Education – Language Arts

Each summer my friend Emily and I host a writing camp for children at Westminster College called Write On! Workshops. It’s sort of like soccer camp or drama camp–only instead of kicking a ball or performing on stage, you play with words and explore lots of different kinds of writing.  For the ... Read More

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This holiday season KUED celebrates twenty years of raising readers in partnership with schools, libraries and museums across the state. KUED kicks off the 20th anniversary of the Reading Marathon at two special events around The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!, a new hour-long PBS speci... Read More

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According to an article by RIF (Reading is Fundamental),  children who do not read over the summer will lose more than two months of reading achievement. In addition each summer they do not spend time reading that loss will accumulate over the elementary years.   What that really means is that "b... Read More

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Looking for a summer writing camp for your kids? Not every mom is. But for some, a summer writing camp is just what they are hoping to find. My friend Emily and I started Write On! Workshops Summer Camp six summers ago because it was just the kind of summer camp we wanted to find for our kids, bu... Read More

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Last night I had my children write Christmas cards to their dance teachers, school teachers, and church teachers. Writing Christmas cards with children is real world writing that can help to boost their writing skills and invest them in their own holiday good wishes to the important people in their ... Read More

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First of all, I'm sorry that we're over halfway through April, and I'm just now sharing this. In case you've been busy doing the million things mamas do, you might not have remembered that April is National Poetry Month. Everyday this month, I've been quietly celebrating by reading "30 Poets in 3... Read More

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If you know what this is: You probably know what this means: And also understand why I awoke at 2:30 in the morning to shrieks from my ten year old's bedroom. Thirteen had finished Mockingjay and had to tell someone about it. To her joy, ten is an eager listener. Even if her thirteen year ... Read More

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They're back.  Our first day was yesterday.  Every year I wish my girls would let me pin some sort of a note on their first day of school shirts that say, "Please handle this one with extra care."  But of course who would let me do that?  Instead, I have to help them from the inside. My thirt... Read More

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I made a sort of mental "never" list before I had children.  On it were things like:  never let my children wear dress-ups in public or eat sugar or watch TV or go barefoot or run in the halls at church. I know. What was I thinking? Yet there are a few nevers from this list I've held on to.... Read More

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Yesterday we went to Lagoon for our first Game On! reward day. Along with snack and band aids, I tossed my favorite family game book in my Lagoon pack.  It's called Fun on the Run:  324 Instant Family Activities and has long been my best resource for turning waiting time into fun time. The li... Read More

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