Review: Fundanoodle 2nd Grade Cursive

Mayda had a lot of fun trying out the I Can Write Cursive! activity book from Fundanoodle.

This book is 70 pages and for ages 7 and up. It is designed for second grade, when you begin to teach cursive, and retails for $8.99.


This book is similar to any classic handwriting book, but different in that it is designed by occupational therapists and educators with the idea of developing motor skills in a very intentional way.

The first few pages are introductory information, followed by some pre-writing exercises. Starting on the 7th page, it begins going through the lowercase alphabet, in order of difficulty (easy to hard), one page for each letter. It begins by having the child write the letter by tracing, and then writing it on their own, followed by simple cursive word using that letter.

Each page has a phrase at the top verbally describing how to write the letter. For example, on the letter "i" it says: "Zoom up. Zoom down. Swing out. Dot the top." Also on each page is a "Did you know" little bit of trivia, somewhat related to the letter. For instance, with the letter "m" it says: "Did you know? A moth has feathery or thick antennae."

The lowercase section finishes out around page 33, where it reviews letters with "swoops." Page 34 is an introduction to uppercase, and it goes through each uppercase letter (again, in order of easy letters to hard) through page 61. The next three pages have the student writing the names of the days of the week, the months of the year, and the names of the planets. As a side note: I love that they included "Dwarf Planet" Pluto on the list. ;) The following three pages include writing prompts, and the last two pages are just lined for extra practice.

How we used it:
Mayda used this daily with her other school work. She was apprehensive at first about writing cursive, but the movement exercises at the beginning of the book helped her build confidence. She really enjoyed the pages, and would do one a day, easily. The lines were just the right size for her to have room to learn, but not too large either. As she worked through the book her cursive handwriting improved quite a bit. We found the little cartoon illustrations to be entertaining and the writing prompts to be just enough. At age 7, I didn't think it was too hard for her to start cursive, and she picked up the motions very quickly.

Mayda's thoughts on Fundanoodle, I Can Write Cursive! : "My favorite part is that the pictures go well with the letter that I'm learning. It's really cool. It has fun facts."

Bottom Line:
I have purchased other handwriting books for similar prices, but none were as colorful and delightful as this. Mayda loved the book, and was happy to use it daily. We really liked the spiral binding at the top and the perforated pages if we wanted to tear them out. At $8.99, I found this to be a decent value and a good supplemental handwriting book for second grade.

Be sure to read all the other Fundanoodle reviews (several of each product) by clicking the banner below:

 where you will find reviews for all of these Fundanoodle products:

• Orange (Age 3+/Preschool): I Can Pound Activity Block
• Orange (Age 3+/Preschool): I Can Bead, Lace, Rip and Trace
• Orange (Age 3+/Preschool): I Can Doodle, AND I Can Do Fun Activities (Floor Pads),
• Orange (Age 3+/Preschool): I Can Cut, AND I Can Do Math Level 1AND Max & Alphie's Adventure Level 1
•   Blue (Pre K to K): I Can Build Uppercase Letter Kit
•  Blue (Pre K to K): Muscle Movers: Uppercase Gross Motor Cards
• Blue (Pre K to K): I Can Write Uppercase Letters AND Magnetic Dry Erase Lettering Practice Board
•  Blue (Pre K to K):I Can Do Math Level 2, AND Max & Alphie's Adventures Level 2
• Green (K to 1st): I Can Build Lowercase Letters
• Green (K to 1st):Muscle Movers: Lowercase Motor Cards
• Green (K to 1st):I Can Write Lowercase Letters, AND I Can Write My Own Stories
• Green (K to 1st):I Can Do Math Level 3, AND Max & Alphie's Adventures Level 3

So, be sure to visit the crew post for reviews of all of the above mentioned products!
©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change

School Year in Review: Kindergarten

*Affiliate links may be included in some posts, see my Disclosure tab above. *

Wyatt turned 5 in September, so we allowed him to try some Kindergarten level work during the 2012-2013 school year. He took some beginner steps into reading and we couldn't be more thrilled! We used some books we already owned, and then during the second semester we used several provided by the TOS Review Crew. Wyatt also played t-ball this spring, and really enjoyed it. :)

Click any image to view it on Amazon!

Here's my review of the 

books we used this year:

Spelling/Reading

Wyatt had the opportunity to review ABeCeDarian Co.'s Student Workbook A1. The Teacher Manual A1 spelled out the program in terms I could understand. After reading through the instructions, I felt like I had a much better understanding of what a child needs to "decode" well.

