I've visited Terry Fox Elementary School in Laval, Quebec, Canada on several occasions because my children attend that school, and I am a regular parent volunteer. Every year, in March, the school has the "I love to read" week, and I usually try to do something with the kids, especially in my own kids' classes. I might go in and read some of my own writing or read books from the class' favorites. I've also visited a few times outside of "I Love to Read" week, to read some of my children's stories and discuss the work that goes into writing a good story.

Last year, I tried something new. I volunteered for a project with my son's second grade class which consisted of working with small groups at a time to read a story, make up a play or puppet show, make our props, practice, and finally put on a show for the rest of the class. I came in for one hour twice a week for about five weeks with each team and worked with four different groups throughout the school year.

Between November 2004 and May 2005, I helped the children create and perform:

• Flat Stanley - The Puppet Show ~ based on the book by Jeff Brown


• Thomas' Snowsuit - The Play ~ based on the book by Robert Munsch


• Adventure in Space - The Play ~ based on my original story Adventure in Space in which I included characters and themes found in the children's Owl Press Readers


• A Golden Friend - The Play ~ based on my original story A Golden Friend

It was a very time consuming project, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned so much from the children by getting them involved in the creation of the puppet show and plays. I'd love to be able to do it again in the future, time permitting. 

For now, considering all of my work and responsibilities, I'm forced to limit myself to short visits to share a story or two.