Sunflowers

Sunflowers have been my MUSE since childhood. And I think I know why…

The first time I planted a sunflower seed, I watched the plant grow to over twelve feet tall. And the blossom was the size of a steering wheel. This was a true GIANT, and I was hooked. I have planted at least one sunflower every year since.

Not only is the sunflower’s size fascinating, they are also beautiful. Their colors range from the deepest oranges to the palest yellows. Some grow only two feet tall, while others truly reach for the sky.

Here are some more AMUSING facts!

Sunflowers are native to North America.

The tallest sunflower was grown in the Netherlands. It reached over 25 feet tall.

One sunflower plant can provide over 2,000 seeds. These seeds are used for snacking, birdseed, and sunflower oil production.

The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas and the national flower of Russia. Russia produces the most sunflowers in the world.

A sunflower’s blossom will follow the sun as it travels across the sky. This is called heliotropism.

 With that new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if” questions will help you get started.

What if Jack planted a magic sunflower seed instead of a magic bean?

What if we found crop circles in Russia’s sunflower fields?

What if little elves built a city in your sunflower garden?

The possibilities are endless! And please leave your own “what if” questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa, a piece of paper and a pencil, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere! I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Prof. Watermelon

P.S. The word of the week is "Heliotropism". Here is the definition: The growth of plants or plant parts (especially flowers) in response to the stimulus of sunlight, so that they turn to face the sun.

Cyclones

I was walking down a country road when I heard thunder. I turned around and saw huge grey clouds billowing in the distance. As I looked closer I could see what looked like an upside down witch’s hat reaching toward the ground.

“Tornado,” I yelled.

Within seconds, the twister had caught up with me. Without a moment to spare, I leapt into a ditch, and as I felt my body lifting from the ground… I woke up!

It was just a dream!

Although I was still shaken, I realized I had found another MUSE. Tornados! I wondered if L. Frank Baum had dreamed of a tornado before writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

I jumped out of bed and rushed over to my desk. I began researching my newest MUSE. Here is what I found.

Tornados are sometimes referred to as “twisters” or “cyclones”. They are violent, dangerous, rotating columns of air that reach down to the ground from a thunderstorm cloud.

They are formed when cool dry air from the Rockies collides with warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. This happens in the plains area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains. This area is also known as Tornado Alley.

The deadliest tornado in U.S history happened on March 18, 1925. This tornado ripped through, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It killed nearly 700 people.

While meteorologists can predict when weather conditions are prime for tornados to occur, they cannot actually predict when or where a tornado will form. But after a tornado has struck, scientists collect data to see how they will rate it. They use the Fujita Scale. F-0 (the mildest and least destructive) to F-5 (the fiercest and most destructive)

An F-5 tornado can grow up to 2 miles wide and spin winds over 300 miles per hour. This is enough force to throw cars like bullets and sweep houses off their foundations.

So, what do you do if you are ever in the path of a tornado? The best place is underground. If you have no basement or cellar, then go to the center-most room of your house away from windows. In most houses this would be a center bathroom. If your house is more than one story, make sure to go downstairs.

If you are outside and cannot seek shelter, find a ditch and lie flat on the ground with your hands covering your head. Do not stay inside a car.

With that new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if” questions will help you get started.

What if a tornado was a gigantic cotton candy machine?

What if you were sucked up by a tornado and transported to a new land like Dorothy and Toto?

What if you had a super power to create tornados on command or stop them on command?

The possibilities are endless! And please leave your own “what if” questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa, a piece of paper and a pencil, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere! I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Prof. Watermelon

P.S. The word of the week is “meteorology”. Here is the definition: the study of the Earth’s atmosphere, especially of weather forming processes and weather forecasting.

Creative Writing Activities: African Violets

I went to the grocery store for some hot chocolate. I walked through the front doors and looked to my left. There it was – a MUSE – just sitting there innocently on a shelf in the floral department.

I walked over and grabbed it. I gazed at its dainty purple flowers and velvety leaves. It was the most beautiful African Violet I had ever seen.

Forgetting all about my hot cocoa, I purchased the potted gem and went home to my writer’s studio. I wanted to use this muse for a new story, but first, I needed to learn all about it.

Here is what I discovered:

Over 20 million African Violets are sold in the United States of America. This makes them one of the most popular houseplants in the world.

The African Violet is native to Tanzania, a small East African country. The wild variety was found by a German colonialist is the late 19^th century. He sent some seeds home to Europe where they were propagated.

African Violets were introduced to American households in the 1920’s, and we have been in love with them ever since. There are even societies and clubs dedicated to these charming plants.

But the most interesting fact is how they are propagated today. Most other plants are grown by seeds, roots, or bulbs. The African Violet is started from a “mother leaf”.

You simply cut a leaf (diagonally) from the “mother plant” and stick it into some soil. If you keep it watered, you should have a baby African violet plant within six weeks. From there, you should do some more research on how to grow successful plants, especially if you want yours to bloom.

So, with that new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if’s” will help you get started.

What if you found a new plant species that held magical powers?

What if you planted a “mother leaf” but something else grew instead – a monster that eats only African Violets?

What if people could plant their toenails (Eww) to grow a clone of themselves?

The possibilities are endless! And please leave your own “what if” questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa (I forgot mine at the grocery store), a piece of paper and a pencil, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere! I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Prof. Watermelon

P.S. The word of the week is “propagate”. Here is the definition: To cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.

You made it! Grab a cup of hot cocoa and sit down.

Welcome to my blog!

This is a place for all those trying to find the MUSE - especially teachers looking for ways to motivate their students to find JOY in writing.

My philosophy is this: The muse hides within knowledge and wonderment. Take this knowledge and wonderment and create something new with it – something that it has never been. I suggest a story!

Before E.B White, an ordinary grey spider had never been best friends with a pig. Before L. Frank Baum we had never heard of the Wicked Witch of the West, let alone her troop of winged monkeys.

Monkeys, spiders, witches and pigs – Oh my! The muse was found in each one of these topics. The knowledge and wonderment behind these topics fueled the imagination for the story. And we are still reading them today.

We can and will do the same thing!

Each week, I will provide what I call an “Imagination Chronicle”. Here I will uncover strange and extraordinary facts about people, places, things, and ideas. Maybe you will find the muse for yourself in some of these Imagination Chronicles. But I really hope you share this knowledge with a child.

Encourage children to express themselves through the written word. Tell them to imagine words like a box of crayons. The possibilities are limitless. Yes, LIMITLESS!

And remember to let them wear their writer’s hats. They can wear their editor’s hats later – preferably on a different day. Writing and editing are two completely different ballgames. And we do not want to confuse a child, or they may not want to write.

Well, I’m off to the moon for now. I’ll be back shortly. Until then, look for the muse, and let me know what you find.

With Imagination,
Prof. Watermelon