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| Always Something to Learn About - Our Potato Plant |
"We stifle the desire to write if we first lay down rules and formulas as to how to write. Let the child have a personal experience; then allow it to write. Did you ever have a pupil who could not write a composition, but who could write a letter that was full of originality and personality? Why could it write the one and not the other? Too often, I fear, we prevent children from writing by trying to make them write. Of what use is writing anyway, if it is not self-expressive? So let the child have something real and personal to write.Then when the child has written, throw away the blue pencil and suggest tactfully how the piece may be improved here and there. Do not hinder the child."As part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge I always suggest and encourage a nature journal entry to follow the outdoor time. I know from experience that this takes the nature study to a higher level and each person can personalize their study by slowing down to record a sketch or some narrative in their nature journal.
I have been reading a lot about nature journals this summer as part of research for a new project and I came across this quote by Liberty Hyde Bailey (contemporary of Anna Botsford Comstock). I have found in our family that what he says is very true. If our children have something they are excited about....they relish the idea of sharing it with someone. They can't wait to talk about it or write about it.
So with this blog entry I am giving you a new idea (it was new to me). After you have your outdoor time and your child has a great experience, have them write a letter to someone about it. They can include sketches or just writing, telling the story of their adventure. Perhaps this will encourage them to dig a little deeper about their subject and since they have plenty to write about....it won't seem like work.
Happy writing!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
