PE: One of the "Core" Subjects

by Doreen Blanding

There is a tragedy happening in our public schools and it is budget cuts. When the downturn in the economy started, people started paying less taxes and one of the major tax items for any state is the public school system. Out came the knives that carved away the fat in those budgets. If we are to believe the public reports in the news, the first things to go are the "extras" like music, art and PE. (Personally I kind of find this interesting since those are some of the subjects that, by law, my state requires that I teach my children.) 

This isn't new. This happened twenty plus years ago when I was one of those students in the public school system. I remember only having one art class a week when we used to go to the art room three times a week the year before. I remember sharing our PE teacher with the school across town and we only went to one PE class every other week. I remember music class was held in the gym on alternating weeks and the only instruments we had were recorders. 

Thankfully I homeschool my kids so I don't have to trim the fat and get rid of these wonderful classes in my school. In fact they are very important subjects in my house and often some of the most expensive items on my school budget. 

Health has been a major topic in our house for as long as I can remember; even before I decided to homeschool. I was an athlete before marriage and tried to continue in the following years by being active. I believe in setting a good example. I haven't been the best, but at least I’m encouraging and trying to be that slim, trim athlete I was some decades ago. 

Statistics show that America is getting fatter. In fact one study I read a couple years ago said that two-thirds of American adults are overweight. Even more shocking is the number for those under 18. According to the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) "Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago." Obesity leads to all sorts of health problems but I won't bore you with all the ugly details because I want to encourage you to get up and do something about it. America's problem is that we have become a nation of eaters and sitters. We eat and then we sit. We eat the wrong stuff and then sit around and complain about how fat and out of shape we are. 

We are lucky. As Latter-day Saints we have modern revelation that can help us find a way to health and happiness. If you just go to the Church's website and type in "health" in the search engine you will find a year's worth of articles and lesson plans. The magazine articles alone make up over 2,000 different entries. "Physical Health" is even in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet that we should all have and use as we teach our children. 

First there is the Word of Wisdom. Doctrine and Covenants section 89 makes a wonderful unit study. Take it apart, study it and see how you might be able to improve your eating habits. It isn't just about things we shouldn't consume or put in our bodies; it is also about things we should be doing and consuming. Involve your children in the study. They will more readily be willing to implement the guidance given through the Prophet. The July 2007 issue of the New Era has a great article for teens (and everyone) by Riley M. Lorimer entitled Take Care. It contains one of my favorite bits of wisdom for all ages. "When considering nutrition, always remember the principles of judgment (see D&C 59:16–20) and prudence (as set forth in the Word of Wisdom; see D&C 89:11)." 

The second is found in Doctrine and Covenants section 58:27, "men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause,". I know many of us think this is about service and doing good for others, but I like to think this also means being anxiously engaged in the good cause of making sure our bodies are healthy. It is a service to our children and their children to make sure that we are healthy, but even more importantly is the good cause of the knowledge and practice we pass along by our examples and lessons. 

In the wonderful Proclamation to the World on the family, modern day prophets added something special we are do to with our families, Happy and "successful families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreational activities" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, 1995). So get up and move with your family! Start planning and participating in "wholesome recreational activities." 

You don't need a whole classroom of kids to have a successful PE class, you just need to have a desire to exercise. Toddlers need about 90 minutes a day of physical activity (30 minutes planned and 60 unstructured play). Preschoolers need 120 minutes of physical activity (60 minutes planned and 60 minutes unstructured physical activity). School age children (6-18) need 60 minutes or more of physical activity a day. No child should be inactive for a period of two hours unless they are sleeping. Here are some of the great things we have done in our family to get our PE in.

Shoot baskets 
Run around the block 
Walk the dogs 
Throw a frisbee 
Play on the play structure 
Walk to the library from the grocery store 
Play hop scotch 
Play marbles 
Play pioneer games 
Ride our scooters 
Dance 
Ride our bikes 
Tag 
Go for a hike 
Kick a soccer ball 
Check out DVDs from the library and try yoga, Pilates, kick boxing, etc. 
Go geocaching 
Jump in puddles 
Play catch 
Hula hoop 
Roller blades 
Play duck-duck-goose (yes, even with four kids) 
Explore our town 
Go for a walk 
Fly kites 
Play at the beach 
Jump on the trampoline 
Go swimming 
Play in the snow 
Yard work 
Outdoor service for another 
Take a PE class 
Participate in organized sports

Be creative. Notice my list was things that are almost all free. You don't have to cut your PE class because of budget cuts or even the weather. Don't let the wind, rain, snow and ugly weather of winter set you back. Living in the Seattle area and dealing with rain almost all year round we have found that you can have a lot of fun playing in the rain, especially if there is a warm fire and hot chocolate at the end. 

