Three ODY fourth graders put pens to paper for a monstrous storytelling adventure called “Creature Crafting 101!” – offered recently by the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program.
The story and art workshop, presented on Oct. 1 by award-winning author/edutainer/illustrator Jason Edwards, gave students the opportunity to exercise their imaginations and write and illustrate their own epic tales!
“The students spent the day working on creative writing and using the skills of inspiration, character development, setting and plot to create their own stories,” Herkimer BOCES Honors Program Coordinator Deborah Schoff said. “They enjoyed developing their illustrations with artistic tips and tricks from Jason.”
The “Creature Crafting 101!” event took place at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center with fourth grade students from Central Valley, Dolgeville, Herkimer, Little Falls, Owen D. Young, Poland and West Canada Valley.
“We heard some fantastic stories and saw some amazing illustrations from these young authors,” Schoff said.
Each school district that participated also received a collection of Edwards’ books to add to their school library.
“Our three students also received their very own copy of one of the author’s books that was autographed by him. So cool!” said Erin Telfer, ODY grade 4 teacher.
The Herkimer BOCES Honors Program is open to students in Herkimer BOCES component school districts. It is designed to support the potential of students in grades 3-12 who have above average interests and abilities in a particular area. Programs allow for interaction with like-minded peers. Students learn by engaging in educational activities with presenters who are noted in their field. Exploration and programs provide for different learning styles and include topics in the arts and sciences as well as literature and history. Ongoing evaluation of all programs by teachers and students assures their relevance and quality.