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Ammon writing his journal page
Hello,
I love to write! It is pure fun for me, and sharing with others through words adds meaning to my experiences every day.
BUT. . .
 I am fully aware that many kids don't share my enthusiasm, and to tell the truth—writing can sometimes become a big struggle in homeschool.
What to do?
My answer to most "what to do?" homeschool questions is the same: make it fun! Who can resist fun? And there are lots of opportunities for fun when it comes to writing. Let me share with you some of the resources that I like best:
*Little Red Mailbox
Practice makes perfect, and who doesn't love getting letters! Buy two (or more) so you can send letters back and forth!
*Typing Instructor
What does that have to do with writing? Being able to type will help unlock your child's stories!
*KidTalk Writing Ideas
Banish writer's block with these amazingly creative questions and snippets of stories.
*Editor in Chief
Kids can be the teacher! Correct mistakes and learn to have a keen editor's eye in the process.
*A Reason for Writing
Make those handwriting exercises into meaningful gifts, posters, more.
Take a peek into How I Teach Writing in my homeschool. I'll tell you all about it here.
Plus, shop our 99 Cents Sale for some more writing helps.
To writing success in your homeschool!
Diane
view | K-5 Journal and Language Arts Program Bestselling!Teach your children English from their own daily writing experiences in this "school journal" that I use in my own homeschool. Everyday my children write their journal entries on special lined paper that promotes good penmanship. The top of the page is left unlined for illustrating their writing.
As they fix their mistakes with Mom's help, misspelled words are transferred to the spelling section for a custom-made spelling list to be practiced every day and tested once a week. The teacher's section includes lessons to teach on creative writing, poetry, prefixes and suffixes, antonyms, abbreviations, punctuation, contractions, letter writing, and more.
Dictation is a very beneficial way to teach children to write well, so I've included selections and instructions for dictation: inspirational quotes, patriotic quotes, character-building poems, and scriptures. Comes in a 3-ring binder, which becomes your child's ongoing school journal year after year. Paper line size begins with wide spaced kindergarten lines, and progresses to narrower lined paper for 5th graders.
At the end of the year, we take the journal pages out of the notebook and have them bound (approx. $2) at the printer into a treasured childhood book. (The printer commented that these were so precious he couldn't help reading a few pages!) I developed this program for my own children after years of trying different writing and language workbooks, and think you'll find it works very well. Use it year after year, just by replacing the journal paper.
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view | Red Tinplate Mail Box Who's got mail? You do with this fun and sturdy miniature mailbox, complete with flag. If you have a reluctant writer, watch enthusiasm grow when there's mail to read and return! Write each child's name on a mailbox and let them enjoy exchanging notes. Great handwriting motivation! Dimensions: 5" long by 3 1/2" tall.
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view | Typing Instructor Deluxe We live in an age when being able to use a computer keyboard is a necessity. I like to teach my children to type while still quite young. It gives them the freedom of being able to get their thoughts down on paper long before they have the fine muscle coordination to tirelessly handwrite out a story or journal entry. Besides, they can do it! Typing Instructor is unsurpassed for teaching quality, and the format is plenty of fun. After the lesson, you can choose from 60 music selections (or silence) to type along with, and the typing practice can be chosen from hundreds of interesting magazine-type articles on all subjects. There are fun arcade games to prove your efficiency at every level. We've tried lots of programs, but this rates #1 with us!
PC System Requirements
Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98, or Windows Vista
50 MB RAM or more
580 MB Hard Drive space or more
Processor should be 133 MHz or more
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view | KidTalk - Writing Ideas Interesting, easy-to-write-about topics are featured in this unique card deck. On each card a fact or idea is summarized in a few sentences. Then a question is posed that inspires some great writing responses. For example, from one card: "When we go to sleep, our minds create dreams. Each dream lasts about one half hour and we have about four dreams each night." Now the question is asked to stimulate writing: "If you could pick something to dream about, what would it be? What is the best dream that you can remember?" Asking those questions can be the flicker of inspiration that can develop into a meaningful piece of writing. This is our favorite way to get a writing idea!
