Have you ever asked your kids to write and heard groans in response? I have! That is until I started encouraging my kids to write funny stuff. Suddenly writing was fun!
Humorous writing not only motivates reluctant writers, but aids memory and learning. Kids (and adults) remember funny material better.
The first step is to give your kids permission to use humor. Even the blandest writing prompts can be hilarious when young writers feel free to let their funny creative juices flow.
The second step is to give them prompts that are related to what is going on with them. I did my master’s thesis in psychology on humor and learned the obvious: relatable humor is funny! Depressed people will laugh at depression jokes, for example. So give the kids writing prompts about fall in the fall! Can’t come up with anything? No worries! I’ve got you covered. You can either use the writing prompts that follow in your homeschool or classroom verbally or you can use the colorful printables with handwriting lines available to subscribers.
The third step is to be flexible with the form of writing. Allow your students to dictate their writing or type it depending on their level. By the way, I don’t think there’s an age range for these prompts.
Funny Fall Writing Prompts
If I were a leaf, I would like to fall on_____________because________________.
Jack Frost is a mythical character who is said to create the frost we see on windows. Name and describe a character who is responsible for leaves changing color in the fall.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper from Johnny Appleseed, admitting that you didn’t exactly plant all the apple trees, even though that’s what everyone says.
Write a paper to convince people that your favorite kind of apple is the best.
Write a story about a squirrel who thought it was spring when it was fall.
Write about what happened when a horse who was allergic to hay pulled a wagon for a hay ride.
Create a recipe that includes pumpkin that really shouldn’t include it.
If you were a talking jack-o-lantern, what would you say?
Write a poem about fall the way Eeyore of Winnie-the-Pooh would write it (it doesn’t have to rhyme).
Write a poem about fall the way Tigger of Winnie-the-Pooh would write it.
Write a letter to hunters as though you were a turkey wanting to live.
If you served all of your favorite foods for Thanksgiving, what would be on the menu?
Download Your Free Funny Fall Writing Prompts Printables
Can you say that subtitle three times fast? 😉 In the PDF, I share more tips for encouraging your kids to write humorous material. You’ll get a printable page for hand-written work for each prompt. You’ll also automatically receive the winter, spring, and summer versions. If you hate getting email, know that once you subscribe, you can change your preferences to Freebies Only. You’ll only be notified when a post describes a new subscriber freebie, which you’ll automatically have access to.
Click the turkey image below, add your email, and the download will automatically arrive. By the way, if you like this material, I would love for you to share it with other teachers and parents you know.
I was provided with a free subscription and was compensated for my time in completing this review. All opinions are my own.
A whopping 45% of 17-year-olds read for fun just once or twice a year. While there are some homeschooled teens who also don’t enjoy reading, there are many more who are avid readers–sometimes to the exclusion of other activities that seem more noteworthy on college applications. Yet reading is by far and away the most valuable skill when it comes to college coursework.
Homeschoolers sometimes have to provide a more detailed syllabus for coursework completed on college applications than students in traditional schools. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to prove that your student has not only read but understood many great works of literature? It could not only support your child’s admission to college, but could be used to support applications for scholarships.
Reading Portfolio Could Help Your Child Get Into College
Reading Portfolio is a new online program that not only keeps track of books your high schooler has read, but verifies that the books have been read. Videos of your student taking quizzes on books read are used to confirm that your student isn’t cheating and are then deleted.
Points are accumulated for passing scores and can even be used to demonstrate exemplary reading using these designations:
This great video explains how the program works:
Benefits Beyond College
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that there is more screen time than reading going on? You could also use Reading Portfolio to verify that your students are reading.
Some readers will be motivated to accumulate points just as though reading WERE a game. You could challenge your child to a reading competition with a prize going to the most prolific reader. If your child isn’t an avid reader, check my post of ideas for getting your kids to read more.
Reading Portfolio is an Affordable Way to Improve Your Child’s College Application
Subscriptions are just $15.95 for a year and $24.95 for ten years. You can try a sample quiz to see how it works. You can start building a reading portfolio when your child turns 13. I wish I had a list of all the books I’ve read. Don’t you?
I have always enjoyed singing and playing the piano and I wanted my children to learn music. But I wasn’t one of those homeschooling moms who aspired to have a family band. Nor was I a mom who insisted on years of lessons. All three of my older boys have decided to quit lessons at various times. But today I’m thrilled to say that all three are avid musicians who enjoy playing together for the fun of it.
