Author Archive

Try It: Pushy Prepositions

Brave Writer

Are you ready to bring some kinesthetic learning to your living room?

Give your kids an a-ha moment about a grammar concept they use daily!

Pushy Prepositions!

Grab a chair. Your child will act out the prepositions as you direct them.

  1. Stand beside the chair.
  2. Crawl under it.
  3. Sit on it.
  4. Fall off it (carefully!).
  5. Roll around the chair to the back.
  6. Point to the seat.
  7. Hop away from the chair.
  8. Jump near it.
  9. Lean against it.
  10. Run your hand along the top of the chair.

Now have your child “push” you around with prepositions.

Ready? Go!

All ‘Try It’ Activities

Brave Writer® programs teach writing using your child’s body, mind, and heart.
Discover why writing is the key to all of learning!

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An Alternative to Certainty

Brave Writer

I spoke at a conference once where we talked about how to think well. One of the questions came up about certainty, and how you could know something for sure.

What we know is that even an objective fact gets shared by a subjective self. No matter how much people can agree that something is real and true, factual and verifiable, it’s how we talk about the “objective truth” that shapes our shared reality. Your interpretation immediately impacts how that fact is received: “It may be raining: one of us is happy about it and the other pissed off!”

Another Way

Here’s what I said in my book, Raising Critical Thinkers:

The alternative to certainty is intimacy. Intimacy means knowing more of the subject with more of yourself. It looks like a greater and greater tenderness toward a field of study— a hunger to become close to it, to know its compelling contours and unavoidable flaws. It means reading the subject’s ardent fans and listening with patience to its detractors. Intimacy leads to both a fascination with and protection of a subject’s inherent value. There’s inscrutability and mystery within every subject. Intimacy in learning means developing an ongoing relationship to that discipline, allowing it to morph and change, which requires humility. Mastery is a myth.

Intiimacy means when you feel tweaked or smug or concerned or urgent, that’s the moment to get curious. What else is there to know? Why does the other person see the same information so differently?

BIG NEWS! Introducing BECOMING A CRITICAL THINKER (for ages 12-18). I took the exercises that were inside Raising Critical Thinkers and added a slew more. I included journal prompts, checklists, ranking bars, and boxed spaces for kids to write directly in the book. BECOMING A CRITICAL THINKER is open for presale and will publish on May 7!

Becoming a Critical Thinker

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[Podcast #221] Rethinking Your Beliefs with Josh Harris

Brave Writer Podcast

As lifelong learners and educators in the homeschooling community, we understand that the journey of teaching and guiding our children is ever-evolving.

Josh Harris
Josh Harris

Our recent podcast guest, Joshua Harris, shared his personal journey of growth and transformation, which resonates deeply with many of us who navigate the complex waters of education and parenting.

Show Notes

Embracing Change and Growth

A vital element of our homeschooling experience is the willingness to embrace change. Initially, we may start with a set of beliefs and practices we deem perfect for our children. However, we soon realize that adapting and reevaluating these approaches is essential for their holistic growth and our own development. This openness to modify our perspectives demonstrates strength, maturity, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

Learning from Challenges

The challenges we face in homeschooling, such as reconsidering our educational methods or parenting views, are invaluable learning opportunities. They offer profound insights into our capabilities and the depth of our growth. It’s through these experiences that we gain the most understanding of ourselves and our roles as educators and parents.

The Role of Feedback and Community

In our homeschooling journey, the feedback and support we receive from our community play a crucial role. This network, including our children, fellow homeschoolers, and even critics, provides diverse perspectives that are essential for reassessing and enriching our practices. It’s through this communal interaction that we learn to value different viewpoints and refine our educational approach.

Personal and Professional Transformation

Many of us in the homeschooling world undergo significant personal and professional transformations. Changes in careers, family dynamics, or core beliefs are part of our evolving narrative. These transformations remind us that our identity is dynamic and that life is a continuous learning process.

Appreciating Our Efforts and Intentions

An important aspect of our homeschooling path is recognizing and appreciating our efforts and intentions. The pressure to provide the best for our children can be immense, but it’s crucial to remember that our actions stem from a deep-seated commitment to their well-being and growth. Even when our methods require adjustments or reevaluation, they originate from a place of love and dedication.

Our journey in homeschooling, much like Joshua’s journey, is filled with learning, growth, and transformation. It’s a path that requires us to be open to change, receptive to feedback, and forgiving of ourselves for the decisions we make along the way. As we continue to navigate this path, we do so with the understanding that each step, each challenge, and each change is a part of the beautiful tapestry of our homeschooling experience.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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Try It: Reading Faces

Brave Writer Try It Reading Faces

Did you know that your little ones are already great at reading? Try our ideas below and see!

Reading Faces

  • Pick up a board or picture book (or for older kids, screenshot a YouTube video)
  • Read character facial expressions. (It’s okay if your child sees a different emotion than you do. Show interest and learn why!)
JoyFearRelief
AngerEffortTired
WorrySurpriseSadness
  • Ask: how do you know what that face is saying? Identify a curved mouth, raised eyebrows, a crinkled nose, and more.
  • Next, make your own faces. See if you can guess each other’s emotions by reading each other’s faces. 

Remember, we read more than the alphabet every day!

Explore more activities like this one in the Wordless Picture Book Quill! 

All ‘Try It’ Activities

Brave Writer® programs teach writing using your child’s body, mind, and heart.
Discover why writing is the key to all of learning!

Brave Writer Get Started

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NEW: Becoming a Critical Thinker!

Becoming a Critical Thinker

How does the queen of no workbooks get arm-twisted into writing one?

Compliments.

My editors believed in me. They thought you’d all want a book that gave your 12-18 year olds a way to work through the exercises in Raising Critical Thinkers. They also thought that I had more exercises and tricks up my sleeve (they were right).

And so, I made a thing and I like it! I hope you do too.

It’s called Becoming a Critical Thinker and it’s written directly to your teens.

Preorder Your Copy!

I have some big announcements related to the workbook coming closer to publication day (May 7, 2024) so stay tuned for those. But in the meantime: Yay! I wrote a workbook I would actually use with my own kids!

Editor’s Description

At a time when we’re constantly flooded with contradictory information and opinions, critical thinking skills are more important than ever. This accessible workbook is full of valuable insights, thought-provoking questions, and useful exercises to help teens and preteens expand their perspectives, skillfully navigate thorny issues, recognize bias, identify misinformation, and become more comfortable with dissent and differences of opinion. Becoming a Critical Thinker offers essential tools for students to mature into thoughtful, curious, and empathetic learners.

Becoming a Critical Thinker

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