I'm not an over the top health nut, but I do believe that we need to physically take care of the temple God has given us (1 Corinthians 3:16) as well as mentally and spiritually. Gather your children, talk about getting some fresh air and plan your next PE class. Put it on the calendar and have fun. Remember the Lord gave us this temple and it is our responsibility to keep it clean and use it for a long time. 
________ 

Some of my favorite articles on Health from the Church

"Focusing on Family Fitness" Ensign, September 1990 
"Take Care" by Riley M. Lorimer, NewEra July 2007 
"The Body is a Blessing" by John S. Tanner, Ensign 1993

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Doreen

Finding Your Voice

by Kari Berge Brimhall

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long and this is installment six. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

Three friends, three lessons:

Will is an artist.  He has great skill as he puts brush to paper.  His images are bright, clever, and leap off the page.  Will has always liked art.  He found his talent early.  Yet, there was a time when no money came in.  He could’ve settled for another job just to pay the bills, but, he would not give up on his art.  Sacrifices were made so he could continue painting.  He believed in his talent.  His wife, family and friends believed too.  He found his style of painting.  His determination has paid off and he now shares his unique style with the world with a successful career as an illustrator.  His works have been published in national magazines and books. 

Lesson 1:  Will never lost sight of his “style”; he had faith in his voice.

Amy is a quilt artist.  She too, paints with bright colors, this time with cloth.  Her works of art are bold, beautiful, and unique.  Amy too, struggled with finding her voice, her personal style.  She tried traditional quilting methods and decided there had to be an easier way.    Through persistence and trying new things, she found her way, and now shares that way with countless other quilters.  She brightens and enhances the quilt art arena with her unique personal style, inspiring others to add color and creativity to their lives and quilts!

Lesson 2:  Amy was willing to try new things to find her voice.

Susan has a beautiful singing voice.  She has a talent, a gift, but one that she has always developed.  There were lean years, when she and her husband were in school, new babies, moving… yet they always saved enough money to pay for voice lessons.  A dedicated husband and family supported her.  Regardless of where they lived, she has volunteered time to be in the church choir and community plays and musicals.  She developed her talent and when opportunity knocked, she was prepared to take it, onto the Broadway stage with a national touring opera.

Lesson 3:  Susan continually worked at developing her voice.

I look at these friends and wonder, “what if…”  What if they had stopped creating, stopped listening to that inner voice?  What if they had given up when the hard times came?  They wouldn’t have found “their style”.  Each is successful because:

1. They had faith in their voice. 
2. They were willing to try new things to find their voice.
3. They kept working at developing their voice.

Have you or your children stopped too soon or given up on writing?  Is your personal writing style just around the corner?  What is your writing style or your writing voice?  What inspires you?  One student is inspired by names.  She checked out a baby-name book from the library and rewrote 100+ names in her writing journal as a resource for the characters she creates in her stories.  Another writer just starts doodling and her stories naturally come out of her drawings.  A different student acts out his stories so he can really feel what his character is going through.

With all the time our family spends on writing, do we have a house full of kids who love to write?  No, but we have faith that everyone has something important and unique to say.  Do we have kids who struggle when they put pen to paper?  Yes, but, we keep trying new activities and different shapes and formats (fans, cards, stories, letters, etc.).  We keep working on our “voice”.    We have seen success as our students and children have grown accustom to the “Writing Traffic Light” process.  They have found their voice, their style.  They are comfortable in the process and write beautifully and convincingly. 

Continue to write and you too will develop your writing style!

Next week: "Learn to write, write to learn"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

When Writing is NOT a Blast

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long and this is installment five. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

Writing can be tough for most children.   This point dawned on me one day as I pulled my frustrated third grade child out from under the table at writing time.  He was struggling to write a story, but couldn’t get past the first two lines.  He complained loudly, “I HATE writing!”

In a moment of desperation and inspiration, my mind traveled back to swimming lessons the year before.  My favorite group to watch at my children’s swimming lessons is the “Tadpole” class for beginning swimmers.  At first they are completely and utterly afraid of the water.  They get in, but it takes lots of coaxing and a great deal of trust on their part.  Without fail each of these frightened children practically strangles his or her instructor as she walks them across the pool, holding each in her arms.  The instructor seems determined to not let them fail.  She walks them across the pool, back and forth.  At first their toes dangle in the water as she walks them, then their feet and by the end of the 6-week class I was amazed at the progress of these little swimmers. They trusted her instruction and they trust themselves.  They like the water and have begun to swim.

The older swim classes jump right in the water and splash all around without any inhibitions.  They are at the point where they just need their swimming skills refined.  They were once little swimmers too, but they were taught basic strokes and have had lots of practice.  As experienced swimmers, they play games in the water and have swim races.  The instructor is there to just guide and reinforce their skills.

