Quick Write: Filling a Picnic Basket

What's summer without a picnic outside? This "Quick Write" is just the spot to pull up an imagination and chew on a few ideas.

Writing Topic
Filling a picnic basket.

Writing Tools
For very young writers:
   
          Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

          Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook or a laptop/PC

Writing instructions
Have your little (and big) darlings spend time thinking about what they would take on a picnic. What foods would fill the picnic basket? Any games? A blanket for the lawn? It's an imaginary picnic - anything goes! After your young writer(s) finish this piece, go on a real picnic! What better way is there to celebrate summer?

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to check out our curriculum units on currclick.com! 

Summer Writing: Goodbye July

This week we say goodbye to July. Since the month comes to a close at the end of the week, have your little darlings write about the July's highlights.

Writing Topic
Goodbye July

Writing Tools

For very young writers:

·                     Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

·                     Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Prompts

For very young writers:

·                     Have your little writers put down a few words and phrases about the month of July. Ask: What were your favorite things about July? What is your best memory from the month? It can be anything from a day at the beach to a Fourth of July picnic. After some words and phrases are down, help your little writers form a short paragraph. A picture of a favorite event is always a nice touch!

For growing and older writers:

·                   Older students can go into a bit more detail about the month of July. Have them begin by considering some of the following questions: 

• What was the highlight? 
• What was the low point? 
• How do you feel about the month and are you glad or gloomy that it is coming to an end?
• Is there anything you wanted to do that you didn't get around to? (There's still time... the month doesn't end until midnight on Friday!) 

Require older students to write a whole page!

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to check out the short, creative units by Little Darlings Press.

Quick Write: Beat the Heat

Summer can be a sweaty mess! Whether you live in a dry climate or a humid one, the heat can be unbearable during the month of July. Have your young writers take time to write a quick, creative paragraph today.

Writing Topic
Beat the heat!

Writing Tools
For very young writers:
     
          Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

          Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook or a laptop/PC

Writing instructions
Have your little (and big) darlings spend time thinking about the best ways to beat the heat. Maybe it is done indoors, perhaps out. Nevertheless, summer often offers up a steamy, sweaty feeling that just has to be dealt with! From ice cream to air conditioning, the cooling process feels great. Use some incentive if you have several writers and run a contest for the most creative paragraph about ways the beat the heat. Perhaps a good prize would be a frozen treat!

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to check out our curriculum units on currclick.com! 

Summer Writing: Living In a Tent

What would it be like to live in a tent for a whole month? This writing project will take a lot of imagination and a little bit of sensible reasoning. Have your little darling(s) imagine a spot where he/she would set up a tent. No running water or electricity! What sort of things would need to be on-hand to make this challenging living experience doable? It is a good idea to have your young writer(s) make a list of needful things prior to putting this essay into paragraph form!

Writing Topic
Living in a tent.

Writing Tools

For very young writers:

·                     Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

·                     Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Prompts

For very young writers:

·                     Have them write sentences about things they would need to have in order to live in a tent. Help them decide upon a good location (near water is always nice...).

For growing and older writers:

·                     Have students make a list of things that would be needed in order to live out in the wilderness. The list should include survival tools and anything he/she thinks would make tent living more enjoyable (blankets, pillows, etc.). Then, the writer should consider a good location and a daily routine. Remind him/her that food must be prepared and a campfire is necessary for cooking and heat. This essay can be as short as one solid paragraph or as long as one page. 

A note to the teacher/parent: Writing assignments posted on Mondays are intended to be long. However, the individual teacher/parent knows each student/child(s) ability and should modify the assignment accordingly.

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to check out the short, creative units by Little Darlings Press.

Quick Write: A Rainy Day

Summer isn't all heat and sizzle! Sometimes a rainy day keeps our little darlings indoors. Still, going out during or after the rain can be a fun adventure. Of course, it also provides an interesting topic for our "Quick Write." (NOTE: Make sure there is no lightening before children go out in the rain.)

Writing Topic
What I like about the rain

Writing Tools
For very young writers:
       
          Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

          Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook or a laptop/PC

Writing instructions
If there hasn't been any rain in a while, your young writers will have to engage the imagination! If it is raining today, the conditions are perfect to write about the rain.

Instruct your student(s) to observe, think about, or go out in the rain. Then, sit him/her down with the appropriate writing tools and give instructions to write a quick paragraph titled: "What I Like About the Rain." Very young students should be instructed to write words or phrases that relate to rain or what he/she likes about the rain.

