February 2nd, 2012 — Editing & Revising, Elementary
“Editing is usually painless. The way WriteShop Junior has taught them to edit is awesome. They’re not afraid to look for errors.” –Kelley, SD
LEARNING to self-edit doesn’t have to be a dreaded or intimidating experience.
Through the use of fun tools, children can acquire helpful editing skills—and in doing so, grow to see editing as a natural part of the writing process. Self-editing becomes a task they can accomplish with both pleasure and success!

Assembling an Editor’s Tool Kit
To help your children gain stronger self-editing skills, prepare a kit of special editing tools. In WriteShop Junior, we call this their Said It, Read It, Edit Bag™ (“Read It” is pronounced “red it.”)
For storage, you’ll need a zipper pouch, small tote bag, plastic zip-top bag, or other container to keep all the editing tools in one place. Label it as your Said It, Read It, Edit Bag™ and keep it in your writing center so it’s always handy. Here’s a list of supplies to include in their bags:
- Correction tape
- Highlighters in assorted colors
- Colored pencils
- Sheets of tiny stickers such as smiley faces and stars
- Dictionary
- Thesaurus
Some children may want to wear a special hat or visor and refer to it as their Editor’s Hat. If so, they should use their hat for this unique purpose and store it with the supply of editing tools.
“It’s so fun to watch Gracie edit… She ALWAYS wears a jazzy black editor’s hat.” –Joanie, NJ
Tracking Tools
With a younger student (perhaps 7 to 9 years old), tracking each word on the paper will help him slow down and examine his work more carefully during the editing process. There are a variety of ways to do this, from pointing at each word with his pointer finger to touching each word with the eraser end of his pencil.
If your child wants to track words with his pointer finger, he could wear a finger puppet on that finger. You could also purchase a set of plastic toy fingers from a party supply store or costume shop and let him wear one as he tracks each word on his Writing Project. Alternatively, he could gather several colorful or distinctive plastic rings to wear while editing.
Using a pointer item is completely optional! One child may look down on such props while another sees them as great fun—so gather items to wear on a pointer finger according to your child’s interest and store them in the Said It, Read It, Edit Bag™.
Having a special tool kit is the first step in becoming a successful editor. Next time, I’ll share ideas for using the Said It, Read It, Edit Bag™ to edit a writing assignment.
Copyright 2012 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

. . . . .
WriteShop encourages students to self-edit and revise in order to create a published final draft. The Said It, Read It, Edit Bag™, and many more exciting editing ideas, come straight from the pages of WriteShop Junior.
January 23rd, 2012 — Elementary, WriteShop Primary, Writing Games & Activities
“The kids loved the Friendly Letter Boogie—that was a fun entertaining way to make the lesson stick. I still catch them doing it.” –Jennifer, NC
The early elementary years are the perfect time to introduce children to writing a friendly letter.
Part of writing a letter includes learning to format it properly. With all those headings and greetings and signatures, this can prove complicated for young children, who are still just learning about writing sentences and paragraphs.
That’s why mnemonics, songs, fingerplays, and motion activities are so valuable at this age—they reinforce trickier concepts, aid children in learning new skills, and help with recall.
Doin’ the “Friendly Letter Boogie”
Your children will enjoy this movement activity to help them remember the parts of a friendly letter.
Heading. At the very top of a friendly letter is the heading. The date goes here. Ask your child to pat her head to remember that the heading comes first.

Greeting. Second comes the greeting, such as “Dear Grandma.” Extend and shake hands to “greet” each other.

Body. Third is the body of the letter. Invite your child to wiggle her body to remember that the body of the letter comes next.

Closing. At the bottom of the letter is the closing, where she’ll write: “Love,” “Your friend,” or “Sincerely.” Tell your child to close her feet together for the closing.

Signature. To help your child remember to include her signature at the bottom of the letter, have her sign her name on the floor with her foot.

Isn’t this a fun way to practice and remember? Each day that you work on writing letters together, have your children do the Friendly Letter Boogie. In no time, they’ll have mastered the steps of formatting a basic letter!
. . . . .

