100wc and 100wcgu

J, my eldest, is at a school where they participate in the #100wc or "100 word challenge", a weekly challenge where children across the globe (and there are participants from English-speaking schools all over the place, not to mention the equivalent one for Welsh-speakers!) get to write, well, 100 words based on a prompt.

This prompt could be a phrase, a collection of words, or even a picture, and I've seen some fascinating entries by Jo and her classmates.  The challange is run by Julia Skinner, and she's collected a team of commentators who are asked to visit the entries by the children and add a comment.  Some children's entries will have garnered comments from friends, parents, classmates or teachers, whereas for others, the commentator's comment may be the only one.  The cardinal rule is to encourage the child.  Tonight, I completed my first set of comments, and it's a real privilege to be encouraging children to write.

I joined after participating in a live 100wc session with J a few weeks ago, and deciding I wanted to be more involved.  It's fun, it makes you think, and it's good critical practice.  And Julia needs more people to help out.  Read some of the entries, and if you can spare the time (about an hour a week), then get in touch.

There's also 100wcgu ("100 word challenge for grown-ups), which is an opportunity for adults to practice the discipline of writing to a very short brief.

To find out more, visit the website, or search for #100wc on Twitter: it's fun, and it helps kids.  What more do you want?