Category: new skill

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Stuck at home

Child's drawing of scultping at a desk, bird's eye view.

Dear Sadie,

I chose your letter because so many children had been stuck at home during the pandemic. Mostly this was fun, but I know that sometimes they just wanted to have their own quiet space or simply go outside and play with friends. And some families live in separate homes, so there were children who hadn’t seen one of their parents or a grandparent for a very long time, like you.

I really like how you show your dad that you love him, by taking clay and making a sculpture that looks like him. For the rest of us, maybe we could draw someone in our family doing their favourite thing, or write a story about them, and then share what we made with them. I bet that the family member you picked will keep the drawing or the story forever, long past this pandemic that I hope is nearly over. I will be so happy to get back into classrooms as a visiting author, to chat with students in person.

Stay well,

Jessica

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Bike tricks

Child's drawing of a trick bike park

Hi Ethan,

I suppose if you wear all the right protective gear and take some lessons from an expert about how to properly execute some cool bike tricks, you might not break an arm. It would be fun to write about!

My cousin visited me this past long weekend. He retold the story of a spectacular birthday party gone wrong. He asked all his friends to gather in a field on the prairies. They had no idea why, but there they stood. Then he surprised them by parachuting in (he’d never done that before), like some kind of super hero. Only, he did not pay close attention to instructors, and he hit the ground way too hard. He broke his ankle and had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

It was not the memorable birthday party he was hoping for.

Happy reading,

Jessica

 

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Mud

Dear Macy,

Your ATV looks like a hoot. I’ve seen many coming out of the woods around here caked in mud, just like you’ve described. I grew up with cousins who had snowmobiles. I got to drive one from time to time, but mostly I was a passenger who just had to hang on. It was thrilling.

I see that you and your sister are wearing helmets. Well done!

Stay safe,

Jessica

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Sky Diving

Dear Christian,

There are lots of new things I would like to try, but skydiving is not one of them. However, I would certainly love to read about someone else trying it, especially for the first time, so I think you have a great idea to write about.

You’ve drawn a figure who looks like how I would look on a plane if I was supposed to jump. I would be grabbing on to anything I could and plastering myself against a wall so as not to fall out. What a chicken I would be!

Happy reading,

Jessica

 

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LEGOLAND!

Child's drawing of Lego Land

Dear Bradley,

I’ve never been to LEGOLAND, but I absolutely loved LEGO growing up, as did my son, so I looked it up. It turns out that there are many LEGOLANDS in the world including California, Dubai, Florida, Japan, Malaysia and New York.

I don’t know about you, but the closest one to me is in Florida, which is far, far away. Instead, I visited the website and I learned that guests can trade LEGOLAND figures with employees at LEGOLAND. My favourite LEGO figure is a cowboy, which is attached to my keys. I wouldn’t trade him for anything, even though his foot is now broken.

When I was little, my favourite thing to build from LEGO was house boats. After my son was born, LEGO became more complicated, with kits and a catalogue of instructions to read through. Still, I’ve kept many of those kits and the catalogues, just in case we want to build again.

Happy LEGO catalogue reading,

Jessica

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Snowboarding

Child's drawing of snowboarding

Dear Jesse,

I picked your letter because today it feels like winter is coming for sure. I think somewhere in the province, it is actually snowing.

I liked how you coloured your snow hill blue. So cold! Your snowboarder doing the loop-de-loop reminds me that winter can actually be fun. It’s a happy thought that I will remind myself over and over again as the last of the leaves fall from the tree in my backyard.

And anyhow, on really cold days, I can always stay inside with a good book. I’m sure I can find one on snowboarding!

Happy reading,

Jessica