Project One
Color
This last rotation of sixth graders are recipients of the knowledge and innovation ideas that I brought back from this years National Art Educators Conference held in our very back yard by the Lake at McCromick Place. Across the various sessions the repeated theme was: allow the students to be creative and STOP trying to manipulate them into the boxes that are preordained. Not that I'm throwing out the baby with the bath water, however, the goal should be to allow for as much freedom of expression as possible. To this end I did NOT direct the designs as much as I have in the past and the students learned about collaboration and pulling together as one unit for the common good of the presentation - a MONOLITH!
PROJECT TWO
Perspective
Students were encouraged to apply color theory and combine newly acquired lessons on perspective and watercolor painting; to create compositions that showed one point perspective and shared an interesting literary composition that offered more depth into the painting. Your children were very creative! Below the slideshow is just a sampling of their stories that completed a full circle on compositions, both pictorial and literary.
The Woods by the Beach
By Helen D.
One day early in June, two sisters were sitting by a tree. The elder was exasperated by her little sister, who was hanging upside down from a branch, face bright red, freckles shining, blonde braids hanging from her head. The sisters had come for a weekend picnic while their parents were away. The elder (whose name was Joan, and had just reached her 16th birthday) had driven there in her red pickup truck, with 9-year-old Elizabeth fidling with the dials and annoying her sister. The girls had taken a lunch basket, and in the basket there were cheese-and-tomato sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, potato chips, ketchup, lemonade, brownies, and some raspberries the girls had picked on the way, at a nearby farm. They had brought along their bikes (Joan’s was a practical blue mountain bike, while Elizabeth had painted hers in neon colors with white handlebars) hoping to ride the sand and gravel path down to the beach, where crisp, cool, bright blue waves awaited them. The bikes wait faithfully for the girls in the back of the red pickup truck. An old couple sat arguing in a bench by the path. Their names were Jeremiah and Joseph, and they had been friends for as long as either of them can remember. Jeremiah waved his cane in the air, while Joseph smiled smugly. At the beach, sea glass and shiny rocks washed up on shore, and the blue-green waves crashed against black and brown rock, rough and tinted slightly green from barnacles and algae. The sand was an amazing golden-white-tan-color, and green grass and daffodils sprang up along the edges of the beach, where the sand melted into dirt. Although the day was warm and the scene gorgeous, the beach was hidden away and the water was still cool, so there were no swimmers. Out to sea, a small white skiff called the Glory carried a 12-year-old girl named Marie and her father. Marie was skippering, her curly golden-brown hair sailing behind her as she felt the wind on her face, small fish darting under the boat. Her father was teaching her how to sail, and this was their first day out at sea. The sun shimmered in the sky, drowning everything in a warm light. The sky was a pale blue, dotted with the dark color of birds, and perfect cotton-ball clouds lazed by above.
By Helen D.
One day early in June, two sisters were sitting by a tree. The elder was exasperated by her little sister, who was hanging upside down from a branch, face bright red, freckles shining, blonde braids hanging from her head. The sisters had come for a weekend picnic while their parents were away. The elder (whose name was Joan, and had just reached her 16th birthday) had driven there in her red pickup truck, with 9-year-old Elizabeth fidling with the dials and annoying her sister. The girls had taken a lunch basket, and in the basket there were cheese-and-tomato sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, potato chips, ketchup, lemonade, brownies, and some raspberries the girls had picked on the way, at a nearby farm. They had brought along their bikes (Joan’s was a practical blue mountain bike, while Elizabeth had painted hers in neon colors with white handlebars) hoping to ride the sand and gravel path down to the beach, where crisp, cool, bright blue waves awaited them. The bikes wait faithfully for the girls in the back of the red pickup truck. An old couple sat arguing in a bench by the path. Their names were Jeremiah and Joseph, and they had been friends for as long as either of them can remember. Jeremiah waved his cane in the air, while Joseph smiled smugly. At the beach, sea glass and shiny rocks washed up on shore, and the blue-green waves crashed against black and brown rock, rough and tinted slightly green from barnacles and algae. The sand was an amazing golden-white-tan-color, and green grass and daffodils sprang up along the edges of the beach, where the sand melted into dirt. Although the day was warm and the scene gorgeous, the beach was hidden away and the water was still cool, so there were no swimmers. Out to sea, a small white skiff called the Glory carried a 12-year-old girl named Marie and her father. Marie was skippering, her curly golden-brown hair sailing behind her as she felt the wind on her face, small fish darting under the boat. Her father was teaching her how to sail, and this was their first day out at sea. The sun shimmered in the sky, drowning everything in a warm light. The sky was a pale blue, dotted with the dark color of birds, and perfect cotton-ball clouds lazed by above.
Jake’s Drawing
By Samuel A.
