Class #1 — October 1

Fall is here—and before the weather sends us all back inside, it’s time for our first Story Seekers adventure!

Great writers notice things. This week, your job is to get outside, explore, and pay attention.

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🎨 Decorate Your NEW Story Seekers Binder!

Your Story Seekers binder is where you’ll keep your finished writing, projects, and favorite work all year long—so make it yours!

Decorate the cover any way you want. You could use scrapbook paper, stickers, washi tape, drawings, lettering, quotes, photos, maps, book pages, or anything else you love.

Add STORY SEEKERS CLUB somewhere on the cover, and don’t forget your name!

Make it simple or go all out. There is no right way to do it—just make it look like YOU.

Bring your decorated binder to class! ✨

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🧭 Choose Your Own Adventure

Go outside and have an adventure!

You get to decide what that means.

Need an idea?

• Take a hike or nature walk.
• Visit a park, canyon, garden, farm, or orchard.
• Go on a bike ride.
• Find a beautiful place and sit quietly for a while.
• Collect leaves, acorns, rocks, seeds, or other interesting things.
• Watch a sunrise or sunset.
• Help with a fall job outside.
• Explore somewhere you’ve never been before.

Or choose an outdoor adventure of your own!

While you’re out, NOTICE.

What do you see? Hear? Smell? Feel? What surprises you? What tiny things might someone else walk right past?

You’ll use something you notice for your Writing Mission.

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📝 Writing Mission: Poetry!

Turn something from your adventure into a poem.

Choose one:

🍂 Haiku

A haiku is a tiny three-line poem.

5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables

Try to capture one small moment or image from your adventure.

🍁 Shape Poem

Choose something from your adventure—a leaf, tree, mountain, cloud, flower, sun, etc.

Write words or a poem in the shape of your subject!

✨ Free-Verse Poem

No syllable rules. No required rhyme.

Use beautiful, interesting words to help us see, hear, or feel something you experienced outside.

Put the finished poem in the binder.

Bring your journal and binder to class!

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✏️ ✨ Start Your Writing Habit!✨✏️

This week, you’re starting a Story Seekers habit that keeps going ALL YEAR LONG!

Write in your Story Seekers journal for 5–10 minutes several times every week—even during the weeks we don’t have Story Seekers class!! READ THAT AGAIN.

Why? Because writers become writers by writing! A few minutes at a time keeps your brain in the writing zone—noticing ideas, playing with words, and getting better at turning thoughts into stories.

Use your Writing Prompt Sheet (in your binder), write about something that happened, make something up, or write about anything you want.

Don’t worry about making it perfect. Just keep writing! ✏️✨

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📖 Read

Choose your goal: 10–30 minutes a day.

Keep reading a great book and see if you can check off something new on your Story Seekers Reading Challenge (refer to this class packet.)

(Use this chart OR purchase this book to track your progress.)

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🔎 Word Collector

While you read, collect 5 interesting words.

Write all five words and their definitions in your Story Seekers journal.

Then choose your favorite ONE.

On a separate small piece of paper, use your very best handwriting or lettering to write:

• The word
• Its definition OR
• A sentence using it correctly

Bring your favorite word to class!

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✍️ Handwriting

Practice in your handwriting, cursive, or lettering book for about 10 minutes a day.

Then use what you’ve been practicing to make your Word Collector word look great!

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✅ CHECKLIST

Earn Van-Coins for activities you complete!

• I went on an outdoor adventure.
• I completed my poem and put the finished copy in my binder.
• I wrote for 5–10 minutes several times this week.
• I kept my reading goal.
• I collected 5 interesting words + definitions in my journal.
• I made my favorite Word Collector word on a separate piece of paper.
• I practiced my handwriting or lettering.
• I decorated and personalized the cover for my NEW Story Seekers™ binder!

🎒 Bring to class:

Your Story Seekers journal + binder + Word Collector word.

Bonus points if you wear your Story Seekers Club™ t-shirt!!

See you October 1!

Traci