My children don’t typically jump for joy when given a writing assignment. Do yours? I’ve found several ways over the years to take writing from dreaded to enjoyable in our home, though. One of the most beloved of those ideas is writing newsletters. Several years ago, I wrote the monthly newsletter for our church. I…
I {heart} picture books for so many reasons. One giant reason is their ability to teach so many in depth concepts in such non-intimidating ways that students often don’t see fear in the lessons that follow. One such example is writing. I can’t tell you the times I’ve been asked by homeschooling parents to tutor…
I’ve been sharing a little series of posts about how to use living literature to teach writing – specifically, narratives and persuasive pieces. In this post, I’m focusing less on a particular style of writing and more on writing with style – otherwise known as literary techniques. No matter the age of your children, you…
What is Narration? The art of retelling. Anything can be retold – poems, verses, fables, stories, ideas from textbooks, recipes, directions… Why Narration? Oh, so many reasons! Builds short term memory and working memory. Builds auditory memory. Develops the skills of attention and observation of details. Builds comprehension. Builds vocabulary. Develops the pre-writing skills of…
(I received this course for free in exchange for an honest review, and I was compensated for my time. This post contains affiliate links.) Don’t Be Afraid of High School Writing I have a secret to share. I hate to teach writing. Yep, really. I like when my children are good writers, but I don’t…
Check out what Jimmie of Jimmie’s Collage and Notebooking Fairy has written! What a gem it is! This post contains affiliate links. Read my entire disclosure policy here. Clear. Concise. Full of practical ideas. Easy to implement. Very motivating! Those are phrases that perfectly describe Notebooking Success by my blogging friend, Jimmie. I’m not new…
Children of the 21st century simply must be knowledgeable about and capable with computers. Besides typing programs and internet research, I like to assign occasional projects that are computer-based. I thought you might like to see the most recent projects… Writing is something that Caleb does NOT like. But, when the writing is (at least…
Eli wrote his very first story a few weeks ago called The Lonely P. I thought I’d post it for my new friends Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar, authors of WriteShop. They were our wonderful, WONDERFUL booth neighbors at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last week. They are such sweet mentors! Be sure to check out…
Lewis and Clark kept wonderfully detailed journals as they charted unknown American territory in the early 1800’s. Their journals included everything from a daily diary of events to sketches and descriptions of new plants and animals along the way to maps of the land around them. To help my children understand the scope of what…
Remember the Field Trip Journals? We’re still using them this year and I couldn’t be happier with them. They are proving to make great writing assignments, and I’m finding the kids absolutely love looking through them for the memories. I love to watch the kids sort through brochures, ticket stubs and pictures trying to decide what to include and how…
Here’s the latest edition of the Westward Gazette.