On Keeping a Journal

It should be no surprise that we at Little Darlings Press love any kind of writing. One form of writing, however, is near and dear to our hearts. That is journal writing.

Why?

Journal writing serves so many purposes. It provides a place to practice creative writing. It also provides a place to express thoughts, feelings, and document today's events for tomorrow. Yes, today's journal entries are tomorrow's historical documents.

Imagine what history would be without important notebooks, journals, and diaries from the people who where there when it happened! Anne Frank, Harry S. Truman, and Christopher Columbus are among the many historical figures that have enriched our understanding of history due to keeping a diary or journal.

Today, if you haven't already, start a journal. School journal, family journal, memory journal... whatever! Just write it down. Your family will love the opportunity to take a look into the past for years to come!

Don't forget to check out our curriculum units by clicking on this link: currclick.com

On Break. Blessings. Happy Homework.

To all my customers; to those who have ever downloaded a Little Darlings Press curriculum unit, and anyone else who visits this blog:

Greetings.

Due to personal issues Little Darlings Press is taking a leave from creating new curriculum units until further notice. That said, don't forget to browse our line-up on occasion to see if any of the units fit your student needs! Also, browse this blog for excellent, short writing assignments for kids.

Our units are very comprehensive, user-friendly (for teachers and students), and contain a little bit of fun to keep things interesting.

We have:

• Grammar Units
• Science Units
• Lapbooks
• Notebooking
• Freebies
• Much, much more!

To search our line of units on currclick.com, CLICK HERE.

Blessings and happy homework!

Little Darlings Press

To Think is Human, To Write is Divine: Time for Nothing

To Think is Human, To Write is Divine: Time for Nothing

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Describe a Family Member

This week, take a little time to have your little darlings engage in some descriptive writing.

Have your student(s) choose a family member to describe.

Here are the steps:

1. Select a family member
2. Spend time watching the subject (person selected)
3. Write a list of descriptive words about him/her
4. Arrange the descriptions into a paragraph

Make sure the paragraph has nice flow to it with a natural progression. As always, have fun and happy writing!

Thunder and Lightning

Spring is the season for thunder and lightning storms. Some people think they are awesome. Others find them scary. Whatever the case, they are one of nature's most amazing shows!

This week, have your little darling(s) write about a thunder and lightning storm. It can be an informative paragraph (which might take some research), a poem, or a creative story. Whatever the assignment is, here are some thunder and lightning facts to help your young writer(s) get started!

• thunderheads are dark, tall clouds
• lightning is electricity
• sometimes lightning stays in the clouds
• sometimes lightning strikes a tree or the ground
• lightning bolts are very, very hot
• thunder is an explosive sound made by lightning
• thunder is only a noise

Kids: use the facts above to create a written work all about thunder and lightning. Remember to be creative and have fun. Happy writing!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: My Easter Celebration

If your little darling(s) engaged in an Easter celebration, assign a short essay about the event.

For students who are in elementary school, a short paragraph will do. Simply have the student(s) think about Easter weekend and the events surrounding Easter and write what happened.

For older students, a full page is appropriate.

When the students finish the assignment, proofread for spelling and grammar errors. Rewrites are always a good idea and can be done the next day.

Happy Easter! Happy writing!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Paragraph Progression in Creative Writing

While the world of creative writing has a wide open door, letting in all styles of writing and bending or breaking some archaic grammatical rules, the question remains: Is it good?

No matter what is written, natural progression is a key element to good writing. In critiquing creative writing, apart from the writer's style, the following questions should be asked:

• Does it make sense?
• Does it have an introduction and conclusion?
• Does it flow nicely?

This week, have your young writers work on natural progression in a paragraph. Make it simple, provide a topic, and give them a few rules to follow. Here's a suggested assignment:

1. Write one paragraph about an animal.

2. Make the paragraph exactly five (5) sentences long.

3. Make sure the paragraph has natural progression.

Here is an example:

My Dog

My dog, Lucy, is a great watch dog. One day she stood looking out my living room window and barked. I went to the window to see what she was barking at. A man I didn't know was in my yard. When he heard Lucy barking, he went away.

They key is to make sure the paragraph makes sense and progresses nicely. Happy writing!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Acrostic Poem

This week have your little darlings write an Acrostic poem. In this type of poem, a word or name is used and arranged vertically to begin each line of the poem.

For example: SPRING

Sunshine warming up the earth,
Pretty flowers blooming.
Raindrops wash away the snow,
In the yard and meadow.
Nice and warm, finally spring!
Growing grasses everywhere.

Notice that the word "SPRING" is arranged vertically. This poem is free verse, meaning there is no rhyme or rhythm. Acrostic poems can rhyme or not, whatever the writer wants to do is just fine. Actually, it is more difficult to rhyme an Acrostic poem than others, since the writer is obligated to begin each sentence with an assigned letter.

Many children enjoy making an Acrostic poem out of his or her name. Whatever word they choose, Acrostic poems are fun to write!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Describe a Person

This week, have your little darlings try penning some descriptive words. Your young writer(s) should choose one person he/she sees on a regular basis and describe him or her.