It was at that moment I realized that learning to write is no different than learning to swim.  My attitude with my son had been all-wrong.  I was determined that he should be working at the third grade level even though he wasn’t there.  Some writers jump right in and need only to refine their skills.  With my son, the reluctant writer, I had to meet him where he was—instead of pushing him into the deep end; I went down to the shallow end of the pool and met him where he was.  I taught him how to think out his ideas, brainstorm them on paper—writing key words to jog his memory, and to just START!

Like the swimming instructor, I had to carry him across the pool.  He dictated his stories to me and I wrote his words.  I taught him the “Writing Traffic Light” and we worked through the process.

With my son, I broke the writing process down into some of the following small pieces:

• I showed him the final product:  “This is what it looks like when you are all finished.” (still allowing room for his creativity.)
   
• We brainstormed and made a general outline of where his story was going with brief sentences.
   
• I wrote down the key words for his story to help jog his memory as he wrote.
   
• I wrote, he wrote.  The pencil traveled back and forth between us, like a ball in a tennis match, and he began to write more.
   
• I explained that this was the “sloppy copy” and that handwriting and spelling didn’t matter in this stage.  It was a huge relief to him to know that it was ok to make mistakes in the green light step.
   
• I stayed nearby, doing something else while he wrote, as a way of giving him constant moral support.
   
• I let him go at his own pace.  What I thought my son should be capable of was actually unrealistic for him.  We slowed the steps down.  What could’ve taken a single day, took three days, and it was ok.
   
• I gave him lots of encouragement.  Confidence is such an important thing!
   
• I typed up what we had written and gave him a copy.  I left some spelling and grammar mistakes that we could discuss.  He laughed at my errors (which were actually his) and loved playing teacher and correcting the mistakes.  We printed the story again.
   
• We elaborated on his story, as part of the EDITing step and made it better.  I was surprised how much he liked doing this step, and how good he was at it.  It was easy to add details when he had a basic skeleton of a story in front of him.

My son made his story SPARKLE by choosing a nice font, and printing it on nice paper when it was finally completed.  He was radiant.  He could hardly wait to share his story with everyone.  He felt successful.

Will I always be there to write for him?  No, but if I can get him into the metaphorical writing pool and let him see how much fun writing can be, then pretty soon he will be coming to the pool on his own and even jumping in the deep end!

Next week: "Finding Your Voice"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

The Reading Road

Growing up, our family library consisted of books on topics you wouldn’t be likely to find on the average person’s bookcase. These topics included rock hounding, rock polishing, salt water aquariums, raising tropical fish and birds, dog breeding/grooming/pedigrees, exotic landscaping, cross pollenating fruit trees, how to build a sauna, gourmet cooking, the best national forests to visit, intricate woodworking, hunting for arrowheads and native American historical sites, how to make sushi, strategies for playing chess, curing your own jerky, hieroglyphics, snorkeling… you get the idea.  My dad was a little bit eccentric and a lot spontaneous. He’d get an idea in his head, read a book about it, and then do it, bringing the family along for the ride. All of this made for some interesting experiences when I was younger.

As an adult, I’m finding that the thing I carried away from those experiences, besides a lot of great memories, is the habit of looking to books when I want to learn about something. As I turn to my own bookshelves I see titles on making bread, square foot gardening, natural child birth, writing poetry, and many other things that interest me.

Naturally, when we first considered homeschooling, I read every book I could get my hands on about educating children, child development, and, well, homeschooling. We’ve committed to homeschooling, but I still do a lot of reading in this area. And although books are not the only factor that went into our decision, I thought it might be interesting to look back at the reading road I’ve taken so far in my homeschooling adventure. I should probably mention that I liked some of these books better than others, agreed with some more than I did others, and found some to be more helpful than others.  What you like and take to heart is completely up to you, this list is merely a map of where I’ve been over the last year. Here they are, in no particular order, the books I’ve read to try and prepare myself for a future of educating our children.

• A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van Demille
   
• Creative Home Schooling: A Resource Guide for Smart Families by Lisa Rivero
   
• Science is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers by Peggy Ashbrook
   
• Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
   
• Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
   
• Marshmallow Math: Early Math for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Primary School Children by Trevor Schindeler
   
• Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp
   
• Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences by Leonard Sax
   
• Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld
   
• Unplugged Play: No Batteries, No Plugs, Pure Fun by Bobbi Conner
   
• Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
   
• What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Read-alouds to Get Ready for Kindergarten by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
   
• Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein
   
• Boys Adrift: Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax
   
• The Absolute Best Play Days: From Airplanes to Zoos by Pamela Waterman
   
• Preschool Art: It’s the Process Not the Product by MaryAnn F. Kohl

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Krystal

Start a Writing Journal

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long and this is installment four. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

In my kitchen I keep file folders of new recipes that I want to try.  I have filled three of them and I am still tearing out recipes from the magazines at the dentist’s office, printing out recipes from the internet, and asking friends if I can get the recipe of that yummy hummus I tried at their Greek party last week.  This despite the fact it will take me at least two years to try all of the new recipes that I have collected.  All those new recipes are in one place and every once in a while I will dig through my file folders and find a new recipe that I want to try or it will give me a new idea to improve one of my favorite recipes.

