Brave Writer News: April 2026

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Engage with Nature: Week 3

Engage with Nature Week 3

Have you been surveying your neighborhood for flowers in bloom? Or watching birds from a cozy spot by the window?

Nature sure likes to show off in spring! That makes it a great season to hop into nature study, one of the Brave Writer Lifestyle elements.

To encourage you to add or maintain nature study routines, we created twenty simple prompts to help you and yours engage with nature.

Each Friday in April we’re sharing five simple ideas.

Pick one to do the following week, then let us know what you did by sharing on Instagram (tag us: @bravewriterofficial).

Ideas for Week 3

  • Build a fairy house at the base of a tree with items like twigs, leaves, rocks, and flowers.
  • Pretend you are a bird: What color would you be? Feather design? Big or small?
  • Draw nature finds.
  • Turn over rocks and see what’s underneath (turn them back gently). 
  • Hug a tree—and while you’re at it, examine the bark.

See Other Ideas Here

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[Podcast #336] Do You Suffer From an Adventure Deficit?

Brave Writer Podcast

What if the crankiness in your homeschool isn’t a behavior problem at all, but an adventure deficit? 

In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we explore how too much routine can flatten a family’s energy and how a little surprise, novelty, and wonder can bring learning back to life. We share simple ways to add adventure at home, outside, in literature, in language, and even on rainy days, plus ideas for building an “adventure list” before you need one.

Along the way, we talk about wonder walls, theater games, jump rope, gardening, punctuation, and the hilarious flow chart that asks the all-important question: “But did you die?” Listen in, then come share your own adventure ideas with us.

Show Notes

When Homeschooling Needs More Adventure

For many of us, learning was shaped by routine: sit down, do the assignment, finish the lesson, move on. There is comfort in rhythm, and children do benefit from knowing what to expect.

But routine is only part of a healthy learning life.

Children also need surprise. They need mystery, movement, novelty, and the feeling that something interesting might happen. They need moments that wake them up to the world again. When those moments disappear, homeschool can start to feel flat, even when everything is technically going fine.

That shift matters more than we sometimes realize.

Adventure is already part of learning

One of the gifts of homeschooling is that we are not limited to a classroom schedule or a narrow idea of what counts as education. Learning can happen in the kitchen, in the backyard, on a walk, during a thunderstorm, or while trying something that feels just a little unexpected.

A child pouring milk onto a plate and watching colors spread through it is learning. A child planting seeds in a clear cup and checking daily for roots is learning. A child jumping rope, making a paper chain of activities, or comparing old cartoons to modern ones is learning too.

These moments may not look like formal lessons, but they are full of attention, memory, and connection. They ask something of the child. They invite participation. They make room for wonder.

When we notice that, we begin to see adventure not as a break from learning, but as one of the ways learning comes alive.

Make room for surprise and discovery

Children understand more deeply when they are engaged by something real. Sometimes that means touching, making, testing, building, or observing. Sometimes it simply means doing something different enough to restore energy.

That might look like drawing with washable markers on bathtub walls, going outside in the rain with boots and buckets, using wet sidewalk chalk, or visiting a part of town you have never explored before. It might mean acting out a fable, recording a silly voiceover for the family pet, baking something special on a rainy afternoon, or turning a question into an experiment.

The point is not to invent elaborate activities every day. It is to notice when the atmosphere needs fresh air.

Children often show us when that moment has arrived. The clues are familiar: glazed eyes, bickering, fidgeting, sudden irritability, resistance to every small task. We may assume we are dealing with bad attitudes or lack of discipline. Sometimes we are simply seeing what happens when a family needs a little more adventure.

Wonder matters as much as structure

Of course, children need rhythm. Family life cannot run on novelty alone. Routines help us return to what matters, and many parts of learning do require consistency, repetition, and follow-through.

But structure works best when it supports life rather than flattening it.

Adventure brings back the sense that learning is connected to the real world. It invites children to ask questions, take risks, notice details, and stay open to what they do not yet know. A good question can do as much as a good lesson. A surprising moment can open more than an explanation.

This is why it helps to collect ideas before you need them. An adventure list, a jar of activity slips, or a wall of questions can give you somewhere to turn when the mood in your homeschool begins to sag. You do not have to create magic on demand. You can prepare for it.

