Growing up, we had a Monday tradition. Each Monday in elementary school, after my brother and I received our weekly homework packets, my mom would take us to Starbucks to knock out as much of the work as possible. But this wasn’t any old coffee shop visit; this was called “Homework Party,” and it invariably involved a petite vanilla bean scone for each of us (they came in packs of three) and conversations with the baristas who knew us by name. Sometimes our friends would even join the party to do their homework with us. 

My mom is a master in framing learning as fun—that’s what being a math teacher will get you. (Math teachers must master the art of teaching from an angle, springing learning on kids instead of coming at it head on, much like how you approach a wild animal from the side to avoid getting snapped at.) Hence, she encouraged us to see homework, the bane of childhood, as something communal, a tradition to look forward to. 

I look back fondly on these memories. Mothers possess a power often unsung. They hold their children’s hands as they first experience the unknown and slowly, slowly let them venture off into the wide world by themselves, serving as a refuge to retreat to when life goes sideways. 

If you’re fortunate enough to have a mom like this, take a moment to remind her of her influence on your life. Don’t underestimate the power of saying thank you. Write her a card and point out the specific ways she has shown up for you. 

So happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who do the steady work of showing up for their children week after week. Who relearn algebra to sit at the kitchen table with a child on the verge of a meltdown. Who comfort those little ones who scrape their knees and suffer unkind words and ask big questions. Your work matters. 

~Claire S.

Poetry begins with the utterance of a single word, but not just any word, a singular word.

Think bevelled. Toothsome. Quintessential and Zenith.

This month, we will explore a vast array of wonderful words and ways you might inspire your students to become word collectors.

With words, we build phrases—another inky night sky, that supercilious salamander, you marvelous prickly cactus.

With phrases we form sentences. Take this one, crafted by Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas about poetry (an Ars Poetica sentence, if you will):

“Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toenails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.”

Stay tuned this month as we share all things poetic.

~Kimberly

As we teach students to write, we aren’t just mentors; we’re writing architects. Instead of rulers we use the Writer’s Checklist, in place of a drafting table we pen rough drafts, and where architects create art out of concrete and wood and beams, we employ adjectives and verbs and semicolons.

Oh, and one more parallel: the stronger our foundation, the higher we can build. 

That’s why Spring into Writing is a launching point rather than a destination. Seeking to master the art of writing is akin to climbing a mountain and never quite catching a glimpse of its peak. All we can do is put one step in front of the other, taking the journey mile by mile— meanwhile widening and strengthening our foundation. 

The resources we’ve highlighted this month are exactly how you can grow that foundation of skill and ideas. From reading with a perspicacious eye, to writing like a painter with The Writing Mentor, to using the Writer’s Checklist and remediation help and abecedarians, we offer support for every level. We’re here to leap into this tumultuous, beautiful, soul-touching, mind-bending art of writing right beside you.

So to wrap up our March theme of springing into writing, I thought I’d pull in writing wisdom from some of my favorite authors:

• “I write to discover what I know.” — Flannery O’Connor

• “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” — Ernest Hemingway (debated)

• “Instead of telling us a thing was ‘terrible,’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, ‘Please will you do my job for me.’” – C. S. Lewis

• “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” – John Steinbeck

• “To be a successful writer, you need at least the following four things: persistence, revision, characters with distinct viewpoints, use of concrete detail.” – Brandon Sanderson

May this spring be the start of something great. Happy writing!

~Claire S.

We are down to the close of our Giveaway!

It’s NOT too late to submit.

Enlist your students to choose a favorite polished draft from this year’s work utilizing Blackbird & Company curriculum, submit the work to our journal of student writing: Reveal. Simple!

We invite writers, Kindergarten through 12th grade, who courageously write from the heart using our curriculum to submit! BUT March 31, 2026 is the deadline!

Each submission will earn your family a submission to our Giveaway!

And the prize? A Solo Stove S’Mores Bundle!

From the very first flicker of the tabletop fire bowl, you’ll be ready to roll into seasonal storytelling with this S’Mores kit from Solo Stove! This tabletop “Fire Bowl” + sticks, fuel, & bamboo tray is sure to add s’more fun to this year’s story making!

Winners will be announced on our social media April 1st!

winter SPRING, summer, fall

Welcome Spring!

John Muir reminds us: “Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”

Think about it. Every time a child picks up a pencil, this is a courageous act. And like John Muir, I believe that joyful enthusiasm is just around the corner for everyone who dares to compose an idea. As we empower children to value their ideas, to dig into the work of writing, to press into the process, joy will follow.

It’s simple…

Let’s SPRING into writing!