Can writing be FUN? If you asked my son that question before we tried out Here to Help Learning, he would’ve said “no way”. Writing was cruel and unusual punishment in his opinion. It was, by far, his least favorite subject.
But that was before we learned about Beth Mora’s super fun video writing classes. After taking Mrs. Mora’s Flight 1 Essay Writing class, my son had to admit that writing actually can be kinda fun.
Here to Help Learning
Here to Help Learning is a Christian based online writing program for students in grades 1-6. Beth Mora, a 20 year homeschool veteran, teaches the videos with much humor and enthusiasm. She has a special zeal for writing that is absolutely contagious and will keep your children engaged. With on-location videos and a great many character portrayals and costumes, your children will not be bored!
Besides the videos, provided for each lesson are colorful student worksheets that are kept in a 3-ring binder. A teacher’s guide is also provided along with other essential resources like the Language Helps Booklet, a handy reference guide to writing.
There are six courses in Here to Help Learning’s online video writing series. There are three different paragraph writing courses and three different essay writing courses. These courses are called “flights”. We took Mrs. Mora’s Flight 1 course for essay writing.
In each course, Mrs. Mora goes through the writing process with the student. As seen in the photo below, the steps in the writing process are as follows:
- Brainstorm
- Make a List
- Webbing
- 1st Rough Draft
- 1st Input
- 2nd Rough Draft
- 2nd Input
- Final Recopy
- Publish
Because Mrs. Mora reviews these steps frequently, my daughter, who is only five, picked up the steps and can recite them! Breaking up the writing process into these easy steps, helps tremendously. Writing becomes so much easier and more achievable when you can see where you are in the writing process.
Mrs. Mora suggests using her writing program two days a week. On the first day, the student watches the video lesson and on the second day the student completes that week’s writing assignment. It usually didn’t take that long, but we allowed an hour each day to watch the video and complete the writing assignment.
The videos are divided into separate sections. You may need to pause the film to do an activity or writing warm-up. The videos will tell you if you need to pause the video.
Thoughts and Usage
Before we started the video sessions, I prepared a binder for my son to keep all of his writing worksheets, prompts, assignments, and completed projects in. Everything I needed was easy to find and well organized.
For day one of the program, I streamed the videos to the TV screen in the living room. The video sessions where Mrs. Mora is talking to students in her class were fun because they gave my son a kind of classroom experience. We paused the video to complete certain activities and writing warm-ups. I really liked that the writing warm-up within day one was a timed activity so that it didn’t become overwhelming or go for too long.
For day two of the program, my son completed the writing assignment with my help. I helped him with spelling, grammar, sentence structure and things like that. As the teacher or parent, you will definitely need to be there to help your child through the writing assignments. As the website states, your mentorship plays a large part in this program.
I really liked that the videos were wholesome and Christian. Mrs. Mora reminds the students that they should glorify God through their writing. Throughout the program, the students memorize Colossians 3:17 which states, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” She also encourages students to pray and ask God for help before or during their writing assignment.
The videos are high quality and professional. They’re fun, colorful, creative and very enjoyable.
My Son’s Thoughts
My son loves Mrs. Mora. I was worried the videos and antics would be a bit over the top but I was totally wrong. The videos spoke to him and made writing something fun and exciting. He was actually laughing out loud during many of the videos. Mrs. Mora definitely knows her audience!
When I asked my son if he liked this program enough to recommend it to someone, his face lit up. He smiled and said, “Yes, most definitely!” So there you go! You can’t get a better recommendation than that! If you’re looking for a writing program that will get your kids excited about writing, this is definitely the program you’re looking for!
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