Drawing, writing, social studies and science all in one books series?
That’s exactly what you find in the Draw Write Now book series by Marie Hablitzel and Kim Stitzer.
These books are a wonderful collection of lessons which blend art and handwriting practice into one activity. The lessons are based on social studies and science themes so children learn about the world as they write.
Keep reading to find out more about this versatile series in this Draw Write Now review.
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Drawing: Step-by-Step
My favorite part of these books is the way each step of the drawing process is outlined in red. It makes it very easy for children learn to draw complex pictures such as animals, people, and even the Statue of Liberty. The creators of the book also include fun activities which tie words to pictures. In one lesson, the word “girl” is turned into a picture of a girl. Very creative.
Each lesson includes a full color illustration of the completed subject in a background scene. Other pages in the books include extra pictures with thought provoking questions intended to inspire children.
The authors are careful to include helpful hints for the adults. The beginning of each book has some tips on topics such as drawing the subject, drawing a background and coloring the picture. The “About this book” section explains the story behind creating the series and the rationale for their methods.
Handwriting Practice
“Handwriting is an art!” That is a quote from a page in one of the Draw Write Now books. How true it is. Each lesson in this series includes sentences for practicing the art of handwriting. These simple sentences are usually descriptions and facts about a theme which goes with the drawings. The lesson on drawing the Statue of Liberty, for example, includes sentences on liberty. The lesson on drawing a beaver is about water homes. This is a great idea because not only are children getting handwriting and drawing practice, but also knowledge in social studies and science.
Having a picture to draw and color with each handwriting lesson is a great motivator for those kids who don’t like handwriting. “You can draw and color the picture after you write the sentences,” might be something you could tell a child. When he finishes each book, he’ll have a nice collection of his own pictures with handwritten captions.
Social Studies and Science too!
Animals and Habitats. The United States. Native Americans. The Arctic. Those are just some of the themes covered in the series. Each book has three themes around which the handwriting practice and art lessons are based. There are also thematic questions, answers, and recommended books for each section.
These themes make a perfect springboard for social studies and science lessons. It would be easy to find more information to supplement them. You could dig up activities online. Find books at the library or bookstore. Use a good children’s atlas. There are plenty of resources out there to make a complete curriculum.
Good for Independent Practice
When you need to keep one child busy while you work with another, these books are an excellent activity for independent practice. The drawing steps are easy to follow and the sentences are short and simple. Just put the supplies out and let your child go.
Who Is It For?
The Draw Write Now books were written by a 2nd grade teacher. As far as handwriting goes, they work best for 2nd grade printing practice. Younger children can use them if they know how to form their letters already. Older kids can also use them for cursive practice if you use a program like StartWrite to type out the sentences in cursive.
When it comes to drawing, the exercises are ideal for children in grades K – 6. If you have a highly skilled artist at home, they might seem a little too easy for her. They are, however, wonderful for children with average to little or no drawing skills. My children really enjoyed learning how to draw from these books from the time they were in 1st grade until they were in middle school.
Special Paper
The only real downside to the series is that you need to buy special paper to do the lessons in. It needs to be the type that has space for a picture along with lines for handwriting. Draw Write Now has its own book called Draw Write Now Workbook that has enough sheets in it for the lessons in one book. It is pretty reasonable priced.
I used the Draw and Write Journal from Lakeshore Learning because it has 60 pages in it, enough to do almost three books of lessons. We also found this journal useful for other writing activities.