Creative children's writing samples

 

Excerpt from Short Story:

I Wash My Walrus (Flesch-Kincaid Level 0.3) - Farfaria (digital app)

 

I wash my walrus.

It’s easy to see,

we both need a bath -

he’s filthy like me!  

 

I scrub my squirrel

with nut-scented soap.

I brush bison’s hair,

he’ll brush mine, I hope.

 

I de-funk my skunk.    

He really does stink.

Next, I lather lynx

right here in the sink.

 

I shampoo my shrew. 

Her fur smells so nice!

I bathe my brown bear

and wash his paws twice.

​

We wash, clip, and brush

‘til we’re squeaky clean.

We stay neat and trim.

Now that’s good hygiene!

 

 

Excerpt from A Hippopotamus for Thanksgiving (Flesch-Kincaid Level 1.8) - Farfaria (digital app)

 

Today is Thanksgiving!

Guess who’s joining us?

He’s big and gray and strong –

It’s hippopotamus!

 

We love when hippo comes.

He’s perfectly polite.

His manners are superb.

He’s an absolute delight.

 

Hippo’s great at passing food,

he serves when he’s able,

with a napkin in his lap,

and his elbows off the table.

                                   

He chews with his mouth closed,

because otherwise it’s rude.

He makes nice conversation

after swallowing his food.

 

When the feast is over

and we’ve had our pumpkin pie,

Hippo helps clean dishes.

What a kind and helpful guy!

​

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Excerpt from Fridge Party (K-2 storybook)

 

A fruit party! It was a ridiculously-colorful, totally loud, and absolutely-silly fruit party!

There were apples acting silly - delicious, red, and crunchy.

Some grapes were grinning goofily, and, well, just being bunchy.

A few oranges were oooohmming, doing yoga in the drawer

while a pineapple was singing from her spot inside the door.

                       

 

Excerpt from Veggies on Vacation (K-2 storybook)

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No veggies on the shelf, no veggies in the drawer,

No veggies in the fridge, or at the local store.

He couldn’t help but think, “Where would those veggies go?”

He wondered a long time. He simply did not know.

Parsley went to Poland, Onion’s off to Chile,

Okra’s gone to Oakland, Fennel went to Phili.

Potato’s in Peru, Lentil’s chosen Reno,

Yam will visit Fiji, so will Jalapeño.

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Excerpt from One Scrumptious Summer (4th grade chapter book)

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     They ran as fast as they could back to their favorite rides. They played their favorite games again. Albert chose the lucky numbered duck in the “Quacked Up” game, so he got to pick a stuffed animal prize. He chose the gigantic banana that was dressed like a cowboy. “Sure, it’s weird, it’s a banana dressed like a cowboy,” Albert told Mitchell, “But it’s my banana dressed like a cowboy now.” Mitchell laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe.

     Mitchell was still laughing when they met Nana at the entrance of the festival. “What in the world…” Nana started to say when she saw Albert and Mitchell and the banana dressed like a cowboy coming towards her. “Nana, I’d like to introduce you to my new pal, Wild Bill Banana.” Nana just started laughing. “I don’t even know what to say,” she said. “You could say, ‘Howdy, partner’,” said Albert. They all laughed, all the way back to the car, and all the way home.

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Excerpt from The Mystery of the Missing Tomatoes (5th grade chapter book)

 

     They walked down the street and turned the corner. Suddenly they saw something strange at the end of the next

block. It was yellow. It was moving. It was wobbling. What was that anyway? Albert squinted to see better but he couldn’t

quite tell what it was. Nadia tried to see too but she wasn’t sure what it was either. What in the world? As they got closer, Albert realized what it was. Bananas. But not just any bananas. They were zombie bananas! There was about 40 of them and they were walking down the sidewalk, slowly and creepily. It was spooky. Forty banana peels with squishy insides and awful expressions on their faces, walking down the street moaning. Where had they come from? Where were they going?

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Snuggly Kittens (short story) 

 

     Keith always wanted to have a pet of his own. He was surprised when his mom gave him two small kittens for his birthday. He was so excited that he jumped up and down and screamed, so much that he frightened the kittens. “Ooops,” he said, covering his mouth, “Sorry kitties.”

     The kittens were both boys. Keith decided to name them Presley and Morris. Presley was a small, tabby kitten with stripes, white feet, and a light brown nose. He was skinny and long. Morris was a black and white kitten with a bright pink nose. Morris was bigger than Presley and was very loveable.

     Presley and Morris were not born in the same family, but they quickly became friends in their new home. They loved to run and play. They ran through the house, over the furniture and through every room. They played with mouse toys and bouncy balls. They chased each other and they explored everything. Sometimes they wrestled. They liked hanging out together. At night, Presley and Morris liked to snuggle together under Keith’s bed.

     The kittens were very happy together in their new home. Keith was very happy to have two new pets to love. He played with them every day and snuggled with them whenever he could. Keith thanked his mom for the special gift of Presley and Morris. “Kittens are great,” he said, “Maybe we can get a few more.” Keith’s mom just laughed, “I think two is more than enough,” she said.

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Think, Play, Let’s Eat! (activity kit ideas for parents)

Tasty 20!

Practice counting to 20 with this awesomely-portable snack - great for on-the-road, at the doctor’s office, etc.

1. Choose some favorites like: raisins, other dried fruit (like peaches, apricots, cranberries), chocolate chips or candy pieces, various cereal pieces, mini crackers, bagel chips, pretzel sticks, mini marshmallows, etc.

