Appleton

Hello Lovelies,

Here is a story about the teacher who made reading feel like art!

Mr. Appleton was my favorite teacher at Makerville Elementary. He was a plump, shiny red apple with a cheerful green leaf that wiggled when he was thinking hard.

One day, he noticed my best friend Sillijoi, the bright yellow pencil with the biggest smile in class, staring sadly at his book report paper.

"Sillijoi, what is wrong?" asked Mr. Appleton gently.

"The words get all jumpy and mixed up…it’s so hard to read!" Sillijoi whispered.

But when Sillijoi drew pictures of the story, every single detail was perfect and alive.

Mr. Appleton's green leaf wiggled like crazy. He told the whole class, "What if….instead of a looooooong book report, we worked on a ZINE!"

“What’s a zine?” Sillijoi asked curiously, “I’ll do anything to avoid writing a loooong book report!!”

“It’s a small book with some writing and some pictures..you can draw, add stickers, cutout papers….find many ways to tell a story!”, said Mr. Appleton warmly.

"Can I do more stuff like this?", Sillijou said, as he showed Mr. Appleton all his doodles in the homework notebook.

“Yes! This awesome art, mixed with a little bit of writing - just enough to show what you learned from the book. How does that sound?” asked Mr. Appleton with a smile.

Sillijoi smiled too. I helped Sillijoi him fold the pages and shared some of my stickers. Sillijoi filled the notebook with the most glorious drawings.

When we shared our zines, the whole class cheered.

Mr. Appleton's leaf wiggled with pure joy.

Love,

Oki Pie

Reflection Prompt

Mr. Appleton felt surprised when he discovered something new about Sillijoi. Let us try the Reflection Loop together!

Step 1 - Act: Make the most surprised face you can in a mirror or a window. Hold it for five whole seconds. Feel how your eyebrows go up and your mouth opens wide.

Step 2 - Mark-making: Now grab a crayon and make one big, wild, surprised SCRIBBLE on your paper. Let your hand move fast, like your crayon just heard the best news ever. There are no mistakes in Makerville!

Step 3 - Short Poetry: Look at your scribble and write two lines starting with these words:

"I wonder why..." "I wonder what..."

Your poem does not need to rhyme. It just needs to be yours.

Analog Design Challenge

Mr. Appleton gave Sillijoi a zine to tell a story with pictures. Now it is YOUR turn to make one!

Your Challenge: Build your very own mini zine using found objects and supplies at home.

Materials to grab:

• One sheet of paper (any kind works)

• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

• Scissors (ask a grown-up helper)

• Tape or a stapler if you have one

Your Prompt: Pick your favorite book or a story you made up. Now fold your paper into a tiny booklet. Can you tell the whole story using mostly pictures, with just a few words? Draw the beginning, middle, and end. Add a cover with a title and your name. You are now a real zine maker, just like Sillijoi!

Tip: Your zine does not have to be neat or perfect. Scribbly and colorful is the BEST kind.

Digital Design Challenge

Ready to take your zine to the next level like a true Quillfeather Woods artist?

Your Pro Challenge: Use an iPad, Procreate, or any drawing app to design a digital zine.

Steps:

• Create four to six pages in your drawing app

• Use different brushes to make your drawings look textured, like paper art from Quillfeather Woods

• Add hand-lettered words using a brush pen tool

• Label your pages: Cover, Page 1, Page 2, and Back Cover

• Export it as a PDF so you can share it with your class or family

Safety Check: Ask a Grown-up Maker before downloading any new apps or printing your zine at home!