Reading Over the Summer is Important but Let's Not Forget About Handwriting! - Mead Writing Fundamentals for Pre-K to 2nd Grade Review and Giveaway




These last few weeks I have been focusing a lot on the importance of reading to your children. The truth is all though reading is important it is only 50% of literacy. The 50% being writing. Children start learning about writing and its importance in preschool.

I know from first hand experience with my oldest that writing can be a huge struggle for some children. My seven year old, Oscar, will be going into the second grade in the fall and handwriting has been a huge issue for him since he was in kindergarten. He never felt that the could keep up with the pace of the rest of his class and it became increasingly difficult for him as what was expected of him in the classroom became more demanding. They simply didn't have enough time in class to focus on improving handwriting skills.

It was heartbreaking for me to see him so upset and frustrated each night as he did his homework. At every teacher's conference the advice was always the same - focus on handwriting. This summer I was even looking into a pediatric occupational therapy handwriting class for him because I don't wish to see him struggle again in the second grade. The class unfortunately didn't work with our schedule but luckily for me that very same day I was asked to review Writing Fundamentals by Mead, I was so excited!!



Mead Writing Fundamentals products are designed using proven techniques that develop and strengthen fine motor and writing skills. They are designed for learners from Pre-K to 2nd Grade and developed in conjunction with advice from a pediatric occupational therapist whose specialty is handwriting. The products are divided into four stages so that parents can easily determine which products suit the stage that fits their child's needs best. Each stage progressively builds upon one another as the child masters the skills for writing success. Mead worked on this

We received several products to start writing with. I chose a smattering of all the stages because not only do I want to help Oscar but my five year old, Benji, is Pre-K and I want to get an early start with him so that he can hopefully avoid going through the same frustrations as Oscar. The boys both loved sitting together and working on the books. Not only are they challenging but fun too. There was a variety of tablets as well as a couple dry erase products too.




What We Reviewed


Stage One
  • Path Quest - Perceptual Motor Adventures
  • Shape Builders - Learn to Draw
  • Dry Erase Activity Board - Stages 1, 2 and 3
Stage Two
  • 4-in-1 Learn to Letter with Guidelines
  • Write -On Wipe-off Lowercase Letters
Stage Three
  • Idea Builders - First Steps to Creative Writing




My favorite of all the products that we reviewed for Oscar was the Idea Builders. Creative writing is something that we worked on each week for homework and the creativity never seemed to flow to him. I love that each page has a new theme and requires him to reflect on the question asked and then write his answers on the lines. Plus, he is working on his reading and comprehension skills as well because he really has to think about what he read and what the instructions are asking him to do.



My favorite for Benji so far was Shape Builders. Benji loved working on this one! I loved that it required him to pay attention to the sequence of steps to complete the drawing. It took some understanding on his part to realize what exactly the arrows wanted him to do but eventually it clicked. He still has some trouble with following the directions in order but its something that we can work on together.



One item that I thought was brilliant was the 4-in-1 Learn to Letter. It is broken down into four sections that build on each other as skills progress. What I thought was so cool is that the pages have debossed capital and lowercase letters with numbered steps. Kids can see and feel where the grooves are for correct alignment when printing. I thought that this was a great one for Benji to try out for learning capital letters and also for Oscar to learn how to print lowercase more clearly. Benji tried to attempt the uppercase letters page but got really frustrated quickly. He still has trouble understanding where the arrows want him to go. He did think that the debossed paper was really neat because he could feel the letters. We definitely need a bit more practice with this one before he starts Kindergarten in the fall. II am glad that the Mead Writing Fundamentals help me as a parent to gauge where Benji is at in regards to his writing skills. I feel so much more ahead of the game with Benji at this age than I did with Oscar.


Buy It!

Mead Writing Fundamentals is available online at Mead.com, as well as nationwide at Target, Walmart and Staples. Prices for each product range in price from $3.99-$6.99.


Win It!

