Archive for March, 2015

Freewriting: How it’s done!

FreewritingBrave Writer mom Misty writes:

My 11 yo daughter, Maya, just completed the Friday Freewrite idea on the blog [Explore the same event from two different points of view! Describe a hide and seek game from the perspective of the one who hides then from the one who seeks].

Here is her first draft:

She ran upstairs and tried to hide. She ran into every room, every closet. But it wasn’t good enough, until she found this little crevice in the wall that could hide her.

She counted impatiently with her nose in the corner. She finally got to a hundred. She searched the whole house like the FBI. In the living room. Not there. In the kitchen. Not there. In Mom and Dad’s room. Not there. Well where could she be? Finally she went upstairs and looked in every closet. But in this one particular closet, she walked in, and something tackled her! She screamed, “Mwwaaa!” Wait a minute, that was no monster, that was her friend.

Thanks!
Misty

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

Image (cc)

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Poetry Teatime: A frugal Poetry Tea

A frugal poetry teatime

A dear friend introduced us to Brave Writer and I recently purchased Jot It Down and a few back issues of the Arrow to use in our homeschool learning from the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op.

I am addicted to books and when I was thrift store book shopping (a favorite Sunday activity of mine) and stumbled upon 8 scholastic poetry books in perfect condition I was thrilled! I also love a good deal! Last month on hip2save.com I also saw a post for free tea samples AND a recipe for Nutella crescent rolls. This was more than a sign, so today we had our “frugal” Tuesday Poetry Teatime.

What a treat! I enjoyed my tea samples and the boys enjoyed some warm apple cider. The boys made the Nutella crescent rolls with little help and they were delicious!

My two boys (ages 7 & 5) had a fabulous time and loved using Mom & Dad’s wedding china in our formal dining room. Not only did we enjoy poetry we were able to talk about table manners, family traditions and etiquette.

We are looking forward to trying our first Arrow issue!

Thank you! Saree

Images (cc)

Visit our Poetry Teatime website!

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Spring Class Registration is OPEN!

Brave Writer Spring Class Registration 2015

REGISTER TODAY!

What makes Brave Writer classes awesome:

  • Your kids will be writing in the company of other young writers!
  • Feedback is not only about “accuracy,” but about writing voice–finding and fostering the child’s natural self-expression while expanding it and enhancing it!
  • Relationship-building instruction. We are as much about fostering a healthy, reciprocal, respectful relationship between child and parent as we are about teaching writing.
  • Our classes are a deep-dive for 3-6 weeks, and then you all get to take a good long break before writing again.
  • Instruction is directed to parents, not just kids! We want to help you be the effective writing coach and ally your kids need, and the sort you want to become!
  • You can sign into the classroom any time of day from anywhere in the world and not miss a lick of class! All instruction is asynchronous while taught by a real instructor.
  • Our teaching staff are published writers and home educators–they know the dynamics of teaching their own kids to write, which is one reason they are so helpful!

Spring Class Schedule!

Classes are listed alphabetically. Click on the titles for more info.

Expository Essay
Instructors: Samantha Burtner, Jean Hall

March 30 – May 8, 2015 (Burtner)
May 4 – June 12, 2015 (Hall)
(6 weeks)
13-18 years old
$249.00 per student

High School Writing Projects
Instructor: Christine Gable

May 4 – May 29, 2015
(4 weeks)
High School
$199.00 per student

Kidswrite Basic
Instructors: Deb Bell, Lora Fanning, Kirsten Merryman

March 30 – May 8, 2015 (Bell)
April 6 – May 15, 2015 (Fanning)
April 13 – May 22, 2015 (Merryman)
May 11 – June 19, 2015 (Bell)
(6 weeks)
Identical sessions; pick only one
8-14 years old (with parent support); 15-18 years old remedial
$199.00 for the first child; $99.00 for each add’l child

Kidswrite Intermediate
Instructors: Jean Hall, Lucy Olson

March 9 – April 17, 2015 (Hall)
April 20 – May 29, 2015 (Olson)
(6 weeks)
High School
$229.00 per student