A boy named Jake goes to Chute Middle School. He waits for his mom everyday so she can drop him off at school. She always takes a long time just to get ready and his dad is at work in the mornings. When Jake’s mom finally comes out of her room school starts in like 5 minutes and it takes 10 minutes to get to school. So he’s always 5 minutes late to school. Basically everyday Jake’s late to school. After school Jake goes to his art class. Since he’s late everyday he has to stay late everyday. On one Friday he got out of come late stay late and when walking to his art class he stopped for a moment and realized he doesn’t have art class on Fridays. So he had to wait for his mom to pick him up. So he sat on the bench and took a moment to admire the place he was in. Jake took out a pencil and paper and started drawing what was in from of him. Their was 3 people in his view and he knew them. Their name is Sarah, Alex, and Zack. Jake put them in his drawing.Then his mom came to pick him up. When he got home Jake really like the drawing, he showed his mom and dad and they said it was a very good. After that Jake wanted to use water colors to fill in his drawing, in art class the art teacher taught the class water colors. On Friday Jake went to the same stop and he looked at the details. He remembered that Sarah had black puffy hair. He look at the grass and saw that it was it was light green so he colored it light green. He remembered how to make gray with white and black and colored the sidewalk. He colored the road black with yellow lines and colored the the truck blue and red like he saw. He colored the bushes that he saw on the other side of the road. He colored the bushes near the sun lighter. He made trees and the trees closer to the sun were lighter. Then he made another sidewalk with black and white. After that in his background he made more bushes. He added a sun to the corner and he was done. He put water colors on it and done. His mom picked and when he got home he showed his mom and dad his drawing and they said it was one of his best drawings. He went to school and showed his friends and teachers and they said it was awesome. He went to his art class showed his art teacher and she liked it so much she wanted to frame it in the class. Jake said, “Yes!” excitedly. Ever since then the art teacher used his drawing as an example of water colors.
By Samuel A.
A boy named Jake goes to Chute Middle School. He waits for his mom everyday so she can drop him off at school. She always takes a long time just to get ready and his dad is at work in the mornings. When Jake’s mom finally comes out of her room school starts in like 5 minutes and it takes 10 minutes to get to school. So he’s always 5 minutes late to school. Basically everyday Jake’s late to school. After school Jake goes to his art class. Since he’s late everyday he has to stay late everyday. On one Friday he got out of come late stay late and when walking to his art class he stopped for a moment and realized he doesn’t have art class on Fridays. So he had to wait for his mom to pick him up. So he sat on the bench and took a moment to admire the place he was in. Jake took out a pencil and paper and started drawing what was in from of him. Their was 3 people in his view and he knew them. Their name is Sarah, Alex, and Zack. Jake put them in his drawing.Then his mom came to pick him up. When he got home Jake really like the drawing, he showed his mom and dad and they said it was a very good. After that Jake wanted to use water colors to fill in his drawing, in art class the art teacher taught the class water colors. On Friday Jake went to the same stop and he looked at the details. He remembered that Sarah had black puffy hair. He look at the grass and saw that it was it was light green so he colored it light green. He remembered how to make gray with white and black and colored the sidewalk. He colored the road black with yellow lines and colored the the truck blue and red like he saw. He colored the bushes that he saw on the other side of the road. He colored the bushes near the sun lighter. He made trees and the trees closer to the sun were lighter. Then he made another sidewalk with black and white. After that in his background he made more bushes. He added a sun to the corner and he was done. He put water colors on it and done. His mom picked and when he got home he showed his mom and dad his drawing and they said it was one of his best drawings. He went to school and showed his friends and teachers and they said it was awesome. He went to his art class showed his art teacher and she liked it so much she wanted to frame it in the class. Jake said, “Yes!” excitedly. Ever since then the art teacher used his drawing as an example of water colors.
Moon and Stars
By Shelly F.
“You're going to the party mom said.”
“But I don't want to,I just want to look at the stars.”
“It’s an outdoor beach party,you can look at the stars there, you're going she said.”
As I go to get ready, I wish that she didn't want me to step outside of my comfort zone, all the time. It’s 9:00 at night and she wants me to go to a party. Why can’t she be a normal mom? On the drive there I don’t look at her im still upset,instead I just look at the night sky and feel the moist air. It rained earlier so everything is kind of wet. Once we get there I hop out of the car and start walking away . “She shouts I'll be back by midnight.”I shoot her a nasty look and continue walking.There's a DJ and an old boat lying around.People are already dancing but in a weird order sort of like sections or rows. I see a couple of people from my school and they are dancing in the front row.The sand is wet, and across the street there is a soccer field and a street light.There's also a park and far away there is another road and far far away I can see mountains.The lake from what I can see looks blue and green.The sand is a dark brown and the moon is a dark grey. The sky matches the ocean sort of and the mountains look green and brown....I decide to go dance and I start dancing at the back and try to make my way up to the front. When I get there the DJ starts playing “Work” by Rihanna. As I’m dancing in the front I notice that the fence that looks gray and black.I also notice there aren’t any houses around and that the parking lot and the road’s yellow marks are disappearing.I see people dancing like chickens so I start doing it too.When I start to get tired I look at the park and lean on the black boat. At the park I see swings, monkey bars and slides. I check my watch and it’s 11:30 so, I go by the parking lot to wait, when she comes I’m sort of mad still but kind happy.
By Shelly F.
“You're going to the party mom said.”
“But I don't want to,I just want to look at the stars.”
“It’s an outdoor beach party,you can look at the stars there, you're going she said.”
As I go to get ready, I wish that she didn't want me to step outside of my comfort zone, all the time. It’s 9:00 at night and she wants me to go to a party. Why can’t she be a normal mom? On the drive there I don’t look at her im still upset,instead I just look at the night sky and feel the moist air. It rained earlier so everything is kind of wet. Once we get there I hop out of the car and start walking away . “She shouts I'll be back by midnight.”I shoot her a nasty look and continue walking.There's a DJ and an old boat lying around.People are already dancing but in a weird order sort of like sections or rows. I see a couple of people from my school and they are dancing in the front row.The sand is wet, and across the street there is a soccer field and a street light.There's also a park and far away there is another road and far far away I can see mountains.The lake from what I can see looks blue and green.The sand is a dark brown and the moon is a dark grey. The sky matches the ocean sort of and the mountains look green and brown....I decide to go dance and I start dancing at the back and try to make my way up to the front. When I get there the DJ starts playing “Work” by Rihanna. As I’m dancing in the front I notice that the fence that looks gray and black.I also notice there aren’t any houses around and that the parking lot and the road’s yellow marks are disappearing.I see people dancing like chickens so I start doing it too.When I start to get tired I look at the park and lean on the black boat. At the park I see swings, monkey bars and slides. I check my watch and it’s 11:30 so, I go by the parking lot to wait, when she comes I’m sort of mad still but kind happy.
