HWOT What do I need?

[deditus]

I am going to get the mat, wooden letter pieces, letter cards, and workbooks, but do I need any of the paper or the chalkboard?

[elizawill]

i made my own letter pieces with cardstock (pattern is in the book). i have the letter cards, but we rarely used them. we did not buy a chalkboard, but we do have a small dry erase board that my son used a few times. in the beginning, we incorporated the cardstock letter pieces and play-do a lot - but other than that, i'd honestly buy just the book & the paper. i love the HWT pencils too, but you could just use regular pencils and sharpen them down small. i didn't buy the pencils - someone gave us a few, but they really work perfect for a new writer. hth.

[J2]

When you say just buy the book, do you mean just the workbook? Do you really need the teacher's manual?

[kittie313]

Depends on the grade level. For pre-k you NEED the teacher's guide and either buy or make your own wood pieces and mat. For K, I found that the guide, workbook, and chalkboard were enough. Beyond K just the book and guide. Oh, and you'll want lined paper for K and up.

[wolfmom]

we only bought the workbooks. I felt like that was enough. I don't really need to know about all the theory behind children's handwriting. Just them practicing is enough for me! Good luck with your decision - all the manipulatives do look fun!

[lmonter]

I haven't officially started using our HWOT beyond getting it out here and there for the kiddo, but if your child is at all visual and hands-on, the little framed chalkboard will be a hit. I was smart enough to get two, and sure enough, the 6yo and 3yo were fighting over the first one until I got the second one out (and now my 21mo is all up in arms that she doesn't have one).

The paper... you can typically find lined paper at the dollar store or whatever paper goods/office supply store/Walmart you're near. I don't think we got the letter cards, and I did get the teaching guide since I sure as heck don't remember how I learned to write. For me, it's nice having that backup to help explain whatever as need be if I'm at a loss.