When: These are private sessions (group or individual), so dates and times are TBD based on our collective scheduling needs.
Investment: $65 per one-hour session per child; group sessions are two hours long and are priced at $100 per session per child.
Location: TBD based on participants
"Only dare use your words for three purposes: to heal, bless, or prosper."
~ Florence SCOVEL ShiNN ~
The Writing as Ritual class series for children is centered on valuing creative expression as a vital life process - no less important than breathing or sleeping. Further, this class focuses on the act of writing as a central component of creating the life we each desire to live.
Writing in a journal is a natural catalyst for birthing our many human gifts from the ethers into reality. The best aspect is that it's doable anywhere, any time, and it's always productive. It doesn't matter how "good" you are or how much you write. What matters is how engaged you are in the act itself, and the intention behind your words.
It's a process. It's a practice. It's a ritual.
Writing facilitates the slowing down of the mind when it's done by hand, and it provides a refuge for immediate release when done quickly on a notetaking app. Once writing becomes a pleasurable routine, it can be incorporated into any and every single life path a child chooses to follow. A simple journal entry can be transformed into a poem, a meme, a short story, an article, a book, a script, a resolution, or a gift. It will make their chosen career or vocation infinitely more doable, and their overall life much more intentional and of their own creation. The possibilities are abundant.
At an even deeper level, writing as ritual can also lead to a better understanding of one's Self. Putting thoughts down on paper creates a personal map of sorts; a timeline of one's growth and unfolding. A ritualistic writing practice can lead to breakthroughs, revelations, and life changing plans - and creative, honest communication is fodder for healthier relationships, too.
I believe it is important to centralize embodied creation as a fundamental life value, one that improves our health through its prioritization of joy, beauty and connection. Writing is a beautiful and doable place to start befriending one’s inner creator - and developing the skill itself serves many purposes. Beginning this practice in childhood will facilitate a secure connection between a child and their inner, intuitive, visionary voice, allowing them to have more say in the world they are a part of while also being true to themselves.
An integrated love of writing IS BENEFICIAL to all life paths a child chooses to follow.
Writing as Ritual is here to show children the blueprint of how to take ownership of their inner and outer narratives. By understanding the power of their words, how to root their words in love and authenticity, how to make their handwriting beautiful, how to share their message(s) and how to appreciate the creations of others, students will feel confident in their ability to thrive as clear and effective communicators in their community.
ETHOS
We are here to create and enjoy the creations of others.
Nature is Earth's creation and we too are nature.
All of nature creates continuously.
Yes, us too.
When creating harmoniously, we create beauty and prosperity.
Your creative expression shapes your world.
Prerequisites
All ages
Ability to read
(“Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” is the book I recommend to meet this goal quickly and efficiently - my daughter learned in 40 lessons)
Basic understanding of how to write and guess on spelling
Willingness to participate
Willingness to work in a self-directed manner
Willingness to listen to others respectfully
CONTENT INCLUDES
Intentional honoring of each letter in the English alphabet
Integrated lessons on handwriting letters in print and cursive
Spelling and definitions of unique and inspiring words
Exploration of synonyms and antonyms to enhance the richness of our writing
Experiencing and understanding the seasons and their shifts, as well as moon cycles, and using this knowledge to inform our creative inklings
Understanding nature and human life through a metaphorical lens
Mixed media artistry (collage, textured paper and a variety of writing instruments to use)
Public speaking via reading aloud what has been written for class
History of words and language
Exposure to various writing formats and styles in addition to the work of well-regarded writers
Developing a relationship with the breath via meditation
Embodiment as a prerequisite for conscious creation
Creating space for slowness and ritual
Creating a mood board prior to beginning a project
The power of the word, both written and spoken, when it comes to co-creating our shared reality
Respect for others and their artistic style
intended series structure
sessions 1 & 2: Journaling - ABCD/EFG
Documentarian | Dreams
sessions 3 & 4: Manifestation - HIJK/LMNO
"Your Word is Your Wand" | Memes as Truth Bombs (matching words with imagery)
sessions 5 & 6: Storytelling - PQR/STU
Letters as Literature | Hero's Journey
sessions 7 & 8: Poetry - VWX/YZ
Potency of Poetry | Songs are Poems
also included
Take-home prompts for the days in between sessions. The children are welcome to share their responses with me for critique and/or for witnessing.