My younger three children are continuing with Hoffman Academy’s free piano lessons, but they haven’t yet become enthralled with music the way their older siblings have. Even if my younger three decide they want to take a break from piano, I want to make sure learn to appreciate music. Here’s why.
What the Research Says About Why Teaching Music Matters
Memory skill development (a key skill for academic success)
Emotional development (including anxiety coping skills)
Self-confidence (this is really a benefit for kids who don’t excel in sports, for example)
Teaching Music Isn’t Just About Voice and Instrument Lessons
When my son went to his first drum lesson, he was asked about his favorite music. He shrugged. He didn’t HAVE a favorite type of music. Now he listens to music all the time. I hadn’t been doing a good job teaching my kids to appreciate music. To appreciate something, we have to teach them its history, expose them to its experts and fans, and allow them to practice or experience it for themselves.
While taking music lessons helps a child appreciate music, lessons are not a prerequisite. In fact, teaching music appreciation may motivate our kids to take lessons. The problem is that we may be just as ill-equipped to teach music appreciation as we are to teach lessons. Or as in my case, you may be equipped, but just don’t have the time.
That’s where a new music appreciation course from my friend, Gena Mayo, comes in. Gena taught music appreciation in co-op classes and created a curriculum for those students that she is now making available to our students.
I honestly wasn’t planning on teaching music appreciation to my kids this year, but when I saw 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation, I changed my mind! I am now going to do a lesson every week. I think my kids will LOVE it. I know I will! This K-12 curriculum briefly teaches the history of 20th Century American music and uses YouTube links so kids can experience the genres and musicians firsthand. I really believe that this curriculum will motivate my kids to either continue with piano lessons or find another musical instrument they’re interested in as two of my older boys did.
A Music Appreciation Course Deal
For a limited time, Gena is making this course available for a 50% discount. That’s a steal! I wanted to be an affiliate for this course, because I know homeschoolers will love it.
Just go to the IChooseJoyNow store and enter the discount code LABORDAY20. Hurry! This discount ends on September 7th. After that date, the course will sell for just $25.
Want a free lesson to check it out? You’ll be given that option at the store link above.
For homeschoolers who follow a traditional school schedule, and even those who take a break in summer, this is go time!
Get Inspired
Your excitement is contagious, mom. Check out these great ideas for planning, organizing, and the first day of school. Choose a few of them and set aside some time to put them into practice. Ask your husband to take the kids on an outing, trade childcare with a friend, or go somewhere you can focus.
If you haven’t even started planning, don’t panic. You can use either of my crazy easy approaches to homeschool planning and record keeping and be ready in no time.
If you want a simple reminder of what you should be doing every day, every week, every month, and every year, you’ll want to nab the free printable PDFs I’ve created that you can put into page protectors in your homeschool planner. When you download one of them, you’ll also get access to a monthly and yearly to-do list in the subscriber freebies folder (linked at the bottom of this email for subscribers).
If you’re looking for help with your homeschool schedule, check out the amazing free printables from Pam Barnhill at EdSnapshots. She not only provides you with the free printables, but the help to go with them.
If you just need direction for getting organized, you’ll want to start with the Back to School challenge and continue with the weekly Organized Homeschool challenges. Just 15 minutes a day will do it!
Parents of traditionally-schooled children are busy looking for school lunch ideas, but homeschooling moms need ideas, too! Check out my 10 lunch ideas and be sure to check out the other iHomeschool Network bloggers ideas, too. Then be sure to download my free meal planning ebook that will help you simplify this process that takes so much of our time.
Once you’re prepared for school, you’ll want to make plans for the first day. My favorite thing to do is surprise the kids. We have gone out for ice cream and last year we went to a theme park the last day it was open. I’m still trying to come up with a unique surprise, but I love these ideas.
About 1 out of every 5 women will have depression at some time in their lives. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. It’s no wonder then that homeschooling moms experience it.
The Problem
The problem for many homeschooling moms with depression is expectations. As Christians, we may expect to have no problems with depression as long as our faith is strong enough. As homeschooling women, we often have very high expectations of our role as mother, wife, and teacher. We may live in fear that if we admit to struggling, our children may be forced to go to school. The combination can create denial which prevents us from getting the help we need.
The Podcast
If you or someone you know is depressed, I encourage you to listen to the Homeschooling In Real Life podcast with Andy and Kendra Fletcher on the topic of depression. Andy and Kendra were my colleagues when I was recording the Homeschool Sanity Show podcast for the Ultimate Homeschool Network. I have since gotten to know them better personally and can’t recommend them or their service to the Christian homeschool community enough. They tackle the tough topics and get real. They’re a breath of fresh air in age when too many have gone off the rails. I hope you’ll subscribe to their show, will leave a rating on iTunes, and will take steps to prevent or alleviate depression in your life.
