HWOT pre-K book

[amyinva]

Is this worth getting, or should I just go with the Letters and Numbers for Me book? If I do get the pre-K student book, should I also get the teacher book? This child will be 4 when I use it, but has pretty good fine motor skills already at 3 1/2.

 

Thank you,

Amy

[Doodle]

I started with Letters and Number For Me with my 4 year old. He was already starting to write letters on his own. I only got the workbook. He really likes it.

[southmetromom]

...I am not familiar with the book you mentioned, but we started at 4 with L&NFM. Before that I had some wipe-off books that helped with connecting dots and making curves, etc.

 

HTH,

 

Sandy

[swellmomma]

I started with the pre-k book, in fact ds is 5.5 and still using it. However, he is delayed in his fine motor skill and has only started colouring in the last 2 months, so letter formation was not happening. If he is already forming letters and numbers I would skip it, but if he has any delays I would use it. I did buy the teacher's guide for both the pre-K and K books (I ordered both levels at the same time), the pre-K one has lots of information on teaching writing, what pitfalls to avoid, fine motor skill builders, readiness builders etc. It has been helpful for getting him ready to actually begin printing. I have not looked through the K level book yet to see how it is.

[runamuk]

I bought the pre-K book for my son at age 4. He could recognize some letters but wasn't writing yet (he had very good fine motor skills). I had the teacher's book for this; it has some good tips, but you could easily use the student book without it.

 

The preK book has the child drawing shapes and tracing a variety of lines, which prep them for writing letters and numbers. This really helped my son get a feel for having the crayon/pencil in his hand and for making straight lines and curves without the frustration of having to make it look like something right away.

[LynnG in Arizona]

I just started the HWT Pre-K program with my 3 yo daughter (born Oct. 2005). I have been extremely happy with it so far.

 

To answer your question, I would definitely go ahead and get the teacher's manual. It is absolutely worth its modest cost, imo. In fact, I would recommend that you buy:

 

~the wooden pieces

~the CD (get both CDs if you afford it - if not, get the Get Me Ready Pre-K CD)

~the teacher's manual

~the student workbook

~the blue mat used with the wooden pieces

 

If your budget can stretch a bit more, I would recommend adding in the Roll Letters (like play dough) and the Stamp Letters set.

 

By the way, the back of the HWT Pre-K teacher's manual has a very gentle "schedule" for doing their Pre-K program. It's been helpful to me to force me to actually use the various aspects of the teacher's manual, which is truly a gold mine of information. We are going very slowwwwly with this program ;), but my daughter is thrilled.

 

My dd is having fun and is quite proud of the fact that she now does "schools". And I am quite proud of the fact that she has already mastered a perfect pencil grip . . . something I never could do with her older two sisters. I love this program, can you tell? :)

[MommyJo]

We have both the PreK and K teachers books and workbooks. We have also purchased the stamp & see and roll a dough. I actually have extensive experience in the special education field. Although I realize your son isn't delayed, this would really be a more well rounded experience for him. With the Roll a Dough and Stamp & See, it gives them multisensory approaches and when there is a multisensory approach, they are more likely to retain the information. I suggest getting what you can afford, if you can afford all the extras they are well worth their money. On rainbowresource, you can get a really good deal usually and check on the homeschoolclassifieds they have a lot as well. I have always looked into things used before purchasing new and I have found ALL the HWT for Prek and K for less than $30 with over half of the stuff being brand new to barely used. I am also using the extra sensory materials for my K student as well as the cd's for both, he has sensory integration and his body needs the extra sensory activities. Even if your child is completely on level with everything or even above level, it makes the handwriting more fun and more interactive. Instead of just sitting there doing busywork they can get a well rounded experience. I think the greatest thing about homeschooling is having the ability to get a more fun and interactive education. I like my children to do things they NEVER would have gotten in ps and in turn we cut out some of the not so fun, not much needed extra busywork. We still do workbooks, etc. but we try to do more hands on learning and I have found my children thrive and beg for more! Good Luck and if you have any more questions, let me know.