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Five Language Arts 'Sponges' by La Donna Ourada

1. HINK PINKS

   This activity is called "Hink Pink" or "Hinky Pinky" or "Hinkety Pinkety" or "Hitinkety Pitinkety." The explanation of the different names is part of the game.

   Hink pinks are one-syllable words that rhyme. You write down the "definition" and the kids come up with the hink pinks. For example, if the clue is "a large feline," the hink pink is "fat cat."

   Hinky Pinkies are two-syllable words that rhyme. For example, "the salve given to Jason by Medea to protect him from the bulls" is a "lotion potion."

   Hinkety Pinketies have three syllables (e.g., "when military boats have a race" = "armada regatta"), and Hitinkety Pitinketys have four syllables.

   This activity is fun to use as a vocabulary builder, especially with many syllables, or as content review. Kids will also enjoy coming up with the clues and trying to fool you or others.

   Following are some sample Hink Pinks:

   • a party at a convent = nun fun
   • a married rodent = mouse spouse
   • an earthquake on a Sunday morning = church lurch
   • a "hip" monster = cool ghoul
   • what lawyers feel when they lose = brief grief

   How about some Hinky Pinkies?

   • a bull who sings ballads has a = mellow bellow
   • theft of prime cut beef = sirloin purloin
   • sibling of a skin blemish = sister blister
   • the highest plastic container = upper tupper
   • a magical grasshopper = hocus locust
   • a magical woman who milks cows = dairy fairy
   • an airplane at greater elevation than the others = higher flier
   • a rabbit with a sense of humor = funny bunny
   • a young cat in love = smitten kitten
   • why the child was scared of the storm = frightening lightning
   • a fruit that needs a shave = hairy berry
   • an anxious snake = hyper viper
   • a tired flower = lazy daisy
   • a big hill that spits out water = fountain mountain
   • a more intelligent boxer = brighter fighter

   Ready for some Hinkety Pinketies?

   • a place where the national leader lives = president's residence
   • a disturbance during a church service = devotion commotion
   • history of spectacles = monocle chronicle
   • two drums conversing with each other at a jazz concert = percussion discussion
   • a pizza delivery man who needs a shave = hairier carrier
   • stripping paint with snakes = serpentine turpentine
   • attacking someone with false praise = flattery battery
   • a fuzzy UPS man = furrier courier
   • race of sea-faring craft = armada regatta
   • ships crewed by apes = gorilla flotilla

2. MISSING VOWELS

   Write words with missing vowels on the board (see samples below). The goal is to add vowels in an attempt to create the longest word. Students may not rearrange or add consonants but may add vowels before, between, or after consonants. Students may add y only when it functions as a vowel.

   • strt (could be start, street, etc., but the longest word is eight letters, saturate)
   • prdc (could be produce, etc., but the longest word is eight letters, periodic)
   • prn (could be apron, preen, etc., but the longest word is eight letters, paranoia)

   How about trying these?

   • vlt (eight letters)
   • ypcs (nine letters)
   • bts (nine letters)
   • tml (seven letters)
   • chs (eight letters)
   • llt (seven letters)
   • myns (nine letters)
   • spcs (ten letters)
   • rtr (eight letters)
   • cht (seven letters)
   • thns (ten letters)
   • rfld (eight letters)

3. UNSCRAMBLE

   Give students a word ( consternation is good) and have them make as many smaller words as possible, using only the letters in the word. This is an oldie, but it can easily be adapted to content or time of year.

4. STORY STARTER

   Give students a setting, protagonist, goal, barrier, and resolution and have them create short stories. You might want to have them brainstorm a list of settings etc. and keep them on-hand for "filler" time. We did this in a college class. In my story, I had to write about a mall (s), Godzilla (p), find the missing key (g), an asteroid (b), make new friends (r). The activity was a hoot!

5. 'KENNINGS'

   People in ancient England played a word game by putting words together to make what they called "kennings." A whale might become a "proud sea-thrasher," a ship might become a "sea-steed," and a man's sword might be called his "dragon-destroyer."

   Can you figure out these modern-day kennings?

   • gasoline gulper
   • darkness destroyer
   • sleep stopper
   • plastic song-singer
   • finder talk-tapper
   • sun smudge
   • tiny lead-leaver
   • word-eater
   • horsehide bat-bait
   • spinning water-spitter
   • smoldering fire stick

   In my class, we do this activity, then brainstorm some of our own. I use it in context of a story that we are writing -- it is great for sci-fi stories to add some unique words to descriptions of aliens.

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