The New Cursive Logic The Art of CursiveLogic Review

I was asked to review the new The Art of CursiveLogic coloring workbook that is currently part of a Kickstarter campaign in exchange for my honest thoughts. I received a glossy paperback coloring lesson book, and it's really a fascinating idea!

A brief history:

The company offered the original CursiveLogic curriculum as part of a Kickstarter campaign
I had the privilege of reviewing the original CursiveLogic curriculum - Read my CursiveLogic review!

THE ART OF CURSISVELOGIC KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN ENDS ON FEBRUARY 22 - You can read more about and decide whether or not to contribute to The Art of CursiveLogic Kickstarter campaign to create the cursive coloring book here - Kickstarter Campaign!

The concept of coloring has really taken off in the past year or so as being a way to relax! Cursive Logic has taken note of this relaxation technique and integrated it into their cursive handwriting lessons with the new book.

Following is a glimpse into the book with some completed images and my daughter completing one of the colorful pictures.

The book combines the already popular and effective cursive writing skill that is presented in a fresh and unique manner with coloring pages. The coloring pages are not simply images to color but they use the skills learned in each lesson and carry it onto a picture where the child can practice the hand movement using a crayon while coloring a picture.

My daughter is a little artist who loves anything hands on and colorful! She actually asked to keep doing these lessons until she quickly finished the book I was given for review. What a clever and beautiful way to teach handwriting skills!

Check it out for yourself, and if you like what you see - Consider being a part of contributing to the Kickstarter campaign!

THE ART OF CURSISVELOGIC KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN ENDS ON FEBRUARY 22 - You can read more about and decide whether or not to contribute to The Art of CursiveLogic Kickstarter campaign to create the cursive coloring book here - Kickstarter Campaign!

TOS Review - Talking Fingers

My child had reviewed Talking Fingers when she was younger, so I was curious to see what Read, Write & Type from Talking Fingers Inc. was all about when I had the opportunity to review this creative learning program.

What is Read, Write & Type?

Read, Write & Type is an online program that teaches children how to touch type while improving their reading skills by using a multi-sensory and phonemes (letter sounds) approach. It introduces letters as characters in the story/game. It is online at their site, and they also have a CD version available if you prefer.

There are 40 lessons that are intended for a child in the K-2 level, up to age 9 or to be used as ESL English as a Second Language. The program has assigned characters to each of the letters on the keyboard. The student proceeds to go through the lessons that are a series of interactive game-like learning segments. The idea behind the learning game is that there are 40 phonemes sounds that are represented by 26 letters in the English alphabet.

Find out more about details of how the program is set up, what skills it teaches and research to back it up!

Letters on the computer keyboard are introduced as pictured characters who live behind "windows" that correspond to the location of that letter key on the keyboard. The student interacts hearing proper phonetic sounds of each letter, speaking the letter sounds or words in some cases, using the mouse and keyboard, typing the letter sound as it corresponds to pictures whose name starts with that letter, and combining letters to work through various activities, such as getting Jack across a jungle gym on a playground by typing a series of J-space, then J-A-space, then J-A-F space, etc. Eventually, the student is typing words and then sentences using the proper left/right hand placement on the keys.

As part of the game play style of lessons, a green blob monster, named Vexor, is supposed to represent a computer virus, I believe. Vexor has stolen the letters on the keyboard, and with the help of Leftie and Right Way, the student works to get each of the letters back. Vexor also introduces new characters (letters). Whenever the typist gets it right, it makes the green blob angry.



And, then there is a bonus blimp that allows the child to play a "game" to get bonus points that show up on a certificate.




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How Did We Use It?

My 9-year-old sat down at my laptop and got the chance to experience the learning game. She worked through lessons online that were delivered to feel more like a fun game than learning time.

What Did We Think?

Overall, it's an interesting, fascinating, multi-sensory and fun concept of learning letters, especially if you have a young child. My daughter is a fluent reader with a high Lexile score for her age and was already familiar with all of the keys on the keyboard, so she was really almost too old to fully appreciate it. Throughout the learning game, you receive clear instructions as to what to do next which is great if you're new to or struggle with using the computer keyboard or need extra time to comprehend what was introduced. If you are faster than the game anticipated, however, because the characters seemed to have a pre-set pause after each instruction; if you try to type the answer too soon, before the instruction is complete, the program won't recognize the keystroke or mouse click. Sometimes, the cadence of the process didn't correspond with her interaction. She would type a letter, but it was too fast for the program to pick up on it, so it would proceed to re-instruct her even though she had typed it correctly. Though, she did seem to enjoy it overall. As a parent, I would have appreciated something other than a green blob monster virus as the main character as it added an angry element to give a game-like adventure feel, but it made her laugh. Another aspect I liked about the program is how when the child logs back in, even though it starts with a song you wait through every time, it then takes you directly to where they left off in the previous lesson.

