Time to Play

Eight new words, all ready for a day of play.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 wagon noun
2. 2 twig noun
3. 3 scoop verb
4. 4 stack verb
5. 5 lumpy adjective
6. 6 muddy adjective
7. 7 gaily adverb
8. 8 fondly adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Wagon. A noun, and I file it under things-with-wheels. A wagon is a small cart, open on top, with a handle in front so you can pull it along behind you. You load it up and haul things: your toys, a bag of leaves, a friend who wants a ride. Four wheels, one handle, and off you go. If it rolls and you pull it, I file it under wagon.

She pulls her little red wagon up the hill.

Nelson's word

noun

Twig. A small noun for a small thing. A twig is a little stick, thin as a pencil, the kind that grows out at the end of a branch. It snaps easily. You find them all over the ground under a tree. A branch is thick and strong. A twig is its tiny cousin: small, thin, and light enough for a bird to sit on. If it is a small, thin stick, I file it under twig.

A tiny bird sat on the thin twig.

Vinny's word

verb

Scoop! Now THAT is a verb. To scoop is to curl your hand into a little cup and lift something up in it: you scoop up the sand, you scoop up the water, you scoop the puppy off the floor. It is a quick, curvy doing word. But keep your eyes open, because this word can wear a second hat, and we will catch it wearing it later in the Many Hats way.

I scoop up the sand with both hands.

Vinny's word

verb

Stack! A verb, and a builder's verb at that. To stack is to pile things up, one on top of another, until they climb into the air: you stack the blocks, you stack the plates, you stack the pancakes high. Up and up they go. It is the doing word for building a tower one piece at a time. Stack them carefully, hero, or down they come.

We stack the blocks into a tall tower.

Jake's word

adjective

Lumpy. Oh, I love this one, and it is mine, because it describes. Lumpy means full of bumps, not smooth at all: a lumpy road, a lumpy pillow, a lumpy bowl of oatmeal. And here is the part worth keeping. Take the word lump, one bump, and add a little y to the end, and you get lumpy, full of them. That tiny y turns one thing into a describing word: lump becomes lumpy, mud becomes muddy. Could we be more specific than 'bumpy'? We could say lumpy.

The lumpy road bounced the wagon all the way home.

Jake's word

adjective

Muddy. A describing word, and a very fun one, because getting muddy is half the point of playing outside. Muddy means covered in wet, brown mud: muddy boots, muddy hands, a muddy puppy who needs a bath. Its Smile is dirty, which means almost the same thing, and its Frown is clean, which is the very opposite. And look: mud plus a little y makes muddy, just the way lump makes lumpy. Hold both, the word and its opposite, and you own it.

His muddy boots left brown prints on the floor.

Benny's word

adverb

Gaily. An adverb, and it is mine, the way a good play tells you HOW something is done. Gaily means in a happy, cheerful way: the children sing gaily, the flags wave gaily in the wind, we skip gaily down the path. It tells you the mood of the doing, and the mood is bright. Here is my coach's tip: when you want to show someone is happy while they do a thing, gaily is a sharper, brighter word than just 'happily.' Try it, and hear the difference.

The children sang gaily as they walked to the park.

Benny's word

adverb

Fondly. Another of my adverbs, and a warm one. Fondly means in a loving, caring way, the way you do something for someone you love: she smiles fondly at the baby, he pats the old dog fondly, we remember our grandma fondly. It tells you the doing is full of care. Here is your coach's tip: when the feeling behind an action is love, fondly says it in one small, precise word. Reach for it, and your writing gets warmer.

She looked fondly at the old, worn teddy bear.