Shortly after I began blogging, my oldest daughter expressed a desire to have a blog of her own. She was intrigued by the process and excited by the thought of having her words out there for the world to read. As a homeschooling mom, I quickly saw the educational benefit this could have.

Her first few posts were simple tidbits of her daily life. However, once she really got into it, she quickly developed her own voice. The benefits of her blogging have been substantial.

• Her writing abilities have improved. She’s learned how to form proper sentences and hold the attention of her audience.
• Her creativity has flourished. She writes serial stories, riddles, poems, and has even created newsletters on her blog.
• Her typing skills have exceeded my expectations. She has yet to have any formal lessons in typing, but just through trial and error, she has learned letter positions and proper hand placement on the keyboard.
• She has learned to pay closer attention to all things in her life. She sees the benefit in expounding on everyday occurrences as the lead-in for a good blog post.

Beyond posts of her choosing, she also has weekly blog assignments as part of her schooling. Each week she does a post about things she learned that week. Sometimes, instead of having her write an assignment in a notebook, I’ll have her write it on her blog. As a result, she researches more thoroughly and writes with more detail.

Now I should mention that we keep a very close eye on her blogging activities. While she retains control over what she chooses to write, her father and I have the final editorial say. We also moderate all comments through our own personal email accounts.

Kate is a happy wife and stay-at-home, homeschooling mother of four children, ages 9, 4, 3, and 1 1/2. When not cooking from scratch, preparing lesson plans, wiping noses, folding an unending heap of laundry, or changing diapers, Kate spends her time writing and blogging. She maintains two personal blogs, A Simple Walk and Cooking During Stolen Moments, as well as co-founding Happy To Be At Home.

Photo by lusi.