Sewing practice:

I picked up Cyan a copy of "My First Sewing Machine Book" by Winky Cherry at the Sew Expo back in March.  It has a bunch of things that you are supposed to sew with no thread on your needle.  As we went through and she mastered the needle, and using the presser foot we moved up to more real projects, but every time she needs practice I would copy one of those paper lessons onto card stock and have her 'sew' through it.  These lessons for first handwriting are very similar to what we did for her first sewing machine lessons and I thought I would pass them on. 

Donna Young, Penmanship Starters

Just print onto cardstock and have her follow the directions with her needle.  No thread.

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BTW, this is a great site for just about every kind of paper you could imagine as well. 

Handwriting paper:

Donna Young, Handwriting Paper

 (which BOTH kids are using right now because Alex is in 'public school chicken scratch' mode)

And blank top writing paper:

Donna Young, blank top writing paper with penmanship lines

Or blank top lined paper:

Donna Young, blank top notebook paper (College Ruled)

for those of us who like our children to 'illistrate' their own work.  My kids use these blank topped sheets pretty exclusively for history so far.  I like the idea that they are drawing what they are learning at the same time as they are writing it and reading it, and listening to it.  lol... it seems like a fail proof way of getting as much as possible into their head.

This is something we just started...

Penmanship Lessons for Alex

Penmanship lessons for Cyan

Hope you all are having a great week!