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Last year when Big Pea started Kindergarten, she was operating at more of a first grade level.  Reading has certainly always been her forte’ and throughout the year I saw vast improvements in her reading as well as many other areas.  However, her handwriting has been the one area that has suffered and although I thought the school spent ample time on this subject, I quickly learned that this was one area that they focused the least.  In fact, as little as ten minutes a day is spent on the subject and typically no instruction is provided past the third grade!  As you can imagine, this leads to many children struggling in their writing skills, which is why Mead has recently introduced the “Writing Fundamentals” line, in an effort to give children a fun way to practice their writing skills!

About Writing Fundamentals by Mead
Developed in conjunction with a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in handwriting, the line is divided into four stages based on age and developmental skills. It begins with cutting activities, dot-to-dot projects and coloring exercises that begin eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Subsequent products/stages then focus on formal handwriting instruction, including letter formation through tracing and writing practice on paper with raised lines.


We were given the opportunity to review a number of products from Mead’s new Writing Fundamentals line and it has truly been a lifesaver over the summer!  The girls are bored nearly everyday and although we have them in a number of classes and they have far too many toys than I can count, they still get bored.  Beyond that, I feel it’s important for me to continue the skills they have learned during this previous year and it is my hope that I can hone in on these skills and help them to further develop those skills before a new school year begins! Read below to find out what we think about Mead’s new product line for early learners:


Capital Letter Stories –
Features stories themed with letter groupings to help children learn each letter in a fun way. The tablet is arranged in developmental progression to keep the child engaged.  This book teaches capital letters in a fun way by incorporating characters and everyday objects that will allow children to remember the correct way to write their letters and prevent letter reversals.  This has been a fun and engaging workbook for both of my girls and is best suited for children Pre-K to 1st grade!

Path Quest – An innovative workbook with activities to strengthen visual perceptual and visual tracking skills in a storybook adventure format.  This is a fun, colorful and engaging workbook that motivates children to complete tasks.  From searching activities to sequence based activities, this book is ideal for Kindergartners to 2nd grade and includes 40 fun and engaging activity pages!

Snip It – Teaches cutting skills in a developmental appropriate progression.  Offering many cutting activities, this booklet not only allows children to master the use of scissors, it also allows children to create art projects with little mess.  The beginning of the book comes with fun, sticky backed pages that allow children to cut, peel and then color.  As the booklet continues, children will find many different cutting projects on multiple colors of paper.  A wonderful choice for preschool aged children to 2nd grade!

Shape Builders Learn to Draw – Children learn important concepts like sequencing and how to follow directions. Through the activities and practices, drawing and pencil skills are mastered.  This has been a book that Lil’ Pea has really enjoyed and mom really likes because it is allowing her to develop pre-writing schools before she starts pre-school in a few weeks.  The idea is to have children trace the provided lines and shapes, that will eventually lead to them drawing those shapes on their own.  The beginning of the book starts out rather simple with shapes such as lines and circles and progressively gets more challenging with shapes such as fish and snowmen towards the end!  This workbook is best suited for children Pre-K to 1st grade!

Idea Builders – This workbook sparks children’s imagination for beginning creative writing. Promotes proper word alignment on the line and encourages correct sentence structure.  Big Pea loves this book as it gets her little mind moving posing questions such as “What word or words would you use to describe a spider”?  She can then write her thoughts on the provided dotted line areas, practicing her handwriting while engaging her mind at the same time!

Dry Erase Activity Board – This activity board includes three double-sized, activity driven dry erase boards spiral bound together for easy storage. Activities include capital and lower case letter formation, number development, shape formation, simple addition and a draw-and-write space to spark creative writing and illustration.  I think all children adore dry erase boards so this was a winner in our house and one that the girls have used multiple times a day!

BUY IT!
You can purchase the items listed above as well as many other products within Mead’s Writing Fundamentals line by visiting Mead.com.  Additionally, you’ll find the Writing Fundamentals products at mass reatailers nationwide!  Prices range from $1.89 – $7.99.

WIN IT!
Thanks to the kind folks at Mead, one lucky “Deal”ectible Mommies reader will WIN all 6 of the items listed above!  Simply tell me which of the above mentioned products appeals to you or your child the most and your entered to win!

Extra Entries: Please Note that the intial entry must be completed before any extra entries will be counted and you MUST leave separate comments for each extra entry completed!

1. Fan “Deal”ectible Mommies on Facebook

2. Follow “Deal”ectible Mommies on Twitter and tweet the following:

Win 6 NEW Products from Mead’s Early Fundamentals line @dealectiblemom! http://tinyurl.com/2b8p4ks

3. Subscribe to my feed or emails (located on the right hand sidebar).

4. Comment on any non-giveaway post.

5. Grab my button:

6. Follow this blog (GFC located on the right hand sidebar).

The Boring Stuff: Giveaway will end on July 30th at midnight! Winner will be chosen at random.

Disclaimer: Mead provided me with the above mentioned products to facilitate my review.  My thoughts and opinions remain my own!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I love the Idea Builders! It sounds like a great tool for young writers stuck for ideas during creative writing. I’m a 1st grade teacher & I see young writers struggle with creative writing and handwriting. The Idea Builders seems to incorporate both. Double applause for double duty!

    Reply

  3. What a great giveaway! The item that interests me the most is the Dry Erase Activity Board. My daughter will be entering kindergarten in September, and she too is already a reader. She was very eager to start printing very early, and as a result she forms some of her letters incorrectly. I would love to check this product out, or win it!! 🙂 Thanks!

    Reply

  13. We take items we find around the house and make whatever comes to mind. Snip It would be perfect for us.

    Reply

  17. I have fanned you on FB. My little girl knows how to read, but is just starting with writing, and these would come in really handy!

    Reply

  30. I really like the idea builders for my son and the Capital letters activity board for my daughter. I think it’s a fun way for them to stay on top of school work.
    Kas

    Reply

  43. The dry erase board would be really fun! My girl is only 18 months, but since we’re homeschooling this would be really handy in another year or so. Right now we’re just starting to speak in small sentences and counting, so a little while until we get to write.

    Reply

  48. I love the Dry Erase Activity Board. My son is also a good reader but can’t right well if his life depended on it. He would love this!

    Reply

  57. the book that interests me most is the Snip It … my son is 3 and can use scissors but needs to work on actually cutting lines/shapes.

    Reply

  61. this book that most interest me is the Snip It! as my son can use scissors but needs to work on actually cutting shapes/lines.

    Reply

  62. I love the Snip It book, my daughter just left kindergarten and still has not mastered the skill of cutting. This book would help build those skills for her.

    girlygirlugh at gmail dot com

    Reply

  71. My daughter would like the “Snip It” book. She is in preschool and loves using the scissors. It would be nice to have a purpose to use them.

    Reply

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