One lucky Pretty Pink Momma reader will win a Mead Writing Fundamentals prize package - ARV $28-$49

Winners will receive 5-7 products of their choice from the following list:
  • Path Quest
  • Snip It
  • Shape Builders Learn to Draw
  • Dry Erase Activity Board
  • Capital Letter Stories
  • Write-On, Wipe-Off Lowercase Letters
  • 4-in-1 Learn to Letter
  • Idea Builders
  • Primary Journal
  • Write-on, Wipe-off Cursive Letters

How to Enter: Giveaway is now closed. Visit the product page at www.meadonline.com and the product detail sheet at http://bit.ly/writingfundamentals and leave a comment on this post explaining what product/products you like best and why. Giveaway open to US only.

Congratulations to Emily B.!



Winner must not have won a Writing Fundamentals prize pack within the last 60 days

Get Extra Entries! Remember to leave a comment for each extra entry

  • Get THREE Extra entries for blogging about Mead's Writing Fundamentals and linking back to this post. Leave your post url in one of your three comments
  • Get FIVE Extra entries for becoming a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead, leave five comments.
  • Get FIVE Extra entries for posting about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall. Put this in your wall post: "I'm trying to win Mead's Writing Fundamentals products from Pretty Pink Momma http://is.gd/dSLLB"
  • Get TWO Extra entries for following Pretty Pink Momma with Google Friend Connect, if you all ready follow just put that in one of your two comments
  • Get FIVE Extra entries if you Subscribe Via Email to Pretty Pink Momma posts, leave five comments - you must activate your email subscription for these entries to count.
  • Get THREE Extra entries if you Follow PrettyPinkMomma and MeadEarlyLearn on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave the tweet url in one of your three comments. Please copy and paste this into your tweet:
#Win $28-$49 of @MeadEarlyLearn #WritingFundamentals products from @PrettyPinkMomma! #giveaway ends 8/6 #schoolsupplies http://is.gd/dSLLB

  • Get ONE extra entry per hour for tweeting, - leave the tweet url in your comment for each extra tweet
  • Get FIVE Extra entries if you Stumble this post, leave five comments


Good Luck to all that enter! This giveaway is open until Friday August 6th. One winner will be chosen using the Truly Random Number Generator widget located in the footer. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.








Kimberly
*I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For product reviews I am only compensated in product for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*

Comments

Nichole said…
Kim,
While I was at your house looking at these with you I loved them! As a second grade teacher I know the importance of handwriting. After doing a lot of research on the subject I have found that the muscles in kids hands often aren't developed enough to actually make the movement. A suggestion I think you should try with Oscar is having him roll things like play dough, clay, marbles, etc. using his fingers to strenghten his muscles and help define his small motor skills (this will also help Benji). I really like the Mead products because they don't just focus on letters! I love the Shape Builder booklet because if you have the kids practice different sized shapes then writing the letters will come. Another thing I found during my research was the importance of formation. Often times kids weren't taught how to form a letter correctly so it takes a long time for them to write each letter. If you want I can e-mail you some of the things I have on teaching formation. OH, I also like the creative writing workbook because it will help him when learning the different parts of speech and how to use them. It will also help him when doing descriptive writing!
Emily B. said…
I like the Stage 1 and Stage 2 (Letter Formation) products. I have three daughters ages 1, 2, and 3. I am currently working with the 2 and 3 year olds learning letter sounds using good old fashioned phonics. My daughters are familiar with the letters of the alphabet and attempt to write these letters. The Mead "Learn to Letter" guides look great for assisting young children with letter formation. I taught junior high science for nine years, so working with my pre-K age children has been a learning experience for me. I'm not as familiar with all the tips and tricks of working with young children (for instance children should draw a circle from the left). Having been in the teaching world, at least I do have friends who were elementary teachers who are helping me along. Glad to find some new products to look into for my kids. Thanks.

sweepworm@gmail.com
Blogworm said…
#1 - I am a Facebook fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead.
Blogworm said…
#2 - I am a Facebook fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead.
Blogworm said…
#3 - I am a Facebook fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead.
Blogworm said…
#4 - I am a Facebook fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead.
Blogworm said…
#5 - I am a Facebook fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead.
Blogworm said…
#1 - I posted on Mead's Facebook wall. (Em Bez)
Blogworm said…
#2 - I posted on Mead's Facebook wall. (Em Bez)
Blogworm said…
#3 - I posted on Mead's Facebook wall. (Em Bez)
Blogworm said…
#4 - I posted on Mead's Facebook wall. (Em Bez)
Blogworm said…
#5 - I posted on Mead's Facebook wall. (Em Bez)
Blogworm said…
#1 -I follow PrettyPinkMama and MeadEarlyLearn on Twitter, and I tweeted about this giveaway. (@wormtwit)

