Creative Writing – Rainbows

At the moment, rainbows are everywhere – a symbol of hope in these challenging times. In fact, sighting a rainbow has long been believed to be a promise of good things to come. Activity 1 The idea is a simple but amazingly effective one:

1. Write down the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

2. Brainstorm ideas that you associate with each colour. Focus on concrete nouns (e.g. a red bus or an orange traffic cone, etc.)

3. Then choose the three you like most and create a little Eye Spy poem, as modelled below. Encourage the children to use the poem pattern, which is teaching them how to use little patterns of three ideas with commas to separate. Eye Spy with my (insert colour) eye, idea 1, idea 2 and idea 3. There is an example below to give you some ideas to get you started.

Eye Spy with my Rainbow Eye Eye Spy with my red eye, poppies swaying in the field, juicy cherries bulging and an Angry Bird, stomping its feet. Eye Spy with my orange eye, a snowman’s carrot nose, a basket ball bouncing by and a goldfish, swimming in delight. Eye Spy with my yellow eye, a laughing, morning sun, Mc Donald’s giant M and a cheeky rubber ducky in the bath. Eye Spy with my green eye, a Christmas elf, a green M&M and the Hulk, smashing and crashing. Eye Spy with my blue eye, a sneaky smurf, salty seas and a peacock, showing off. Eye Spy with my indigo eye, a slithery snake, enormous aubergines and blueberries, sitting upon pancakes. Eye Spy with my violet eye, a fading sunset, lavender swishing and Gandalf’s robes, billowing in the wind.

Challenge This activity is inspired by the poem ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’ by Wallace Stevens. The concept is that you take an object and explore it in a number of different ways. First, look at these abstract representations of rainbows to help you think creatively. Then make a list of all the different ways that you could explore a rainbow.

• Compare it to something using a simile (as / like). • Write an instruction for a rainbow (command). • Ask it a question. • Write a wish. • Write a lie. • Personify it (give it human qualities) • Alliterate it (same initial sound). • Write a metaphor. • Write a little rhyme. • Write a riddle. • Write a one-sentence story. • Explore onomatopoeia (words that sound like their meaning). • Sell a rainbow (persuasion). • Explain how it is made (instruction).

There is an example below to give you some ideas.

Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Rainbow A rainbow is like a magical rollercoaster, arching across the brilliant sky. (Simile) Rainbow, stretch yourself to eternity and fill the world with hope and happiness! (Command) Rainbow, what do you taste like? (Question) I wish I were a rainbow, gazed upon by all in awe and wonder. (Wish) When a rainbow breathes, it exhales colour that depicts its mood. (Lie) The rainbow painted the sky by numbers. (Personify) Random rainbows ripple relentlessly round rampant, rocking rhinos. (Alliterate) A rainbow is a kaleidoscope of kites, dancing in the sky. (Metaphor) Red orange, yellow and green, Blue, indigo and violet - supreme! (Rhyme) I am extremely colourful and with sun and rain, I show my face then disappear again. (Riddle) I sat upon the rainbow, gazing down upon the earth, and realised that I never wanted to return to a world that lacked colour. (1 sentence story) With a fizz, the rainbow zoomed across the sky. (Onomatopoeia) The brightest, tastiest, most life-changing accessory a princess could ever wish for. (Persuasion) Just take a pot of sprinkles and cast them across an empty sky. (Instruction) © Jamie Thomas 2020