your description excit-ing and beautiful so other people whoread it will also want to visit.

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Magic Yellow UmbrellaMarch is National Umbrella Month.Use this prompt to start a story thatcelebrates this useful invention. OnRudys eighth birthday his parents gavehim an umbrella. It was big and brightand yellow and magic. Yes, magic!When Rudy opened the umbrella . . .

Pig PowerMarch 1 is National Pig Day. In honorof this wacky holiday, write a storyabout a heroic pig. Maybe the pigsaves some skiers trapped in anavalanche. Or maybe this hero pigcatches some criminals.

Some Assembly RequiredWhat if you had the following: ahammer and nails, blue paint, somesquare pieces of wood, some panes ofglass, six wheels, a kite, a flashlight, abicycle horn, and a fan. What wouldyou build? Dream up a cool invention.Then,write down instructions so thatsomeone else can make one, too.

The Cow That Says Wow!Theodor Geisel was born on March 2,1904. Hes better known as Dr. Seuss.One of his most famous books was TheCat in the Hat. Write a rhyming storyfeaturing your own Dr. Seussstylecharacter. It can be The Mouse in theHouse, or The Cow That Says Wow!

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Texas Independence DayMarch 2 is Texas Independence Day.On this day in 1836 Texas gained itsindependence from Mexico. Do someresearch at the library or on theInternet and write down ten factsabout this great state.

Backhanded ExerciseHave you ever heard somebody say: Iknow that like the back of my hand?How well do you know the back ofyour hand? Study it for a while. Thenwrite a description. Be as detailed asyou possibly can.

The CrumpetsImagine theres a TV show called TheCrumpets. It features four main charac-ters. Mr. Crumpet is a policeman. Mrs.Crumpet is a karate expert. Their daugh-ter Missy Crumpet is always gettinginto mischief. They have a dog namedWaldo. Now, write a short episode of theimaginary TV show, The Crumpets.

Seymour Stars, Inventor of Powerful New Telescope

Alexander Graham Bell was born onMarch 3, 1847. He invented the tele-phone. Isnt it strange that the manwho invented the telephone was namedBell? Dream up five inventions andfittingly named inventors to go alongwith them. For example, you couldhave a pocket fan invented by WendyMcBreeze.

Autograph WeekAutograph Collecting Week runs fromMarch 5 to March 11. Who is someonethat you would like to collect an auto-graph from? Write about why you likeor respect this person.

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Prefix MadnessA unicycle has one wheel. A bicycle hastwo wheels. A tricycle has three wheels.Make up some new words, using theprefixes un and bi and tri in frontof some other words. For example, atripencil could be a pencil with threepoints and three erasers. Make up tennew words, and make sure you alsowrite down what they mean.

Singing a Different Neptune

Pretend that you are a visitor to Earthfrom the planet Neptune. When youreturn home you will want to describeEarthlings to your fellow Neptunians.But what if you dont have a word foreyes in the Neptunese language? Youmight have to describe them as shinyballs that humans use to see. Now,describe what a person looks like toyour friends on Neptune. But do notuse the following words: eyes, mouth,teeth, tongue, lips, nose, ears, hair,arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, ortoes. Good luck! Or as Neptunianssay, Urk bliff!

In-action, Un-adventurous Films

Each year on March 6, the BoringInstitute gives out its Most Boring FilmAwards. What is the most boring movieyouve seen recently? First, rate themovie in terms of Zs. Maybe it getsseven Zs: Zzzzzzz. Then, write a review.Describe why this particular movie wasso awfully, incredibly, terribly boring.

State-MentsWhat is Mom making for dinner?Answer: Dont know, Alaska. Get it?(Ill ask her.) Make up at least three ofyour own State-ments. Hint: Delaware,New Jersey, Washington, Missouri,Ohio, Utah, and Maine all work well.