WriteShop Primary, an early-elementary writing curriculum for homeschoolers, is filled with games and activities such as the Friendly Letter Boogie—fun ways to help you introduce important skills to your youngest writers.
Photo credits: Karah Fredricks. Used by permission.
January 17th, 2012 — Resources & Links, Writing Games & Activities
My name is Kim, and I’m a Pinterestaholic.
Well, maybe it’s not THAT serious, but I do love Pinterest. It’s simply the best way to keep online recipes, photos, tips, and craft ideas categorized—even the ones I think I’ll never actually get around to using!
In addition to pinning salad recipes, organizational tips, and ideas for a future kitchen remodel, I’ve been collecting writing ideas, too. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Paint Chip Contractions
Who knew you could have so much fun with paint chips? This Paint Chip Contractions activity will help your kids practice forming contractions.

2. Boggle
Isn’t this the most fun? It’s a Printable Boggle Board! Boggle makes an outstanding pre-writing game for all ages, from elementary through high school. It’s a great way to dust off the cobwebs and get ready for writing time.

3. Paint Chip Synonym Garden
Use colorful paint chips in graduated hues to make a Paint Chip Synonym Garden. It’s a hands-on vocabulary-building tool that keeps dull or repeated words at a minimum. This is ideal for middle-schoolers, but you can certainly use it with younger students as well.

4. Traffic Light Transitions
Make a Traffic Light Transitions poster. This terrific visual will remind children to use transition words to connect sentences and paragraphs.

5. Journal Jar
Journaling is another way to loosen stuck thoughts and ideas. Make this cute Journal Jar, which includes a link to colorful, printable topics you can cut out and add to the jar. Children will have fun picking out topics, whether you do daily, bi-weekly, or weekly journaling. For added fun, let them give input about what they’d like to write about!

6. Venn Diagrams
When teaching children to compare and contrast, a Venn diagram is a useful tool. And when you add a kinesthetic dimension for your hands-on learners, it’s even better! Here’s a Paper Plate Venn Diagram that’s been used to compare and contrast two different versions of “The Princess and the Pea.” You can really run with this idea in so many ways!

7. Writing a Strong Lead
Students of all ages can struggle with how to introduce a topic or start a story. I love this free printable poster I found through Pinterest: What Makes an Effective Lead?

8. Lists
I’ve long been an advocate of list-making, so I especially love this link to a great resource for printable lists, including book lists, lists of descriptive adjectives, and this list of strong verbs. Watch your children’s vocabulary soar!

Have you been bitten by the Pinterest bug? Leave your link in the comments and I’ll be happy to follow you!
October 5th, 2010 — Elementary, Encouragement, Teaching Writing

Middle to upper elementary children express a really wide range of writing abilities.
Some children still struggle to hold a pencil or write words.
Some have strong verbal skills yet remain weak in writing. They can spin a great story and tell it orally, yet they’re not yet able to write independently.
Others are beginning to emerge as writers, still depending on you a great deal (as much or more than ever, it may seem). These children need to dictate ideas and sentences during both brainstorming and writing, though they’re also able to contribute more and more to the actual writing itself.
Finally, there are those who are progressing well through the stages of writing and now work fairly independently.
Encourage the Writing Process
Continue to encourage the writing process so it becomes natural. This starts by helping your child view writing as a multistage process:
- We plan.
- We write.
- We make changes.
- We write our final draft.
Ultimately, our kids begin to understand that the paper is the product and writing is the process.
How Much and How Often?
For children in grades 3-5, the focus remains on improving sentence structure and writing a solid paragraph.
- On average, they should spend about 30-40 minutes per day on writing, depending on both age and attention span.
- In my experience, 8-10 quality writing projects per year is plenty of writing (meaning the piece will be taken through each step of the writing process). That’s roughly one complete writing project a month. Meanwhile, lesser assignments such as book narrations, journaling, and so forth can fill in gaps.
- A good target is 1- to 3-paragraph stories or short reports. Take care not to rush your child into longer assignments too soon. A concise, concrete, short piece beats a long, rambling, disjointed, dull, repetitive, tedious essay any day—no matter what age the child!
Remain an Involved Parent
These are bridge years, when most students go from largely parent-supported writing pieces to more independent writing. The biggest key to success with this is lots of practice. Fostering independence doesn’t mean you give an assignment and disappear! Even if it seems counterintuitive, continue working closely with your middle and older elementary children. Your 3-5th graders need you to:
- Model and teach.
- Oversee their work.
- Participate with them as needed.
- Praise their efforts.
- Give helpful feedback.
Make Writing Fun
Start writing now! If you wait till junior high to begin teaching writing, by then it’s time to get down to brass tacks, and your children may have missed the delight of writing during their elementary years, when they learn that writing is something to enjoy and anticipate.
So most of all, for any elementary child in grades K-5, the writing experience should be fun! Motivation, excitement, and a positive learning environment all help children build confidence in their writing skills as they acquire the ability to write.
Helping your K-2nd grader with writing
Helping your 5th-8th grader with writing
Helping your high schooler with writing
Copyright 2010 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

