Westvon Copybooks: Review and a Big Ol’ Giveaway!

By MacKenzie Monroe

I constantly hear from fellow homeschool moms that their kids just need to practice writing more.  As a mom with a little guy who is just learning to write, he also needs writing practice, but generic worksheet get boring and a bit daunting.  Well, Happy Scribe Copybooks has the answer to all of those problems!   I received the October download for review and was very pleased with what I found.  The download offers 24 individual copywork pages themed around the month of October and things that have happened during this month in history.  Each sheet is offered in three different writing styles- Block Printing, D’Nealian Italic, and Cursive.  Full alphabet (upper and lower case) pages are also included for each writing style.

The lessons are fairly short, typically just one sentence, which is terrific for young learners or those who get easily bored or distracted.  My son also found the facts very interesting, especially when he got to write about Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh! I think that these pages could be easily used for a wide variety of ages and simply added to almost any curriculum.  These copywork sheets would be a terrific addition to a morning calendar time as well.

They say that if you want your children’s handwriting to be beautiful, then you have to have them practice it daily. The problem is what do you make them write. Scripture? Boring sayings by people we do not really know? One of the ways is to have them write simple information about the month of July. Westvon Publishing has put together a wonderful copybook called Happy Scribes July Copybook. I have used their copybooks many times over in the past and have always been very happy with the results.

Happy Scribes July Copybook gives you 84 pages of copy work in 3 different types. Block Printing, D’Nealian Italic and Cursive Handwriting. You will receive 20 pages of copy work in each font. The best part is that they will actually learn a few things about the month of July. As an example, did you know that fingerprints were first used in 1858? I didn’t. These are the type of sayings they will be coping.

At the end of each font there are pages with the alphabet in upper and lower for the children to copy as well as some blank pages. And on each of the copy pages there is another faint reminder quote line, which will lead them into a more consistent quality of their handwriting.

History Scholar by Westvon Publishing is the most unique notebooking/written narration product I have ever seen.  Covering every major topic in U.S. and world history from ancient times through modern, History Scholar introduces a specific topic to your high school student with a brief paragraph about it.  There is a small art box for your student to draw a relevant picture, with a text box for key topic points next to it.  Underneath this area is a place to write a personality summary of a key historical figure related to this topic, together with a place to draw this figure.  You can also use a timeline figure or a piece of clip art in this art box.  There is a place to write a relevant quotation, as well as a place to write down the resources utilized in compiling the History Scholar page.  On page 2 of each topic’s section is a small timeline at the top for your student to placethe event in history, followed by an essay question related to the topic area.

History Scholar is our favorite homeschooling purchase ever.  Although it is targeted toward high school students, it is easily adapted for younger learners.  My nine year-old daughter uses this product every day.  The only alteration we make is that many days she does not answer the essay question.  If you are looking for a new approach to history or for a way to reinforce the history lessons that you teach each day, take a look at History Scholar.  It is inventive, inexpensive, and indispensible as a homeschooling history aid!

I own all of the History Scribe notebooking products, but I have to confess that this one is dear to me.  There is a dearth of Catholic products for homeschoolers, but these directed notebooking pages on saints’ biographies are just perfect for Catholic homeschoolers especially.  Each page has a short biography of one of thirty saints with a large place for students to draw a picture of the saint or something from her life.  The last half of the page is devoted to free-handed notebooking.  You can use this section for copywork of your own creation or for written narration of the saint’s life story, or for some other purpose entirely.  You are limited only by your imagination! The pages are so well done and so fun to use that your children will be clamoring for more!

The Master Writer unit is filled with Shakespearean quotes.    This download, which is available on CurrClick.com, is a full 133 pages of nothing but The Bard.   You will find quotes from tragedies, comedies and historical plays, with each quote provided in three different common handwriting fonts: Classic Block Printing, D’Nealian Italic, and Cursive.   Many of the quotes your kids will already recognize, such as the famous “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou,  Romeo?” line from “Romeo and Juliet.”    Just pick the quote you love, print the style of handwriting you want your child to practice, and there you have it!   And if you aren’t keen to the idea of Shakespearean quotes, Westvon Publishing has many other Master Writer Quote titles to choose from, sold separately or in a bundle.

The Master Writer – Shakespeare unit does not have a table of contents, so as a parent/teacher you will need to scroll through the download to view the various quotes.    The practice sheets grouped together in an organized manner, so really the lack of the Table of Contents is not an issue.    One idea that would be really fun is to incorporate these handwriting sheets into a unit study of Shakespeare.   Your family could study a play while at the same time memorizing a quote and improving handwriting skills.

Kids definitely need handwriting practice, so why not use some fun quotes from Shakespeare to accomplish the task?

Happy Scribe Copybooks, Native Americans, by Sherri Chekal is a 131 page book full of handwriting practice.  There are three writing styles for practice, including cursive.  Each page contains a quote at the top with enough lines to copy it on the page.  The lines are about half an inch wide with a dotted line between. Between each section there is a page of alphabet letters and numbers in that particular writing style with room for practice. The manuscript writing appears to be (or very similar to) Zaner Bloser and D’nealian styles.

This is great for writing practice.  The unit would go great with a study on Native Americans.  The quotes are uplifting and interesting.  This will really take some of the stress off mom.  Just print the pages and you have lots of writing practice ready to go.  This unit is affordable and easy to use.

Disclosure: The reviewers were not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed in this article are purely the reviewers.

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