Free Writing Journal For Elementary Students Available Online

Market Wire, 20050229

Throughout the school year, parents look for creative ways to sharpen their child's writing skills. To help elementary school students practice their writing, Sylvan Learning Center is offering a free online writing journal and scrapbook complete with decorative pages and suggested writing topics.

Each week Sylvan Learning Center will post a new journal page featuring a suggested writing topic on their Web site at www.educate.com/activities. Parents and children can go to the site, print out the new page and start writing. At the end of 13 weeks, children can create a scrapbook with the series of unique journal entries about them and their family, finishing it with one of three journal covers posted online to be decorated. With a personalized letter to the recipient, this scrapbook can be given as a holiday gift to the child's special family member or friend.

Sample journal topics include:

- What is your favorite book? Name your favorite character from that book and describe what you like about him or her. - Describe your favorite holiday and how your family celebrates it. - What do you want to be in the future and why? - Describe the best time that you spent with a family member. Why was this time special?

"Writing is one of the fundamental skills of education, and good writing affects all facets of our life," says Richard Bavaria, Ph.D., vice president of Education for Sylvan Learning Center. "Journal writing gives students the opportunity to write just for the joy of it. Sylvan's free online journal offers children an enjoyable way to practice their writing, reflect on their favorite memories, and create a special holiday gift or keepsake for a special person."

Sylvan Learning Center also has an online resource for parents and children with tips on writing, making learning math fun, and much more. For tips and information, visit www.educate.com/tips.

Learning feels good (TM) at Sylvan Learning Center, the leading provider of supplemental education services to students of all ages and skill levels. With more than 20 years of experience and over 900 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan Learning Center is the largest organization of its kind in the industry. Sylvan's trained and certified teachers provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. At Sylvan, students develop the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else. Sylvan Learning Center is a division of Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. For more information regarding the Sylvan Advantage (TM), call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.educate.com/info.