I was a classroom teacher in Boston in 2001. I remember the exact place I was standing when the head of school told me that a plane had hit the Twin Towers. I did not realize in that moment what an impact it would have on life as we knew it at that time. I still remember very specific moments, but I did not write about it. I wish I had.
Around our house, we have been talking about the impact COVID-19 is having on everyone's lives right now and the impact it will have going forward. We decided to keep journals to remember this time. My daughters are better at this than I am, but I try to catch up every couple days with a few lines. I know these will be significant memories in 20 years. If you are interested in journaling with your children, I would suggest ordering a notebook, or making one with pages you can print, with spaces to write and illustrate. If your child is not yet writing, you can ask your child to dictate while you write and then your child can illustrate the dictation. If your child is older, a composition notebook is nice to use. My single piece of advice with journal writing is to keep it simple. A few sentences are great. If lists are your thing, go that route. If you or your child is not feeling it one day, that's okay. Do what works. Some topics you could suggest to your child:
I hope your Wednesday includes moments of wonder and good memories.
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Today is April 1, which means it is the first day of National Poetry Month! Are you as excited as I am? I love poetry, so I am thrilled that it has its own month. Poetry is a fun way for children to learn language skills without the constrictions of traditional writing rules, and there is a style of poetry for everyone. When using poetry at home, I would encourage reading poems aloud and including both silly and serious poems in the mix. Writing poetry is a small window into your child, which may be a useful tool during this time. We always recommend tea and poetry in the afternoon!
Online poetry resources: If you would like to write poetry with your children, here are two suggestions of formulaic poems: Haiku is an ancient Japanese form of poetry. They usually follow a three line, 5-7-5 syllable pattern and capture an observation in nature or a moment in time. (Because they were originally written in Japanese, the english translations do not always have the 5-7-5 pattern.)
and the village is flooded with children. Acrostic poems start with a topic written down the left side of the paper and then a word or very short phrase is added to each letter.
Plant seeds Rain showers Insects pollinate New sprouts Gardening I hope your Wednesday includes moments of wonder and a great poem. Does your daily schedule look like Marie Kondo's schedule? My schedule is not even close, but I am trying to organize and declutter as we spend more and more time at home. While working on the school/craft/art shelves, I found our 10-year-old, small chalkboard. I put it on the kitchen table with a cheerful message. Since then, every person in the house has left messages throughout the day. Sometimes a friendly message, the lunch or dinner menu, a poem, a math challenge, a picture or a snarky message (yes, we have teenagers in our house).
This is probably not the time to focus on diagramming sentences, unless a teacher is requesting it. Creative writing, dictation, and copywork are excellent, perhaps even fun, ways to get a little writing practice in at home. Creative writing prompts:
Dictation and copywork:
Writing on a chalkboard is fun for all ages, so here are a few options, if you are interested: I hope your Wednesday includes moments of wonder and thoughtful writing. |
AuthorWelcome! My name is Heidi. I am a mom of two daughters, one dog, and one rabbit, and wife to one guy. I have been a homeschool mom for thirteen years – the first ten in Chicago and the last three in St. Louis. I am glad you found your way here! Archives
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