HWT questions abt teachers guide nd others--please help

[diamond]

I'm considering starting the HWT curriculum for my 3.5 yr old daughter. I read several threads on here which was very helpful but I have a few questions--

My daughter is 3.5 yrs so do I need to get a kindly teachers orange guide which is 7.75$ or the PreK teachers readiness guide which is 19.95$. There is a huge difference in price of teachers guides and Im not sure if the extra price for preschool guide is worth it? has anyone used both? Any teachers who used to teach this? Which one would you recommend for my 3.5 yr old? FYI. I have no basic idea of Hwt yet except how tools work I guess.

Here is what I am thinking of getting

Chalkboard-- got at acmoore with 50% coupon for 60c
Chalk use what I have small pieces
Sponge. Make myself
Teachers guide-- need input on that
PreK workbook--7.75
Rock tap learn cd--13.75-- my dd is great with music nd this is a great tool I think for her
Tray for roll a dough letters--4.75-- plan to make alphabet cards myself?
Wood pieces--plan to make myself

My question I will have these manipulatives for her--
Wood pieces
Chalkboard
Roll dough

Do I also need stamp and see screen? Won't it be too much to manage?

Also I have a scotch laminator which I've never used but a good time to use now. But it only laminates 9 inches wide. Do you think this laminator can handle making letter cards nd wood pieces? What size laminating pouches do I have to order to make these? Ty for inputs

[acmom]

I taught HWT in both preschool (both 3's and 4's class) and in K. Unless your DC is already writing uppercase letters with correct formation, I would go with the preK guide so you can start the program at the beginning with prewriting skills and uppercase letters.

I did use the stamp and see screens a lot in my classroom, so if you have the budget, I would recommend them. You can easily get away with making your own playdoh and breaking big chalk and crayons into smaller pieces (the smaller size promotes a better grip).

And I think the CD is a great addition, especially if your DC is into music!

[JTsMom]

I have not used the preschool book, but have used the K book- I would definitely not get the K one. Again, I haven't seen it, but I would go for the preschool one, unless someone here says it's truly not necessary, which I can't imagine.

I made all of the stuff you're considering making. For the letter pieces and cards, I would buy the 8.5x11 pouches. For the Roll a Dough stuff, I bought a 5x7 picture frame at Dollar Tree to use as a frame. I used index cards to write the letters on.

[diamond]

Ty for the inputs, I will go with PreK teachers guide then. I will add the stamp nd see screen as well. Just have few more questions--

1. Since the chalkboards are cheap would it be nice t get one more at 60c for me to have to do show her simultaneously? Or it doesn't matter?

2. For roll a dough, Lori if I undstand correctly you got the 5/7 picture frame instead of the tray which they sell for 4.75$ correct? Can I use normal playdoh for this activity? I have tons of it at home. Did you laminate the index cards for roll a dough? Probably yes, if not dough would stick to it correct? Did you use 5/7 size index cards to insert in picture frame?

3. For the wooden letter pieces knockoffs, I read that you can trace from teachers guide and copy, does the PreK teachers guide have them at the back too? Can anyone confirm please. Also do you laminate several pieces in one big pouch and then cut out individually or laminate each piece separately. Sorry for asking so many questions, I have never laminated earlier and I am trying to figure out how to do it all.

[JTsMom]

Ty for the inputs, I will go with PreK teachers guide then. I will add the stamp nd see screen as well. Just have few more questions--

1. Since the chalkboards are cheap would it be nice t get one more at 60c for me to have to do show her simultaneously? Or it doesn't matter?

It doesn't really matter, but it couldn't hurt. They use a technique called Wet Dry Try. You write the letter, the child traces it with the wet sponge, leaving behind a wet line, dries it by tracing with a little piece of paper towel(now the line is really faded, but still there), then tries to write the letter using that faded spot as a guide- make sense? But I could see having the second one to demo a letter every now and then.



2. For roll a dough, Lori if I undstand correctly you got the 5/7 picture frame instead of the tray which they sell for 4.75$ correct? Can I use normal playdoh for this activity? I have tons of it at home. Did you laminate the index cards for roll a dough? Probably yes, if not dough would stick to it correct? Did you use 5/7 size index cards to insert in picture frame?

You know, now that I'm thinking about it more, I think I got a 4x6 and used 3x5 cards. The laminate is going to take up some room around the actual card. You might want to do numbers too, btw. Normal playdoh is fine, yes, definitely laminate. I'll take a picture of my stuff if you want.



3. For the wooden letter pieces knockoffs, I read that you can trace from teachers guide and copy, does the PreK teachers guide have them at the back too? Can anyone confirm please. Also do you laminate several pieces in one big pouch and then cut out individually or laminate each piece separately. Sorry for asking so many questions, I have never laminated earlier and I am trying to figure out how to do it all.

It probably does, but if not, I'll email you a copy if you want. I do laminate several pieces in one pouch and then cut them out. Much more cost effective that way.

[JTsMom]

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WX_5LswMDmE/T_gs2L5JlfI/AAAAAAAAHXQ/_3HdqyswTN0/s512/HWOT.jpg


I measured the frame- 4x6, and the card was 3.5x5.5, so maybe I cut cardstock or 4x6 cards down? Sorry- it's been several years so my memory is pretty fuzzy! Do you have a paper cutter? That will make life a lot easier too.

I love this one:
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=197140

[acmom]

You can use any kind of playdoh - we use to make big batches for the classroom and use that.

An extra chalkboard for demo might be handy - that's what I used to do when I worked with small groups in the classroom. You might want to try out the kind you are buying before buying extra though. I have found that some of the cheap ones don't work as well - some seem to have some sort of coating that makes it more difficult for the chalk to mark, which can frustrate little ones as they have to use just the right amount of pressure at the right angle to write.

[diamond]

Lori. I would really really appreciate the word doc. Can you email me? Thank you for taking time to take pic and showing how u made. Acmom ur right though the chalkboard at acmoore was cheap it was not good quality. Even the wood border was not totally smooth like there is a small posibility to get a splinter from it. I think I will keep it for me order 1 from hwt for my daughter. Are the chalkboard from hwt good quality? Ty

[acmom]

Yes the HWT chalkboards are nice quality and held up well in the classroom.

[MamaKath]

1. Since the chalkboards are cheap would it be nice t get one more at 60c for me to have to do show her simultaneously? Or it doesn't matter?

I would get one. Realize though that some kids really struggle with the skill of copying work and don't develop it until much later. That is part of why HWT has such a great rep with OTs, much of what you do is right on a card or board or with a wood piece, etc. It allows kids to learn without having to copy it from a separate place (hope that makes sense).

[JTsMom]

Lori. I would really really appreciate the word doc. Can you email me? No problem. Just pm me your email address and I'll get it out to you.

[diamond]

Thank you Lori. Pm you