Write Your Own Homeschool Newspaper

This is a great way to introduce children to creative writing, grammar, research, and journalism. Knowing their publication will be shared with others, it also gives children a new incentive to do their best work. Even the youngest children can get into the act!

I worried that I wasn't covering writing skills adequately with my children (all 12 years and under). I worried that I didn't seem to have enough time to keep in touch with friends and family. I worried that I wouldn't have enough quality projects to include in my children's portfolios. I worried about how I would track journalism credits for my kids as they grew older.

Well, I'm not worrying any more! Once a month we are producing our own newspaper, the "Martinez Homeschool Herald".

Here's how we are doing it.

1. We chose a name for our newspaper. We dedcided to call ours the "Martinez Homeschool Herald". It sounds a bit pretentious, but it looks good on the masthead (the area on the front page of the newspaper where the newspaper name is written in large, bold letters).

2. We decided what would be in our newspaper. Examples of this would be: feature articles, sports news or commentaries, interviews, editorials, book or movie reviews, poetry, comic strip, birth announcements (family birthdays or famous people born on this day in history), other family announcements such as weddings or baptizisms, puzzles, surveys, recipes,...well, you get the picture. Basically anything that you would find in a "regular" newspaper including advertisements and classifieds.

We also decided how often we were going to publish our newspaper. For us this was monthly. Others may wish to produce a one page weekly paper, a bi-monthly edition, a bi-yearly edition, or a yearly newsletter sent out during the holidays. You should decide based on your children's ages, interest, and time...theirs and yours.

3. As the editor-in-chief, I then set some specific writing assignments. I also allow the kids to choose other things that they would like to contribute on their own. There is a whole month between our editions so that leaves plenty of time for drafting and editing.

4. If you are reading this, you more than likely have ready access to a computer. This is where we type the final version for "publication." However, you could also use a typewriter or let the children use their neatest handwriting for a really personal touch.

5. If you have a scanner or access to clipart, you can add graphics and even pictures of events that go along with feature articles to your newspaper.

6. To maintain the look of a regular newspaper, I suggest you use a columns format, but it isn't necessary. Also, some word processing programs have built-in templates for newsletters that are basically just small versions of newspapers and work perfectly for this project.

7. After you have gathered all your items for the newspaper and have them typed in. Print out a copy and let the kids play editor. Have them think about the following issues: grammar, does the article make sense, spelling, font type and style, how big or how small should the headlines be, is an article too long or too short, is the newspaper itself too long or too short, it there too much or not enough artwork. You'll be amazed at how invested the kids get with this project.

8. After the kids finalize their changes, make the changes and print out a copy. Take it to have enough copies made to send to friends and family and to put in their portfolios, baby books, scrapbooks, etc.

You can print each newspaper on a different color of paper, or have one that is specific to your geographic area or hobby. Even Walmart carries specialty papers that will fit in computer printers, though that idea is probably best if only printing off a very few copies of the newspaper.

A side benefit to this will be that friends and family will get a chance to see how productive and creative the homeschooling environment can be. You also might just introduce your child to a career opportunity they will pursue into adulthood.

Bottom line is...this should be a fun and educational project. It doesn't have to be expensive. And each issue can become a keepsake that you'll always treasure.

Here is another website with tips for producing your own family paper:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2173982_family-newspaper.html

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