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Stone Soup

100% written and illustrated by kids ages 8-13

Stay Creative with Stone Soup: Resources

When the global Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic was declared, Stone Soup implemented new programs and additional activities to keep young people engaged and creative. With schools closed, and students cut off from friends and spending extended periods of time in isolation, sheltering in place, or on lockdown, we knew our readers and contributors would appreciate more ideas to keep them busy, and new ways of bringing them together with other members of the Stone Soup extended family. Some of these are activities you can do by yourselves or with siblings and other family members at home; others are Zoom classes where you can interact with other Stone Soup readers and writers. Everyone is welcome.

Starting September, our Daily Creativity prompts are moving to a Weekly Creativity schedule. These prompts challenge you to make a piece of writing (a poem, a journal entry, a story outline, a review) or art, or music, or a spoken word recording, or other piece of creative work. All the prompts we have written are brought together on this page – see below. The first prompt of the month  prompt is also a Flash Contest!

Also starting September, our Stone Soup Writing Workshop and Stone Soup Book Club are following a new schedule. Starting September 12, they will take place on Saturday mornings (PST), with Book Club taking place on the last Saturday of the month and Writing Workshop on each other Saturday. These sessions remain free for subscribers and open to all. Booking will now be required: full details and booking options will be published before September 7. Click the links to find out more and read about what the two groups have been doing since March!

Plus, we are continuing to publish regular blog posts focused on current events, recording young writers’ thoughts and experiences. To submit your writing about COVID-19, BLM or any other current topic, visit our Submissions portal.

Sign up to the mailing list to receive a weekly email that brings the Weekly Creativity prompt and links to our Book Club and Writing Workshop bookings right to your mailbox!

Creativity Prompts

Daily Creativity #110: Write a Story Set at the Beach
Write a story that takes place on a beach, or in the ocean ...
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Daily Creativity #109: Write About a Dream Vacation
Write about a vacation you’d like to take. Describe the sights you see, scents you smell, things you touch, noises you hear, etc ...
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Daily Creativity #108: Draw a Scene in the Mountains
Draw or paint a scene that takes place high in the mountains ...
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Daily Creativity #107: Write a Dialogue Between Three Friends
Write a dialogue between three friends going on a picnic ...
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Daily Creativity #106 | Flash Contest: Write a Poem About Your Favorite Place
Write a poem about your favorite place to be ...
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Daily Creativity #105: Write a Description of a Pleasant Smell
Write a vivid description of a pleasant smell. It could be freshly baked cookies, an herb garden, a character’s perfume or anything else that comes to mind ...
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Daily Creativity #104: Write a Story Inspired by a Photograph
Choose one of these photos from the collection of street photographer Vivian Maier. Imagine the context behind the photo and write a short story that captures the scene in words ...
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Daily Creativity #103: Write about a Character Stranded on an Island
Write a story about someone stranded on an island. How did they get there? How do they survive? What few items do they have with them? Invent the circumstances and a way for your character to escape ...
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Daily Creativity #102: Take a Photo with Something Amiss
Take a photograph that captures a mundane domestic scene, but with one detail amiss. Maybe it’s the inside of your refrigerator, but with a book in it. Whatever you can think of that would make the viewer look twice. Think carefully about the composition of the piece and stage the ...
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Daily Creativity #101 | Flash Contest: Write a Poem about a Song
What song have you had on repeat lately? Write a poem that incorporates the song ...
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You can see more writing and art activities on our Activities pages.

COVID-19 Blog Posts

The Shot, a poem by Giselle Stern, 11

The Shot Giselle Stern, 11 Don’t throw away your shot Opportunities received Fleeting like the wind Seize it while you ...
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Today, a poem by Grace Mancini, 11

Today Grace Mancini, 11 Today I woke up snuggled in a blanket The birds were singing a lively melody Usually ...
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We’ll be Back, a poem inspired by a song by Olivia Titus, 11

We'll be Back Olivia Titus, 11 We’re all gone No one we can see Days filled with yawns Don’t talk ...
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Thank You Doctors, a poem by Arshia Ramesh, 10

Thank You Doctors Arshia Ramesh, 10 I’ve been watching you for some time, I can’t imagine what you do every ...
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Mad World 2020, a poem inspired by a song by Emma Hoff, 8

Mad World 2020 Emma Hoff, 8 Locked In your own head, In fear That the grass will Turn different The ...
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A Different Kind of Chapter, some thoughts by Alice Myers, 10

A Different Kind of Chapter Alice Myers, 10 Imagine life as a book. A really interesting book. There are those ...
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Coronavirus poem by Alisa Zou, 12

Coronavirus poem Alisa Zou, 12 Out there, Corona is probably having fun. But, We are struggling. Corona, Please stop attacking ...
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Light at the End of the Tunnel, by Chloe Chan, 12

Light at the End of the Tunnel Chloe Chan, 12 Watching the paint dry on a wall is really boring ...
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The Healing Virus, a poem by Prisha Aswal, 7

The Healing Virus Prisha Aswal, 7 What if there was a healing virus? Would it be as blue as an ...
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We are standing by ready to publish additional Blog posts by our young writers on everything related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On this page you’ll see the latest on COVID-19, and you can visit the Stone Soup blog to read all the blog posts on every topic. If what you read makes you think, leave a comment for the author! And, if you have something you want to say, submit your writing and ideas to the Blogs and Book Reviews category on our submissions portal. Remember–blog submissions are free.