The Greater Boston Illustrators' Group dreamed up #StoryMarch as the Covid-19 pandemic took over the daily lives of everyone we know. We hoped that #StoryMarch might be a fun way for artists of every age to stretch themselves a little and have fun.
August 10 update - found alphabet
Here's a fun activity for parents to do with a child just learning their letters. All you have to do is keep your eyes open and snap a picture! Letters are all around us. I did this one over ten days in July.
June 23 update
#StoryMarch came to an end today with word #100, Draw. I ended up doing three drawings in all, based on the 100 words. #StoryMarch 2 and 3 were sold and all the money was donated to the We Need Diverse Books Emergency Fund. To donate or apply for a grant, click here.
April 23 update
My own #StoryMarch illustration, which interprets prompts 1 - 42, was auctioned off this week. All the proceeds were donated to the Maurice Sendak Emergency Relief Fund for authors and illustrators.
"StoryMarch 1," Ink on archival paper, 11" x 17".
#StoryMarch rules
It's simple, easy and free! Here's how it works:
Make a piece of art every day. Any medium: pencil, crayon, marker, ink, paint, photography, sculpture... anything! Use the words on the list below (you can change the order) or create your own list, but it's fun when everyone interprets the same word on the same day.
The only rule is, each piece of art should connect to the one done the day before. At the end, you'll have a big complicated drawing or painting, or a collage, or a book, or a scroll, or a map... it's up to you.
We hope parents will try this with their children, too, so that artists of any age can participate. Art teachers are welcome to use #StoryMarch with their classes, in school or online.
You can start any day. You can skip words but it's fun to try and interpret them all. If you like, use the hashtag #storymarch and post on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. We'll keep this going as until the end of the school year, and we can't wait to see what you come up with!
Prompts:
1. key
2. lock
3. door
4. ship
5. animal
6. moon
7. drop
8. artist
9. light
10. spin
11. space
12. bounce
13. shoe
14. scatter
15. rock
16. fast
17. school
18. balloon
19. reflect
20. wind
Check out @storymarch2020 on Instagram for ideas and inspiration, or search #storymarch
on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Articles: Boston Globe, Wicked Local
Story on NBC Channel 10 Boston
#StoryMarch was created by Sarah S. Brannen, Priscilla Alpaugh and Susan Link, with help from the Greater Boston Illustrators' Group.
March 22 update!
Lots of kids have been doing the #storymarch art project since it started March 16. It seemed like it would be fun to have a writing project too, so here's #StoryMarchWrite! Each day, you write something based on the one-word prompts below. They start easy and get harder.
Your writing can include the day's word or be inspired by it. The only other rule is that each day's piece of writing needs to connect to the previous day's piece in some way. At the end, you might have a story, or a journal, or a poem or book of poems, or almost anything! It's not necessary to share your work online, but if you do, please tag it with #storymarch and #storymarchwrite. Have fun!
Go to the #storymarchwrite page.
#authorshelpingkids
More free resources from children's authors and illustrators
Art
Jarrett Lerner "Finish This Comic!" and more
Jarrett Krosoczka video art lessons, live every weekday at 2 pm Eastern
Tony Diterlizzi - live drawing at 1 pm Eastern
Mo Willems lunch doodles, every day at 1 pm Eastern
Dan Santat "Survival School for the Pandemic" on Instagram and Twitter
Scott Magoon Studio Storytime - weekly
Debbie Ohi daily videos "Let's Make Art Together"
Cece Bell shares the inside story of El Deafo
Science
Marlo Garnsworthy #ScienceStory
Melissa Stewart mini-lessons and activity pages
Heidi Stemple Bird Count videos and activities
Loree Griffin Burns: the Flora and Fauna of your place
Reading and Writing
Kate Messner compilation of author videos and more
Josh Funk activity kits and coloring pages
Lynda Mullaly Hunt videos and activities
Amy Ludwig VanDerWater - Notebooking
Oliver Jeffers reads aloud on Instagram live every day at 2 pm Eastern
Peter Reynolds reads aloud at noon every day
Scholastic Learn At Home activities and lessons
Grace Lin "Kids Ask Authors" podcast
Mac Barnett reads his books aloud every day at 3 pm Eastern
Matt Forrest Esenwine, "Wit and Wordplay" and activity sheets
"Students Sending Love" connecting kids and nursing home residents by mail
Penguin Kids - readalouds, activities, and more
21. mushroom
22. bark
23. machine
24. insect
25. rain
26. struggle
27. fire
28. wings
29. massive
30. bubble
31. goblin
32. sport
33. flower
34. eyes
35. arrow
36. whale
37. tower
38. shell
39. puzzle
40. fence
41. tail
42. paper
43. mouse
44. wheel
45. plant
46. well
47. stamp
48. dragon
49. clock
50. sleep
51. road
52. hat
53. garden
54. fly
55. window
56. magnify
57. book
58. mystery
59. sweet
60. dive
61. wall
62. crowd
63. sweep
64. ride
65. star
66. music
67. snow
68. jewel
69. tunnel
70. film
71. dog
72. spiral
73. water
74. game
75. tree
76. bone
77. coat
78. marble
79. box
80. sad
81. smoke
82. seed
83. glass
84. button
85. armor
86. shadow
87. train
88. fountain
89. pillow
90. burst
91. tall
92. friend
93. roof
94. cloud
95. roll
96. mirror
97. curly
98. wave
99. summit
100. draw