Waves
By Haliey G.
One day I was watching the tv, when my brother, Ash sat down, he had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes just like me except I had a little lighter hair, people always say we look really alike, and it makes sense because we are twins. He picked up the remote and changed the channel to channel 21 news. “Hey!” I shouted “Give me back the remote.” “Shh” said my brother, and he pointed at the tv. I looked up at the tv that was a flat screen with a black border around the screen and as I looked, the perky weather reporter with blonde hair and blue eyes who was wearing a little too much makeup said “the sky is clear and the sun is shining bright, there are also said to be 25 foot waves today so all you surfers better get your boards ready.” As soon as I heard that I jumped up from my spot on the couch almost tripping over my own feet and ran into my brightly lit room to get ready for surfing. I got on my swimsuit that had polka dots on it and got my boarding shorts and my wetsuit. When I was done I quickly wrote a note to my parents saying that my brother and I had gone out surfing so they wouldn’t worry and I grabbed my board that was yellow and brown and a flower in the middle of it. “Come on!” I shouted to her brother, he quickly appeared from behind the light blue wall with his striped blue and white board under his arm. Our parents own a surf shack on the beach. The upper part of the building is where we live and the lower part is the shack. That’s why we’re so good at surfing and we love it so much because we grew up around surfers and the sport of surfing. Since we lived directly on the beach, we only had to run to the water, when we got there we saw two of our friends, Cameron and Daina playing frisbee on the beach, Cameron had curly black hair and he had brown eyes, Daina had brown curly hair and brown eyes. “Hey Aleah, Hey Ash”, “hey guys”, “let me guess, you guys are here to ride those monster waves that are supposed to be happening.” “Yeah, isn’t that what you guys are here for?” “Yeah but since it’s so early in the morning no huge waves have come yet, so we’re just playing frisbee to pass the time until the waves come in, do you guys wanna play with us?” We played frisbee for about an hour until the waves started to come in then we started surfing as usual, but then we saw this huge wave coming straight towards us, I was really scared and nervous but then I remembered that this was what I had been waiting for all day. First we paddled back to the shallow part of the water and when we saw the wave start to get closer we started paddling back to the wave, this is gonna be great, I’ve never ridden a wave this big before. When it was time for me to stand up I was really nervous because I thought I would fall down. I stood up and I almost lost my balance but I eventually got the hang of it. We surfed for about 2 more hours then we decided that that was it for the day. Ash and I got some blue beach chairs and striped and polka dotted beach towels from our house while Cameron and Daina started a bonfire. We got some graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows to make smore’s. We got all settled in and started talking about the surfing today. “I had never ridden a wave that big before” said Daina “Neither did I, I was really nervous but it was really fun.” We all told stories around the bonfire for the rest of the night. The End
By Haliey G.
One day I was watching the tv, when my brother, Ash sat down, he had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes just like me except I had a little lighter hair, people always say we look really alike, and it makes sense because we are twins. He picked up the remote and changed the channel to channel 21 news. “Hey!” I shouted “Give me back the remote.” “Shh” said my brother, and he pointed at the tv. I looked up at the tv that was a flat screen with a black border around the screen and as I looked, the perky weather reporter with blonde hair and blue eyes who was wearing a little too much makeup said “the sky is clear and the sun is shining bright, there are also said to be 25 foot waves today so all you surfers better get your boards ready.” As soon as I heard that I jumped up from my spot on the couch almost tripping over my own feet and ran into my brightly lit room to get ready for surfing. I got on my swimsuit that had polka dots on it and got my boarding shorts and my wetsuit. When I was done I quickly wrote a note to my parents saying that my brother and I had gone out surfing so they wouldn’t worry and I grabbed my board that was yellow and brown and a flower in the middle of it. “Come on!” I shouted to her brother, he quickly appeared from behind the light blue wall with his striped blue and white board under his arm. Our parents own a surf shack on the beach. The upper part of the building is where we live and the lower part is the shack. That’s why we’re so good at surfing and we love it so much because we grew up around surfers and the sport of surfing. Since we lived directly on the beach, we only had to run to the water, when we got there we saw two of our friends, Cameron and Daina playing frisbee on the beach, Cameron had curly black hair and he had brown eyes, Daina had brown curly hair and brown eyes. “Hey Aleah, Hey Ash”, “hey guys”, “let me guess, you guys are here to ride those monster waves that are supposed to be happening.” “Yeah, isn’t that what you guys are here for?” “Yeah but since it’s so early in the morning no huge waves have come yet, so we’re just playing frisbee to pass the time until the waves come in, do you guys wanna play with us?” We played frisbee for about an hour until the waves started to come in then we started surfing as usual, but then we saw this huge wave coming straight towards us, I was really scared and nervous but then I remembered that this was what I had been waiting for all day. First we paddled back to the shallow part of the water and when we saw the wave start to get closer we started paddling back to the wave, this is gonna be great, I’ve never ridden a wave this big before. When it was time for me to stand up I was really nervous because I thought I would fall down. I stood up and I almost lost my balance but I eventually got the hang of it. We surfed for about 2 more hours then we decided that that was it for the day. Ash and I got some blue beach chairs and striped and polka dotted beach towels from our house while Cameron and Daina started a bonfire. We got some graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows to make smore’s. We got all settled in and started talking about the surfing today. “I had never ridden a wave that big before” said Daina “Neither did I, I was really nervous but it was really fun.” We all told stories around the bonfire for the rest of the night. The End
The Pencil of Magic
By Baylor D.
