Day Eight
Theme: Telling Stories through Pictures and the Alphabet
Most of you already know the alphabet, and many of you know how to read.
I wanted to talk about the way we can communicate to one another. We can write to one another. We can draw pictures to tell what we want to say also. If you look at the picture of the girl above, what do you know just by looking at the picture? Have you ever told a story with just drawings? Writing a short story with only pictures is a great way to use your imagination. And it's fun for the person reading it. It allows them to come up with their own ideas as well.
Communication:
Writing words to one another is a form of communication. Even if you do not know how to spell words, you can sound out the word, and spell it that way it sounds. Most people are still able to read what wrote.
We also communicate through the way we look. If you see your Mom smiling, you can guess that she's happy. If you see a friend crying, you know that something happened. Our faces communicate a lot about the way we feel.
Since we have more time now, a great use of time is to write a note, letter or make a card for someone. How does it feel when you receive a card or package in the mail? That's how it feels for other people too.
Did you know you can create your own secret alphabet? You can make up new symbols, and place them under the letter of the alphabet. This is a fun thing to do and share with a friend. You can create your own secret language. You'll need to take a picture and send it to a friend since you can't be together right now. Or you can do this with a brother or sister. You can both try and figure out the messages.
Activity:
Write a note card to someone you care about and mail it. This can be a drawing with pictures, or a note card with words. You can also take old magazines and cut letters out of it and make up words using cutout letters. Just like the alphabet at the top of the page.
Another activity is to create your own secret language. This can be done like the example above. You can make it simple. But whoever is reading the note has to have your secret language code so they know what it says.
Picture Book Illustrations:
Make a picture book using only pictures. You can make your story by drawing, painting or collage. Collage is tearing up paper and gluing it to make up pictures. Some examples are below. Have fun! And please, share your story with me!
Goal: Work on a project using a form of communication. It can be a secret language, pictures or collage.
Here are two examples of using pictures to tell a story. The building on the left is a collage picture I made for a book about a building in Brooklyn, and the people who lived there. The house on the right, is from one of my students, Ruby, who told an entire story with her illustrations. (Illustration is another name for drawing or picture.)
Remember that drawing and making a picture book takes time. You do not have to rush. It can take many days, and even weeks to finish a story. I've been writing a story for the past 5 years! and I'm still working on it. It's important to understand that good things take time.
We live in a time where everything is done very fast. And because of that, it can be challenging to relax and know that things do not have to be done quickly. Computers make things quick, but learning to slow down, take your time, enjoy what your creating helps to understand nature and the world around you. A caterpillar is a good example of this. And I know you know how a caterpillar eventually becomes a butterfly! (W're going to cover that in another lesson:)
Gratitude: I'm thankful for all the books I have to look at and read. So many people have spent their lives creating their ideas and making them happen. This is inspiring. What are you thankful for today? What about your family? Ask them.