CAPITALIZE ON FUN!

As the weather settles into nicer days with ample sunshine and warmer temps, we encourage you to take some time to get outdoors. Do you know that whatever you do, you can find a learning opportunity? As adults, we get to explore new ways of experiencing education . . . we get to look through the lens of learning as we venture out beyond the walls of our school room or even our home. We encourage you to embrace the freedom that’s yours.

Connect with some friends or family while enjoying the beautiful weather. As we enter the last stretch of the school year, schedules may allow plentiful time to take a field trip or visit the local parks where learning opportunities abound. Here are a few ideas to consider:

•  Visit your local downtown area

•  Pack a picnic, and meet with another homeschool family at a park

•  Find a trail that you can walk or hike

•  Go out and find as many different types of flowering trees or wild flowers as

  possible

•  Take a field trip to a nearby location, such as these excellent choices:

  • Science centers,

  •  nature preserves

  •  historic sites 

  • museums

•  Set aside time to make something artistic. Invite friends to join you for added fun!

•  Have a coffee date, and ask each other good questions. Pinterest has great

  conversation starter ideas.

•  Have a cookout with another friend at a park, or invite someone over to your home. Grills work for lunchtime as well!

•  While sitting in the sunshine, write a note to a family member or friend. You might even send a note to your teachers!

•  Share your adventures to our social media pages, and show everyone what your family and groups do to spend quality time together learning.

FINDING “EDUCATIONAL” OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTANITY

In this world of cyber everything, we welcome you to our community – The Write Journey Community. Together we explore life. In particular, we explore “education”, and all that education encompasses: academics, character, critical thinking, creativity, inclusion, etc. Education encompasses ALL aspects of life because education is about learning. Consider this definition of education: “the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning . . . “.

Perhaps we’ve come to think of education as something that happens “at school” – with “experts” “teaching” children and youth. But the past couple of years have challenged many to rethink the meaning of education, or at least to question the high calling of education, including who is best equipped to oversee your child’s educational experience. The world of education has been shaken up. I venture to say it’s still shaking for many individuals – adults and children alike. As a result, we choose to see new opportunities:

•  Thinking outside the norms

•  Pursuing balance

•  Engaging a variety of platforms

•  Validating the individual

 Perhaps most importantly: Finding our voice

These represent just a few of the opportunities we can choose to explore, as a result of the shaking . . . and even the breaking. We are here for you and your children. We are a part of the solution. We affirm your choices. We strive to show up responsibly for our children – your children.

At TWJ, we find excitement in the possibilities, as we partner with parents and educators to bring the absolute best language arts education to all children. With spring in the air, we plant the seeds of compassion, collaboration, and community as we consider defining “education” anew. Let the planting begin.

Educating together, Kris

A WORD HERE, AN ACTIVITY THERE: IT'S THE BEST WAY TO LEARN

Welcome to The Write Journey community! You may be checking us out for the first time, or perhaps you’ve been a part of our community for years. Either way, we welcome the opportunity to connect with you.

You may (or may not) be aware of the changes that we are working to bring you. Some of these changes include exploring new ways to connect with each other, as well as sticking with the tried and true ways. I hope you follow us on Instagram & Facebook. You can click the icons below to get to our social media pages!

Emily does an amazing job finding fun tidbits of educational information to share. For example, this week she introduced us to a new word: kuchisabishii. I would love to hear you try to even pronounce the word! It’s a Japanese word that means “when you’re not hungry, but you eat because your mouth is lonely”. Who can’t relate to that?! What an inviting opportunity to have fun learning with your children . . . from attempting to pronounce the word, to identifying what part of speech it is (verb), to using it in conversation. “I think I want to kuchisabishii right now. (Interpretation: I want to eat now, not because I’m hungry, but because my mouth is lonely.”) “Mom, can we kuchisabishii some cookies and milk?” “You may kuchisabishii, but be sure to eat healthy food.” Who knew learning could be so fun . . . and so funny.

As we build community, our creative ideas will spill over to others. As we share, we will experience just how fun and natural learning can be. In fact, once each year we offer fun enrichment classes online. If your children have never experienced any of our classes, now might be a great time to give that a try. We have just posted our enrichment classes for the spring, and everyone is welcome to join these classes. We have something for students in every learning level. Our enrichment classes are often designed to enrich the learning experience, but they do not require the same dedication to completing homework assignments as our reading and writing classes do. Take a look at our “spotlight” post or click below to learn more about our classes for more details about this exciting opportunity for your children.

I want to leave you with a challenge:

At least once this week, identify and write down one (or more) fun, unexpected learning opportunities your family experienced . . . and hopefully enjoyed. Then share those experiences with us and with your educational community and friends.

I believe you desire to create an educational learning environment in your home beginning today. We’re here to help you.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY?

One dictionary definition of community is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. Do you find it interesting that this definition indicates that community is a feeling? Like me, you might want to ponder that for a few minutes. Another dictionary definition of community is “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common”. This is a familiar meaning of community, but I like the idea of community being a feeling (even though I’m not a big feeler).

While The Write Journey community does have particular characteristics in common (namely, we value quality writing and communication education for our children), we also create a “feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. So what are those common attitudes, interests, and goals?

• We desire healthy communication within our families and homes

• We seek instruction on how to help our children become excellent writers

• We value quality books that allow us to explore topics and engage in discussions to develop critical thinking

• We understand the high call of parents to be the boss of their children’s education - even when they choose to outsource aspects of that education

• We find success in partnership: parents, educators, instructors, students

• We long to explore creative ways to promote quality language arts skills

• We recognize the need to support (not judge) each other as we all do our best - imperfectly.

• We choose to focus on character training even as we teach academics, knowing that character matters more than knowledge

As we share these attitudes, interests, and goals, we experience “a feeling of fellowship” . . . and that is what The Write Journey community is all about. We appreciate every single family in The Write Journey community. You are welcomed and honored. We hope our community blesses your family.

SHARING HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

This holiday season offers so many opportunities:

• Reading fun holiday stories

• Watching classic holiday movies

• Listening to sounds of the season

• Creating gifts and decorations

• Tasting favorite family holiday cuisine

• Sleeping in a little

• Relaxing by a warm fire with a hot drink

These activities provide opportunities to capture solid holiday snapshots, and we’d love to see some of yours. Would you be willing to share some of your fun moments this holiday season?

We are a community of individuals journeying together to bring quality education--with a focus on communication--to our families. Even as we take a break and relax our academic routine for the holidays, we never cease to practice communication skills: reading, writing, and discussing. We always love to see pictures of your family’s educational journey, but there’s no time like the holidays to capture your unique journey.

We are not looking for picture-perfect shots. We’re looking for REAL LIFE! Whatever that looks like for your family, we would love a glimpse. Your picture(s) may or may not have people in them. Creations, decorations, actions (both work and play), disasters, etc. These all reflect real life. The holiday season naturally offers unique, engaging scenes of the raw beauty of family life.

Visit our social media platforms to share your holiday happenings with The Write Journey community. In this way, we build connections, and connections will result in support and encouragement for all.

Written by: Kris Cordell