Descriptive writing doesn't only apply to what is visible. It also includes behaviors and attitudes.

For this assignment, have your student(s) follow this method:

1. Choose a person to describe.
2. Write a list of physical features.
3. Write a list of common behaviors (fidgety, calm, clumsy, etc.).
4. Write a list of common attitudes (happy, silly, serious, etc.).
5. Put all the information into essay form.

Older students should be able to tackle this assignment independently. Young writers may need some help.

Happy writing!

Bite Size Writing Assigment: Spring!

Spring is finally here! It seems no matter where on the North American continent you live, this year has been a long, long winter. Time to rejoice! Spring arrives this week!

Have your young (and older) writer(s) compose an essay about spring and what it means. Prose is the goal here, but it can be poetic, if that is preferable.

One or two paragraphs will suffice. But don't discourage more if your aspiring writer is just bursting with words in the way spring is bursting with new life.

For those who need a little inspiration, here are some topics to choose from:

• Melting snow
• Mud, mud everywhere!
• Animals in spring
• How spring feels to me
• Springtime sports
• Why I love spring
• Spring: bursting with life

For more advanced students, have them turn this assignment in for review and then, if necessary, assign a rewrite.

Then, take your young writer(s) and step outside for a deep breath of spring air. Welcome, spring!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: All About Animals!

This week have your little writers think and write poetically about animals. There are so many amazing creatures, wild and domestic:

• Dogs
• Cats
• Birds
• Cows
• Horses
• Tigers
• Snakes
• Monkeys
• Elephants

Have your student(s) get a pen or pencil and paper and write a poem of 1-3 stanzas (the paragraph of poetry!) containing four lines each. Younger students should do well to get 1 stanza done. A simple trick is to come up with words that rhyme and use them at the end of the 2nd and 4th lines.

Older students should be able to create a poem with 2 or 3 stanzas. Again, the use of rhyme helps if the 1st and 3rd lines rhyme or the 2nd and 4th. An advanced poet will be able to incorporate rhymes in other places within the poem.

Encourage students to have fun and allow them to move outside of reality with the poem. Go wild!

Example stanza:

Cows are very odd at times
I see them chew, chew, chew!
They stand an nosh on grass
As if it's all they have to do!

Don't forget to check out the fun lapbooking units on puppies and kittens by Little Darlings Press on currclick.com. Click the links below:

PUPPIES! A Fun & Easy Lapbook

KITTENS! A Fun & Easy Lapbook

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Winter Fun

Hey! Winter is nearing an end, and those of us who love the season of snow and chilly weather have to get in our final winter activities, and soon!

This week have your little darlings write about their favorite winter fun activities.

• Skiing
• Sledding
• Ice skating
• Hockey
• Hiking
• Ice Fishing

Whatever the activity, it's a great reason to write a paragraph about why it is SO MUCH FUN!

If you and your little darling(s) live in a warm climate, write about this time of year and how things are different than six months from now.

Have fun!
Enjoy life!
Happy writing!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Imagine!

This week have your little writers stretch their minds and use their imaginations! The sky is the limit on this one.

Have students write at least half a page (a full page for older students) about... well... anything they can come up with in their imaginations!

Here are some ideas to get them started:

• Imagine your bedroom is a distant land. Describe it!
• Imagine you are a famous person. Who are you and what are you like?
• Imagine your family members are pirates and you are their captive. How do you get away?
• Imagine your pet is a fierce beast. Write a description of what it looks like and how it behaves.
• Imagine your lunch suddenly comes to life. What does it do?
• Imagine your little brother or sister is in a circus. What does he or she do in the circus?
• Imagine you live in the woods in a cave. What do you do all day and what do you eat?

Here's the key to this writing assignment: imagination.

Have fun!

Don't forget to check out the new units we have on currclick.com. There are lapbooks, journals, notebooks, grammar fun (believe it or not), and much more. CLICK HERE to check it out!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: An American President

This week we celebrate President's Day on Monday, February 18. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were both born in February. They are also known as two of the greatest American Presidents. There is oodles of information about both of these great men on the Internet and at the library, in books.

Have your students write about the character traits it takes to be a good U.S. President.

For younger students, have them read about Washington or Lincoln online or in a book and write a few sentences about one of them.

For older students, have them do a little research and write an essay on why Washington and Lincoln were great Presidents.

This assignment should be in essay form. Have older students write a full page.

For an additional essay this week, have older students research the song that is closely associated with the President, "Hail to the Chief."

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Why I Love ___________.

This is the week that we celebrate Valentine's Day. This lovely holiday is most often celebrated by giving cards, candy, or flowers.

Why not have your little writers give the gift of words to someone they love?

Have your student(s) finish the title above by filling in the blank with the name of a loved one. Some of the people that come to mind are: grandma, my sister, my dad or mom, and a whole lot of other people I love.

After the subject has been identified, have your student(s) sit down and write. The assignment can be a list of things he or she loves about the identified person, a poem, or a short essay. No rules on this one. Expressions of love are personal and should be from the heart.

The point is to write and deliver this "love" letter by Valentine's Day.

Bite Size Writing Assignment: News Article

This week have your little writer put on a press badge. News articles are both fun and simple to write, if you understand the process!

