For a holiday twist on the traditional haiku poem, invite your children to use the familiar pattern to write a Christmas carol haiku.
Year: 2010
English is confusing
Unless I'm typing in my sleep, I'll probably never confuse its with it's or your with you're. I'm pretty handy with a hyphen, and I'm confident that I'm not prone to apostrophe catastrophes. But I'm the first to admit that I don't know all the rules---and I have to...
30 days of gratitude | Gratitude journaling for families
Families can take the 30 Days of Gratitude challenge with fresh ways to keep a gratitude jar or journal.
Make an ABC book
Do your older children have a hard time thinking of what to give a younger sibling for a birthday or Christmas gift? Why not encourage them to create a scrapbook-style (or digital) alphabet book for a fun writing project with a real purpose? Make an ABC Book...
NaNoWriMo – Are your pencils sharpened?
IT'S HERE! NaNoWriMo starts TODAY! Short for National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo is an amazing writing event that takes place every November. I love that NaNoWriMo also has a Young Writers Program that's open to children 17 and under. The challenge? Pump out a...
Avoiding common usage errors in the English language
Alexis Bonari is joining me today as a guest blogger here at In Our Write Minds. Today, Alexis shares some helpful tips on commonly confused---and misused---words. It’s difficult for any teacher to contradict the overwhelming number of usage errors in everyday...
Cool writing tools: Inspire writing with old-fashioned joy
New school supplies and cool writing tools are perfect back-to-school incentives or holiday gifts!
Same story, different twist
When assigning writing to your children, you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel with a brand-new lesson. Sometimes it’s fun to approach a familiar assignment in a fresh new way. For example: Tweaking an existing lesson instruction by adding different elements....
Reluctant writer excuses: Why kids won’t write
Reluctant writer excuses may vary, but their inability to transfer ideas to paper almost always results in frustration and apathy.
How is a writer like a spelunker?
Just like a cave explorer, writers need specific tools to help them feel confident and successful.
From the mouths of babes: Pre-literacy writing
Alexis Bonari is joining me today as a guest blogger here at In Our Write Minds. I know you'll enjoy trying this activity with your pre-writers. On the path to inspiring our children to love reading and writing, we often overlook the fact that there was a time when...
Choosing correct ending punctuation
If your child struggles to choose the correct punctuation at the end of a sentence, do this fun exercise together to help him learn what each punctuation mark sounds like when spoken aloud. 1. Write the following words, phrases, and sentences on index cards or...
Editing and evaluating homeschool writing: 4-6th grade
Teaching your student how to evaluate her own writing is a key to helping move her toward the goal of becoming a proficient writer.
How Twitter makes you a better writer
This little article is a gem. Who knew Twitter could help you improve your writing skills?
Is your child a budding novelist?
Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? Short for National Novel Writing Month, it's an amazing writing event that takes place every November. I love that NaNoWriMo also has a Young Writers Program that's open to children 17 and under. The challenge? Pump out a novel in 30 days....