We aren't strict adherents to Charlotte Mason, but more of loose followers. Take a peek inside a day in the life of our relaxed Charlotte Mason homeschool.

I get questions all the time about one of our favorite curriculums: Brave Writer. Let me help you out. Here's a Q + A about Brave Writer just for you!

This Brave Writer review from a skeptic turned enthusiast will help you decide whether or not to try this unconventional homeschool language arts curriculum

The following note was sent to me after I posted about the ideal curriculum for a six year old: Julie, I loved the post today. How would you answer the same question (more or less), to the homeschooling parent of a 13 and 14 year old……the 14 year old with learning challenges and the 13 […]

I discovered how to create the perfect elementary language arts curriculum with Brave Writer and Grammar Galaxy. I’m giddy about it!

The eighth Brave Writer precept is: We acknowledge challenges and face them bravely. We reach out to others, knowing that help helps. It’s really hard to be a homeschooler without support. We make brave decisions every day to show up and believe that what we have to offer our children is enough to give them […]

Today Melissa and I nerd out about writing. We’re passionate about writing. We’re professional writers! Ergo: we LOVE it! The unique aspect of Brave Writer is that our approach to teaching writing is different from what’s typically taught in education or seen in other writing resources. It’s a process that is reflective of the stages […]

Think of a bookish character! Got one? Enquiring minds want to know! Research involves knowing the content so well that you can ask and answer questions accurately. Try interviewing your character! If the answers to the questions below aren’t given in the book, imagine the answers based on the character’s personality, preferences, and experiences. Feel free […]

This year we are using Brave Writer for our language arts as part of our 1st and 2nd grade curriculum picks. If you're new to using the Brave Writer Darts, you probably have a ton of questions like what they are and how to use them. And I'm sure you are wondering if Brave Writer

We're really enjoying the Quiver of Arrows from Brave Writer for our grade 3 language arts supplement. I love literature based homeschooling

Some of you might be participating in National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo . I found a few fun resources that might be of interest to you if you're one of the brave and ambitious souls to take on this challenge! Even if you're not participating in NaNoWriMo, this is a good art

NBC recently cancelled The Brave which means, much like Haven, I was one of the few people watching it. Which is sad because it was really good. It's n ...

This Brave Writer review from a skeptic turned enthusiast will help you decide whether or not to try this unconventional homeschool language arts curriculum

By Lora Fanning [This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!] Question: How do you practice the Brave Writer Lifestyle? How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare isn’t Brave Writer specific, but the addition of memorization and storytelling […]

Two easy words: Which first? Choice is powerful for children. Sometimes we get into command mode where we look over the head of the child and direct them to an activity or an action we want them to take. The lack of eye contact, combined with our insistence, may lead to resistance. One way to […]

I’m delighted to introduce you to my newest book: RAISING CRITICAL THINKERS: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age It feels like a moment whose time has come. I talk with parents every day. They are worried. Our culture (and our families) are polarized. We want to raise curious kids who […]

Understanding a young writer’s stages of growth is vital. In my years of working with families, I’ve found that it is much more effective to look at how writers grow naturally than to focus on scope and sequence, grade level, ages, or the types of writing that ought to be done in some “established sequence.” […]

I get email every day from parents who love their kids, who think they’ve got the most creative, smart, surprising little people living under their roofs. They share stories, their children’s writing, photos, and detailed accounts of what their kids are doing. These parents are wowed, amazed. And they should be! Their children ARE amazing. […]

“Being aware of one’s life, one’s revolt, one’s freedom, and to the maximum, is living, and to the maximum.”

How it started: dinosaurs, daisy chains, phonics and lapbooks. How it’s going: citations, quotations, note-taking and ChatGPT. Yikes! The high school years are upon you and it’s a whole new world. You know you want to prepare your kids for college writing, but the task can seem daunting. Add to the mix worries of the […]

Some of you might be participating in National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo . I found a few fun resources that might be of interest to you if you're one of the brave and ambitious souls to take on this challenge! Even if you're not participating in NaNoWriMo, this is a good art

