It’s the last day of the 10 day series, and we’ve covered everything from techniques to writing with the whole family to bringing books to life through trips and scripts.  But that barely scratches the surface of the many ways you can turn literacy into a hands-on pursuit.  If you’re still looking for a few quick activities to liven up your reading and writing instruction, here are six super fun ideas to shake up your daily routine.

Doorway books

What if you found a magical doorway to another place or time?  What would you do?  Where would you go?  Take a page from Barbara Lehman’s Caldecott Honor work, The Red Book, an adventure that begins when a young boy meets a new friend in the pages of a discarded picture book.

Message in a bottle

What would you say to someone you’ve never met?  What would you share with the world?  Conversely, how cool would it be to come across a message in a bottle or a note attached to a tree?  Package notes, letters, messages, or even poems in bottles, bags and envelopes.  Hide them around the neighborhood for mysterious, literary fun.

Cook your books

Host a Harry Potter dinner party.  Have pasta with Strega Nona.  Eat cake for breakfast In The Night Kitchen.  Bake cookies with Frog and Toad.  Make muffins with a moose.  Let the books you read inspire a culinary adventure.

Write a new ending

Pick up where a favorite book leaves you, or change the ending entirely.  You can even try fracturing a fairy tale.

Write on things that aren’t paper

It’s legal graffiti!

Read around the world

Pick a country, read a book!  Here are some great ideas from The New York Public Library and Delightful Children’s Books.

Looking forward to trying any of these?  Let me know! I love to hear from readers.

To see the rest of the 10 day series, click here!