Create a Caption: Saint Bernard Dogs

Create a Caption: Saint Bernard Dogs

Recently, Scholastic asked some grown-ups to send in photos of their dogs for a special Dog of the Week contest. The sillier or cuter, the better! We loved them so much we thought it would be fun to feature these award-winning dogs in an Ink Splot 26 post dedicated to doggie awesomeness.

Take, for example, this picture of the Chatham Pack:

 Now, that is one COOL dog. If I had to give this photo a caption, it would definitely be this:

“No one on the corner has swagga like us.”

What do you guys think? What caption would you give this picture?  Give us your captions in the Comments! 

Also, out of curiosity: which pups are cuter?

                                  

— En-Szu, STACKS Intern (a.k.a. MidnightMagic5)

More Funny Olympic Athletes Photos

I have been having so much fun watching the Olympics all week! Like last week, I captured some of my favorite moments to share with you, dear STACKERS, and included my official and very serious captions, because the Olympic Games are all about serious competition and intense rivalry.

Writing Prompt: Olympics Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games will be titled "A Symphony of British Music." While the details of the August 12th spectacle are still being kept super-secret, the organizers have said that they "will work with some of the country's most globally successful musicians, along with some of the industry's stars of tomorrow." There are TONS of rumors flying around – One Direction? Jessie J? QUEEN?

Sounds AWESOME!

Personally, I would be excited to see the John Lennon tribute and Take That's performance of "Rule the World," my favorite song of all time (I really hope The Wanted make an appearance, too; I'm a huge fan)! Darcy Bussell, the famous British ballerina, will be dancing with 300 other members of the Royal Ballet in a grand performance while the Olympic torch is put out. I can't wait for that, either!

So, I want to know. What rumors are you hoping are true? More importantly, what's YOUR dream lineup? Would you have a laser light show, flying acrobats, holograms, colored mist, fireworks? Share your Closing Ceremony wishlist in the Comments below!

— En-Szu, STACKS Intern (a.k.a. MidnightMagic5)

Image courtesy London 2012

Olympic Athletes Funny Photos

The Olympics are now underway, and we are eager spectators of every thrilling minute! We've saved some of our favorite photos from the first few days in London. View below the athletes battling for Olympic gold, giving their all in practice and competition. I include the official "serious" captions for each photo, but you can have fun creating your own captions in the Comments.

SPONSORED POST Travel Adventures Essay Contest

This post is sponsored by People to People Ambassador Program.

Calling all 5th to 8th graders! Enter The 39 Clues-inspired creative writing contest for a chance to win a trip to Europe!

Imagine that you're a member of the Cahill family and you're suddenly on the hunt for the 39 Clues! Using this story starter, write a 200-word essay for a chance to win an exciting People to People Ambassador Trip to England and France during the summer of 2013.

Story Starter:
You wake up in a hotel room. You look around you. The room is empty. On the mirror is a note written in thick black marker. It says, “The final clue is just around the corner. Be careful!!” You hear a knock on the door. Your heart is thumping in your chest. You look through the peephole. What happens next?

Enter now! Essays are due December 3, 2012!

Create a Caption: Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are almost upon us!!!!!!!!! Is anyone else as excited as I am? I can barely hold it in!

We thought it would be a great idea to build up our anticipation here at the STACKS by having an Olympics-themed week on Ink Splot 26. The Games begin on Friday, July 27th. We've got all sorts of fun stuff planned until then (with a few surprises), so stay tuned!

To kick things off, let's CREATE A CAPTION! What do you think would be a great caption for the photo of this Olympic Table Tennis player in the heat of a competition? 

Inventions by Kids Writing Prompt

Writing Prompt: Kid Powered Invention

Did you know a 15-year-old boy invented earmuffs back in 1858? Chester Greenwood needed to keep his ears warm during bitter Maine winters, and made 2 ear-shaped loops from wire, and asked his grandmother to sew fur on them. He later patented the design and made a fortune selling them to soldiers during World War I.

There's also a 6-year-old from Singapore, Peh Yong, who invented a cooling umbrella to be used in the hot weather.

And Krysta Morlan, a 10th grader with cerebral palsy, invented a device to relieve irritation while wearing a cast called the Cast Cooler.

