10 honors

1. Journal Prompts 10 honors

2. Respond to the following quote in at least 8 sentences. “The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” – Frederick Douglass, former slave Response options: Agree/Disagree, reflect, connect, etc. Journal #1

3. “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”- Charles Dudley Warner Write about having the ability to do something about the weather and doing it. (Write the quote only + your response) Journal #2

4. Today in 1907, teenagers Jim Casey and Claude Ryan started a local delivery service in Seattle. It later became the United Parcel Service (UPS). Prompt: If you had special powers to deliver something to everyone or a select number of people, what would it be and who would you select? (Copy prompt & then respond) Journal #3

5. “The Soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.” –Native American proverb (Copy quote & respond) Journal #4

6. Free-write for this title: Imaginary Friends. Use this word pool: hemisphere, parole, imprint, handlebar, bunk bed, expressive, hostess, shimmy, clock, protect, subterranean, escape, triumph, crinkle, slide, aroma, billowing, kite, tinker, exaggerate, pie, never-never-land, gift, impish, turtle, peanut butter (You may use any or all of the words) Journal #5

7. Happy Grandparents’ Day. “Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting.”-Author Unknown (copy this quote) Write a short-short-story about grandparents or a grandparent. Journal #6

8. “It is no good casting out devils. They belong to us, we must accept them and be at peace with them.” –D.H. Lawrence Journal #7

9. Happy Birthday to Agatha Christie, famous crime fiction writer (she wrote 66 detective novels!) Take a recent event and rewrite it in a detective genre. Add fictional characters and be creative  Journal #8

10. When you are feeling unfocused, one way to calm and focus the mind is to trace around your hand. Do this and then fill it up with thoughts, quotes, ideas, worries, or plans. You can do the same with a circle or heart shape if you wish. Journal #9

11. Write unsent letters: Tell old friends or lovers what you’d like them to know now that you are older, wiser, or dumber. Tell family members or friends something you never told them before. Tell a younger or older version of yourself something you want him or her to know. Write to a memory or to a goal. Journal #10

12. Happy Birthday to Barbara Walters! Barbara said, “ To feel valued, to know, even if only once in a while, that you can do a job well is an absolutely marvelous feeling.” (copy this) Write a list or discuss at length times when you felt valued. Bring the feeling of being valued into the present moment. Journal #11

13. Today is Family Health and Fitness Day! “My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is!” –Ellen DeGeneres Write a short story about where Ellen’s grandma went… Journal #12

14. Today in 1959, The Twilight Zone premiered on TV. The show started with the words “There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man…” Write about meeting up with farm animals driving cars with names in the Twilight Zone OR Finish this sentence: “When I opened my dryer I noticed another dimension…” Journal #13

15. October 5th was World Smile Day. Write about how we should celebrate World Smile Day. What food should be served? What ritual happens on this day? What kind of parade is there? Journal #14

16. “Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese.”- Billie Burke Happy Moldy Cheese Day! Write an ode to moldy cheese, or write from the perspective of a hunk of cheese… Journal #15

17. Paul Simon’s birthday! “My words trickle down, from a wound that I have no intention to heal.”-Paul Simon What wounded part of your soul inspires creative thought? Journal #16

18. Oscar Wilde’s birthday! “When good Americans die they go to Paris.”- Wilde Write about an American who ended up in someplace other than heaven upon dying. Journal #17

19. Today is the birthday of Bela Lugosi, best known for his role as Count Dracula. Write about meeting Count Dracula on the internet or write about going to Dracula’s castle… Journal #18

20. All the mistakes I ever made were when I wanted to say ‘no’ and said ‘yes’.- Moss Hart, playwright Journal #19

21. Bill Gates’ birthday is October 28th. Write what you would do if you were the richest person in the world. Journal #20

22. Tonight is “Haunted Refrigerator Night”. Write a poem or short story about the fright of the fridge… Here’s some inspiration: “Things gone bad in lower tray; can keep you haunted through the day; smells that send the cats upstairs; all come from scary Frigidaire”… Journal #21

23. Today is the birthday of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich (creator of the sandwich) Write an ode to your favorite sandwich or from the point of view of your sandwich. Journal #22

24. November 6th is the midpoint of autumn. Write about being in the middle of something. Start with “I am in the middle of…” Word Pool: autumn, patient, saxophone, born, surge, trouble, ramble, smear, railroad, party, moody, elephant, laugh, sullen, remarkable, flying, shave, trees, resemble Journal #23

