www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
and;the;right;tools;to;excavate;that;pic-ture. Creative writing is a splurge of
expression,;as;well;as;an;accumulative
exercise;that;uses;a;broad;range;of;lan-guage;skills.
For;homeschooling;families,;creative
writing is not a subject that is com-monly;taught.;Many;consider;it;an;ex-tra,;superfluous;subject;better;left;to;fill-ing;gaps;in;the;doldrums;of;traditional
school;days.;Typically,;creative;writing
falls;to;the;wayside;because;it;is;a;sub-ject;with;which;many;parents;are;un-comfortable.;Perhaps;they;never;wrote
creatively;when;they;were;children,;or
they;struggled;when;presented;with;the
opportunity. On the other end of the
spectrum are the homeschooling par-ents;who;want;their;child;to;learn;the;art
of;creative;writing.;They;purchase;a;cur-riculum;to;teach;the;required;elements
only to discover their children would
rather;do;math;than;put;forth;the;effort
to;create;something;of;their;own.
I;would;suggest;that;creative;writing
is;not;a;subject;to;be;taught;;rather;it;is
an;opportunity;for;students;to;express
themselves.;Consider;writing;creatively
to;be;on;the;same;level;as;painting;a
picture.;You;would;hand;your;child;a
paintbrush, supply the paint and the
canvas, and point them in the right
direction. Writing is the same. Give
them;a;pencil,;supply;them;with;a;few
tools,;and;let;them;go.
Perhaps you might be wondering at
this point about spelling, punctuation,
and;grammar.;Where;do;these;valuable
components;make;their;entrance?;This
is;the;point;in;which;most;parents;reach
for;the;shiny;new;“how;to”;handbook.
Let;me;reassure;you;that;there;is;no;need.
Give;your;child;the;freedom;to;create
without;fear;of;critique,;and;you;will;be
amazed;at;their;capabilities.
There;are;so;many;ways;to;incorporate
creative writing into your curriculum.
Let’s;first;discuss;how;to;do;it;as;a;sub-
ject;unto;itself.;Create;three;lists—one;for
characters,;one;for;settings,;and;one;for
conflicts.;You;can;arrange;these;in;any
way;you;desire.;Empty;tea;canisters,;jam
jars,;boxes,;or;something;else;entirely;will
do.;Have;your;child;choose;one;subject
from;each;list;(tea;canister,;jar,;and;box).
Ask;him;or;her;to;write;whatever;comes
to mind using those prompts. Start a
story.;Begin;telling;your;children;a;story,
and;leave;it;at;a;cliff-hanger.;Send;them;off
to;write;the;rest.;Go;for;a;walk.;While;on
your;walk,;tell;your;students;to;be;on;the
lookout;for;something;out;of;the;ordinary
that;could;be;the;foundation;of;a;story.
Take;a;trip;to;the;cemetery.;Choose;a
gravestone;that;makes;you;wonder;about
the;person;buried;there;and;write;a;story
about;him;or;her.
Start a correspondence. Write a let-ter;to;your;child;pretending;he;or;she;is
someone;fictional.;Ask;questions;that;re-quire;an;answer.
It;is;just;as;easy;to;incorporate;creative
writing;into;your;existing;curriculum.
Give;your;child;the
freedom;to;create
without;fear;of
critique,;and;you;will
be;amazed;at;their
capabilities.