Once there was a boy who loved to draw. He drew many things. But one day he found a yellow pencil on the ground. He picked it up and drew a picture of a fire-eating dragon. Immediately, the dragon came to life, because the pencil was a magic pencil. The boy then picked up the dragon and put it in a metal cage used for a small dog. His sister came into the room and saw the dragon in a cage.
She said, “What’s that?”
He said, “A robot.”
She went towards the cage. The dragon pressed itself against the cage, and the cage broke apart and the dragon landed on the ground. The boy promptly drew a sword, a bow, and an arrow. He gave his sister the bow and arrow, and he kept the sword for himself.
The boy told his sister, “It’s a magic pencil.”
The dragon broke out of the house, and the boy and his sister followed. The dragon attacked the boy and his sister. The dragon also began to destroy the city. Buildings began to burn as the dragon aimed his fiery breath at the high-rise buildings.
The sister asked, “What is the weakness of the dragon?”
The boy said, “Its heart.”
“Distract the dragon,” said the boy.
His sister began running around the block and the dragon followed her.
The boy then drew several containers of TNT. Just as his sister was getting too tired to run anymore, the boy threw the TNT at the dragon’s mouth and the dragon swallowed it. That slowed down the dragon and it eventually fell down. Then, the boy stabbed the dragon in the heart. The dragon died.
The boy then burned the pencil so that nobody would abuse its power.
In the background of my picture, several buildings are burning. These are the buildings that the fire from the dragon’s breath reached. The dragon is about to breathe some more fire on the boy.
In the middle ground, there is a sidewalk.
In the foreground and middle ground, there is a road. The road is cracked and burning, because the dragon has breathed fire on it. In the foreground is a street. The boy is about to throw TNT at the dragon. The boy is smiling because he knows that his plan to kill the dragon will succeed. His sister is running. She is also afraid, as her open mouth shows.
I chose red and yellow as my border colors because it suggests fire.
Open Doors
By Chana B.
“8…9...10! Ready-or-not here I come!”
I am sprinting running faster through the halls than I ever have, I pass Grace’s bedroom, keep going, the kitchen, keep going. Turn left, right, stop. Keep running. I’m almost there, I can tell. Stop, listen. I can hear floorboards. Nah, I’m good. Go, go, go! The sound came back and I have zero idea of where Grace is. She can’t taken my path, then again I took the only path I saw, I’ve never been in this part of her house. I’m so close, so close. Stop, turn around, breath. Through tapestry, I’m here. Where exactly is here? I’m in a room with two doors and a bench. It’s not that easy to find a way to go, never even knew that her house is this big. I think that she left me, she’s clearly not looking any more. Just keep walking down the hallway.
¨Claire, are you in there, I'm coming for you.¨ I laughed so hard I almost cried.
¨Ya, I'm in here Grace, what do you want, you're not supposed to call my name in this game.¨
¨Ok, keep going I'll give you ten seconds, just don't walk into the room on your left of the hallway to left.¨ So I'll keep going. Where am I going? What did she say again, the room on the left in the hallway to the left? Eh I'm sure I'm wrong, I'll just go into that room. Doesn't matter, if she wanted me out of this hallway she would have told me. Right? Okay I'm going in. I don't see what was so special about this room, there is nothing. All that's in here is another door, and a picture, of her and another girl that I don't know about, I guess that I'll figure it out later.
“Grace, Grace where are you?” I don’t think she ever answered my call, even today.
CA$H
By Max C.
I ran across the roof-tops, my eye on my goal. I was trying to catch the latest criminal. He had escaped from authorities using a 2016 Prius. The He called himself The Prius. He had been out causing trouble freely for about a year. The reward for him has raised to half a million bucks. If I got this money, all it would take is a couple smart investments and I would be rich. I was using my magnetic boots to jump. I only had to make it about halfway through the chasms and the magnetic force would pull me the rest of the way. There was a helicopter waiting for me in case The Prius turned and I lose him. His latest plan was to drive by the museum and throw a bomb square into the doors. Of course he wouldn’t just throw the bomb out of the car. He had it disguised as a teddy bear. I was planning to literally intercept the bear and put it in the helicopter. The helicopter was already programed to fly straight up. It would fly so far up that the explosion would do zero damage to the town. I had to get going. My walkie-talkie buzzed. “He is on to us !” It said. That means I had to make a bee-line for the helicopter. That was a problem. If I turned at the street I was at, I would be jumping onto a slanted roof. My shoes would slip right off of that sleek, black roof. I would have to jump perfectly to make it. I crossed my fingers, closed my eyes and jumped. I opened my eyes, and I had only made it a quarter through the chasm. The drop was insanely long so I called my family members to tell them how I wanted my funeral. It was near the end of the drop, and I just ended up in a helicopter. “You owe me 10 bucks because I just saved your butt.” It was Todd! My helicopter driver! “Let’s do this.” I told him. We located The Prius faster than a cheetah on steroids. When we caught him, I said,¨ Todd, we got ourselves some cash.¨
My Bedroom
By Annie H.
