I received an email from Barker Creek – asking if I’d consider reviewing their site – and sharing their resources with you. Their logo looked familiar. I clicked over to the site to take a peek. It reminded me of the afternoons spent in the Teacher’s Resource Stores. I loved looking through all of the fun items to make our home a learning resource center. Fun ideas for walls, folders, thematic units, planning books – An Elementary School Teacher’s Dream.
They are a Northwest Company – so I told them I’d mention them on the blog – but that my boys had moved a bit past the cute elementary supplies. I wasn’t sure what item I’d review?
She offered to send me the Draw Write Now Set of books – and give me a set to give away – on my blog – Wait.
HOLD The Phone. Stop the E-mails. In my haste to click on the blog –
I had MISSED IT!!! Barker Creek. Draw Write Now. YES! I was familiar with their product!!!
We have been intentionally learning at home for over 9 years. There are few books that have stayed on the Current Learning Shelf for that duration. Book Number 1 – Farms – has been on our art shelf, within arms reach – the entire time.
When the boys were very young –
They didn’t really write, or want to write, or have things to write about. We used quite a few methods of helping them write – cutting play dough snakes with scissors, picking up cheerios, drawing lines and circles – and then – we found Draw Write Now. We’d have the boys pick a photo they were interested in from the index, find the page, then start on the steps.
This takes a bit of skill, learning how to use an index, page numbers, and following the example steps with close and careful observation.
I’d encourage them to color in their drawings with colored pencils and choose at least one sentence sample to copywork onto their page.
For my boys – this time was more productively spent than 20-30 minutes with a handwriting course. They were practicing their fine motor skills in their fingers, developing pencil holding muscles, and practicing the eye hand coordination that must happen. It may be hard for you to sketch a nature object – think of the same frustration for a 4-6 year old to form letters – that are useless to them.
As they grew older –
We used the Draw Write Now sets in the library – to help us illustrate our narrations. Giving us ideas on how to create boats, polar bears, trains, and horses with our pencils. The landscapes had more detail, the feathering and drawing more fine tuned. More items seemed to be added to the backgrounds. Birds were sketched in more physical positions. Jon is constantly asking – What should I draw? I usually pull out the book and we work on creating a better swan, or cat, or horse. Oh – I almost forgot, each book is a themed unit study!
Would I need them for High School?
I felt a little bad, that now, in the 6th and 9th grades, we would finally have a complete set for our use, when the boys are so much older. I really shouldn’t have worried. Jon immediately opened the set and turned the kitchen table into a craft center. He dug through the images of each book, creating bears, people, shrimp, shells, and birds. Nate is still not a big sketcher, he may never be – and honestly – he has not used them, but – visiting friends, with older kids – have enjoyed using these books as well.
The pages have art suggestions of how to use the direction of strokes from the colored pencils to help give texture to the picture. how to blend the colors. How to show perspective. It may not be a High School Credit for Art – but does all art need to be hard and arduous to be learning and practicing creativity? It is still on my using shelf this year.
So – For you Dear Reader – 5 Ways to Enter:
No matter your age – You’ll want these in your classroom. You can buy one at a time like we did, or the entire set. I don’t say this often, but it is an good investment into your resource library. If you’d like to try to get one for free – here is how you may enter.
Comment on the Blog – “Have you used these or seen these before?”
What is your favorite supply from the website?
Like their Facebook Page
Tweet about the Giveaway
Like my Facebook
(Leave a comment for each entry)
From the Barker Creek – Website:
Posters -(I have quite a few of these.)
- Historical Barns
- Transcontinental Railroad
- Reindeer
- Nautical Adventures
- Handwriting Counts
Disclaimer: I received a request to review the Barker Creek. I was given a free sample from their store in exchange for hosting a giveaway on my blog, if I desired, and for sharing my experience with their products with you. I have enjoyed Barker Creek for many years and highly recommend that you use them for your learning needs!
We have a Winner! Congrats Sadie from http://www.snapshotsoflife5d.blogspot.com/
+Angie Wright
Pebblekeeper 