Badgerblog

Today, on one of the hottest days of the year, Central Texas students are filling the halls of their elementary, middle, and high schools for the first time since that glorious day in May when summer began. The buses are up and running, crossing guards are in place, textbooks are cracking open, and students are sporting the pinnacle of first-day fashion. In commemoration of the big day, Badgerdog is highlighting our friends at Hillcrest Elementary School in Del Valle Independent School District. Some of the students at Hillcrest spent three weeks this summer with Badgerdog Instructor Cara Zimmer writing experimental love poems, describing themselves through metaphor, and writing outlandish stories. We hope you enjoy this showcase of their talents!

A Plastic Shopping Bag in Love with a Sunflower

My Lovely Sunflower,

I love the way you sway when the wind is whistling.

Your bright yellow petals make me want to sing to you, even though you might be embarrassed in front of your sunflower friends.

You are my plastic shopping bag, even though you’re not a plastic shopping bag—I love you just the way you are.

Whenever it rains, I will cover you and keep you as dry as the desert. I’ll be wet as the ocean.

I never want to let people pick you from the ground.

I want to make you my Wonder Woman, and I want to be your Superman.

Out of every single sunflower in the world, you’re the only one I want.

There is an infinity of other things I could say—

You are my lovely. tall giraffe.

Sariyah, sixth grade

My I Am Poem

I am a chocolate bar—I have lots of nuts, and I am crunchy.
I am a rotten old chicken wing, and I taste like old, stinky bananas.
I am poison ivy that has spikes and itchy poison.
I am a sandwich that tastes great—I have lettuce, tomato, pickles, and ham.
I am a garbage truck—I pick up trash and leave it where it needs to be.

Fabian, fifth grade

Airplane Love

My Dear Lovely Boots,

I love the way
you move those soles,

and when you move
your legs, I stare at them.

I love the cotton
inside you,

and your shine
makes me want to kiss you.

You are my life, boots.

Love,
Airplane

Elizabeth, fifth grade

A Letter from a Trashcan to Mexico

My Dear Mexico,

I wish you would
be with me.

Every time you go,
I feel lonely.

When you come back,
I feel full of joy.

You’re my Skittle—
I wish I could just eat you.

Love,
Trashcan

Emily, fifth grade

A Love Poem from a Bookshelf to the Earth

My Dear Earth,

I love the way people swim in you.
I love your dolphins.
I love the pretzels in your malls.
I wish I could hug you.
My Dear Love, you’re better than all the planets.

Joanna, fifth grade

My Barbie Girl

Lovely Barbie,

I love your beautiful hair—
it’s so sparkly, like my screen.
I’ll type you every night and day.
I’ll put on romantic music for you, like D.C. Reto.
I’ll take pictures of you.
I like your body.
Want to go out?

Sincerely,
Computer

Fernando, fifth grade

To My Glowing Basketball, from a Pair of Air Jordans

I love the way you bounce up and down.
I like when you make hoops.
I’ll give you my autograph.
I love the way you feel bumpy.
I love your black lines because they’re dark,
but I’m scared of the dark—
I’m lucky you glow at night.

Sincerely,
Air Jordans

Areli, fifth grade

I Am a Ghost

I am a ghost.
I smell like garbage.
I feel like fuzz and slime when you touch me.
I look like a fuzzy cloud.
I sound like someone walking—you will scream all through the house.
I taste like a rotten egg.

Jasmine, sixth grade

A T.V. and a Backpack in Love

My Dear Backpack,

I love you because
you can carry me
around inside you.

And you shake yourself so good.

You make me hyper
the way you move that pocket—

That’s why you make me turn on,
and I love you so much.

Here’s my address—but you don’t know
how to walk, and I don’t
either.

The thing is: I’m too
heavy for you. I weigh fifty-two pounds.

And that’s all baby.

Andres, sixth grade

The Loving One-Hundred-Dollar Bill to the Goldfish Who Can’t Understand What’s Happening

To My Love,

I love the way you move your tail from left to right.
Your scales shine under the ocean light.
I wish I could go underwater with you, but I would get sticky.
I could make you rich, but you don’t want to be with me.
I could buy you anything you want—an aquarium! Anything! For you, my love, I would.

Chuy, fifth grade

Fun Things

I’m a yellow lion that eats carne al pastor.
I’m a brown door that’s open all the time.
I’m a red car that runs very fast.
I’m a lucky fish that lives in the ocean and swims and sleeps all day.