http://twitter.com/wormtwit/statuses/20062216773
Blogworm said…
#2 - I follow PrettyPinkMama and MeadEarlyLearn on Twitter, and I tweeted about this giveaway. (@wormtwit)

http://twitter.com/wormtwit/statuses/20062216773
Blogworm said…
#3 -I follow PrettyPinkMama and MeadEarlyLearn on Twitter, and I tweeted about this giveaway. (@wormtwit)

http://twitter.com/wormtwit/statuses/20062216773
Stephanie said…
Snip It because it teaches fine motor skills
tvollowitz at aol dot com
Mamushi Love said…
I like the Primary Journal. I think it greatly encourages creativity skills in both writing and art.
Great stuff as a teacher I like the primary journal since it encourages writting.
Diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com
April said…
I love the embossed shaping in the Learn to Letter books
April said…
I am a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Mama and Mead ~ Entry #1
April said…
I am a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Mama and Mead ~ Entry #2
April said…
I am a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Mama and Mead ~ Entry #3
April said…
I am a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Mama and Mead ~ Entry #4
April said…
I am a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Mama and Mead ~ Entry #5
April said…
I posted about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall ~ Entry #1
April said…
I posted about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall ~ Entry #2
April said…
I posted about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall ~ Entry #3
April said…
I posted about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall ~ Entry #4
April said…
I posted about this giveaway on Mead's Facebook wall ~ Entry #5
April said…
I am following Pretty Pink Momma with Google Friend Connect ~ Entry #1
April said…
I am following Pretty Pink Momma with Google Friend Connect ~ entry #2
Heather S said…
I like the connect with color for my daughter. She's in preschool and I think it would be the most beneficial for her

hmahan_0529 @yahoo dot com
sweepmom said…
I really like the Shape Builders Learn to Draw. My son tends to draw mostly stick figures because he is most confident doing so. I would love for him to have this and learn to incorporate other shapes in his drawings.
mogrill said…
Snip it Sounds like a great product. It helps teach motor skills, and this is an issue for my daughter.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
Denise S. said…
I like the Write-on, Wipe-off Cursive Letters because I have a daughter that will be learning that this year.
Denise S. said…
GFC follower #2
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
AEKZ2 said…
I like the Dry Erase Activity Board - Stages 1, 2 and 3, because you can use it over and over and you're not wasting paper. My 4-year-old daughter would really benefit from this.
Unknown said…
I like the Snip-It best. We think our daughter might be a leftie so she'll need all the cutting practice she can get.
Unknown said…
follow both and tweeted http://twitter.com/hcwpw/status/20301758959
Unknown said…
follow both and tweeted http://twitter.com/hcwpw/status/20301758959 2
Unknown said…
follow both and tweeted http://twitter.com/hcwpw/status/20301758959 3
Anonymous said…
I like the connect with color for my son who's in preschool. Thanks!
renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Renski P is a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead. # 1

renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Renski P is a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead. # 2

renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Renski P is a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead. # 3

renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Renski P is a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead. # 4

renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Renski P is a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead. # 5

renski17@fortaj.com
Anonymous said…
Facebook post - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000748840479&v=wall&story_fbid=121394297909070

#1
Anonymous said…
Facebook post - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000748840479&v=wall&story_fbid=121394297909070

#2
Anonymous said…
Facebook post - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000748840479&v=wall&story_fbid=121394297909070

#3
Anonymous said…
Facebook post - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000748840479&v=wall&story_fbid=121394297909070

#4
Anonymous said…
Facebook post - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000748840479&v=wall&story_fbid=121394297909070

#5
loni broesch said…
I would love to have the Learn to Letter for my niece who is learning how to write!

trippyjanet at hotmail dot com
Steph said…
I like the Lowercase Letter Stories because I am trying to get my youngest out of writing in all capitals. I also like the ColorBound because my son has a tendency to color way out of the lines. Third I liked Connect With Color because not only does it work on handwriting skills but it also is alot of fun!
Steph said…
Posted on Meads Wall #1

