It was a warm sunny day. My husband and I went off to look for monarch caterpillars for my classroom. We drove to a spot that had provided for us before. The patch of milkweed by the sea was holding a bumper crop this year. We found five caterpillars in less than five minutes.
On our return, we stopped at a local store to purchase a new terrarium as mine from the year before had broken. Terrarium and cover in tow we departed the store chatting about the upcoming week. We got in the car and began to drive out of the parking lot. There at the end of the parking lot was a lonely shopping cart. It was parked in such a manner I knew it was a runaway cart.
A runaway shopping cart…my mind immediately went to my writer’s notebook sitting on my end table in our living room. I needed to jot that thought down…a story for my kids.
I started silently plotting…what did it run away from…why did it stop…how will it get back…what will keep it from running away again? I am not only trying to read like a writer…I am beginning to think like a writer. That is what I want for my classroom kids. I can’t wait to begin tomorrow!