I tried Periscope a few weeks ago and I’m hooked. I love it and if you homeschool, I think you will, too. Here are six reasons you should try it.
Wait! What’s Periscope?
Periscope is a new social media platform that allows viewers to chat with live broadcasters. Currently, you can only give comments and hearts (via taps on the screen) via the mobile app. You can watch replays for 24 hours on your mobile device and on the web and even longer at katch.me. Follow me @Psychowith6 for saner homeschooling and living scopes. You can also follow me at WatchonPeriscope. Click the red Follow button on the right when the page opens. If you want to know more, check out my Periscope page.
#1 Make friends
I couldn’t have homeschooled these past 16 years without my friends. But I am in awe that in just a few weeks, I have made great new homeschooling friends online. Watching live video of people is a much faster way of getting to know them than on any other social media platform. You can make new friends by watching other homeschool scopers, but getting in front of the camera yourself is even better! To make connections quickly, join our homeschool Periscope group on Facebook. Disclaimer:There are occasionally some rude people who will make inappropriate comments. If the broadcaster doesn’t share their location, that’s less likely. The scoper can just tap the comment and block that person. But for that reason, you may not want younger readers to watch scopes with you, even if you trust the broadcaster.
#2 Get real
One of the biggest problems in homeschool circles and especially with other forms of social media is the idea that everyone else has it more together than you do. All those perfect Pinterest photos and projects and even blog posts can make you feel inferior. What’s great is your homeschool heroes appear on Periscope sans makeup with kids screaming, misspeaking, and doing all kinds of very human things. What I also love is the confessions people make. They don’t speak like holier-than-thou experts, but like friends. That can take the pressure off of all of us imperfect homeschoolers. In that vein, you might enjoy 6 Reasons I’ll Never Be a Perfect Homeschooler.
#3 Ask questions
You can ask questions of your new real-life friends as they broadcast. If you want to know how to help your dyslexic student, homeschool Montessori style, or tailor an easy recipe, just ask! Scopers love to answer your questions. If your friends are always asking how you do something, why don’t you broadcast and share with all of us? Homeschoolers are all teachers and we would love to ask you those burning questions.
#4 Inspiration
Let’s face it. While I absolutely love Pinterest, it can be overwhelming. But the little doses of ideas you get through Periscope broadcasts are perfect. I’m doing challenging and fun workouts with RocaBody on Periscope, have found a new mascara to try, and have watched new recipes being made that I’m going to make asap. I have been way more active in putting ideas from Periscope into use, probably because I *see* how easy they are. Periscope is the perfect prescription for homeschool burnout or boredom. If you need that little extra motivation to organize your homeschool, join me on Thursdays!
#5 It’s fast
While there is currently no way to fast-forward or rewind videos in replay, I find that I can get tips and ideas very quickly from Periscope. Most broadcasts are short and good scopers get to the point quickly. You don’t have to stay for the whole broadcast and you walk away smarter. Contrast this to homeschool sessions at a conference. It’s rude to walk out of a talk, right? But viewers pop in and out of broadcasts on Periscope all the time.
#6 It allows you to multi-task
It’s not as freeing as listening to a podcast, but you can listen to broadcasts on your phone or computer while doing something else. I listen to them as I get ready in the mornings and even while I drive. I am not typically commenting when I’m busy doing something else (like driving), but I can tap and give some hearts and I feel like I’ve hung out with my friends.
What are you waiting for?
Download the free app (you’ll need a Twitter account if you don’t have one), search for Psychowith6 with the magnifying glass icon, and join us today and Monday through Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Central time for Homeschool Happy Hour with #homeschoolscopes. I’ll tell you about some great replays to catch (there is no topical search function on Periscope as of yet) and we’ll chat about what’s happening in our homeschools right now. Can’t make the live broadcast? No problem! You’ll see the replay in your list of broadcasts if you’re following me. I’ll also share the replays at Homeschool Sanity on Facebook. We’d love to have you join the Facebook Homeschool Periscope group, too.
Have a homeschooling friend who would love this? Share it! Looking forward to connecting with you.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
Have you ever asked your kids to write and heard groans in response? I have! That is until I started encouraging my kids to write funny stuff. Suddenly writing was fun!