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In Spring 2011, WriteShop will introduce WriteShop Junior Book D, the first in a series of writing curricula for middle and upper elementary ages. Children have so much fun playing writing games, learning to use exciting writing tools, and writing appealing stories such as adventures and mysteries that they hardly realize they’re learning!
We’ll continue posting details and info here at the blog, but if you’d like to be among the first to get the scoop about the book’s release—or even preorder, join our mailing list by visiting www.writeshop.com and looking for the newsletter sign-up box.
August 9th, 2010 — Publishing Project Ideas, Reluctant Writers, Resources & Links, Writing Games & Activities
Intrinsic motivation means children write without any additional outside incentive. No bribes. No treats. No money.
But the truth is that few children are motivated by the sheer love of writing. So—short of paying them off with cash or candy—what can you do to inspire them?
Writers Need an Audience
Having an audience takes your child past the point of writing for a “requirement” or a grade—and it certainly takes him beyond writing just for his normal, everyday audience of one: you.
Importance of an Audience
You can spark renewed interest in writing by guiding your child to think of ways to broaden his understanding of what an audience can be. Help him experience how others can find pleasure in reading his work. He’ll be rewarded with increased joy and confidence, and I think you’ll begin to see his writing blossom as he takes more pride in his efforts.
Seeing Their Works in Print
When I taught writing classes years ago, we always ended the year with a Writers’ Tea. Our students invited friends and family, dressed up for the occasion,and recited poetry. At the end, we passed out class anthologies featuring samples of each student’s best writing.
As they pored over the stories and poems in the spiral-bound booklets, it was clear how much the children enjoyed seeing their works in print and sharing the anthologies with their parents and grandparents.
Thinking Outside the Box
An anthology is just one of many ways to publish. Below are some other suggestions for expanding your kids’ writing audience or showcasing their writing through their published projects. When they polish a story or poem so that it’s the best it can be—and when they go beyond the traditional “final draft” to create an interesting published project—they’ll be much more likely to write for the joy of it. Here are some ideas:
Publishing Stories
- Shape Books: Cut out shapes that match the story’s theme (e.g., house, car, seashell or animal shape). Use cardboard or heavy cardstock for the top and bottom cover and grade-level lined paper for the pages. Staple edges, or lace the pages together with yarn.
- Puzzle: Glue a photocopy of the child’s story to a piece of cardstock. On the back, have her draw a picture about the story. Cut the cardstock into 8 or 9 simple puzzle pieces that a friend or family member can assemble.
Board Game: Suggest that your child create a board game about his story. Play the game with the family.
- Journaling Notebook: Assemble your child’s journal pages into a special notebook.
- Cards and Letters: Help your child create a card on the computer. Or provide her with scrapbooking papers, punches, stickers, and other supplies so that she can make a fancy card for publishing her friendly letter or invitation letter.
- Comedy Night: Have your child write & illustrate funny story. Host a special family Comedy Night. Start by having your young author share her humorous story. Then choose a funny cartoon to watch or a stack of silly books to read. Invite everyone to tell their favorite jokes.
- Suitcase Story: For a story about a travel or vacation experience, make a suitcase out of a 12- x 18-inch piece of brown construction paper. Fold the paper in half and round the corners with scissors. Cut two handles from yellow or tan paper and tape them in place. Staple the child’s final story inside the suitcase.
Publishing Factual Reports and Book Reports
- Lapbooks and Flap Books: These make great avenues for displaying facts, photos, drawings, and short reports. They work well for factual reports as well as for explaining the steps of a process. Here’s just one of many lapbooking websites to help get you started.
- Mobiles: Mobiles are a fun way to publish a report or book report! You can attach index cards or paper shapes to a length of string or yarn and hang them from a coat hanger or the rim of a paper plate. On one side of each card, have the child write facts about his topic or details about a book’s characters, setting, or action. On the back, he can illustrate.
- Trivia Game: This is a great way to publish a younger child’s short factual report. On the cover of a manila file folder, have the child write five questions about her topic and then staple the report inside. Let family members or friends try to guess the answers. Then they can open the folder and read the report to see if they were right!
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Most of these fun and creative activities come straight from the pages of WriteShop Primary and WriteShop Junior, two elementary writing programs that incorporate clever publishing ideas into every lesson.
June 28th, 2010 — Editing & Revising, Elementary

