Tennessee tea
Julie –
Greetings from middle Tennessee. Our family stumbled onto the Bravewriter website about a year and a half ago, and we have been implementing activities from the Bravewriter Lifestyle since then. Although narration, dictation and copy work have always been a part of our normal lifestyle, other items such as the Friday Freewrite (dubbed the Fantastic Freewrite here as it’s not always done on Fridays), Tuesday Teatime, Jot-It-Down, and some of your language games have greatly enhanced our lifestyle of learning.
I wanted to share how much we have enjoyed teatime in our home. My three boys (ages 11, 8 and nearly 6) enthusiastically look forward to it. I think what has amazed me most is that they love all aspects of it. They love the tea (especially when it’s the good stuff), they love having snacks regardless of what they are comprised of, and they love reading poetry. I have also been surprised that they spend as much time as they do engaged in poetry. They pore over our poetry books, looking for just the right poems to read. My three year old daughter has just recently been “invited†to join us (we used to do them during her nap time) and even she has an opinion as to what she want me to read for her.
I also loved the Project 365 idea and we’ve started implementing that in our home as well. What’s been most fun with that is that the boys are owning it, grabbing the camera when they see something that would be a good “picture of the day.†In case you want to peek at that, our url is:
http://meltathome.photoblog.com
I’m attaching a few pictures from our last tea party. Thanks so much for sharing your heart and sharing your life with us. Your openness has often encouraged me and inspired me.
Warmly,
Tara
P.S. My almost six year old Nathan just came in an snapped a picture of me as I was writing this. He’s totally on board. And…he’s my most free spirited – his jot-it-downs are often hilarious. Just have to share this one. Last Thanksgiving we were delivering food one morning to some needy families. As we drove past a graveyard he asked me what it was. I told him it was a place where they bury people who have died. He looked a bit confused, and then said, “Mom, why did they all die RIGHT THERE?†Heee heee. Gotta love the perspective of a five year old. 🙂
Thanks again!
Hi Julie,
I looked for a place to comment on your blog rather than this post.
Anyway, your blog came up often in a technorati search for House of Literature, so I thought you would be interested in my post on the Paros House of Literature.
I am trying to get the information to as many writers as possible. So please pass it along.
Cheers,
We started Project 365 at Julie’s behest, too. Even in the 6 weeks we’ve been doing it, it’s remarkable to look back and not only see what we’ve done, but also how family members change in that short time as well.
Teatimes are new for us, but yesterday we invited another family to join us, and they did so with more enthusiasm that I could have imagined! Four of the five children WROTE poems to share with us, and the oldest daughter recited one of Australia’s most beloved poems, “Clancy of the Overflow” by one of our most revered poets, Banjo Patterson. Then the mum blessed our socks off – she had also written a poem, and hers told how joyful she always is when she comes to our home, and her hope that Tuesday Teatimes with us will be recurrent events. Another two boys, who needed an hour’s care, turned up in the middle of our Teatime, but knowing what we were up to, they brought along their favourite poetry book too, and joined in the fun.
Julie, you’re full of brilliant ideas!