Racing Robot Reader

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Have a reluctant reader who might appreciate good race? This simple project will get them raring to read letters and words with the assistance of their own personal reading robot! Built out of things in your home or office, it’s low tech, but high levels of F-U-N!

You’ll need:

  • 1 paper cup
  • 1 small ball
  • 1 piece of tin foil or sparkle stem
  • Pens or markers
  • Post-it notes

Flip the cup upside down, then decorate your robot with markers (we went a little fancy with silver circular file labels and eye stickers). Add tin foil or sparkle stem antennae. When you’re finished designing, place your robot cup on top of a ball. We used a squishy foam ball, but a tennis ball works great too!

Next, write alphabet letters on Post-it notes and stick them to a tabletop. Have the reader and their robot sit on the opposite side of the table. As you call out the letter, they can slide and release their robot towards the proper Post-it!

There are plenty of variations on this game. The robots can read single letters, words, finish sentences, and seek out synonyms. They’re also multilingual if you’re trying to learn a new language. Or you can go multiplayer and race other robots in a full scale demolition derby!

It’s Time for our Annual Writing Contest!

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It’s here! And it’s our 15TH YEAR! We challenge you to write a short, 350-word story that includes the sentence “The sound was impossible to ignore.” (just 344 words left to go!). Winning stories will be illustrated and published on Pop Goes the Page. Additionally, winning authors will enjoy an online $50 shopping spree.

Open to ages 9-16

This contest is a celebration of writing and personal voice. Your wonderful imagination and efforts should be treasured and lauded. Therefore, we will not accept any submissions in which AI is used in any way, shape, or form. By entering this contest, you acknowledge that the writing is yours and yours alone. Thank you!

350 for 50 Contest Submission Requirements

  • Stories must be no longer than 350 words, and MUST include the sentence, “The sound was impossible to ignore.”
  • The sentence MUST stand alone in the story (not be a part of another sentence).
  • Submissions are accepted in e-mail text fields ONLY please. Attachments or files shares will NOT be accepted. No Google docs!
  • One submission per author, please. E-mail to: cotsenevents@princeton.edu
  • One winner will be selected from each of our four age categories (ages 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16).
  • The following MUST be included with your submission: Your name and age (as of April 11, 2025).
  • Your name, age, and story title are not included in the 350 word count.
  • No submissions in verse or in graphic novel format, please.
  • Literary shopping spree is limited to books and writing materials.
  • Winners will be notified via e-mail on April 28, 2025 and posted here.

Contest submissions are due by 3:00pm on Friday, April 11, 2025

Of Squirrels and Sweaters

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Spring might just be around the corner, but there’s still time to bust out a cozy, super snazzy sweater. Especially if you’re a squirrel with a celebration to get to!

We read Squirrel’s Sweater, written by Laura Renauld and illustrated by Jennie Poh (Beaming Books, 2021). Squirrel is excited about the Winter Warmup party, but when she puts on her favorite sweater (knitted by Granny Gray) it’s considerably smaller and tighter then the previous winter. She asks her friends for help, but despite their best intentions, the sweater gets ripped and unraveled. Clever Squirrel has a solution though, upcycling the sweater materials to make a lovely, huggable heart pillow.

You’ll need:

  • 1 large tissue box
  • Construction paper
  • Red felt
  • Cotton stuffing
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating
  • Hot glue

Our project is very simple! Use brown construction paper to cover a large tissue box, then add a tail, ears, and feet. Use another color construction paper (we went with red) to create a sweater for your squirrel, then add two arms that circle around the front of the squirrel like so:

To make the squirrel’s sweater extra dynamic, we offered a variety of colorful fabric squares for texture. We also attached wiggle eyes and a self-adhesive foam nose, but those are just as easy to draw on with markers.

We absolutely loved the sweet pillow in the book (and there are instructions for making your very own “no sew” pillow at the end of the book – awesome!). To create a mini pillow, glue two felt hearts together, then stuff them with cotton. Top off the look with an (optional) ribbon bow.

The heart pillow slides right into squirrel’s arms for a sweet hug, just like the story! Aww!