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=96958028188&share_id=140352145998520&comments=1#s140352145998520
Steph said…
Posted on Meads Wall #2

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=96958028188&share_id=140352145998520&comments=1#s140352145998520
Steph said…
Posted on Meads Wall #3

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=96958028188&share_id=140352145998520&comments=1#s140352145998520
Steph said…
Posted on Meads Wall #4

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=96958028188&share_id=140352145998520&comments=1#s140352145998520
Steph said…
Posted on Meads Wall #5

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=96958028188&share_id=140352145998520&comments=1#s140352145998520
Steph said…
Follow you both and tweeted (mnsteph) #1

http://twitter.com/mnsteph/status/20400487155
Steph said…
Follow you both and tweeted (mnsteph) #2

http://twitter.com/mnsteph/status/20400487155
Steph said…
Follow you both and tweeted (mnsteph) #3

http://twitter.com/mnsteph/status/20400487155
Love the Toy Story 3 Wall Calendar! Been wanting a calendar for my son's room. We've been starting to learn writing, so this set would be great for him. He's getting so enthusiastic about learning that it's fun to add new things like this to our daily routine!
themommyspot@gmail.com
Louis H said…
I really like the Dry Erase Activity Board because it's reusable and therefore ecofriendly
Louis H said…
2
I like you both on FaceBook (Louis Here) :)
Louis H said…
3
I like you both on FaceBook (Louis Here) :)
Louis H said…
4
I like you both on FaceBook (Louis Here) :)
Louis H said…
5
I like you both on FaceBook (Louis Here) :)
Louis H said…
Following publicly as Louis on Google Friends Connect
Louis H said…
2
I subscribed to your feed via mail (same as in my profile / this post)
Louis H said…
following you both on twitter at rosidentevil
http://twitter.com/rosidentevil/status/20410786214
Louis H said…
2
following you both on twitter at rosidentevil
http://twitter.com/rosidentevil/status/20410786214
Louis H said…
3
following you both on twitter at rosidentevil
http://twitter.com/rosidentevil/status/20410786214
Anonymous said…
I am a teacher and I love the letter formation products!
lexigurl_17 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Anonymous said…
GFC follower #1
lexigurl_17 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Anonymous said…
GFC follower #2
lexigurl_17 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Steph said…
Daily Tweet

http://twitter.com/mnsteph/status/20458602024
LeeAnn P. said…
I like the Write-On, Wipe-Off
Cursive Letters stage 4. My son is ready to move on to learning cursive writing and he loves his whiteboard for math, so I think he would enjoy this..
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
Posted to Mead's facebook wall! (#1)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
Posted to Mead's facebook wall! (#2)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
Posted to Mead's facebook wall! (#3)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
Posted to Mead's facebook wall! (#4)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
Posted to Mead's facebook wall! (#5)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
I became a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead (#1)
LeeAnn P. said…
I became a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead (#2)
LeeAnn P. said…
I became a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead (#3)
LeeAnn P. said…
I became a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead (#4)
LeeAnn P. said…
I became a Facebook Fan of Pretty Pink Momma and Mead (#5)
LeeAnn P. said…
following both as @murphykatt and tweeted here:
http://twitter.com/murphykatt/status/20485153388
LeeAnn P. said…
following both as @murphykatt and tweeted here:
http://twitter.com/murphykatt/status/20485153388
(#2)
LeeAnn P. said…
following both as @murphykatt and tweeted here:
http://twitter.com/murphykatt/status/20485153388
(#3)
LeeAnn P. said…
I became an email subscriber (1)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
I became an email subscriber (2)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
I became an email subscriber (3)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
I became an email subscriber (4)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
LeeAnn P. said…
I became an email subscriber (5)
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
susansmoaks said…
i love the shape builders learn to draw because our daughter would really benefit from it
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
tina reynolds said…
I would love to try Snip It,, and
Write-On, Wipe-Off Lowercase Letters
4-in-1 Learn to Letter
I think they would help my son the most eaglesforjack@gmail.com
cman said…
Write-on, Wipe-off Cursive Letters since my older daughter is learning cursive.