Elephant
Nose
I
made
up this game when my son Devin was little. We used to play it at birthday
parties and such. I sometimes play it in classrooms when I visit schools.
Have fun. You'll need a roll of masking tape. Scotch tape works but masking
tape is best. Have each player cut off a small piece of tape, about two
inches long and make it into a loop by sticking one end to the other end.
Then place this loop on your nose so that it sticks well. Now you are
ready to play Elephant Nose. Next, make pairs and let the two contestants
approach each other, nose first, until the tape comes into contact. (no
hands!) Then, pull away. You will notice that one of them retains the
"nose" of the other. Next, all of the players who have two loops
of tape pair off, and so on until you have one person with a very long
ELEPHANT NOSE . He or she is the winner.
If you've made up a game, send it to us .
We'd love to share it. Original games only, please.
An Interview With Frank Asch
To help you get-to-know Frank Asch better we asked him some important
questions. Maybe you have a few of your own - go ahead and ask .
Where
were you born? And what was your family like?
I was born in New Jersey in 1946. I had a brother and sister who were
7 and 10 years older than myself. We lived on a country road. I had a
dog for a pet. My grandfather who lived across the street had a small
farm with cows and chickens. Though my father worked in a factory, his
true ambition was to be a farmer and fix-it man. He kept a big garden
and sold sweet corn out of the back of a truck.
Who
were your heroes?
I've had lots of heroes in my life. My big brother was my hero when I
was small. When I was a teenager my uncle who lived in New York City was
my hero. As a kid my T.V. hero was Roy Rogers. As a teenager, my music
hero was Bob Dylan. In college, my children's book hero was Maurice Sendak.
My all time art hero is Billé Pickard Pritchard. He lives in France.
What's your life like now?
I live in Middletown Springs Vermont with my wife, Jan. My son Devin
is grown and lives in Hawaii. We have a big garden in the summer. I host a group meditation every Sunday in my barn.
I also play with some of the homeschooled kids
that live nearby. Last year I wrote an interactive play for children
for a summer festival here called Solarfest. It was preformed in the forest
and was a big hit. I hope to write more plays like this in the future.
It was fun.
What sort of advice do you have for young writers?
Let yourself enjoy reading. It's okay to get up in the morning and just
read a book all day long if you like. Create time just to think. When
I was a kid I had a place I called my thinking tree. If you can't find
a place in nature where you can be alone take something from nature like
a rock or some bark or just an acorn. Create a space in your room where
you can shut the door and just let your imagination run wild.
Have fun putting words on paper. In other words whatever writing you do
for teachers or to show someone else also try to write some things just
for yourself.
What's your favorite food?
Spaghetti.
Where do you get your story ideas?
Students and teachers often ask me how I get ideas for my books. I once
wrote a story for a McGraw-Hill reader entitled One Good Pup . Our dog
Robi, who has since died, was definitely the inspiration for this loving tale. I used to take
her out for a walk in the late afternoon after I was finished working for the
day. She doesn't wear a watch, but she seemed to know when that time would roll
around each day and she would let me know that she was ready whenever I was for our
walk together. Once when I was sick for a few days I became very concerned
for her. She wasn't getting any exercise at all, day after day. She seemed
to understand that I was ill and would just lie at the foot of my bed
patiently waiting for me to get better. I've had a lot of wonderful dogs
in my life, but she is the smartest dog I've ever had. She knows so many
tricks! She can sit, lie down, do push ups (going very fast from sit to
lie down back to sit again), put her head down, give either paw, roll
over, stay (even when tempted by a treat right in front of her), balance
a dog biscuit on her nose and catch it on command, fetch, catch a frisbee
(she's just learning this one), retrieve a specific toy from downstairs,
speak, growl, and sing, though she would sometimes get these vocalizations
a little mixed up.
She was one good pup. Now I play with my son Devin's dogs, Sassa and Ginger.
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