LetTer wRitIng

You've probably heard people say "all we get in the mail are bills" well on my birthday, that changed. My great uncle, it turns out, is a scrapbooker! I recieved a handwritten letter with a "scrapped" letter. I can just imagine him putting it together. It made me smile and I felt like "wow" I'm important enough to him that he spent some of his time hunting for just the right words for his greeting/letter.

heRre's An iDeA wE cAn ShAre
Make a cut-out word letter and mail it old-school style. Ask for old magazines from your family and look for words that you want to use in your letter. It'll be fun to make and it will give whoever gets the letter the warm fuzzies. (if you don't know what to write with your words, try a quote (try: blessings or friendship) You can add stickers, tie it closed with a ribbon. Note: Post a comment on how your letter writing goes - and how they are liked by the recipient.

P.S. If you have a hard time finding all the words you need, just handwrite the word you need!

International Photography Contest for Kids

Do you like National Geographic Kids? They're holding a photography contest! Visit the Contest Page for the details like the rules and how to enter.

Here are some easy photo pointers to remember:

• Watch for things in the background. You don't want a telephone pole sticking out of somebody's head in their picture. Or a flower arrangement growing out of their ear. Look before you snap the photo and adjust where you are standing as needed for a clear picture.
  
• My Dad taught me to frame my pictures. If you're looking through a grove of trees use two tree trunks on either side of the picture to frame it in, maybe a branch on the top - what are you framing? Maybe a house, a mountain, your friend an interesting window. Be creative. Look for lines in the landscape, buildings, your surroundings to use as frames.
  
• Look for lines and patterns that draw you back toward the point of interest in the picture. Like the line between the grass and dirt of a flower bed bringing you toward a flower. The curve of a sidewalk, road or stairway curving into a photo rather than away from it. Someone's head tilted so they're leaning in toward the center of the photo.
  
• The rule of 3rds. Some cameras have a "tic tac toe" grid on them. Why? This is to help you organize your photo as you're taking it. Try and line things up on the grid. Try to capture a point of interest where the lines intersect. For example: Someone's eyes, the center of a flower, the land below a rainbow and where it begins to curve up could follow an intersection. I will try to post some examples.
• Horizon's... play with dividing up land, sky and whatever's in between look for a pattern in what you're working with.
• Digital cameras let you try more than one time to get the best photo. If you have something you really want a good photo of try 4-5 photos of the same thing then pick the best and toss the rest.
  

Good Luck (let me know how you do!)

Suzanne

Back to School!

As you sharpen your pencils for the new school year, don't forget to make a note or two about what back-to-school is like for you. Fill a couple of lines in your journal with the details...

• Did your new shoes give you blisters?
• Did you have classes with any of your friends?
• Was school lunch actually kind of good?
• What is your favorite subject?
  

Even if you just think of your "happy's" and "sads" for the day that's enough to write about.

Suz

Chalk Art Miller Style

Here's some very cool chalk art from the Miller's in Idaho! Very creative! Very cute! Looks like you had a good time! Thanks for sending in the photos! - Suz
(edit 8/20: the first 3 images were created by Lauren then there's Libby's submarine and Ivy's snail in the grass with flowers.)

Journaling: Summer Vacation

It's been a while since I've issued a journaling "throw down" but I thought it would be fun to kind of kick things up a bit. Here it is:

Jot down an entry in your journal about your summer trip(s) and outings. Even if you just answer the following questions you'll have captured the cool.

1. Where did you go? (art museum, state park, camping, etc.)
2. Describe what your trip was like (show it through your words - paint the details)
   
3. Who went with you?
4. When did you go?
   
5. What was the best part?
6. What was the worst part?

If you have a photo or ticket stubs throw them in your journal too (there are no rules against it, just tape them in and you're set)

Feel free to share one of your outings as a comment!

Here's something I did this summer...

1. Farmers Market, Salt Lake City, Utah
2. The Farmers Market feels like a carnival. Cross the city street, enter Pioneer Park and you are immersed in people, tented mini-stores of all sorts, fresh vegetables, music and dogs of all kinds on leashes. Everybody seems to have taken a collective breath of relief leaving everyday life in a different place. Music floats in the air wherever you are, from blues on the guitar to a kid playing the flute. There are $6 mini-back massages, breakfast vendors (our favorite is the strawberry lemonade and crepe vendor) and tons of things to see like hand crafted jewelry, soaps, pottery, garden art, pressed flowers, fresh vegetables, etc.
3. Emily
4. Saturday, August 9th, 2008 (Eric dropped us off and went to work)
5. The best part of the morning spent at the Farmer's Market? Taking our time and not rushing anywhere, just getting to explore and see everything at our own pace, feeling the sunshine, smelling the good things cooking, and seeing the hand crafted art and the dogs hanging out all over the place.
6. We learned the hard way that we'd leave the scooters in the car the next time we go.

I bet you have more than one summer outing to capture! Whether it's an afternoon running through the sprinklers, a dip at the local pool or a vacation. I think it's important to remember what was good about it, for you!

Suz

Falling Stars

If you like star gazing don't miss the Perseid meteor shower. Em and I went out around 12:30 ish and watched the sky for about 30-45 minutes. Even though there was a lot of "light pollution" from the city we still caught about 10 shooting stars from our back porch.

- Suz