When I started getting serious about homeschooling, one book kept turning up in all of my research. It was written by a mom that had homeschooled her children and learned a lot along the way. Julie Bogart became my friend in my head by the time I finished reading Brave Learner. You might remember reading about the book in my July Bookshelf. If you haven’t picked it up yet, stop waiting and get to it (after you finish this article that is). Today, I’m here to share about Julie’s writing curriculum, Brave Writer.
JustaBXgirl has a vivid and vast imagination. She can make up stories and role-plays for her LEGO and dolls like you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes I think that the reason she doesn’t love writing that much is because her thoughts move too quickly for her hands to keep up. One thing I learned from Julie’s book was to trust myself and my child. Writing might not be her favorite thing but she is capable and it is my job to help her find confidence.
I will admit that when I downloaded the Dart program, I was a little intimidated. It was a lot! But then I sat down and read through it and realized that I needed to breathe a bit and remember that this homeschool journey is ours to do how we see fit. Once we sat down to use the curriculum, JustaBXgirl couldn’t get enough. We finished one week of the curriculum in one day. We took the rest of the week to work on copy work and review. By the time we got into the second week, I was much more comfortable in leading it and JustaBXgirl was interested in another session of writing and grammar with mama. Practicing pronouns has become a brain-break activity for us.
The Dart guidelines do a wonderful job of breaking down how to use the guide with your child. It includes how to do copy work and dictation, how to modify the Dart for different ages and abilities, sample weekly routines, and a planner and Dart Skills Tracker. Our Dart was The One and Only Bob. It introduced JustaBXgirl and me to a new series. I enjoyed how our literature guide helped me to introduce the style of the writing to JustaBXgirl as well as introducing her to similes.
- How do children learn using this curriculum? This is a hands-on curriculum. You will be reading aloud with your child and each Dart teaches copywork and dictation, punctuation, grammar, spelling, literary devices, and more.
- How can I track what my child is doing? You are part of your child’s learning with this. You will be able to track it as you go along.
- What input do I have in what my child is learning? You know your child. You will decide how quickly or how slowly to use the curriculum.
- What grades does this curriculum cover? Brave Writer covers ages 5 – 18 so they are there to support you through your entire homeschool journey. The Dart program which we reviewed is for ages 8-10.
- What does this curriculum cost? The Dart Program from Brave Writer costs $129. It is a ten month program. Each Dart is a digital PDF file that includes four weeks of instruction.
Don’t forget to check out what other Melanated Gold Review Squad members thought of Brave Writer.