In this little series on Editing and Evaluating Writing, we began by looking at ways to evaluate your K-3rd graders’ writing efforts. Today, let’s take a look at how you can give helpful feedback to your older elementary kids’ writing as well.
You’ve probably already discovered that, as a rule, your child is perfectly happy to give her paper a quick once-over and declare that, yes, it’s perfect. Not only that, she expects you to gush over it and give it an A.
But as a parent, you have different expectations. When teaching writing, your goal is not to pave a smooth road for your child; rather, it’s to help her become a proficient writer who can communicate effectively on paper.
Teaching your student how to evaluate her own writing is a key to helping move her toward this goal. Sounds good on paper, right? But how do you get her to do this—especially since she wants you to accept her first attempt as a final draft?
The Importance of Self-Editing
You’ll be relieved to know that there are, in fact, a few ways to get your child to evaluate her own work—honestly and competently—using simple self-editing techniques.
Why Self-Edit?
- Self-editing teaches your child to look for her own errors. After all, proofreading is an important lifelong skill.
- No author ever turns in a first draft to the publisher! Self-editing lets your child make changes and revisions before submitting it to you. The more attention she gives to self-editing, the better the final draft.
Introducing Self-Editing to Your Child
- Children should begin using a checklist as a guide to help them identify errors in content, style, and mechanics. A checklist takes the subjectivity out of self-editing by offering specific expectations to meet.
- Work closely with your child when she’s learning how to self-edit. When you work together, you can prompt her with questions or steer her in the right direction. For example, she may not readily spot repeated words at first, but you can gently point out that you notice she used the word “car” four times and encourage her to find a couple of synonyms.
- Ask your child if her paper has a beginning, middle, and end (or introduction, body, and closing). Encourage her to add more details if needed.
- As she compares her piece of writing to the checklist, she can make simple corrections and improvements to content and mechanics.
- Have your student use colored pencils, which will help her more easily identify particular errors.
- Her revision—written or typed on fresh paper—should show definite changes from the rough draft.
Tips for Evaluating Elementary-Level Writing
You Don’t Need to Make Guesses
Parents often flounder when the time comes to evaluate their children’s writing. A rubric helps, but you’ll be relieved to know there are definitely some things you can look for when evaluating your elementary-age child’s writing assignment.
- Ideas – Are her ideas clear, focused, and well supported? Or are they confusing?
- Organization – Is there a smooth flow of ideas from beginning to end, or is it hard to follow your child’s train of thought?
- Voice – Is the writing flat and uninteresting, or lively and engaging?
- Word choice – Are the words precise, interesting, accurate, and colorful; or dull, incorrect, or overused?
- Sentences – Are sentences complete, smooth, and varied? Or are they choppy, fragmented, or never-ending?
- Mechanics and Grammar – Do multiple errors muddle meaning and understanding? Or did your child use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
Keep It Positive
Include positive comments and praise along with helpful suggestions. Upbeat, encouraging feedback goes a long way in helping your children improve their writing.
- Even when a piece of writing looks rather hopeless, search out the positive. There is always something worthwhile to say about the paper.
- Bless your child’s efforts, creativity, word choice, or sentence structure.
- Offer gentle suggestions that encourage growth without squishing her spirit.
- Never make hurtful statements like: “Not very interesting” or “Aren’t you learning ANYTHING?”
If you find the need to sit side by side with your fourth, fifth, or sixth grader during editing, that’s okay. View it as training and preparation for those junior high and high school years where independent work habits will be much more important. For now, your time together can be a warm, nurturing, encouraging time in which your child learns that self-correction can yield rewarding results.
June 3rd, 2010 — All ages, Resources & Links
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.
According to the website, “The only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The high-velocity approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”
Free Resources
NaNoWriMo offers some great resources to help your students along their writing journey—”new and improved, 100% awesome, non-lame” Young Novelist Workbooks.
You can download the workbooks here absolutely FREE! Choose from:
- Elementary Student Noveling Workbook
- Middle School Student Noveling Workbook
- High School Student Noveling Workbook
Ready for a crazy, roller-coaster November? Register here for the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program!
February 1st, 2010 — Elementary, WriteShop Primary
No matter the curriculum, whether math, penmanship, or writing, picking the best starting level for your child can challenge the most seasoned homeschooler—especially when said child doesn’t exactly fit a grade-specific mold.
WriteShop Primary is no exception—you may need more help picking a starting level than the placement chart offers. The following lists identify specific skills within a range of ages, making it easier for you to choose the very best place to begin the program.
Start with Book A if your 5- to 7-year-old is not yet able to:
Identify beginning, middle, and end in a story.
- Complete predictable sentence starters.
- Identify and use punctuation marks at the end of a sentence.
- Begin a sentence with a capital letter.
- Choose an appropriate title.
- Think of simple ways to improve a story.
- Read and write color words.
- Recognize words that rhyme.
NOTE: Reading and writing skills are NOT required for Book A students. All work may be done orally.
WriteShop Primary Book A (print version)
WriteShop Primary Book A (e-book version)
Start with Book B if your 6- to 8-year-old is not yet able to:
- Identify or use paragraph form and indentation.
- Use graphic organizers to plan a story.
Include a beginning, middle, and end in his story.
- Figure out how to add more details to a story.
- Organize a story to include a problem and its solution.
- Choose story endings.
- Write or dictate a friendly letter.
- Write or dictate about something that has happened to him.
- Retell nursery rhymes and fairy tales in his own words.
- Identify the parts of a friendly letter.
- Identify words that rhyme.
- Use standard spelling tools such as a dictionary.
WriteShop Primary Book B (print version)
WriteShop Primary Book B (e-book version)
Start with Book C if your 7- to 9-year-old is not yet able to:
- Plan the main ingredients of a story before beginning to write.
Ask who, what, when, where, and why? in order to add story details.
- Organize story details.
- Write entries in a personal journal.
- Use descriptive words in his writing.
- Write a short nonfiction article.
- Summarize the contents of familiar books.
- Collect research facts about a specific topic.
- Write a simple, short report with introduction, body, and closing.
- Use standard spelling.
- Check his own work for correct spelling and punctuation.
WriteShop Primary Book C (print version)
WriteShop Primary Book C (e-book version)
October 20th, 2009 — WriteShop Primary

