Proceed With Caution

I always feel torn as I give out a new assignment... because I've enjoyed the last one so much. And please remember that it is okay to keep adding to all the ones we've done so far (except the continuous story; sorry, it's over) !

So here is your new challenge. Think back on your driving history (or your history as a passenger, cyclist or pedestrian). Can you come up with a new traffic sign(or 5 or 6)? Maybe you've had a mishap that just the right sign might have prevented, or maybe you just think the world needs a few new signs. Have fun, and if you are really sure about your suggestion, maybe you need to let the North Carolina DMV people know (but be careful which person you approach; many of them don't seem to have a sense of humor......)

Example: Watch Out for Falling Acorns

Time To Type!

Ready for something new? The limericks were great! Y'all keep impressing me with your literary skill. (Although it did not escape my attention that a few people sat that one out. And I know where you are!) Okay, here's a pop quiz for you. Well, just a one-question quiz. How many of you know what alliteration is? Time's up! If your answer was something like this, give yourself a 100%: Alliteration is a literary device where the author repeats the same beginning letter or beginning sound to add interest or emphasis to a work. (Well, that's my definition, and it's probably not how an English teacher would define it, but I think it's accurate. Let me know if it's not!)

So here is your new assignment (Please read the rules carefully) : You are to create such a work (it can be 1 - 5 sentences). It can be a statement, an observation, a story, a poem, or a song, whatever! But use alliteration. And guess what? Not just any alliteration. You must use the beginning letter(or sound) of your first name (or whatever name you go by) as your repeated sound. Now if your name is, say, Brenda, you might choose to use "b" or you might choose to use "br." It's up to you.

So here's a quick example:

Daphne delighted in dancing with David daily, but she dreaded the day that Dave dipped her too deeply and dropped her to her death.

If you really have fun with this, you might want to do another with your same letter, or with the beginning of your middle or last name. But do the name you are known by first.

I'm ready to read!

Calling All Poets

Great job! Okay, groaning time is over (I loved it). Ready for a new challenge? I am.

How are you at writing limericks?

Just remember, a limerick is a poem (often humorous) where lines 1, 2 & 5 rhyme with each other; and then lines 3 & 4, which are shorter, rhyme with each other. So the rhyme scheme is:

A

A

B

B

A

I've written one below, to show you how easy it is (Mine is not great art, but, hey, yours doesn't have to be either! : )

There was once a young green iguana

Who sneaked into his master's large sauna

When his owner - quite steamed -

Nearly sat on him, he screamed:
"GET OUT!"... but the lizard just didn't wanna.

Start your engines........... and we're off !

Time to Groan

Wow, I'm tired, and you guys did most of the work! Thanks so much for joining in. We had a lot of fun with the story adventure.

Ready for something new? Well, how is your punnybone? This may be a little harder for the younger set, but you can always enlist help ( try JT, he's a natural at this....).

As you may know, a pun is a play on words, something that is funny (or not) because a word can be used in different ways. This week, you are to come up with a sentence that contains a fun pun, and where the rest of the sentence works with the pun. You might think of one right off the bat, or you might just try to think of a word that has more than one meaning and build a sentence around it. Words with lots of syllables (like in #4, below) sometimes work great! Or you can define a word in a "punny" way. And, as before, you can put as many as you want. You don't even have to wait on 2 people this time.

Here are some examples I came up with, to get you started (you might have to think about them before they will make sense):

1. Permanent wave: What Miss America's hand was cramped into, after the parade.

2. "I know there was a truckload of hay in that barn yesterday!" Farmer Joe said loftily.

3. "But, Doctor, I have no idea how I managed to swallow the peach seeds," she wailed pitifully.

4. "But Dad! Lassie's gotten into the canteloupes again!" hollered Farmer Joe's boy, Hick, in a melancholy voice.

(By the way, the lovely pastry above is a ......pi. Think twice before you enlist Ben's help with Christmas dinner. :)

Your turn.........