Writing in Color

When our son was in first grade, he learned to write in cursive. He enjoyed it okay but didn’t have any strong feelings about it either way. Our daughter however was chomping at the bit to learn how to write with such pretty, cursive letters.  Our kids are two years apart in age but only one grade in school due to when their birthdays fall on the calendar. By the time, our daughter made it to first grade, the school had changed the curriculum and cursive writing was no longer being taught! What a bummer for her!  So just on her own, she started playing around with lettering and pretty handwriting.  Sometimes, the letters get so curly that they are hard to read!
Just the other day, our daughter asked me to teach her how to write in cursive. Now, my daily handwriting is atrocious since attending college and having to take too many notes too quickly.  But at one point, I loved writing with pretty letters.  I have a special memory of my sweet second grade teacher who would reward students for their effort in writing by letting them write with “color"  if they did a good job.  Never mind that blue is a color too!  We all worked so hard to get to write with either a green, red or black pen; anything better than plain old blue!
So when our daughter asked me to teach her cursive writing, these wonderful memories came to mind again and made me smile. I got out a piece of notebook paper and wrote down letters for my daughter to copy, just the way I had learned in second grade while growing up in the Netherlands. I wasn’t sure if she would tire from this exercise after just a few letters but no, she stuck with it and proudly showed me all the pretty letters she wrote.  As a mom, you’ve got to love it when your kids ask to do an educational activity just for the fun of it.  I enjoyed seeing the pride she felt in her work.  Also, it reminds us that even simple activities that require little planning and cost no money, can provide entertainment, learning and an opportunity to explore new skills.

Did you have a moment recently when you felt proud of your kids for trying something new? Do you have a memory of a caring teacher who helped YOU to learn a special skill?  Please share!

---