Luis, fifth grade

My Name

In English, my name means joyful. It doesn’t mean anything in Spanish. It’s pink, and it’s like the number 100. My name is Maria—it was my great-grandmother’s name. She was silly. At school, almost everybody has my name. I’d like to change my name to Melanie . . . But I still love my name.

Maria, sixth grade

Fluffy Surprise

I am fluffy.
I am tiny.
I am cute.
I have floppy ears.
I am living in a park—
Yup, you got it!
I’m a bunny!

Cristal, fifth grade

Window Love

My Dear Telescope,

I love the way
you look.
People use you
a lot, but they don’t
use me.
I wish I were
in outer space
so you could see
me, and I’d
think of you looking at me.
I can tell
you love me.
When you stare
at me and I stare
at you, all I think
about is you and me
together.
I love you
forever and always.

Karina, sixth grade

Mr. Spaceship

My Plastic DVD,

I love the way
you spin.

You make me wanna
beep, beep, beep.

You are the last piece
of my puzzle.

You’re like a love song
in my system.

Together we can fly
in hyper-speed.

Michael, sixth grade

President Chuy Returns

When I was in California, I was looking around. One day, I saw President Chuy. But then he died. Well, everybody thought he died, but really, he was in Acapulco, resting for a few years with his dog, Austin.

Acapulco smelled like fish because it’s a beach and they sell fish there. In California, it was snowing frozen sneakers and the sneakers and the air smelled good. I heard big footsteps—it was an elephant! It was a pretty color—a purple elephant! I had a dream that President Noel was screaming because his last pair of underwear fell down . . . but then Michael Jackson saved him.

Abrieana, sixth grade

Clock Love

My Dear Butterfly,

You look like a beautiful star
with beautiful antennae.
I like the way you
flap your wings.

I wish you could
be with me always.
I don’t want to lose you
because you are my sweety.

Noel, fifth grade

Daniela Is

I’m a super blue dot. I’m a queen that has slaves. I’m money, and I go from hand to hand. I’m smart because I teach. I’m chocolate ice cream—I go from mouth to mouth. I give people some light in the night—I’m a star. I save people—I’m a super dot. I’m vanilla Daniela. I’m a writer, and I write stories. I’m a diary that keeps secrets. I’m a lion—they won’t mess with me. I’m a monkey—I love bananas.

Daniela, sixth grade

The Boot’s Broken Heart

My Lovely Train,

I love how you move your wheels. I know you don’t like me because I’m tiny, and you’re huge. But I like to sing songs of love to you. I love your shoo shoo shoo shoo sound, Train. I’m going to invite you to the G.O. where you can drink gasoline and eat oil. We are going to get married and have a boy train and a girl boot. (That’s why I invited you to the G.O. Restaurant.) You can ride me to New York and Disney World and Laredo, Texas. I love how you use your superpowers like Spiderman. The thing I like the most is that we are a good family, like the song:

F-A-M-I-L-Y, F-A-M-I-L-Y,

Family, family.

When you’re in my heart,

you’re in my family.

Jocelyn, sixth grade

Part of Badgerdog’s summer camp experience includes two getaways intended to provide a change of pace from the classroom environment and to offer other life forms and art forms as inspiration for students’ writing. This summer, for the first time, our elementary-aged writers took a trip to the Urban Roots farm, where they enjoyed an up-close look at the summer harvest, a little work in the fields, and plenty of grasshopper sightings. Though it was a hot, hot summer day in Texas, the students turned their experiences on the farm into beautiful poetry and prose, and we’re happy to share it with you this week. Enjoy!

Haiku

Round and very sweet.
It is red and fruity. Yum!
It is ripe today.

Angela, fifth grade

A Spider’s Point of View

I am a spider, and right now I am so angry at those human monsters. I spent two days finishing my web, and then those monsters came with a broom and bang, my web broke. My friends and I have tried to avoid those human monsters. We tried to tell the humans our webs are delicate, but they won’t listen. Right now, my family is sitting dead at the bottom of a dumpster.

It is really boring weaving a web. It is like weaving a basket. My mom taught me to weave a web. My first web was really small. But the web the monsters broke was as a big as this whole page. Most of my friends died because of the monsters. It is the worst life for a spider.

