Free Writing for Kids

"I’m walking to the bathroom. 

Why? 

Because I just drank a full to the brim coffee.   

We’re in Palazzo Versace and the toilets seem as beautiful as my girlfriend Lucy.

O-boy, She’s good lookin!"

- 5 minute free write by L. Age 7. 

Each Thursday morning this term T has taken the boys for a writing class.
 
It's a win-win situation. They get to spend time with their dad, learning great skills that extend past my expertise and I get some time to myself.

One of the cool things they do at the start of their sessions is a free write.

Wikipedia says:

Free writing is a prewriting technique in which a person writes continuously for a set period of time without regard to spelling, grammar, or topic. It produces raw, often unusable material, but helps writers overcome blocks of apathy and self-criticism.

Just sit down. Set timer. And.... WRITE.
It doesn't matter what it's about or what it looks like or how it's spelt. Just write.

Pretty simple, huh?

But, this is where the raw stuff comes from. Where the unique only-in-your-own-particular-head stuff comes from. This is where great ideas are born. T uses it in his own daily writing practice. But it's the perfect activity for kids too. It's creativity in the making.

I disagree with the idea that it's often unusable. Now, at the end of the term the boys have each re-worked a few of their favourite free writes. Hug (9) has expanded one of his into a full-length story while Lovely (7) has chosen to illustrate his personal favourites (see above).

For the record, L doesn't drink coffee. Being 7 and all. Nor does he have a girlfriend called Lucy ;)

Although this approach is quite a contrast to the Charlotte Mason ideas I base a lot of our Language Arts learning around I think it's ingenious.

So, are you ready? Sit down. Set the timer... & get free writing! 

Upper and Lowercase letters | Memory game

I'm back in2 my lovely curriculum guides from New Child Montessori and 1 of the activities this week called for making a set of Upper and Lower Case Letter cards.  I was a bit excited as I think it's a great activity for Lovely to sink his teeth into - this kiddo LOVES memory games - and the perfect reinforcement activity for Hug who is a very strong reader now but can still confuse the direction of letters when he's writing. 

I pulled out some metallic card stock (that just happened to be sitting around in my art supplies for the past 10+ years waiting to be used - what's with that??!)  and got to making the cardboard tiles.  These are 4cm x 4cm. And a little rough - Hug and I cut them out together ;)

I'm trying to get back into using my sewing machine a bit more - and I'm particularly interested in sewing on paper - so I fashioned a simple pocketed sheet to keep them in by stitching smaller pieces of card against a backing card. And then busted out the label maker (I've dreamt of this baby for years. So happy to actually have one! Lol) 

My first prototype featured my own handwriting which I later decided to cover with printed letters in a traditional Montessori script (please let me know if you would like me to email you a copy of this pdf. I downloaded it years ago & can't find the source to credit so I won't upload it here) which not only is a nice middle ground between print and cursive but which also highlights all of the vowels by making them a different colour than the regular letters. 

The cards are organised and introduced in these Montessori-defined groupings: 

SMAT    FBOX    HNDE    CPUR    WIGJL    ZKQYV

So, the idea is that you introduce 1 set of letters at a time, using the 3 Period Lesson. Layout as matching cards and then extend to a game of memory. As each set is mastered another can be introduced.

I shall upload some pix of the activity in action next week :)