Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting
When I received a box in the mail a couple of months ago, my eyes were immediately drawn to the amazingly neat handwriting on the address label. I wish I could write like that! I thought. The handwriting belonged to Nan Jay Barchowsky, who developed the Barchowsky Fluent Hand (BFH) method, and the box contained my review copies of the BFH Handwriting Manual and Fix It … Write.
The Barchowsky Fluent Hand method uses simple letterforms that are easy to teach and to learn. BFH is based on italic handwriting, and Nan developed the letter formations after observing the finger and hand movements that are most natural for children. The program is designed to develop speed and legibility while allowing for individual variations in handwriting. Consistency is stressed rather than exact replication of the letterforms in the examplars.
The BFH Handwriting Manual comes with a CD-ROM (two versions of the CD-ROM are included in the package—one for PCs and one for Macs). The CD-ROM walks you through the program and includes printable PDFs, practice pages, and photos. Also included are helpful videos that show the handwriting techniques in action for both left- and right-handers. The CD-ROM’s content highlights topics covered in the manual and provides warm-up exercises using patterns (see here for an example) as well as lower-case and capital letter and numeral sheets you can print out. You can edit the text on some of the pages, and material is provided for multiple levels of students from beginner to advanced, with sections on Posture, Direction, and Rhythm.
The author explains the BFH method clearly and explains how it differs from other methods, and though the manual contains a lot of information, it’s readable and not overly academic. The CD-ROM was slow to load some files, but I was impressed by all of the features and the user-friendly navigation. You can add pages to the My Pages section for easy access and printing later. I like how the program is set up and how flexible it is. I can use it for my preschooler who’s just beginning and enjoys the prewriting activities like air writing, writing with her finger in shaving cream, and especially guessing the letter when I draw it on her back. My older daughter likes the exercises and doesn’t mind practicing handwriting now!
Fix It … Write is for older students and even adults who want to improve the legibility and speed of their handwriting. The loose-leaf pages include several practice pages that you can copy and use in a binder with regular lined paper to complete the lessons. Two sets of daily lessons that last 10-15 minutes each are included—one for those print script and one for cursive. Common handwriting problems are addressed, and students are encouraged to date each practice page so that they can see their progress.
I’m pleased with both of these products and plan to continue using them with both my girls and for my own handwriting! The BFH Manual and CD-ROM package costs $65.95. Fix It … Write costs $17.95. A Beginners’ Handwriting package is also available, as are downloads of the Barchowsky fonts so that you can use them with word processing or other software applications.
Several other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew also received Barchowsky materials; see the TOS Crew blog to access their reviews. You still have time to apply for next year’s TOS Crew, so see this post if you’re interested!
