Cultivate your Young Writers

Martin Luther said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen!”He was spot on.  Harriet Beecher Stowe was hailed as the little woman who started this great Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln through the influence of her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. If the written word is paramount in influencing the world around us, howcan we as educators develop it in our homeschools?

 

Creative Writing is far more than leading your children to make up fanciful stories. It offers a multitude of educational opportunities building skills your children will use throughout their lifetimes.

 

·        It teaches strategic thought and problem solving through learning how to write a plot

 

·        It teaches close observation through learning to develop sensory writing which will overflow into science class!

 

·        It teaches characterization, producing self expression and empathy 

 

·        It teaches sentence structure and format in a fun way

 

·        It teaches how to unleash creativity, how to think outside the box, invent and practice imagination

 

·        It helps children succeed and grow in confidence. They may not feel brave enough to tackle a new skill, or process a current life experience but through speaking through the eyes of the characters they can write about it.

Teaching Kids Spiritual Themes through Nature

Exploring Nature teaches children about who God is and how He provides for all the earth. There is a reason why people feel close to the Creator when they walk in a forest or enjoy the song of a bird. In this hectic fast paced world we live in teach your children to slow down and enjoy nature. It will serve them as a peaceful haven for the rest of their lives!

 

Catch frogs or toads and make a special habitat for them. Read books from the library to find out how. Talk about how creating a natural environment is important in keeping them alive and healthy. Talk about how God wants us to live in a healthy spiritual environment so we will be healthy and alive, too. 

Write down the things that create a healthy spiritual environment with colorful markers together, decorate the page and post it on the refrigerator. (2 Corinthians 6:17-18) These might include:

• Bible reading 
• Bible memory
• Good attitudes of love and kindness
•  Forgiveness 
• Wholesome music and movies 

 

Catch fireflies and put them in recycled plastic containers. Let them light up your patio like little lanterns. Talk about how you can be Christ’s light to a dark world.  (Matthew 5:16)

Make a weather watch calendar with a piece of white poster board. Each day draw what kind of weather is outside. Talk about how even though it may be cloudy sometimes, the sun is still shining above them. Talk about how we can always count on God’s goodness even when we can’t feel it. 

Visit the Zoo and talk about how each animal’s difference is pleasing to God and how each one demonstrates a truth about who He is. Talk about how each one of us, no matter how different we may feel or look, is pleasing to God and He loves us.