2. Help your child count out 20 of each food item and place it in a zipper closing bag.

3. Seal the bag and shake it to make a tasty 20 snack mix.

4. Take this snack with you anywhere!

                                

Think, Play, Explore the Great Outdoors! (activity kit ideas for parents)

Star Painting

Experiment: Use black construction paper, white paint, and a toothbrush to make your own far-away star pictures. Dip the toothbrush into the paint and use your thumb to splatter the paint on the paper. Alternate ideas: Use white chalk to draw your own night sky on black paper. Use glitter pieces, soap flakes, or other materials to make stars. Shake some powdered sugar on a dark surface to make your own stars. Make star shaped cookies or find other star-shaped snacks to try. Sing a song about the stars while you paint or draw!

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Create-A-Bug

Review: Did you notice how bugs come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and they move in different ways. Draw some bugs or make some out of clay or play dough. Build a caterpillar with an empty egg carton. Add pipe cleaner antennae and fabric for furry texture. For an edible bug, use marshmallows, gum drops, and pretzel sticks to build your own creepy-crawly snack. Give the bugs a name and tell a silly story about them.

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Think, Play, Travel! (activity kit ideas for parents)

Draw With Your Dogs

For a variation on drawing that is silly and fun, encourage your child to draw with his or her bare feet! Make a design, trace your feet, trace other objects in the car, and draw what you see out the window. Or draw a scribble with your feet and add lines with your hands to make a picture.

Think, Play, Discover Zoo Animals! (activity kit ideas for parents) 

Is That What I Think It Is?

Encourage your child to describe an animal that exists in his or her imagination. Let him or her choose parts or characteristics from lots of different animals, and see what happens when they are put together. You might get a striped elephant that roars like a lion, or an eagle with spotted fur and a rhino’s head. Encourage your child to draw a picture of the imaginary animal and tell a funny story to go with it.

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Think, Play, Get Ready for School! (activity kit ideas for parents)

Drawing Journal

Add a date to the pictures and save them in a special folder or box: Draw what you imagine your teacher will look like. Talk about what you imagine. Draw what you imagine will be your favorite thing to do at school. Draw how you feel about starting school. Use lines, scribbles, or pictures!  Draw your own imaginary friend to take to school (like, a robot to help with school work, a giraffe to help you see the chalkboard, or a clown to entertain).

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Recipes (for activity kits and parent activities):

Scrambellied Breakfast

2 eggs                                                               ¼ cup of cheese

¼ cup milk                                                        1 slice of bread

¼ cup of ham cubes or bacon bits              jam or jelly

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1. In a bowl, crack the eggs and whip them with a fork.

2. Add milk, cheese, ham or bacon, and mix well.

3. Prepare: Ask an adult to help you heat a skillet or frying pan to medium temperature.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet.

5. Use a spatula to flip and turn the mixture as it cooks. Cook until it is no longer runny and begins to turn brown.

6. Toast bread, spread jelly, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

7. Place the toast pieces and the “scramble” on a plate.

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Choo-Choo Chilly Pasta Salad

1 box of choo-choo wheel pasta                1 raw tomato, diced

1 cup of Ranch salad dressing                    ½ cucumber, diced

1 cup of raw carrots, diced                          ½ can of black olives

1 cup of cauliflower bites                             1 cup cheese, cubed

     

1. Prepare: Ask an adult to help you. Cook the noodles according to box directions. Then, rinse with cold water and place in a large bowl.

2. Cut up the vegetables, cheese, and olives into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pasta.

3. Pour on the salad dressing and stir to coat.

4. Optional: Top with cheese crackers or potato sticks.

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Parent & Child Elaboration Activities (at-home activities)

Professor Potato Head Planter

Bake a large baking potato until soft (about 45 minutes); when cool, cut a slit down the side, squeeze gently, and scoop out the insides (note: save the insides for a mashed potato recipe). Use the skin of the potato as your planter, add a handful of grass seeds, and fill it with dirt or soil. Decorate the outside with some googly eyes, a nose, a mouth, and whatever else you choose. Then, set the potato planter on a windowsill or in the sunlight. Be sure to water the plant gently every day and watch your potato character grow grass for hair!

Alternative: Use a decorated paper or Styrofoam cup to hold your grass seed plant.

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Outdoor Observations

Visit a local park area and discover all kinds of living things. Take a notebook and record a few observations of what you see, hear, touch, and smell. Draw pictures to record your findings, too. Observe the trees, bushes, flowers, and animal friends. What kind of non-living things can you find in a park? Be sure to leave the natural environment in the same way that you found it or better; avoid littering, keep the land clean, and respect all the living things by letting them grow in their environment. Remember: do not pick flowers, rip off leaves of plants, or tease the park animals.

 

Tadpole Tag

For an unusual variation to the traditional game of tag, add this silly tadpole twist. Ask players to place their arms and hands inside their shirts for this game of tag. Players will realize how hard it is to run around without using their arms for balance. Or, play frog tag where players must hop and leap around the play space to avoid being tagged. Try butterfly tag, too – players must flap their arms while running around the play space.

 

Soft, Slippery, Smooth

Play this game with a brown bag and a variety of objects that have different textures (e.g., a stuffed toy, a pencil, a tissue, a spoon, a sponge, a sock, or a block). Place one object in the bag and ask the player to close his or her eyes, reach in the bag, describe how the object feels, and try to guess what it is. Change the object and play again.