This year marks 25 years of parenting for Paul and I. One of the things I often joke about is that parenting is the only employment I've never managed to conquer. Every time I think I've got it figured out something changes and I'm back at the beginning. I first encountered Joey and Carla Link around twenty years ago in New Zealand while attending the local GEMS (Godly Encouragement for MotherS) group. One of the highlights was borrowing teaching tapes which Carla had recorded (Mom's Notes) and having something to listen to during the intervening days between one meet up and the next. So I was really excited to be gifted Taming the Lecture Bug and Navigating the Rapids of Parenting from Parenting Made Practical.
To Encourage and equip parents to raise obedient, respectful and responsible children in today's world. - Parenting Made Practical
What we received
We were given the following
two video's from their Parent's Night Out serries.
The title of this video jumped at me as I am sanguine by nature and hate confrontation so I end up nagging and lecturing my children. As Carla said "We lecture because we don't know what else to do."
It was so refreshing to be reminded that I am my child's parent and that by handing out grace all * of * the * time I was addressing symptoms rather that working on the heart of the issue at hand. Root issues are tied to character, and most of these issues are tied to lack of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Joey and Carla take the time to explain how we can train our children to use their strengths for good and equip them with ways to overcome their weaknesses.
One of the foundational principles being to ask the right questions because asking questions helps our children to learn to think in the right way so that they will start going in the right direction.
My favourite reminder was "Parents are often focused on correcting their kid's behaviour when they need to be more concerned with the why their kids acted inappropriately rather than "what" they did."
Is there anything I would like to change: I really would appreciate having a pdf of the notes for the evening. Especially the questions. The questions are thought provoking and empowering for me the parent of a tween/teen.
Over All I thought ...
I appreciated the encouragement to "Keep asking questions that will help my child to think at a deeper level in order to help him deal with the issues that he does not want to deal with."
I appreciated the practical and empowering advice given in this video class. I liked that their was no condemnation and that Joey and Carla offered practical hands on ideas that I could use to create my own personalised parenting plan. The class was thought provoking and encouraging.
I would like to thank Parenting Made Practical for gifting me this video class.
I invite you to take some photo's of your children's artistic pursuits
put them in a post and link up with me I would love to come over and see
the wonderful art your children have enjoyed doing.
Blessings
Chareen
Connect with me
Your hosts are
Add YOUR LINKS from your BLOG or INSTAGRAM
Please NOTE by adding your links to the Virtual Fridge link up YOU are giving the hosts of the Virtual Fridge link up permission to use a photograph from your blog to feature
Cursive is a dying art. One which in our home school all my students had to learn. There are many schools of thought on learning to write in cursive and upon researching the topic further I discovered that there are many benefits to learning to write cursive as well as regularly practising it via copy work (including reversing Alzheimer's Disease).
"For centuries, cursive handwriting has been an art. To a growing number of young people, it is a mystery." - Kate Zezima The Case for Cursive, New York Times.
CursiveLogic started because one student wanted to learn to write cursive in order to sign his name. (Watch on YouTube). Linda believes that teaching / learning to write cursive does not need to be a difficult process. Her special needs adult student learned to write the complete lower case alphabet in 45 minutes using the CursiveLogic method.
6 month access to the 48 Min CursiveLogic Online Seminar - Presented by Linda Shrewsbury. This video seminar is clear and concise and will equip you with practical insights in how to teach your students and equip them for success. Linda gives you many tips and tricks to maximise your success as a teacher while giving you the why behind her suggestions and the method used to teach CursiveLogic.
The Art of Cursive This book is aimed at older students wanting to learn cursive.
How we used it CursiveLogic
I started by listening to Linda's 48 min online seminar. This was a great help to me as I gained a better understanding of her method and some great ideas on presentation when teaching Nathaniel.
