Arizona Republic du lieu suivant : Phoenix, Arizona • Page 47

ALL EDITIONS The Arizona Republic Sunday, January 30, 1983 lyr i 44 44H 'SS Kids learn their own powers, their own creativity, their own imagination. When you open up their creativity, you unleash one of the strongest forces in the world 99 Ooyle SandersRepublic Erin Rouget. 8, shares story ideas with Alma Elementary School were creating a children's author-illustrator Mike Thaler. book, M.T.'s Adventures in Dinosaur Land, Erin and her third-grade classmates at with Thaler's help. Thaler draws his version of M.T., a fictional prehistoric man the Alma school students modeled after him.

'Riddle king' gives formula for puzzling your friends Author becomes character in unique book to write their own books and to make up riddles. "It's fun, but it's not just playing games," he said. "Kids learn their own powers, their own creativity, their own imagination. "When you open up their creativity, you unleash one of the strongest forces in the world." He 6aid the learning of skills follows. When kids create books, they learn to carry through an idea.

They want the words to be spelled right and the punctuation to be correct so they can communicate with others. Here's how you can contribute to Kids and receive a Kids pencil: Read Mike Thaler's suggestions at right for making up your own riddles. Then try it yourself. Send a riddle you have made up to Kids, The Arizona Republic, P.O. Box 1950, Phoenix, Ariz.

85001. Include your name, age, grade, school, home address, ZIP code and phone number. spent all last week at Alma working with students, teachers and parents. The book was one of their projects. The kids decided to make Thaler their main character "because you're a great artist, you're our visitor and you do a lot of jokes," one third-grader said." Calling their character M.T., they decided he would live in the age of dinosaurs and wear bearskin clothing.

But like the real Thaler, he wore a modern-day cap and carried a large drawing pencil instead of a club. The students outlined M.T.'s adventures, including being injured by a dinosaur bone and being buried in a cave. Then each drew a picture and wrote the words for one page of the book. Thaler spends about two months every year working with kids throughout the United States. "When you write books," he said, "you don't get a lot of feedback.

It's great to go where the kids are and to hear them laugh." During these visits, he often encourages kids By Connie Cobb Special for The Republic M.T. probably never will be seen in movie theaters or on posters like that famous extraterrestrial E.T. But the fictional prehistoric man is earning a special kind of fame at Alma Elementary School in Mesa. Students there can read about him in a one-of-a-kind book, available in their library only. Third-graders at the school wrote and illustrated the book, M.T.'s Adventures in Dinosaur Lend, Tuesday.

They were guided by Mike Thaler, a children's author and illustrator. Thaler wrote A Hippopotamus Ate the Teacher, What's Up Duck? and about 80 other joke, riddle, fable and picture books for kids. He also created Letterman, a different kind of superhero who appears on The Electric Compapy television show. "America's riddle king," as he is known to young readers, lives in Stone Ridge, N.Y. He 5.

Substitute one of the words from your list for one of the syllables in the noun you have chosen. For example, Ein-swine or Swine-stein. 6. Make up a question to use the word you have created. This might involve a little research.

If you chose Albert Blinstein, for instance, you might learn from the dictionary that he was a 20th century physicist (a type of scientist) who developed the theory of relativity. So your question could be, "What pig was a great 20th century physicist?" The answer could be Albert Ein-swine, Al-boar Einstein or Albert Swine-stein. Taking a different approach, you might ask, "How are pigs taken to the hospital?" By ham-bulance, of course. You can make up your own riddles, just like Mike Thaler, "America's riddle king," docs in his books for kids. Thaler said making up riddles is easier than guessing the answers to them.

This is how he suggests you do it: 1. Pick a subject for example, pigs. 2. Make a list of all the words you can think of that relate to that Bubject. If your subject is pigs, 6ome pig words on your list might be hog, swine, boar, grunt, pork, ham, snout 3.

Pick a noun and divide it into syllables. For instance, if you chose the proper nouns Albert Einstein, they would be divided as Al bert Ein-stein. 4. Look at the syllables, sfly ihem, notice their rhythm and think about what would rhyme with them. 14.11 ttf 'r fi.Ay i i i 0 yiiwlflllWHililll(llllllJI II I 0 's jnere is room for a pet in Erica Leebove's fort.

Erica, 9. is in fourth grade at Desert Shadows School in Scottsdale. Kids' forts leave room for imagination Everyone would like a fort in which to play or be alone. Some Arizona kids describe their favorite forts: Elias Ledesma, 1 1, sixth grade Dysart School, Peoria I would get a blanket and make my little sister stand in the middle of it I'd get some sticks and hammer them on top of each corner of the blanket, and that would be my fort Colleen Costello, 8, third grade Kyrene del Norte School, Tempe I would build my fort like this. I would take a long piece of string and tie it to some trees.

Then I would put a sheet over the string, and that would be my fort Richard Collay, 9, third grade Kyrene del Norte School, Tempe I'd take some wood and build a roof. I'd take some glass to build the windows. And I would get some carpet and a TV. And I would get a kitchen and four bedrooms and a bathroom and a swimming pool. I would have an upstairs, and I would get ON TV and a limousine.

Then the fort will be a house. Tyler Godby, 10, fifth grade Washington School, Mesa In church camp last summer, my friend and I made a fort It was made with two bedrolls and a small bunk bed. What we did was put the bunk bed in a corner and tucked the bedroll under the top mattress and let the bottom drape down. It was high enough to sit up on your knees, and your head would touch the top. It was about 4 feet wide and 6 feet long.

We used it for a fort when we played guns with our flashlights. George Mercado, 1 1, sixth grade Dy6art School, Peoria When I was small, me and my brother got four sticks and a blanket and took them outside in the back yard. I got a flat box, and I put that in for a floor. I got a little table to put in the fort Then we got a box and made a chair and a bedroom. That's all I Cookie Company actors get a glimpse of the troupe will present the play at 2 p.m.

today, world of mime in their presentation of Your Saturday and Feb. 6 at Phoenix Little Land and Mime. The children's theatrical Theatre, 25 E. Coronado. Things to do AUDITIONS Auditions for the new Children's Theatre Company, sponsored by the Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, will be at 1 p.m.

Saturday at the Performing Arts I COOKIE COMPANY The company for fStre and Moreland. The children will perform Your Land and Mime at 2 204 tween p.m. today, Saturday and Feb. 6 at Phoenix Little u1 the area- or Theatre, 25 E. Coronado.

Ticket are $3.50. Call information, call 262-4633. 254-2151 for tickets. HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS This popular KIDS' CLASSES Aerobics, art, dance, study children's book will provide the inspiration for skills, gymnastics, computer, television workshop making chocolate-covered goodies that only look and other classes begin next month at Glendale like worms. The program will be held from 4 to Community College, 6000 W.

Olive, Glendale. Fees 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Yucca Branch Library, gtart at $10. For information, call the continuing 5648 N. 15th Ave.

education department at 934-221 1, Ext 376. Andy Krall, 11, designed a tree clubhouse with rope pulley made my fort sixth-grader at Washington When it was windy, the wind blew everything away, but not my bedroom. It stayed there within the house I mean the fort. and secret lookout spot. He is a Elementary School in Mesa..