"The World Around Us" Week - Explore the Outdoors

The PBS KIDS Utah Writers & Illustrators Contest is celebrating its 19th year with the theme “Explore the Outdoors.” The contest, in partnership with Natural History Museum of Utah, is for kids kindergarten through sixth grade. Help get your child inspired by exploring the natural world, from backyard bird feeders to nature walks. The deadline for story submissions has now been extended through May 1st!

Even though we are all self-isolating and quarantining right now, we can still encourage our kids to write about the outdoors, but we might have to think outside the box. Remember, stories can be fact or fiction – as long as they are on our theme of exploring the natural world!

Here are some ideas to get the creativity flowing:

• Write about an outdoor adventure from the past
• Tell a story about a day in the life of the neighborhood squirrel or bird
• Write a poem about the different bird sounds heard in the backyard
• Research your child's favorite animal and write a fictional story about it

I know this has been a strange two weeks, especially with everyone switching to a homeschool model but I hope this creative writing and illustrating activity brings some joy to your home!

Remember to checkout the winners from last year (the theme was space) to get some inspiration and to see what stories have won. This year's winners, who are announced later in May, will receive prizes, including tickets to the Natural History Museum of Utah, and will have their stories published online and in a traveling art exhibit!

Writers & Illustrators Contest Page