An easy way to add a bit of poetry into your homeschool is to institute a weekly Poetry Tea. Just imagine gathering the children to a table loaded with cups of tea with milk, a little something sweet to eat, and a stack of poetry books. You might read some favorites, then they might want to get in on the act too. sounds wonderful, right? Well, we’ve got Julie Bogart of Brave Writer fame to thank!
Julie is the author of a writing curriculum. But there’s so much more to her work. Her blog is bursting with good parenting advice. She knows what it’s like to homeschool; she’s got 5 kids who she homeschooled for 17 years. She knows what it’s like to be at home with children every day. Her eyes are open to the specific kinds of struggles homeschooling mamas can have. But she also has eyes to see the beauty in this world. She posts pictures of the trees changing color outside her windows, her squat tea pot, and her kids home for a visit.
Besides her blog, these are my favorite places to get a little bit of Julie wisdom:
- She’s got 12 or so podcasts. GOLDEN! Her voice, her sense of humor, her perspective. The podcasts are hosted by her oldest son, Noah. Hearing bits of their interaction is just wonderful.
- You can sign up for free, daily writing ideas to be sent via email. Because we don’t yet have a houseful of writers, we don’t necessarily use them in our homeschool. But often when I read them, I find more general homeschooling helps or ideas for my own writing.
- This year Julie collected her parenting pieces into a book called Gracious Space. Each reflection ends with a “sustaining thought.” And I realized that that’s often what Julie’s writing does for me, it sustains me. It gives me a scaffolding to understand my experiences. She gives me a little phrase or image that I can tuck in my pocket for the hard times.
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