one-hour individual session FLOW
5 minutes: Setting up our writing space with reverence
5 minutes: Connection and intention setting
15 minutes: Today's featured letters, words, and writing lesson
5 minutes: Breathing/embodiment meditation
20 minutes: Writing and 1:1 feedback with me
5 minutes: Closing shares and expressions of gratitude
5 minutes: Clean up and pack up
* Parents are invited to participate but critiquing is only available for the children due to time constraints.
two-hour group session FLOW
5 minutes: Circling up and setting up our writing spaces with reverence
15 minutes: Opening shares and intention setting
20 minutes: Today's featured letters, words, and writing lesson
5 minutes: Breathing/embodiment meditation
55 minutes: Writing and 1:1 feedback with me
15 minutes: Closing shares and expressions of gratitude
5 minutes: Clean up and pack up
* Parents are invited to participate but critiquing is only available for the children due to time constraints.
MATERIALS
Bring your own: journal (larger is better), set of pens and pencils of child’s choosing, glue stick, scissors
Provided: decorative media, dictionaries and thesauruses, examples of inspiring written works
Scribble poem translated into symbols that can be read by adults. Even three-year-olds have the power to write creatively and honestly.
TO REGISTER
Please complete the following form to register your child for either the complete series or your own preferred number of custom sessions. Payment instructions will be sent upon receiving your submission.
about kaitlin coghill
I'm Kaitlin - a homeschooling mother and a divinely inspired writer, editor, storyteller and keeper of birth and mothercare wisdom. I worked locally as a birth and postpartum doula from 2013-2023, but transitioned back into writing and teaching over the past year so that I could spend more time tending to my own home/family, building a reliable community for mothers and focusing on my children's education.
In addition to teaching Writing as Ritual, I co-facilitate monthly Sister Circles for women and girls of all ages; lead a local co-op; serve as a Writing Specialist at Rock Tree Sky; and engage in freelance writing/editorial support for various clients and businesses around the world.
MY WRITING JOURNEY
I have been writing and editing intentionally since I received my first journal in kindergarten, with my first editorial position being held at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai - where I served as the Editor in Chief of my high school yearbook. We won first place at the Ventura County Fair for that yearbook, and the school created an award for me that year as a result of the incredible amount of hard work that went into the publication. My parents were so proud, and I was so satisfied. My love for the art of student writing/publishing was noticeable, and the acknowledgment of my efforts fueled my desire to continue pursuing editorial goals into the future.
I attended the University of San Diego from 2007-2011, where I majored in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Images and Influence. I worked on the student-run newspaper staff for all four of those years, beginning as a writer/copy editor and working my way up to regular columnist and Arts + Culture section editor, then Associate Editor and, finally, Editor in Chief.
Those four years were powerful in my development as a writer. I learned how to write about my own life as well as how to write for the news media; how to interview famous musicians and directors; and how to provide feedback on and edit the writing of others. My husband and I worked together on that newspaper staff and have been inseparable ever since.
Post-graduation, I continued writing and editing for various websites, magazines and online publications. I worked as an Editorial Assistant for SAGE Publications before course-correcting to birth and postpartum work after the birth of my first daughter in 2012. I continued writing both for my business and those of others for the next decade while also designing websites, attending births and caring for mothers and newborns regularly in their homes. For a three-year period in between my full-time editorial and full-time doula careers, I worked as substitute teacher and teacher’s aide at Our Lady of the Assumption K-8 school in Ventura, and almost pursued a teaching degree. I opted for birthwork, freelancing and homeschooling instead.
After freebirthing my third daughter in 2020, I knew that I couldn’t return to an on-call lifestyle, and my postpartum recovery required that I course-correct once again in the interest of finding less physically demanding work. I took on the role of Editor in Chief of a brand new plant medicine-focused magazine while also co-creating a women’s publishing house. It didn’t take long to realize that the highly stressful world of publishing and constant content creation wasn’t where I belonged anymore. After reevaluating where exactly I want my energy to flow, the answer was obvious. I want my energy to flow to my children and to nurturing their creative Selves, as well as my own.
A few divinely-timed interventions brought me here, to this place of creating an offering for all children that will help them develop their writing skills while also allowing space for creativity, self discovery and community-building. Our children deserve beauty, and they deserve to know their own power when it comes to creating, nurturing and flourishing. Writing provides all of this and more, and that’s why I do what I do - for the children and their flourishing.
As if this weren’t a long enough read, you can learn more about my qualifications here and you can view my writing and design portfolio here and subscribe to my Substack here. Thank you so much for taking the time to explore this offering.
With gratitude,
Kaitlin
