First Son and I have started using Stories with a View: Narrative Inspirations by Margot Davidson for creative writing this year. (I have an older version I bought used on Cathswap.) We've never done creative writing before and I'm approaching it more as a way to see into my son's mind than with a need to produce some great stories or poems.
It certainly is interesting! Today we read "The Hens" by Elizabeth Madox Roberts (which you can find here) and discussed it a little. The assignment, then, was to "Describe the morning when the hens awake." We have chickens, so I expected a description of what our chickens do in the morning, but this is what I heard instead (which I typed into a Google doc as he talked).
I really don't know what to think about it.
First Son (fourth grade) on "the morning when hens awake"
In the morning, the hens woke up, laid their daily eggs, took care of the chicks, and in the house, the father was just ready to get the eggs when the Fed Ex guy came. When he finally was able to get past the Fed Ex truck and get into the chicken coop, all the hens were already sitting on the eggs. The father slapped his head and said, “If only the Fed Ex guy did not come.”
When he came back, his family was all ready to start cooking eggs. “Where are all the eggs, dear?” the mother said.
He said, “That Fed Ex guy made me go too late. The hens were already on their nests.”
“Never mind, dear,” the mother said. “Go and butcher the pig and we will have bacon.”
Just then the UPS guy came and made it too late again for the pig had run away. “Where is the bacon, dear?”
“We’ll just have to have cold cereal for the pig has run away. Oh, my, I forgot that we don’t have any cereal.”
“Oh dear, you are such a fool!” said she. “Why didn’t you buy cereal when I asked you to one morning?”
“Because I didn’t hear you. You should have called.”
“Oh my dear, you are such a fool!” said she again.
“I will try never to be a fool again.”
“You’d better, or I will hit you upside the head with a skillet.”
“I’ll go and do Xtramath.”
“No, you must go and get us some cereal.”
“Where?”
“At the store.” Then she hit him upside the head with a skillet. He passed out and then woke up at the hospital.
Then the mother said, “The children are waiting for their cereal, dear.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t get some.”
“Why can’t you?”
“You made me go to the hospital, remember?”
“Oh that’s right. Try not to be a fool again.”
The End
