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Playing with Words

August 22, 2015 Claire Annette Noland 13 Comments

This week I am celebrating the written word. As a reader, teacher and writer, words are an important part of my life.words thankful

I am currently at a workshop focused on writing for the children’s educational market. It is one of many workshops put on by the Highlights Foundation located on the founders’ family property in the Pocono Mountains outside of Honesdale, Pennsylvania. This has been a wonderful week led by two fabulous writers, Jan Fields and Paula Morrow. The other participants are creative and clever authors. I know we’ll be writing friends for years to come. The past five days have been inspiring, encouraging, and filled with words.

When I walked behind the barn I found myself in an amazing place – a word garden!

word garden

Words have been carved into stones which can be moved around to make sentences. I’ve wandered in the garden daily and have arranged my thoughts in a very concrete way.

words story

 

Loving this cabin!

words cabin

There’s so much to read around here. I’ve been enjoying the first edition of Highlights Magazine. It even includes a hidden picture page.

words highlights

If you are interested in writing for children, you might want to consider spending time at one of the  Highlights Foundation workshops which are held throughout the year.

words thank you with fern

 Thanks so much for stopping by. Let me know what you are celebrating this week.

words inspiration

This post was inspired by Ruth Ayres who encourages us all to celebrate each week. Visit her blog and see what others are celebrating.FullSizeRender (14)

Filed Under: Books, Field Trips, Places Tagged With: Highlights Foundation Workshops, Jan Fields, Paula Morrow, Playing with words, Ruth Ayres Celebrate this Week, Word Garden, Words

Previous Post: « There’s always room at the family table… a celebration
Next Post: National Dog Day! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bernadette Laganella says

    August 23, 2015 at 11:51 am

    It looks like you had a week filled with fun and learning. The idea of a word garden is so unique and I like how you took full advantage of it.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:38 am

      Hi Bernadette – It was a wonderful garden. The area surrounding was so green with ferns and flowers. I would like to figure out how to make such a garden.

      Reply
  2. evelyneholingue says

    August 23, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    I understand how this place must feel so perfect for anyone who loves words. The photos give credit to the pefect setting too. Love the rocks! And of course I would have loved to say hello to Paula Morrow, the first editor who said yes to one of my short stories! Enjoy, Claire1

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:31 am

      Hi Evelyne, Paula is a thoughtful editor. I love your wonderful story that appeared in Cricket. i think of it every year on King Day.

      Reply
  3. Tina Cho says

    August 24, 2015 at 11:57 am

    That’s awesome you could take this course with Jan and Paula! I hope it leads to contracts for you.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:30 am

      Hi Tina,
      Thanks so much – it was an awesome course in a beautiful setting. It was a dream field trip for me.

      Reply
  4. Trine Grillo says

    August 24, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    So nice that you could attend, Claire. I would love to meet Jan in person some day.
    I was thinking just this week of how much I enjoy words. And what an abundance and variety we have of them to choose from as we express ourselves in our writing!

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:29 am

      Hi Trine, Jan is so much fun! She really helped us to lighten up our work. Both Jan and Paula really know what they’re doing and they were really generous in sharing their knowledge and experience.

      Reply
  5. Justine lawson says

    August 25, 2015 at 8:45 am

    I love the moving words written in stone!

    They’ve got a bit more heart than the little word stickers on the fridge, though they can be fun too!

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:27 am

      Hi Justine, They are certainly heavier than the little fridge magnets! It really is fun to play with words.

      Reply
  6. JEN Garrett says

    August 26, 2015 at 4:33 am

    I love celebrating words. I do it often. And a word garden is such a great idea! I’ll probably build one someday.

    Commentluv doesn’t get along with Weebly, so here’s a recent post of mine:
    http://www.lexicalcreations.weebly.com/jens-blog/writers-bloc-event-september-12th

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      August 27, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Hi Jen,
      Thanks for visiting my blog. It’s too bad that it is so difficult to make comments with different blog sites.

      Reply
  7. Ci dy Steinmann says

    August 28, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Claire. Your thoughtful words and photos make the perfect salute to our experience last week at the writers’ workshop. Thanks for sharing
    . Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts and stories, Cindy

    Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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claireannettenolandbooks

Author | teacher | Field Trip Planner
books that take you places
Raven’s Gift
Nancy Bess Had a Dress
Evie’s Field Day
Out and About w George series

I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award v I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award voting continues until July 18th for members of SCBWI. Our book, Nancy Bess Had a Dress, is in the Southwest Division (where illustrator @angelac.hawkins lives)

Members, you can vote for books in all of the regions.
Cast your vote at this link: 

https://www.scbwi.org/crystal-kite/CK8

I will be sharing Nancy Bess July 11th online for the Summer of Stories https://summerofstories.substack.com/

and I'll be doing story time and craft at the Three River Public Library on July 11th at 10:30

@gnomeroadpublishing @pbspree @eringreneaux @tularecountylib 
@scbwicencal #crystalkiteaward
Instagram post 18090291214629192 Instagram post 18090291214629192
We are enjoying a lovely summer’s day with CARL’S SLEEPY AFTERNOON thanks to our friends @laughingelephantbooks who sent us a copy signed by Alexandra Day and Carl!
Happy 40th Anniversary, Carl! You are such a good dog 🐾❤️
Carl has an opportunity to have a quiet and sleepy afternoon but does he rest? Not our Carl!
We’re on our 3rd generation loving this noble good dog and look forward to reading about his adventures for many more years!

