Review/Giveaway: Penmanship with Bogart Family Resources

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I’m one of those parents who decided early on I don’t have strong opinions on handwriting.  If my child writes legibly, I’m happy…  I don’t care if it is in cursive, italic, or whatever fancy name is the popular method of the day – I just want to be able to read it.

That being said, I’ve gradually become a fan of copywork – not so much for the handwriting practice as for the exposure to proper spelling, grammar, and the content of the original work.  I’ve memorized a lot of scripture by copying it as a child.

So we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to review several of the penmanship resources offered by Bogart Family Resources.  These copywork books are priced from $2.95 to $4.95.

They offer several levels of copywork, with different styles in each level.  (Personally, we’re sticking with traditional Zaner-Bloser, since that is the most prevalent in all the workbooks we own and most familiar to me as a mom.)  If you have no idea which style you want to introduce to your child, you’ll be interested in their free download, What About Penmanship?, a 109-page guide for parents.  No strings attached, this e-book will help you make penmanship choices for your family and includes free copywork pages.

If you sign up for their mailing list, you’ll receive a $5 coupon that you can use to receive any of the Bogart Family Resources’ copywork titles for free.  They send out exclusive, free copywork lessons to their members, deep members-only discounts on new titles, and other great savings.
For our review, we chose

• Copywork for Curriculum:  Copying the Basics – ZB 1-A.  This set includes the ABCs, books of the Bible, numbers, Roman numerals, days, and months, as well as a section the parent fills in with personal information.  A great beginner product.
• Copying the Classics:  The Tale of Peter Rabbit – ZB 1-A.  A 70-page set from the classic text, broken into 30 lessons, including two Bible verses.  Classic illustrations are also included, with room for personal artwork on some of the pages.
• Copying the Hymns:  All Things Bright and Beautiful – ZB 1-A.  A 52-page set of 15 lessons.  My personal favorite of the three, as I really enjoy introducing Esmé to the beautiful words of this song.

What We Liked:

• The large line spacing (5/8”) and line-by-line copywork of the 1-A level.  This is Esmé’s first extensive experience of copying (rather than tracing) text.  She uses all of that space.  And by having her copy each line directly underneath the original line, she’s better able to match up size and spacing of letters and words.
• The instructions on how to use the work, as well as the Christian emphasis in the “Why Copywork?” section found at the end of each product.
• The illustrations scattered throughout the copywork – these really add a degree of interest and attention for my daughter.
• The variety of products offered.  Not only is there a selection of classics, hymns, and poems to choose from, there are also several levels and four different styles (Zaner-Bloser, D’Nealian, Handwriting Without Tears, Getty-Dubay Italic).

What We Didn’t Like:

• Got nothing for you.  This product delivers exactly what you’d expect it to, with a few extras thrown in.

To Enter to Win one copywork book (efile) of your choice:

• Comment on this post with the name of the copybook you’d like to win.  See Bogart Family Resources for the complete list.
• If you’re a follower or subscriber, leave a second comment for a second entry

And a few extra entries available for you on this one (leave a comment for each one):

• Like Bogart Family Resources on facebook
• Follow Bogart Family Resources on twitter

Winner will be randomly chosen after May 13 and contacted via email.

Thanks to Bogart Family Resources for the review and giveaway copies of this product, and to MamaBuzz for coordinating the review.