Learning in the Wild: Take Grammar and Literature Outside!

Brave Writer

When it comes to writing, interacting with abstract concepts through physical activity and play is educational gold!

  • Go on a letter or word hunt using the signs at a local park. 
  • Enjoy a bookish Big Juicy Conversation during a walk through the woods or city streets.
  • Move and groove in the playground to punctuations’ directive drumbeat. 
  • Practice the art of recording descriptive details by observing birds in trees.

Brave Writer’s Mechanics and Literature programs naturally engage both body and mind, making it easy to take your learning outdoors.

Let’s see how!

Quill (ages 5-7)

Hop, skip, and jump your way into nurturing pre-literacy skills! The Quill introduces young learns to reading, writing, and math with engaging activities you can do over and over again.

If you are eager to take learning outside with lots of movement to make concepts stick, these handbooks will be of special interest: 

Try this im-press-ive mark-making activity from the Rocks Rock Quill: 

Cuneiform writing was developed in ancient Sumer in the early Bronze Age. People “wrote” by pressing wedge-shaped sticks into soft clay. The marks often represented an exchange of goods. Your child can make marks to practice letters or symbols while developing the fine motor skills necessary for writing! 

Here’s what you do: 

  • Find a spot outdoors with a flat surface. 
  • Gather soft clay and a few tools to make marks. 
  • With your child, flatten a slab of clay with your hands or a rolling pin. (Tip: a rolling pin is another helpful tool that develops gross motor skills necessary for writing!) 
  • Invite your child to experiment with motions that work best. Get curious! Does it work to drag the pencil through the clay to make lines and squiggles? Is it easier to press the point into the clay, forming shapes out of dots? 
  • Join them with your own slab of clay. 
  • Press to flatten and make new marks for as long as your child is engaged. 

Explore literature, grammar, and punctuation outdoors the Brave Writer way!

The Dart, Arrow, Boomerang, and Slingshot literature handbooks feature one novel per month and use weekly passages for copywork and dictation. They explore punctuation, grammar, spelling, literary devices, and literary analysis.

Try it prompts

Try It prompts, featured in every handbook, engage kids and teens with concepts through simple movement, discussion, and hands-on activities. Some are written to be enjoyed outdoors, while others could be easily modified for this purpose.

Explore the sampling of Try It activities below—take them outdoors!

Dart (ages 8–10)

This Try It from The Very, Very Far North Dart was made to be done outdoors!

What are the colors in your crayon box?

Have your child trot around the house to gather objects in their favorite colors. When the collection is assembled, brainstorm together to name these particular shades. Does your child prefer moss green or lime? Cherry red or scarlet? Playful and wacky names are encouraged: your palette could include unique shades like sourdough white or mouthwash green.

Next time you and your child take a walk, notice the colors in your own landscape. Together, invent descriptive names for the hues you encounter. Or if your child is a Minecraft fan, you can come up with a list of color words for each biome! 

And remember: colorful writing utensils can make copywork and dictation more engaging! You may want to collect a bunch of blue pens, markers, and crayons from around the house and let your child write the painter’s shades of blue in ink that matches their description.

Arrow (ages 11-12)

Here’s an engaging Try It from Harriet the Spy Arrow:

Personify it!

Grab paper, a clipboard, and a pen and take this activity outside.

Look for an object you want to describe. Let personification help you get the job done.

Tips for success:

Make a list of objects that are familiar to you—modify this list to feature objects outdoors.

  • dog bowl
  • guitar
  • sheet of paper
  • shoe
  • glue bottle
  • pencil sharpener

Make a second list of human characteristics.

  • hard worker
  • walking 
  • helpful
  • joyful
  • creative
  • performing
  • cranky
  • exhausted

Connect them.

  • The dog’s bowl worked hard to keep its owner nourished.
  • The guitar joyfully performed its song for guests at the party.
  • Her shoes hit the pavement happily on their way to the movie theatre.

Boomerang (ages 13–14)

The Beast Player Boomerang is bursting with nature connections teens can apply to their own writing: 

Nature Writing

Take a walk and pause for a moment anywhere you choose—or gaze out a window, if you like. Capture one aspect of life outside. It can be as small as a raindrop on a leaf or as expansive as clouds in the sky. Write a paragraph or perhaps a haiku poem about your observations.

