In spite of the snowy wintery weather and questionable road conditions, I attended the Cabin Fever Conference in Baldwinsville, NY. Writer Linda Oatman High’s subject was “Writing to the Beat of a Different Drummer. Gleaning Writing Ideas and Inspiration from Real Life.” Along with ideas for using instances from life for stories, she shared some of her school visit experiences.

Authors, especially the well known, receive big money for school visits. However, in this economy, even school programs have to cut back. But there’s nothing wrong with volunteering.

How I Do It:

I read my story “Grandmas and Snowmen,” which had been published in Mistletoe Madness, a collection of Christmas stories. The theme of the story is how gifts grandmothers give are as different as snowmen. One grandma gives toys while the other grandma gives homemade things like mittens and scarves. I treated the kids to home-made brownies, MC’s favorite cookie.

The next year I read the same story, feeling a little more confident. Before I started I asked the class, what is the best gift and what is the worst gift they ever got. Of course the worst gift was clothes. One little girl said her best gift was a box of crayons. (When I think of all that our kids have, I wanted to cry.) I had to change my emphasis. Inner-city kids may even be thankful for a gift. It’s not who gives the best gifts, but maybe any gift at all. I changed my theme to love. Grandma Watkins gives gifts out of love and makes brownies along with other Christmas cookies because she knows they are Emily’s favorite.

While the kids are still sitting at their tables, I ask them to draw a big snowman. When they are ready for the story, they move over to the corner to sit on the carpet. After the story, they decorate their snowmen with pieces of red and green felt for hats and scarves, and orange for the carrot nose. I walk around to comment on the snowmen and give out wiggle eyes.

By that first spring, the next anthology, Summer Shorts, was out and I read “Lost In The Cow Pasture.” When I wrote it, I intended it to be humorous, but the kids didn’t laugh. Not once. I realize they are city kids and probably had no idea what MC stepped into when he slithered under the electric fence. I found a store that sold cow tails at a reasonable price, my treat that day. For the craft, I asked them to draw a picture to illustrate the story.

I wasn’t happy with my selection of a story or craft, so the next year I told a true story about a pet pig that danced. I didn’t write the story, but rewrote it to tell them. With this story I brought in props: a football to show the size of the pig and pictures to go along with the story. Since it actually took place in West Africa in the 1930s, and the pig danced to phonograph music, I found a picture of a phonograph and an actual record to show them what it was like at the time. Then I had them stand and do the “pig dance.” For their craft I gave them each a soft sugar cookie, pink frosting, half a marshmallow (the snout), candy buttons (eyes and snout), and pieces of sugar wafers (ears). They each made a pig-face cookie and then ate it. By the way, Mrs. Erwin joined in the “pig dance” and decorated her own pig-face cookie.

Hh2>My Reward: Money can’t buy the satisfaction I get from my twice-a-year visit to a classroom. The smiles on their faces. The thank yous. The individual hugs. Before I leave, Mrs. Erwin says, “We have a surprise for Mrs. Tickner.” She hands one of the children a gift bag to give me. It’s always something to go along with the story. I now have a collection of stuffed snowmen, other snowmen related decorations, pigs, a cow, and a monkey. There also could be a box of Gertrude Hawk Smidgens that I share with the kids, or some other Christmas goodie.

Sometimes I’ll get a group hug. Picture me bundled up to go home on a cold snowy day, my hands full of whatever I had brought with me and my “surprise” gift. Suddenly, without warning 18 pairs of hands are thrown around me at once in a big hug.

After my visit I receive a large envelope from Porter School. Each child in the class has written a letter, sometimes it’s like a large card with a picture drawn on the outside and the letter inside. The spelling of a second grader is precious. Always thanking me for coming. Always thanking me for whatever we had done that day. When I told the pig story, the letters thanked me for bringing pictures for them to see. Many times it’s “I love you.”

What more could I want?

You Can Do It, Too:

If you have children, talk to their teachers. Volunteer – they love volunteers. Do you know someone who is a teacher or knows a teacher? My contact was my sister-in-law’s sister.

Prepare your reading ahead of time. Read it aloud several times until you know it inside and out, even though you wrote it. Plan props appropriate for the age group. Make eye contact as you read/tell your story. Plan an activity to go along with your story, even if it’s only to sing a silly song. If you have any parts in your story where you can involve one of the kids, get a name ahead of time. With my pig story, the family couldn’t keep the pig after it was grown, so the government took it for breeding purposes. I changed it to they thought the pig should have a boyfriend. Ahead of time I asked Mrs. Erwin for the name of a shy girl. And when I got to that part, I said, “Annie, do you have a boyfriend?” Do second graders blush? Shyly, she denied it.

One last thought: as the kids get acquainted with you, they’ll want to hear or read more of your stories. The rewards are great. I did it, you can do it. Dig out one of your favorite stories, find a teacher, and prepare for a satisfying experience.

What are you waiting for?