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This summer I’m doing a little learning of my own. I’m using Lisa Garrigues’s book Writing Motherhood: Tapping Into Your Creativity as a Mother and a Writer to get out of the writing slump I’ve been suffering from this past couple of months. (Check out the MotherTalk Blog Tour for Writing Motherhood for reviews.) Lisa’s ideas are so inspriring that I’ve decided to take some of her concepts about keeping a writing notebook (what she calls a "Mother’s Notebook") and do something similar here at A Readable Feast.

Do you have a child who loves to write? Or maybe you think they need to keep up their writing skills over the summer? Come join us on our summer writing journey!

Besides my usual postings about books, cooking, and activities, I’ll be giving you a weekly writing prompt from books like Once Upon a Time: Creative Writing Fun for Kids, Kids Write!: Fantasy & Sci Fi, Mystery, Autobiography, Adventure & More!, Letter Writer Starter Set (Reader’s Digest) and more. But first, let’s gather our writing tools and have some fun creating our writing notebook.

Note to parents: I’m calling this a notebook rather than a journal because it is to be shared activity between parent and child. Not only will the notebook help with writing skills, I hope it will help you learn more about your child and bring you closer together. However, if you have a son or daughter who prefers to keep their writing private, encourage them to keep a personal diary as well as having a public notebook.

Tools - Notebooks
I had great luck finding the perfect notebook at Office Depot’s school supply department. Their prices are reasonable, and Office Depot has a great selection of notebooks with bright colors and bold graphics that should appeal to kids.

When choosing the notebook take into consideration size, weight, backing, pages and binding. Can the notebook fit in your child’s backpack or purse without weighing it down? Is it sturdy enough to take a beating? Do they need wide-ruled or college-ruled paper? Consider buying a spiral bound notebook so they can fold back the cover to use as a sturdy writing surface.

Can’t find the right one? Then buy a plain notebook and have your child decorate it with stickers or glue on pictures that inspires them! Have them title their notebook (for example: "Ashley’s Summer 2007 Notebook") Don’t forget to write their name and contact information on the inside in case they lose it. (See Lessons from the Scrapbook Page "Moments Worth Saving" - at the bottom of the post - for some decorating inspiration.)

Tools - Pens and Pencils
Younger children may be more comfortable using pencils so they can erase. Along with the standard No. 2 pencils, buy some erasable colored ones and a couple of good erasers.

If your student is o.k. with ink pens (remember their writing doesn’t have to be perfect - crossing out is o.k.) get a variety of colors. I like gel pens and Office Depot had such an amazing variety that I spent 15 minutes trying to decide what to buy.

You may want to get a little pencil box or bag to keep their writing supplies in, too.

Getting Started
I’ll be posting our first reading prompt this Monday, so get the notebook ready this weekend if possible. Can’t wait to write? Then have your child start their notebook with a dedication page. They should dedicate the notebook to anyone who inspires them to write like a favorite author. Or they can dedicate it to someone who’s supportive of their writing (like YOU!), a grandparent, or a teacher.

See you next week for our first writing prompt!

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