About Community Children’s Writing Programs
We offer creative writing programs for young writers and adults that inspire innovation, build critical thinking, enhance education, and entertain readers and writers of all ages. We would love to come to your school, library, or community group!
Our Community Children’s Writing Programs are suitable for learners 18 and under. All programs can be adapted for different age groups—simplified for younger writers and made more challenging for older students/teens. Below are some of the community children’s programs we’ve hosted. If you don’t see a topic you are looking for, custom workshops and experiences are also available.
For all questions, or to schedule a workshop or field trip, please contact Thurber House Director of Children’s Education Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org or 614-464-1032.
Looking for Community Adult Writing Programs for K-12 teachers, libraries, schools, nonprofits, and businesses? Click here.
SAMPLE WORKSHOPS
Dear Sully: Did you know that Columbus holds a Monster Convention and the monsters get very lonely here? To help them feel better, we’ll work with students on the format and content of letters, how to address the envelope, and “mail” them to the monsters. We send letters back to the classroom from the monsters so the students get a response. It’s a fun and creative way to teach letter writing.
Fractured Fairy Tales: Who doesn’t love a good fairy tale? The villain probably doesn’t. Writers will learn about point of view and create alternative stories, endings, settings, and more for some of our beloved fairy tales. This ties in perfectly with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs that is a classroom favorite.
Pets Misbehaving: These are not your typical pets! We’ll combine different animals to make “smanimals” (smushed animals)—such as a creature with a giraffe head and a whale body! Where does the smanimal live? What does it look like? What is a day in the life like for the smanimal? There’s writing, drawing, and lots of laughter in this workshop.
Ghost Writing Workshops: Ghouls, goblins, and giggles—oh my! We will share the scary turned silly ghost story from James Thurber, go over the ins and outs of a good scary story, and then turn students loose to write their own. We focus on how to create a suspenseful page-turner and how it can be successful without always being gory.
Fable Writing Workshops: Ever wonder how Aesop came up with all of those fables? How do you write a story that ends with a moral? Have no fear—our fantastic teachers will show examples of fables from James Thurber, teach writers what makes a fable, and then put writers’ imaginations to work composing and illustrating their own.
Create-a-World: J.K. Rowling took real-life Britain and added an entirely new world complete with wizards, Quidditch, different rules, and more. How did she do that? We’ll meet at Platform 9 ¾ and delve into how to create a new word from scratch. It can be as “normal” or crazy as desired! This teaches setting, character development, and more.
Superhero vs. Villains: Even superheroes have bad days and even villains have a heart (sometimes). We’ll delve into what makes us love and hate these characters and how to make them “human” enough so that we care. Students do not have to know a lot about superheroes or villains or even like the genre to have fun with this. All good stories have solid protagonists and antagonists and this is a great way to work on it.
Poetry 101: Roses are red…we’re all tired of this one. Many students don’t realize that poems don’t have to rhyme or that they can be funny, short, long, song lyrics, etc. We’ll bust through misconceptions of poetry and cover several different types in a short amount of time to keep things entertaining. Haikus, acrostics, list poems, and even limericks will be covered.
Journaling: “Dear Diary” is so last generation. We’ll bring notebooks that students can decorate and turn into their own journals. We’ll have a few fun prompts to get them started, but the goal is to encourage students to write outside on their own—whether it’s stories, poetry, or what’s going on in their world. Everyone has a story to tell; sometimes, you just need a cool journal for inspiration.
Fee breakdown
Education Workshop 1 Hour - $250
All Day (multiple workshops/classrooms up to six hours) - $725
Thurber House reserves the right to break into more than one workshop if more than 30 students. Extra fee applies.
We will work with you to develop the best creative writing experience for your students. We can split up sessions, work within the class schedules and topics that work for you, etc. We will confirm everything with the coordinator before submitting the final curriculum and fee.
Thurber House is a 501c3 organization and all of our staff and teachers have completed background checks.
SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP
Contact Meg Brown at 614-464-1032 or megbrown@thurberhouse.org to schedule a workshop at your school, library, or community group.
Field Trips and Activities at Thurber House
We can bring our programs to you, but you are always welcome to visit us, too! Built in 1873 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Thurber House is the home of humorist, author, and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber. The home has been restored to the way it looked when the Thurber family lived here from 1913–1917, complete with wallpaper, antique furnishings, and fun extras like Thurber artifacts and memorabilia. Several famous stories in Thurber’s book My Life and Hard Times took place in the House, including “The Night the Ghost Got In” and “The Night the Bed Fell.”
Thurber House is conveniently located in downtown Columbus (77 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, OH 43215). There are two different options for a field trip visit with us:
Option 1: TOUR
Your group will tour James Thurber’s home with one of our docents. You will learn about James Thurber’s life and times, the history of Thurber House, and the ghost stories. Before or after, your group is welcome to have lunch in the gazebo in Thurber Park, directly across the street.
Length: Up to 1 hour tour for groups up to 25 people (visits are longer for larger groups)
Cost: $5 per person
Option 2: TOUR + ACTIVITY
Your group will tour James Thurber’s home with one of our docents. You will learn about James Thurber’s life and times, the history of Thurber House, and the ghost stories. Before or after, your group is welcome to have lunch in the gazebo in Thurber Park, directly across the street.
Additionally, your group will participate in a Thurber-based writing activity at Thurber Center, our multipurpose building next door. You can choose from the following themes: animals/pets, fables, family life, or ghost stories.
Length: 2 hours (1 hour tour, 1 hour writing activity)
Cost: $10 per student
ACCESSIBILITY
We have an easy drop-off and pick-up area, and the first floor of Thurber House and Thurber Center are handicap accessible (via a ramp on the side of the building). Staircases to the second floor are wide and have hand rails. Please let us know ahead of time of accessibility needs.
SCHEDULE A FIELD TRIP
Contact Meg Brown at 614-464-1032 or megbrown@thurberhouse.org to schedule a field trip to Thurber House.
Professional Development for Educators
Interested in professional development for your school? Click here!
Disclaimer
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.
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