Making homeschool decisions easy
This review is Part 2. If you haven’t already read my review of Primary Arts of Language: Reading, please do so before continuing with this post. Primary Arts of Language: Writing by Jill Pike of Excellence in Writing is the companion program to Primary Arts of Language: Reading. While the reading program focuses on early phonics and reading skills, the writing program focuses on printing,
For years we did not use a handwriting program. Miss 18 learned cursive from Richard Scarry’s big picture books and the handwritten examples I made up for her in a little scribbler. She was enthusiastic and learned quickly. My son, on the other hand, was not enthusiastic. He even had trouble printing. When I tried to teach him cursive using my own examples, I soon concluded
We started out this year with the intent to use a different curriculum for handwriting but, of course, life happens! We ended up moving across country, leaving behind the majority of our home to be shipped at a later date. That means we left most of our curriculum as well! Basically starting from scratch, I stumbled across “A Reason for Handwriting”. I am so glad
I have fairly high standards for copywork. I like for it to be easy to use and cost effective. In addition, while I certainly care about their handwriting, I want my kids’ writing practice to consist of more than drill. I want it to provide food for thought. Of course, I really like it when the copywork complements our studies. The Master Writer Quotation Copybooks by Westvon Publishing do
Copywork should be easy. It should be related to the history lesson or pulled from the read-aloud selection. It can come from art, music, or science. It can be a statement, a poem, or a definition. Copywork should be easy, but if I do not take the time to gather and organize the passages it becomes a tedious, time-consuming problem. Most of the time, I
Do have a child who is a reluctant writer, one who has an allergy to writing instruments, or who fills your house with moans and groans when it’s time to put pencil to paper? Whether you do or not, Games for Writing by Peggy Kaye is sure to make writing a fun subject for all of your children – and for you too! The book
After publication of their classically-based homeschooling guide, The Well-Trained Mind, mother and daughter Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer continued their streak of parent-friendly curricula with a variety of texts, including Mrs. Wise’s First Language Lessons and, more recently, Dr. Bauer’s first installment in the series The Complete Writer, which is titled Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals. Both are on the first grade book list
Based on my conversations with other homeschoolers over the years, we have mixed opinions about the importance of handwriting instruction within our homeschools. Why do I bother to teach my children cursive handwriting in this age of e-mail, texts, and instant messaging? My children need to be able to read the cursive handwriting of others. For example, they will need to be able to read