I live in a house with 3 siblings. We fight alot and sometimes I just can’t get away from them. It’s nice to have one place out of the whole house where I can be alone. That place is my bedroom. I walk in and to my right I see my bed. The wood is as brown as the trees, and the blanket as green and blue as the sea. I can see my teddy bear on the bed leaning up against my plush white pillow. My curtains are pink with a hint of purple. Above my bed a clock hangs ticking, counting every second as time flies by. Next to my bed stands my tall dresser painted red, and the drawers faintly orange. On my dresser is a plant that was given to me by my cousin, well tended to and growing. My mirror hangs capturing the light from my window. The window sheds light onto the floor where my rug lays unmoving colored orange and pink. The floor is detailed with different shades of brown, nailed down with silver nails barely visible through the wood. A very light pink is scattered across the walls and fills in the empty gaps of white. The ceiling fan hangs from the ceiling it’s one light sending color to the room from above. It whips around, the flat disks spiraling air through the room. The window is open a crack and outside I can see for miles. The green, golden hills on the ground, and the perfect blue sky above. I can see the horizon line where the sky meets the ground. The birds are in the air and you can hear them chirping and calling for one another. A slight breeze comes through the crack in the window, and in the light of the sun you can see the dust floating in mid-air. I can just faintly hear the voices of my family outside my door, calling for dinner, and running down the narrow hall. My feet planted looking straight at the back wall admiring my bedroom.
By Annie H.
I live in a house with 3 siblings. We fight alot and sometimes I just can’t get away from them. It’s nice to have one place out of the whole house where I can be alone. That place is my bedroom. I walk in and to my right I see my bed. The wood is as brown as the trees, and the blanket as green and blue as the sea. I can see my teddy bear on the bed leaning up against my plush white pillow. My curtains are pink with a hint of purple. Above my bed a clock hangs ticking, counting every second as time flies by. Next to my bed stands my tall dresser painted red, and the drawers faintly orange. On my dresser is a plant that was given to me by my cousin, well tended to and growing. My mirror hangs capturing the light from my window. The window sheds light onto the floor where my rug lays unmoving colored orange and pink. The floor is detailed with different shades of brown, nailed down with silver nails barely visible through the wood. A very light pink is scattered across the walls and fills in the empty gaps of white. The ceiling fan hangs from the ceiling it’s one light sending color to the room from above. It whips around, the flat disks spiraling air through the room. The window is open a crack and outside I can see for miles. The green, golden hills on the ground, and the perfect blue sky above. I can see the horizon line where the sky meets the ground. The birds are in the air and you can hear them chirping and calling for one another. A slight breeze comes through the crack in the window, and in the light of the sun you can see the dust floating in mid-air. I can just faintly hear the voices of my family outside my door, calling for dinner, and running down the narrow hall. My feet planted looking straight at the back wall admiring my bedroom.
The Box
By Chance P.
One day Paul, Tyler and I had a soccer game 30 miles out of the city, we all wanted to celebrate another league by going biking and fishing afterwards. After the game, which we won 3-1, we set out on our 10 mile planned bike. It went relatively uneventful, when we got to the fishing spot a family was there so we went to the nearby field and kicked the ball around. After an hour and a half the family finally left, we went over and got set up. After half an hour my attention span ended. “Hey anyone want to explore the forest over there?” I asked my friends. They both had their excuses, Paul didn’t like water and Tyler likes to fish. I jumped into the water and swam, the forest wasn’t very interesting but half a mile into the forest, just out of my friends sight, there was a small brick building with no windows and was one story. I walked in the space where the door would’ve been but it was blown off its hinges. It was a small building, probably couldn’t see it from up above the trees but inside was a weird metallic box. I heard a voice that sounded like a dying rat from the other room. I rushed inside the box with no hesitation. “Yes, I think my work is finished” the voice said the door to the box suddenly swung open, a short old man hunched over with no hair looked up at me, “Perfect” the man said “ A live subject to test on!” he walked straight up to me and put in a collar, I started to run but he pressed a button and I was paralyzed for an hour, I was trapped. The box happened to be a time machine and over the next few weeks I was the test subject. It was painful but I came out of the box I was unharmed, the best I saw was a glimpse of the past. One sunny day the man walked in and said wait he said on a daily basis “ Yes, I think my work is finished.” and plugged in the coordinates of the dam and around an hour before he caught me. “Remember when you land, I still have complete control over you with my collar. No contact with the past!” He flicked the switch and a gust of cold wind struck me knocking me over but before I hit the ground I was in the past. The collar shattered from the impact but the speaker was barely functional. “Kid? ...id? ...t happened? Whe… re you?” I slowly got up and picked up the collar. I chucked as far into the river as I could. I looked over the edge of the dam and saw the city of in the distance, the sun shining down and bets of all my friends fishing. I leaned on the cool bar and thought how I was never going back into the forest. I saw my ball on the field and my car in the lot and knew this wasn’t a dream.
Time
By Kyle T.
There once was a man named George. He worked at the local Home Depot. But this Home Depot was different, it was special for the clocks they sold. They had some of the most beautiful clocks. For example the clock that no one can buy. The jewels shine like the sun on a perfect day, the color was a sky blue with a glittering green tone to the the left side of the clock. The other thing that was different was that the Home Depot was in a town called “Richwood”. The richest of the rich lived there and tipped over a thousand dollars at a time. One day George decide to save up all the money he had made from the Home Depot and try to buy the clock that was not for sale. He thought about the possibilities he could do if its time traveling powers were real. He first calmly but confidently swaggered over to the manager and asked if he buy the clock with all of his savings. The manager was pleased by the amount of money he was planning on giving him, but didn't accept his offer and said once again that it was not for sale. This made George very infuriated by the response. At this point George felt like he was going to burst into flames of rage. He screamed in the middle of the store “IF I CAN'T HAVE IT NO ONE CAN!” he went over to the clock and smashed it on the floor. For a second he started phasing in and out of existence. Then there was a very high pitched screech followed by everything turning black. Then George found himself standing in front of himself standing in front of himself. He had no clue what was happening but he recognized the street and the tree and realized that the clock’s powers were real and he really did go back in time. After he realized he was in the past another screech happened and the sky was a tornado like green. It was then followed by a massive tornado coming towards himselfs. Then time seem to just freeze with George and his younger two selves.