25. On November 10, 1969, Sesame Street premiered on television. If you could invent your own kid’s show, who would the characters be: names, personalities, obsessions, colors, favorite foods? Journal #24

26. This weekend is “America Recycles Day”. Recycle a piece of writing from your journal- edit it, change it, turn it into a poem, etc. Journal #25

27. This week is Mickey Mouse’s birthday! Write about Mickey Mouse looking for a date on Match.Com Journal #26

28. December 1 is the date Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama (1955). Write about what you would do if you had the will of Rosa Parks. Journal #27

29. “I went to a restaurant that serves ‘Breakfast at Any Time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.”- Steven Wright Write about having breakfast at a different time in history. Journal #28

30. December 7-8 is Cowboy Christmas in Wickenberg, Arizona; a gathering of cowboy poets and singers who celebrate ranch life and traditional cowboy life in verse and song. Write about what it would be like to participate in Cowboy Christmas or write a poem to bring to Cowboy Christmas. Journal #29

31. December 13th is Ice Cream and Violins Day. Write about ice cream memories, thoughts, or feelings. Journal #30

32. George Washington Carver said, “If you love it enough, anything will talk with you.” Make a list of things you love. Pick one and have it or them write you a letter. Journal #31

33. Today is Show and Tell Day! Write about what you would bring to show-and-tell and what you would say about the object or person. Journal # 32

34. Today is the birthday of John Singer Sargent, famous painter. Respond to this painting or write a story about it. Journal #33

35. Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Start your journal with “I have a dream…” and write about your dreams. Journal #34

36. David Lynch said, “I like darkness and confusion, and absurdity, but I like to know that there could be a little door that you could go out into a safe life area of happiness.” Write as if this door existed. What would it look like? What does it feel like to go through this door? Draw the door if you wish. Journal #35

37. Today is Celebration of Life Day. Write a poem, song, list or story that celebrates life. Journal #36

38. Start your journal with… “So I was getting some corn chips out of the vending machine at the mall and someone came up and said ‘You’re it!’ and ran away.” Journal #37

39. On February 5, 1981, the largest Jell-O was made in Australia (9,246 gallons!) Write an ode, haiku, poem or song about Jell-O. Feel free to get up and do some Jell-O movements. Word Pool: merely, window, circle, suffer, Jell-O, heckle, brighten, notorious, mailman, wave, happenstance, belly, dangerous Journal #38

40. On February 10, 1863, the fire extinguisher was first patented. Write about the fire extinguisher as a metaphor. What fires need to be put out in your life? Journal #39

41. Happy Birthday to Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec, 1781, the inventor of the stethoscope. Using your imagination, make a list of other things the stethoscope can detect about a person. Write a story, poem, or song about them. Journal #40

42. Today is Spunky Old Broads Day!! (really!!) Make a list of things you’d be doing if you were a spunky old broad. Or write a dialogue between a spunky old broad and a regular older person. Journal #41

43. Drew Barrymore said, “I want to kick down the walls and explore this life!” Use this to begin a piece of writing or use the quote to inspire a drawing or a doodle of what is on the other side of the walls… Journal #42

44. Victor Hugo said, “Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.” Apply this metaphor to your life. What is the frail branch that is bending? What is the activity you continue to do? Journal #43

45. Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! (March 2nd) Pick a subject and write about it in the style of Dr. Seuss. Some ideas for topics: a recent event, green pasta and ham, thoughts about school… Dr. Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Journal #44

46. Happy Birthday to Antonio Vivaldi, composer & famous violinist. In honor of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, divide your paper into four sections and fill each “season” with a doodle, drawing, thought, quote, or feeling. Or fill each section with what you want to happen in each of those seasons. Journal #45

47. Today is “Panic Day”. Write in a panicked state about one of these subjects: a dinner party, a dandelion, losing a sock, missing an exit, losing your mind, not being able to relax. Journal #46

48. Today is National Napping Day. Yogi Berra said, “I usually take a two hour nap from one to four.” Write about the art of napping: make up five main points that ensure an excellent napping experience. Journal #47

49. Today is Lips Appreciation Day. Write about your relationship with your lips. Or, if your lips had lips, what would they say? Journal #48

50. This week is Anonymous Giving Week. Write a short limerick, poem, or love letter and then give it to someone anonymously. Draw a big heart or shamrock on your journal page today. Journal #49