On the Banks of the Narnia Sea

Dear Katie, 

This story is well done!  We are proud of your perservance and hard work in writing.  We know this doesn't come easy for you, yet.  But this story is worthy of publication!  Who knows...maybe C.S. Lewis would have added this little bit to an 8th book if he was still around. Good job, Pippers!

"On The Banks of the Narnia Sea" -by Katie Hime

It was a beautiful morning in England, the Pevensies we're going to Digger Clerk's house for lunch. Lucy and Edmund got there a few minutes before the others. Where have those other Pevensies got off to? The scent of lunch drifted out of the kitchen. Where are those two other Pevensies? I'm so dreadfully hungry and it's time for lunch.

Susan and Peter arrived a few minutes later very hungry. They dove into a marvelous lunch, with fruit salad, and eggs, and toast with jam and honey. "Edmund don't pinch me like that it hurts,” said Lucy. “It wasn't me. Oh ouch” defended Edmond. Then all of the sudden the walls and table disappeared. “Well bother, I was just starting to get full, and I didn’t have a bite of bacon yet,” Peter said to Susan. “We seem to be in some sort of type of wood on a very tall hill... Very much overgrown that's for sure. Oh Peter, I'm still hungry,” commented Susan.

Peter jumped up, “Come on then, Aslan what has brought us here for a reason. I'm sure of it!” So off they went. Let us go back a few days ago and see where a little friends were called here.

A few days ago something quite mysterious had happened. All the rivers in Narnia had overflowed their banks and the water had magically encircled all the talking animals, men of earth and men of Adam. The king whose name was Kalmar Glower, had said, ”this would be the perfect time for someone to take over the kingdom.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he hadn't said them quite yet.

For all of the sudden, a giant beast rose out of the water around them in a circle and said, “I am the dragon of everman's bluff.” Then he just disappeared. He came from out of nowhere and went back into that nowhere. It was quite sudden for sure.

Take over the kingdom he did, he took Cair Paravel, the ford of Beruna, and many other places. It was an awful sight to behold, truly awful… till the kingdom was little more than a big lake.

This is where our little friends come in. The beast visited the circle everyday. It just happened that they got to Narnia a few minutes before the beast visited the circled. Susan and Lucy decided to do a little exploring while the boys started a fire. They walked a little bit away and then the land started to slope down to the water. They were very much surprised, for what did they behold? It was water, tons and tons of water. A few yards away there was a circle of land completely surrounded by water. Lucy quickly jumped and ran back to get the others. When she, Edmund, and Peter got back they beheld a most awful sight. A giant beast slowly rose out of the water. All of the sudden Peter heard the twang of an arrow and the dragon fell. Susan had the second arrow on the string, and sunk it into the heart. The water immediately started to go down and Edmund ran down the hill followed by King Peter. Suan kept the arrow on the bow string.  Edmund then sliced off the dragon tail, and high Peter came up and said, “In the name of that Aslan's mane I hear by kill this dreadful creature,” and slashed of the head of the dragon.

A cheer went up from the crowd. The men of Adam and the men of Earth came up to congratulate the King and Edmund.  Lucy and Susan immediately went to the animals to make sure they were all okay. King Glower invited them to Cair Paravel for a glorious lunch, of course they accepted this at once. It was even grander than the one they were going to have at digger Clerk's house... This is where our story comes to an end, and I'm sorry to say that you will never know what quite happened. But someday, you yourself might find yourself in Narnia we’ll never know…

                     The End

journaling-stay in the dirt

Dear Katie and Owen, I want you to find and share your butterflies!

You've seen butterflies, correct?  The ones which flutter across an open meadow, here or there lightly touching down on a flower? They come and go, right?  They are not there for long. It is difficult to capture them with a photo, they sit only so long before they are off and on to the next thing.  The breeze stirs them along, the sun shines on their colorful wings.

So it is with learning to write.

Writing is beautiful, colorful, delicate like butterfly wings. Writing words and thoughts and feelings-don't last long.  The ability to put pen to paper in a coherent way, the process of forming a picture with your words-comes and goes. Thoughts flutter this way and that. It takes patience to get the photo of the simple, intricate creature. It takes patience to write, to learn to write. Nothing is new about this thought. Many a grand writers have pondered this. But this thought was new to the 8 late elementary age students I taught on Tuesday.

Why are you taking this class? I asked.

Silence, then.

"My parents signed me up for this class."
"I don't know, it is BORING."
"This is the hardest subject I have."
"I have NO idea why I am taking this class."

These sweet students don't know to look for butterflies yet. They aren't looking, they aren't even planing a meadow which would draw butterflies to it. They are studying something even more basic, they are studying the dirt which would grow the plants, which would bring butterflies. They are stuck in wonder.  Not in wonder over the richness of language or the beauty of imagination, but wondering, "why do this, this writing stuff, is pointless".

They are stuck in the mud, dirt, soil. They are at the bottom.

But the dirt is important. It holds the roots. But soil deplete of nutrients is worthless. It won't grow anything. The foundation is gone and therefore any option of a meadow and butterflies is more then a dream. It's an impossibility.

BUT, if we choose good soil. If we add nutrients. If we turn it over and over with new, full of life pieces, we can change it for something rich, we can grow deep roots. And so it is with the basis of good writing. Good writing is a gift. We know it when we read or listen to it. It captivates us. It draws us into that meadow to see what we can see. It paints us a glorious picture.

What does dirt or this "boring" foundational class (for these elementary age scholars) have to do with good writing?