By Kyle T.
There once was a man named George. He worked at the local Home Depot. But this Home Depot was different, it was special for the clocks they sold. They had some of the most beautiful clocks. For example the clock that no one can buy. The jewels shine like the sun on a perfect day, the color was a sky blue with a glittering green tone to the the left side of the clock. The other thing that was different was that the Home Depot was in a town called “Richwood”. The richest of the rich lived there and tipped over a thousand dollars at a time. One day George decide to save up all the money he had made from the Home Depot and try to buy the clock that was not for sale. He thought about the possibilities he could do if its time traveling powers were real. He first calmly but confidently swaggered over to the manager and asked if he buy the clock with all of his savings. The manager was pleased by the amount of money he was planning on giving him, but didn't accept his offer and said once again that it was not for sale. This made George very infuriated by the response. At this point George felt like he was going to burst into flames of rage. He screamed in the middle of the store “IF I CAN'T HAVE IT NO ONE CAN!” he went over to the clock and smashed it on the floor. For a second he started phasing in and out of existence. Then there was a very high pitched screech followed by everything turning black. Then George found himself standing in front of himself standing in front of himself. He had no clue what was happening but he recognized the street and the tree and realized that the clock’s powers were real and he really did go back in time. After he realized he was in the past another screech happened and the sky was a tornado like green. It was then followed by a massive tornado coming towards himselfs. Then time seem to just freeze with George and his younger two selves.
Carnival
By Bridget J.
I have dozens of memories of a special fair in Arlington, Minnesota. My mom grew up in Minnesota and lived there for most of her life. She moved out of Minnesota when she was in her late teens. Anyway, her parents stayed in a small town called Arlington. It’s the type of town where everybody knows everybody and nobody locks their doors. Everyone trusts each other and there are some really amazing things in that town. There is a memorial site that honors veterans less than a block away from my grandparents house. I love to go there late at night and just seep in all of the love. There is a swing that is attached to two wooden pegs and hangs down and just touches the grass. Oh, the grass. It’s as green as, well grass! It has tiny yellow buds poking up just high enough to be stepped on by my feet running to my grandparents light blue house. On one special night that I remember, my mom called me in because it was Thursday -- the opening night of the county fair! I couldn’t wait to run on the trampled dirt and gravel and smell the corn dogs and the sticky smell of soda. For as long as I could remember, I had gone to the county fair in that small town.
When I push open the metal fencing, I see the big bears. They are wearing pink, green, blue, purple and yellow pants! They spin in a circle and those are the rides that make you dizzy. They are meant for little kids but sometimes even I can’t take the spinning! Then I look over and see the big cylinder. It has colorful swings attached on metal chains. They are hanging and I watch as little children run to a swing, and my cousin pulls at my arm begging for me to ride it with her. I say, later and we walk past to the big tents. As we pass I look over to my left and see the big ferris wheel. It has rainbow colored steel pieces that attach egg shaped baskets. They are woven, so the rider can see out but people on the ground can barely see in. The seats are cold and red and just above the seats, a large black bar rests on your lap so you don’t, you know, fall out. When you look past the Ferris wheel you can see a red and yellow carnival games booth. It has a few balloons hanging on to a white spray painted cork board and there are a few cup holders with darts in it. There is a man behind the booth shouting and beckoning for kids to pay a crazy amount for five darts! Squished in next to that crazy booth, is my favorite ride. It’s called the octopus. It is surrounded by black speakers with yellow stripes at the top and bottom. It has eight green metal “arms” that stick out. There is a man that has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He takes my ticket and helps me get into a tentacle. The seat is cold on my legs and all I feel is peace, even though I am about to be whipped around and around and around until I can’t walk without throwing up. I wait for the ride to start and when it finally does, I smile! I have been waiting for this moment for a year and when the ride ends, I get right back in line. Emma, my sister, runs to the snow-cone booth with my cousins, Freddy and Lucy but I stay. I wait in line for just a couple of minutes. And then it happens again. That state of total relaxation. Then I smile. And its like that for a half an hour. Wait, relax, smile. Wait, relax, smile.
I finally join my family in the tent where my sister has demolished her pina colada snow-cone and Lucy hasn’t even made a dent. I see my grandma, talking to all of her old lady friends. I love the fair. I love the baby petting zoo and the rides, I love the connections that people make with each other and the food. I love the things you can learn from a carnival. I love the time that I get to spend with my family and I love that it's a tradition. That's why, when I think of summer, I think of the carnival. I think of the food the rides and the games. I think of simply happiness!
The Fire Pit
By Sophia P.
