Are You Using NanoWriMo in Your Classroom?

If you are looking for a great writing experience for your homeschool, then you will want to be sure to check out the NanoWriMo Young Writers Program. This is a free program that is there to encourage the creativity of your child by writing their own novel in thirty days. Yes, I said 30 days!

The event kicks off November 1 and goes through November 30. The purpose of the event is to promote creative writing without the constraints of editing for grammar and spelling. The kids are just encouraged to use their imaginations and WRITE.

In the adult program of NanoWriMo, the expected word goal is 50,000 words. In the Young Writers Program, all participants age 17 and younger, are able to choose an age appropriate and challenging word count goal. This makes it accessible to all school age children, from Kindergarten through High School.

As the parent of a homeschooler, you are invited at the site to create your own log in and register as an educator. When you do this, you will have access to a complete curriculum that is based on the school age level of your child or children. The curriculum will help you to prepare them to write their fictional masterpieces. They will learn how to create plot and characters. But most of all, they will learn how to have fun when they are writing. As the mother of a reluctant writer, I find this to be perhaps the most exciting aspect of all!

You will also have access to a writing workbook. The workbooks are downloadable and are again based on the age of your child. The workbooks have lots of great advice and lots of worksheets that will help your child grasp the concepts that will be needed to write their novel.

We are participating in the NanoWriMo Young Writers Program this year in our homeschool. We are excited to write our own novels and meet the challenge that is before us. Even my reluctant writer is thrilled with the aspect of writing his very own book. He has some really great ideas so far and I can’t wait to see his finished product when the month is over. He loves that we won’t even worry about editing his story until December, because that is when it is time to edit. November is the time to just write, write, write.

I will be participating in the adult version of NanoWriMo. This gives me something else to do with my child and will help to form an even greater bond between us. I will post updates for you on both of our progress through this venture. I invite you to join us and see what we will each create, being limited only by our own unique imaginations!

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April 29th marks the 205th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. On that day, the United States purchased a huge amount of land, from France. The cost of this land, which nearly doubled the size of the US, was said to be between three and four cents an acre.

The following video features an excellent explanation of events that occurred. The purchase is commonly referred to as the best real estate deal in history… for just pennies an acre I am inclined to agree.

The following sources provide lesson plans, appropriate for all grade levels. If you have never incorporated the Louisiana Purchase into your curriculum, there’s no better time than today!

At Teachers Guides/Lesson Plans, K-4 lesson plans include: French sayings and map reading. Grades 5-9 will enjoy making trivia books. 9-12 grade level curriculum includes: Louisiana’s Indian tribes, the 1812 Louisiana Constitution and the price of European commodities, in 1803.

If you are considering teaching your children about the Louisiana Purchase, what unique ideas do you have? Have you found other curriculum sources you are willing to share? If so, please post them here.

Comments? Questions? Please email me, TODAY!

(This is a guest post. Thanks go out to Brenda Emmett.)

One of the most difficult things to do when you are homeschooling is to keep everything new and exciting. We love the time we spend educating our children and helping them to learn, but sometimes it is just plain hard to make it not seem dull. Things become routine and boring, no matter how great the material that we are learning happens to be. So how do you create excitement and fun in your homeschool? Here are a few ideas that have worked well in our family:

Jammie Day
One of our favorite things is when I have declared it jammie day. This is a day when we get to stay in our pajamas all day long. There is something distinctly sweet about staying in your pj’s all day. Perhaps it is because the children know that their friends who attend public school can’t do the same. Days like this are often filled with giggles as the schoolwork is completed. I often hear pleadings of “let’s have a jammie day!”, but I only do it on occasion. This keeps it special.

Reading Day
On this occasion, we just put aside the rest of the school work and cuddle up with a soft blanket, a pillow and a favorite book or books. Then we just read all day long. We share our favorite parts of the book we are reading with each other and discuss why we like or dislike a particular book or passage. Sometimes we even combine this with jammie day.

Read, Then Watch
Something that has worked well for our family is to read the book or story and then watch the movie. This really gives the children something to look forward to and I know that they have read the story first. It will often foster a conversation on how the movie differed from the book. Then we discuss which way we liked it the best. The book usually wins every time, but the movie is fun to watch. And the children love that it is part of their school.

Draw it!
I realize this sounds like art class, but really this is when I simply write down all of the subjects that we must complete that day on slips of paper. Then we fold the papers and mix them up in a bowl. We take turns drawing out a slip of paper to see what we will be doing next. This creates excitement for everyone. We are more excited to work on research papers or spelling lists when we draw them out of the bowl. It creates an element of surprise and unexpectedness. It is also just a little more fun.

In what ways do you keep your homeschool fun and exciting? C’mon, we really want to know!

Comments? Questions? Please email me, TODAY!

Photo by: Mike Davis