Francisca, fourth grade

A Day in the Life of a Tree

Sitting, watching, waiting. I have a sad, lonely life as an evergreen tree. My spikes are mean, and they will never go away or fall of because I am an evergreen tree. Other trees lose their mean leaves, and the mean ones turn different colors. But the innocent leaves are picked off the branches, for they lived on a regular tree.

I sit. I watch. I wait.

Sage, fifth grade

Green

The leaves
are as green as
a grasshopper. I feel
as fresh as the time
I opened my door
when the weather
was great!

The flowers
are like a garden
in a secret place
I have never seen.

Aditi, fourth grade

Field Trip

Hot
Sweaty
Summer
Day

Sweaty
Itchy
Fun
Day

Eric, third grade

A Two-Winged Dragonfly

Perching on a branch
Looking for a place to land
Fluttering away

Joshua, third grade

Beautiful Fields

I feel the smooth grass
I taste the sweet tomatoes
I see the tomatoes growing before me
I hear the crunch, crack, click of a bug

I taste the sweet tomatoes
I see the flutter of excitement
I hear the crunch, crack, click of a bug.
I see the flies flying away.

Joshua, third grade

The Flying Bug

Black and clear
Flying swiftly
Buzzing in your ear
Bumpy

Flying swiftly
Rough
Bumpy
And skinny.

Lauren, fourth grade

Weed Tree

A weed
as big as a tree.
A colossal, huge
weed. It’s
agony. It’s
impossible
to pull. Sweat
pouring down
my head.
I never got
it out.
Will it
ever
come out?

Alex, fifth grade

A Tree

In the middle
of nowhere
stands a lifeless,
twisted, deformed
tree. All the leaves
have fallen and
gone. What is
left is only
the hollow trunk
and the shady
branches, giving
the tree
a spooky image.

Alexander, sixth grade

Drying Onions

Drying out the onions
under the hay,
as dry as a hot desert.
The sun shines
as bright as a flashlight.

In the greenhouse,
it is hot, sweaty, and bright.
The sun bleeds through
like a marker on a paper.

Shreyas, fifth grade

At AISD’s Barrington Elementary, the entire third grade participated in three workshops led by two of our talented writers—Debbie Gonzalez and Jena Gessaman. These were “bite-sized” workshops designed to introduce students to the ways of poetry and storytelling. To celebrate these young writers’ introduction into the world of writing, we’d like to share with you selections from Barrington’s third-grade community. Congratulations on all of your hard work, vivid imaginations, and gorgeous words!

North Carolina

An airplane is bright.
It is red. It is gray on the bottom.
It has drawings on its wings.
It stops to get gas and goes back to the airport.
It picks up some people,
and leaves them in North Carolina.

Ariana G.

Candy Land

Me and my spider went to Candy Land for a party. We had to get stuff, but he was shouting all over. I was so mad. Then Cookie Monster took my cookie, and he put it in a glass of milk.

When there was a piece left, I shot a web to get it, but Cookie Monster got it. Then he got his web and used it to clean his teeth.

We decided to go to his house. We knocked. When he opened the door, he said, “I’m Cookie Monster.” We screamed and we ran. Then we went flying like Spider-Man and saved Elmo.

Tony B.

Snake School

A snake goes to snake school. It slithers, and it’s sneaky. His name is Roy, and nobody wants to be his friend, but he is smart and special. But when he gets home, he stinks because of the sandwiches he eats, so his mom gets mad. He says he’s sorry. The next morning, he’s sticky, so he screams. He says he is going to take a shower. He goes to school, and he meets a girl. She says he is sassy, so he likes her.

Ronald M.

Barnyard

—an exerpt

There is a house named Alicia. She is new to the barn. This pig named Piglet welcomed Alicia. Piglet told Alicia to come in and meet her friends. They were all pigs. One was named Piggy, one was named Dritpig, and one was named Scary Pig. They were pink, and three more were black and white.

Delilah R.

Harry

His name is Harry.
He has skills.
He is a snake.
Inside, he is cold.
He has nowhere to go.
We need to save him.
He screams at night.
He stays up all night.
He is sleeping.

Stephen T.

Good Day

—an excerpt

I was fighting with my shark, and I bit him. He was crying, and I went to another sea. A shark was sleeping, and when he woke up he said hello to me. He was ten thousand years old. His name was Adventuro.

Ruth M.