#gooddogcarl #picturebookdogs #summerreading @mrernierecommends @christinabeeghly @laurennolandhajik @roxannenoland @gn705
Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking your young ones to a museum. And I suggest, before you go, you share the delightful picture book, MousterWorks, written and illustrated by @angelac.hawkins
Young mice, Cosette and Pépin, join Grand-mère on a splendid adventure through a mouse hole into a museum. They gaze at brilliant interpretations of well-known painting by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Edward Banister. Cosette excitedly engages with the art while her brother, Pépin, searches for cheese in the art and eventually realizes that he can be an artist and paint his favorite things.

The final photo is 2.5 year old Alice at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. She was captivated by "Home Sweet Home" (after Seurat, Manet, and Pippin) painted by Wangari Mathenge

Art is for all ages.

To read my full review, visit my blog https://afieldtriplife.com/mousterworks-lets-go-to-a-museum/

@gnomeroadpublishing #mousterworks #artmuseumswithkids
@laurennolandhajik
Looking forward to simple unscheduled days! #july Looking forward to simple unscheduled days!
#july #afieldtriplife #summer
Look what we found featured at the library! #nancy Look what we found featured at the library! #nancybesshadadress 
Thank you @tularecountylib 
#summerreading #picturebooks #librarylove 
@angelac.hawkins @gnomeroadpublishing
Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" lis Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" list is visiting libraries where I love to see staff recommendations. SUMMER: A Solstice Story written by @kelseyegross and illustrated by @renataliwska is such a lovely picture book.
Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Bear, Sparrow, Rabbit, Woodpecker, and Deer gather to celebrate the arrival of summer with its gifts of light and new life. The friends share sprouts, fresh water, flowers, and fruit each accompanied by special wishes for the little ones to shine, glow, shimmer, gleam, and blaze bright with solstice light. They spend the day with festivities as they dance, splash, hop, and savor a forest feast.
I shared this with a group of children the night before the Solstice so that they understood how special this date is. Then, we read it again as the sun set on the longest day of the year after partaking of many of the same activities done by the woodland animals. They really enjoyed the center pages that fold out.
This is a soft, gentle, and breathtakingly beautiful picture book that should be enjoyed all summer long. @pbspree #summersolstice #summerasolsticestory
We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decad We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decades so we are excited to celebrate 40 years of our favorite picture book series! I love the book mom and Carl’s adventures are the best!
So let’s raise a toast to Carl, the very good dog, and to  @laughingelephantbooks Here’s to many more wonderful years of ❤️ filled stories.
#wewon #gooddogcarl #afieldtriplife #picturebookdogs @laurennolandhajik @christinabeeghly @roxannenoland
Military families are made up of heroes, those who Military families are made up of heroes, those who leave home to serve and those who stay behind. It isn’t easy to find books featuring military families, so I was excited to discover when AS MUCH as the STARS: A Story of Love Across the. Miles – A Child’s Goodbye/ AS MUCH AS THE STARS: A Story of love across The Miles: A Mother’s Farewell. I love flip books because they are clever and provide a fun way to read two stories told from different perspectives. AS MUCH AS THE STARS does an exceptional job of showing the love and emotions surrounding a deployment and then a joyous return. In this authentic, well-written story, one half follows a young girl and her relationship with her military father. The other half features the viewpoint of that girl, now grown, whose son leaves home to serve. warm and colorful illustrations add to the text showing the love that is shared even when they are separated by great distances.
This is a wonderful book for all families and will help everyone understand the sacrifices that our brave service members make. I just wish this book had been available when I was teaching children in military families.
Written by Forrest Zenone, Skyler Zenone, and Tricia Stone-Shumaker
Illustrations by Penny Weber
@poppysadventures1 @pennyweberart @laurennolandhajik #militaryfamilies #asmuchasthestars
#mrernierecommends
FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road a FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road around Whale Rock Reservoir
The story of how they got there reminds me of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” 
Read how these delicate blossoms came to grace the highways in San Luis Obispo County: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/johnny-appleseed-sweet-peas-planted-120000196.html

Lupine, poppies, and wild mustard are also blooming.

#sweetpeas #jackcreekfarms #roadtrip #afieldtriplife #missrumphius
I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.boo I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.books is a treasure!
A good question. A good question.
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