These kids all used their hearts and their smarts, and started somewhere! If you could think of any invention to change the world, and make it a better place, what would you invent? Would your invention tackle things like pollution, hunger, poverty, world peace, or diseases? Big or small, this week’s Writing Prompt prompts YOU. Let us know your invention in the Comments below!

— Ratha, Stacks Writer

Writing Prompt: First Sentence

Write Your Own Mystery or Fantasy

Today's Write On Writing Prompt is a great call out to all you aspiring writers. It comes to us from Fulafuj (who has the most awesome Profile Avatar I've ever seen). Fulafuj prompts:

Write your own mystery. Or fantasy. It has to be adventurous.

Since we wouldn't have room to post an entire story, we challenge you to write the first line of your epic mystery or fantasy. There are some great first lines to stories that suck you in. Like . . .

"It was a dark and stormy night." (from A Wrinkle in Time)
Or
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Got a great first line for a mystery or fantasy story? Or if you'd rather, post a summary paragraph for your story idea! Be as creative and crazy as you like. Thanks for the great prompt, Fulafuj!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

Planet Earth Writing Prompt

Today's Writing Prompt comes from DarkAngel314 on the Save the Planet Message Board.

Why do you love the Earth?

There are some beautiful responses like this one from DolphinAqua944.
I love the earth because of all the cool and exotic animals and awesome places.

And this one from ApolloJunior2.
It gives us a place to live. It gives us all kinds of things to learn about. It gives us all kinds of beautiful things to look at. It gives us natural resources. It gives us land to build on and much more, and we never give back to the earth. That's why I love the Earth!

What about you? Why do YOU love the Earth? Tell us in the Comments.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Trivia: Leap Second

Trivia: Leap Second . . . & Leap of Faith!

On February 29, we posted Leap Year Trivia Quiz because 2012 is a Leap Year. Did you also know that 2012 has a Leap Second? A leap second is one second added to clocks worldwide to compensate for the slowing of Earth's rotation.

Believe it or not, there is an International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service, or IERS for short. (Wow! I wonder how I get a job with them?!) They determine when to add a leap second. Since 1972, a total of 24 seconds have been added to the clock. And the next one will be added on the last day of June. So on June 30th, 2012, there will be 86,401 seconds instead of 86,400!

In honor of cosmic leaps, we have some wacky Leap Second Trivia for you. Imagine if there were other things you could leap. For instance . . .

1. Leap Class! What class would you create, if you had to have an extra class in the school day?
2. Leap Grade! Which school grade would you choose to repeat if you had to do it all over again? Or what new school grade would you create to add on?
3. Leap Meal! What meal would you choose or invent if you had to have an extra meal each day?
4. Leap Sibling! Would you pick an extra brother or sister?
5. Leap Birthday! Which birthday party or year would you love to repeat? Or what would you do for your extra birthday this year?
6. Leap Gift! What one extra gift do you wish you could get?
7. Leap Vacation! An extra vacation anywhere in the world – where would you go?
8. Leap of Faith! If you could cure or fix one thing in the world, what would it be?

Let us know your Leap Answers and any other wacky Leap Questions you can think of in the Comments below.

Don't forget there's one extra second on June 30th. Spend it wisely. Myself, I think I’m going to use it to eat an extra Hershey's Kiss . . .

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Million-Dollar Writing Prompt

Million-Dollar Writing Prompt

Today's Write On Writing Prompt comes to us from WhiteBlack7 who challenges us with a question I would looooove to have to answer some day.

What would you do if you were rich?

Maybe you would give money to charity? Or buy lots of new stuff? Bling out your wardrobe? Help your family? Or a specific cause? The sky's the limit. We can always dream!

Give a shout out to WhiteBlack7 in the Comments below with your answer. Inquiring minds want to know!

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Writing Prompt: Book Setting

Writing Prompt: Book Setting

Today's Write On Writing Prompt comes to us from Skyelark Moon who asks an interesting question . . . not which character would you be, but which place would you go?

If you were to go to any place in a book, where would you go? What characters would you like to meet? What would you like to do? Would you go on an adventure the character went on and change the whole plot of the book?

I couldn't decide between Hogwarts (from Harry Potter) and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). In the end, my sweet tooth won out. Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory just seems so fantastical that I wouldn’t be able to resist! I'd love to lick the lickable wallpaper, float along in the chocolate river, and sample sweets to my heart's content.

What about you guys? Let Skyelark Moon know in the Comments below!

— Ratha, STACKS Writer