Elephant and Snake

Snake was playing around with his friends, but then his friend Elephant became very big. He was almost going to squish his friend Snake. Elephant didn’t like Snake, so Snake turned into an anaconda. He was bigger than Elephant, so Elephant became his friend. They played soccer together again, but Snake was angry.

Alexandro C.

The Giant Q-tip

There was a giant man, and he got a Q-tip to clean his ears. The Q-tip was orange, and it was stuck in his ear. He went to the doctor, and I came and helped the giant get the Q-tip out. He made me rich, and the newspaper took a picture. I was famous on Jupiter and Earth.

Ivan B.

Hawaii

One day, I was home, and my dad said, “Do you want to go to Hawaii?” I said yes, and we went out on a boat. We were going to have fun.

The boat took us to a beach. We were swimming in the water, and when we saw it was night, we went to sleep in a hotel. The next day, we woke up, and we had breakfast. We went to the beach to have fun. We did something else—we went looking for shells. But we did not see any shells, so we decided to recycle the beach.

When we were half finished, we saw a mirror, and we saw a dead turtle, and we were almost done. We saw a lost puppy, and when I asked my dad if we could keep him, he said yes. “As long as he doesn’t have an owner.”

We went back to the boat. We were going to leave. We saw a shell, and I told my dad, “Dad, Dad, I found a shell.” Then we went back home.

Cesar S.

Night Snake

Night snake, night snake
What can you see?
A dog looking at me?

Night snake, night snake
What else can you see?
I see something
trying to push me.

So the night snake
jumped out of the water
and bit the tiger
on the neck.

Ashton H.

Snake Bite

One day, I went to the forest to see animals. First, I saw a snake. I was a little scared because I thought the snake was going to bite me. The snake was small and sliding. My mom was so scared. I told her to not be scared because when you are scared you are attracting the snake to bite you. My mom wasn’t scared anymore because she didn’t know that. You shouldn’t be scared because a snake will bite you.

Mane R.

Cartoon’s Teeth

—an exerpt

One day, an old man went to Target to buy some teeth because he had been fighting, and all of his teeth had fallen out. He bought some teeth, and they were so nasty that if you looked at them, you would almost throw up. When he would go to sleep, he would take the teeth out and put them in a cup with water.

Christian P.

What’s Adventure?

Have you ever wondered, what’s adventure? Well, adventure is when you go places that are dazzling, dangerous, or sad, but you have the time of your life and you meet new people. Sometimes there’s someone or something that tries to hold you back, but there’s always a tricky part, so don’t get fooled.

April P.

Vampire Butterflies

One day, I went outside. I saw a bunch of butterflies stuck together. They were chasing a dog, and I got a net and got all the butterflies and took them in my house.

I cleaned them, and there was one thing I did not know—they like to suck blood—so I ran into my room, and there was a butterfly. It bit me, and I turned into a zombie. A cop took me to the station and arrested me. I was still not all zombie, so I went to a friend for help. Then I went home and went to sleep.

Sixty months later, I woke up, and I was human. My mom told me I was dreaming, but it was all true. Eighteen years later, more butterflies came, but they didn’t do anything.

Jesus M.

Snake Shake

Snake, snake, snake
Bite, bite, bite
Go around and shake, shake, shake

Snake, snake, snake
Bite, bite, bite
Don’t fight, fight, fight

Snake, snake, snake
Shake, shake, shake,
Front step, back step
Skate, skate, skate

Snake, snake, snake
Skate, skate, skate
Go around the pool
And shake, shake, shake.

Michelle H.

Baseball Eraser

One day, there was a baseball game. I was so excited because it was my first baseball game. We got to Yankee Stadium, and the stadium was filled with people. The game was about to begin, but instead of playing with hard baseballs, they played with fake balls. Their balls were erasers. It was funny to see them not catch or hit the ball, but after seeing my team doing none of those things, it wasn’t fun anymore. At the end of the game, it was tied zero to zero. It was boring and funny at the same time.

Christian S.

The Orange Said

There was an orange. It said:
Come bomb
..Come
….Come, bomb
……Come, come
……..Bomb
……….Come, come
…………Bomb
…………..Come
…………….Come, bomb
………………Come, come
………………..Bomb come
………………….Come bomb
……………………Come, come bomb
……………………..Come, come, come
……………………….Bomb.

Kenia D.