"Decoding refers to the translation of print into speech." -Michael Bend, Ph.D., Founder and President

The first section of the manual covers the concept of decoding, and the skills and strategies the book will cover. This may sound complicated, but it really was explained in such a way that the average homeschool mom can understand and apply these profound concepts. I have been teaching my own children to read for over 6 years, and this was a true "aha" moment. "Oh, that's how and why this works!"

After the introduction of the philosophy, the activities in the workbook are thoroughly explained, as well as specific instructions for each page of the workbook. I had worried that the program would be to difficult for Wyatt, who had never "blended sounds" before. But the program is written in such a positive tone, I was hopeful. 

The first day I pulled out the workbook, Wyatt sat down and he sounded out the letters "m" and "o" and "p", and before I knew it, he had read his first word: "mop"! With my other children (and as the teacher's guide noted) we had to practice "tapping" out the sounds for quite a while before the blending was possible. With him it just clicked!

We continued to do 2 lessons per week, with each lesson consisting of 3-6 workbook pages. This worked out to an average of 2-3 pages per day in our 4 day school week. We also began reading with the storybooks. Each one of the Set of 10 Storybooks corresponds with the Units in the Level A Workbooks. Level A1 and A2 are each made up of 28 lessons divided into 12 units. 

I was amazed when only 2 weeks into his reading adventure, Wyatt had read 2 of the storybooks. He loved reading them too. I have always joked that childbirth was easy for me, but potty training and teaching to read were my biggest dread! But here, with my youngest child, we were reading, and it was easy! I am so thankful we got to try this out. 

Another feature of each page is the way the lines for writing are just large enough for a beginning writer. There are starting dots on each letter, so when a child copies a word, they know just where to begin. Wyatt found this really helpful, and loved making his letters and words as carefully as he could. He would often ask me to come back and circle the best looking letters. Then he would ask for a "100% A+" on his page. I doubt he even knows what those are. It warmed my heart when he made a card for his grandma, and even wrote the "To Bettie" and "From Wyatt" all by himself, and it was nice and legible.

Math

Before starting TouchMath Kindergarten, Wyatt wasn't doing any math, other than learning to count and number recognition. After just a few weeks he was adding and subtracting numbers up to 5!

I found the instructions sheets (about 10-12 pages of them per module) to be helpful but difficult to understand in places. It read more like tax code, but I did use them.  

While using the worksheets, we worked through the concepts of number sequencing as well as simple adding and subtracting. We used the TouchShapes with the worksheets to illustrate "adding to" and "taking away" quantities. Wyatt loved this, and he begged to do his TouchMath every day! This was in a large part due to the extras we received.

Another extra was the TouchMath Tutor Software, which comes on two CD's for the computer. It was easy to install, and pretty easy to use. It made the concepts from the worksheets come alive and Wyatt was happy to "play" with it for 30-45 minutes every day after completing his worksheets. We found that the 3D Numerals we received really helped as he worked through learning the TouchPoints on the first Tutor CD-ROM. This is important, since the TouchPoint idea is the cornerstone of this math curriculum. The numerals also came with a CD-ROM which included about 50 pages of instructions and worksheets.

With the software, I loved that Wyatt could use the TouchPoints to add up the numbers, or just answer if he already knew the answer. The game verbalizes the instructions well, so the non-reading kindergartner knows what is needed.

If I were doing this on a budget, I would buy the software first. It was engaging, well done, and easy to use. An animated bear leads the child through plenty of great exercises, and he even tells a little information about each state they visit. In between games there is a fun scene of animals or shapes to entertain while giving a short (60-90 second) brain break. My favorite part of the software was the ability to track Wyatt's progress and proficiency on the reports page. It showed what he had worked on, and how often he got his answers right. This was a fantastic tool!

Science
Mayda and Wyatt worked through this Science book together. My Father's World from Christian Liberty Press uses the days of creation as a chapter framework as they study creation as a whole. The activities are simple and there are questions to review at the end of each chapter. This one goes well with taking regular nature walks.

All Subjects:
This year we used My Father's World, Kindergarten with Wyatt, for his main curriculum. It was a gift to me from a friend, or I wouldn't have probably tried it. I'm not very partial to complete boxed curriculum, but this was a HUGE surprise to me!

The complete kit comes with:

Teacher's Manual

Student Sheets include:

• Student pages
• Teaching charts
• Game cards
• Badge patterns
• Monthly calendars
• Short vowel song cards
• 100 chart for math
• Activity sheets

Alphabet Flashcards

A-Z Textured Letters by Lauri

What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Butterfly Garden

Ant Hill

For the Children's Sake, by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Say Hello to Classical Music

Cuisenaire® Rods

Cuisenaire® Rods Alphabet Book

Inflatable Globe

____________________________________________

The friend who gave it to me (thank you Kelly!!!!) did not have the complete list as above, but had pretty much everything I needed. And she had already organized it into a tote (see photo), and collected lots of complimentary material. She is SO awesome. I would have struggled to plunk down the cash to try something new, but since she shared, I'm so glad I tried it.