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Excuses, ExcusesMarch 6 through 12 is NationalProcrastination Week. Procrastinationmeans putting off duties and making allkinds of excuses. Be creative and writedown a really imaginative excuse forwhy you cant clean your room thisweek. This will help you get started:Im so sorry. I really want to clean myroom. But, you see, the most incrediblething has happened . . .

The Grass Is Always BluerTaxis are usually yellow. Stop signs areusually red. But what if taxis werepink? What if stop signs were purple?Write a story using all they mixed-upcolored things you can think of.

P.I. JoeOn March 9, 1959, the very first Barbiedolls appeared in toy stores. What ifyou could create your own doll oraction figure? (It can be male orfemale.) What would you name it?What would it bea spy, a basketballplayer? Pretend you are creating anadvertisement in a toy catalog andwrite a description of your doll oraction figure.

Knock-Knock JokesKnock-Knock Jokes are a lot of fun!Heres an example:

Knock, Knock!Whos There?Lettuce.Lettuce Who?Lettuce In!

Make up your own Knock-Knock Jokeand write it down.

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The Buck Starts HereThe first paper money in the UnitedStates was issued on March 10, 1862.What if you could create your own bill?What would it be: a $1 zillion bill,maybe? Whose picture would you puton it? On a piece of paper, design yourown bill. Look at real bills for ideas.Your bill should have various sayingsand slogans written on itOfficialMoney of the Town of Muskogee,Oklahoma, for examplejust like areal bill.

Tongue TwisterHeres a tongue twister: Fuzzy-Wuzzywas a bear. Fuzzy-Wuzzy had no hair.Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasnt fuzzy, was he? Trysaying that five times fast. Now, createyour own tongue twister. Hint: Use lotsof rhyming words and use the sameletters over and over.

Wendy WatermelonseedMarch 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day. Doyou know about Johnny Appleseed?He walked all over the United Statesduring the 1800s planting apple seeds.Some of the trees he planted arestill alive today. Imagine there wasa Peter Pumpkinseed or a WendyWatermelonseed. Write a story aboutyour characters adventures.

Green TaleSt. Patricks Day is March 17. This is abig day for the color green. Think abouthow many things are green: emeralds,frogs, grass, and lettuce. Write a storyusing at least five different green things.

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Great SealMarch 1 is International Day of theSeal. Create a Great Seal of the Seal.This can be similar to the great seal ofyour own home state. Draw a pictureof a seal. Then, surround the picturewith written slogans and facts aboutthese fascinating animals.

RelativityAlbert Einstein was born in Germanyon March 14, 1879. When people thinkof a genius, they often think of thisfamous scientist. But who do you thinkof as a genius? Does a genius have tobe someone who is smart at solvingcomplicated math problems? Or can agenius be someone who is exceptional-ly good at other thingsa genius atvideo games, for example, or a geniusat making friends? Write about a per-son you think of as a genius andexplain why.

Remember That TuneMarch 21 is Memory Day. Think abouthow many different songs you haveheard during your life. Try to rememberas many song names as you possiblycan. Make a list and make it long.

March ManPretend theres a new superheroknown as March Man. He has specialpowers, such as his Super Flower-Power Ray. Design your own MarchMan trading card, with a picture and adescription. Then, trade cards withyour classmates.

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Keep America BeautifulApril is Keep America Beautiful Month.Do you have some ideas on how tohelp do this? Picking up garbage fromparks is one good idea. Giving houses afresh coat of paint is another. Create aKeep America Beautiful poster thatincludes your ideas.

Class ClownsDo you like a good joke? April happensto be National Humor Month. Heres ajoke for you: What did the flower sayto the bee? Answer: Buzz off. Thinkup some jokes of your own and writethem down. Trade jokes with yourclassmates and laugh, laugh, laugh.

SignsSigns are everywhere. Some restaurantshave signs that say, Please wait to beseated. Stores sometimes have signsthat say, No dogs allowed. Think offive signs that you think should exist.What would they say? Where wouldyou put your five signs?

