FRIDAY FAVORITE

First, a moment of silence for the loss of one of my favorite words: alaRcity (to do something in a frightened or surprised manner.) I was informed by dictionary.com this morning that the actual word is alaCrity (to do something in a cheerful manner.) [sigh] To think I've been saying it wrong all my life. But I ask you, which word is more intriguing?

Did you know NaNoWriMo has a YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM? Kids write a novel in a month, just like the adult NaNo, but they can set their own word goal. There are downloadable Young Novelist Workbooks that offer writing prompts and help with character, plot, setting, etc. They have different books for elementary, middle school and high school. Plus, kids get encouraging emails from authors like Jerry Spinelli and Phillip Pullman.

For teachers, they've created lesson plans, access to teachers-only forums and incentive kits for classrooms that include posters, progress charts, buttons and stickers. Not to mention, the chance to write a novel in a month, right along with their classroom.

And! For each event, they'll loan up to 25 AlphaSmart Neos to classrooms in need of word processors. Even the shipping is covered.

Kids can participate with their class or school, or in a small group or as an individual...or even with Mom or Dad. For more info, go here. Registration is already open, so make sure you head there with alacrity!