On a recent book tour stop in Palo Alto, we received one of the most memorable gifts: not a ceramic animal, cupcakes, or stickers for Clara, but a thin stack of stapled paper that felt completely handmade and full of personality.
Inside was a note from Jacqueline, a teacher and longtime blog reader, explaining that she had asked her students to freewrite about their dream homes. She sent their short pieces as a gift so we could enjoy what children imagine when asked what makes a house comfortable, fun, and exciting to live in. The pages were charming, inventive, and often downright hilarious.
The collection included about a dozen entries. Some students sketched out precise layouts, square footage, and acres of land, while others focused on color schemes, decorations, and fantastical inhabitants. The contrast between practical detail and wild imagination made for a delightful read. Below are a few of the images we received from the packet:
The students’ ideas ranged from the practical to the fantastical. Some entries described exact dimensions and acreage, reflecting an early interest in planning and scale. Others prioritized color palettes, flowers, and the mood a home creates. And several leaned into pure fantasy—rooms made of candy, mystical creatures as housemates, and imaginative defenses like laser turrets.
Here are some of our favorite lines from the students’ freewrites. They capture how children blend reality and fantasy when designing a place that feels like home:
- There’s laser turrets and mini guns… also rocket launchers on every floor.
- My future, but mythical house, would look ordinary on the outside but mysterious inside.
- There would be a room made of candy. And there would be a room where griffins and mermaids would be.
- It sits on a 90 acre area with a 12 acre lake for fishing with friends. It also has a 40 acre golfing course. My house is 999,999 square feet.
- My house would be a cottage. The outside walls would be white, like a glowing sort of white. The window sills lined with “two-lips” and pansies.
- My door is made of wood just like the stables. The handle looks like it’s made of gold, though it isn’t.
- There are thirteen rooms, five restrooms, two living rooms, two hot tubs, two swimming pools and there are three water beds in each room and it’s so awesome. The end. Thank you for listening.
Reading these pages was a reminder of why children’s writing is so valuable: it gives adults a direct window into what feels important and exciting to young people. Details like garden flowers, golden door handles, and delightfully specific room counts tell us as much about personality and priorities as they do about storytelling skill.
The packet was both a thoughtful gift and a celebration of creativity. It highlighted how a simple classroom exercise—freewriting about a dream home—can produce work that is touching, funny, and imaginative all at once. We appreciated the clear enthusiasm and originality in each contribution.
A heartfelt thank-you to Jacqueline for organizing this project and for sending it along. And thanks to the students who contributed their ideas: Tori, Jaxon, Lauren, Brayden, Axel, Olivia, Stevie, Shane, Colette, Sammy, and the unnamed entry. Their voices made our Palo Alto stop especially memorable and left us smiling well after the event.