Author Archive

Homebound Interviews: Homeschooling Support during Confinement

We Can Do It

Rosie the Riveter was an American icon of female strength and our symbol in Brave Writer of what it means to use that strength for good.

I found the lunchbox in the photo above last Christmas in a shop in Columbus OH. What struck me as much as J Howard Miller’s illustration of her were the words at the top: “We can do it!”

We can! In this moment, we’re pulling together to do this remarkable thing—making the choice to social distance in order to protect one another.

To help provide support during this out-of-the-ordinary time I’ve been sharing how to homeschool during the pandemic in the following places:

Remember: We CAN do it! Together.

Brave Writer Podcast

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*NEW* Online Literature Class for Adults

Brave Writer's Adult Literature Class

You’ve been itching for your own grown-up talking time, and we’re ready to chat books with you!

Here’s our NEW online class we know YOU (and your older teens) will love. 

Adult Literature Class: A Room with a View 

by E.M. Forster (July 6 – July 31)

Did you know this is my favorite book of all time? True story!

The goal of this class is to enable parents to participate in a book discussion that explores the vocabulary of literary analysis in a relaxed, pressure-free environment. Parents can learn how to support their teens in reading literature for more than plot.

In Brave Writer, we talk about “Big Juicy Conversations.” This class will be one long delicious conversation about Lucy Honeychurch, Mr. George Emerson, and a cast of memorable characters.

That said, if you have a teen who would love to discuss this fabulous book, by all means sign him or her up! We’re happy to have high school students in this class as well.

You won’t find classes like ours anywhere else, so don’t miss this opportunity to kickstart your child’s writing journey!

Registration Opens June 1, 2020

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Be the Bridge of Warmth and Kindness

Be the Bridge of Warmth and Kindness

“The problem—as I’ve said for years—is that it is hardly ever possible to separate what we think about something from how we feel about it.” ~John Holt

One of my favorite John Holt quotes. I remember being taken with the idea that our feelings provide the ground floor of our relationship to any subject.

I often tell parents who’ve neglected writing, at least they haven’t damaged their writers!

When you want to incite interest, pair the subject with a

  • nurturing,
  • surprising,
  • mysterious, or
  • adventurous context.

Imagine how the subject will feel, not just what information you expect your kids to retain. If you do that, you’re halfway there before you start!

If, however, the subject feels tedious or torturous, it may take a little recovery time.

  • Take a break.
  • Ease into the subject with a game or pair it with treats.
  • Sidle up to your child (not standing over, not across from), and do it together.

Be the bridge of warmth and kindness while your child bravely faces what was previously painful.

You can do it!

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

The Homeschool Alliance

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Engage with Nature: Week 2

Engage with Nature Week 2

Nature Study is an integral part of the Brave Writer Lifestyle.

To encourage you to add or maintain nature study routines in this unusual time, 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 (#bravewriterlifestyle).

Ideas for Week 2

  • Play a bird spotting game (big birds = 3, medium birds = 2, small birds = 1). See if, as a family, you can add up to a target number before the end of the day.
  • Get outside WITH the kids! Yep, this is a BIG motivator!
  • Pick a tree in your neighborhood to watch through the seasons.
  • Read a nature-inspired storybook—wonder as you read.
  • Find and watch nature webcams (search the web to variety—nest cams are popular).

See All the Ideas Here

#bravewriterlifestyle

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2020 Summer Writing Class Schedule

Summer Schedule: Online Writing Classes

“Brave Writer way is a kinder, gentler, much improved way to learn writing…”

Brave Writer has an incredible line up of amazing online writing classes for your families this summer.

Our classes are PERFECT for homeschoolers and “suddenly-at-home” schoolers.

  • 3-6 week commitment at a time. Each class lasts a short enough time frame that you can commit and then take a nice break when it’s over.
  • Asynchronous. You don’t have to be home on Tuesday at 10:00 with a headset—log in any time when it is convenient to you in your time zone!
  • Writing workshop style. Classes include other families for support, feedback, and shared learning.
  • All materials included in tuition.
  • Instructors who have homeschooled. Our Brave Writer team has homeschooled or been homeschooled and they are professional writers!
  • Warm, supportive, useful feedback. Our instructors give kind, productive, thorough feedback to your kids and to you! Available at all times for questions.

Curious to know more about our offerings? Here’s one NEW class we know YOU (and your older teens) will love. 

Adult Literature Class: A Room with a View 

by E.M. Forster (July 6 – July 31)

Join us if you want a turbo boost of energy for your summer! We offer a variety of classes, including some that ONLY take place in summer. Take a look!

Summer Class Schedule

Brave Writer Online Classes

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