The benefits of outdoor learning.

The science is conclusive: outdoor learning is where it’s at! Research shows that getting outside is a healthy lifestyle choice with measurable academic and emotional benefits that include:

  • improved mental health
  • stronger academic performance
  • increase in focus
  • fewer disciplinary challenges

Bonus: an outdoor “classroom” supports individualized learning styles of all kinds. So, if the wild outdoors is lately summoning your family, tempting you away from your indoor workspaces, perfect! Heed its call and enjoy!

Looking for books begging to be read outdoors?

Darts

Arrows

Boomerangs & Slingshots

Ready for an online class?

Natural Jounaling! Enroll the entire family for ONE price. Write, hike, and draw together!

Brave Learner Home Members!

Check out the One Thing Challenge library for ready-made outdoor activities! 

Brave Learner Home

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Complete Series: Am I Doing Enough?

Brave Writer

“Tea with Julie” is a weekly emailed missive that enhances your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. From time to time, we’ll share some of our past topics here on the blog.

It’s an oft-asked homeschool question: “Am I doing enough?” and if you’d like to see how Brave Writer addresses the issue, we’ve gathered together ALL the Tea with Julie messages on the topic plus two recent podcasts!

Am I Doing Enough?

Tea with Julie messages:

PLUS listen to these Brave Writer podcast episodes:

If you’d like more hands-on coaching, join our Brave Learner Home coaching community. You’ll find a slew of Brave Writer staff coaches as well as thousands of members who share their experiences of homeschooling with each other.

The Brave Learner Home is for every level of homeschooler, from newbie to middle of the muddle to homeschooling high school. It provides:

  • professional development,
  • lesson plans,
  • community discussion,
  • self-care, and
  • guidance.

Can’t wait to help you have the best year of your life!

Brave Learner Home

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Friday Freewrite: Wrong Way

Friday Freewrite

Think of a time when you went the wrong way. Write about it!

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

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Podcast: Habits and Homeschooling

Brave Writer Podcast

In our last discussion on the Brave Writer podcast, we explored what it takes to feel good about home education and parenting, and we were left with a tantalizing idea: the key lies in habit formation.

Eager to learn more, we sent Melissa on a research mission to understand the ins and outs of habit building, both from personal experiences and contemporary habit science.

In this episode, we will:

  • delve into our own experiences with habit building,
  • explore Charlotte Mason’s influence on homeschooling,
  • and examine the latest behavioral science research on how our brains form habits.

So, let’s get started and discover how we can implement effective habits in our homeschooling journey.

Show Notes

Why are habits essential to homeschooling?

Habit formation plays a crucial role in the success of homeschooling, as our brains naturally default to habits, with about 40% of what we do being based on routine. In the context of homeschooling, developing positive habits can make life run more smoothly and help children experience the joy of learning. By consciously and proactively creating habits, we can create an environment that supports happiness, health, and our core values.

Charlotte Mason, a pioneer in the world of habit formation, believed that it takes roughly six weeks to form a new habit. With consistent practice and effort, habits eventually become automatic and unconscious, making everyday tasks easier and more efficient. For example, when children learn to write, they initially put in a lot of effort to form letters correctly. Over time, this skill becomes automatic as they develop the habit of proper letter formation.

In the context of homeschooling, habits can range from small actions that make life run more smoothly, to routines that help children engage in different learning experiences. These habits do not imply rigidity or strict schedules; rather, they provide structure and support that allow for organic learning and growth. By understanding and embracing the power of habit formation, we can unlock the potential for a successful homeschooling experience.