Create an environment that welcomes curiosity

Sometimes the activity itself is simple, but the invitation makes the difference.

A candle at the table. A tray of face paint. A stack of Post-it notes for questions. A jump rope on the porch. A new walking route. A bowl of art supplies. A family challenge to notice something strange, beautiful, or unexplained.

These small choices shift the emotional atmosphere. They tell children that learning is not only about finishing. It is also about exploring.

We do not need to make every day dramatic. But we can make room for enchantment.

Help children experience learning as a living thing

What we want is bigger than cooperation. We want children who are alert to the world, willing to wonder, and able to follow a question into deeper understanding. We want them to know that learning is not confined to books and assignments. It lives in observation, experimentation, conversation, creativity, and play.

When we nurture adventure, we are doing more than adding fun to the week. We are helping our children reconnect with energy, curiosity, and delight.

Homeschool does not always need a new curriculum.

Sometimes it needs a question, a rainy walk, a kitchen experiment, a theater game, a jump rope, a wall of questions, or a child who wants to know what will happen if.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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Practice Pages!

Brave Writer Practice Pages

Why We Created Practice Pages

Do you sometimes wonder whether or not your kids will ever catch on?

It can be maddening to remind your child to USE CAPITAL LETTERS only to see a sea of lowercase letters starting every sentence.

You might be wondering if your child’s brain is more like a spaghetti strainer than a storage unit for important facts and information!

What if we told you that your child could reshape their brain for success—simply by practicing? It’s true!

Neuroscientists say that “cells that fire together wire together.”

Every time your child engages in focused learning, they’re strengthening neural pathways that make mastering skills easier and more intuitive.

But there’s more!

Did you know that repetition aids in moving memories from short-term to long-term storage?

This means the more your child practices, the more lasting their knowledge becomes. And while they’re catching those Z’s, sleep is busy reinforcing these neural connections, so they’re even smarter the next day!

Sleep is our favorite hack for retaining what you learn in practice!

Brave Writer’s Practice Pages are designed to help your child tap into this incredible brain power. It’s all about deliberate practice—engaging, goal-oriented activities that turn weaknesses into strengths and challenges into achievements. 

The pages are short, doable, and actually work to help kids ages 8–14 finally unlock those tricky grammar and punctuation puzzles and make the concepts stick. 

Practice Pages

Each set gives you:

  • An engaging explanation of the tricky concept
  • Passages from classic children’s literature
  • Dictation exercises that help the concepts stick
  • Practice and progress that build confidence 

The best part? Buy them in a batch and SAVE!

Batch One

Batch Two

Batch Three

Our BIG BATCH includes ALL 12! 

Buy once and use for all your kids!

Here’s to fewer headaches and more aha! moments.

Brave Writer

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Story Delight Starts Here

Brave Writer

Add a dash of enchantment to your homeschool!

You’ll need: 

  • One child who enjoys surprises (add more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons of imagination
  • 1 heaping pinch of curiosity

Instructions:

Mix gently with a whimsical writing coach. Stir in a swirl of wonder. Flip your fables, trade places with daring dragons, and wander into wild, wondrous worlds—then watch the magic manifest.

Serves:

Dreamers, doodlers, and storytellers of all kinds.

Out of an ingredient? Rusty on technique? 

We’ve got a hack for that!

Step into the Story Switcheroo kitchen to whisk and stir with a seasoned chef (a.k.a. writing coach) by your side. 

Brave Writer Online Classes

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[Podcast #335] How to Build Mathematical Imagination Through Everyday Life, Play, and Curiosity

Brave Writer Podcast

What if math felt less like drudgery and more like discovery? 

In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we explore “mathematical imagination” and the many ways math is already alive in everyday family life. We talk about counting, measuring, predicting, sports, video games, art, nature, and how curiosity can turn numbers into something meaningful.

We also share practical ways to make formal math time more inviting, from manipulatives and mystery-based activities to math tea times and even bubblegum math. If you’ve ever wanted to help your child experience math as a language for describing the world, this conversation is for you. 

Tune in, then come tell us what math looks like in your home.

Show Notes

For many of us, math was taught as a subject of procedures: memorize the facts, follow the steps, get the answer. It often felt detached from daily life, as though numbers only mattered on worksheets and tests.

But math is far more alive than that.

