The illustration is from "Let's Go Shopping with Peter and Penny," by Lenora Combes
For extra sensory indulgence, you are encouraged to entertain your sweet tooth on this one!
What sweets or special treats do you remember from your childhood? I remember walking with my little sister and friends to the place we called the Hill Store where our pick of candy would fill a small brown paper bag about a third of the way full. What treasures! Oh, those bright Astro-Pops! And sometimes, if we were feeling brave, we'd buy those red hot Atomic Fireballs. Slo Poke suckers were another favorite, but the most memeorable one for me was the tingly sensation of the Pop Rocks exploding in my mouth. I also fondly remember the little Pot O' Gold bags of gum, which we'd pretend was real gold, so we didn't really eat that until last.
Buying candy was a special thing we would do once in a while in the summer if we were lucky to have a few coins in our pockets. Thinking about childhood treats can bring back lots of, hopefully, happy memories.
In honor of Halloween, I'm encouraging you all to write about candy this week.
Poetry:
1. Write an ode to your favorite kind of candy. "Ode to Lemon Drops," "Ode to Pixie Stix," "Ode to the Milkyway," etc.
2. Write a poem where you mention three different kinds of candy.
Fiction:
1. Think of one of your characters from a book you are working on. What kind of candy would your character pick out at the candy store? Why? Write a little short scene about your character and the candy store.
2. Make up a character who sells candy. Why does he/she like working in the candy store? What odd behaviors does the character have?
Creative Non-fiction:
1. Have you ever made candy or fudge? Write a memory about making something sweet.
2. What kind of candy best describes your personality? Write about it.
Teaching Tip: If possible, bring a selection of vintage candy to put out just before assigning the writing prompt.
