HWOT Preschool

[manyblessings]

What items are valuable for the get ready for school program? HWOT has so much and I'm at a loss as to what would be worth buying for my 4 yr old.

[NotAVampireLvr]

What items are valuable for the get ready for school program? HWOT has so much and I'm at a loss as to what would be worth buying for my 4 yr old.

 

So far we love the slate (obviously) and the tracing cards have been nice, but very easily could be substituted with sandpaper letters that you make yourself. My son's favorite has been the capital letter formation blocks (I forget what they are called) I might not have bought them for my other two, but DS2 is very much a builder and it was worth it to me. All three kids use them.

 

Our preschool teacher recommended I get the CD because they used it in DS2's class so he was already familiar with it. I have not purchased it yet.

[Tawlas]

We bought the slate and the wooden letter blocks. Both are used a lot, and very much enjoyed. I had thought to skip the books, but now I'm thinking ds4 might actually enjoy them, so I may take a look at both the TM and the child's book next time I'm in the store. Just by talking about small curves and big lines etc, I've seen more awareness in the way he forms letters (so far he only ever writes his name oustide of the program)

[3peasinapod]

I think the workbook, teacher's guide, and slate are essential. We really like the wooden pieces also, but I could easily see us making them out of craft foam if doing it all over again. There are instructions in the teacher's guide on what size to make them, even some models to trace. You can use your own Play-Doh and place them on the slate for those activities. The stamp thing I just never thought would be fun, but some children may like it.

[ebrindam]

We got the Mat Man books, the slate & chalk, the Stamp & See kit, the Roll a Dough letters, the wood pieces to form the letters, the teacher's manual, the student book, the CD, the Laminated Letter cards....basically the whole thing. DD is a super hands on learner and we are having fun with it all, so I think it was worth it.

[Wheres Toto]

I bought the workbook, Teacher's Guide, Capital Letter Pieces and foam mat. I originally made capital letter pieces out of foam but my daughter folded them or tore them the minute I turned my back on her. The wood pieces lay flat much nicer. I use a small Magna Doodle instead of the slate and I made my own Capital Letter cards to show how to build the letters with the pieces.

[ByGrace3]

For us, the manipulatives make the program. We have the wooden letters and cards, slate, roll a dough letters, stamp and see kit, double lined chalkboard, workbook and TM.

 

You can do it with TM, WB, and slate, but for me its all the other stuff that makes it so wonderful.

[SkateLeft]

We love the roll-a-dough letters and the stamp-and-see screen. The yellow laminated cards come with the roll-a-dough stuff, and they work beautifully with the stamp screen too. My son started using these in his special ed preschool a couple of years ago, and we're still using them in kindergarten for fun and extra fine motor practice. If we have to wait somewhere, like the doctor's office, I'll sometimes tote the little plastic zipper pouch that holds the stamp screen, magnetic pieces and letter cards.

 

I also have the large laminated letters and the wood pieces. We didn't get quite as much use out of those, but I still like having them. He used them with his OT quite a bit just before starting kindergarten this year.

[meggie]

I only bought the teacher and student books. We already had a chalkboard and the teacher book has a pattern for the blocks. I just cut the patterns out and traced them onto foam. It worked well enough.

[pitterpatter]

We did the regular HWOT Kindergarten program with DD, who was four years and a couple of months. We bought the student workbook, teacher's guide, wood pieces, slates (both kinds), CD and sponges (just because they were cheap and easy). I bought regular high-quality chalk and pencils and broke/cut those down to size.

 

Essential items: student workbook, teacher's guide and slates

 

If your child is just learning his/her letters, then the wood pieces might be helpful. DD really enjoyed them, even though she already knew her letters. They were just fun for her. I didn't buy the letter cards. I drew around the wood pieces onto card stock and made my own.

 

I don't think many people buy the CD, but it was one of DD's favorite aspects of the program. You can print the lyrics out online, which really helps. The songs are great because they help children remember how to form the letters.

 

I also know that a whole lot of people skimp and just buy the student workbook...that's it. To me, this is NOT the HWOT program. May as well just go with something else. Maybe Zaner-Bloser.

[semory]

I agree, the manipulatives make the program what it is. My son's absolute favorites are the wooden letter pieces. We also have the laminated letter cards, the roll-a-dough letters, and the slate. I would say these along with the TM and workbook are your must haves. I also bought the "I Know My Numbers" workbooks - they are very inexpensive, and just go through numbers 1-10.

