Archive for the ‘Contests / Giveaways’ Category

Summer Camp Recap + Prize Winners

Brave Writer Summer Camp Recap

Wow! What a magical two days. We had so much fun with you during our online Summer Camp: Brave Writer Style.

We are so thrilled with the incredible energy you put into your summer camps. I got tickled seeing so many versions of tents, s’mores, face paints, creating indoor picnics, splashing in pools, and hiking through forests.

You know what happened this week? You enchanted the learning atmosphere in your homes both for your kids and for yourselves! Learning was nearly effortless as a result and memories were made. I loved watching all of it unfold.

We had fun giving away prizes too! So without further ado, here are our winners of all the prizes. Thanks for playing!

Here are the winners:

Our GRAND PRIZE winner won the Charlotte Mason Original Homeschool Series republished by Simply Charlotte Mason:

Charlotte Mason Original Homeschool Series

Nicole Hixon!

We’re also tossing in an autographed copy of our Poetry Teatime Companion as well as the DVD set of my best convention talks: Nurturing Brave Writers. So happy for Nicole!

Next, we asked you to post photos to the Instagram #bwcamp hashtag and hundreds of you did!

It was so hard to pick a favorite, but we couldn’t resist this fabulous act of selfcare posing as camping:

2017 Brave Writer Summer Camp Hashtag Winner

Brave Writer training while soaking in a hot tub.

Lindsay Wyllie (lwyllie23)!

Lindsay will receive a set of A Gracious Space books. A Gracious Space is a collection of 50 non-sectarian essays for daily reading intended to help you sustain your brave homeschooling commitment.

And check out more camp photos below.

We also rewarded our live attendees who braved Kirsten Merryman’s Online Class Q&A. Our winner gets to pick an online writing class to try for free!

Brave Writer Students

Congratulations Carisa Zglobicki!

Carisa will have a huge variety of online classes to choose from: everything from Story Switcheroo to Advanced Comp! Brave Writer classes are for kids ages 8 to 18, they require no special software or books, and all our instructors are homeschoolers as well as published authors, as you’ll see in the next prize!


[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases,
Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]


Two campers won the book Whatever the Weather by Annie Riechmann and our very own Dawn Suzette Smith.

Whatever the Weather

Winners:
Jen Dobridge
Audra Lewis

Whatever the Weather includes science experiments and art activities that explore the wonders of weather.

“Let the weather take the lead and never be bored again! Paint in the rain, send kites soaring in the wind, build ice orbs, and become a snowflake scientist—let the wonders of nature inspire your next adventure.” —Amazon

Laying a Path: Annotating literary Elements

Rita Cevasco and Tracy Molitors (Rooted in Language) led our summer camp session that addressed learning challenges, and two attendees won the Annotating Literary Elements Curriculum.

Congrats to Heather Schott and Kendra Rousseau!

“Annotation is a broad concept that can be confusing: What should the reader notice within a story? Which details of a story are worth annotating? How will making notes lead to deeper understanding? This curriculum is full of strategies, taught within multiple lessons. It provides literature for practice, but the strategies can be practiced again and again with other texts throughout the school year and for years to come!”

Plus five ladies won our Brave Camper T-Shirt!

Brave Camper Shirt

Angie Zarzana
Amanda Hohnstreiter
Rebekah Byson
Christy Kafka
Jubilee Carr

Congratulations to all and a big THANK YOU to everyone who attended the sessions!

Camp may be over but don’t be a stranger. We love hearing from you and seeing how you implement Brave Writer principles into your homeschools. We’ve got more fun up our sleeves for fall. For instance…well, I can’t tell you yet. It’s a doozy though! Another free romp that is sure to turbo boost the writing life in your house.

Stay tuned for September!

Until then, join me on Facebook Live on Monday at 11:30 AM Eastern and enjoy more summer camp pics below.

2017 Brave Writer Summer Camp Instagram Images
ellarinalindette, mywindycitylife, chantelle_grubbs / marcharme, hsadventuresofawallflower, caffeinated_homeschooler / buttercup2001, saintritagirl, alexson.heather

The Winners of our Big Book Giveaway!

