Obsessed with Inky the Octopus

Every once in a while, a story sticks with you.  You can’t shake it.  Inky escaping from his aquarium in New Zealand is one of those stories.  I was fascinated by this escape artist and talked about it with my kids over several days.  Turns out, when I was packing my basement, I found an Inky collection.  Proof to Doogie that I’m not completely crazy when I buy weird things.  Well, sort of.  J  I gave them a writing prompt to write about Inky and their very own Inky.  It was so fun watching an Inky fest around room 306.  They were peeking out of desks, holding erasers, wrapped around pencils, and standing at attention on top of desks.  So.  Much.  Fun.  As it turns out, you can use just about ANYTHING to inspire your kids to write.  I use a lot of different things during our writing time.  Stuffed animals, photographs, toys, antiques…basically anything I can find that is interesting!  Try it!  We also work on writing LISTS a LOT.  Writing a list isn’t intimidating.  It’s a great way to brainstorm.  From lists, sentences are born.  We have gifted and talented writers in our midst.  They have come a LONG way since September and I am so proud of them!