Everyone Has a Story to Tell

I have to make this a really quick post today because in just a few minutes I am going to pick my kids up from school and take my oldest on a date to see the Half Blood Prince. When all the hype started coming out for the new movie I told my kids with no apologies that NO ONE in our family would be seeing this movie until they read the book (in case you didn't know a main character dies). Well Jman finished this week, took an AR test at school on it and made a 100! Since I am pretty sure this is the last day the film will be running in our area I decided to make some arrangements for Miss Thang to go with my Mom and J and I are going to dinner and a movie. So much fun!

But that is not what I wanted to blog about today. I wanted to share some links to three different sites that allow anyone (especially children) to write their own stories. I think storytelling is a great learning tool. How better to learn about the English language than to create stories? It also engages that creative side of the brain and allows kids to share their ideas.

The first site is meddybemps. This is a great learning site for kids in general. They can play all sorts of games but the link should take you to The Young Writers Workshop. This activity gives the children a story starter and they complete the story. If you have a class of new writers or you homeschool and have not done much writing yet, well this is a great place to start. It's fun even to do as a group, allowing each person to tell the next part of the story. How fun would it be to print and post a collaborative story your class or family created! I do want to note for those who care that this site uses imaginative creatures including a kindly witch. If this offends you keep reading... there is a site for you!

Next is tikatok. Tik a Tok allows you to create a story all your own. You can scan in illustrations of your own or use ones found on the site. But the greatest thing about this site is you can order a bound "published" copy of your child's story. How neat is that? Think about what a great gift to give a little one. I also think this really helps validate children in their own creative process. So good!

And the newest guy on the block is storybird. I found out about story bird from Lovedrunk who is an amazing writer herself. I jumped right into this site and created a story you can read here. This site puts a new twist on storytelling. Basically the site gives you access to amazing original artwork from all kinds of different artists. You then pick a picture and tell a story with it. The art inspires the story. Again, what a great tool to use with kids. Allow them to work in groups or work at home as a family to create an amazing original story. The stories are then posted where other storybird users can read them. I was as excited as a little girl when I got my first comment on my story!

Whatever avenue you use, I hope you will tell your story and teach your children to do the same!