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view | Editor in Chief Here's an exciting way to perfect those English skills. Each entry in this write-in workbook is a brief story accompanied by a picture. But watch out, it is trickier than it seems. Each story contains several errors in punctuation, grammar, usage, etc. These workbooks are sure to develop a sharp editing eye. All answers and explanations are in the back of the book, so your child can correct his own work. These books are challenging and fun!
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view | A Reason for Writing Kids! The last time I made decisions on handwriting programs, I gathered every handwriting book I could find to review and I painstakingly selected the best program for the money. Then Ammon (5 years old then) went through my reject pile and found one that he liked even better. It is more expensive, but he was right, it is much more fun! Each day's handwriting page rips out of the workbook.
First lessons teach how to make basic strokes before actually teaching letter formation. Children trace inviting drawings of grapes, bubbles, and other circles to gain the skills needed for writing. As letters are taught, each page presents the letter of the day to be traced, written, and practiced. On the back of the page, a large line drawing of an animal (or something from nature whose name begins with the letter practiced) is waiting to be colored and cut out. This was the part Ammon looked so forward to.
Each day he would tack his new creation up on the bulletin board, and soon we had a whole zoo. I would recommend this book after the Explode the Code Primers have been completed. Large 1 1/4" lines are perfect for young hands learning to write. This 136-page workbook is a great follow-up for children who have just learned to form their letters.
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view | Jumbo Pencils (3) plus Jumbo Sharpener Chubby pencil fits little hands perfectly to reduce writer's cramp. Remember these from kindergarten? Shiny, metallic colored pencil has alphabet letters and numbers from 1 to 20 printed on it. This is what I use for my beginning writers—we love them! The sharpener is essential as they are too fat for a standard pencil sharpener.
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view | Kumon First Workbooks Here are the ideal activity pages on excellent quality paper with colorful graphics. Developed by an Asian company to give kids the cutting edge with an early start in education and skills. These thick workbooks are a preschooler's or kindergartner's mother's dream-come-true! One page is enough to keep your preschooler busily working and happy for 15-20 minutes—a bargain indeed! Kids love them, and you'll be amazed at the fine motor skill development you will see!
My First Book of Tracing
This beginning-level book provides children with opportunities to learn to manipulate a pencil skillfully. Simple and fun drawing exercises start with vertical straight lines, and then gradually shift to more difficult lines, such as curves, zigzags, and diagonal lines, providing children with an ideal preparation for learning to write letters and numbers. Ages 2-4 years. 80 pages, 8 1/2" x 11" on high quality paper.
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view | My First Book of Mazes
Learn to control a writing implement by navigating these easy mazes without touching the lines! One a day is lots of fun and excellent get-ready-for-handwriting practice! Quality paper and illustrations! Ages 3-5. 80 pages, 8 1/2" x 11" on high quality paper.
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view | Wordsmith Apprentice, Creative Writing Course I loved using WordSmith for creative writing assignments, but found that my younger children who weren't secure in the parts of speech (noun, adjective, etc.) struggled along. Hooray! Now a self-directed course of the same quality for the younger student, ages 9-12. Teaches using parts of speech in writing sentences, sentence structure, paragraph writing, dialogue, topic sentences, and more. Using a newspaper as a basis for all writing, this easy-to-use writing course provides a year's worth of interesting composition assignments. Spiral bound, 120 pages, (self-inclusive, no Teacher's Guide).
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view | WordSmith Wordsmith is designed to get students excited about writing, and it certainly accomplished that for us! Each lesson explains itself to the student, and then step-by-step leads him through the lesson with a write-in-the-blank workbook. Topics include "So You Think You Hate Writing," word games using parts of speech, sentence structure, figures of speech, describing a person, narrative, writing dialogue, point of view, how to proofread, etc. The exercises are great for reluctant writers with enough fun to keep them going. Children must know some basic grammar (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) before using this course. Optional Teacher's Manual briefly explains daily lesson information and assignments and gives possible answers, but is not essential. Paperback, 90 pages, ages 12 and up.
