Mat Man Gets Us Ready For School

Say hello to "Mat Man." As we've been getting ready for the new school year, I introduced the kids to this awkward, but lovable, character made up by a blue mat and wooden pieces that will also be used to teach letter formations. "Mat Man has two eyes, two eyes, two eyes, Mat Man has ...." well, I've gone to sleep at night with that catchy little tune running through my head!

This year, we will be using Handwriting Without Tears. I say "we" because Samuel will be able to work with his beloved younger brother, "Baby U." This is a new program for our family. Its use is inspired, in part, because it was developed by an occupational therapist who has been able to anticipate the needs of a child who requires help with fine motor skills.

Our local school system uses an italics system that's supposed to lead more easily into cursive in the older grades. But a "ball and stick" system is much easier to master. I also love the way HWT incorporates letter recognition, the relationship of body parts, and the opportunity to use touch, sound, play and visual skills to learn letter formations.

Yes, Samuel is already reading, so letter recognition is no big issue for him, but an occupational therapist recommended that we not jump part way into this program, so we're covering the preschool materials, although I will likely move rapidly.

Visiting the website will give you the best overview of this program. Keep in mind, that many of the materials can be improvised at home -- we bought some craft foam and smiley face stickers for the blue mats. Any chalk will do as long as its broken into small pieces (which makes the child hold it correctly). Play dough is likely better than what comes with the program (what I saw was rather stiff and crumbly). A friend cut the letter pieces out of cardboard when she used the program with her kids. (With two boys we went for the wood pieces!)

I do like the HWT music CD, as do the boys! And the teacher and student books are essential. And we ordered the small slates when something I bought at a local craft store fell apart immediately. I also bought one of those magazine organizers to hold the various odds and ends.

On to a great school year. Long live Mat Man!