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Hello friends! In the middle of this pandemic summer, it’s been a surprising gift to have Hamilton lyrics running through our heads. (You too?)  Almost as a straight up contradiction to the nightly news, the Schuyler sisters sing: “Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!”  So, inspired by Hamilton,… Continue reading Hamilton Inspired: 3 New Resources

Hello friends! How are you enjoying the 5th month “summer”? In our house, we’ve found more of a rhythm now. Masks are the norm when we go outside, and we still spend most of our time with each other.  But “more” time together doesn’t always mean quality time. It is so easy to be with each other,… Continue reading The 9 most important minutes of your child’s day

I (Carrie) now have a Little Free Library in my front yard. I’ve wanted one for at least a decade, and this was the year my dream came true. (Emily will probably follow suit very soon! She would LOVE it.)      My kids grew up surrounded by books. (I have them in every room of… Continue reading Allow reading to build your writer

Using our imagination for better things than WORRY A little story from Carrie:  From the day my youngest daughter Anna was born, I have been worrying about the day when all of her older sisters would be away at college and she would become an “only child.”  Well last week this dreaded day arrived, but… Continue reading Using our imagination for better things than WORRY

Some things (like growing writers) take time Once I (Carrie) visited Red Butte Garden (this amazing garden in Salt Lake City) during the off season. Instead of vibrant, creative displays of flowers and foliage, there were mounds of dirt and sweaty gardeners with shovels and seeds.  What? This beautiful garden doesn’t just appear like magic?… Continue reading How to Keep Your Child Writing: A Secret from Teachers

There is little we can do to control the climate of the world right now, but still lots we can do to influence the climate of our homes Here are 3 simple suggestions for using writing to put a spotlight on the positive in these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving! 1. GRAFFITI A PUMPKIN (THANKSGIVING… Continue reading See the Good

We’ve spent the past couple of weeks encouraging writing friends to buy our Writing Station in the name of keeping young writers organized. And YES this is a good idea–a place for everything and everything in its place. Instead of searching for a pencil, the stapler, or wondering where the notebook went, give it all… Continue reading The Messy Business of Writing

A very common mistake we see teachers and parents make is feeling responsible for figuring out what children are going to write about. From our 10+ years of experience, trust us when we say what children mostly need for writing is a blank piece of paper and permission. That really is the secret. In fact,… Continue reading Writing Prompts that Work

We both grew up with dads who were crazy about sports. They taught us not to “call a game too early.” The record books are full of last second shots, 9th inning homeruns, and unexpected over-times.   Sometimes when it comes to writing, we make the mistake of “calling it too early.” We don’t see… Continue reading Dad’s lesson: never call it too early

This year, we have listened to so many beautiful stories from our Box writers. There have been stories of dragons and hedgehogs and babysitting adventures. We’ve heard the mystery of the wicked witch and the continuing saga of Petunia. While these stories have been well worth celebrating, we believe the most important story of the… Continue reading The Way We Tell Our 2020 Story