Okay, class, are you ready to write? Ready your pencils. 3-2-1... Wait, is your anti-gravity suit on?

This week, my daughter's class took a trip to space -- the space of 826 Seattle, also known as Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company. It's hard to out-odd Archie McPhee, but the Space Supply Company ties together writing workshops and really weird alien gear.

826 Seattle is one of a handful of Dave Eggers' writing-focused facilities in the United States. 826's storefront offers space-themed oddities (San Francisco presents pirate supplies and Brooklyn's offers superhero style) for purchase, along with writing works penned by local students. Store proceeds fund school programs, after-school tutoring and weekend workshops.

My daughter came home with a bound, illustrated book, which her class wrote collectively. And she brought home stories about Space Supply's hilarious merchandise and signage: portable oxygen pockets, black hole starter kits, near-death rays (great for crunchy Seattle families), and documentation on zero-gravity woes (Jackson Pollock has a hard time, apparently).

Even little kids can enjoy the Space Supply's atomic teleporter, dried space foods, hanging planets and clear glass bins of tiny toys.

826 offers free writing classes on the weekends for kids between the ages of 8 and 18; and fee-based workshops for adults about once a month. Check out their workshop schedule here (http://www.826seattle.org/) and don't forget to view their YouTube channel, which features student-made videos.

Best of all, the field trip to 826 Greenwood made writing seem funny, interesting and cool to my daughter: A tough act if mom is a writer. Thanks, 826!

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