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My First School Book
The Get Set for School program is the high quality program you would expect from Handwriting Without Tears. This program was designed specifically for the preschool years, and uses the fun methods you would expect for that age. This program employs a unique, multisensory approach which prepares children to write. Children will play, build, sing, color and learn while developing important skills. The Sing Along CD provides a collection of songs that can be used to help teach letters, numbers, counting and other skills. The Stamp and See Screen works in the same way as a Magna-Doodle. It is a 4”x 6” magnetic screen that allows children to stamp capital letters with the four wooden magnetic stamps (big line, little line, big curve, and little curve). It also includes a writing tool that can be used to write directly on the screen. A slide eraser makes it easy to use the screen over and over again. The Roll-A-Dough Letters set provides for a more hands-on approach in familiarizing children to letters and numbers. The set includes a 4”x 6” tray, laminated number and letter cards, and twelve ounces of dough so that children can “build” their own letters and numbers. The number and letters cards are also available as a separate item for those of you who may not need the extra components in the set or for those who may be working with multiple children. Readiness & Writing Pre-K Teacher’s Guide is now expanded with more information and instruction. The “Getting Started” section includes information about the preschool children, how they learn, and their learning environment. A complete explanation is given on how to use the Capital Letter Wood Pieces and Slate Chalkboard, as well as the manipulatives previously mentioned. Additional games and activities are also found in the front section of the guide. There is so much more information included in the Teacher’s Guide that I can’t list it all. Lessons are easy to use and there is a suggested schedule found in the back of the book. The My First School Book workbook now has more pages. Crayon skills are developed while using special pages for scribbling and coloring. Strokes are practiced on “Mat Man” before ever making a letter. Capital letters and numbers are then practiced using a crayon. There are also extra activity pages which check readiness skills. This is a wonderful introduction to the world of handwriting for the preschool child.
Customer Reviews
Brianna L. from Washington wrote the following on 06/30/2009:
My 3 year-old, 4 year-old, and I have been working through this workbook together. They get so excited to color the simple animals especially when they get to make their legs. I have been surprised at how easy it is for them to make a new letter or shape after each lesson. We learn, laugh, and make up stories about our pictures. I have found that it works best when I sit down to color with them, letting them be creative and also showing them new ideas by simply doing something on my page that they then try to imitate. The book really emphasizes top-down and left-right techniques in a way that my kids don't even notice what they are learning! There is a nice balance of teaching the kids to follow directions and letting their own creativity flow. I would recommend the CD that goes with it, as well. Coloring is so much fun as we sing along to "The aunt, the bug, and the bee" or "Where do you start your letters? At the top!" I do not have the teacher's manual, but I did look over my friends' copy and I think it is helpful to have an idea of how the manufacturer meant for the lessons to be taught. My older child used to hesitate to draw anything for himself, but now he feels comfortable drawing houses, bugs with legs, people, and writing his own name!
Jen N. from IL wrote the following on 02/02/2010:
My four year old is working through this workbook. I do not have the teachers manual, because the teaching schedule can be downloaded for free on the HWT website. We are using the cd, wood letters, blue mat, chalkboard, and crayons. You could get away with less, but my son is a reluctant writer. He doesn't normally even like to color, but he will when we listen to the cd. I would recommend this program.
Jennifer M. from Toronto wrote the following on 02/25/2010:
I was so excited when this book arrived a couple of months ago for my PreK student (she's turning five this week).
However. Perhaps because she's old for her grade (a February baby), this book seems far too basic to have started midway through this year. She likes the pictures, she likes the simplicity of the page layout, but she has been forming letters for a while now, and this book does not add much or build on her prior experience with writing the ABCs.
My daughter doesn't complain about having to do these pages, but neither does it seem like she's actually learning anything - so why waste her time?
As an aside, the letter shapes in all the Handwriting Without Tears books are definitely "weird"... very simplified, certain letters like the C and the 2 look very little like the way most people write them.
Nevertheless, I like the style of these books, the clean layout and the fact that there isn't too much repetition, so I am ordering the next level up. Hopefully, that will offer some challenge along with lowercase letters.
