Ideas
Improving creative writing through play
21 Feb 2010
The following activity is used by Bounce a lot. We find it gives children the opportunity to experience landscapes, characters and new ideas to a point where they'd like to write their ideas down afterwards!
MAPPING
Resources: Paper, pencils or whiteboard and whiteboard pens, music to suit the theme you wish to explore
Number in a group: Individual followed by whole group discussion
Time: 15 min +
Directions: Ask the children to lie on the floor/get into a comfy position. If they are restless, give them a couple of minutes to take a few deep breaths. Now, encourage them to relax their bodies - perhaps they are lying on their bed. They close their eyes. Now, instruct them that they hear a small sound, they open one eye and their environment has changed - perhaps they see the sea, or a river, or a spaceship... They open the other eye and they begin to explore the changes - encourage them to take in smells, sights and sounds. They begin to travel towards a new place - when they are to arrive introduce your piece of music. As they arrive, begin to coach them to take in the colours of the island, what can they see/smell/hear. Can they taste anything? Focus on discovering whether they are in a place like Earth, or is it different. How do they move around the new place - is there someone/something they must not disturb, or is it a free place? Ask them to pick something up, is it a small/large/heavy/fluffy item? How can then show you? Now, call the group over to you. Explain they are the first people to discover this Island - begin by asking them what shape it was-ask one child to draw the outline. Facilitate the discussion, so children can add to the map through drawing the pictures. Once it is full, ask the children to decide their journey, where did they enter the Island? What do they do once they were there? etc etc. Invite chidlren to share their stories. This is essentially their plan ready for writing!
My favourite part of working with Bounce was being a superhero.
Keystage 2 student - After school club