Review: PDF by Hand (Peterson Directed Handwriting)

Handwriting has been a large issue in our household. My son avoids writing as much as he can. It has provided for some great mental math exercises, simply because he doesn't want to write down the problems, but it hasn't helped much with legible writing. I know boys tend to not have beautiful handwriting, but, really, my standards are pretty low. My first criteria is that he can read his own writing (yes, this is a problem). My second criteria is that I can read it. Lastly, it would be really nice if others could read it too.

Last year, I started to give up hope and decided I was going to focus more on keyboarding skills. Then, a few months into the year, I was given an opportunity to review Peterson Directed Handwriting. I figured it certainly couldn't hurt the situation, and readily agreed. You can read the resulting review here. In that review I cover details on the Peterson method, which I won't overlap in this review. Please hop on over to read the first review if you are unfamiliar with Peterson Directed Handwriting.

We had just completed the Grade Three Homeschool Kit this year when I found out that Peterson had some new products to review. Perfect timing! In response to requests, Peterson has made available lesson e-workbooks for all levels of their program. During this effort to make the e-workbooks available, the idea for a handwriting software tool, PDF By Hand, was conceived. I was really curious on how using a computer for handwriting skills would work in our home and agreed to give PDF By Hand a try.

What is included?
PDF By Hand is designed to be used with a Wacom tablet. The software is available alone or preloaded with e-workbooks. There are three pre-loaded options: print, cursive, or full version. I received the cursive package.

PDF By Hand Cursive includes all levels of cursive writing, from kindergarten to adult. It is preloaded with six e-workbooks, which are also available individually. Click on the titles below to read a description of each e-workbook. You may also view the entire e-workbook in a non-printable version by clicking on the links in the parentheses.

Cursive Step 1, 81 pages (View 1 Here)
Cursive Step 2, 59 pages (View 2 Here)
Cursive Step 3, 55 pages (View 3 Here)
Cursive Step 4, 64 pages (View 4 Here)
Word Masters 3, 69 pages (View Here)
Word Masters 4, 75 pages (View Here)

Also included are two files that allow the user to create handwritten notes and pictures.

The individual license covers use of the software by students in the same household. With digital products, I'm always concerned with losing the program to a computer crash. Peterson Directed will provide you with another download in the event of a computer crash or a new computer purchase. The license also allows you to install on more than one computer in your home. Just ask and they are happy to help.

How does it work?

Any of the document pages can be printed for paper and pencil practice or used with the PDF By Hand software on the computer screen.

There are two options for computer work, mouse/finger mode or tablet mode. The mouse/finger mode is intended to practice large movement either with a mouse, or more ideally with the finger on a touch pad. (Finger tracing is one of the steps of the Peterson method that it utilized before the student actually picks up a pencil and writes.) With a tablet, the parent will hold down the button that functions as the left mouse button while the child uses a finger to write on the screen with the touch pad.

The tablet function uses the tablet pen on the tablet surface. By doing so, the student can write directly on to the worksheet displayed on the computer screen.

Work done on the computer can be saved as an individual PDF file for storage or sharing.

Why use the computer to practice handwriting?

You are probably wondering what are the advantages of practicing handwriting digitally. For those into "green", it certainly saves paper. I also like that practice pages can be saved as individual files and opened up by anyone with Adobe. Additionally, a digital record of progress for reference is easily stored on your computer as a PDF document. Using the computer also adds a bit of variety in handwriting practice, which usually does not rank high in our household.


The ability to increase the size of pages by zooming in and out helps adjust that pages as the child gains more pencil control. There are also options to change pen color and line thickness.

Using the software for practice provides an added challenge of movement control. Anyone that has used a tablet before will know that it takes some getting used to seeing the results of your hand movement someplace other than the paper. It requires visual attention on the screen, while directing movement of the hand.

How did it work at our house?

My experience was a bit unique because I originally tried out the software not with a tablet, but with a digital pen. My pen is actually an inking pen, that is read by a sensor that clips to the top of the paper. In order for it to work with the software, I needed to run it in finger/mouse mode rather than tablet mode. This system actually worked fairly well, but it did have some glitches. While fairly smooth most of the time, it was a bit inconsistent running in mouse mode, which doesn't provide as precise feedback as tablet mode. The other issue is that because it actually inked on the paper, my son would get the visual feedback on the paper as well as the computer screen, rather than relying on muscle control and memory for his movements.