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view | Wordsmith Craftsman After you finish Wordsmith, advance to this self-directed program for building and polishing practical writing skills. You will learn to organize and classify ideas, write letters to suit any occasion, and organize your original ideas into excellent compositions. Includes study skills, note-taking, summarizing, brush-up on mechanics, technical skills, paragraphing, and more. The final unit in the book teaches essay writing. Paperback, 93 pages, for ages 15 and up. (self-inclusive, no Teacher's Guide.)
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view | The Write Stuff Adventure This book especially for homeschoolers will lead you from simple, descriptive sentences through essays, interviews, and more. Write better letters, an autobiography, short story, family history, news articles, and a photojournalism article using your own photos. When the adventure is done, your students will become adept at using the tools of writing.
I really like this comprehensive and thoughtful guide to writing instruction. Paperback, 201 pages for 6th grade through high school. An excellent writing course!
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view | Writing Strands If you don't want to have to dream up assignments to teach your children the writing process, you will appreciate the thoroughness of Writing Strands. This write-in workbook first identifies the skills being taught, lists objectives, presents models, gives prewriting experiences, breaks the exercises into manageable parts, and then helps your child produce essays, reports and creative pieces. The material is very well organized and arranged into with day-by-day assignments. Instructions are written to the child, not the teacher, so your child can follow the assignments independently. Paperback, approximately 100 pages. Begin with level 2 at approximately 7 years old.
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view | Scholastic Explains Writing Homework 43% OffThis handy reference book will help you teach your 2nd or 3rd grader how to write! This colorful photo illustrated guidebook looks more like a picture book than a "how-to-write" textbook. Each spread explains a basic writing concept. Topics writing a book report, a biography, a dialogue, a letter or a poem, as well as grammar usage, parts of speech, prefixes and suffixes, abbreviations, alphabetical order, types of sentences, capitalization, punctuation, and cursive writing. For ages 7 to 9, or for any beginning writer. Paperback, 64 pages.
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view | Just Write—An Elementary Writing Sourcebook These books really are "just right" for teaching children to write! Exercises are to be written right in the workbook.
Book 1 teaches capitalization, basic punctuation, spelling, indenting, and constructing paragraphs. Other chapters encourage the use of colorful descriptions, creative word choices, and comparisons.
Book 2 begins with a review of capitalization and basic punctuation and then works on the nuts and bolts of sentence and paragraph writing.
Later chapters focus on writing stories, character and setting development, and use of innovative, interesting details. Inclusion of dialogue and writing from a different perspective are also covered, along with editing and publishing.
A great way to teach children to write! Paperback, 140-160 pages, for ages 7 and up.
| Book 1 | Retail Price $10.70 | Sale Price $9.99 |
| Book 2 | Retail Price $10.70 | Sale Price $9.99 |
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view | All About Me
for Christian Youth, ages 12 to 18 years Here's a fun and meaningful Christian approach to writing for either boys or girls. Perfect those writing skills while creating your own personal history! Each decorated page poses a question and provides plenty of space for responding with a composition, detailing the writer's own likes and dislikes, experiences and feelings.
When you finish the book you will have written your own story about yourself. Created by Julianna Hopkins (my daughter!). This spiral bound, write-in book will become a treasured keepsake. What an easy way to write your personal life story! For ages 12-18 years.
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view | All About Me
Junior Level, ages 8 to 11 years |
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view | Learn to Write the Novel Way 12% OffThis entire year's writing course for ages 12 years and up will help you write your very own novel bit by bit! My children received this course with great enthusiasm because they actually created a book of their very own imagination, a fun and noble accomplishment, rather than spending your English time on "throw-away" worksheets. Learning to write is just what happens along the way to getting your great story down!