The Good Cowboy

Once upon a time, there was an orange horse. The horse had a cowboy on top of him. The cowboy was riding the horse, but when the horse was tired, the cowboy put the horse back in his house.

The cowboy was talking with someone mean. They said they wanted to kill the horse. The horse was so scared of what he heard that he wanted to run away, so he hid under a rock.

All the cowboys went to get their horses. The horse was so hungry. He smelled food from a good cowboy’s pocket. That cowboy was a good person. The good cowboy trained the horse really well so he ride the horse.

Giovanni A.

Snake in the Street

There was a snake in the street, and it was big. The snake was sick. The snake was still alive because he was strong. He was smart enough not to go into the street anymore.

The snake was three feet long, and it was tough. But one time, he wasn’t smart, and food was in the street. The snake went to get the food, and he got run over by a car, but he was OK because he was tough and long.

Jhony J.

Elmo Slide

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide your pals around Sesame Street.

People, people, wake up early so you
can see Elmo sliding.
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
so you can even entertain adults.

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide.
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
so your fan Christian S. can see you
all the way in Miami.

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide

Anthony A.

Letter S

Slugger sliding shivering soccer
small submarine summer
slide straight snoring
snake sneezing singing
student soft squid slimy
stand sticky
stuffed strong sun
school squish shoes skipping
smart spiky sick
save shampoo service serious
slim shape sleep slide skate
sour sling
same Sanchez
sixes sevens

Brany M.

McKinney Falls State Park

First, we talked about the rules. There was one very, very important rule, and it was to have fun.

We were the first class to go with the guide. He showed us a kind of bird called a cardinal. This bird doesn’t flap its wings. It uses hot air to fly, and its color is red.

I’m going to tell you the names of the birds—grackles, humming birds, turkey vultures, doves, hawks, and crows.

The guide told me that a clock could be in a tree with a bird. If a bird is in the top of the tree, it’s at twelve-o’clock, and if it is at the bottom of the tree it’s at six-o’clock. Right is three-o’clock, and left is nine-o’clock.

Then the guide showed us a waterfall. He showed us all around. We did some activities and walked around again and left. It was the best time of my life.

Julissa M.

Mariposa

Yo me moví de casa. Cuando fui afuera, encontré un juguete que era una mariposa. Siempre la llevo conmigo en la escuela y yo juego con la mariposa mucho. Cuando se me abre las alas, estoy feliz. Nunca voy a separarme de ella.

Butterfly

I moved from my house. When I went outside, I found a toy. It was a butterfly. I always carry it with me to school, and I play with the butterfly a lot. When it opens its wings for me, I am happy. I’m never going to be apart from it.

Yaneli G.

Juan Corona y Su Barco

Juan Corona iba en su barco. Luego de repente el barco se estaba moviéndose bien rápido. Luego se aventó Juan al agua y vio la isla desaparecer. Pero el barco no se hundió sino que unos monstruos lo estaban comiendo. Juan tenia mucho miedo y mando un mensaje a rescate.

Juan Corona and His Boat

Juan Corona was leaving in his boat. Suddenly, the boat was moving very rapidly. Then, Juan threw himself into the water, and he saw the island. But the boat did not sink. Rather, some monsters were eating it. Juan was very scared and so he sent a message to be rescued.

Jose R.

Culebras Salvan al Mundo

Las culebras les tienen miedo a los monstruos.
Los monstruos están feos.
Las culebras suben a los árboles.
Se vuelven superhéroes,
Y salvan al mundo.
Se van a la luna con la gente,
Y la gente esta a salvo.

Snakes Save the World

The snakes are afraid of the monsters.
The monsters are ugly.
The snakes climb the trees.
They become superheroes,
And save the world.
They go to the moon with the people,
And the people are safe.

Brayan G.

El Serpiente y el Alíen

Una serpiente esta peleando con un alíen
en una isla de tiburones.
Luego van al espacio a pelear en Marte.
Donde hay tormentas y tornados y huracanes.
Hay toda clase de tormenta en Marte.

The Snake and the Alien

A snake is fighting with an alien
in an island of sharks.
Then, they go to space to fight on Mars.
Where there are storms and tornadoes and hurricanes.
There is every kind of storm on Mars.

Vanessa G.

The Snake

The snake went to the store to buy some snow. It was on sale. It ate some snow and stopped because he was full. He was strong because he ate some snow. He was six years old.

