Blisstree » Journal Writing for Children

Understanding the Holocaust

Heather Goldsmith — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:01:58 +0000

The Holocaust is a topic of personal interest to me. My father-in-law, who I never met, was a German Jew & managed to escape his part in the terror by getting out of the country just in time. Of course there is much more of a story there. Perhaps one day I will know enough to share more with you. But I was most impressed with a recent news story where school students were encouraged to understand the Holocaust in a far more personal way.

The news story reports how the students will be assigned identities of real children living in Germany in the 1930s. Based on research they will journal about their lives. Later the students will learn what happened to their child. What a fantastic way to personalise their learning experience. I love the way journal writing has the ability for writers to slip into the shoes of other people’s lives. This could be used in nearly any learning experience to great effect.

Be sure to read the entire story. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Newscom

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Understanding the Holocaust

Nature Journals for Kids

Heather Goldsmith — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:40:48 +0000

Today I read an article encouraging parents & teachers to help kids keep a nature journal. There are some excellent ideas in the article, with drawing and observation the most important. I liked the idea of keeping a photographic record of their observations. Kids are keen to use technology. You may as well go with that and still get them learning about their environment while they’re taking down relevant details. Check out my entry on Keeping a Nature Journal for more ideas, but please share any in the comments section if you like.

Heather

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Nature Journals for Kids

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Heather Goldsmith — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:29:41 +0000

I was pleased to read how author Jeff Kinney used life experience, and his own journal writing, as inspiration for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Kinney began with just Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is set to release February 1 this year. It looks like the author has got a hit on his hands. I sure hope the series encourages more journal writing in kids.

Heather

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Meg Cabot Encourages Teens to Write Journals

Heather Goldsmith — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:10:18 +0000

I am really excited to read about Meg Cabot’s initiative with YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), encouraging teens to keep journals. Meg Cabot, the author of The Princess Diaries series, among other books, has helped create a programme which includes making journals, bookmarks with tips on how to journal, and how to address privacy issues. It’s very encouraging to read that Cabot was an avid journal writer as a teen, too.

Heather

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Meg Cabot Encourages Teens to Write Journals

Halloween Journal Writing Prompt

Heather Goldsmith — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:35:18 +0000

While the entire Halloween thing isn’t really my thing, I’m sure it is for loads of people all over the world. So, just for you I’ve located some journal writing prompts to use, especially if you’re staying in tonight and expect to get in some quality journal writing time.

Halloween Story Starters from Scholastic
Halloween Ideas & Activities from Teacher’s Corner
More Halloween Worksheets from ABC Teach

Although these are mostly aimed at children, I think they are useful for adults, too. You could also write an entry on what Halloween means to you in a personal sense, or list ten things you love/hate about Halloween, relive a Halloween memory and give it a different ending. If you have any good Halloween journal writing prompts to add, please use the comments section.

Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Life Journal Software

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Halloween Journal Writing Prompt

Animal Diaries

Heather Goldsmith — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:47:34 +0000

Last night while glancing at TV I saw advertising for a programme titled Elephant Diaries. This sparked my interest not only because of the key word diaries, but I really like elephants. I got online to research a bit more about these diaries and I came across Australia Zoo’s animal diaries. There are elephants and heaps of other wildlife to read about. The diaries are not always updated daily, but fairly regularly. There are even archives to browse through, which would be great for kids researching projects.

Keeping your own animal or pet diary can be a great idea, particularly if you need to keep track of particular details. Breeders often keep simple notebooks that could be classified as diaries. They are for recording important facts & observing behaviour. A pet diary might make a great project for home schooled children. It’s one way to get them writing about something they love. The practice may spill over into other areas of their lives & encourage them to keep a personal journal of their own.

Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Life Journal Software

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Animal Diaries

Journal Writing Booklets, etc…

Heather Goldsmith — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:33:13 +0000

While browsing several websites today I came across this little gem. There’s a list of several small booklets you can print out on your computer and create. There are also loads of worksheet style pages to print out, too. While the prompts are on a teaching website, they are geared towards children. But, I see no reason why you can’t use them yourself if you’re seeking a unique view on your life or simply a way to keep things simple when writing in your journal.

Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Life Journal Software

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Journal Writing Booklets, etc…

Keeping a Reading Log for Kids

Heather Goldsmith — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:37:50 +0000

Tonight I just don’t feel so good. Just one of those yucky coughs draining all my energy. So, I’m being a little lazy with this entry. A long time ago I used to write for another website. This article on keeping a reading log for kids is one of the many articles I wrote. I hope you enjoy reading & find some useful ideas to use with your own kids. Please leave any comments in the section below on this blog, though.

Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Life Journal Software

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Keeping a Reading Log for Kids

Youth Writing Competition

Heather Goldsmith — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:25:19 +0000

As you all know I enjoy reading the articles on Intrinsic.com, and even contribute articles to their online newsletter. So, I just had to share another really cool contest they’re holding for subscribers to their newsletter. Ok, you do need to be aged between 15 & 20 to enter this particular contest, but don’t let that stop you subscribing to their excellent newsletter if you don’t fit the bill.

There are prizes for a total of three winners. If you’re one of the winners you get your hands on an Apple iPod Shuffle. You can enter as many times as you like in any of the three categories.

Even if you can’t enter because you’re no longer considered a youth, please take some time to use the competition prompts as journal writing prompts. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did. Information on how to enter is only available to subscribers.

Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.

Life Journal Software

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Be a Better Writer