Knowing strong sentence structure, using strong verbs and descriptions, adding in who-which clauses, etc, gives a foundation to creative thought. It communicates to an audience our knowledge of an subject or a solution to a problem...it allows the picture in our minds to grows to seem real, alive and be shareable.

So to the 8 students, I saw Tuesday, I say, "stay in the dirt". But don't just look at it. Play with it. Feel it. Try adding different parts to it and see what happens. Learn how to know good dirt because when you know it, it can lead to full meadows and butterflies.

Someday students, your butterflies of thoughts will come. The more you invest in your dirt and meadow the more butterflies will flutter down to your flowers. You have something to give. You have something large or small the world needs to know. You were made for something great by an even greater creator, God.

And for everyone, practice patience in the dirt, read good writings, immense yourself in the foundation work, so when you see a butterfly-a good storyline, a new character, a plot twist, a new research nook, you'll know them. And when your dirt is good and the meadow blossoms, the butterflies of words and stories will be rich and vibrant and worthy of sharing in front of your friends, family and the world.

_________________________________________________________________________________
An exercise to help students see how, knowing the make-up of the dirt they are currently playing in, can help them write better.

Objective: Helping your students see, which sentence comes alive to your students? The one with rich, cared for and tended to dirt?  Or the one which is barely giving anything to the meadow's plants?

1. Start by having your student draw a picture of this sentence, "Cat ran." This sentence is normal dirt. It is basic. It is a simple communication of a thought.
2. After they attempt this drawing, have them show each other. You'll have a plethora of different looking cats and lots of different ways to run-a simple beginners picture. Their minds have all the creative juices needed. But they don't have a foundation yet to build upon for the reader.
3. Next have them grow their sentence creatively (after all they have been playing in the dirt for 2 years now. The above was a second year writing class :).  Ask for adjectives for the noun cat. Ask them to answer, how or when or where it ran, add some prepositional phrases, article adjectives...
And example from our class, "The huge, spotted cat, ran quickly down the step side of the blue mountain." Kids can get pretty creative with the second sentence. They have no shortage of humorous thoughts. :).
4. Now have them add all the details to their picture.  The picture comes alive!
5. Help them see as long as the students know the dirt-the foundations to language and writing-the seemingly tedious part, they can get beautiful and creative sentences which explode in their and their readers imagination.  And those moments are just like seeing butterflies.

-note to Katie and Owen (or anyone who reads this).  You mom, does not claim to be an excellent writer and I'm sure the above words have errors in them.  I want you to know I'm open for you to help me learn to write better, right along side of you!  Stay the dirt, look for butterflies.  Love, Momma

1st DAY of 2nd and 4th grade!

Dear Katie and Owen, 

It is going to be a good year-we can just feel it!  I'm sure we will have our high highs and low lows, but with Vox Veritatis Class and New Life Camp Special Clubs we should be good to go.  Our goal sweet kids is to pray and try to instill in you a love of learning about anything and everything around you.  We want you to love the Lord, discern Truth and love those around you! 

For our first day, what better way to start then at Sola Coffee with Coffee and Donuts.

Love you both!

Pop up art @ NC Museum of Art

Impressionism!

Story Writing @ its Best

...stay tuned for Katie's story! Hot off the press this summer!

100 Days

Owen you did it!  Your first 100 days of school.  Everyone dressed with 100 things, did crafts, ate "100" shaped cookies and let go of 100 environmentally safe balloons (that was important to your teachers :). Way to go, Buddy!  You continue to love school, love homework, love your friends-Mollie, Logan, Isaiah and Eli and love your teachers.  

All those together = a wonderful start to school!

Our Star Student

Owen, you did it!  You were the star student (in Oct.) for the week!  I wanted to post this as it is a true picture of you right now.  You love reading, basketball, blueberries, you've learned to count to 102, you are super fast and you love your daddy-wanting to be just like him when you grow up (or a tow truck driver :).

Things you love: your family here and in KS, your friends-Bryce and the Muses, you love to eat spaghetti, apples, mango, blueberries and about everything else, you know God made you for great things and His purposes, you love legos, being outside, traveling to the beach or mountains and everything in between and you love Kindergarten.  

Way to go Star Student!

Love ya!

Daily Diligence

Owen, we see your diligence as you learn to read.  Each day you come home from school you empty your book bag, checking for any homework. You then placing your lunch box in the sink you change into play clothes.  Finally, you read me your new list of words quickly and with very little help-way to go! You are reading so well!  Good work, buddy!

Music Class

Katie your favorite teacher in the whole wide world for music is Ms. Lions @ NLC.

At dinner tonight daddy responded to your excitement...

Daddy said thats great! What are you learning? ( expecting to hear something educational.) 

"Learning? We're not learning anything! We're playing!"

Ha...so funny!

Katie, we love that you love music and hope in the midst of the playing you learn great things about music!  :D

Penguin Day!

School today

A wee bit of planning and Katie and I can study and work from fun places! Today's stop, The Umstead for tea and school. Katie, it is fun to see you mesmerized by the quiet beauty of this spot and to see you using good tea manners. What fun, sweet girl!

A Kindergarten Fall Party

Owen, your fall party was a blast!  You did everything from fun treats to crafts to bounce houses. Mrs. Streit & Mrs. Zellmen even won the dress up contest with "Teachers of the Year"!
And your Royals Hosmer jersey was perfect as they were getting ready to win the World Series in Baseball. You'll have such great memories of your Kindergarten year, we just know it!