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to check out our curriculum units on currclick.com! 

Summer Writing: Take a Hike and Write About It!

July is a great month to take a hike and write about it! There is so much to see in nature during this blooming, summer month. Have your little darlings go outside and look at all the things in nature that are alive. Then, have him/her write about them! The possibilities are endless. This writing assignment can be modified for writers of any age.

Writing Topic

What I saw on my hike.

Writing Tools

For very young writers:

·                     Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

·                     Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Prompts

For very young writers:

·                     Today I saw a…

·                     I like nature because…

·                     My favorite bug is…

·                     In the garden I saw…

For growing writers:

·                     On my hike, I saw some…

·                     Outside there are living…

·                     July is blooming with…

·                     The best thing living outside is…

For older writers:

·                    Out in nature are all kinds of…

·                     If I had to live outside I would want to be a…

·                     When I saw a ___________ today it made me feel…

·                     Creation is a gift because…

A note to the teacher/parent: Writing assignments posted on Mondays are intended to be long. However, the individual teacher/parent knows each student/child(s) ability and should modify the assignment accordingly.

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

Quick Write: Describing a Food

It’s national hot dog month, national blueberry month, and national ice cream month! Have your little darlings choose one of these delicious eats and write a short description. This writing assignment can be modified for writers of any age.

Writing Topic
Describe a food.

Writing Tools
For very young writers:

·                     Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

·                     Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Instructions
Have very young writers think about the food item and what it looks like, smells like, feels like, and tastes like. If you have the food item at home, let him/her see, touch, and taste the real thing. Then, instruct the student to write three things about the food.

Have growing and older writers follow the same instructions, but have him/her write a paragraph using at least one description from each of the following senses:

Sight. What does the food look like whole or partially eaten? Color? Texture? Shape?

Hearing. Perhaps this is the most difficult sense to use, but have the student imagine (if you don’t have the food item) what it sounds like to eat the particular food.

Taste. Again, imagination must come into play if the food item is not available.

Smell. Keep in mind that some foods need to be stirred up or broken open to omit odor. Again, if you don’t have the item, have your student draw on memory.

Touch. This sense is going to be based on texture and consistency. If your student is going to examine ice cream, get the wet wipes ready!

Descriptive writing can be a lot of fun. Remind your aspiring writers that good writing appeals to the reader’s senses!

A note to the teacher/parent: Writing assignments posted on Thursdays are intended to be short. However, feel free to modify this assignment to suit your students!

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

Good Readers Make Good Writers

If you've ever heard someone say that good writers are also good readers, believe them! Research has shown over and over again that the best writers are avid readers of quality material.

When my son was in first grade, he said something like this:

"I will never read and I can't write!"

Well, my heart told me to panic. I had a daughter just ahead of him who basically taught herself to read at age four. Not only that, she ate books for breakfast. What was I going to do with this boy?

I read to him.

And I read to him.

And I hooked him with comics.

I know, not the most thought-provoking reading material. But I had to get this kid reading. The beauty was we were homeschooling, so I didn't need to worry about him keeping up with a class. And while I can't remember how old he was when reading and writing took hold of him, they eventually did.

Now he is 16. Since first grade he has fallen in love with literature. It took some time, and a lot of hours reading to him, but it was well worth the investment. He treasures The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit. He is a collector of book series. And he writes.

Now, I realize not all kids are going to be great readers and writers. My point is it has to be trained into them (most of them, anyway). Check out the article on the site linked below. It's got some great information about reading to kids.

CLICK ME!

Summer Writing: What Does Freedom Mean to Me?

Now that the Fourth of July is over, have your little darlings take some time to write about freedom. This writing assignment can be modified for writers of any age.

Writing Topic
What does freedom mean to me?

Writing Tools
For very young writers:

• Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

• Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Prompts
For very young writers:

• I think freedom means...
• The Fourth of July was fun because...
• At the Fourth of July parade I saw...
• On the Fourth of July I went...

For growing writers:

• If feel like I am free because...
• The opposite of freedom is...
• If I wasn't free...
• The people who fight for my freedom are...

For older writers:

• The cost of freedom in America has been...
• The different types of freedom include...
• Freedom isn't free because...
• When people don't have freedom...

A note to the teacher/parent: Writing assignments posted on Mondays are intended to be long. However, the individual teacher/parent knows each student/child(s) ability and should modify the assignment accordingly.

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

CLICK HERE to see our writing (and other) educational units!