What we had included:

Teacher's Manual

Student Sheets include:

• Student pages
• Teaching charts
• Game cards
• Badge patterns
• Monthly calendars
• Short vowel song cards
• 100 chart for math
• Activity sheets

Alphabet Flashcards

A-Z Textured Letters by Lauri

What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Ant Hill (a gift from Grandma and Grandpa!)

Each week's unit covers one letter of the alphabet, after the initial weeks of studying creation in depth. Each unit covers a fun hands on activity for each day, a reading list for great library books to check out, and most importantly a lot of Scripture and a simple lesson to apply all week long. For example:

One week we studied the Turtle, for the letter T. There was a short motto: "I don't quit; I persevere." There are 6 days of lessons with a different activity to re-enforce the letter T and the science exploration of turtles (which we expanded to other pond creatures). There were Scripture passages pertaining to the character of perseverance:

• Phil. 3:13-14
• Hebrews 12:1
• Galatians 6:9

There was also a poem about turtles, and instructions to read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare in Aesop's Fables. We lucked out with that one, as we were able to actually attend a play of Tortoise Vs. Hare, performed by local school-children thanks to the Missoula Children's Theatre.

As for Math and Phonics, there are daily activities to re-enforce number names and counting, as well as letter names and sounds. There is plenty of emphasis on tactile exploration, such as making the shapes of letters with clay, or just using the textured foam letters that came with the kit. We make use of the number chart, focusing on one number each day, as well as shapes and colors and patterns of those in sequence. (See right.)

A major help to supplement this curriculum came from my very own bookshelves. The Christian Liberty Nature Reader (book 1) has short stories about various animals. It worked out that there were 3-4 stories to fit with each unit theme. It took me a little prep to page through the book and match them up on my assignment charts, but it was worth it. They fit so well, and add a thread of continuity. I highly recommend it as a complimentary purchase to MFW.

_______________________________________

Bible:

AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, taken from 2 Timothy 2:15:

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

The best part of the Awana format is that it teaches Biblical truths with Scripture memorization to back it up. I want my kids to know what they believe, and the Biblical basis for "WHY?" as well.

Wyatt finished his final year as a Cubbie, and is excited to become a Sparky next year.

Here is an entire post about Awana, and more about why we love it. 

Overall Wyatt really enjoyed his PreK/K year, and we will likely do some kindergarten and 1st grade books this year. 

Blessings, 
Laura

Linked:

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Review: ABeCeDarian Co.

This March we had the opportunity to review the ABeCeDarian Company's  workbooks and reading books for early and beginning readers. We received free copies to try out:

• Student Workbook A1 which retails for $12.25; for Kindergarten through mid-1st Grade. 

• Teacher Manual A1 which retails for $28.50; for Kindergarten through mid-1st Grade

• Student Workbook A2 which retails for $12.25; for Kindergarten through mid-1st Grade

• Teacher Manual A2 which retails for $28.50; for Kindergarten through mid-1st Grade

• Set of 10 Storybooks which retails for $21.50; for use with level A, for Kindergarten through mid-1st Grade. These go along with the Level A books through the first Unit of the Level B book.

• Student Workbook B1 which retails for $10.25; for mid 1st through 2nd grade.

• Teacher Manual B1 which retails for $25.50; for mid 1st through 2nd grade.

• ABeCeDarian Aesop which retails for $2.50; for mid 1st through 2nd grade. This goes along with the Level B book. 

How We Used It:

I used the level A books with Wyatt, who is in Kindergarten, and the level B books with Mayda, who is in 1st grade. We were blessed with over $130 in books to use in our home. It really was a true blessing too! The Teacher Manual A1 spelled out the program in terms I could understand. After reading through the instructions, I felt like I had a much better understanding of what a child needs to "decode" well.

"Decoding refers to the translation of print into speech." -Michael Bend, Ph.D., Founder and President

The first section of the manual covers the concept of decoding, and the skills and strategies the book will cover. This may sound complicated, but it really was explained in such a way that the average homeschool mom can understand and apply these profound concepts. I have been teaching my own children to read for over 6 years, and this was a true "aha" moment. "Oh, that's how and why this works!"

