I was listening to the radio and I heard about a woman who lived on the island of Monserrat in the Caribbean. Monserrat is a really one big volcano and a few years ago it erupted and people had to run away from the island. A few years later people started going back to the island. They didn't want to leave their homes forever. The interview asked one woman who had gone back if she was worried about the volcano exploding. She said, no she wasn't because she had her volcano bag...

For teachers wondering about how to shake things up in the writing, reading, talking, listening field...

The simplest, easiest and most painless way to write is to be stimulated or inspired by another piece of writing. Writers do this, without self-consciousness or shame! We read something and it triggers something off in our minds...

I used to scribble all my ideas down in a notebook but now that we've got phones and tablets I use the 'Notes' page on my phone. If you like writing and want to write more, you could do that. You don't need an internet connection for it and every time you have a new idea you can create a new 'page' or 'folder' for your note. I also use mine to remind myself of all the things I'm supposed to be doing...