What? What's fun about reading the dictionary in the middle of summer???
Yes, it can be fun. Honest. I'm not kidding. Words and definitions are weird and wonderful.
Try this:
Find a dictionary. Maybe it's a beat-up old dictionary you've had around the house for a while. Or an online dictionary. Or a small paperback dictionary you carry around in your backpack.
Pick a letter at random. Let's say "t."
Find five words under the letter "t" that you don't know the meaning of. I found T-zone, tabard, traduce, tole, and tinea. Read the definitions, just for fun.
Pick your favorite word and write a story about it. (Tinea means ringworm--ooh, don't want to write about that.) I picked tole. That means "painted, enameled, or lacquered tinplate used to make decorative domestic objects." (That means "objects around the house.")
What if a boy walks into an antique store and finds an old pot made of tole? And what if the antique store owner warns the boy that anyone who puts water into that pot will cause something bad to happen? What if the boy doesn't believe him? What if he buys the pot, takes it home, and fills it with water?
What could happen next?
The dictionary is a treasure trove of ideas....even in summer!
