In 2008, our sons came to me with this little newspaper they created in their bunk beds the night before. At 10 and 12 years old, Benjamin and Erik cobbled together a newspaper with all the passion of Benjamin Franklin. Hand-scrolled across the top of the missive read, The Bunk Room.
A perfect storm ensued and The Bunk Room magazine was born.
As a homeschooling mom I was keenly aware that the boys and their bookend sisters at 8 and 14 needed to learn how to write. I was in the throes of creatively trying to slay that dragon anyway. Plus, with my background in journalism, publishing and graphic design, I always have had a love of magazines.
The Ah-Ha Moment landed.
In a flash of an instant, I knew what to do.
I told the kids, with great excitement, that we were starting a magazine. Suddenly, not only would this magazine be a vehicle to teach our kids to write in a practical and relevant way, but they’d be front-row-center in not only watching but participating in the production of a magazine.
Fast forward six years.
Today we’re still publishing The Bunk Room, our kids have developed amazing writing skills and I continue to hear nearly every day how our mission to inspire kids to love reading and writing is changing lives for the better.
Just the other day, I received this from a star educator. . .”So much of what is being used in classrooms today is drab and unmotivating to teens. That’s why I use The Bunk Room; when students see other kids writing in their own voice, but in a professional format, they see the value of nonfiction reading and writing as being part of a global conversation where their opinions matter,”
~Emily Thorpe, 2013 Orange County, FL Teacher of the Year, finalist.
There’s never been a better time to build a local edition of The Bunk Room. We’ve built a strong following and have years of issues to stand behind.
And, we have territories available all over the US, but that won’t last long as we get the word out….
Learn more about publishing The Bunk Room here.