I ended up buying a tablet, partly because I always wanted one and partly because I knew we would get better use of the software. The tablet had a much smoother response and in general worked much better. However, I did find one very distinct advantage to using the digital pen described earlier. With the pen, I was able to hold the pen just above the paper and truly air write the letters with the results showing on the screen. It certainly wasn't enough of an advantage to stick with the digital pen over the tablet, especially since my son is beyond the air writing stage, but worth mentioning if you have both tools available to you. For overall use, I recommend using the software with a tablet, as designed.

I found using the computer for practice is much harder than I thought it would be and my son had some difficulty. However, when he did have some success, it made it all the more rewarding. ("Look how nice that one looks, Mom!") Part of the advantage is it really makes one think about the movement. It is sort of like writing with your eyes closed...are the letters so ingrained that you don't need to think about movement? We'll continue doing paper and pencil work as well, but the computer work is certainly worthwhile in handwriting training and adds a bit of variety.

As far as the Peterson method of handwriting instruction as a whole, we've had quite a bit of success with it. It has been a slow, but I've seen progress. My son likes the way the letters are broken down and the rhythmic movement. When I asked him why he liked this method, he tried to explain it with the following:

"In the other program, the letters were loopy and I just kept going and going. With Peterson, it slows me down and makes me think about each step."

The first thing I noticed after starting Peterson Directed Handwriting last year is my son's letter spacing dramatically improved when printing. His writing used to be just a string of letters and the reader had to figure out where a word started and ended. My son is still not fluent enough to write in cursive outside of practice, but his print writing is now legible and his cursive is improving. We no longer have tears during writing practice either. I have him work for 10 minutes and we are done for the day.

An added bonus!

I always look for multi-functionality of products and PDF By Hand is no exception. The software itself goes beyond just a handwriting practice tool. I have a ton of e-books and workbooks on my computer from a variety of sources. I realized that I could pull up the vast majority of these files in PDF By Hand and use the tablet to write on them. That means that the math worksheet that normally requires printing can actually be worked out on screen with the tablet, then digitally saved as a completed worksheet as a PDF file! Have an e-book or paper that you'd like to annotate? Perhaps you'd like your student to circle words that they don't understand? This is now possible by pulling the file up in PDF By Hand and marking the text with the tablet pen. I discovered that not all PDF files were viewable as some have security features, but many were.
You are also able to make your own worksheets by saving a file you create in a PDF format. Use the same worksheet for multiple children and save their answers without printing a single page.

How is customer service?

Worth mentioning is the excellent customer service. The website is filled with a ton of information on the program. The following three pages are good places to start.

Coaching Help
Information Directory
Training Interface

Rand Nelson, also known as Mr. Pencil, is available to give advice and answer questions. You are able to meet with him live in an online meeting room to discuss your handwriting needs.

How much does it cost?

The PDF By Hand Cursive is available for $75 for an individual license. This is a fabulous buy considering that purchasing just the preloaded workbooks alone costs over $100. Purchasing the e-workbooks as a package with the software gives you not only a hefty discount on the e-workbooks but provides the software as well.

If you would like to purchase just the PDF By Hand software, without any workbooks, it is available for $29.95.

Print, full (cursive and print) and Building Licenses (for schools) are also available.

Final Thoughts

If you are planning to use the e-workbooks and just starting out with this program, purchasing the program as a package with the PDF By Hand is the definite way to go for cost effectiveness. While we had mixed results with noticeable handwriting improvement as a direct result of using PDF By Hand during our short-term use, I like the challenge, versatility, and variety that the software provides to the handwriting instruction in our home. We'll continue to use a mixture of printed worksheets and computer screen work.

Visit the Peterson Directed Handwriting website for more information, to make a purchase, or discuss your needs in an online meeting room with Rand Nelson.

