Escape to the Lake With Me

Part 1:   Have you ever wanted to escape? You can – if you’re in Wapakoneta, Ohio on April 2nd. Just stop in Riverside Art Center anytime from 10:30 – 1:30. I’ll be doing a brand-new activity for kids – Escape to the Lake. I’ll be their guide. Your kids will write and draw about how they’ll have fun, and best of all – it’s free!

If you can’t make it to Wapak, you can schedule an event with me. I can come in person, or I can zoom with you. I love to work with kids! It’s why I still substitute – to stay connected to kids, families, and schools.  If a visit isn’t possible, try one of my lake books. They both have a story with illustrations from me, and journal pages for you. You’ll get to be my co-author, my co-illustrator.
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Part 2 – Escape with Lake Fun for You and Me:  There are two ways you can escape to the lake, and your child can choose their own way to go, whether they meet me in person, on zoom, or in one of my books.
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Lake Fun for You and Me is one choice. It’s my lake picture book. My story and illustrations are on the left side of each page. The right side looks a lot like this journal page, except it includes the family scavenger hunt results. There’s room for you to write and draw about your escape. There’s also room to do your own family scavenger hunt too.  If you have a copy of my book, you’ll get to be my co-author and co-illustrator. 

I don’t know how many revisions I did to get Lake Fun ready to publish. I started in June of 2020 and finished in April 2021, so it was quite a few. I can help your child do a first draft and encourage them to keep working until it’s just right, whether they put it in Lake Fun or into a journal of their own.
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Here are a couple of the ideas that made their way into my book. Every one of them was something my family did whenever we escaped to our lake. They’re the things that Zoe and her family did in Lake Fun and in Zoe’s Scavenger Hunt Fun too.

When Zoe’s Scavenger Hunt Fun launched in 2021, I used my illustrations to make a top 10 list of ways to have fun at the lake. Take a peek at #8 Cannonballing off the Dock and #7 Kayaking. My family did both on our vacations, and I hope yours will too, when you get the chance to escape to your lake.
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Part 3 – Escape with Zoe’s Scavenger Hunt Fun: This is the second way to escape to the lake with me – in person, on zoom, or in one of my books.
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Zoe’s Scavenger Hunt Fun is my other lake book. The chapters and illustrations are at the front. I saved room at the back for you to write and draw your own escape. Your pages as co-author and illustrator are altogether. 

I don’t know how many revisions I did for Zoe either. I had an editor at BiblioKids. We started work in September and finished in November. First we converted my picture book into chapters. Then we did a couple rounds of revisions to make the story fit its new format. We did the same thing with the illustrations. I’ll help your child revise their first draft, and I’ll work with them until they think their story is just right, just like my editor did.
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Here are a few more ideas that found their way into my lake books. My family had fun with them and so did Zoe, in both stories. 

These illustrations came from that top 10 list of ways to have fun at the lake, and they were two of my kids’ favorites. #5 is Tubing. My husband used to play ‘Crack the Whip’ with the boat and the tube. The kids loved it.
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#4 is Wakeboarding. My adult kids and husband still do it. I’m their spotter. My job is to shout when they go down. Then we swing around to pick them up. Safety first – you don’t want another boat to get too close when they’re alone in the water.

If you’re free April 1st, I hope you’ll stop by Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio. You’ll find me at the kids’ table, helping them escape to the lake. I hope I’ll be busy!

If you can’t make it to Riverside, we can escape together in a zoom session. It’s the next best thing, but if that’s impossible, try out one of my books. Your kids can contact me on my website, and I’ll be sure to answer. I love to help readers, writers, and illustrators.
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                               PS – This is my family’s favorite illustration from the book. Mine too!
​                    Here’s the link if you’d like to watch this post as a video.       Link: Watch | Facebook

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​Part 4 – An Unexpected Ending:  I thought I was done with this post. I already did my video. Then after taping it, I realized I’d forgotten something you might want – my top ten list.

​My post from March of 2021 started with the chapter book version of Zoe’s scavenger hunt. Here’s the link to her top ten images to help you escape.                    Link: Rinda Beach - Blog - Rinda Beach

Part 5 – Striking Gold:  I couldn’t believe what I found last night when I was updating my vault . . . a video of Zoe’s Top Ten list.  Here’s the link for a final escape.               Link: Watch | Facebook
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Part 6 – A Photo Finish: 
​Meet a few of the kids who came to Riverside Art Center to escape to the lake with me. 

All they needed was me, my lake books, and their imagination.
Riverside Art Center supplied everything else.

Now it’s time to send a big thank you to Riverside!
​They let me try out my new activity for kids, and they were the perfect hosts!