Write a story featuring snakes - World Snake Day

I don't have paper and a pencil—what can we use instead for the 'Find a quiet spot and sit down with your paper and pencil' step?

For the 'paper and pencil' step you can use a notebook or printer paper and crayons, type the story on a tablet or computer, or record your voice and transcribe it later.

I'm stuck on the middle—how can we make a clear two- or three-sentence problem or adventure for the snake?

Use the snake's want from your one-sentence beginning to list 2–3 obstacles (for example a blocked burrow or a lost egg) and turn each obstacle into a short sentence, then fit the real snake fact into the middle or end as the instructions say.

How can we adapt this activity for younger kids or older kids?

For younger children have them dictate the one-sentence beginning and two-sentence middle while an adult writes and let them draw the cover, and for older kids require choosing a specific species, researching the fact themselves, expanding the middle into paragraphs, and doing a careful read-aloud edit before sharing on DIY.org.

What are some ways to enhance or personalize the finished story before sharing on DIY.org?

Enhance the story by adding the real snake fact as a 'Did you know?' note, drawing a colorful cover scene that shows the setting and snake name, adding a short author note about why you picked the species, and binding or photographing the pages nicely for DIY.org.