Shhhh!April is Listening Awareness Month. Bereal quiet and listen very carefully forfive minutes. What do you hear?Chances are you will hear new thingsthat you wouldnt notice if you werentpaying very careful attention. Describeevery different sound you hear.

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The Opposite BrothersOscar and Otis are the OppositeBrothers. When Oscar wears black,Otis wears white. When Oscar walks,Otis runs. Write a story about theOpposite Brothers.

April Fools!Theres a new kind of gum calledForever-Chew. You can chew it forhours and hours and the flavor nevergoes away. It changes flavors, too.First, its grape, then its peppermint,then its cinnamon. Would you like astick? Really? April Fools! Now, writeyour own tricky tale. Remember at theend to write, April Fools!

Ferret CareMany people have dogs or cats or fishas pets. But some people have ferrets,which are a strange and unusual kindof pet. Do some research on ferrets atthe library or on the Internet. Then,pretend youre going on a trip. Yourfriend has promised to take care ofyour pet ferret. But what does it eat?Does it stay in a cage sometimes? Canit go outside by itself like a cat or adog? Write a note for your friend withinstructions on how to take care ofyour pet ferret.

Express MailThe very first Pony Express riderbegan his trip on April 3, 1860. He hada bag full of letters to deliver and hetraveled from St. Joseph, Missouri, toSacramento, California. It took tendays, but this was considered very fastmail service. Remember, this was morethan 100 years before e-mail. Do someresearch on the Pony Express. Then,pretend you were alive during thedays of the Wild West. Write animaginary letter to be delivered bythe Pony Express.

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Space ExplorationSpace is fascinating. Its full of distantstars and speeding comets and unex-plored planets. April 3 through 9 isAstronomy Week. Write about what youthink is out in space. Are there any tinyplanets the size of marbles? How abouttime warps? Do you think there areother living creatures in space?

The Class CourierCreate your own class newspaper!Write a story about something interest-ing that happened recently. Maybethere was an exciting sports event.Or maybe your favorite band has anew CD. If you combine stories fromeveryone in class, youll have a com-plete newspaper. It will have all kindsof stories on all kinds of subjects. Youmight even give your paper a name.

The Long SleepWashington Irving was born on April 3,1783. He wrote a famous story calledRip Van Winkle about a man who wentto sleep and woke up 20 years later!What do you think would happen if youslept for 20 years? How would theworld have changed when you finallywoke up?

Add Van Winkle to your last name.For example, if your name is MarcyPhillips, you become Marcy VanWinkle. Then, write a story aboutwaking from a 20-year nap.

The 100-Meter Sack HopThe first modern Olympics were heldin Athens, Greece, on April 6, 1896.The Olympics is a huge event withcompetitions in many different sports:swimming, skiing, and running, forexample. Whats something you arereally good at that you would like toadd to the Olympics? Do you wishthere was kickball at the Olympics, orhopscotch? It can even be somethingstrange like holding your breath under-water. Write a sports story about yourvery own Olympic event.

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The Skinny on Olive OylFamous gossip columnist WalterWinchell was born on April 7, 1897.Pretend that you write a gossip columnfor the newspaper. Your job is to writegossip items about various cartooncharacters. This will help you get start-ed: Snow White was spotted at a localbeach, trying to get a suntan. Mean-while, I have learned that Spider Manloves apples. Maybe we should becalling him Cider Man . . .

In Bad ShapeSome things have their own specialshapes, right? But what if donuts weresquare? What if wheels were triangu-lar? Finish the following story andmake sure you change lots of shapes:Jill took a square CD out of its roundbox. She could not believe it! Her eyesgrew large and rectangular . . .

Oceans of FunApril 9 through 15 is National Week ofthe Ocean. More than half the Earthis covered by oceans; theyre full ofwhales and strange fish. Do someresearch at the library or on theInternet and write down ten fun factsabout the ocean.