2017-18 Big Book Winners

We wanted you to have the books to go with your Arrow or Boomerang purchase so we held a BIG BOOK GIVEAWAY for the 2017-18 book collections!

Here are the 5 lucky winners:

  • Betsy Frodermann
  • Deanna Niles McConnell
  • Emily Anderson
  • Sandy Foutz
  • Vincent Casey Lee

Congratulations! You’ll be contacted soon and your set of Arrow or Boomerang titles (your pick!) will be on its way (international winners will receive a $100 Amazon gift card to buy the books).

2017-18 Arrow and Boomerang Books

The Arrow (3rd-6th) and the Boomerang (7th-10th) are Brave Writer’s language arts tools (digital magazines) that teach

  • grammar,
  • spelling,
  • punctuation,
  • and literary elements using living literature (a la Charlotte Mason)

They include

  • four passages for copywork and dictation,
  • parent-friendly notes to help you teach the mechanics of writing,
  • nine discussion questions,
  • and a sheet of themed-party suggestions.

Each issue publishes on the 1st of the month and will be available for download from a private folder on our Brave Writer Website.

One caveat: We are offering Arrow and Boomerang book clubs for ALL 20 titles (registration opens in July). If you decide you want your kids to be in our book discussion clubs, know that the issues of the Arrow and Boomerang are included for the price of the club.

Arrow/Boomerang SALE + Giveaway!

2017-18 Arrow/Boomerang Sale + Giveaway

A Big Book Bonanza just for you!

1. Big Book Giveaway

You could win ALL 10 of the Arrow or Boomerang books to go with your Arrow or Boomerang purchase in June. Details for the Giveaway are below.

2. A Sale in June

Brave Writer is pleased to announce that the 2017-2018 Arrow and Boomerang Collections are on sale for the entire month of June.

Arrow: $69.00 (regular price: $79.00)

Boomerang $89.00 (regular price: $99.00)

We’ve added a new feature to BOTH sets of guides: A list of Book Club activities and ideas to host your own Arrow and Boomerang parties!

Our brand new staff member, Mary Wilson (from the popular blog “Not Before 7“) is our party planner.

Mary Wilson

Mary will share her amazing tips and ideas for bringing these books to life AND she’ll be hosting a special Facebook Group for subscribers to both the Arrow and Boomerang.

PLUS the Arrow is being written this year by the incredible Melissa Wiley, children’s novelist!

Melissa Wiley


10 Issue Bundle Sale Runs June 1-30!

The Arrow (3rd-6th) and the Boomerang (7th-10th) are Brave Writer’s language arts tools (digital magazines) that teach

  • grammar,
  • spelling,
  • punctuation,
  • nine discussion questions,
  • a sheet of themed-party suggestions,
  • and literary elements using living literature (a la Charlotte Mason)

We pick books for you to read that represent a diversity of perspectives and writing genres to expand the horizons of your young charges. From those books, we select four passages for copywork and dictation, paired with easy to understand notes written in a conversational and engaging style.

Each issue publishes on the 1st of the month and will be available for download from a private folder on our Brave Writer Website.

One caveat: We are offering Arrow and Boomerang book clubs for ALL 20 titles (registration opens in July). If you decide you want your kids to be in our book discussion clubs, know that the issues of the Arrow and Boomerang are included for the price of the club.


We’re giving away 5 sets of 10 books!

Here’s your chance to win either the Arrow or Boomerang Book Collection for 2017-2018! We want you to have the books to go with your Arrow or Boomerang purchase.

To enter, simply fill out our form. For additional entries, share the contest with friends. So easy!

International Brave Writer fans can play too (if you win, we’ll send you a $100 Amazon gift card so you can buy the books yourself). No purchase necessary to play. Ends June 30, 2017. Winners will be announced July 3rd.

Enter the Giveaway

12 Days of Brave Writer Giveaway!

the

     The Grand Prize Winners have been announced!

bag-image

Ashlee won the US Big Bundle Grand Prize of comfort and joy goodies:

  • Library bag embroidered with one of our favorite Brave Writer sayings and selection of the classics
  • Kindle Paperwhite
  • colorful cover
  • reading light
  • leather journal with sketch paper pages
  • dragonfly bookmark
  • and an Amazon gift card!!

