m0mmaBuck Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 So it came to my attention when DS10 started to receive bday cards written in cursive that I had forgotten to work on that skill with him. OK, to be fair, we did start a little of it last year but he hated it and we have had such a messed up year this year (with him breaking his collar bone and me going back to work and DH teaching 2/5 days now) that it just fell to the wayside. What's a good program? Where do I start? I know he was dinged on his testing last year because we hadn't gotten into it much, so I don't want the same scenario again in June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I wasn't even going to teach cursive, since my kiddo is really good at typing, but then I had the same thoughts about testing, and also wondered what would happen if for some reason I couldn't homeschool all the way through. I bought ZB last year, and we rarely used it, because my child is strange and seemed to believe that he should just be able to write in cursive without needing to learn it. So instead I bought the workbook from HWOT called Cursive Handwriting. Each page shows the strokes, and at least for my son he was able to begin writing without much practice at all, and I don't have to watch him to make sure he is doing it "right" because he can self correct as part of the page. It might not be as detailed as some things but I figure it will allow him to read cursive, and write enough to get by just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsJewelsRae Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I did the same thing with my ds! Last year I bought CLE's cursive workbooks, they are super cheap. I just had him do a page each day and give him assignments that must be in cursive, he also does half his spelling lessons in cursive. He was 9 when we started, and I was kicking myself for putting it off. However, I was happily surprised to find that my boy with super messy printing is fabulous at cursive! He has such nice penmanship, you'd think he'd been doing it a lot longer. I also noticed that shortly after he started cursive his printing has improved considerably, and is quite neat unless he's in a hurry. It's not too late! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We used this: http://www.christianbook.com/handwriting-simplified-learning-writing-level-c/1571102272/pd/570227?item_code=WW&netp_id=221097&event=ESRCG&view=details Cheap, and got the job done! I had them do one page per day until the book was done, and at that point I required cursive for at least one assignment per week to keep their skills up. I'm planning on buying it again for the next dc who needs to learn cursive (next year sometime). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 OK. Thanks! It's good to know I'm not alone. I'll look into those books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morosophe Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Wow, this is like a recurring nightmare I've had. (Interspersed with the ones where I'm the student and have forgotten to take the class until test time, of course.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Wow, this is like a recurring nightmare I've had. (Interspersed with the ones where I'm the student and have forgotten to take the class until test time, of course.) I regularly have dreams where I'm taking calculus and it's the day before the final and I realize I haven't even cracked the book all semester. And then I try to open my locker to get my book out, and realize I can't remember the combination. My Dad says he has dreams like this when he feels stressed about something being unfinished. While I did finish Calculus 1 and 2, I do not remember a thing about it. So, I'm going to re-learn it. I doubt that will make the dreams stop; it'll just change the subject to physics. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Wow, this is like a recurring nightmare I've had. (Interspersed with the ones where I'm the student and have forgotten to take the class until test time, of course.) I have one of those where I'm back in Physical Therapy school because I forgot to do my final research project and thesis. Blech! Seriously, I "thought" I had things under control (within the context of our lives as they are this year) and then BAM! Birthday cards written in cursive throw me into a tailspin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therese Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I'm curious: what testing requires that students be able to write cursive? Will they accept italic cursive? And I'm grateful that we don't have required testing here, because my 15 yo son never really learned cursive. He writes a legible manuscript; IMO, it's more important that the writing be legible than that it be a certain type. For my 15 yo, that means manuscript. FWIW, my older son wrote beautiful cursive when I taught him in second, third and fourth grades. By the time he was in college, his cursive penmanship was nearly illegible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 I'm curious: what testing requires that students be able to write cursive? Will they accept italic cursive?. I can't remember the name of the test. I use a testing service and the test form changed last year. I was surprised when there was a note at the bottom of his assessment noting that he had not yet been instructed in cursive. ETA: I emailed the company and asked them what test they were using this year. I'll let you know when I find out. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I didn't teach my son until he was 10. We started with his name. First, Middle, Last. It covered a good percentage of the alphabet. We moved forward from there with Queens. He loves the book because of the nifty pictures inside. I'm not as keen because I think the cursive is a bit too fancy. Alas.. we can't win them all. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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