Fellow Crew member, Laura O at Day By Day in Our World, also reviewed the new PDF By Hand software. You can read her review here. Most of the other Crew members for this product reviewed the e-workbooks, which can be read here.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Zeezok's Presidential Penmanship

When your kids practice their penmanship, doesn't it make sense that they practice with something worthwhile? Scripture, famous quotes, and excerpts from great literature are often sought out by busy homeschooling moms seeking for something worthy of carefully scripted words.

Now the work is done for you with the Presidential Penmanship series by Zeezok Publishing. Presidential Penmanship is a supplemental handwriting program for first grade through senior high. Easy printable worksheets contain the words and writings from America's founding fathers and presidents, exposing your students the foundational morals and government principles of America, all while practicing penmanship.

Presidential Penmanship is available in 6 different writing styles:

• AB style (similar to A Beka), DN style (similar to D'Nealian)
• BJ style (similar to BJU Press)
• DN style (similar to D'Nealian)
• HWOT (similar to Handwriting Without Tears)
• Italic style (similar to Getty & Dubay Italic)
• ZB style (similar to Zaner-Bloser)
  

Individual grade levels are available as eBooks or all levels can be purchased at once on CD. I was provided with the Italic Style Complete Program on CD for review.
The passages to be copied are structured by grade level, starting with thirty-six quotes on founding principles and character qualities for first and second graders. Below is a sampling of various passages for some of the grade levels.

Grade 1
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. ~T. Jefferson

Grade 3
The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money. ~James Madison

Junior High
The philosophy of the schoolroom in on generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. ~Abraham Lincoln
Not only do the selections provide the beginnings to government and civics study, but the passages are perfect for memorization work as well.

Click here for an 88-page sampler of all levels.

When my kids were first learning to write, finding appropriate passages always took a bit of time locating and then copying in my own hand passages to copy. I eventually resorted to purchasing consumable workbooks when my daughter was first learning. Of course, when my son started learning, the purchase of more workbooks was required. I'm typically not a fan of digital products, but if any product has an advantage over print, it is handwriting materials.

• You can use it over and over with multiple children.
  
• Sloppy work? Just reprint the page for a redo!
• Twelve years of material on one disk.
• No more half-used workbooks! Print only what you need.

It is important to note that the CDs do not teach the strokes for each style with repeated practice of individual letters, but are meant to be supplemental practice. My children do not write in Italic and I therefore couldn't put this product through the "kid test", but I can see how this would be a welcome addition into our homeschool if we did regular handwriting practice in this writing style.

If you are tired of searching for material for your children to copy during writing practice, Presidential Penmanship from Zeezok will certainly inject a huge dose of convenience into your homeschool. Individual grade levels are available as eBooks for $9.99 or a complete program can be purchased on CD for $39.99 ($15 savings). Many other materials, including historical fiction and the Great Musician Series, are also available from Zeezok. For more information or to make a purchase, visit the Zeezok website.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew in exchange for my honest review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

A Review of Peterson Directed Handwriting

Handwriting. I remember handwriting instruction in my grade school years clearly. Perhaps it is because I'm a lefty, which tended to make me stand out during instruction and also cause my teachers a small amount of stress. Regardless, it was certainly a focus of those early years, requiring instruction and practice. However, is handwriting instruction necessary today in the age of computers? I've heard experts say no, that the progress of technology has replaced the need to go beyond basic writing instruction. However, we now have a generation who can no longer write legibly nor even read cursive, let alone write it. High school students panic with the requirement to complete the essay portion of the ACT and SAT exams in cursive. I'm not sure that is progress. But with a son who has trouble putting pencil to paper, I certainly am not in favor of pushing handwriting with young kids when we have technology to assist. Therefore, my approach to handwriting instruction in our homeschool has been a bit mixed. My 9-year-old son is functional. Legibility has a lot to be desired. We have also (unsuccessfully) studied cursive. However, handwriting hasn't really been an emphasis in our homeschool and I tend to put it aside for less painful endeavors.

