Writer's Workshop Deconstructed: Part 2

More scoop on the coop:

 

We keep a box of sand letters that we made together in our Writer's Workshop. Forget pricey sandpaper letters -- our method is way cheaper, fast, easy as can be, and fun too!

 

The basic how-to: I write each letter out in glue and Jack sprinkles sand over the top. Then he shakes off the excess (his favorite part) and we let it dry. Yes, it really is that simple. And what a great, tactile, hands-on learning tool!

 

I use these when I am teaching Jack a new letter. I trace over the sand letter with my finger while he watches, and then he traces the letter the same way with his finger. We stick to just one letter until I'm very sure that he has mastered it, and then we move on to the next. We are going through all of the lowercase letters first, and then the capitals. (Except for the first letter of his first name. We did that letter in capital first, to avoid confusion when writing his name.)

I freehand the whole thing, but I am sort of deliberate about where I place the letters on the card. I put the letters on the side of the card that corresponds to the dominant hand (ie. right side for righties, left side for lefties). This encourages kids to hold the card with their non-dominant hand while tracing, a helpful habit.

Let me know if you try making these letters, or have any questions. I think this is one of the best activities for introducing letter-writing to children, and it doesn't even require any writing! Nonetheless, it is sends strong, multi-sensory messages to the brain about how to make each letter.To be an efficient writer, it's just as important to feel the letters as it is to see and hear them.

 

The next stop on the tour is our basket of alphabet stamps. We use these constantly.

 

Not a day goes by without us giving something our stamp of approval.

 

A cubby full of tools-at-the-ready helps a young writer to feel prepared for anything. Glue, string, a stapler, and a hole punch come in handy when we make our little books. (Hmmm... would a future post on little-book-making be of interest to anyone?)

Scissors are indispensable around here (my favorite scissors for little hands, shown here, is the Total Control scissors by Fiskars).

And a manual pencil sharpener is all we need to keep our pencils (and our wits) sharp.

Stay tuned... in the next post we will definitely be getting to the bottom of it (for those of you who haven't flown the coop already). Is everyone still with me?

Comments

[Moira]

Def still with you! Thanks.

[jennymama]

i'm definitely still with you! this is awesome and yes, i'd love a tour on mini book making!

[Patricia]

I am so loving your series on the writing corner! And yes, I would love a post about bookmaking with children!

[rowena]

These are great ideas. I need to file them away, as it's not quite the right time for me to set something like this up, but I love the sand letters idea.

There's nothing more helpful to learning than to switch up the medium a little. We don't get to use out sense of touch in learning much, but I can see that this would really help sense memory in learning letters.

[anne]

These are great posts! What do you use to make the sandpaper letters - meaning, are the cards made out of paper or wood? How simple, but so perfect!

[Lynelle]

I really like the idea of putting a writing center for kids. I am going to have to try it! Where did you get your letter stamps?

I would be interested in seeing your book making! =)

I'll let you know how the sand letters come out!

Thanks

[Sally]

I'm so in love with your writing coop. I have a 2 year old and want to start "playing" with letters and numbers with her!

[Prerna]

I love the stamps- where did you get those from?

[TracyV]

I just found you're site - great ideas! I have a 4 year old and we're working on his fine motor skills and writing. Where did you get the letter stamps and little tongs?

[Laura]

Yay! I am definitely still with you! I love the homemade sandpaper letters. It looks like a wonderfully tactile way for kids to understand letter shapes.

Keep it coming! And by the way, yes I would love to see you do a feature on making little books :)

[Amy]

Love it! Thanks for all the great info!!!

[Yooni]

I love your blog! I have a four-year old who loves all things in letters. She goes to a montessori school and does the sandpaper alphabet there. I will have to make the cards one day with her. It sounds like fun.

[Carey]

Wow! Yes, I can hardly wait for the next post! Keep them coming. I'd love to see how you make the little books too. Thank you!

[exhale. return to center.]

With you and joyfully taking notes!!!

Thank you!!!

[Amanda]

Loving your blog. It has become one of my favorite go-to's on my bookmark menu at the very top.

Thanks for sharing!
Amanda

[amber]

totally looking forward to your next post! i want to start the sand letters right now, but it will probably have to wait until next week.

would you mind sharing where you found the little wooden box you use to hold the sand letters?

we just got our wooden pieces in from handwriting without tears & my girls (9 & 3) are busy with them right now!

i am loving all of your suggestions & the tour of your life! thanks so much for sharing.

[Sylvia]

Hi!

I am a homeschool mom ofa 4 and a 3 years old from Spain and I love your blog!! day by day I found good ideas here.
Thanks for sharing with us!!

I can't wait to learn more about your materials and making books!!

Sylvia

[Kristi]

I was looking to buy some sandpaper letters for my son to work with at home. But this project is perfect! He attends a Montessori School so he is very familiar with these letters. He also loves to play the "knock knock" game with them, by flipping the letters over and then naming the sound. Anyway, Please tell me where you got the letter stamps?

[Mozi Esme's Mommy]

I love this! I've been holding off on the sandpaper letters since I never had the materials, but you've inspired me - tonight we made letters out of glitter glue. So when it dries we'll have textured letters. Not permanent, but it's a start...

[stacy lubke]

I am one of the many who really have enjoyed your blog. I was also wondering where you got the alphabet rubber stamps. All of the ones I have seen do not have good handles such as your shown. Yours look better for handling then just the square blocks I have seen. Thank you!

[Katie]

I'm also interested in the alphabet stamps. Regular stamps are hard to control for my 3 year old. Thanks!

[Roseanna Bogley]

Sand letters are used in the Montessori classroom. They are an introduction to letters. Tracing around objects, first, as a stencil than around the object itself (geometric shapes) give the child practice in controlling small motor skills.
I think your sight is a wonderful inspiration.

[SurvivingByGrace]

Loving your site. I had thought about using glitter and glue to make the sandpaper letters - and I'm glad to find it worked with sand for you! We ended up buying some cheap letters similar to these http://www.opentip.com/Home-Garden/Lowercase-Tactile-Letters-Revision-p-798808.html - they were better than nothing. Thanks for all your hard work - I'll be watching for more!

[Kelly]

I too am wondering where the little box is from that you put these in. Fantastic idea - can't wait to try with my three year old.

[Jennifer]

Hi Kelly! The box is a wooden recipe box -- I found it in the section of the craft store (Michaels) that has the unfinished wood things. But Im sure any recipe box would work well. If you use a recipe box, you can also use index cards instead of cutting cardstock. Please let me know how it goes if you make the letters!

 
Best,
Jen