Sinthia B.

The Snake

The snake likes the sun.
The snake is six years old.
The snake likes the star.
The snake likes stinky shoes.
The snake likes spiders.
The snake is strong.
The snake likes spring.
The snake likes the store.

Esmeralda J.

Like

I like to sing.
My snake is strong.
I like to train my snake.
My snake likes spiders.
My snake likes snow.
My snake likes to snap.
My snake likes to slap people.
I like my snake because he’s skinny.

Juan G.

Great Space Battle

One night, I was outside. I looked at a plane coming my way. It was an alien. It was taking me to space. It was my friend. I was on a mission to destroy the chip of the bad alien. Two days later, the battle was over. One hundred people died, but we won, and the alien took me home. To be continued . . .

Javier A.

How It Is

The star is pretty.
The store is big.
I am a super girl.
The restrooms are stinky.
My shoes are blue.
Her last name is Santiago.
Spanish is easy.
The spider is bad.
The sun is hot.
The stop sign is red.
A girl named Sinthia is little.
Science is fun.
The seasons are winter, spring, fall, and summer.

Daniela A.

The Orange

The orange is delicious, and it has a lot of juice inside when you open it. The color of the orange is orange, and it’s so good when you taste it. You can put salt and salsa on the orange. It will taste good with salt and salsa. Oranges are like my friends.

Jose S.

A Diamante

Cat
Cute, Lovely
Lazy, Crazy, Meowing
Kitty, Lion, Hot-dog, Puppy
Crazy, Goofy, Silly
Mean, Bark
Dog

Karyme A.

I Am

I am awesome, beautiful,
……..cute, adorable, friendly,
…………….a girl, happy, incredible,
……………………a princess, a queen, a rose,
…………………………..sweet . . . I am Katherine!

Katherine L.

A Diamante

Bird
Green, Red
Pecking, Chirping, Flying
Owl, Parakeet, Shark, Minnow
Swimming, Eating, Watching
Lazy, Fast
Fish

Samantha M.

Diamante

Bird
Blue, Feathery
Flying, Jumping, Eating
Robin, Cardinal, Lion, Tiger
Running, Climbing, Growling
Silly, Cute
Cat

Jennifer P.

Doctors

Doctors help keep people from dying. Doctors tell people what to do when they get sick. Being a doctor is an important job. Doctors do surgery to help people so they won’t die. I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

Jesse L.

Scary Movies

The thing I know about scary movies is that they are terrifying. Do not let little kids watch them. Some kids even have scary dreams. The movies sometimes have blood in them. Scary movies are for adults, but kids like me still want to watch them. When some kids watch scary movies at night, they want the light on so they won’t get scared.

Vanessa A.

What I Know About Chocolate

I know chocolate is brown.
I know it tastes good.
I know it is not healthy.
But I still like it.
It doesn’t matter if it is healthy or not.

Clara M.

Diamante

Dog
Fast, Cute
Digging, Barking, Howling
Badgerdog, Poodle, Lion, Tiger
Scratching, Meowing, Scaring
Fast, Funny
Cat

Erik O.

Best Teacher

The
Best
Teacher
Gonzales
She reads us poems
And we read to her
She is nice
She is
The
Best

Luis T.

My Cool Brother

My
cool
brother
makes fur balls.
He likes to
give me piggyback rides
and eat snakes.
Oscar
is
cool!

Manuel L.

My Dog

I was so bored one day. Then my mom brought a dog home, and nothing was boring again. When we were asleep, he was in the middle of our bed. When he smells his dog food, he runs to eat it all up. During the weekend, we play with him a lot. He gets the ball every day. I love my dog a lot.

Anita G.

My Grandpa’s Snores

My grandpa snores like a lion. I cannot go to bed because, when I lie down, I hear a big snore. So I go in his room and tell him to stop snoring. Every day my grandpa takes me to school, and every night I ask him to stop snoring.

Alexis S.

I Am

Awesome, big a crayfish cat, dear, excellent,
……..a fun fox, happy, incredible, jazzy, lazy, mean, nothing,
…………….outstanding, Pokémon, quick, ridiculous, smelly, terrible,
……………………an undertaker, and extra special am I!

Ernesto C.

I Should Have Stayed Home

I should have stayed home today because on the way to school a turtle fell on my head. I felt like I was dead.

