Posted in Home Education

I am not a great sleeper.   I can lay in bed for hours before falling asleep!  Let me tell you, there is nothing as frustrating as NOT falling asleep.  Lately, I have started reading for a few minutes before falling to sleep.  I climb into bed, turn on my reading lamp and read a few pages to quiet my mind.  One flaw with this plan, however, is when you have a curious mind.  Reading a chapter of an interesting book, leads to another chapter, then another, and another.  Before you know it, it's midnight and you've got a busy homeschool/homemaking day ahead, with a lot less sleep than is usual!

My solution to this problem?

Have you seen these books from TOS?  They are short, usually around 10 pages.  This keeps me from reading too much and staying up too late.  The subjects offered in the WeE-book line are vast and varied!  I have downloaded several and found them all very interesting.  It's difficult to narrow-down which book or books to download!

Last night, I read "Writer's Workshop" by Maggie Hogan.  I've read articles by Maggie Hogan in the past and, as usual, this e-book does not disappoint!

In this WeE-book, Mrs. Hogan describes her experience running a writer's workshop for her children and several other families in her area over several years.  There is even a quote in the book from her college-age son declaring the importance of those writer's workshops in his educational career. 

After reading this book, I am anxious to find a few families to include in our writer's workshop.  Having only boys, writing has never been our strong-suit due to their lack of interest.  But now, the boys are getting to an age where they are expressing themselves with the written word a little more enthusiastically.  How much more appealling would writing become if they worked among other students of all ages to craft a story of their own that would be presented formally at the end of the semester?  Mrs. Hogan gives all the information you need to begin your own writer's workshop.  Although she equips you with plenty of ideas for writing activities and lessons to use with your group, she also gives advice on how to keep the group organized, on time, and encouraging to your young authors.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.   Now my problem is, how do I get to sleep when my mind is racing through the writer's workshop I want to lead in the Fall?  Oh, well maybe I'll just go read "Writer's Workshop" again!