Literary Analysis: Shakespeare (Twelfth Night)
Instructor: Susanne Barrett

May 18 – June 12, 2015
(4 weeks) High School
$219.00 per student

Movie Discussion Club: Sherlocked!
Instructor: Nancy Graham

April 27 – May 22, 2015
(4 weeks)
Family Class (all kids enrolled for one price)
$199.00 per family

Nature Journaling
Instructor: Christine Gable

April 6 – May 1, 2015
(4 weeks)
Family Class (all kids enrolled for one price)
$219.00 per family

Passion for Fiction
Instructor: Nancy Graham

March 23 – April 17, 2015
(4 weeks)
High School
$199.00 per student

Photography and Writing
Instructor: Nicole Rae

May 4 – May 29, 2015
(4 weeks)
High School
$199.00 per student

SAT/ACT Essay Prep
Instructor: Jean Hall

May 4 – May 29, 2015
(4 weeks)
10th – 12th grades
$229.00 per student

Shakespeare Family Workshop
Instructor: Susanne Barrett

April 13 – May 15, 2015
(5 weeks)
Family Class (all kids enrolled for one price)
$199.00 per family

Write for Fun 1
Instructor: Karen O’Connor

April 6 – April 24, 2015
(4 weeks)
10 – 14 year olds
$149.00 per student

Write for Fun 2
Instructor: Lora Fanning

May 11 – May 29, 2015
(4 weeks)
10 – 14 year olds (Write for Fun I not a pre-requisite)
$149.00 per student

Winter Classes Still Available

Just So Stories
Instructor: Kirsten Merryman

March 2 – March 27, 2015
(4 weeks)
Family Class: 9-14 years old (with parental support)
$199.00 per family

Literary Analysis: Rebecca
Instructor: Susanne Barrett, MA British Literature

March 2 – March 27, 2015
(4 weeks) High School
$219.00 per student

Middle School Writing Projects
Instructor: Christine Gable

March 9 – April 3, 2015
(4 weeks) 10 – 14 years old
$199.00 per student

UPDATE! New session added: Just So Stories May 18-June 12.

SIGN UP NOW!

Image by Brave Writer mom Joanna (cc)

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Blog Roundup: March 2015 Edition

Brave Writer Blog Roundup
Welcome to the latest blog roundup! See how other homeschooling families practice the Brave Writer Lifestyle.

Using Copywork to Teach Grammar and Spelling

I could have entitled this post “oh, so that’s how you do Copywork!” – Maybe I’m just slow on the uptake and this is going to be old news to most; it was, however, a bit of a revelation to me when I discovered how copywork could be used as an effective means to teach not just spelling but also grammar, punctuation and the literary elements of writing. I also picked up some great tips on how to make it work for a struggling reader and writer. ~A Pilgrim’s Heart

Brave Writer Review

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

I have an enthusiastic writer and a reluctant writer and I really want to encourage both of them in their individual learning journeys.

I chanced upon Brave Writer when I was in search of some inspiration to help me teach my kids how to write. What I found was not a curriculum but an approach to writing that started to help me formulate a clearer view of what I wanted for my kids. ~A Pilgrim’s Heart

Brave Writer – Our Family Diary

Daily blog posts about one family’s journey:

This is a personal record of our daily brave writing. I thought it would be helpful for others to see a family venture into this wonderful program for the first time. ~Shauna, Eco Educational

Living Learning Lists

If home educators applied a Brave Writer Lifestyle to other subjects:

I am a long-time fan of the Bravewriter Lifestyle List. I love the ideas in it and how an entire language arts experience can be built on a few rich, real-life routines.

I have often thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to have a list like that for all the subjects? What if instead of following a curriculum all the time, there was a way to help worried moms spread a feast of learning ideas in the home — in addition to using a curriculum or in place of using it. ~Pam at edShapshots

The Storybook Village

An example of narrating through creating storybook villages:

When we built our storybook village back in 2011, I had no idea it would grow to become one of our favorite winter traditions. Camille was 4 or 5 at the time and it was a fun way to create spaces those characters who dominated her imagination and lived in books that had to be read again and again. Each year we pull out the village and Camille adds new elements…new literary neighbors, snow men, trees, etc. ~Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish

Image by Brave Writer mom, Carmen (tinted, text added)

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