Building Positive Habits with Playfulness and Consistency

One effective approach to forming new habits is to build positive habits with playfulness and consistency. This approach was inspired by Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of being proactive in creating good habits rather than being reactive and coming down hard on negative behaviors. Here are some key aspects of this approach:

  • Identify the habit you want to form: Begin by recognizing a behavior that isn’t serving you or your child well and determine a healthier, more pleasant habit that would be beneficial to replace it with.
  • Be proactive: Rather than criticizing or punishing the negative behavior, focus on creating the good habit that would be more beneficial. This proactive approach can help foster a positive environment where habit formation is more likely to occur.
  • Make it fun and engaging: Create a game or challenge around the habit you want to form. By gamifying the habit, it becomes a fun bonding experience, making it more enjoyable and motivating for everyone involved.
  • Take it one step at a time: When forming a new habit, especially for children with challenges like ADHD, break it down into smaller, manageable tasks. Focus on mastering one task at a time before moving on to the next. This allows for a more manageable and effective habit-building process.
  • Be consistent but flexible: Consistency is important in forming new habits, but it’s also important to recognize that life can be unpredictable. Be consistent in your approach, but also flexible enough to adapt when necessary.
  • Focus on one habit at a time: Avoid trying to form multiple habits simultaneously. Concentrate on one habit until it is well-established before moving on to the next. This ensures that each habit gets the attention and practice it needs to become ingrained.
  • Celebrate progress and growth: Recognize and celebrate the progress made in forming new habits. By acknowledging and reinforcing the positive change, you help solidify the new habit and build confidence in the ability to form other beneficial habits in the future.

This approach of building positive habits with playfulness and consistency is an effective way to create lasting change. By being proactive, engaging, and focused on one habit at a time, you can help foster an environment where new habits can flourish and contribute to a better, healthier lifestyle.

Finding the Right Habits and Setting a Reasonable Pace

When deciding which habits to work on within a family, it’s essential to avoid feeling overwhelmed by trying to tackle too many at once. Instead, it’s best to focus on one habit at a time and build it up slowly.

  • Identify the source of clashes or conflicts: To pick the right habit to start with, consider where the most significant friction points are in the family. Are there constant struggles with siblings, or between a parent and a child? By identifying the source of the conflict, you can begin to focus on the habit that will help alleviate the issue.
  • Assess the pace of habit formation: It’s essential to establish a reasonable pace for introducing new habits. For instance, if getting ready to leave the house is a constant struggle, consider building more margin than you think you need. This could involve creating specific routines or organizing items (like shoes and coats) to make leaving the house a smoother process.
  • Adult preparation and responsibility: As parents, it’s crucial to recognize the role we play in creating the right conditions for habit formation. We need to be aware of our own needs and preferences and take responsibility for making necessary changes. For example, if a parent struggles with time management, they should work on improving their own understanding of how time goes by and make adjustments accordingly.
  • Training and practice: One key aspect of habit formation is providing children with adequate training and practice. For instance, if the goal is to have children be more responsive to requests to leave an activity, take time to walk through the steps of the habit and practice it several times before implementing it.
  • Honoring feelings and creating conditions for success: In the context of gentle parenting, it’s important to honor both children’s and parents’ feelings. By being honest about our needs and expectations, we can create conditions that promote success and prevent resentment from building up.

By focusing on one habit at a time, being aware of our own needs, and providing training and support for our children, we can successfully implement new habits within the family dynamic. This will ultimately lead to a more harmonious and fulfilling family life.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

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Curiosity without Defensiveness

Brave Writer

How do we hear one another while holding our own ideas with conviction?

Remind ourselves that listening to someone else is in no way threatening to the conclusions we’ve already drawn.

Sometimes we find listening painful. To hear another viewpoint can feel as though we are allowing ourselves to be attacked or invalidated or undermined.

That’s not what’s happening.

Instead, when we give another person the floor to make their case, we are allowing for ideas to surface that need to be heard and accounted for (even in our own thinking). We may not be giving up anything about our position, but we at least can now imagine and understand the way in which our viewpoint is not addressing the core concerns of someone with a different perspective.

To be curious without defensiveness, then, is to allow someone else the space to say what they have to say without rushing in with a “gotcha” comment or the need to immediately retort with all the reasons their logic doesn’t work for us.

To show curiosity also doesn’t mean we can’t also express how we see it. Not only that, the best conversations include viewpoints—beliefs and perspectives that each person holds.

Curiosity without defensiveness starts at home with our little dissidents. Our kids will challenge our good ideas every day. Once in a while, ask them to share more. Discover how they put the pieces together for themselves and think about how we can account for:

  • their needs,
  • their beliefs,
  • their ideas in the solutions we create together.

I write a lot about these ideas with practical activities in my book, Raising Critical Thinkers.

Raising Critical Thinkers

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