While scrolling Facebook the other day, I was reminded of a great writing tip that one of our excellent homeschool teachers from San Bernardino County was sharing with their Facebook group. Christina, the HST, had suggested using the same writing prompts as your children and taking a few minutes to sit alongside them and write as well. I am reminded of some of the ideas I have used in the past, and I thought I'd share them today.

Some great ideas for practicing writing skills without feeling like writing is a chore is to start with Mad Libs! Mad Libs allows you and the kids to write a silly story together. Mad Libs can be an awesome introduction to story writing and writing in general.

Another great idea is to begin a journal with your child. Make it casual, no worries about spelling errors or punctuation and capitalization; this is a safe space to write your thoughts back and forth. Sometimes you, the parent, will have more thoughts than your child. I encourage you to accept one-word answers and small bits and pieces that they're willing to write down. Just keep going, write a story for them, write a poem, share your ten favorite things about your child. Use this simple journal as a method to connect with your child and get to know them more on the inside. It is a great way to practice writing and also bond.

Listen to books, poems, songs, plays, and discuss what you like about them. Then make a plan to write your songs, short stories, plays, raps, anything you want! A team effort in writing something can go a long way and bring a lot of excitement to the group. Take some of the stress off of your reluctant writers by allowing one of your kids who does write well or yourself to be the writer and the other kids can contribute thoughts and ideas.

Some other fun out of the box writing assignments for older kids could be having them create fake contracts, write up fake legal documents, construct a family motto or rules for the family home and have all members sign the document. You can also have your kids research and create a family tree. These are great ways to encourage writing skills and have fun at the same time!

More simple tips for encouraging writing with your little ones:

• Use chalk and chalk paint outside on the concrete.

• Purchase fancy chalk markers for your chalkboard. Try many different colors.

• Let them use dry erase markers on a dry erase board.

• Collect rocks and make letters with those rocks. You can do this with twigs as well.

• With your help, take a small piece of wood and short nails, and hammer in the shapes of the letters, let them string along yarn or ribbon in the form of the letter.

• Have them glue pipe cleaners onto paper in the shapes of letters.

• Fill a gallon ziplock bag with paint seal it shut with duct tape, and let them use their finger to draw letters into the paint.

• Make or buy clay, Silly Putty, slime and let them make letter shapes with it.

• Find a stick that will work like a pencil and let them draw letters in the sand, mud, and dirt.

• Dry erase markers work well on windows and sliding glass doors too! Let them write a story on your sliding glass door and see if that interests them!

• Find an excellent soft pretzel recipe and make pretzels in the shapes of letters with them. Then eat your creations!

• Bake a cake and then allow them to use icing to write a message on the cake.

• Google search invisible ink, make it and then encourage your kids to write clues to the treasure.

This list is long, and I can honestly go on with more ideas, but I think you get the picture. Sit down for a moment and think of creative ways to encourage your kids to practice writing and understanding letters and their sounds. A moment of thinking outside the box can go a long way in your home when you're trying to encourage writing without overwhelming your kids and wearing everybody down. Know that you are always working toward the goal of educating your kids and creating an environment for learning that produces success. This is true of most homeschool families, and when you are practicing these things, success will be what you receive!

~Candice

The 2019-2020 Online Subscription Package (OSP) options are finalized, and we’re spotlighting every option - every week!

"Renaissance myON® Reader is a student-centered, personalized literacy platform that offers unlimited access to thousands of enhanced digital books "

About MyON Reader and News and Accelerated Reader through the OSP

• Includes access to MyON Reader with MyON News, also includes Accelerated Reader (AR). AR is not available individually, it is only available with MyON Reader and News
• MyOn Reader is a personalized digital library
  • Unlimited access
  • Books can be downloaded and used on a tablet, laptop, or mobile device when there is no internet access
• MyOn News is powered by News-O-Matic
  • Articles are available in 3 levels
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• Accelerated Reader
• Access to almost 200,000 quizzes on a variety of books
• Including book only available on MyON Reader

Access to myON through the OSP will end on July 31st, 2020

FAQ

Q: Is Accelerated Reader available on its own?

A: No, it is only available through the OSP and it is bundled with MyON Reader and News.

Q: Why has the price for Accelerated Reader gone up from $25 from 2018-2019?

A. Accelerated Reader was offered at a trial price last year for 6 months of access, this year your student will receive a full year's access along with access to myON Reader/News.

Head HERE to watch more about MyOn Reader.

Head HERE to watch more about MyOn News.

For more details on this OSP option and all the other OSP subscriptions, head over to the OSP Handbook.

Have a question regarding the Online Subscription Package? Email osp@inspireschools.org

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I am starting my twelfth year of homeschooling my big group! I have eight kids and six are enrolled in Inspire! I love to help families discover their perfect homeschool lifestyle based on the needs of each child and the family! We homeschool in a very eclectic and flexible way and always have. I desire to bring a deep understanding of the importance and enjoyment of home education to our awesome Riverside County Community of Homeschoolers! As always, reach out at any time for all your homeschool needs and concerns. I am always happy to help!

Hi everyone! I am a mom of 3 awesome kids ranging in age from 11 to 7 years old. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for 16 years. Having homeschooled our children over the last 7 years in 3 different states, I've found homeschooling here in California, especially with Inspire Charter, has been a great fit for our homeschool journey. I am grateful for our ability to homeschool so freely and I aspire to assist other families with their own homeschool adventures!