I suggest you do the same thing for all of your writing ideas by keeping what I call a writing journal.  Did you ever wake up in the morning with a great idea, but by the time you stepped out of the shower, the idea was long gone?  Now you can have a place to keep all those ideas:  in your writing journal!  Your writing journal should NOT be like a diary or a day planner, a chronological what-I-do-every–day-of-my-life journal.  Rather, it should be a place for lists, quotes, ideas for stories, and other kinds of great entries.  There of course, will be some not so great entries too, but for the most part, this should be a journal that is fun to keep and that you will want to carry with you.  Have your students or children keep it where they can get at it quickly.

Collect and write entries in your journal, later, as you look through it something will jump off the page and want to be written about.  This is what I call “transplanting an idea.”  Like seedlings that are transplanted into larger pots as they grow, the idea in your writing journal that grabbed your attention needs room to grow into a story, poem or memoir.  Take that idea out of your writing journal, think about it, and then write about it on another piece of paper.  Choose one of the activities that I suggest in the Activities chapter and adapt it for your idea or journal entry.  Make a collection of transplanted ideas, type them up, and put them in a small book.  Make time to write daily entries.  I know one family that sits together and writes.

Make routines or traditions with your writing journals…have an evening where everyone shares their favorite entry, their shortest entry, illustrates one of their entries, etc.
  
Your writing journal should be small enough to carry around, but big enough to hold all of your great ideas.  It could be as basic as a spiral notebook, or, even better, a bound notebook to encourage you as a writer to keep all your ideas and not rip anything out.  Much like an artist’s sketchbook, your writing journal should be a place where you think through ideas, play with words, or write down profound thoughts and quotes.  It should not be neat and tidy, but rather a place for creative thought.  This journal is where you WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!  Copy the list of suggestions and glue it in your writing journal to give you a jumping off place to start.

Next week: "When Writing is NOT a Blast"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

Real Life Story Problems

Sam is riding his bike to his grandma’s house at a rate of 6 miles an hour. If his grandmother’s house is 4 miles away, how long will it take him to get there? Real life story problem, right? Maybe, if you’re Sam. But as soon as my kids see a problem like this they always start asking questions; Did Sam stop at any red lights? Did he pop into the gas station for a soda? Did he forget something part way there and have to go back for it? I think the kids are stalling so they don’t have to finish their math, but they do have a valid point. In real life problems are rarely so cut and dry. Not only that, but who really cares how long it takes Sam to get to his grandma’s? What my kids really want to know is how many minutes until lunch time.

If we want math, or any other type of problem solving to be “real life” then it needs to be part of our actual life. There are so many wonderful ways to let children learn to problem solve. I’ve listed a few ideas, but I think it all comes down to letting kids find solutions to their own problems and being patient while they experience the trial and error that comes with that process. It is important to note that as a parent it’s necessary to gauge the difficulty of a project with the child’s ability level, so that with a little hard work and perseverance they can be successful.

Birthday Cakes: I used to spend hours trying to create the elaborate birthday cakes my kids would dream up. Then one year I realized they were plenty old enough to make the cake themselves. Now, please don’t think I’m a bad mother because my kids have to make their own cakes. They absolutely love the opportunity. They spend days planning before I take them to the store to get all their supplies, then they spend hours “building” their cake. It usually takes some adaptations and a good deal of problem solving to make their masterpiece the way they want it, but they are always so proud of their accomplishment.

Building Toys: I agonized for years over the amount of time my children spent playing with legos. I kept wishing they would do something more productive. Then I realized how much problem solving is involved in designing Lego projects. As my boys have gotten older, they have added in motors, gears, and remote controls. This problem solving activity can get pretty expensive, but we’ve discovered a great website that sells used Lego pieces for a substantial discount. BrickLink

Computer Programming: Last year we discovered a great website,Scratch, developed my programmers at MIT. It is a beginner drag and drop programming platform. It allows kids to create animation, design games and post their creations. Computer programming requires close attention to sequence for their vision to become reality. Then there are always bugs that need to be worked out of the program to make it run smoothly. As the programs they design become more and more complicated there is also a good deal of math involved.

Start up a Business:  I have a friend whose kids recently started selling candy to the construction workers that are working near their home.  It took the kids a week or so to realize that eating some of the candy along the way and then selling the candy for the same price they were buying it for, was not the way to turn a profit. Pretty soon they had spreadsheets set up, and “employees” working on commission.