At long last, we’re excited to announce the release of the final book of our WriteShop Primary series. Yes—WriteShop Primary Book C has arrived!
About WriteShop Primary
WriteShop Primary introduces young children to the steps of the writing process using engaging activities, crafts, and picture books. The program creates an environment that promotes a joy of learning in young students and helps them experience success as they develop the ability to write. Whether you have a more advanced child or one who is just beginning, this program is flexible so children can work at their own level.
Who can use Book C?
Book C is recommended for second and third grade, but many of our test families also used it successfully with reluctant fourth, fifth, and even sixth graders. Parents also appreciated being able to use the book with children who learn with difficulty.
In Book C, children learn to:
- Plan, create, and publish simple stories, articles, and reports with parent help.
- Choose the main ingredients of a story before beginning to write.
- Learn to ask who, what, when, where, why?
- Use different graphic organizers to plan a story.
- Write entries in a personal journal.
- Describe an object, a person, and a place.
- Write a nonfiction article.
- Write a book report.
- Learn to use research to write a short report.
- “Publish” stories through projects or crafts.
Other skills introduced in Book C
- Using standard spelling
- Identifying describing words
- Using a simple self-editing checklist
- Summarizing contents of familiar books
- Collecting research facts about a specific topic
- Using computer publishing software
Here’s what parents have been saying about Book C
“The lessons were simple enough to build my son’s confidence,
yet challenging enough that he was always learning something new.” –Tammy, Florida
“I appreciate that I could teach three of my children at the same time and see each one’s writing improve. It’s beneficial for students with a wide variety of writing skills—non-writers, reluctant writers, disorganized writers—even enthusiastically prolific writers!” –Beth, South Carolina
“I am amazed at the progress my son made in such a short time. His ability to put his thoughts together in an organized way has improved dramatically. WriteShop Primary was very easy to teach. I loved that the lessons were easy to adapt to different learning styles.” –Bonnie, TX
Exclusive Introductory Offer for Blog Readers Only
Between October 20-31, you can order Book C, purchasing either a physical copy or the e-book version—and get 10% off!
Just leave a comment below and we’ll send you a coupon code by email entitling you to a 10% discount on Book C and the accompanying Activity Pack for Book C! (Good only at WriteShop. Offer ends October 31. )
Buy the physical book (print version)
Buy the e-book (PDF download)
November 11th, 2008 — Elementary, Homeschooling, Reluctant Writers, Teaching Writing

