Descriptive Writing: Pool Toy Draw

 In the fall, we play "Monster Draw."  In the winter, "Snowman Draw."  So for summer, we play "Pool Toy Draw!"  This descriptive writing game with a partner emphasizes the use of adjectives to create the perfect picture in our readers' minds, which is really what good writing is all about.

Here's How You Play:

Step 1: Draw a very creative pool toy.  It can be something that has never been seen before!

Step 2: Write a very thorough description, broken down into paragraphs, describing your pool toy to the very last detail. Because....

Step 3: Exchange descriptions with a partner, and try to draw theirs as they draw yours with no talking or last-minute corrections!  

Winners are voted on by the class, and receive a small pool toy and blog honors.  Enjoy these entertaining pieces!

Bobby's Pool Toy (rising 6th grader)

    My pool toy is a huge canon that shoots people into the water.

    First, make an imaginary line down the middle.  Second, draw two medium circles to the right of the imaginary line on the ground.  Those are the wheels.  Third, make a smaller circle inside the two circles.  Fourth, color the space in between the two circles black, and draw a line connecting the two wheels/circles.  Fifth, go to the left side of the left wheel and start to draw a straight line to the top left corner, but stop after about two inches.  Sixth, go to the top of the right wheel and draw a one inch line upwards.  Seventh, draw a three inch line parallel to the line going to the corner.  Eight, draw a skinny oval connecting the top line to the bottom line, completing the shape/cannon body.  (This was really hard to explain!). Ninth, draw a little head with a smiley face sticking out of the cannon.  Tenth, color the cannon body brown and leave the oval white.  Finally, draw a curly line coming out the top of the cannon, so that's the fuse.  The top of the curly line has a little flame coming out.

    On the left side of the imaginary line, draw a pool for the little man to land in.  Then draw a line with chunks taken out of it directing where the person is going to be shot.

    In the top left corner, draw a yellow sun.  In the other top corner, draw a cloud.

    Now it should look like a man is being shot out of a canon.  If it doesn't.... oh well.

Bobby described this so clearly!  James (rising 6th grader) produced this match!

Dylan's Pool Toy (Rising 6th grader)

     My pool toy is unique.  First, you need to draw an original doughnut-shaped float.  It should be big, around the size of your hand, taking up a bit less than 1/3 of the page.  Color it forest green, and color the center hole with your pencil.

     Now, draw a medium-sized yellow circle at the front, or top part of the doughnut.  This is a head.  Inside of the yellow head, draw a smiley face, with black small eyes and a mouth.  Do not draw a nose.  Think of a clock.  The doughnut is the center, and the head we just drew is at the 12 o' clock.  Now, draw an identical head at the 3 o'clock spot.  The only difference is now it is gray and has a neutral, or bored face.  It should be colored gray, and its mouth should be a horizontal line.  Next, draw a blue sad face the same way at 6 o'clock.  And finally, draw a red angry face at 9 o' clock.  Its eyebrows should be a "v" shape, and its mouth a gray/black circle.

     For the final touch, add four long light green squiggly pool noodles in between the heads.  Now you are done drawing my pool toy.

Dylan wrote so carefully, especially about the colors and faces!  Tyler (rising 7th grader) was able to draw this twin toy!

AnaRose's Pool Toy (Rising 7th grader)

    My pool toy is an animal donut.  Its head is a wide oval shape.  It has two bear-like ears on the top, about an inch distance apart.  For both ears, you will draw an inner part like an upside down U.  Make sure that there is still space between the inner ear and the edge of the ear.  For the left ear, the inner section is black, and the rest is white.  For the left ear, the inner section is black, and the rest is white.  For the right, the inner is white while the rest is black.  For the face itself, you will draw two lines (making three spaces) horizontally across the face.  They should be evenly set apart.  For the top space, make it black, and leave the middle white.  For the last space, put a line in the middle and make the left black, and leave the right half white.  For the middle section, create circle glasses roughly in the center of that section.  Each ring should be about half an inch apart.  Just make a black line connecting the two rings and a line on the other side towards the end of the face slightly upward.  For the ring, create an upside-down U inside.  It's a gentle U, so don't make it a strict upside-down U.  For the left ring, shade it red and the other green.  Color over the upside-down U.  Those serve as eyes.  Now just outline everything in black.

    

    For the body, you have a short neck that curves into the belly.  Once you make the belly (not too big or two long), create the donut shape connected to the belly!  You can see the long hole of it, but you cannot see into it directly.  We are facing it sideways.  In the middle of the hole (on the edge of course), create bee-like wings, short and plump.  There are two for each set.  However, the further one on the back you can only see the left one completely.  For the right, you can only see a bit that peeks over the front left wing.  At the end of it, there is a fox/raccoon-like tail.  It's puffy and a bout an inch long; maybe a little longer.  It is going a bit downwards, but not completely vertical.

    Now, draw two horizontal lines through the tail, making three spaces.  The middle space is black and the others are white.  Back to the body: make seven lines, making either space, and try and make them evenly apart.  But the space near the end will be the smallest.  The color pattern will be white-black-white-black, and make sure that the last space (back of the body) is black.  Also, make sure that the lines don't go through the hole!  This part is before you color the body.  (I forgot to write this part beforehand!). Right underneath the chin is a red bandana.  It goes down almost to the middle, but not quite on each side (bottom of chin).  The little fabric ties are shown.  They are red.  For the bee wings, they are a plain gray.  Once you finish this, outline the whole body with black.

    Now for the background, we are in an inside pool area.  The curb of the pool is very thin, and it goes across the whole page horizontally and is about underneath the chin of the pool toy.  It's a butter yellow color.  The pool has five indigo blue small waves.  Top right, middle, top left, bottom left, and bottom right have these.  The rest of the pool is a light blue.  The wall has two windows.  The left one starts at the left ear (between the spaces of the top edge of the paper, and the ear, same as the right window, expect it's the tail) and ends right before the right ear.  It's about an inch an a half tall.  The inside has a line going horizontally and vertically; they meet in the middle of the window.  The right window starts where the tail meets the body, and ends where the tail ends.  Outline the windows in black, and leave the wall completely white.  And THAT is my pool toy!

Wow!  That is a thorough description!  The class voted that Nicolyn (rising 7th grader) and AnaRose were victorious, because the only difference they could find was the huge head.  :)