Math is one of the ways we describe the world. It helps us make sense of time, quantity, distance, proportion, patterns, and change. When we begin to see it that way, math becomes less about performance and more about perception. It becomes a way of noticing.

That shift can change everything for our kids.

Math is already happening

One of the gifts of homeschooling is that we are not limited to a single hour of “math time.” We live with math all day long. We check the clock. We divide food fairly. We estimate how long something will take. We compare measurements, track the weather, count steps, budget money, and notice patterns in nature.

Children encounter mathematical ideas long before they can explain them formally. A young child counting toes, sorting objects, or asking whether thumbs are fingers is already exploring categories, quantity, and comparison. A child measuring sunflower growth or guessing how many windows are in the house is practicing estimation and observation. These are not distractions from math. They are the beginning of it.

When we treat these moments as meaningful, we help our children build a relationship with math that starts in curiosity rather than anxiety.

Make math tangible and relevant

Children understand ideas more deeply when they can touch them, test them, and connect them to something they care about.

That might look like using edible manipulatives for multiplication, baking to explore fractions and measurement, or weighing ingredients on a kitchen scale. It might look like comparing Fahrenheit and Celsius, noticing patterns in flower petals, or graphing how many leaves fall from a tree over the course of a week.

It may also show up in places we do not immediately recognize as academic. A child playing Minecraft may be calculating resource efficiency. A child managing a farm simulation game may be comparing rates of return. A sports-loving child may already understand scoring systems, percentages, and statistical comparisons better than we realize.

The point is not to force a lesson onto every interest. It is to notice where math already matters and help our children make that connection consciously.

Wonder matters as much as practice

Of course, children do need practice. Some parts of math require repetition, concentration, and patience. Not every lesson will feel magical.

But understanding grows best when it is supported by meaning.

When children can see what math is for, the formal work begins to make more sense. The symbols are no longer floating in space. They are attached to real experiences, real questions, and real discoveries.

This is why prediction, mystery, and surprise can be so powerful. Estimating how many beans are in a jar, wondering whether your wingspan matches your height, or mapping the solar system across your neighborhood invites children into math through fascination. They want to know the answer because the question belongs to them.

That is a very different posture than simply finishing a page.

Create an environment that invites attention

Sometimes the activity itself is hard. When that happens, we can still make the experience more welcoming.

A special snack, a candle, a clipboard, a favorite seat by the window, a cup of tea, a small ritual before beginning. These quiet choices can transform the emotional atmosphere around math. Children are more willing to stay with challenging work when the environment feels calm, personal, and pleasant.

We do not need to make every lesson entertaining. But we can make room for comfort, dignity, and delight.

Help children see the world mathematically

What we want is bigger than correct answers. We want children to notice patterns, ask questions, compare systems, make predictions, and understand relationships. We want them to see that math is not a disconnected school subject but one of the tools humans use to interpret reality.

When we nurture mathematical imagination, we are doing more than teaching arithmetic. We are helping our children become more observant, more thoughtful, and more confident in the face of complexity.

Math does not have to begin with a workbook.

It can begin with a question, a game, a measuring tape, a recipe, a sky full of stars, or a child who wants to know why.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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Instead of busy, what if life were FULL?

Brave Writer

Every so often, we’ll give you a peek into Brave Learner Home, our supportive online community. Today’s post features an encouraging message by Dawn Smith (President of Brave Writer) that she recently shared.

There’s a word I used to catch myself mindlessly saying, and I hear it everywhere. Someone asks how life is going, and out comes: “Busy.” It just slips right out. But when my kids were still quite young, I started using a different word, and it changed something for me.

Busy or FULL?

There’s something about the idea of fullness that shifted my perspective.

  • A full day of exploring nature with my kids.
  • A full pantry and a table filled with good food.
  • A house full of experiments, innovation, and learning.

It’s the same mound of laundry growing with each muddy nature walk, the same need to feed endlessly hungry mouths, and the same pile of cardboard, tape, and markers scattered all over the floor, but full days feel like something to cherish, rather than something to endure.

As you lean into this season, I encourage you to look for the fullness in your days. When you reflect on your homeschool year this way, even assessment shifts. Instead of something to get through, it becomes a reflection on everything that filled your days. It’s a chance to see what your family actually did, what your kids learned, and what surprised you.

That’s not a daunting task to endure. That’s a gift to cherish.

Brave Learner Home

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