Writing Center Ideas

I have been playing with a few ideas to revive journal writing during Daily 5. It is that point in the year when I need to get extra creative because all of my old tricks are getting boring. Here are some of the ideas I incorporate into the "Write to Self" time:

1. Prompts in cute containers.The kids went crazy over this! I bought little heart containers for valentine's day at the Dollar Tree. I hand wrote starts and questions about healthy hearts, dental health, and valentine's to put in each heart. The kids used these for writing ideas.

I also have a variety of the cute little eggs that come out around Eater time. I bought carrots for our nutrition unit, frogs and monkey for our zoo and animal unit, and sports ones for general use.

2. Cute writing utensils.So I bought a few of those huge pencils and pens at Michael's and the Dollar Tree. Cute idea, but they did not help the handwriting! Maybe not the best idea, but is got the kids writing.

3. Sticker Stories
I picked up a few packs of stickers in the stationary and craft sections at the Dollar Tree. Students were allowed to choose 3-5 stickers to build a scene int heir journals. They then illustrated their scenes and wrote 3-4 sentences. They LOVED this! I have also used the foam stickers. I do give them two days - one to illustrate and one to write, before I expect their work to be complete.

4. Stamp Stories
I have bought a few stamp sets over the years that correlate with our units. The kids stamp a scene in their journals, color, and then write.

5. Stencils Stories
Same as the stamp and sticker stories. I keep a look out for stencils at yard sales.

How do you make writing in journals more fun?