A Brave Writer's Life in Brief - Page 10 of 775 - Thoughts from my home to yours A Brave Writer's Life in Brief
  • Start Here
    • For Families
      Multiple Ages
    • Ages 5-7
      Beginning Writers
    • Ages 8-10
      Emerging Writers
    • Ages 11-12
      Middle School Writers
    • Ages 13-14
      High School Writers
    • Ages 15-18
      College Prep Writers
  • Shop
    • Product Collections
    • Bundles
    • Writing Instruction Manuals
    • Literature & Grammar/Punctuation
    • Composition Formats
    • Literature Singles
    • Homeschool Help
    • Book Shop
  • Online Classes
    • Class Descriptions
    • Class Schedule
    • Classroom
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Our Writing Coaches
    • Classes FAQ
  • Community
    • Brave Learner Home
    • What’s Happening
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Calendar
  • Cart
  • My Account
    • My Online Classes
    • My Account
  • My Account
    • My Online Classes
    • My Account
  • Start Here

    If you’re new to Brave Writer, or are looking for the best products for your child or family, choose from below:

    • For Families
      Multiple Ages
    • Ages 5-7
      Beginning Writers
    • Ages 8-10
      Emerging Writers
    • Ages 11-12
      Middle School Writers
    • Ages 13-14
      High School Writers
    • Ages 15-18
      College Prep Writers
  • Shop

    If you’re already familiar with Brave Writer products, go directly to what you’re looking for:

    • Product Collections Browse the full catalog in our shop
    • Bundles Everything you need to get started
    • Writing Instruction Manuals Foundational Writing Programs
    • Literature & Grammar/Punctuation Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling & Literary Devices
    • Composition Formats Writing Assignments for Every Age
    • Literature Singles Individual Literature Handbooks
    • Homeschool Help Homeschooling Tools and Resources
    • Book Shop Books associated with Brave Writer Programs
  • Online Classes
    • Class Descriptions
    • Class Schedule
    • Classroom
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Our Writing Coaches
    • Classes FAQ
  • Community
    • Brave Learner Home
    • What’s Happening
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Calendar
  • Search
  • Cart

Search Bravewriter.com

  • Home
  • Blog

A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Thoughts from my home to yours

The Foundation of Self-Worth

Brave Writer

I found this little gem in my Instagram drafts and it brought a tear to my eye. I recorded it in the spring of 2024. My mother was still alive at the time.

It struck me as I re-watched it that the foundation of self-worth is the faith that my parents have in me. Each of them have expressed in many different ways that the person I am is someone they are proud of and that they love.

They have weathered all kinds of changes in my beliefs, in my choices, in how I conduct myself as a grown-up. They haven’t always agreed with all those choices.

But at the core of my identity is the deep knowledge that both my parents love me and are proud of me.

If you’re worried about your kids right now and the choices they’re making, what matters more is that they know that they are important to you and that you are proud to be their parent.

You can’t protect your children from making choices they regret. But you can be the person that supports them no matter what.

So go forth and tell your kids today, “I think you’re the bees knees.” Then give them a big hug and tossle their hair.

Watch the Video


Brave Learner Home

Posted in Parenting | Comments Off on The Foundation of Self-Worth


More Monday Morning Meetings

Brave Learning

Our five-minute weekly podcast for your kids is going strong on Substack!

We took a break for the summer but have new episodes available and they are FREE (they aren’t always).

The goal is to give your kids actionable steps to take control of their learning experience, to make it more meaningful and delightful to them.

So play a podcast for your kids then give them time to have fun with it.

Monday Morning Meetings

  • Back to Homeschool Hamburger: A gentle re-entry writing activity for your kids!
  • Subject Reset: What to do when you don’t want to do what you are supposed to do!
  • Snack Attack: Add a dash of literary devices to a delicious delicacy (see what I did there?)
  • Birds! Fall is a great time to kick off a bird-watching habit!

And if you missed the first six free episodes, here they are.


Subscribe to Brave Learning on Substack where we chat, discuss, problem-solve, and create together. Here’s what you can expect: weekly themed content, freewriting prompts, and a podcast for kiddos called Monday Morning Meeting! 


Brave Learning with Julie Bogart on Substack

Posted in Brave Learning on Substack | Comments Off on More Monday Morning Meetings


[Podcast #307] Italy, Literature, and Learning Connections

Brave Writer Podcast

Julie is back from her two-week trip to Italy (with a quick stop in Copenhagen!) and brings stories that weave together travel, literature, and layered learning. From visiting her aunt on the Mediterranean coast to finally stepping inside Florence’s Santa Croce—20 years after promising herself she would—Julie shares how books like A Room with a View transform sightseeing into soul-deep experiences.

She and Melissa explore how these kinds of connections—between story, place, and lived experience—are the essence of meaningful education. You’ll also hear about unexploded WWII bombs in a train station, the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s surprising wonder, naked bungee-jumping in Denmark, and a serendipitous plane conversation that led to the discovery of a century-old “living book.”

This Brave Writer podcast episode is a reminder to travel, talk to strangers, and create opportunities for our kids (and ourselves) to encounter the world twice: once through story, and once in real life.

Show Notes

Travel, Family, and Literature

This trip began as a chance to visit Julie’s aunt on the Mediterranean coast but soon became a deeply layered journey. Anchored in A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, Julie describes how reading about a place and then experiencing it firsthand adds dimension and delight—whether it’s stumbling upon Giotto’s frescoes, standing beneath Galileo’s tomb, or finally walking into Santa Croce. These encounters remind us that literature doesn’t just tell stories—it prepares us to live them.