The author is fun, humorous, and includes Biblical principles to help students gain a moral vision for writing excellence. Includes grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure too. Ifind my students working on their "books" in their spare time and delighting when they come up with a great idea—this makes writing exciting! Complete course includes student worktext and teacher's guide with answer key. Paperback, 220 pages for grades 5th to 12th.
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view | Neon Pencil Gripper 26% OffAn excellent pencil grip makes a world of difference in teaching your young writer to hold his pencil correctly, in helping an older child overcome a bad habit, or to prevent writer's cramp. This squishy, soft gripper works with the body's natural physiology to gently place fingers in the proper position for writing. I've tried lots of them, and this is by far the best!
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 view | Italic Handwriting Workbooks Italic is elegant! Now you can teach your children to write clean, loop-free letters easily. Italic is fast and very legible. The easy transition into cursive is just a matter of connecting the manuscript letters. Write-in workbooks provide all the practice your children will need.
Level A for kindergartners introduces one letter on each page, practicing capital and lowercase letters and numbers. Basic writing patterns are taught.
Level B moves a little faster but still presents each letter and number, adding a word or a short sentence to the exercise.
Level C through G cover both basic and cursive italics. Practice books continue up through the grades, ending with Level G for 6th graders, which is a comprehensive review of all letter forms, and a brief introduction to the edged pen. No special equipment is ever needed: you can write italic with any pen or pencil.
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level A (Grade K) |
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level B (1st) |
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level C (2nd) |
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level D (3rd) |
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level E (4th) |
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level F (5th) In reprint status, will be available October 1st, 2009. Will be shipped separately after it comes in stock.
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view | Italic Handwriting Workbook Level G (6th) |
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view | Writing With Style Make your writing stand out! Learn to organize ideas, choose good grammar, make punchy paragraphs, polish a presentation, and proofread for mistakes. Actual selections from kids' writing helps you understand the concept. Great index helps you find help fast. A Scholastic reference guide for ages 10 and up. Paperback, 142 pages.
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Explode the Code Series
Here is my favorite resource for teaching your young child the sounds the letters make, and how to write them! Begin with 3 primer workbooks that open horizontally to a clean, bright format with simple line drawings done by children. This set of Explode the Code Primers (A, B, C) teaches all the consonant letters thoroughly with a whopping 12 pages of fun activities for each letter. The most fun is the riddle page. Mom reads the riddles (found in the Teacher's Manual, or create your own) while the child follows instructions carefully. For example, after learning the letter "f" (how to write it, its sound, and its capital letter) the first riddle says: "I am thinking of something that is often made of wood. It keeps animals in a yard or field. What is it?" Now the child looks at all the drawings on his page and finds the fence. "What sound does fence begin with? ("ffff"). Color the fence green." Each object that the child finds to answer the riddle has a different direction with it, such as put an X on it, or color it red and yellow, etc.
Move on to more challenges:
Book 1 teaches short vowel sounds
Book 2 teaches consonant blends
Book 3 teaches the phonic units sh, th, wh, ch, ng, ck, tch, ee, ea, ai, ay, oa, and ow.
Book 4 covers compound words, suffixes, syllable division rules, and 3-syllable words.
Book 5 teaches the sound families: all, alk, old, olt, oll, ild, ind, thr, shr, scr, str, spr, spl, qu, -ey words, and the sounds of ed.
Book 6 contains ar, or, er, ir, ur, wor, war, ea, ie, igh, oo, oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, ew, ui, ue, ou.
Book 7 covers soft c and g, silent letters, ear, ph, ei, eigh.
Book 8 teaches suffixes and endings.
If you feel your child needs a little more practice at a certain level, each level has a "1/2" book: 1 1/2, 2 1/2, etc. that provides more practice on the same concepts as the book before it So, if your child finishes Book 2 and isn't really confident with the concepts, let him do Book 2 1/2 and he'll be ready for Book 3.