First, there are two main types of articles in a newspaper: news articles and feature articles. News articles report the news. They are pressing and timely. News articles are written for the same day. Who wants to hear old news?

Feature articles are not as timely and often hold no significant information for the community. They tend to be human interest stories, like an article about an elderly gentleman who has been collecting Super Bowl programs since the first game was played. They are "of interest" stories.

This week, we will focus on the news article. This assignment will be timely, accurate, and newsworthy.

Sit down with your student(s) and think about what is going on in your home or school. What things are worth reporting in the news? Perhaps you have a new dog, or maybe your sewer backed up. Or, if there is nothing earth-shattering, maybe your reporter will write about the long, cold winter.

Whatever the topic, have your student write an article that answers the five "Ws" and one "H" that are crucial to the news article.

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How

Your student(s) may need to conduct an interview to answer all questions. Once the information is gathered, the article can be written.

Newspaper writing is fun. Allow some creativity with this assignment. While our opinions should stay out of the news, our creativity doesn't need to!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: When I Grow Up

Kids have been asked what they want to become when they grow up since I was a young (and probably much, much longer).

Actually, it's a great question to get the creative juices flowing and a great topic to write about!

When my own son was about three he wanted to be a fire truck! Some years later he wanted to invent kitchen gadgets to make cooking more efficient. In case you're wondering, food is the center of his world. Now, in his teens, he has no idea. It is the elementary aged students and younger who come up with the best "careers." But even many older students have dreams about what they want to be.

This week, have your little darlings write a short essay titled "When I Grow Up."

All they will need is a pen and paper or a computer. Don't set any boundaries on this assignment, except a sentence minimum. For young students five is a good minimum and for older students a whole page is reasonable.

Remind your students to:

• Have fun! 
• Be creative! 
• Dream!

Check out our writing, grammar, science, lapbooking, and notebooking units sold on currclick! All of our units are designed to promote fun and effective learning. 

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Famous Person

This week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. He was an important person in the civil rights movement, helping Americans see the value in having equal rights for all citizens.

For a writing assignment, have students write about Martin Luther King, or any other famous American who has made a difference in society.

Some possibilities are:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Benjamin Franklin
• Helen Keller

This writing assignment might take a bit of research and can be customized for any age group.

For very young writers, have them choose a person they know that has done something to help others. It could be a grandparent, a neighbor, someone at church, or a family friend.

Don't forget to check out our writing units exclusively on currclick.com. CLICK HERE!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Weird Science

This week, have your students write about the strangest science concept they have learned about. The possibilities are endless! One that comes to mind is the fact that lightning strikes from the ground up! Who knew?

This assignment may take a bit of research. There are loads of Internet sites about science for kids. Two subjects in one: writing and science. It doesn't get much better than that!

Method:

Have students get out their favorite writing tools:

• pen
• pencil
• notebook
• journal
• computer

Then, conduct research, if necessary, and write!

Have students think about the following things when writing:

• What is strange about the scientific concept?
• Is it common?
• Have you ever witnessed this science in action?

Don't forget to check out the newest science unit by Little Darlings Press on currclick.com. Simple Science: Biology, a basic course in biology with a Fun & Easy Lapbook!

Keep the Bitter Out

It is cold outside today. I mean don't go out there cold. But here in my home it is snug and warm. Sure, there are drafts here and there, where the frigid creeps in. Those are spots that need to be insulated, blocked, protected.

The weather and my house sort of remind me of the condition of my own life from time to time. Bitterness is out there, waiting to get in. With all my efforts to keep my heart warm and  snug, the biting winds can still seep into my vulnerable areas.

Then: bitterness.

Bitterness is born and raised by a parent called Unforgiving.

I could say that any bitterness I've experienced has been because someone else has done me wrong. And while maybe that is true at times, I don't think that would do me any good. This world is full of wrong. He does it, she does it, they do it. I do it. It's the sad truth.

So within the reality of me and everyone else getting hurt in this life, what are we to do? Forgiveness is the only answer I can come up with that will keep the bitterness out.

I need to insulate, block, protect myself from being unforgiving. That is not to say I promote being a doormat. Letting others walk all over me, wiping their feet on me. But you don't need to be a doormat to get hurt. You just need to be human.

So today, it's cold outside. In nature and in my own life. But, like my home, my heart is snug and warm. I am choosing to forgive. To stuff a chunk of pardon into the spots that need insulating, a piece of mercy in the spots that need to be blocked, and a whole lot of grace in the areas that need protecting.

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Weather Poem

If folks where you live are like folks where I live, the weather is always a big topic. And today, it is cold, cold, cold! With so much talk about it, why not write about it?

My mother used to recite a weather poem when, as a child, I complained about the weather. It went like this:

Whether the weather is cold,
Or whether the weather is hot,
The weather's the weather
No matter the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

This week have students write weather poems. There are no rules. Free verse, limerick, anything! If it makes it easier for young writers, have them follow the pattern of the poem above by simply copying it on paper and changing all the words. Point out that lines two and five rhyme.

The point is to be creative, have fun, and by all means, write!