Katharine's Writer's Block

How often do we play? I remember from my fundamental education classes a theory that promotes learning through play. The gist of it is that the learner drives their own learning experience and ultimately gains rich benefits in personal skills as well as academic knowledge. Montessori schools/education utilize elements of this approach. Play-based learning is easy to imagine and facilitate in young grade levels. The education experience becomes more formalized for older or adv

Most new years usher in a blank slate for the cultural touchstones that will define it. Some definition comes into focus as the months progress but parts of the world are getting a head start by naming 2026 a National Year of Reading as of January 13th, 2026.  This endeavor is based in the United Kingdom but could be something worthwhile to embrace across the pond, if not around the world. As per The Guardian , the UK-government endeavor has been launched to address a “worryi

Many of us may have grown up with doses of edutainment, or media that blends amusement and learning. It has adopted various formats that have overlapped throughout the years, but for the most part, current generations find it through social media, digital media, and apps while millennials got a lot of it through video games and computer games. Yet, it was the Gen Xers’ television programming that gave the trend most of its initial steam. They had some cool shows! In fact, sev

In the United States, late May through August is embraced as the prime time for leisure tourism, or summer vacation in simpler terms. Throughout this timeframe, most schools complete regular instruction, summer officially starts, and many worthwhile holidays take place. So families often undertake some kind of getaway from their daily grind for a little bit of fun, celebration, and refreshment.  Depending on plans and preferences, summer vacation also takes and blends a handf

It seems like every day can be a holiday and every month is one for some kind of recognition, remembrance, or awareness. Many are established by various organizations or special interests, so keeping up can be hard if you’re not affiliated or in-the-know in some way.  Similar organizations and interests of literary culture have managed to get their values recognized with their own various holidays and months. This Lessons & Advice post gives a rundown on several special times

Millennials, like me, grew up with some unique cultural experiences. While we indulged in the earliest, if not the best, years of cartoons, video games, internet, and music, we also read books to earn our own pizzas. Millennials, like me, remember this as the Pizza Hut Book It Program (or just the Book It Program). The premise of the Book It Program was simple (and free): reading goals are set between October and March for students between preschool and sixth grade. Goals can

A cooking hobbyist may read cookbooks to learn new recipes or techniques. In the same way, a writer is suggested to read to improve their craft. The reasoning behind it includes: Reading makes a habit out of creative consciousness. If you’ve ever done a close-reading exercise/study , engaging that consciousness is what it intends to do. Reading exposes you to different writing styles and new ideas. Reading makes writing lessons out of entertainment. Reading improves vocabular