The Story of Aika the orphan

Tips for your young writers (ages 5-8): 1. The best curriculum for this age is still face paints and dress up clothes. Play, exploration, acting out—these teach. Trust the process. 2. Riddles, jokes, rhymes, poems, puns, secrets, mysteries, the alphabet (write it big, write it small, write it backwards, write it with chalk on the […]

Calling all planners! You’ve asked for it. Now, it’s here! We’ve created a spreadsheet listing all 230 Dart, Arrow, Boomerang, and Slingshot titles just for you! And it’s not just a list of titles. Oh, no . . . We’ve given you the POWER! The power to search and sort by title, author, book setting […]

Join us in the Homeschool Alliance as we take a Deep Dive into the History of the English Language! Rita Cevasco (of Rooted in Language) will join us for a live webinar looking at how an understanding of the English language transforms children’s experiences of reading, writing, and literature! She’ll be on hand to address […]

Teaching poetry to kids in elementary school has never been easier! Use these four poetry skills to take your students' poetry writing to the next level.

Fix it grammar is an excellent homeschool grammar curriculum. Fix it grammar review and why it's great for kids that struggle with focus

I created this character map that I use during stations. I copy the Character Traits on the back and have them highlight the traits that describe the character. Then, they write them on the front of the page in the Character Traits section. They draw an illustration of the character in the middle of the page. I love it because I can use it during stations for the story of the week, whole group, or they can even complete it independently using the main character from their AR book. Click on the image below for a copy of this printable

I dare you to pronounce the word above without using the pronunciation guide. We can all learn to say the word, but I hope none of us could have the word applied to the person we are, the writer we are. It's a very normal response to fear not being good enough. Every new writer has moments of feeling like they aren't good enough to get published. It's not only the new writers. Seasoned writers have those fingers of fear clutching at their insides, too. Maybe not as often, but it happens. Some writers feel very confident that what they've written is of some merit, that their story could stand up to any other. First draft, edit, revision, another edit, final polish--yep, this is a good story. The time to submit to an editor arrives and suddenly those doubts began to assail the writer. What to do? The best choice is to submit your story and wait to see what happens. If it is rejected, that doesn't mean you're a crummy writer. Don't ever feel that way. The longer we're in the writing world, the more we become aware that not every story (or other kinds of writing) is going to get accepted on the first submission. It may take several times, and it might never be accepted. It happens to all of us now and then. Statistics show that you'll have far more rejections than acceptances over the course of your writing life. A man who led a writing group I once belonged to said that one study showed that a writer can expect to have 1 of every 12 submissions be accepted. That's a whole lot of rejections, isn't it? Somehow, that one acceptance shines above the ones that didn't make it. That's the one you'll remember. Multiple rejections are no reason for feeling like a failure or telling yourself you aren't good enough to make it in the writing world. Multiple rejections can definitely be a downer if you let it. It's up to you to accentuate the positives rather than the negatives in your writing journey. You're probably thinking Oh right! How easy is that? I'll be the first to admit that it's not a 'smack the ball and make a home run' kind of thing. You have to work at having that positive attitude. You need to remind yourself of the pluses in your writing life and it's something we all need to do on a consistent basis, not just occasionally. Learn to have faith in your own abilities. When you write something that is satisfying to you, give yourself that proverbial pat on the back. Soak up any compliment you receive from a reader or editor. Look yourself in the mirror and think I am a writer and a good one. If you don't think it, then it's doubtful others will. When people discuss your writing with you, don't be demure if you're paid a compliment. Accept it with a smile and a hearty thank you. I've heard writers make excuses instead. That puts a damper on you and the person you're talking to. Have faith in your own abilities. You wouldn't be pursuing the writing life if you had no ability to write at all. Admit that you have learned a lot but there is always more to learn. I saw a great poster the other day. It said Let your faith be bigger than your fear. That advice works for us as writers, too. Two 'f' words. Which one will you let be your guide in your writing life? Will it be faith in yourself or fear that you'll never be a good writer? Once again, it's up to you. About that word, atychiphobia, don't worry about learning to pronounce it. I don't think you're going to need it.

NBC recently cancelled The Brave which means, much like Haven, I was one of the few people watching it. Which is sad because it was really good. It's n ...

Teaching English online has become more and more popular in recent years. Through the following courses below, we will show you how to adapt your existing skills and knowledge to suit this specific area of the teaching world.