I’ve written before about my participation in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I am partnering with NextGen Education using NaNoWriMo to teach/coach students during Camp Nano this April. In my previous post, I wrote about the writing I planned on doing. This time, it’s different. I will be helping the next generation write.

NextGen Education

NextGen Education develops innovative online/offline/blended/project-based educational programs with a focus on 21st century skills, real world connection and whole child education. I am now a fellow for science education with this organization. When I spoke with the founder, Dr. Jiang Pu, we connected over our views of science education, and our love of writing.

NextGen Education runs other classes and programs, including a book review project and an online journal.

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo states their mission as follows: National Novel Writing Month is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.

I have found NaNoWriMo in general, and the municipal liaisons and fellow writers in my home state of Maryland to be incredibly supportive. My goal in bringing Camp NaNo to kids is to spread that support to the next generation.

Coaching creative writing

While I am not an English (or a science!) teacher, I have participated and won¹ NaNoWriMo each year for the last 11 years. I have a really good sense of how difficult, and how fun creative writing can be. I hope to share my enthusiasm, and some of the techniques I have learned with the students.

If a child you know might be interested. check out the Spring classes at NextGen Education, and see the flyer pictured below.

Incorporating science

But what does all of this have to do with science? At least in Maryland, there is a tradition of incorporating a challenge into each year’s NaNo writing. For the NextGen Education NaNo classes, the challenge will be to incorporate something scientific into each child’s project. With my background in chemistry, and wide-reading in the sciences, I can help the students make their creative science believable, and teach some science in the process.

I remember when I was in junior high school not knowing if I wanted to be a scientist or a writer. I can be both, and so can these students.

¹ Winning at NaNo simply means reaching 50,000 words in the 30 days that NaNo runs.