Eric A.

My Sister’s Gerbil

My sister’s gerbil died.
My sister’s gerbil was sometimes mad.
My sister’s gerbil was sometime sad.
My sister’s gerbil exploded.
My sister’s gerbil eroded.

Steve C.

A Diamante

Dragon
Fire, Water
Flaming, Growing, Steaming
Dragonoid, Scales, White, Bad
Swimming, Playing, Eating
Dangerous, Scary
Shark

Julian M.

A Diamante

Cats
Kitten, Lion
Scratching, Playing, Biting
Puma, Cheetah, Puppy, Dog
Furry, Playing, Biting
Pets, Hairy
Dog

Alicia R.

A Diamante

Sun
Hot, Burn
Playing, Talking, Eating
Star, Bright, Light, Stars
Snoring, Dreaming, Sleeping
White, Dark
Moon

Kimberley E.

A Diamante

Sun
Light, Morning
Playing, Running, Jumping
Light, Day, Night, Dark
Sleeping, Snoring, Dreaming
Round, Big
Moon

Abigail

Flowers

Flowers have different kinds of colors. They can be yellow, orange, blue, or even white. I know that flowers need the sun, water, soil, and air. I know that they have petals and nectar and honey and that they have one leaf on each side. I know that flowers have a stem that holds them so they won’t fall and die.

Alondra S.

Diamante

Flower
Purple, Blue
Flowering, Gardening, Planting
Bluebonnet, Violets, Oak, Elm
Growing, Rustling, Shading
Green, Red
Tree

Chantel M.

My House

My
House
Special
Magical
My house is a rock.
I like my house because she talks.
I like my house because she’s loud.
I like my house roars.
She is smart.
She’s nice.
Mom.
Rare.

David A.

Writing is so often a lonely pursuit. Just you and the pen, a piece of paper, the work of putting your thoughts into phrases, the hope that what appears on the page is a true reflection of what you mean to say. But this week’s Badgerblog feature is a celebration of collaboration. In this piece from Hillcrest Elementary, four young writers begin with the first sentence from David Lodge’s Changing Places. They then passed the page, each taking a turn, crafting a sentence, and sending the piece on to another writer. The result is a story of unlikely travel, of bitter cold, outrageous speed, and shared determination.

Two Travelers

High, high above the North Pole, on the first day of 1969, two professors of English Literature approached each other at a combined velocity of 1200 miles per hour. They were very cold up there, and they had only ten big, warm coats, which didn’t help at all, because the men were too far above the North Pole, where it was freezing.

There were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, there with the two professors. They, too, were very cold, and the speed at which they were traveling made them colder. It was so cold that if they spit, their saliva would turn to ice faster than you can say, “Hi.” Yet they kept going. As they kept going, it kept getting colder and colder, but they never stopped. Never.

Vanessa, Ciara, Jose, and Ivan, fifth grade, Hillcrest Elementary School

The writing process, in some ways, allows us to bend time, to stretch and remake it, to weave in and out, to revisit and forget. When we commit an event to the page, we make it timeless. When we roll verbs together and mind the rhythms of our words we can spark a sense of motion, of acceleration. But this week’s Badgerdog selection feels almost like a time-out. It holds us in the suspension of a moment, in quiet pause and thought. Congratulations to Elsie from Del Valle Middle School on this stunning prose piece, which communicates powerfully through mood and image.

Time Can’t Tell

I’d step on the wooden fence to look at the same perspective I saw every day. I’d look down and see the kids playing in the dirt. Funny to say, I never got a splinter.

I’d get bored standing there. I’d go and leave my socks on and wet my toes in the puddle after it rained and just sit there, waiting until my mom would call me in to eat with the family.

I’d go where the bikes were sitting. I’d feel the plastic—blue and textured—and I’d look at the glass door and see the smudges and smears of fingerprints. I’d feel relaxed, like time couldn’t stop me from staying or leaving the balcony. I could hear the lawnmowers start up, and I could smell the freshly cut grass. I’d see the red ball we used to play handball and remember its bouncy sound.

Elsie, Del Valle Middle School

Photo courtesy of Lanie Anderson.

It was boiling outside one day when I decided to take a drive. I got in the car, and I turned it on and put on the air conditioner. It made my hair flow. I started to drive, and at first I went a little slow, then a little faster.