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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS - Find Talking Finger's Read, Write & Type online @:

Visit on Facebook, Twitter @ReadWriteType , and YouTube.

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Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

TOS Review - Homeschool Copywork

The picture above shows only a handful of what this site offers, so you can see why I was thrilled to get a chance to review a Lifetime Membership from Homeschool Copywork.

What is the Lifetime Membership from Homeschool Copywork?

First, it's important to understand what copywork is. It's a method often associated with a Charlotte Mason style of education, but it's not exclusive to this learning/teaching style.

It may seem like it's merely handwriting practice. But, when you use carefully chosen passages presented with wonderful images, including grade and age-level writing lines/or without lines, manuscript and/or cursive to copy, suddenly it becomes more than a practice in handwriting. The words your students write seem to stick, and it's more like a work of art as your child learns more about the meaning behind the passages and eventually begins to study more about the topic at hand and moves into notebooking what is learned.

Read more about What is Copywork? here!

The Homeschool Copywork site offers three levels of membership:

Free Membership - You have access only to the items that are Free to download
Full (Yearly) Membership - Your membership fee is good for one full year when you can renew if you choose.
Lifetime Membership - A membership that lasts as long as the site exists.

I received a Lifetime Membership (which means I'm a member for as long as the site exists) to the Homeschool Copywork site where I was able to download and work with any, or all, of the copywork titles available.

I am a firm believer in the benefits of copying the written word as part of learning. It may sound like a strange concept, copyright flares go up, or it just sounds too simple when you first hear about. But, it's like watching magic unfold as you watch your child begin to copy the words. Something happens between the process of picking up that pencil and copying. As she copied, I could almost see the lightbulbs of learning turning on for her. The process involved reading, observing proper grammar, forming the letters within the given lines of space, and it is almost as if an understanding of the words happened instantly during this process.

The site has a lot of copywork PDF booklets to choose from and seem to be adding new ones on a regular basis. Some of the other copywork pages move into a notebooking style which is very appropriate for older students, even through high school.

Here is just a handful of the plethora of titles the site offers:

The human body pages were really cool. They start with a passage about being wonderfully made, and move into some amazing graphics of a baby on an ultrasound picture, foot and hand prints as watermarks on notebooking pages, and then it includes watermarks of each major organ on pages where the student writes notes about what they have learned about that particular organ.


When I saw the elephants on the cover of this one, I knew it would be a hit with my elephant-loving/obsessed child.

The Wright Brothers Copywork pages caught my eye, because a few years ago we visited Kitty Hawk and the museum on the spot where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. I was anxious to use this to reinforce those lessons learned. The Armor of God pages offer images of illustrated armor pieces alongside scriptures that talk of putting on the full armor of God. It's great for a Bible Study, but also spurs on discussion of wars and armor bearers throughout history.

How Did We Use It?

I looked over what the site had to offer and chose a few copywork pieces that interested me before I presented them to my child. The lucky student who got to work with these pages was my 9-year-old who is working to perfect her cursive and her grammar. I was happy to see the pages on the Love chapter in the Bible. And, as my daughter was writing the scripture, I was equally as happy to hear my 14-year-old begin to recite by memory what my other daughter was writing.

One of my 9-year-old's huge interests is art. So, I was excited to see copywork pages with a study on artists as well:

What Did We Think?

Homeschool Copywork not only helps to develop excellent handwriting skills but teaches a wealth of information along the way. I discovered that using copywork is like a magical learning experience that still baffles me how easy it makes the teaching process. It's a concept in learning that you really have to see transpire to believe it! But, it works. If you want to see what it's like to watch a light bulb turn on inside your child's brain, try out Homeschool Copywork for yourself.

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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS - Find Homeschool Copywork online @:

Visit on Facebook, Twitter @Amy Blevins , Pinterest, Google+ as Amy Blevins, and Instagram as homeschoolencouragement.

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Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

TOS Review: Memoria Press

* I was more than thrilled to get a chance to review New American Cursive: Penmanship Program Workbook 1 from Memoria Press.