Narration is a wonderful tool for coaxing stories, descriptions, and letters from a young writer, especially a more reluctant one. Previously (Tip #1), I talked about using a tape recorder to encourage verbal storytelling. Sometimes, though, a child is still not ready or eager to tell entire stories. That’s OK! Just break it down into smaller pieces. Ask your child to describe what she can readily observe without the pressure of turning it into a published piece.
Let’s describe!
Take a closer look. Begin to prepare your child for a lifetime of observation. Start by helping her describe familiar objects and foods. The key? Ask lots of questions about:
- Color, shape, and size
- Texture (how it looks and how it feels to the touch)
- Sound
- Smell
- For a food, also add questions about its taste and feel when eaten
Suppose you’re enjoying cinnamon rolls for breakfast. As your child eats her treat, keep a pad and pen nearby and write down her observations. Ask her questions to prompt her. ”Tell me some words to describe your cinnamon roll. What color is the bun? Is it soft and squishy or dry and stale? What smells and flavors do you notice? Take a bite and tell me how it tastes and feels. Does the roll have frosting? Is it a hard glaze or is it soft and creamy? Any raisins or nuts? What textures do they add?”
Describe a person. Suggest that your youngster describe family members, friends, and pets. If she tells you that Grandpa has gray hair, ask, “Is it gray, or is it closer to silver or white?” Have her tell you about his hair length and texture, too. Next, ask her to tell you about his face, eyes, and smile. What about his clothes? His personality? His posture? With younger children, it helps to describe people and pets they can observe firsthand. But a photo also works well to draw responses.
Study your world. It’s so much fun to describe a place with a young child. Even now, as I type with the window open, I can see grass, trees, bushes, and flowers; mountains topped in low clouds; my neighbors’ houses and cars; and fences, rocks, and telephone poles. In addition, I can hear birds chirping, a dog barking, a car horn honking, a lawn mower humming in the distance. Since it rained recently, the air has a fresh, sweet smell.
If you’re doing this exercise with your child, wander out into the front or back yard so he can touch the roughness of tree bark, the smooth finish of the car in the driveway, the prickle of a thorny plant, and the moist, dewy lawn. Let him crush leaves to release their scent, smell flowers, and observe insects and birds.
In the city, sit on a bench and pay attention to traffic sounds, horns, voices, and other city noises. Look at the buildings. Are they old? New? Made of brick? Concrete? Glass? Do any of the buildings have interesting features? Do you see traffic signals or road signs? Trees or flowers? How about shops, stores, or other businesses? What’s in the windows?
Next, people-watch! You’ll see old and young, tall and short, serious and smiling. Are they walking or hurrying? Talking on cell phones? Alone or with a friend? What colors are they wearing? Are they carrying packages, bags, brief cases, or purses? Wearing backpacks? What kinds of shoes can you see?
Finally, notice the smells. Is that garlic wafting from an Italian restaurant? Do you smell fresh bread from the bakery on the corner? How about fumes from the bus that just pulled away from the curb? The whiff of someone’s perfume as she rushes past?
As your child makes observations, write down what she says in a small spiral notebook.
No composition required
Make this a fun learning experience for your child as you give her a chance to become a keen observer of her expanding world. Sure, there will be times when you’ll want her to develop her observations into a paragraph or story. But for now, focus more on the process of gathering and writing down ideas. The value comes from teaching your child that she really does have a great deal to say about different topics!
Visit Walking Therein to visit this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling (the 150th edition, BTW)!
City photo: Copyright 2008 © Kim Kautzer