The two key features of CursiveLogic is that letters are grouped by shape and secondly connected by letter strings. The 26 letters in the lower case cursive alphabet are divided into one of four letter shape categories (strings). Each category is colour coded and each is taught in a single lesson. Letters are not taught in singular disconnected letters.
The first shape that the student learns is called orange oval. Six letters share the same shape.
The student practises the main shape of over, back trace before connecting them and forming the letters. For example over back trace "A", over back trace "C", over back trace "D", over back trace "G", over back trace "Q", and over back trace "O"...
Along with the hand movement the students have a little rhyme to help them remember how to form the letter in the string. For example in the orange string they say: "Over, back-trace (letter name)".
CursiveLogic uses colours to code each letter string. These are themed. (Visual)
Specific catch phrasing (verbal description of manual task) (Auditory)
Write the string (Kinesthetic)
Lower case lessons are printed on one side of the page. (Navy Blue Corner )
Once you have completed the lower case pages (2-56) flip the book to the mauve corner numbered pages for the upper case lessons.
Throughout the book are light blue sticky note containing important teaching points about the letter or letter string they student is working on.
The first lesson is the longest as there are a few things that need to be taught (such as page and pen positions as well). The last three strings are easier as the student is familiar with the process. Lessons average at around 15 min slots.
CursiveLogic works on reinforcing knowledge. Each time the student learns a new letter string these are combined with letters already learned to form new practise words. So through reinforcement and new keep learning moving forward. You can read more on how CursiveLogic works here.
We have not used cursive for the last year so I took Nathaniel back to the begining. I gave him a dark grey pencil so he could clearly see what he was writing. It has been so good to see him learn without effort.
The lessons are divided into four days. There are ten lessons all
together. Four to learn lower case and six to learn capital letters.
Capital lessons are shorter. Each day the student first practise the lower case A to Z. Learn the capital letter string and then progress over four days from proper names to writing short sentences.
Upon completing the lessons the work book contains 14 extra pages containing quotes by famous people such as: Winston Churchill, Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin.
Should your student require more practise there is a dry erase page in the back of the book containing the letter strings with a practise area for each string.
The ART of Cursive
The ART of Cursive has been designed for the older student in mind. It combines two ideas into one. CursiveLogic and a relaxing adult colouring book in one.
The cursive lessons are divided into four brief lessons which are targeted at the adult learner. These lessons follow the same letter string lessons and method found in the student CursiveLogic book.
The lessons cover a double page spread. Upon completing the lessons there are beautiful pictures to colour in which reinforce the cursive you have already learned. The back of each picture contains a practise quote for you to write out in guide lines. Below this there are blank lines for you to copy the quote.
There are 27 beautifully illustrated images to colour. Each image follows a theme and contains a quote.
The book is beautifully bound for ease of removing the illustrations should you want to. This enables easier colouring in of the images. The pages are made of thicker paper to accommodate using markers and fountain pens.
For the Parent
Using the CursiveLogic method students can master cursive in ten weeks.
CursiveLogic has been set up in 10 lessons. Each lessons is designed to take one week with elementary age students. Depending on the student lessons can be taught over one day or over several days depending on the development of the student.
The book is bound along the top to help the book lay flat and for ease of writing no matter whether you are left or right handed the binding will not get in the way.
The paper in the book is a thicker paper making writing easier.
Recommended Age Range
Target age is 8 years old. This system works well with many ages including adults and students with special learning needs.
Connect with CursiveLogic Over All I thought ...
I am very impressed with the improvements made to the book since it's initial launch two years ago. Once Nathaniel has completed learning the capital letters I will be using the suggestions in reinforcing his learning with writing out copy work in cursive each week. I like the simplicity of the layout and the quality of the book.
CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack is worth purchasing if you are teaching your students to write in cursive. Linda empowers you with her knowledge and insights in the seminar and the book is easy to use and work through with your students.
The Art of Cursive book is gorgeous and I look forward to working my way through the pages over the year ahead. If you have an upper high school student who likes to colour and needs to learn cursive this is the book for you.