[Jay3fer]

I also know that a whole lot of people skimp and just buy the student workbook...that's it. To me, this is NOT the HWOT program. May as well just go with something else. Maybe Zaner-Bloser.

 

To be fair... I loved the look of all the manipulatives, but couldn't afford the program. My sister bought us this inexpensive book, How to Build an A, which includes a cute book (except the X is for Xmas and the V is for Valentine) and a mesh bag with very similar foam pieces.

 

We also got a cute mini-chalkboard, just the right size, with chalk pieces, from the dollar store.

 

We made our own "mat man" out of construction paper and the letter pieces, and I let my son trace his hands to make hands for him.

 

Hmm... what else? We listened to the

song on YouTube. :lol:

 

It's definitely not exactly the same as the full program, but I don't know if an average K-er NEEDS the full program. My ds4 likes to be very hands-on, but so far, the letter pieces and chalkboard have mostly been enough for him.

 

He might enjoy the other things, but so far, we're doing okay without them. Just want to reassure parents that an average K kid doesn't necessarily need all these manipulatives - if it's that or BOOKS, I'd go for books. :-)

 

p.s. I deliberately avoided the TG... I believe that for kids of average ability, the only PK and K you should do with them should NOT look like school. I'm sure it's very helpful if there are problems, but if you have to look at a book as you go along or do prep, it's NOT playtime anymore. :-)

Edited February 12, 2012 by Jay3fer

[rocketgirl]

As a kdg teacher to 23, the sticks & workbooks were invaluable, but as a mom to one preschooler we are loving the stamp and see screen the most and the cd. In retrospect I would have done without the sticks set and even without the "workbook". Teacher's Guide? No.

[pitterpatter]

This confuses me. How is a mother who has never taught a child how to write supposed to know how to teach the HWOT way (or any correct way) without the teacher's guide? :confused: I found it invaluable. It also helped me buy into the program...too understand why certain things were important. There's no way I would have just known how to teach the lessons with only the student workbook.

 

As a kdg teacher to 23, the sticks & workbooks were invaluable, but as a mom to one preschooler we are loving the stamp and see screen the most and the cd. In retrospect I would have done without the sticks set and even without the "workbook". Teacher's Guide? No.

[Jay3fer]

>> How is a mother who has never taught a child how to write supposed to know how to teach the HWOT way (or any correct way) without the teacher's guide?

 

Ds4 is my second kid going through the HWOT K workbook and we just have fun with it. Perhaps I have a different approach, but I've found most of the bits self-explanatory. I also believe there is no wrong way if the end result is highly legible, comfortable handwriting.

 

I don't know if I've ever claimed we're doing the HWOT program, as such. Just the books, and whatever of the philosophy I can glean that's helpful. I just don't think average kids need much of a program to learn handwriting.

 

A few things I've absorbed from HWOT without the manuals. :-)))

- Finger, hand, arm, body warmup is important before writing practice, especially for K/1

- Handwriting should be FUN, not scary! Songs and games are a good way to have fun with it.

- Wet, dry, try! (there are videos demonstrating some of the techniques on YouTube)

- Small crayons or chalk stubs are helpful in developing a good grip.

- Scribble practice is valuable practice in pre-writing and early writing.

- Where do we start our letters? At the top! :-)

- Use basic shapes as the "foundation" of many letters: ie frog jumps, magic C's, etc.

- Minimal repetition, not endless drill, but expect quality work from the child

- Reinforce their successes, teach them to self-correct their less-than-perfect letters before I check them.

 

I am now in the 4th book with my daughter (Printing Power?) and she is doing the Hebrew HWOT as well, which is based on the same principles. Ds4 is progressing nicely through Get Set for School and enjoying it.

 

I certainly never claimed to be an expert on the HWOT "system," but it's a big system, that seems to be growing rapidly, and what I am is an expert on my own children... who fortunately don't need the whole shebang to get started early in cultivating decent handwriting habits.

 

If I had a child with special needs, or an only child, especially one who was struggling with writing, I might give this more headspace. But with 4 kids, including 2 late-teens who need tons of attention (you'd think they'd need less, but it doesn't work that way!), I am happy enough that this program seems to work with minimal training and prep. :-)