Sparkling Bits of Writing: A Creative Writing Review
DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.
While writing is something I have always enjoyed, my 10 year old son doesn't exactly feel the same way. Like many kids, it's fun when the subject is something exciting or new, but once it's a school assignment, motivation can start to wane. As an adult who has sat through hours of school and writing assignments, I know how fun and satisfying writing can be, but sometimes that is hard for kids to grasp, especially a very active boy. Today's review, Sparkling Bits of Writing Book 1 by Creative Word Studio is designed to address that reality.
What We Received:
We received one spiral-bound book, Sparkling Bits of Writing Book 1 by Creative Word Studio. This is book 1 out of 2 in the series.
How It Works:
This workbook has 75 lessons with plenty of writing space. There could be some intent to build on previous lessons, but it isn’t necessary. In light of subject matter, I’m pretty sure the intent is really just to inspire motivation to write better and more so if one prompt resonates better than another, I assume that isn’t a problem. This book could easily transfer to a classroom setting and allow a teacher to expound on the elements presented in each lesson, but it’s also a wonderful extra for a student to explore on their own. The lessons are divided up into three different categories: Mini Writing Exercise, Free Writing, and Reading Response. These three types of exercises are repeated throughout the book, but with a wide variety of topics and tasks.
Mini Writing Exercises
As the title suggests, these exercises work on writing skills such as building vocabulary and enhancing descriptions. General mechanics of better writing are touched on and encouraged throughout these exercises.
Free Writing Exercises
Probably my favorite - and most therapeutic - type of writing, Free Writing exercises give you the freedom to explore ideas, feelings and topics with no restraints or expectations. Some examples of writing prompts included are ‘In eight minuets list many places you could go’, ‘Make a list of twenty things you don’t understand’, or ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if we could…’
Reading Response Exercises
In every Reading Response exercise there is some piece or portion of literature for the student to read and then some follow-up questions for them to respond to. Whether poem or literature excerpt, the author or origin is always documented at the bottom. The questions are often a combination of information gathering and the readers personal opinions or responses to what they just read.
What We Thought:
As I mentioned, my son can drag his feet when it comes to writing so of course this was no different. However, even in spite of his desperate desire to just get it over with and his ‘say as little as possible’ responses, his writing proved that he was thinking in ways he hadn’t before. He was using more colorful words and including fun concepts. When asked what he liked about this book, he said he enjoyed the reading excerpts not having all the information present, requiring him to make up things. He also really enjoyed the shorter questions and prompts, but that is very much his desire to conquer things FAST! Still, having a variety of questions worked on his skills and kept his attention at the same time.
If I, as a female student who enjoys words and writing, had been given a book like this at his age, I would have LOVED it. Nothing gets old because there is always a new or different task. From an educational perspective, Sparkling Bits of Writing is a fun way to develop skills while also exploring your world of thoughts. Since we only have access to book 1, I’m excited to see what book 2 has to offer! If you are interested in the second book’s contents, click on the link below to see reviews of it as well!