When Peterson Directed Handwriting arrived for review, I was open to giving it a try. I received the Grade Three Homeschool Kit Complete, Making the Transition to Cursive. Included in my package was a teacher handbook, a non-consumable student book, an audio CD, a CD-Rom with letter animations, two position guides and two Try-Rex pencils. The first thing that I noticed was that this company has been around since 1908. Impressive. Secondly, the Peterson method is heavily research-based and focuses on the movement and rhythm of writing. Obviously not a new method given the 100+ year established date, but certainly new for this modern homeschooling mom. This is not a copy and trace program. Learning how to write is taught by breaking down letters into strokes with the same muscle pattern, sliding right and returning to a baseline. Proper paper placement, body position and pencil grip are an essential component.

While each lesson requires direct instruction and supervision from the teacher, it is not a difficult method to teach. Each motion is first taught on a large scale. The student watches an animation using the CD-Rom or may simply observe the teacher write the stroke on a white board. Before even picking up a pencil, the student performs the motion by air writing, working on large muscle control and memory. Action words or counting are chanted to the rhythm of the movement. Once large muscle control is mastered, students then finger trace the pattern using the student book while verbalizing the rhythm. The last step is to write and say the pattern. After writing practice, the student may reduce the size of the strokes. Basic strokes are eventually connected to form letters and then words. See the animations below to get an idea of the letter formations. The “how” is rather easy. If you are interested in more of the “why”, I highly recommend you peruse the information-filled website, including a video presentation explaining the method by Rand Nelson, also known as Mr. Pencil.

The difference is rhythm!

As simple as it sounds, implementation was a bit more difficult in our household. Part of the reason is that my son has developed some rather bad habits. His writing is performed with a crooked posture and a claw-like pencil grip. This is partly due to my lack of emphasis on handwriting instruction and partly because he actually does have challenges surrounding handwriting to the point that assistive technology has been recommended. I’ve attempted to correct his grip in the past, but eventually declared defeat and started leaning towards keyboard instruction

Our first day of instruction ended up with him in near tears. However, this is not a program that you can access effectiveness in the first week. After working with the program for a couple of months, I'm still not sure of its effectiveness. The compliance has gone up as has the pencil control, but my son has not progressed enough to be writing full words in the beautiful cursive style on the workbook pages. I’ve observed improvement and for that reason plan to continue for the rest of the school year. For kids with handwriting issues, this is not a get-results-quick program. It will require dedication of both parent and child.

Quite a bit of preparation time is required before even starting the program. The teacher will need to browse the site and read over the manual before beginning. I found the teacher manual to not be exactly user-friendly at first. This isn't a program were you can just jump in nor one you can give your student to do alone. Once lessons start, the time commitment is about 10 minutes at the most, less if that is the limit of your child. If your child is not compliant, it can be a long ten minutes. Think of it as physical therapy. You must go through a bit of pain, but with consistency things will get easier resulting in functionality in the weak area. This program won’t have your struggling writer begging to do handwriting practice, but it may very well have fantastic results if you put in the time.

Prices vary depending on the package. The Complete Grade 3 Package I received costs $38.55. The Basic Package, containing just the teacher and student books, placement guides and pencils costs $15.05. The CD-Rom and music CD, included in the Complete Grade 3 Package, are used for multiple grades and are individually priced at $17.95 and $9.95 respectively. The letter animation CD-Rom was helpful, but not completely necessary. We didn't really use the music CD since my son felt too old for it, but it may be a helpful tool for younger kids.

If handwriting is important to you and you are willing to put in the time, Peterson Directed Handwriting may be a program to consider. It would be best for those just starting out or those needing intervention in their handwriting. While I don't have dramatic results to report, I see this method being effective with kids that struggle with handwriting. Furthermore, the customer service seems to be great, with a genuine concern for helping teachers. parents and students with proper handwriting instruction. You may request a consultation conference to discuss your handwriting program needs with a Peterson handwriting specialist at the Peterson website.

My thoughts on handwriting instruction have changed since using Peterson. At the very least, an effort is being made to correct a hand-tiring pencil grip. At the very most, I hope the results will be some beautiful cursive writing, but I’ll settle for legible. I expect the progress will be slow, but bad habits take time to form and even more time to undo.

Visit the Peterson website to find more about the program and read the volumes of information on handwriting instruction. To hear what others had to about Peterson and to hear about other levels, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.