We have used a few other Memoria Press books over the years, and they have never failed to deliver. This course is no exception.

New American Cursive, NAC, is a form of cursive that was developed by 35-year expert, Iris Hatfield. NAC is a form of cursive that offers more than 25 fewer strokes, eliminating unnecessary awkward strokes, to help make learning cursive easier and more legible.

It's a unique, fresh and simple approach to teaching cursive to kids as young as First Grade. The idea is not to force a high-level skill upon little hands, but rather to introduce the child to all the benefits of cursive as soon as possible. The earlier a child learns how to write cursive, the earlier he or she will benefit from all cursive has to offer; including, gaining competence from the start. And, the thing is - The New American Cursive: Penmanship Program Workbook 1 presents learning cursive in a way that makes it easy, artistic, encouraging, and fun.

Some benefits to learning cursive are said to include:

• hand-eye coordination
• ability to read cursive (by the way: Our founding fathers wrote documents in handwriting of cursive)
• self confidence
• improved reading and spelling
• increased writing speed with legible results
• improved brain neural connections
• ability to develop a personal signature

It only took us about 15 to 20 minutes a day to cover each lesson. The book starts with demonstrating and teaching proper paper, hand, and pencil position for left or right handers; and, it ends with the student writing sentences in a short letter, the Pledge of Allegiance, and it even covers writing numbers.

There are three workbooks in this series that start with Workbook 1 geared toward First Graders. Memoria Press also offers a supplemental software with customizable worksheets.


What is New American Cursive: Penmanship Program Workbook 1?

This is a workbook style paperback that introduces students to cursive using "Mr. Meerkat" as the instructor guide throughout the book. It is intended to introduce children in First Grade to New American Cursive, NAC, which is a form of cursive that was developed by Iris Hatfield. The 35-year cursive expert, Iris Hatfield, developed NAC as a form of cursive that offers more than 25 fewer strokes, eliminating unnecessary awkward strokes. By breaking down the process to its simplest form, it helps to make learning cursive easier and produce more legible work.

Throughout the book, Mr. Meerkat is pictured demonstrating how the child is to form each letter using the traditional handwriting lined writing sections of a dotted middle line between an upper and lower solid line on sections throughout the worksheet pages and arrows that direct the child's pencil to copy the letters and words.

The book is not bound at the left like most books, but it is bound at the top to give equal access to left and right-handed kids.

The repeating theme throughout the book is three-part:

How Did We Use It?

I sat down with my 8-year-old daughter who, according to our public school system and her late September birthday, puts her officially in the 2nd Grade. Though, she does some 3rd Grade work. Even so, she had not yet been taught to write cursive because my other children really didn't cover it till closer to 4th Grade.

   

  

What Did We Think?

I was looking forward to her learning cursive, and I was not disappointed.
When I told her she was going to learn cursive, she was a bit overwhelmed until I opened the book and began to work through it with her. It only took her to about the 2nd lesson before she was flowing along with Mr. Meerkat and laughing while she worked. It took us a few confusing turns to become used to the top-binding which means you sort of flip and turn the book when ready to go on to the next page rather than just turning page after page. But, once we got used to this format, it was easier.

I really like this particular form of cursive. All of the letters flow from one to another with ease and are not choppy or unnatural. I'm so excited that my child has been exposed to a solid cursive handwriting program at her early age.


Find Memoria Press on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought of this cursive program, and see what reviewers thought of another Memoria Press product, First Start Reading, that some other members of the Review Crew received by clicking on the picture below.

ALSO, STAY TUNED FOR SOME UPCOMING TOS CREW REVIEWS OF MORE FROM MEMORIA PRESS!

PDF Download Freebie: Must We Always Start With the Basics - My First PDF Download Freebie

I've started playing around with creating PDFs for learning.

I'm still in the beta stage where I'm just playing around with creating them, but I wanted to start a basic foundational place for my readers to find future PDFs.

So, I threw together a very extremely short brief PDF to get started.  It's a scripture, a graphic of a chalkboard, graph paper, and handwriting practice.  That's it!

BUT IT'S FREE!

So, if you're interested in a free download - Discover my first real PDF file called:

Must We Always Start With the Basics?

Enjoy, even though it's very extremely short and brief.  Hopefully, if all goes right, there will be more to come.

Look for more above this post listed under "Free PDF Downloads".

In the meantime, let me hear what kind of PDF files would help you along your homeschooling journey.

THANKS!