Know what time it is? Not only most of our favorite season, autumn. But also my favorite Writing Project event of the year, Write Out. Maybe you have heard of it? Moving Writer’s is teaming up with Write Out this year!
Write Out is a free two-week celebration of writing, making, and sharing inspired by the great outdoors. It is an open invitation to get out and create that is supported with a series of online activities, made especially for educators, students, and families, to explore neighborhoods, parks, and other public spaces.
This year’s theme is Poetry for the Planet.
I don’t have you tell you that burn out for our job is at an all time high. So please as a Moving Writer friend to all you fabulous Moving Writers take a little time to write and rejuvenate yourself.
Eco-writing ideas & some writing prompts
Twenty minutes in the backyard is your challenge today. This could be at a nearby park, outside at your school/workplace, or in your own backyard. Take 20(ish) minutes to just observe the natural world today. Unplug, relax, listen to the sounds and take in the vibrant colors. Be inspired by the living poet Alberto Ríos, Twenty Minutes in the Backyard. Then it’s your turn. Collect shapes, sounds, images, smells from your backyard. You could create a free verse 7 lined poem about your “backyard”, a 6 word memoir, a haiku, there are no wrong ways … just write.
Take a moment to listen to Ada Limón reading Mary Oliver’s, Can You Imagine.
Carve out some time to find a tree in your yard, neighborhood or park nearby. Study that tree. What life has it lived? Who has it seen and what? Can you describe it in detail?
Write a 4-5 line ode starting with “can you imagine?” to these beautiful giants that give us breath.
Today we are going to collect a poem. You can do this by finding objects in your outdoor space around or jotting in your notebook things you see. Describe them. Then try out wordart.com. Put your words into a shape and you have a beautiful image poem! You can also do your own sketching in your notebook with the words you found too.
Need some more inspiration for writing during Write Out? Check out some other Moving Writer’s articles
Place Based Poetry Writing Slow Unit
Fostering Environmental Storytelling Making a Eco Zine
Exploring Place Through Writing
Check out the the Write Out website and follow my instagram for more daily ideas throughout the next 10 days.
Will you join us? I hope to hear and see you!
If you want to get further into the #Writeout discussion by signing up for the newsletter for any additional resources that will be sent out.
Please reach out with questions, reflections, and connections in the comments below or on Twitter @Mrsablund or my instagram @mrsablund Check out my other articles writing out of the ELA classroom.
At Moving Writers, we love sharing our materials with you, and we work hard to ensure we are posting high-quality work that is both innovative and practical. Please help us continue to make this possible by refraining from selling our intellectual property or presenting it as your own. Thanks!
moving writers 