Isn’t it amazing what kids will figure out when parents just take a step back and let them solve their own real life problems? Not only that, but now I have time to write instead of slaving over a birthday cake!

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestionshere on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Lisa

Developmental Writing Stages

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long and this is installment three. She has graciously given permission for "The Sentinel" to publish it over the next ten weeks. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

Children learn to write in three distinct stages.  Within each stage children learn to identify their particular, special strengths and weaknesses.  It is exciting to watch children work their way from one stage to another.  The more they write and follow the “Writing Traffic Light” process, the more confidence they gain, and the better writers they become.

The Beginning Writer

In this first stage, parents and teachers should celebrate children’s enthusiasm!  Young children can hardly wait to tell you about their pet or how they scraped their knee.  They want to write a bout it and tell the whole world!
  
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!: 
As a parent or teacher, do not discourage that enthusiasm!  Let them use as much paper as they need.  Young children feel accomplishment when they write their own sentences.  Help them to see that they can write things by sounding out words.  Young children love to draw and these illustrations are an integral part of their writing.  Teach them simple drawing techniques (see How to Draw Simple Shapes Chapter).   Encourage them and then ask them about their artwork and words.  This stage needs LOTS of time; so when you do the activities in this book, make sure that you plan to take plenty of time.  Don’t expect that your children will finish their projects quickly.  If a writing activity take a week, that’s ok!  Take the week, whatever you do, don’t rush this stage!

EDIT:  
Editing in this stage is very short.  Have children read aloud what they have written to a friend.  Teach good listening skills to your class.  There will not be much revising, which is just fine.  It already took a lot of effort just to get the letters written the first time!  Part of the charm of this stage is young children’s excitement and experimentation with writing letters and drawing.  Editing with young children should include elaborating on their story.  Ask what can they ad to make their story better.

Sparkle:

Young children can add a nice title and write their names to their stories.  Invite them to share their work by reading to an audience and hanging it on the wall or other well-seen place.  Celebrate their success and improvement through the whole process!
 

Beginning Writers…

• Write with scribbles
• Use random letters to represent writing
• Can write their name
• Write the first sounds of words (C=Cat)
• Write first and last sounds of words (CT= Cat)
• Write stories that are mostly illustrations with only a few letters to tell the story
• Love to write about themselves and what they know

Mari is a beginning writer. She loves to write stories about her cat.  As she progresses in her writing and reading, she uses beginning letter sounds to represent words:  MCRF= My Cat Runs Fast.  The fact that Mari knows which way text is read and written—left to right, top to bottom—is something to celebrate.  She knows where the title is and the page numbers go.  She follows her teacher’s hands as she demonstrates writing. She writes in her writing journal each day, usually by drawing a picture and a sentence.
  
When Mari decides to write a book about cats, at first her stories are just scribbles with very basic drawings of round cats.  The drawings of her cats remain the same, but soon Mari writes a few random letters.  Later, she puts one or two words on each page of her “Flip and Fold” book (see Activities)  Ft ct= Fat cat.  Mari leaves out the vowels, but ‘hears’ the beginning and end sounds of each word.  Her teacher does not correct spelling at this point.  Mari will learn to spell as she becomes more proficient at reading and writing.  The teacher simply tells her to sound words out the best that she can and listen for the letters.  Because she doesn’t rely on the teacher to correct and spell, Mari feels independent and confident about spelling words.
  
Mari works on her book each day for about a week, writing letters, drawing and coloring.  When Mari finishes her book, she reads it to her friend Kirstie.  Kirstie asks what her cat eats, and Mari adds a new page to her book.  She gives it a title and reads it to her class and family.  It has been a successful writing experience for Mari and she has inspired many others to write books of their own.

The Developing Writer

The developing writer stage can be frustrating, but also very satisfying at the same time.  Children’s progress during this stage from one year to the next is amazing.  This stage typically lasts longer than the first, but if children see it for what it is—a stage they must go through—then they will begin to see the broader picture and they will become great writers.
 

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!:  
Children in this stage are more cautious and nervous about their writing.  Remind them that this step is where they get the ideas out of their head!  Any focus on spelling and content will come in the EDIT step.  Parents and teachers should be positive about their children’s efforts to write.

EDIT:
Have them read aloud to themselves whatever they have written and make any corrections, including filling in missing words or taking out repetitive words.  Have children check their spelling and punctuation.  Have them read what they have written to a friend to see if it makes sense or if they can find any grammatical errors. Encourage elaboration, write more details!
  
If the “working copy” gets too messy, have them make another draft.  Teach kids that you will go back and forth from writing to editing.  Write and edit, that is how their papers get better!

SPARKLE:  
Children love to make things SPARKLE!  Give lots of opportunities to finish and then share their writing.  Encourage best handwriting in this step or type on the computer.

