school supplies question

[DammitJanet]

Keyana is starting PreK this year at real school and she has a very hard time with holding her pencil to write her letters. I dont recall seeing those big, fat pencils in the stores anymore. Do they still sell them?

I think I have seen some of you on here talk about a gripper thing to attach to a pencil or pen to make it easier for a person to use the correct position with their fingers to write. Do you know where I would find them? Or what they are called so I can look them up online?

Thanks in advance.

 

[klmno]

Grippers- Walmart in school supply/ pen & pencil section.

Fat pencils- I haven't seen them either lately but maybe try a dollar store.

 

[serenity]

There are sponge grippers and plastic grippers. At Keyana's age, I highly recommend the sponge grippers...they slip right onto the pencils and make for a comfortable grip. The sponge gripper will also prevent the middle finger callus we got when we were kids. You can pick these up for next to nothing at WalMart, Target, Staples, Office Depot, etc.

 

[tiredmommy]

Janet- These are the ones that Duckie uses. They are pricey so you'll want to keep one at your house and have the teacher give it to K when they do pencil work.

http://www.therapro.com/The-Pencil-Grip-P27281.aspx

 

[hearts and roses]

I found them at amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Dixon-Ticonde...=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1281029278&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Ticonderoga-B...=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1281029278&sr=8-3

We had to buy these for difficult child all through her educational career! The mechanicals are too expensive and the 'gripper' things get lost constantly.

 

[confuzzled]

http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/product/pencil+grips.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search

http://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Grip-Ergonomic-Assorted-TPG-11112/dp/B001SN8HP8

these were the only ones my difficult child's Occupational Therapist (OT) reccommended and i'll tell you, they worked great. they arent cheap, but considering i've spent a small fortune at walmart/staples/etc on various otc grips, they were worth it.

i found them in real life at a "teacher" store and was able to buy them by the piece. the reallygoodstuff link came directly from the store--i think the clerk was so amazed that someone would buy as many as i did she coughed up the info, lol. i havent used the company myself so i can't say if its good or not. i DO think i paid close to $1/piece in real life.

hth!

 

[confuzzled]

LOL--they look like the same as duckies...(but ours are *glittered*, ROFLMAO...that might make a difference $ wise!)

 

[emotionallybankrupt]

You've gotta check out the Lamy ABC mechanical pencil. I ordered it for easy child this summer, and it's WONDERFUL. A matching fountain pen is also available, and they come in red and blue. The contour is perfect, and since the grip is built-in, that elimates so many problems we teachers have with grippers in the classroom. They get lost, kids play with them, have to adjust the placement of the gripper, cut them up with scissors, and on and on.

The Lamy is a German product, and you'll probably have to order online, although you can now get it from suppliers in the U.S. I've already been sharing this find with many of my colleagues. I'm betting most Occupational Therapist (OT)'s don't know about it.

The mechanical pencil lead is 1.4 mm., as opposed to the standard 0.5 or 0.7 mm. That takes care of the other reason many of us elementary teachers ban mechanical pencils from our classrooms. Children bear down too hard, and the pencil lead is forever jamming and breaking. I ordered replacement lead when I ordered the pencil, because I doubt it could be found in stores.

easy child has had a long-standing issue with an incorrect pencil grip, and honestly I thought that since she's now 9, we were stuck with it. We tried every gripper made, and she'd always go right back to her own way as soon as nobody was looking. The fountain pen is a neat product (with a grip identical to the pencil), but the mechanical pencil is the real jewel as far as I'm concerned. easy child holds it correctly every time, and I'm not sure how a child could hold it incorrectly.

 

[AnnieO]

Janet, I don't know if you have a Meijer around - but they sell the fat pencils. Jett needs them, too.

 

[Mattsmom277]

We have fat pencils right in our dollar stores here. You might want to check that out.