Reading and Writing
The connection between reading and writing plus a series of articles on their relationship (Ed Week).
Read the article or enjoy this video:
The beauty of words is embodied in calligraphy (calli=beautiful, graph=writing). I hope this video of a master calligrapher may inspire someone to learn and preserve this vanishing art:
A series of podcasts about the importance of phonics in reading instruction - and a cautionary tale about embracing popular trends in education (Emily Hanford, APM Reports - Sold a Story).
"Although sentence diagramming is not a necessary part of language learning, it is great for practicing and understanding grammar and syntax, especially for visual learners"(grammarly.com). Modern research seems to indicate that it is not necessary. However, I believe that studying the sentence structure this way does strengthen language skills - and not just in English.
Fun with Words
Merriam-Webster site - The games and quizzes provide a fun way to learn trivia, increase your vocabulary, improve your spelling.
If you love crossword puzzles, then this Best Crosswords site has you covered! There are links to all levels of puzzles and even one where you can create and share your own puzzles.
My grandson loves MadLibs! There are many online MadLibs generators, and here is a kid-friendly one.
Useful Publications
My friend Cheryl, an English tutor, makes this recommendation: "the best, most practical way of improving one's grammar, sentence, and, ultimately, paragraph writing skills ... would be the Stewart English Program in 3 workbooks with separate answer keys available on Amazon. Besides these workbooks, I recommend buying grammar textbooks from a secondhand book store."
When I was in high school I took a vocabulary enhancement course that involved learning the Greek and Latin roots of many English words. At the time I remember the teacher saying that over 75% of English words had Greek or Latin origin. The book we used is out of print, but newer resources that have many positive reviews include the Prestwick House series of books Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots .
Roots of English by Paul O'Brien is another valuable addition.