Paul Reveres Midnight RideOn April 18, 1775, American patriot PaulRevere took his Midnight Ride. Use thelibrary or Internet to do some researchon this famous event. Then, write ashort play about Paul Reveres ride.

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Loads of LabelsHave you ever noticed how manywords are on a food label? There is thefood companys name, an advertisingslogan, a description of the food, theingredients, even a recipe sometimes.Create your own label. It can be for anykind of foodcereal, taco shells,sloppy joe mixwhatever makes youhungry. Give your product a fun namelike Big Bills Baked Beans, andremember to include lots and lots ofinformation on the label.

Iceland When It SizzlesApril 20 is officially the first day ofsummer in Iceland. Its a big nationalholiday! What do you think summer islike in Iceland? Do you think it evergets very warm? Do you think people inIceland eat ice cream in summer?Pretend that a girl named Bjork lives inIceland and is your friend. Come upwith five questions for an imaginarye-mail that you could send her.

Exact-o WorldWelcome to Exact-o World. This is aplace where words are exactly as theysound. A butter knife is a knife madeout of butter. A cowboy is a young malecow. Boxing gloves are gloves that fighteach other. Write a story that takesplace in Exact-o World. Be very exact.And let your imagination run wild . . .but make sure it doesnt escape!

Write a WriterWhat is your all-time favorite book?Who is the author? Write a letter to theauthor. Tell the author how much youenjoyed the book. Maybe ask somequestions, too. How did the authordream up the idea for the book? Doesthe author have any tips on how youcan become a great writer, too?

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Raining Cats and DogsIn many places across the UnitedStates, the month of April means lots ofrain. Have you ever heard the saying,Its raining cats and dogs? Thats astrange saying, right? What if it reallydid rain cats and dogs? Write a storyabout what would happen.

Spring CleaningSpring is a time when people like toclean their houses and get a fresh start.If you could clean up absolutely any-thing, what would it beyour room,your town, the world? Write a storyabout a giant spring cleaning job.

KindergartenFrederich Froebel was born on April21, 1782. This famous German educatorinvented many childrens toys and alsoinvented kindergarten! What kinds ofthings do you think are important tolearn in kindergarten? What do youwish you had learned at that age? Writea lesson plan with recommendedactivities for kindergartners.

Personal Power WordsWhat are some words that you like?They can be anythingripple, violet,fusebox, you name itas long astheyre words you think are cool. Pickout five of them. These are yourPersonal Power Words. Write a shortstory using your chosen words.

April Really Bugs MeThere are insects known as mayfliesand June bugs. Make up a bug withApril in its namean Aprilflea forexample. Write a description of yourimaginary insect.

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Hatching a StoryMay is National Egg Month. Finish thiseggs-cellent tale. The egg was lightblue, the size of a football, and had redand yellow spots. It began to crack andout popped . . .

Jumbo BurgerMay is National Hamburger Month.Imagine that you have opened a newrestaurant called Jumbo Burger. Makeup a menu listing all the differentthings you would offer, and dont for-get to give the prices. Maybe therewould be a Triple Jumbo Burger withcheese$1.75. Or a Wacky Meal withfries$2.50. Create your own mouth-watering Jumbo Burger menu.

Nursery Rhyme TimeMay 1 is Mother Goose Day. When youwere younger, did you have a favoritenursery rhymeHumpty-Dumpty,maybe, or Old Mother Hubbard? Maybeyou have a younger brother or sisterwho enjoys nursery rhymes. Create anursery rhyme and make it lots of funfor little kids.

UniformsWhen you write stories, it may be usefulto know how to describe various uni-forms. For example, firefighters wearboots and hats and long slickers. Look ina book or magazine and find an interest-ing person wearing a uniform. Describethat uniform as carefully as you can.

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Imaginary Pen FriendPen Friends Week is May 1 through 7.Imagine that you have a pen friend in afaraway countryRussia or Egypt orBrazil. Do some research on thatcountry at the library or on theInternet. Think of some questionsyoud like to ask about that country,and put them in a letter to your imagi-nary pen friend. Remember to giveyour pen friend a name that matcheswith the country he or she is from.