Developing Writers…

• Understand that writing is for more than just stories
• Use more text than illustration
• Have a growing vocabulary
• Make a big deal about spelling things correctly
• Can be slowed down by handwriting
• Write better as they become more proficient readers
• Like to write stories, poems, letters, etc.
• Like to change their stories into plays, shape books, information books, advertisements, etc.

Logan is a developing writer.  He likes to read as well as to be read to.  Writing is much harder for him because although he has good ideas, he struggles to get them on paper.  He writes slowly and he worries about what his handwriting looks like, Logan is always nervous that he will spell the words wrong.

When Logan is assigned a topic that is not of this liking, he will take short cuts.  His sentences are choppy and general.  Logan likes to use new words when writing his stories, however, when given the chance to write about a topic of his choice, he chooses something that will be popular with his peers.  How he perceives his peers is very important at this stage.  He may also choose something that he has an interest in.  Logan still struggles with the writing process, but he is beginning to see its worth.

Editing, sometimes, feels like an attack on his self-esteem, rather than a natural part of the writing process.  He loves to make his papers and stories SPARKLE and the choice of size and font type are important.  Everything needs to be  BIG!  He is more critical of his artwork.  He wants his drawings to be realistic, and feels frustrated when he lacks the artistic skill to make them so.

Logan’s teacher knows that to find and develop his writer’s voice, Logan must ‘try on’ different voices.  To do this, she introduces varied projects, such as imitating other authors, trying his hand at poetry, and working many specific grammar lessons into his individualized writing.  The teacher knows that the more Logan writes and learns the “Writing Traffic Light” process, the easier it will become for him, and thereby will be more helpful to him.  Logan’s teacher encourages him to work with partners through the editing process, as well as for just bouncing off ideas.  The room is a buzz with writing activity.  He types his stories and projects on the computer.  He is learning to not be afraid to edit and correct his typed papers.  He likes to elaborate and add more details.

Logan writes in his writing journal each day.  He writes things down that interest him, or makes lists of things such as his favorite books, funny sounding words, favorite places, things he wishes for.  The teacher shows him how to transplant his really good ideas from his writing journal into stories, poems, or artwork.  He is learning to really enjoy writing and to find the writer within himself.

When Logan gets to the SPARKLE stage, he prints out his final project on nice paper.  He sits in the author’s chair and reads it with great expression to his audience.  After a lot of work he has had great success, and it shows on his face!

The Experienced Writer:

Experienced writers find that words are easy to put on a page.  They have found their voice or personal style of writing, and have definite ideas about what they like to write about and how. 

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!:  
Children who are experienced writers think about their audience, or whom they are writing for.  Sometimes children in this group become bored by having to write the same things.  They need to be given opportunities to write in different genres or styles.  Instead of always writing stories, have children write a screenplay, write and illustrate a children’s book, write a newspaper article, or put their ideas into a Power point presentation, or start a family newsletter.  Help children realize that they can be a real benefit to their family, class, and society with real and meaningful assignments.  Give them guidelines, then Watch out!  They will take off with the idea, perhaps in an unexpected way!

EDIT:  
As experienced writers EDIT, have them read through their writing projects, asking themselves, “Is this clear?  What questions would my audience have?”  Have them bounce ideas off a friend, for clarity.  Challenge young writers to eliminate duplicate words and teach them to use a thesaurus.  Children in this group should not be afraid to take pen in hand and mark up what they have written.  They know this is part of the writing process and that critical editing will benefit them.

SPARKLE:  
The key here is to FINISH!  Experienced writers love to start stories, but sometimes have a hard time finishing them.  Encourage children to complete their stories by giving them a purpose such as hosting an “Author’s Event”, where each child shares his or her finished story.  Help children SPARKLE by giving them a forum, or “real” place, to show off their writing:  a school newspaper or family newsletter, etc.

Experienced Writers…

• Know their voice and how they write best
• Have ideas and words flow easily
• Are able to write with greater detail
• See the cause-effect relationships between things
• Like working on their own projects and stories
• Know that words can bring happiness, can hurt, or persuade others
• May not want to share their work with their peers for fear of being judged by them  (They fear other’s opinions of their work.)
• Can think clearly about their past, present and future
• See that their actions can affect their future

A year ago Kay was nervous to share her works with others—fearing their judgment.  Now, after using the “Writing Traffic Light” process over and over, she has gained confidence as a writer.
  
Kay has two or three projects “in the works” at all times and has discovered that for now, she likes to write fantasy using castles, adventure, elves, etc.  Her vocabulary in her stories demonstrates that she is also an avid reader.  She no longer fears printing out a page to then rearrange it and to mark it up during the EDIT step.  Kay’s final projects are longer, mostly text and are dotted only with an occasional illustration.

She enjoys writing different things, including screenplays, mysteries, essays, or even creating a web site.  Kay likes to write for real purposes, knowing that people will be affected by her writing.  She is not intimidated by writing an article for a newsletter or paper.