After the introduction of the philosophy, the activities in the workbook are thoroughly explained, as well as specific instructions for each page of the workbook. I had worried that the program would be to difficult for Wyatt, who had never "blended sounds" before. But the program is written in such a positive tone, I was hopeful. Wyatt is younger than the typical Kindergartner, as he only turned 5 in September. 

The first day I pulled out the workbook, Wyatt sat down and he sounded out the letters "m" and "o" and "p", and before I knew it, he had read his first word: "mop"! With my other children (and as the teacher's guide noted) we had to practice "tapping" out the sounds for quite a while before the blending was possible. With him it just clicked!

We continued to do 2 lessons per week, with each lesson consisting of 3-6 workbook pages. This worked out to an average of 2-3 pages per day in our 4 day school week. We also began reading with the storybooks. Each one of the Set of 10 Storybooks corresponds with the Units in the Level A Workbooks. Level A1 and A2 are each made up of 28 lessons divided into 12 units. 

I was amazed when only 2 weeks into his reading adventure, Wyatt had read 2 of the storybooks. He loved reading them too. I have always joked that childbirth was easy for me, but potty training and teaching to read were my biggest dread! But here, with my youngest child, we were reading, and it was easy! I am so thankful we got to try this out. 

Another feature of each page is the way the lines for writing are just large enough for a beginning writer. There are starting dots on each letter, so when a child copies a word, they know just where to begin. Wyatt found this really helpful, and loved making his letters and words as carefully as he could. He would often ask me to come back and circle the best looking letters. Then he would ask for a "100% A+" on his page. I doubt he even knows what those are. It warmed my heart this week when he made a card for his grandma, and even wrote the "To Bettie" and "From Wyatt" all by himself, and it was nice and legible.

With the Student Workbook B1 , I was able to work with Mayda. This book is 24 lessons broken into 12 units. She is in 1st grade, and has been reading since the beginning of the school year. My biggest worry with her was that she is a sight reader. She glances at a word and knows what it is without reading it. She completely skipped the sounding-out-to-blending stage. She had memorized by sight SO many words that she seemed a great reader. But I know a time will come she will hit words she hadn't seen before, and be at a loss to know how to break them down. 

We loved this workbook because it makes her work with the sounds individually. The exercises where she sorts words into lists are really important. She is learning that several letter combinations can make the same sound, and is really slowing down to focus on them. 

Some other exercises had her focus on word lists where only one sound changes from one word to the next. This was actually really hard for her to identify, because of the way she had been reading. It is really breaking through the "code" that reading really is, helping her slow down and really put some muscle on her reading skills.  

Mayda read all of the storybooks, and loved them. Her excitement was really encouraging to Wyatt who is beginning to read the same books. She is also doing the workbook at the same pace of two lessons per week, breaking each lesson over two days. Although 6 pages in one sitting was not too much for her, the only thing she didn't like was that this was "work" compared to how she had been reading. I'm happy about this; she needed a challenge! Even though she tells me she doesn't like it, she chooses this subject to start with every day.  

Each day she pushes farther in the book than I ask her to do, and by the end of the review period we had picked up our pace to a lesson or more per day. I think initially we had moved more slowly through both books because I was struggling to absorb all the teaching materials. But as we used it more, the lessons became routines, and the kids became excited with the progress they were seeing.

What I liked:

• The instructions shared complex ideas in understandable language.
• With the way the instructions were given, I felt confident teaching the Workbooks. 
• The Workbooks and Manuals were spiral bound, making it easy to "fold over" to the page we were working on.
• The illustrations in the storybooks were simple, but engaging, and my son loved them. I found him laughing as he read.
• We have painlessly launched into the world of reading with Wyatt, and I now understand it better than even before. 
• For Mayda, this departure from reading "sight words" was just the ticket for getting her beyond the first step in her reading journey. The concept of "decoding" has much more universal application than the way she had initially learned to read.
• Wyatt really likes that they teach each letter with a "starting point", so he knows where to begin when writing the letter. His handwriting has improved dramatically. 

What I didn't like:

• The illustrations are pretty simple, and only black and white. This didn't stop my children from enjoying them, but it may be an issue for more distracted readers. 
• I wish that I still had more students to teach to read! This was so fun and simple. I just wish I'd have found it sooner.

Bottom Line:

This one is a keeper. I find it to be really affordable and workable. I love that I finally feel like I understand the "how" and "why" of the early steps in the process of reading. The teachers manuals make it easy to teach, and help keep the goals in mind.  I'm excited to break the "sight reading" cycle with Mayda, and Wyatt has started reading and writing words all by himself now. We will continue to use this program after the review is over. I would definitely recommend it to anyone I know.

Be sure you read the reviews of everyone else on the Review Crew:



©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com 

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change.