Busy Gradeschoolers Writing Submission Guidelines

Updated 07/02/03

See other section guidelines and general BPO guidelines [HERE]. Please visit the main BPO site and individual sections to get a feel for our needs. [HERE]

Gradeschoolers

Thank you for your interest in submitting a piece to the Busy Gradeschoolers
section of Busy Parents Online Magazine!

Our Mission and Goal:

Our mission is to provide parents of busy gradeschoolers with one stop full of information about developmental and educational issues, ideas for diversions when you need them most and reviews to guide your reading and web surfing. Our goal is to help parents become aware of the vast array of choices, sift through them and distill the best of the best to benefit their families.

Our Needs:
Queries are preferred, but not required, for larger feature pieces. Reviews, fillers and shorts may be submitted in their entirety. In keeping with our mission and goal, the following sections are open for submissions:

The Light Side of Family Life:
Busy Gradeschoolers is seeking humorous essays (500-1,000 words) and fillers (100-250 words) about the funny parts of life with children, ages four to twelve. Has your child said or done something that will tickle other parents' funny bones? Do you have an amusing take on life with a gradeschooler in the house? Send it in! No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

Keeping the Peace:
This section deals with strategies to make our home lives more peaceful and happy. Feature articles (500-1,000 words), quick tips (100-250 words) and helpful online and print resources (100-300 word reviews) are the mainstays of this section. Topic ideas may include (but are not limited to) behavior management strategies, stress relief for adults and kids, relaxation exercises and time-management suggestions. No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

School Days:
Busy Gradeschoolers is all about school issues that parents face! We're searching for feature articles (500-1,000 words) providing information, suggestions and thoughts on such topics as starting school, choosing teachers, participating in productive parent/teacher conferences, dealing with academic concerns, understanding learning styles and developing effective homework routines. No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

Hobbies, Games and Fun:
All children need time to relax and play! We are seeking feature articles (500-1,000 words), quick tips (100-250 words) and helpful online and print resources (reviews of 100-300 words) related to activity ideas, organized children's groups, children's lessons, children's songs and games, and party ideas. In short, we want to offer a wide selection of ideas for FUN! No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

Childcare Issues:
Busy Gradeschoolers recognizes that many families face decisions about childcare options and need information. We are seeking feature articles (500-1,000 words) related to choosing a care provider, evaluating after-school care programs, latchkey children and leaving children on their own. No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

Reviews:
Finally, Busy Gradeschoolers offers a selection of book, game, toy and website reviews to help parents make informed choices for themselves and their children. We are seeking reviews (100-300 words) of parenting books, children's toys, children's games, websites for children and websites for parents. No payment at this time. Byline, bio and URL given.

RIGHTS

We accept first rights and reprints. BPO requests first electronic rights and archival rights for one year. Unless prior arrangements are made, submissions will be archived for that period. We reserve the right to reject any query or submission without explanation. BPO also reserves the right to re-title, modify, edit for length and clarity, abridge and/or fact-check any material it accepts for publication.

We accept reprints from articles to which you hold the copyright. When submitting, please give the piece's complete history of publication.

MAKING YOUR SUBMISSION

Use a common font (12 point Arial or Times New Roman), black type and plain background. Please put your submission in the body of your email. No attachments, please. All attachments will be deleted unread. Allow four to six weeks for response. Rewrites or edits may be requested of the author. Please send queries or submissions to kids@busyparentsonline.com.

To write for other sections, see BPO's main submission guidelines at: http://www.busyparentsonline.com/Writing/submissionguidelines.htm.

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