Loyalty DayMay 1 is Loyalty Day by a specialpresidential proclamation. Do youthink loyalty is important? Write a storyabout a loyal friend or a loyal pet.

BackpackingHow about playing a game calledBackpacking? Think of a persons nameand an item that starts with the sameletter. Now, work your way through thealphabet, A to Z. This will get you start-ed. My name is Alice. Im going back-packing and Im taking an anteater.

Weather ReportMay 4 is National Weather ObserversDay. How does the weather look? Whatis your prediction for tomorrow? Whatwill the temperature be? Will it bewindy? Will there be any rain? Write aweather report with your predictionsfor the next five days.

Wacky CritterSome real-life animals have verystrange names, such as orangutansand koala bears. Make up a weirdand wacky animal of your own anddescribe what it looks like, where itlives, and what it eats.

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Spinning a YarnImagine a character named KellyKitten. Write down ten differentsentences about Kelly. Make sure thatyou write each sentence on a separateline. Now, cut out each of the ten sen-tences. Then, tape them together, oneafter the other. You will have a single,long, skinny story. It should looksomething like a piece of yarn thatKelly the Kitten might play with.

Cinco de MayoIn Mexico, May 5 is called Cinco deMayo. Its a big national celebration,with music and dancing and food. Dosome research at the library or on theInternet. Then, make a list of ten factsabout Mexico.

Short Month, Long ListMay is the month with the shortestnameonly three letters long. Manyother words have only three letterssuch as bat and hat and dot. Make along list with all the three-letter wordsyou can think of. Write a story using atleast ten of your words.

InventoryAn inventory is a list of all the itemsin a particular place. For example, aninventory of a room might include bed,dresser, mirror, shoes, and so on. Picka place: your house, your classroom,a store. Then, create an inventory.Think hard and try to list everythingthat you can think of.

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Scooter Wins By a Claw . . .

Each year on May 5, a lobster raceis held in the town of Aiken, SouthCarolina. Sounds pretty strange,doesnt it? Write a sports story aboutan exciting race between five lobstersnamed Scooter, Shelly, Bubbles, Red,and Clawdius.

Greetings from FijiNational Postcard Week starts on May7. Pretend you are visiting the coolestplace you can imagine: the Fiji Islands,or China, maybe. Do some research onthis very cool country. Then, write apostcard to a friend from this place. Ifyou like, you can also draw a picture onthe front of the postcard.

Lisas LemonadeMay 10 is National Small Business Day.If you could start a small business,what would it be: a lemonade stand,maybe, or a lawn mowing service? Giveyour business a snappy name and cre-ate an advertisement. Remember, youwant your ad to be exciting and full ofinformation so that people will want touse your business.

Idioms DelightI aced that test. The English languageis full of these kinds of colorful phras-es. Theyre called idioms. You donttake them literally. Acing a test doesntmean turning a test into a playing card,right? It means scoring really highhigh like an ace. Now, fill in the blankand create five of your own idioms. I________ that test. For example, Isewered that test could mean you didreally, really poorly.

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TacofestMay 12 and 13 is Picklefest in Atkins,Arkansas. Theres a pickle-eatingcontest and a pickle beauty contestand all kinds of other silly events.Think up your own silly festival. It canbe anything: Mushroomfest, Tacofest,or Sausagefest. List ten events that youwould have at your festival.

Colorful StoryStories are always better when theymention lots of bright colors. Write astory and fill it with as many colors asyou can: plump red tomatoes, yellowtaxi cabs, and green, green grass.