She enjoys writing with and for friends, getting their input, writing a story together, or having them help edit her work.  Words come easy for Kay and through the “Writing Traffic Light” process she has learned to use her inner voice and finds meaning in her writing.  She has also learned that her stories can bring happiness and amusement to others.  She has also discovered that her words have the power to persuade.  Kay likes to read her stories and papers to others.

Kay fills her writing journal with things that she wants to use in her stories.  She is interested in how the author chooses to worked things and collects plots, characters and setting ideas.  She loves to write and start stories, write poems, or copy down lyrics to her favorite songs and questions she ponders.

Next week: "Start a Writing Journal"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

Begin with the End in Mind

As the new school year begins, we plan, and schedule, and purchase so that we can have a successful year in our homeschools. I have found that the most important part of getting ready for the new school year begins with me. I have to begin my planning with the end in mind. I have to have a clear picture in my head so that I can see my homeschool and what will happen each day. As I take the time to do this it really helps me focus in on the important details, not just what books I have purchased. Here are some of the things I would suggest for beginning with the end in mind.

See the Why. 

If you do not know why you are homeschooling you will fail. If you are homeschooling because you are reacting to someone or something, you will fail because homeschooling is hard! It is hard having your children around every day. It is hard listening to negative comments from others about the crazy thing you are doing with your children. It is hard to fight the battle to get it all done. But if you have prayed and pondered and studied and know why, nothing can shake you from your purpose. You will be able to weather the storms because you know where you are going and why.

See your children. 

Whether you have 1 or 12, you need to see each child as an individual, and what their needs are at their current age and stage. Again, as a matter of prayer, seek to know what you need to do with each of your children, even if it is to just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Your school year will be much more successful. Especially, if you continue to do it throughout the school year.

See the relationship. 

How is your relationship with that child? Do you need to do damage control? Are things going as you would like? How are they relating to other family members? To their Heavenly Father? To me, the most important reason I homeschool is to foster these relationships. Everything else that we accomplish is gravy.

See the talent. 

Look again at each of your children. What are their talents? What can you help them accomplish this year in developing them? Are they spending too much time doing things that take them away from pursuing them? What needs to change to make that happen? One of the benefits of homeschooling is to be able to take the time for our children to develop personal talents. If we are too focused on academics or busyness we miss that opportunity.

See the challenges. 

Just as a ship’s captain has to know the dangers of the reefs ahead and how to navigate them, you too must look ahead and see the challenges you will face this year. Is it a new baby? A challenging teenager? An illness? Or just busyness? When you can see those things that might lead you off track from your goals you can plan ahead and know how to deal with them.

See the accomplishments. 

Visualizing what you want to accomplish in your school year will help you achieve your goals. Homeschool "burn out" happens when you work and work and work and see no results. Do you want to make sure that you include art in your school this year? Then visualize what you think that would be. If art class every week is too much, set the goal to 2 times a month, then take pictures of what you do. At the end of the year you will see what you accomplished, even if it is only baby steps toward your goal. Sometimes the goal is to just be consistent in doing school every day. Pat yourself on the back for each day school happens in your home, even if it isn’t a perfect day. Mark it on the calendar and I think you will see it happens more often than you think!

See the schedule. 

I am a schedule person. At least on paper. But then the toddler destroys a room and clean up destroys the schedule. I have learned that it is more important that the order of things is honored than a timetable. We have 4 deadlines in our house. The first one is what needs to happen before we start school, the second is what we accomplish before lunch, the third is between lunch and dinner and the last is what happens before bed. Since I have 8 boys most of these hit a mealtime or snack time. It is amazing how food motivates them to get it done. If you have visualization of what you need to have done when, then things move along and you are not still doing school at 6pm. It is also easier to be flexible because you can trash the morning, but the afternoon schedule is still in place. Everyone knows where to pick up the schedule.

See the joy. 

If you’re not experiencing joy in your homeschool you need to ask why. Yes, homeschooling is challenging, hard, exasperating, frustrating and did I say, hard? But, there needs to be an element of joy or you will burn out, both you and your kids. That doesn’t mean that every day has to be a circus (ok, if you have toddlers or preschoolers, then never mind) or that every activity you do with your kids is fun. That’s unrealistic. If you are not experiencing deep satisfaction in what you are doing, then you need to go back to “See the why”.

Taking time to “see” our homeschools will help us navigate the challenging waters and reach the destination we are heading for - a positive, happy, productive homeschool.

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Dana

The Writing Traffic Light

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long and this is installment two. She has graciously given permission for "The Sentinel" to publish it over the next ten weeks. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

After 20 years of teaching and writing with children, I have come up with my own, complete, boiled down, all-encompassing, everything-I-know-about-writing, theory.  I call it my “Writing Traffic Light” Theory and I have it hanging on my wall.  On a single sheet of black construction paper, are the sharply outlined red, yellow, and green circles of a traffic light with the words, “WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!, EDIT, and SPARKLE written on them.