When I went faster, I rolled down the window. The air outside made my hair go wild like when you sleep on an ant pile.

As I went faster, my hair got crazier than ever. I went so fast I had to drive in a zigzag because of the other cars.

When I came to an empty road, I went faster than a jackrabbit on a rollercoaster.

Magdalena, fourth grade, Creedmoor Elementary School

On the planet Naboo, Clone Trooper George of the 501st was on an important mission and armed with a rifle. But he aborted the mission. As he ran, he had no memory of anything that had happened, and yet he saw the future. He had a plan. He started his plan. It looked like this: Sixfivefourthreetwoone. That was the plan. So, he began. But he tripped and was badly hurt.

The leader said, “Ha ha ha ha ha.”

George said, “I’m . . . I’m in danger.” And he was.

* * * * *

To be continued immediately: Fox heard his calls for help and so did Rex and Gree.

George wasn’t in the ship for three hours after the battle on Naboo. It is a mystery where he went.

Logan, fourth grade Wooldridge Elementary School

My cousin Lauren has a heart because she is always nice. She is always like, “You want water?” She is only three years old, I think.

When someone falls or cries, she goes and says they hurt themselves. I love my cousin so much. She is like my little hero. We always play together.

When my cousin first wakes up, she is grumpy. When I go get her, I ask, “You want to come with me?” She always says yes. I love her so much. I want her to always be my cousin. She likes to dance and go outside.

When my cousin goes outside, she likes to play tag and do cheers. My sister and I bend our knees and my cousin Lauren gets on top of our knees and stands up. She also says, “Go! Go!” She has brown hair. She is short, and most of the time I see her she has new shoes.

Zianne, fourth grade, Bluebonnet Trail Elementary School

My aunt has hair as curly as two waves atop each other. It is as short as a cat’s tail. It is black like a crow’s feather. It smells like earth, just like her. When you smell it, you can also smell the cocoa butter on her neck. It is sweet.

I love to play with the many curls in it. It feels like silk bunched together. It reminds me of a lion’s mane, short and curly, just like hers. It moves like a palm tree in the wind—slow, steady, and beautiful.

Rylie, fifth grade, Popham Elementary School

Sonai says colors from the fire determine our people’s fate. Sonai says I am too young to light the wooden ring in our people’s colors from the fire celebration. I say, I am nine years old and that makes me a woman. Father says, “Kaika, you are too young. What if the arrow drops and burns you?”

“Well,” I say, “what if the arrow shooter misses and burns you to the ground?”

Suddenly Father’s smile turns to a scowl, and I am sent to my family’s teepee. Later that night, when the snow white moonlight pierces my warm bright eyes, Sonai tells us it is time for our fate deciding. My mother Javen goes first. “Ah, Javen, you will be expecting soon!” Mother’s eyes fill with joy.

Next, Akzir, my annoying older sister. “Akzir, you will have good luck!” She starts prancing around like a pony, until mother stops her.

And finally . . . drumroll . . . me. “Ah Kaika, you will go through an adventure.” What did he mean? I couldn’t ask because he had vanished from behind the ivy green flames. Besides, nothing ever happens to me.

AWOO! Huh? AWOO! Wolves. I look up. Father is awake too. “Kaika, stay here, with your mother and sister,” he says. I knew he was out there fighting the pack of wolves. But I was worried. Last time Father fought a wolf, he ended up wounded.

“Ahhhhhh!” What now?

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Father! Suddenly, there is Father, hovering from a wolf’s jaws, cherry blood spilling from his face. When the wolf runs off with the last of our winter meat, I run too. I run past the trees, and onto the fragile, icy blue lake until I see the wolf. Step . . . creak . . . step . . . crack . . . step . . . crack! Then boom! As I fall into the freezing water, the wolf falls with me. I open my eyes: pain. But I see the wolf.

The meat falls from its jaws as it falls into the darkness of the lake. I catch the meat and climb to the surface onto the icy blue frozen lake.

Whoosh! The flaming arrow goes through the hoop. My feather earrings sway along with my porcupine dress. “All hail Kaika the Great!” my father says.

That’s when it hits me. The colors of the fire don’t determine our fate. We do.

I look at my wooden medal. It says: To Kaika Lavfenta Khant, for extraordinary bravery. My new pet fox prowler lays on my leg. The sunset fades as winter ends.

THE END

Taylor, middle school, north summer camp