Summer has a smell, feel, and taste which are all too delicious for an eight-year-old to savor in silence. Ms. Buttiglieri and Ms. Wenning’s third-grade class at Bradford Elementary in Montclair, NJ was bursting at the seams, half-crazed—they needed an outlet that didn’t involve screaming. Paige Kennedy-Piehl stepped in a la Mary Poppins style and worked with the children in small groups to get them to think critically about writing a Six-Word Memoir. We reaped the (adorable) rewards and the teachers got to keep their sanity on the home stretch into sweet, sweet summertime. These six-worders from eight- and nine-year-olds are the perfect start to July. Here are some of our favorites:

“Running for the ice-cream truck outside.” – Charlie Miller, 9

“My life is a good life.” – Jacob Rich, 9

“I am a dreamer of adventures.” – Woody Montilus, 8

“I am myself in many ways.” – Chloe Bollinger, 8

“I am growing I am learning.” – Margaret Lemma, 9

“Loving Mommy makes me very happy.” – Meikel Hudson, 9

“Eating pizza, swinging high, summer’s best.” -Michael Fox, 9

“I like to do art always.” – Cameron Cannara, 8

“Summer is for swimming and laughing.” – Kyle Lanson, 9

“I like to draw stick figures.” – Jake Skorzewski, 8

“I am myself, every year and day.” – Maggie Brown, 8