I live in a family of very cheerful, happy, healthy, people. My mom has two sisters, and they in turn have two children. A older girl and a younger boy. One of the sisters has a farm, and there is a very special spot that the whole family loves. It is a wide space, right behind the patio, and in this space, too the left, is a large bush, with small oval shaped olive green leaves. To the right is a small garden, with sage bushes, and lavender plants with small fragrant purple flowers. In the middle is a fire pit, marked with grey lumpy stones that don't quite fit together. There is a wood bench with a worn white pillow covering the seat. There is also a turquoise bench, propped up on 4 poles that allow the bench to swing back and forth. There are two chairs, both wood, with the same covering as the wood bench. Stretching out before me are rows of plants, lettuce,carrots,sunflowers, and hills covered in a dry grass that waves in the wind. And beyond that, beautiful blue and purple mountains with snow capped peaks. “Sophia!” My cousin Laurel bounds towards me. “Come with me to visit the chickens! We need to collect eggs! Nathan is already there. Come on!” She pointed toward the field, where her little brother was standing near the chicken coops. There were four coops in all, and each was quite large. He waved at me and Laurel. And beyond him I saw my uncle, Jason, harvesting carrots for the farmers market the next day. He was hunched over the row of carrots, pulling bunch after bunch out of the ground. I sighed. It was getting darker and darker, and after dark we always had bonfires after dark. “ Fine. I'll visit the chickens, but after,we need to collect tumbleweeds for the fire.” Tumbleweeds made the fire HUGE. and the bigger the tumbleweed, the more fun. “ Fine.” My cousin agreed. I rose from the red-and-white checkered blanket I was laying on, and set the fantastic book I was reading down, and we walked over to visit the chickens. I have three chickens that I named Rowena, Hedwig, and Fortune. I have known them since they were peeping bundles of fuzz. We collected eggs, and held the chickens. Then it was time for the fun to begin. “Tumbleweeds!” I yelled. “ The biggest one found wins!” we all scattered in different directions. Twenty minutes later we regrouped. “ I win!” crowed my cousin Laurel. She was dragging a huge tumbleweed behind her. I laughed. Everyone was gathered around the cheery crackling flames. “ Put the biggest one on dad!” I begged my father. He laughed and put the biggest one on! The flames almost touched the sky! And as I snuggled down into the blanket I had wrapped around myself in, I knew, that this was my safe spot.
By Sophia P.
I live in a family of very cheerful, happy, healthy, people. My mom has two sisters, and they in turn have two children. A older girl and a younger boy. One of the sisters has a farm, and there is a very special spot that the whole family loves. It is a wide space, right behind the patio, and in this space, too the left, is a large bush, with small oval shaped olive green leaves. To the right is a small garden, with sage bushes, and lavender plants with small fragrant purple flowers. In the middle is a fire pit, marked with grey lumpy stones that don't quite fit together. There is a wood bench with a worn white pillow covering the seat. There is also a turquoise bench, propped up on 4 poles that allow the bench to swing back and forth. There are two chairs, both wood, with the same covering as the wood bench. Stretching out before me are rows of plants, lettuce,carrots,sunflowers, and hills covered in a dry grass that waves in the wind. And beyond that, beautiful blue and purple mountains with snow capped peaks. “Sophia!” My cousin Laurel bounds towards me. “Come with me to visit the chickens! We need to collect eggs! Nathan is already there. Come on!” She pointed toward the field, where her little brother was standing near the chicken coops. There were four coops in all, and each was quite large. He waved at me and Laurel. And beyond him I saw my uncle, Jason, harvesting carrots for the farmers market the next day. He was hunched over the row of carrots, pulling bunch after bunch out of the ground. I sighed. It was getting darker and darker, and after dark we always had bonfires after dark. “ Fine. I'll visit the chickens, but after,we need to collect tumbleweeds for the fire.” Tumbleweeds made the fire HUGE. and the bigger the tumbleweed, the more fun. “ Fine.” My cousin agreed. I rose from the red-and-white checkered blanket I was laying on, and set the fantastic book I was reading down, and we walked over to visit the chickens. I have three chickens that I named Rowena, Hedwig, and Fortune. I have known them since they were peeping bundles of fuzz. We collected eggs, and held the chickens. Then it was time for the fun to begin. “Tumbleweeds!” I yelled. “ The biggest one found wins!” we all scattered in different directions. Twenty minutes later we regrouped. “ I win!” crowed my cousin Laurel. She was dragging a huge tumbleweed behind her. I laughed. Everyone was gathered around the cheery crackling flames. “ Put the biggest one on dad!” I begged my father. He laughed and put the biggest one on! The flames almost touched the sky! And as I snuggled down into the blanket I had wrapped around myself in, I knew, that this was my safe spot.
In The Morning
By June C.
The morning sun glinted off my silky grey coat, turning it a shiny silver. All around me the sun turned dull colored things a whole new shade. The morning rays shone through the treetops, so god's rays played across the floor like little kittens. To my back, the mountains that bordered the city glistened with fresh white powdered snow. Above me, birds calls rang out across the dense forest, and then echoed back and replayed in my mind again and again. The smell of the pines tickled the top of my snout. My delicate paws trudged along through the piles of small acorns and crushed dried leaves. Some shriveled and dead and others freshly fallen off the smallest of branches. I plodded along looking for a drop of water or a bite to eat. I continued walking until I came to a small clearing. In the center, a little to the right stood a small tree stump. The scent of human still lingered to the stump as I slowly circled it over and over. I slowly dragged my feet over to a nearby bush, suddenly feeling how tired I really was. I laid down, with my paws crossed and my head resting on them. The forest floor started to blur from my regular crisp vision. I slowly nodded off to sleep. I dreamt of a field full of bunnies who were too slow to run from me, so I could easily eat one after another. I ate and ate until my stomach was full to the brim, and not one more rabbit could possibly fit into it. After a short rest, my hunger was restored and I glanced around for even more rabbits but there was no more left. I must have eaten them all?