Were Not in Kentucky Anymore

L. Frank Baum was born on May 15,1856. He wrote The Wonderful Wizardof Oz. In this story, there are famouscharacters such as the Tin Man, whoneeds a heart, and the Lion, who needscourage. Here are three new charac-ters: Cheetah wants to run fast. TheStone Statue wishes he could laugh.Dottie wishes to return home toKentucky. First, read The WonderfulWizard of Oz. Then, write an Oz-stylestory and describe how these newcharacters dreams come true.

Secretabub CodegopHeres a secret code. On all words thatend with a consonant, place abub atthe end of the word. On all words thatend with a vowel, place gop at theend of the word. Now, write a messagein secret code and exchange it witha classmate. Goodabub luckabubcrackingabub thegop codegop!

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Abigail SupersleuthArthur Conan Doyle was born on May22, 1859. He wrote many famous storiesabout a made-up detective namedSherlock Holmes. Write your owndetective story using a character namedeither Arnold or Abigail Supersleuth.This will help you get started: Themansions bedroom window was open.The diamonds and rubies and otherjewels were missing . . .

All-Four-OneMia Hamm is a famous soccer player.Marie Curie is a famous scientist. SallyFields is a famous actress. Sally Rideis a famous astronaut. Roll all four ofthem into one and you have Mia MarieFields Ride, the worlds first soccer-playing, scientist, astronaut actress.Write a story about this wacky woman.

Birthday SongHow come the only song people hearon their birthday is Happy Birthday?Shouldnt there be another birthdaysong called Its Your Big Day orCake and Candles? Think of somegreat new words and write a brand-new birthday song.

Wild, Wild WestWild Bill Hickok was born on May 27,1837. Hes a famous figure from theWild West. Here are some new meanand ornery Western-style characters:Tough Terry McGillicutty, One-EyedPete, Bronco Betty, and her horseThunder. Put these characters into aWestern story.

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VolunteersJune 1 through 7 is InternationalVolunteers Week. If you could volun-teer to help out around your town,what would you do? Would you cleanup trash, maybe, or deliver meals topeople who are sick and cannot leavetheir homes? Think about what youwould like to do as a volunteer. Writeabout your choice of volunteer activityand why being a volunteer is important.

Garage SaleOn June 3 each year, the worlds largestgarage sale is held in South Bend,Indiana. Usually about 12,000 peopleattend! What if you had a garage sale?Make a list of ten things you own thatyou would like to sell.

Worth a Thousand WordsTheres a famous saying: A picture isworth a thousand words. Find a photo-graph that you like. It can be in a bookor a magazine or a newspaper. Study itclosely. Then, write about what youthink is happening in the photograph.

Pet AppreciationThe second week of June is PetAppreciation Week. Do you have a pet?If not, what kind of animal would youlike to have as a peta cat, a parrot,maybe a goldfish? Write as complete adescription of your real or imaginarypet as you can, mentioning the kind ofanimal your pet is, what it eats, what itlooks like, its personality, and so on.

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PicnicEvery year on June 10 theres a BettyPicnic held in Grants Pass, Oregon.Everyone in the whole world namedBetty is welcome. What if there were apicnic held for everyone with yourname? Who are some famous peoplewith the same name as you? Write astory about this unusual picnic.

Cool CreationsSummer is here and the weather is get-ting hotter. You know what that means.Ice cream! Now, what if you couldinvent your own special ice creamflavor? Would it be something likechocolate peanut-butter banana swirl?Pretend you own an ice cream shop.Create a menu listing at least ten newdelicious flavors of ice cream of yourown invention.

June Juggling MonthJune 20 is World Juggling Day. Imagineif you tried to juggle a skunk, a can ofpurple paint, and a cowboy hat. Write astory about the mixed-up results.

Space AddressYour space-alien friend Iplik wants tosend you a postcard. But first you needto give him your full address. Fill in the blanks:

_________________________ (name), __________________ (street address), _______ (city), ________ (country),________ (planet), ________ (galaxy).

Make your address as detailed aspossible to make sure Ipliks postcardreaches you.

