"Elephant Community Press is an amazing organization with innovative ideas for encouraging young writers. Having her work published helped build my child’s sense of self-worth and having the proceeds of the books go to charity taught her about how her work can make a difference.
Christine is an inspiring, engaging and dedicated instructor who challenges her students to do their best work in a fun, inspiring environment. Under her guidance, my daughter has built her self-confidence and deepened her love for writing. This is hands down my daughter’s favorite extracurricular activity — and as a side note, it has helped her enormously in school too!"
"I LOVE this writing class. It's my favourite thing to do each week!!!"
"Thanks very much once again for the wonderful program you have conducted in the school. The kids have enjoyed it thoroughly and of course learnt a lot. I can clearly see that my daughter has benefited from all the guidance and encouragement you have provided. There was a lot of personal attention given to each child, which is truly amazing given that these were group sessions."
"My favourite thing about the workshop was exactly the whole thing!"
"I liked making the school magazine because it's a great honour and I was very proud when I received it. Also, others could have a copy of the magazine too! I think the magazine is a good chance for us to show our writing and it's a keepsake for us."
Summer 2010 Workshops
Intensive summer workshops start July 5th! Register by 21st May for the $250 off early registration discount! Workshops in the summer each run for 1 week, with the exception of the Public Speaking and Tale Twisters workshops. Please see the Schedule page for the specific dates and times for each workshop.
New 2-week Public Speaking and Reading-based Workshops!
These 2-week workshops run either Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday over 2 weeks for a total of 6 classes.
Public Speaking
Age: 9-12
President Obama has been hailed as one of the great speakers of our time and his power to compel people not only to listen, but to believe, was the hallmark of his presidential campaign. In this workshop, students will explore the art of public speaking by analysing the techniques and devices used by great public speakers. They will hone their public speaking skills and boost their confidence by practising speeches for a variety of purposes and audiences, so that when they stand up in front of an audience, they will capture the eyes, ears and imaginations of all in the crowd.
Note: Different topics will be covered in each 2-week session of the Public Speaking workshops.
Tale Twisters: Read, Write, Re-Imagine
Age: 8-10, 10-13
What if Oliver Twist asked for a lollipop instead of gruel? What if Matilda liked ice-skating instead of reading? Well, in Tale Twisters, students do just that – they twist the tales. In each workshop, students will do a close reading and analysis of model texts, learn new vocabulary, do writing exercises to practise new techniques, and re-imagine and re-write elements of the tales.
Note: The texts studied in this workshop will differ according to the age group of the students. As well, different texts and topics will be covered in each 2-week session.
Intensive 1-week Summer Workshops
Storyland
Age: 4-5
Storyland introduces younger students to the world of storytelling through reading, writing, arts and crafts, and role-play! Students explore different stories, expand their imaginations, develop listening and reading skills, and gain self-confidence.
Note: The stories covered in the Storyland workshops will be different each week.
More Adventures of Clumsy Chloe
Age: 6-8
In the popular ECP publication, The Adventures of Clumsy Chloe, our readers met Chloe, an ordinary little girl who lives with her grandma, rides a scooter and enjoys talking to her imaginary friend, Sara. The only thing is--she's just a little bit clumsy. She has already gone to the park, the hotel and the airport, but she's itching to go on some NEW adventures! Students in this workshop will familiarize themselves with Chloe's traits and habits, and write new stories where Chloe's clumsiness gets the better of her.
Banda Pear
Age: 6-8
Inspired by Shel Silverstein's Runny Babbit and his topsy-turvy adventures, ECP presents Banda Pear, our own panda bear character of mixed-up sounds. In this workshop, students will write about what Banda Pear does, and then have fun playing with sounds and flip-flopping the syllables around!
Diary Picture Books
Age: 6-8
Doreen Cronin’s Diary of a Wormserves as inspiration for students in this workshop. Focused more on developing rich and interesting characters, this workshop challenges students to give the reader an inside look into a character’s life — through the secrets of his or her diary. Students create a character and follow it around, documenting feelings, first impressions, fears, triumphs and many more such moments. The students also work on creating pictures to capture key moments of their character’s lives.
Once Upon a Times: Creative Journalism for Kids
Age: 8-10
In this workshop, students learn to write like real journalists and publish a creative newspaper based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes! Students learn to write news articles, identify different angles or perspectives, and write in an objective style. Besides news stories, students also examine other genres within a newspaper, such as advice columns, classified ads, horoscopes and sports news.
A Guide to Growing Giants
Age: 8-10
Giants don't just grow of their own accord -- they, like anything else, need a proper diet, strong shelter and of course, tender loving care! In this workshop, students design and create their very own, personal giant! From its likes and dislikes to the way it speaks and the kind of shampoo it uses, students will consider all sorts of frequently asked questions about their giant species for their entry in our comprehensive Guide to Growing Giants.
My Secret Identity
Age: 8-10
Mission: Create a secret identity for an undercover agent. In this workshop, students will be introduced to multiple genres of writing as they create a complete secret identity kit. They will develop the alternate identity and all the necessary documents for their agent to go undercover and complete his or her mission successfully. Shhh – this stuff is highly confidential!
Camp Comedies
Age: 10-13
From flinging a roasted marshmallow into a counsellor's tent to sabotaging a treasure hunt by accidentally-on-purpose reading a map upside down, camp stories are overflowing with comic potential. In this workshop, students look at examples from classic camp stories, and try their hand at writing their own. Students develop strategies to create their own humorous characters and scenarios, and bring life at camp right into your home!
House No. 669
Age: 10-13
A small neighbourhood. Regular people. Simple lives, and one mystery -- who lives in house no. 669? In this collaborative workshop, students will work together to create a neighbourhood and develop the characters within it. With each student responsible for one neighbour, they will hold neighbourhood meetings where they offer ideas, share theories and news, and devise plans to unravel this secret.
Young Detectives
Age: 10-13
From Encyclopedia Brown and Invisible Inc. to Cam Jansen, Nancy Drew, and Sherlock Holmes, mystery stories have captured the imaginations of readers young and old for years on end. In this workshop, students read examples of mystery stories, discuss their favourites and not-so-favourites, and analyze the characteristics of a mystery story that draws readers in and gets them thinking! While immersing themselves in the genre of the mystery case file, students draft character sketches and plot outlines to develop their own story.