I would recommend moving forward just as quickly as your child can handle it. (It never hurts to tape a dollar bill inside the cover as a motivation!) As soon as your child has gone through the primer books, and done a few pages in Book 1, he will be able to read a beginning phonetic book, like Decodable Little Books. Paperback, 78 pages per book. You'll love these!
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Explode the Code Primers A, B & C
Explode the Code Books 1-8
Explode the Code Books 1/2 books
(for those who need added practice)
99 Cent Sale!
Order anything from this email (above) and you may take advantage of our 99 Cent Sale, no limit.
view | Good Luck and Rainbows Notepad 72% OffSpread good luck and sunshines with these cheerful notes! Big 5 x 7" notes give you plenty of room to write. 50 sheets.
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view | Language Arts: Step-By-Step Level 3 67% OffLearn consonant and vowel sounds, alphabetical order, parts of speech, and rhyming words plus other skills in this write-in workbook geared at 3rd grade. Paperback 86 pages, for ages 7-11.
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view | Manuscript Handwriting 67% OffThis economical workbook provides a good review of manuscript alphabet writing. Letters are formed on 1/2" lines which is much smaller than the A Reason for Writing, Workbook "A", so choose this book for children who are proficient in writing their alphabet and just need some practice before beginning cursive. Covers the entire alphabet in lower case and capital letters plus numbers. A good practice book at a bargain price.
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view | Challenge Puzzles & Mazes 65% OffEnjoy fun puzzles, mazes, humorous riddles, hidden answers, and interesting fun facts. 3rd grade level. Paperback, 32 pages.
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| Diane's Blog Come enjoy some new ideas, encouragement, homeschool support, recipes, craft ideas, parenting wisdom . . . and more with my popular Heart-to-Heart emails, new and continuing in blog format!
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Shipping just $4.99—
no matter how big the order!**
NEW! Need just one item? (books, CDs, DVDs, software only)—Just $1.99 shipping!**
(**plus $1.99 handling fee, and only for orders shipping to the continental US)
Pay no sales tax (except in Utah).
Love to Learn!
Homeschool Handbook
Your Guide to Setting Up a Homeschool, Selecting Resources, and Joyfully Educating Your Children
Need homeschool help?
Diane Hopkins has been reviewing and testing homeschool products for over 20 years and you can benefit from her experience. In this comprehensive guidebook, each grade of school is detailed with the best-on-the-market in curriculum for your homeschool and notes added on how to use these resources! Set up your school schedule, learn how to get your kids to take charge of getting their schoolwork done, and how to make your homeschool fun and meaningful. Reproducible forms are included.
Large, spiral-bound book introduces you to the 7 Hopkins children, and shows you how she taught and raised them homeschooling: the mistakes she made along with the successes. Full of family photos, personal stories, and wisdom—this volume will give you the help you need to get enthused, get organized and get going! More details and sample pages, click here!
order here
Our Price $16.99
I've chosen some of my favorite kitchen products to offer you below. You'll be on your way to freedom from the grocery store!
*WonderMill
I highly recommend this investment in your family's health!
*Chocolate Stevita Delight
Enjoy no-sugar, real chocolate sweet treats!
Here's what I like for the Love of Liberty:
 
*The Patriot's Handbook
A fabulous collection of source documents read on CD. Wonderful!
*A More Perfect Union DVD
My favorite movie on the founding of our nation—inspiring!
*Learning the Bill of Rights in Minutes
Knowing our rights is vital to our freedom. Even kids can learn them quick!
*American History Stories You Never Read in School . . . But Should Have!
Fascinating, true, little-known stories from America's founding.
Hi!
I am Diane Hopkins, mother of 7 children (ages 14 to 34) whom I have had the privilege of homeschooling over the past 23 years. I'm a mom, just like you, and have those fabulous days and those not-so-good days like we all do. My hope in writing is to share experiences, and hopefully we can encourage one another in this wonderful, intense adventure of childraising--that is really what homeschooling is, after all.
Hoping to help, if I can!
Love, Diane
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