Learning Twice: Experience + Story

Julie and Melissa explore the educational magic of encountering something more than once—first in books, films, or stories, and then in real life. From Sister Wendy’s art documentaries sparking awe in Florence’s Uffizi, to Melissa’s son recognizing dugouts from her novel The Prairie Thief, these layered connections create hooks for memory and deeper understanding. As Julie notes, “If you really want your kids to know something, they need it twice.”

Unexpected Encounters

The episode also celebrates the surprises of travel and conversation: unexploded WWII bombs unearthed in an Italian train station, Pisa’s leaning tower being more thrilling than expected, naked bungee-jumping in Denmark, and a chance plane-seat conversation that introduced Julie to Gordon MacQuarrie’s century-old Stories of the Old Duck Hunters and Other Drivel. These moments remind us that the world is full of unexpected teachers—if we’re willing to listen.

This episode is a joyful reflection on how travel, literature, and layered experiences enrich our lives and our children’s education. Whether through family stories, beloved books, or chance encounters with strangers, we are invited to step out of our comfort zones, connect deeply, and see the world with fresh eyes.

Resources

  • A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
  • Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting (BBC)
  • Bogart family trip to Italy
  • The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley
  • Brave Writer Dart: The Prairie Thief
  • Stories of the Old Duck Hunters and Other Drivel by Gordon MacQuarrie
  • Brave Writer Online Classes
  • Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
  • Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
  • Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie

  • Instagram: @juliebogartwriter
  • Threads: @juliebogartwriter
  • Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
  • Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

Connect with Melissa

  • Website: melissawiley.com
  • Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
  • Instagram: @melissawileybooks
  • Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on [Podcast #307] Italy, Literature, and Learning Connections


Your Child Is Already an Author

Brave Writer

One of the key concepts that I teach in writing is that kids are authors, not just students trying to write.

Children ought to have authorial control over their own writing. They get to decide what they keep and discard, and they decide which editing concepts to apply to their work.

A Truth

When we put our children in the driver’s seat of being authors rather than student writers, they actually care more about the end result.

Initially, they may prove they’re in charge by not taking any of your advice on this one paper. But if you continue to celebrate their right to determine what goes in their work, they may apply the advice from this paper that they discarded to the next one that they write

Be respectful, and share joy in their self expression. Nature journaling can be a great place to start.

P.S. For a collection of my reflections on my own kids’ writing, watch this!


Help! My Kid Hates Writing

Posted in Homeschool Advice | Comments Off on Your Child Is Already an Author


Your Child Is Smart

Brave Writer

It’s incredible to realize that we have front row seats to the unique intelligence of our children. We alone know when they are clever and maximizing their particular brand of smarts. Be the parent who notices and brags about those skills.

If you can, express that admiration in front of that child. Goes a long way toward building a child into a human being who trusts their capacity to:

  • problem solve,
  • troubleshoot,
  • aspire,
  • and learn!

Watch the Video


Need more support?

Listen to the Brave Writer podcast. Literally, I talk about this stuff there every single week!

You might also read my book, The Brave Learner.

I’m here for you!


Brave Learner Home

Posted in Homeschool Advice | Comments Off on Your Child Is Smart


« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
  • Search the Blog

  • Julie Bogart
  • Welcome, I’m Julie Bogart.

    I’m a homeschooling alum -17 years, five kids. Now I run Brave Writer, the online writing and language arts program for families. More >>

    IMPORTANT: Please read our Privacy Policy.

  • New to Brave Writer? START HERE

  • FREE Resources

    • 7-Day Writing Blitz
    • Brave Writer Lifestyle Program
    • Brave Writer Sampler: Free Sample Products
    • Freewriting Prompts
    • Podcasts
  • Popular Posts

    • You have time
    • How writing is like sewing
    • Best curriculum for a 6 year old
    • Today's little unspoken homeschool secret
    • Do you like to homeschool?
    • Don't trust the schedule
    • You want to do a good job parenting?
    • If you've got a passel of kids
    • You are not a teacher
    • Natural Stages of Growth in Writing podcasts
  • Blog Topics

    • Brave Learner Home
    • Brave Writer Lifestyle
    • Classes
    • Contests/Giveaways
    • Friday Freewrite
    • High School
    • Homeschool Advice
    • Julie's Life
    • Language Arts
    • Movie Wednesday
    • Natural Stages of Growth
    • One Thing Principle
    • Our Team
    • Parenting
    • Philosophy of Education
    • Podcasts
    • Poetry Teatime
    • Products
    • Reviews
    • Speaking Schedule
    • Students
    • Writing about Writing
    • Young Writers
  • Archives

  • Brave Writer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees (at no extra cost to you) by advertising and linking to amazon.com

    Content © Brave Writer unless otherwise stated.

What is Brave Writer?

  • Welcome to Brave Writer
  • Why Brave Writer Works
  • About Julie
  • Brave Writer Values
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Speaking Schedule

Brave Writer Program

  • Getting Started!
  • Stages of Growth in Writing
  • The Brave Writer Program
  • For Families and Students
  • Online Classes
  • Brave Writer Lifestyle

…and More!

  • Blog
  • Classroom
  • Store
  • Books in Brave Writer Programs
  • Contact Us
  • Customer Service
  • Brave Writer Staff
© 2026 Brave Writer
Privacy Policy
Children's Privacy Policy
Help Center