02 November 2024

Posted by Frankie

Junior & Young Writers: Week 8 [Wild Words] - Spooky Sequels & Potion Poems

Hi Writers,

Due to it being half term and an open session for walk-ins this week, we decided to revisit

the previous week's session of Spooky Tales. We began each group by recapping the rules

for our newcomers.

We reviewed our weeks as types of sweets for this week's check-in. In junior writers, Evan

said his week was like toxic waste as it was boring but with a kick. Juno chose Palma Violets

because they love them and loved their week! Anna said her week was like party rainbow

unicorn poos as she'd been to a party and had a fun-filled week. Claire chose a Snickers bar

because it had been a nutty week in some ways, but it had bits of comforting caramel and,

overall, was covered in chocolate, which is pretty good. I chose a bag of revels, as my week

had been unpredictable, with good and bad surprises.

Our very brave newcomer, Anna, shared a story she had written at home about a kitten who

ate a pumpkin that gave him superpowers. Then, we played pass the pumpkin. After our

game, the group discussed what makes something spooky and used the answers to inspire

their own scary stories. Claire had provided a Halloween table cover from which the group

chose their characters.

Next, we created potion poems where we drew our potions, designing weird and wonderful

potions in all shapes, sizes and colours. With our potions drawn, we used a list to create

poems about our options:

What is the potion called?

What are the ingredients?

What is the potion's desired effect?

What are the possible side effects?

Are there any instructions/How do you make the potion?

Is the potion environmentally friendly?

What does the potion smell, taste and look like?

Who is the potion for?

Is there a cautionary note or any allergens?

We had potions containing eyeballs, potions that turned you into a pumpkin, and even a very

Bob-themed potion.

Exploring my new favourite source of inspiration, paint charts, we found titles for our next

exercise: creating poems focused on alliteration and repetition.

We played a few rounds of Buzzy Bees to finish up for our junior writers group.

The young writer's group chose some sweets to describe their weeks. Leo said his week

was like a rainbow sour strip, packed with everything. Sonny chose dairy milk because he

really liked his week. Poppy went with Skittles because her half-term week had been really

good, and Berry said her week was like Maltesers—good but basic.

Again, we discussed what makes a story scary: Does the setting alter the spook factor? Can

a lack of control be a frightening element? Using the paint charts, we found titles such as

Stone Cross, Never Ever, Guttering, and Raven's Flight. With these titles, the group tried a

freewriting exercise.

In the young writers group, we had some marvellous potions brewed. Berry named her

potion 'Hushed', which was for someone who talks too much. Leo created 'Mud Lark', a

potion that turns a person into mud and explodes them. Sonny's 'Berry Picking' potion had

an unknown effect, and Poppy created a potion that mends your love problems at Christmas

called 'Juliette'.

We played our final game of pass the pumpkin, and the winner, Lyra, got to take the pumpkin

home! Then, to finish off today's spooky session, we discussed our favourite stories or films

and thought up what a spooky sequel for them could look like.

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Junior & Young Writers: Week 8 [Wild Words] - Spooky Sequels & Potion Poems