That night, in my dream I woke to the pit of hunger in the bottom of my stomach and woke to find it was real. All around me the sound of this strange little clearing hummed around me. Animals, rustling leaves and crunching acorns. My ears perked up and my nose twitched. A deer! He was just across the clearing looking just as scared as the bunnies in my dream. He turned the other way and slowly bounded away on slender silky legs. I followed him, until he lead me to a field just like the one in my dream and saw to my amazement it was also filled with billions of bunnies.
April 18th
By Albert P.
I was fast asleep. I was dreaming about take your pet to school day. It was today, April 18th. I was going to bring my dog, Fido, who was was lying next to me. But then the dream ended. My dog was shaking the bed. She was probably hungry. I opened my eyes to calm her. But she wasn’t there. I was scared. I looked around for the source of the shaking. And after a couple of seconds I realized my bed wasn’t the only thing shaking. The whole building was shaking. Actually, the whole town was shaking. It was an earthquake. Suddenly, my mom dashed into the room. “Get up, John! Go to beach 72! Hurry!” “But what about Fido?” I asked. “I’ll find her! Just run!” Without a further glimpse at my room, I ran. Down the stairs. Across the courtyard. I was just getting to the road when I heard a crash behind me. Our house was falling. And my parents were in it. I stared, horrified, as my only home came crashing down. With my parents and dog in it. I watched in silence as it crumbled with no sign of my family. I called out, “MOM! DAD! FIDO!” But nobody replied. I sat down on a pile of rubble and cried. And cried. And then a thought came into my head. It was my mom. ‘Go to beach 72!’ she had said. What if they were still alive? What if they were on beach 72 looking for me? I got up and started running. I ran and ran. Through piles and piles of rubble. Through crushed roads. Through crowds of firefighters and families. And out of the city. I kept running until I got to beach 72. I looked around. I called out, “Mom! Dad?! Fido?”. I waited. But no voice called back to me. I sat down on the beach. And cried again. For hours I sat on that beach, crying. And then another thought came over me.. The sun was setting. And I was starving. Where would I get food? I would have to go back to the city. But then I heard footsteps behind me. I slowly turned my head. It was my parents. They were carrying some sandwiches. I got up and ran to them. They handed me one and I started to eat. I was about to ask them what happened when the thought that had been bothering me most of the day came back over me. Where was Fido? My mom saw the expression on my face and said, “I’m sorry, John.” I dropped the rest of my sandwich. And cried.
First Time Baking
By Ella S.
The first time I ever baked on my own, it was the most fun I ever had. I was 7 years old, and I was absolutely in love with baking. I made sour cream cupcakes. They were delicious, moist, fluffy, and although the frosting did have lumps in it, it was still delicious. I got out the ingredients and the stand mixer. My cat stood around staring at me. My dog sniffed my leg and waited for something to drop down for her to eat. I have always loved baking, from seeing the color of the batter to knowing the beautiful thong in front of you, you made. It might have scared some people, especially as young, wasting ingredients, using the oven, making a mess. But I was thrilled. From the time my mom handed me the recipe, to pulling out the stand mixer, to baking the cupcakes. I whisked the dry ingredients together, and it was quite interesting to see it go in circles with my whisk. Next I unwrapped the butter and poured the sugar in. I watched them cream together in that huge bowl. I added in the eggs, one at a time, and combined them. I grabbed the spatula and scraped down the sides of the bowls. I whisked the rest of the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. I alternatively added wet and dry ingredients and folded them in. The beautiful golden white batter was ready. I put colorful cupcake liners in and spooned batter into each cupcake case. I was super excited, it was time for the oven. Using my hot mats, I slipped the pans into the oven to bake. The next half an hour or so went by slowly, waiting for the cupcakes to cook. 30 minutes later I take them out to reveal beautiful cupcakes. I use a spatula to pry them out and put them on wire racks to cool for a hour. I cream the frosting together. A hour and a half later I am frosting them, watching them transform in front of my eyes. The frosting piles up high, just like I like it. Later in the evening, after dinner, me and my family try them. They are delicious, sweet, fluffy, moist. That was my first time baking, and it was quite successful.
Friends
By Elena T.
A little blue bird sings. A pretty melody that makes the colors seem brighter, and the wonders more wonderful. Though the notes sound bittersweet for the girl in the tree. Her name is Violet. She has no friends. It isn’t her fault, but she’s just so quiet, like if she said a word it would hurt her later. Violet sits in the tree, trying to enjoy the bird’s music, but having no one to enjoy it with. Loneliness is her friend, but she doesn’t feel like that counts. The tree is her friend, though. She always climbed the tree in the summer. She knew that it was her friend, except she was always depressed at the thought that her only friend is an inanimate object. So she thought of the tree as an object, not a friend. The beautiful song starts to hurt when a girl from her school, Marie, comes to play on the playground with her little brother. Marie doesn’t even notice Violet, so she decides to observe. Marie just plays, pushing her brother on the swings. Nothing special about it. The tweet of the song accompanies the creak-shink-creak-shink of the old metal swing set. Violet digs her hands into the bark, hard, when Nita arrives. Nita is Marie’s best friend. While outspoken Marie usually leaves Violet alone, even more outspoken Nita always, always, always tries to include Violet. Even though Violet is desperate for friends, Nita’s way of saying, “Hey, Violet, why don’t you join us?” didn’t make her want Nita as a friend. Being pitied isn’t a good way to start a friendship. And besides, Nita is just so annoying. Nita and Marie wave and wave. Waving at each other, even though they are a scant few yards apart. Violet is jealous. So jealous. Jealous of the friendship that brings them together. Because she thinks she won’t ever have anything like that.