A whole bunch of little authors learned the value of creativity last week in a joint three-day workshop between Little Authors and STAR Council (represented locally by Erath’s EC3 group).
At the workshop held June 14-16 at Little Authors’ new location on Grafton Street, kids got to determine who would be the ultimate winner in a battle between Dino vs. Shark vs. Unicorn.
STAR Council, a nonprofit in Stephenville that specializes in empowering individuals, families, and communities to choose substance-free lifestyles, partnered with Little Authors so kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds could attend the workshop for no cost. The council sponsored eight spots with six kids attending out of a class of nine.
STAR Council also provided a helping hand in the form of a volunteer to aid Little Authors-Dublin owner Chelle Dummar in making sure no dinos (or excited writers) escaped from the workshop.
“Children need more than the people who believe in them. They need opportunities to shine so they can learn to believe in themselves,” Dummar said. “We have two rules. First, we have fun. Second, we respect others.”
During the writing camp, participants were able to write their own small books and produce illustrations for them, work on general writing, take field trips and complete a host of other activities including painting and dinosaur fossil digs geared to inspire creativity and confidence. Lunches and snacks are included in camps.
In the epic battle between dinos, sharks and unicorns, it was unanimously decided that the unicorns would win because they could simply fly off to avoid their enemies or zap them with their magic.
“It was very interesting because the sharks just kind of got lost,” Dummar said about the camp. “But almost every book had some kind of shark in it.”
As far as the writing is concerned, writing camps are not as intensive as the writing workshops where older participants write and illustrate a whole book together. Rather, writing camps are about encouraging kids to have fun while learning basic writing ideas such as titles, plot points and how to convey emotions without stating them in words.
“It’s excellent for beginning writers,” she said. At the end of the camp, each child ends up with an in-house bound book with their own story and illustrations.
Overall, Chelle said participants were excited about writing or illustrating their books.
“Reading and literacy come when you find the right thing,” Dummar said. The educator said it ultimately doesn’t matter what kids read whether it is about history, biographies, fantasy or fiction.
“All aspects are important for kids,” she said. “We want to them to have pride in their work and use their imaginations.”
For those who missed this camp but are interested in others, Little Authors is hosting a full summer of fun including the Writing Workshop geared for older kids July 5-7 at a cost of $75.
For dates and other information go to www.littleauthors-dublin.com.