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Hall of FameTheres a Baseball Hall of Fame, aFootball Hall of Fame, even a Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. What kind ofHall of Fame would you like to see:fashion models, maybe, or all-starwrestlers? Make a list of members ofyour own special Hall of Fame, andalso write down some reasons whyeach member was chosen.

A Fat, Yellow Hippo SmartlyDove Into Four Warm PondsThe quick brown fox boldly jumpedover a tall fence. Rewrite this ten-wordsentence ten times. Each time yourewrite it change just one word. Forexample, sentence number-one mightread: The quick brown cow boldlyjumped over a tall fence. Sentencenumber-two might read: The quickbrown cow gracefully jumped overa tall fence. By the time you arefinished you should have a verydifferent sentence.

For Your Own AmusementWhat if you had your own amusementpark? You could give it a great name,like Wades Wild World. What types ofrides would you have? You could havesome really fun ones, like a TripleUpside-Down Scream Coaster. Writeabout an amusement park you wouldbuild. Remember, give it a great nameand fill it with all kinds of exciting rides.

April May MarchIt has been a long school year. Manydifferent months have passed. Writea few sentences using the names ofdifferent months in various ways. For example, April could be a girlsname. Bands and soldiers March. You May be able to write some interesting sentences.

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Dr. Doolittle VacationWhen the famous fictional characterDr. Doolittle wanted to go on vacation,he would close his eyes and place hisfinger on a map. Wherever his fingerpointed, thats where he would travel.Plan a Dr. Doolittle Vacation. Closeyour eyes and touch your finger to amap or globe. Do some research andwrite about the place you chose.

Pretend PostcardPretend you are a visitor to your owntown. Does your town have some inter-esting places or special types of foodor sports teams? Write a postcarddescribing an imaginary visit to yourown home town.

Stretch Your SensesIts pretty easy to describe how rosessmell. Its pretty easy to describe howspaghetti and meatballs taste. But howabout stretching your senses? Describeroses and spaghetti using a differentsense than the one you would usuallydepend on. What does it feel like totouch a rose? How do spaghetti andmeatballs look? If you enjoy this, trysome other sense-stretching exercises,such as: What does salt sound like?

Bat NightsThe hottest days of summer are knownas the dog days. Cant you almostpicture a dog panting in the heat?Well, how about making up your owndescriptive names for other parts of theyear? Maybe the days in early April areflower days. Or maybe the nightsclose to Halloween are bat nights.Think of ten and let your imaginationgo hog wildor is it kangaroo wild?

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Elvis Is EverywhereElvis Presley is famous for rock songssuch as Hound Dog and BurningLove. He was so popular that he wasknown as The King. He died in 1977.Or did he? Some people think he gottired of all his fame and decided to gointo hiding. Every now and then some-one will claim to have seen Elvis stillalive and walking around. Imagine thatyou spotted Elvis. Where would hebe? At the mall, maybe, or working asa teacher? Would he be wearing adisguise? Write a story about spottingElvis the King.

Summer Fashion ReviewEvery summer there are new stylesof clothes: new types of shorts andsneakers, new swimsuits, or popularnew T-shirts. Have you noticed any newfashions for this summer? Write areview discussing one or more of them.Remember reviewers have to be tough.They must express strong opinions,such as: Sneakers with blue stripes arepopular this summer. I think they lookterrible, because . . .

Sheer NonsenseSome of the very best stories are full ofnonsense. Humpty-Dumpty was an eggwho fell off a wall. Who ever heard ofthat? Heres a bit of nonsense to getyou started on a story of your own:Watookie had on her favorite pink over-alls. She was singing Happy Birthday tono one in particular, and was gatheringsticks for a stick pie. She ran into Mr.Chompers, the blue mule. Mr. Chomperswas headed off to Soap Bubble City . . .

Summer JobWhen you are older you may have a jobduring the summer. Maybe you will be alifeguard, or perhaps you will work in amusic store. Write about your perfectsummer job.

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63Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin, Scho

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