Josiah Draws a Soldier

Some children can “draw from a picture in their head”. Josiah may have drawn this soldier by referring to a picture in a book or by looking at a toy. I didn’t ask, but can tell that he looks and remembers, then draws. What a talent! In addition, he has developed the following basic drawing skills:

Scale
Josiah works within the boundaries of the drawing paper. He allows enough headroom for the hat, the length of the body, and the width of the raft.

Proportions
Josiah focuses on the length of the arms and legs. The head fits the size of the body.

Details
Josiah notices the details—fingers, face, buttons, boots.

A Lesson When You Need It

The Unplugged Family Review of Draw Write Now

"Last week, as we were working on our Nature Journals, my daughter became very upset.  She loves to draw, sketch, and add pages to her journal, so it surprised me when all of a sudden she was in tears!  She was trying desperately to draw an owl for our study of birds of prey.  The step-by-step print-out I had placed before her was just causing frustration and a feeling of defeat.  Even after I reassured her that her owl was indeed really good (it was!), and promised to help in any way she needed, she continued to sniff and cry.

Can I tell you how excited my children are that they get to draw FIRST!?

The poor girl is such a tender heart and longs to draw well.  After a few moments of wondering what to do to help - I remembered there was an owl in one of the Draw Write Now books.  I asked her if she would like to try to do the one from Draw Write Now instead and she lit up and stopped crying immediately.

I found the page and she busily went to work.  After about 20 minutes she ran to me beaming from ear to ear.  She had drawn and coloured the owl very successfully and was feeling very content and proud of her work.  So, Draw Write Now saved the morning, and once again, I was reminded of how wonderful this program is for instilling confidence in my young artist.  Thanks so much.   These moments make a homeschooler's day!" See more photos and the review...

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Draw Write Now has been a pure joy in our homeschool.  It is beautiful, gentle, affective, creative, and children actually want to do their 'work'.  We are huge fans!

—Cassandra, The Unplugged Family, http://www.theunplugged.family/

Cassandra (Mom)

"Draw Write Now is not only an engaging copywork and printing program, but also blends joyful art, drawing, mapping, geography and history concepts easily and seamlessly.  These books really present a 'living education' to children. More...

Alex, age 6

"Alex enjoys Draw Write Now far more than I expected.  Being younger, I wasn't sure if this program would be suited to him.  However, he has gravitated to the simplicity of the lessons and is thriving with them.” More...

Audrey, age 8

"Audrey has expressed over and over that this program is her absolute favorite." More...

Simon, age 9

"Simon doesn't usually gravitate towards art.  He also doesn't really enjoy copywork.  So, this program was not one I anticipated him liking.  The funny thing is - he actually really loves Draw Write Now!" More...

Cassandra really outdid herself! She includes lovely photos and beautifully describes how her family is using our books. Topping it all is the kids' work—wonderful! Don’t miss her gorgeous and uplifting blog!

Draw Write Now—Printing Changes

January 26, 2015
Are you thinking of getting the Draw Write Now, Boxed Set from us? For now, be aware that some of the books in the set will look a bit different. 6/15/2015 - NOTE: all books are from the same printer now.

We have a new publisher. Publishers have printing companies that they use and prefer, and our new publisher uses a different printer than our old publisher. The latest reprints of the books have a different look and feel. The quality is excellent, but trim sizes are slightly different and the paper feels a little different. It shows up in the spines, as seen in this photo. Books 2 and 6 are from the new printer. (See update below.)

NOW: All Same Printer!

As of 6/15/2015 the Draw Write Now, Boxed Sets we have in stock include:

• New Printer—Books 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
• Old Printer— all books are from the new printer

Writing Hurts My Hand

Does your child complain of a sore or tired hand while writing? 

I received a nice letter from Erica yesterday. A while back, she'd studied our Writing/Handwriting pages and bought some of the recommended pencils and grips for her son who is in 2nd Grade. Back then, she was concerned, because the boy was saying he hated school. After some discussion, he mentioned that his hand hurt from writing so much. Helping him change his grasp and giving him a different pencil made a huge difference and his attitude towards school dramatically improved.

Rachel, in the photo, is three years-old and developed the tripod grasp naturally on her own. See how she holds her crayon? Beautiful! Not all three year-olds can hold their pencil this way.

At three, a child's fine and gross motor skills are still developing and many children don't have the control  for holding a crayon or pencil in the tripod grasp. Let them draw and don't fret about their grasp—their fine and gross motor skills will develop. Generally, I like to start working with the child on the tripod grasp when they are five or around the time they want to start writing their name.

Erica's seven year-old son is a bright boy and probably had a pencil in hand at a young age, but unlike Rachel, he didn't transition into the tripod grasp. At three years-old, the way he held a pencil served him well, but proved to be a hindrance at the age of seven. 

What helped Erica's son was changing to a soft-lead pencil with a gripper and a little instruction and encouragement from Mom.

Video: Draw & Write Together

Draw Write Now, Books 1-8, lessons for drawing and writing with children.

Video

Draw and write with a child. We create drawing lessons and include writing practice—especially, handwriting practice. This is an introduction to Draw-Write-Now, our eight-book series.

Video: Hold the Pencil

VIDEO

See more handwriting tips.

The way you hold a pencil can be a huge help when drawing or writing. This is a demonstration on how to hold a pencil.

• Learn the benefits of holding the pencil in the tripod grasp or grip.
• Become aware that the base of your hand steadies the tripod as you draw or write.