Green Light:  WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! (Sloppy Copy)

 “When you start a story or paper, just WRITE everything down, get all your ideas and thoughts out of your head.  Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, just do your best.  We will worry about all that later.”  This is what I tell my children and students, when they sit down to write. I give them the green light to write.  This is the SLOPPY COPY.

Yellow Light:  EDIT (Working Copy)

When driving a car, a yellow traffic light means slow down.  The same is true for writing. Slow Down, step back and edit. My yellow traffic light means EDIT.  This is exactly what I tell my children to do next: “Editing is very important!  Go back over your writing, read it out loud, rephrase things to make them clearer, put things in order, correct the spelling and the mechanics of your writing.”  This is the WORKING COPY.

Red Light:  SPARKLE (Final Copy)

At this point, I tell my children to STOP.  “Don’t add anything new to your paper.  Now make your paper beautiful.  Make it SPARKLE by changing the size and font, and print it on nice paper.”  This is the FINAL COPY, it SPARKLES and looks its best.

Once I watched my 3rd grade daughter try to research and write a paper on gemstones.  Instead of writing, she spent the first 15 minutes just coming up with the title, finding the perfect font, color, and size as she typed on the computer.  I observed how long she took (nearly pulling all my hair out the entire time!)  By the end of class she only had a beautiful and very colorful title on her page.  She has not written anything because she had not learned to truly write.  She needed the “Writing Traffic Light” approach.  She had started with the SPARKLE step and had nothing to show for it.

The first step, or green light, is such an important step.  Children can get so bogged down by the spelling, the mechanics of writing and fear that they don’t get past the first sentence.

Many times children want to skip the EDIT step of the writing process and go right on trying to make it sparkle.  Editing, however, is a very critical step and defines what we want children to do as writers—that is to write well.

Sometimes children want to start with the SPARKLE step.

Writing is a process that anyone can learn including children.  Teaching children the steps for writing is a critical skill and can also be a BLAST along the way.  In the following pages each step is addressed by developmental age group.  Then, there are lots of activities to encourage children to start, and most importantly, keep writing.

Next week: "Developmental Writing Stages"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

Your Role as a Parent or Teacher

Kari has written a wonderful book on teaching writing... It is ten chapters long, including this week's introduction. She has graciously given permission for "The Sentinel" to publish it over the next ten weeks. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Editor

Introduction:

How quick we are as parents or teachers to pull out the red pen and start “correcting” our children’s attempts at writing, all in the name of good teaching!  This comes naturally to most of us who had more than one paper returned tattooed in crimson!

Yet, this is one of the best ways to DESTROY the creative spirit of your writer.  Every step of the “Writing Traffic Light” needs to be celebrated as part of the process of writing.

The best way to get your children to write is for YOU to start writing.  YOU need to write using the “Writing Traffic Light” process.  Get a journal and start writing down quotes, ideas, thoughts, and memories.  Do the activities listed in the “I’m Excited About Writing, Where Do I Start?” chapter.  Do those first, then invite your children to join you in the fun!  Inspire them though your example!

Climb over the fear of writing.  You cannot show your children how to write, if you fear it.  Give yourself permission to write—tell yourself, “These first entries in my writing journal may be rough—in fact, this first writing journal is just that—my first attempt.  It WILL be jumbled and unorganized, and that’s OK!” Then start!    You may be pleasantly surprised at the words that come out when you give yourself permission to simply try.

I’ve seen the writing process come full circle.  As a child, I wrote with my parent’s help.  As a parent, I’ve done writing activities with my own children, and as an adult, I have had the privilege of encouraging my parents to write.  How has writing blessed my life?  The answer:  by learning to write and then writing to learn.  Writing has become an integral part of my life.

Writing has taught me one of life’s great lessons:  to overcome fear and to try.  I have taught this to my students and my family.  We don’t fear or feel failure when we don’t succeed the first time we try something any more.  We know that this is the first step the first try, and that we will edit and make it better in the next steps!  This has been a huge breakthrough in our lives—not just in writing.  This frees us to try ANYTHING!

Who knew all this could stem from the pleasure of a 4th grade girl who, in her best handwriting, wrote a bunch of stories, poems, and riddles into a book with a homemade cover and sewn pages.  The pride and pleasure that book has brought me is immeasurable.  That book sits on my bed stand, not as a great literary read, but as a monument of what writing can do for a child’s self-esteem.  If I help but one child feel the same joy, then I have succeeded.  If I can help others to slow down and see the great meaning in their life though the simple medium of writing, then I will have succeeded.

Next week: "Writing Traffic Light"

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari