Disclaimer: Complimentary product received. All honest opinions expressed are my own.
Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to try out Brave Writer’s Jot It Down! product. Brave Writer is not a company that is new to my children and me. We are completely drawn in to the Brave Writer Lifestyle! This school year, we are actually using their Dart as our Language Arts program for the first time, and it’s been quite a pleasure for all of us! So, I anticipated giving Jot It Down! a try when the opportunity arose!
Overview
Brave Writer offers a variety of programs (both self-study and online with an instructor) that grow children in their confidence to create original writing and learn writing mechanics. It also prepares parents to become supportive, well-equipped coaches alongside their children during this process.
“Brave Writer is designed to enhance the parent-child relationship through the teaching of writing. It is my contention that writers are grown best when students feel supported and free. Parents feel best when they have strategies they can trust to advance their twin goals: peace and progress in the writing process.”
Julie bogart, brave writer creator
Brave Writer organizes its programs based on The Natural Stages of Growth and Writing. Although they base these stages on children’s ages, it is common for a child to be in a stage not aligned with their age or grade. You can find out more and identify which stage your child is in by reading here. It’s worth noting that before beginning any Brave Writer program, it is essential to determine what stage your child is in based on their current skill set.
About Jot It Down!
“The joy of writing without requiring your child to lift a pencil!”
Brave Writer
The Jot It Down! program is one of their writing programs geared towards children in the Beginner Writers Stage (also called The Jot It Down! Stage) of Growth and Writing. It offers 10 writing projects (one per month) geared towards children before they know how to read and write (typically ages 5-8). This is accomplished by having the child narrate their original thoughts while the parent transcribes them, jotting down every juicy detail in their young writer’s minds.
The program is designed to last for an entire school year and is offered as part of the 3-part Beginner Writers Bundle and as a standalone program. Along with a variety of fun writing projects and suggested activities, Jot It Down! provides parents with step-by-step instructions planning sheets, and skills trackers for ease of use.
Your Investment: The Cost
Jot It Down! is available as a digital PDF purchase. At the time of this review, the cost of this product was $49.95.
Special Offer! Use code GOLD10 for 10% of your order!
EXPIRES ON NOVEMBER 28, 2021, MIDNIGHT ET
Additionally, with a $198 purchase or any Brave Writer bundle or online class with an instructor, parents will receive free access to the Brave Writer online community called Brave Learner Home. This online community includes monthly webinars, masterclasses, homeschool coaching from seasoned homeschool parents, and more! Read more about Brave Learner Home here.
For Your Homeschool
This program works well for students and families in all educational settings. As a homeschool family, you may want to use Brave Writer Jot It Down! solely for Language Arts with your youngest writers. It wouldn’t be necessary to pair it up with anything else for kids ages 5-8 (or older kids in the Beginner Writers Stage) unless they have grown in reading and writing skills. In this case, you might want to pair it up with Brave Writer’s other products that focus on Mechanics and Literature (Dart, ages 8-10) and Original Thought (The Writer’s Jungle, ages 8 and up).
Important to note is that you also do not have to do each writing project in the order of presentation in the guide. It’s totally up to your family! You can start with whichever project appeals to your kids the most. You also have the freedom to spread out the duration of each project as it fits your family’s routines and interests.
My Impressions
Jot It Down! is an easy-to-use, open-and-go program, holding the hands of parents each step of the way so that we can coach and guide our children well through it.
My children and I chose to dive right into the Fairy Tales Writing Project immediately! This project appeals to my 4, 5, and 8-year-olds the most. (Note: I did not plan to include my 4-year-old, but because she naturally gravitated to the activities, I invited her to participate as little or as much as she desired.) during my review period, we completed two fairy tale projects (Rapunzel and Hanzel and Gretel), spending about 1-½ to 2 weeks (with lots of breaks in between) on each fairy tale.
For each fairytale, we read one or more versions and watched a related movie (Disney’s Tangled), and then the children retold the story visually and orally. My children created a Rapunzel drawing with markers, construction paper, and yarn for her hair. For the Hanzel and Gretel project, we built a yummy gingerbread house. (Actually, it was an Oreo cookie house!) Because I have three children interested in participating, I worked individually on the oral story retellings. Each child took pride and enjoyment in narrating each fairytale based on the visual representations they created. I had a fun time quickly jotting it down on paper. I was pleasantly surprised at the budding voices of each of my young writers. The amount of narration they provided (including the youngest ones) blew my mind! (Perhaps next time, I will type it down for the sake of my hands!)
4-year-old’s visual retelling of Rapunzel 
4-year-old’s oral retelling of Rapunzel 
5-year-old’s visual & oral retelling of Rapunzel 
8-year-old’s visual & oral retelling of Rapunzel 
8-year-old’s oral retelling of Rapunzel
My children loved this program and had a lot of fun doing the activities! Although my 8-year-old is an advanced writer and reader, he appreciated being able to give his hands a break to focus completely on narrating his thoughts while I transcribed. My 5-year-old felt similarly as she did not have to worry about her spelling or letter formation. As for my 4-year-old, she delighted in seeing her thoughts written down, which made her very proud.
Since my children really enjoyed it and I quickly recognized their writing strengths, I plan to continue the Fairy Tale Writing Project throughout the months until we have completed each child’s 9-10 page booklet. Subsequently, we will complete some of the other Jot It Down! projects. (I will continue to leave the door open for my 4-year-old to join in on the fun!)
The Final Word
I highly recommend using Jot It Down! for your youngest writers. (We really enjoy using the Dart too!) I also suggest using it in conjunction with the other products in The Beginner Writer’s Bundle. Initially, you may feel that “something is missing” while using Brave Writer, but this is because it is not like your typical Language Arts or Writing program. This Charlotte Mason-esque program will grow your children (you also!) in ways that traditional or rigid could never do. And the effects will be long-lasting!
You can learn more about Brave Writer and its creator Julie Bogart by visiting them on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. If you’re interested in reading more about The Brave Learner lifestyle, I highly recommend reading Julie’s book of the same name. It’s an excellent read for parents of all homeschooling experiences.
Check out what my fellow Melanated Gold Review Squad Members thought about Brave Writer.
