And there was the day Tyler asked me if he could ‘do a play’.

Sure, I’ll just go and get my writing book and a pen. 

Tyler fetched a large sheet of drawing paper, and the red, blue, green, black, and pink markers. He placed these side-by-side on the table, and said:

Captain Planet gave some rings, with diamond rings, to little kids.

While I was writing Tyler started his drawing. Up in the top right hand corner of the paper he used the blue marker to draw Captain Planet. Then he started on the rings, which he placed on either side of Captain Planet, and as he drew he said,

A red diamond on it.

A pink diamond.

A blue diamond.

Now, there’s two more.

Now let’s see – green, I think.

Now, one more.

Blue – water.

Red is fire.

The pink one’s heart.

The green one’s …

I’ll just make up a name for green.

The Black one’s wind.

I’ll just call green, earth.

 I need to draw the little kids.

Red is fire.

Now, what was the second one?

Heart

Why is the writing all  joined up?

That’s how I write. You’ll learn to do joined up writing one day.

Oh I forgot to do that little kid’s ring.

I better start again and do it.”

He drew the missing ring, and the other children.

I done red, pink, blue, green and black.

Jamie, who was playing nearby said:

There’s no black.

Yes there is.

There’s no black in Power Rangers.

I’m not doing Power Rangers.  

I’m doing a play about Captain Planet.

Tyler looked at his drawing. He wasn’t happy with it.

I think I’ll just get another piece of paper.

You don’t have to.

But he did. He spread the textas out in front of him again.

Can I choose the people in my play?

I have to choose girls in my game.

The white one’s a girl, and the blue one’s a girl.

So I get to choose girls.

I’ve done that red one and I’ll do Captain Planet.

Now I’ll do the rings.”

Every so often he stoppped drawing and talking to watch and listen to some  children who were playing a card game nearby. Then,

Oh, I’ve got to get on with my picture.

He picked out the colours he needed to draw each of the kids

Black,

Green.

Blue and red.

And yellow for the diamonds.

I’m just about finished.

Is this all it is? Captain Planet gave some rings with diamonds to little kids.

No,

The baddies.

Are you going to do a drawing of the baddies?

Yes.

I might do the baddies a different colour.

Brown.

Now I can tell you the story.

Captain Planet gave some rings with diamonds to little kids …

Hang on I think I haven’t finished.

Shoosh, shoosh.

He drew swirls, in colours to match the pink, red, and green kids.

Heart

Fire

Silver wind.

Now we’re going to shoot out water.

He drew swirls of blue from the blue kid.

All of them shooter out.

And the baddies don’t shoot out things.

He finished drawing and was ready to write his story.

Once upon a time a man called Captain Planet

gave these little kids some rings.

Some baddies came

and the kids shooted out their rings

all together

And then out came Captain Planet.

And Captain Planet fighted.

He put out fire.

He put out water.

He put out wind.

He put out heart.

And he put out earth.

And then the baddies got dead

And that’s the end.

 Thinking, talking and drawing a sixty-eight-word story.

Children and adults together can make a better world (Belonging), to be in now (Being), and into the future (Becoming), by listening to, participating in, and heeding the stories that children create every day.