Summer weather can only be good for so long, so once you're stuck inside bored for a day, try making one of these "fortune tellers." It's a homemade Magic 8 Ball!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Peek Inside the Skipping Stones Office
Even if you've been reading our magazine for years, it's easy to imagine you have little idea what our office looks like.
We're located in beautiful Eugene, Oregon - here, take a tour of our neighborhood.
But don't just look outside, here, enjoy a peek of the inside:
Right outside...
Directly inside. Nearly every back issue copy of Skipping Stones imaginable.
This is the desk where the interns (myself included) most often work. Piles of submissions come in daily, thanks to all our dedicated readers.
Here is Arun, our Editor, at work in the other office. This is the computer we use to format each and every issue of Skipping Stones.
...and here is the view out that very window. Thanks for taking this tour with us! Keep reading for insider views of the magazine.
-Intern Molly McHugh
We're located in beautiful Eugene, Oregon - here, take a tour of our neighborhood.
But don't just look outside, here, enjoy a peek of the inside:
Right outside...
Directly inside. Nearly every back issue copy of Skipping Stones imaginable.
This is the desk where the interns (myself included) most often work. Piles of submissions come in daily, thanks to all our dedicated readers.
Here is Arun, our Editor, at work in the other office. This is the computer we use to format each and every issue of Skipping Stones.
...and here is the view out that very window. Thanks for taking this tour with us! Keep reading for insider views of the magazine.
-Intern Molly McHugh
Friday, June 5, 2009
Behind the Scenes: Intern Illustrations
For our illustrations, we go through many different processes and versions until we come to a final product. Here is a video about the process it took me to come up with this artwork that appeared in a recent issue:
Watch the video below to see everything that went into making a seemingly simple picture.
-Molly McHugh, Skipping Stones intern
Watch the video below to see everything that went into making a seemingly simple picture.
-Molly McHugh, Skipping Stones intern
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Preview: Our Latest Issue!
Our latest issue is available right now. It features cover art by Abhijit Ray, 13 of India. Take a look to see his work to your right.
Volume 21, Issue #3 features articles and pieces on summer travels as well as some local foods that are now in season.
Also, the issue also has our 2009 Book Awards. Here are some of the featured books:
The reviews are done by everyone from editors to interns, contributors and students, to parents and board members. Pick up a copy and look it over, it's helpful when the time to pick up a new book for yourself or your kids comes along.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Our First Blog: Editor's Note, May 2009
There is a glimpse of summer in the air. Green grass, tree blossoms and wildflowers tell us that summer is on its way!
If you are like most kids, you are looking forward to summer because you love free time without school pressures. Your family is probably making summer plans. What do you plan to do during the
long vacation?
Summer camps, backpacking and hiking, beach trips, softball, picnics, horseback riding, sleep-overs, language or music classes, library visits, storytelling...there are dozens of summer activities to choose from. Sometimes, summer vacation includes a trip, near or far.
Surely, travel is a wonderful way to experience life and to broaden our perspectives. If your plans call for going to a new place this summer, here are some ways to make it a memorable learning experience.
* Advance Preparations. Before you go on your adventure, investigate and prepare. Find out what the place is like, what it’s known for, its history, natural treasures, cultural offerings, climate and weather. Pack your bags to suit your planned activities and the expected weather.
* Overseas trips need more preparations; so plan ahead. If you are visiting a different region or a country, you may get information via books, the Internet and friends who come from or who have been there. If they speak another language, begin learning their language, or at least some words and phrases. A variety of language tapes and instructions are available at libraries. When you are there, immerse yourself in the culture and language.
* There is much more to a place than what those glossy brochures tell us. Make sure you don’t get stuck in tourist traps. Explore the surrounding areas and culture wherever you go. Walk, hike, bike, ride buses and discover the region. Visit local eateries rather than the few chain restaurants and fast food joints you may be comfortable with. Try local specialities and recipes rather than your regular favorites.
Books offer another way to travel without leaving the comfort of your home. They let our imagination do the traveling. Each year, our summer issue recommends the best multicultural and nature books. Pages 30-34 share with you our 2009 selection of these outstanding books.
In this issue, we also feature many accounts of summer activities and travels. You can visit the Great Wall of China, Barcelona, Cappadocia in Turkey, Northern Ireland, and even climb Mount Killimanjaro with Nana Jean. If you’d like more reading material, you can order a few back issues of Skipping Stones for a 25% discount this summer!
Summer is for learning by doing (and having fun), for appreciating nature and for letting the great outdoors be our teacher. You might like to get your hands dirty in your backyard garden along with your family or volunteer in a community garden. My favorite summer weekend activities include spending a few hours at a youth garden, storytelling gatherings and potlucks with neighbors and friends.
I fondly remember the long, morning walks we took every day during our summer vacations in India. You might think we were crazy because we’d get up around 5 a.m. just for our morning walks! We’d be home by 7 a.m., before the hustle and bustle began on the city streets. That way, we were able to appreciate the fresh morning air, cool dew-wet grass in the city parks, song birds, and at times, even some ripe, tropical fruits straight from the trees!
As your magazine, we always encourage submissions of art and writing and your creative entries for the Youth Honor Awards (due June 25). On the next page, you will find cool, practical advice for young poets from our poet in-residence, Katherine.
Enjoy the warmth of friends, family and nature!
-Arun Toke
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