HWOT users

[vaquitita]

Do I need all the parts?

Edited December 12, 2015 by vaquitita

[dsbrack]

Honestly, I had great success with the program with just the workbook and the small chalkboard. We did some of the roll a dough activities with playdoh and letters printed and placed in sheet protectors. I did purchase the cd because we love music. You play songs at different points In the lessons that reinforce the concepts being taught - frog jump capitals, etc. It didn't go over the way I thought it would and we ended up dropping it. Overall, the method of forming the letters and the cutesy sayings describing their shapes is what worked well for my son. I didn't need the extras.

[MinivanMom]

If your child is neurotypical, then you will not need all the extras. We have only the magnet board and the blue mat with wooden pieces. I used the mat and wooden pieces back when I was doing tutoring for remedial reading students, but I have never used it with my own children. They have been fine with just the magnet board for learning capital letters. In fact, they have loved that magnet board so much that we are on our second one, and it's not in very good shape.

 

Based on what you described, I don't think you need anything beyond the books. I think the preK books are great, even if your son already knows his capital letters, because there is a big emphasis on building up hand strength and using correct hand position. He probably won't need to do any of the extra preK activities, though. Most kids don't. If I were you, I would set all the manipulatives aside and just let him work through the preK book with regular crayons (not the fat preK ones). I do think it's very helpful, for hand strength and muscle memory, to practice previously learned letters daily as you go along. You can buy the HWT paper, if you're heavily invested in their two-line system, or you can buy a cheap notebook and have him write across two lines.

[vaquitita]

If I just want the pre k book for the actual writing, not the extra activities, can I get by without the teachers book?

[Ad astra]

If I just want the pre k book for the actual writing, not the extra activities, can I get by without the teachers book?

 

I don't think you'd need the teacher's guide at all. HWOT workbooks are very gentle. A large portion of the book is devoted to letter formation, even at 1st grade. We used the pre-K, K and 1st grade books and then switched to Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice. 

[MinivanMom]

I don't think you'd need the teacher's guide at all. HWOT workbooks are very gentle. A large portion of the book is devoted to letter formation, even at 1st grade. We used the pre-K, K and 1st grade books and then switched to Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice. 

 

I agree.

[ALB]

We never used anything but the workbooks and that worked fine for us!  

[Targhee]

I think you are very lucky to have the mat and the wooden pieces - my 3rd child (who had access to these through the umbrella school) loved making Mat Man! I think the mini slate and chalk bits/sponges are great for doing wet-dry-try.  Did you know there's an iPad app for that?  I prefer the chalk board because the rough and smooth texture changes give more sensory feedback.  Anyway, if you have all of that, and the K teacher book, all you need is the workbook and some short pencils.  We just cut regular pencils in half.  

[kalusignan]

We only use the student workbooks. In K, I used the TM but soon realized it was not necessary. I have the CD too, which is fun/nice but also not essential (although I still occasionally sing one of the songs about starting the letters at the top as a reminder). In K, I also bought and used the iPad app, which is just the chalkboard, but the child can earn 'stars' for correct letter completion (if you have the chalkboard, then it would be unnecessary). My daughter loved the app though.

[kubiac]

Thanks for this thread, everyone. I was just coming on to ask a question about HWOT, only to find a question and many answers already right here!