Amber in Romania won the International prize- an Amazon gift card!

Congratulations ladies!

What is the 12 Days of Brave Writer?

12 Days of Brave Writer 2016

We Bring you Tidings of Comfort & Joy

We want those little Internet breaks you take this holiday season to be as rewarding and happy as possible.

You know the ones: when everyone’s home cranking up the noise, the “Wild Rumpus” is underway, and you steal a few minutes away for a few minutes to scroll through Twitter or Facebook.

The forecast is for snow!

It turns out there was some pixie dust in the winter clouds and that has resulted in some very special snowflakes!

12 Days of Brave Writer

They have fallen all over our social media! And, if you find one you’ll be eligible to play one of our favorite games:

THE 12 DAYS OF BRAVE WRITER

How to Play

1) Follow us and look for a snowflake.

Check each day between December 26 and January 6 for the numbered snowflake. When you find it…

2) SHARE anything Brave Writer. It could be the day’s Facebook post, one of our YouTube episodes, a link to your favorite product shared on your own profile—just share!

3) GO to the contest entry page and fill out the easy form with:

  • The snowflake location
  • Your share link
  • Your information

Every day between December 26th and January 6th there will be a drawing from that day’s entries and the winners will be announced here, on the blog, every evening by 9 EST.

On the 12th Day of Brave Writer…

You will not want to miss this! The Big Bundle of Comfort & Joy Grand Prize is valued at $300. It’s drawn from ALL the names from the entire treasure hunt! The more times you enter, the more chances you have to WIN.

Big Bundle Grand Prize winner announced on Monday, January 9, 2017 on Facebook Live and also shared here on the blog!

International? No worries! You can play too! We have a special 12th Day gift for our Brave Writer fans overseas. If you are outside of the US you are still eligible to win! International entries will be entered in a gift card drawing on Day 12 for $100.00!

Join the fun! Watch-Share-Enter-Win!
12 Days of Brave Writer 2016

Here are our 2016 winners!

winners-grid-13

May your season be full of Comfort & Joy!

 

Podcast: Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen Interview and Giveaway


Today we welcome one of the most prolific writers of children’s fantasy and poetry, Jane Yolen!

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases,
Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

When I began my freelance writing career, I chose the picture book genre. After all, my kids were small and I read dozens of them aloud per week. It didn’t take long to discover the writing of Jane Yolen. Jane’s books embody the best of the picture book genre. She uses language artfully, poetically. She gives the reader an immersive experience any time you come into contact with her words. She’s also in tune with a child’s sense of humor and wonder.

I also found a bird-watching companion in Jane! Her husband brought to their family a naturalist’s passion for the natural world. Jane took that passion and translated it into wonderful prose and poetry.

When Jane agreed to be interviewed for our humble podcast, I felt like a fan girl at a rock concert. It has been 20 years of admiration on my part that led to this wonderful conversation. Heidi Semple, Jane’s adult daughter, joins us as well. She and Jane have co-authored several books that feature birds, in fact!

Enjoy this rich exploration of

  • poetry,
  • writing,
  • nature, and
  • the celebration of family culture!

I introduce to you: Jane Yolen.

Show notes are available as a free download! Sign up for them HERE.

Show Notes for Jane Yolen Podcast

Check out Jane’s written interview on the Poetry Teatime blog.

[Updated] We had a FUN GIVEAWAY featuring Jane Yolen’s brand book, Grumbles from the Forest, and two others! We also discovered one last Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz tea cozy and are including that too.

THE WINNER:

Stacie Canales!

Congrats, Stacie! You will receive:

Grumbles from the Town
Grumbles from the Forest (NEW!)
You Nest Here with Me

…plus the LAST Poetry Teatime Tea Cozy called the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz (sold out pattern).

BONUS Surprise: Two bookmarks from Jane!

Enjoy!

Jane Yolen Book Giveaway