December 2011

I visited a very special grade 3/4 class at Governor Semple School last week. There are many reasons why I call this class special! First, they were bursting with ideas, enthusiasm and creativity. Second, this class is in so many ways just like the class that I imagined Chloe Lambert from “No TV? No Fair!” being a part of. (For one thing, the school is a hop, skip and jump away from Kildonan Park in Winnipeg – the park that Chloe visits and loves in the book!). Third and most important, this class shared with me an amazing discovery: you don’t have to be related to be family. Or, said another way – your friends are your family. So, this class wasn’t “just” a class, but a family of friends, one that I was welcomed into for an amazing morning of sharing.

I was invited to Room 1 for a morning of students sharing various projects that they had done based on “No TV? No Fair!” (and according to their teacher – another special person!- many of these project ideas came from the students’ own imaginations). Each student had a bound book full of creative art work, book reviews, character sketches, character portraits, wordles, scary stories, imaginary “penalties” for breaking the No TV/No Computer rule, and so much more – there were even double-sided placemats that perfectly captured the ghostly suspense of Mr. Z’s radio story on one side, and gorgeous pressed autumn leaves on the other! The students had many questions for me about the book and about writing – questions that really made me think! And I met students who were phenomenal artists, writers, comedians, thinkers…I even got to watch a dance rehearsal for an upcoming recital (in fact, I think the recital may have already taken place, and I just know it was AWESOME!).

We celebrated out visit with scrumptious cupcakes – mmmmmmmm….. I was presented with a colorful collage poster with the names of my new friends, a special card, and a magnificent arrangement of tissue paper flowers – just like the ones Chloe made for Mr. Z when he was recovering in the hospital. It’s an incredible piece of art! I move it around my house to inspire me – it’s right beside my computer when I write and it’s in my kitchen when I’m dreaming up something to cook for dinner. I’m a little like Mr. Lambert who loves to experiment in the kitchen – but I try not to burn the vegetables! 🙂 Stay tuned – as soon as I charge up my camera, I’m going to post a photo of these stunning, colourful flowers. They are so beautiful, they must be shared with the world!

I will never forget this family of friends at Governor Semple school and hope to visit again sometime. Till we meet again!

Karin 🙂